Synthesis of a giant 222 carbon graphite sheet

In this paper we present the synthesis and characterization of the so far largest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), containing 222 carbon atoms or 37 separate benzene units. First a suitable three-dimensional oligophenylene precursor molecule is built up by a sequence of Diels-Alder and cyclotrimerization reactions and then planarized in the final step by oxidative cyclodehydrogenation to the corresponding hexagonal PAH. Structural proof is based on isotopically resolved MALDI-TOF mass spectra and electronic characteristics are studied by UV/Vis spectroscopy.     

Skin Constituents as Cosmetic Ingredients. Part II: A Study of Bio‐Mimetic Monoglycerides Behavior at the Squalene‐Water Interface by the “Pendant Drop” Method in a Dynamic Mode

This work aims at presenting the viscoelastic behavior of bio‐mimetic monoglycerides used as emulsifier in a mixture made of two non‐miscible liquids, squalene and water. The measurement of the interfacial tension, carried out by the “pendant drop” method in “dynamic” mode, made it possible to characterize these amphiphilic molecules according to the value of their elastic modulus, ?, as well as their relaxation time, τ_R.

The analysis of these parameters, as well as those developed in the previous publication [L. Blasco et al. (2006) Skin constituents as cosmetic ingredients. Part I: A Study of bio‐mimetic monoglyceride behavior at the squalene‐water interface by the “pendant drop” method in a static mode. J. Dispers. Sci. Technol., 27(6).] shows that the hydrocarbon chain structure, such as its length, the presence of one or more unsaturations, hydroxyl function, affects the behavior of surfactant molecules at the squalene/water interface.     

Linear Synthesis of The Methyl Glycosides of Tri-, Tetra-, and Pentasaccharide Fragments of The Shigella Flexneri Serotype 5A O-Antigen

ABSTRACT

The stepwise synthesis of methyl α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (EBC-OMe, 1), methyl α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)]-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (A(E)BC-OMe, 2), and methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)]-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (DA(E)BC-OMe, 3) is described. Compounds 1, 2 and 3 constitute the methyl glycosides of fragments of the O-specific polysaccharide of Shigella flexneri serotype 5a. Methyl 2,4-di-O-benzoyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-2,4-di-O-benzoyl-α-L-rhamnopyranoside was an appropriate BC precursor for the synthesis of 1. For the synthesis of the branched targets 2 and 3, a benzyl group was best suited at position 2 of rhamnose C. Thus, methyl 4-O-benzyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-2,4-di-O-benzyl-α-L-rhamnopyranoside was the key intermediate to the BC portion. In all cases, 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride was a convenient E precursor, when used in combination with titanium tetrafluoride. All along, attention was paid to steric hindrance as a factor of major impact on the condensation steps outcome. Therefore, based on previous experience, 2-O-acetyl-3,4-di-O-allyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate and 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-trichloroacetamido-α-D-glucopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate were used as donors. Both suited all requirements when used as key precursors for residues A and D in the synthesis of 3, respectively.     

Further monoterpene chromane esters from Peperomia obtusifolia: VCD determination of the absolute configuration of a new diastereomeric mixture

A reinvestigation of the monoterpene chromane ester enriched fraction from Peperomia obtusifolia using chiral chromatography led to the identification of a minor peak, which was elucidated by NMR and HRMS as fenchyl-3,4-dihydro-5-hydroxy-2,7-dimethyl-8-(3″-methyl-2″-butenyl)-2-(4′-methyl-1′,3′-pentadienyl)-2H-1-benzopyran-6-carboxylate, the same structure assigned to two other fenchyl esters described previously, pointing out a stereoisomeric relationship among them. Further NMR analysis revealed that it was actually a mixture of two compounds, whose absolute configurations were determined by VCD measurements. Although, almost no vibrational transitions could be assigned to the chiral chromane, the experimental VCD spectrum was largely opposite to that obtained for the average experimental VCD [(2S,1?R,2?R,4?S + 2R,1?R,2?R,4?S)/2] for fenchol derivatives. These results allowed us to assign the putative compounds as a racemic mixture of the chiral chromane esterified with the monoterpene (1S,2S,4R)-fenchol, which had not been identified in our early work.     

H2 dissociation on individual Pd atoms deposited on Cu(111)

We present a Molecular Dynamics (MD) study based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations for H(2) interacting with a Pd-Cu(111) surface alloy for low Pd coverages, Θ(Pd). Our results show, in line with recent experimental data, that single isolated Pd atoms evaporated on Cu(111) significantly increase the reactivity of the otherwise inert pure Cu surface. On top of substitutional Pd atoms in the Pd-Cu(111) surface alloy, the activation energy barrier for H(2) dissociation is smaller than the lowest one found on Cu(111) by a factor of two: 0.25 eV vs. 0.46 eV. Also in agreement with experiments, our DFT-MD calculations show that a large fraction of the dissociating H atoms efficiently spillover from Pd (i.e. the active sites), thanks to their extra kinetic energy due to the ~0.50 eV chemisorption exothermicity. Still, our DFT-MD calculations predict a dissociative sticking probability for low energy H(2) molecules that is much smaller than the estimated value from scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. Thus, further theoretical and experimental investigations are required for a complete understanding of H(2) dissociation on low-Θ(Pd) Pd-Cu(111) surface alloys.     

Living Polymerization via Anionic Initiation for the Synthesis of Well‐Defined PPV Materials

The anionic polymerization of PPV via the sulfinyl precursor route is further investigated. When LHMDS is employed as the base to form the actively propagating quinodimethane system and THF as the solvent, anionic polymerizations can be observed. With the use of tert‐ butyl‐substituted anionic initiators, specific functional groups can be built in the polymer chain and the chain length can be efficiently controlled, which is demonstrated here for the first time. With introduction of branched side chains on the aromatic core, soluble conjugated PPV material can be obtained with molecular weights in the range of 5000–16 000 g mol⁻¹.     

Phase behaviour of tri-n-butylmethylammonium chloride hydrates in the presence of carbon dioxide

The phase behaviour of the system water?Ctri-n-butylmethylammonium chloride (TBMAC)?CCO₂ was investigated by pressure-controlled differential scanning calorimetry in the range 0?C10?mol% TBMAC in water and at CO₂ pressures ranging from 0 to 1.5?MPa. In the absence of CO₂, an incongruent melting hydrate, which estimated composition corresponds to TBMAC·30H₂O, crystallizes at temperatures below ?13.6?°C and forms with ice a peritectic phase at approximately 3.9?mol% TBMAC. In the presence of CO₂ at pressures as low as 0.5?MPa, curves evidenced the presence of an additional phase exhibiting congruent melting at temperatures that are strongly pressure dependent and significantly higher than those of hydrates obtained without CO₂. This new phase, whose enthalpy of dissociation and CO₂ content increase slightly with CO₂ pressure, was identified as a mixed semi-clathrate hydrate of TBMAC and CO₂ of general formula: (TBMAC?+?xCO₂)·30H₂O.     

Charge and substituent effects on the stability of porphyrin/G‐quadruplex adducts

The adduct ions of two tetramolecular G‐quadruplexes formed from the d(TGGGGT) and d(TTGGGGGT) single strands with a group of cationic porphyrins, with different charges and substituents, and one neutral porphyrin, were investigated by ESI‐MS and ESI‐MS/MS in the negative ion mode. Formation of [Q + nNH₄⁺+P^p+‐(z + n + p)H⁺]^z‐ adduct ions (where Q = quadruplex, n = number of quartets minus 1, P = porphyrin and p⁺ =0,1,2,3,4) indicates that the porphyrins are bound outside the quadruplexes providing an additional stabilization to those structures. The fragmentation pathways of the [Q + nNH₄⁺+P^p+‐(z + n + p)H⁺]^z‐ adduct ions depend on the number of positive charges (p⁺) of the porphyrins and on the overall complex charge (z^‐), but do not show a significant dependence on the type of the substituent groups in the porphyrins. Formation of the ‘unfilled’ ions [Q + P^p+‐(z + p)H⁺]^z‐ predominates for porphyrins with a higher number of positive charges. Strand separation with the formation of [T + P^p+‐(z‐2 + p)H⁺]^(z‐2)‐ and (SS‐2H⁺)^2‐ ions, where T = [d(TG₄T)]₃ and [d(T₂G₅T)]₃ and SS = d(TG₄T) and d(T₂G₅T) is only observed for the complexes with a higher overall negative charge. Porphyrin loss with the formation of [Q + nNH₄⁺‐(z + n)H⁺]^z‐ ions occurs predominantly for the neutral and monocharged porphyrins. The predominant formation of the ‘unfilled’ ions, [Q + P^p+‐(z + n)H⁺]^z‐, for porphyrins with a higher number of charges shows that these porphyrins can prevent strand separation and preserve, at least partially, the quadruplex structure. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.