Two New Diterpenoids from Isodon rubescens

In order to further study on minor diterpenoid constituents of lsodon rubescens, wereinvestigated this species, which was collected in Taibai mountain, Shaanxi Province.TWo new diterpenoids, taibairubescensins A (l) and B (2), were isolated. In this paper,we present the structure elucidation of these two new diterpenoids.Taibairubescensin A (l ), C,.H,#O, (FABMS m/z 435[M 11 ), an amorphous powder,showed UV and iR absorption bands for the existence of hydroxyl, acetoxyl and a fivemembe…     

Modified capillary electrophoresis based measurement of the binding between DNA aptamers and an unknown concentration target

The recognition of targets such as biomacromolecules, viruses and cells by their aptamers is crucial in aptamer-based biosensor platforms and research into protein function. However, it is difficult to evaluate the binding constant of aptamers and their targets that are hard to purify and quantify, especially when the targets are undefined. Therefore, we aimed to develop a modified capillary electrophoresis based method to determine the dissociation constant of aptamers whose targets are hard to quantify. A protein target, human thrombin, and one of its aptamers were used to validate our modified method. We demonstrated that the result calculated by our method, only depending on the aptamer’s concentrations, was consistent with the classical method, which depended on the concentrations of both the aptamers and the targets. Furthermore, a series of DNA aptamers binding with avian influenza virus H9N2 were confirmed by a four-round selection of capillary electrophoresis–systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment, and we identified the binding constant of these aptamers by directly using the whole virus as the target with the modified method. In conclusion, our modified method was validated to study the interaction between the aptamer and its target, and it may also advance the evaluation of other receptor–ligand interactions.     

Synthesis of functionalized 1H-indenes via copper-catalyzed arylative cyclization of arylalkynes with aromatic sulfonyl chlorides

A variety of polysubstituted 1H-indenes can be prepared through the copper-catalyzed arylative cyclization of simple arylalkynes with commercially available aromatic sulfonyl chlorides that function as an aryl group donor. The reaction tolerates a broad range of functional groups, including bromide and iodide, nitrile, ketone, and nitro groups. The reaction allowed the synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as a bis(indene), indacene, and fused polyarene derivatives, some of them showing strong fluorescence in solution and the solid state.     

Optical waveguides at micro/nanoscale based on functional small organic molecules

Optical waveguides synthesized at the micro/nanoscale have drawn great interest for their potential applications in high speed miniaturized photonic integrations. In this Perspective article, we mainly focus on the related works on active optical waveguides based on functional small organic molecules in micro/nano regime. We begin with a general overview of recent progress in sub-wavelength optical waveguides, including the development of waveguide materials of inorganic semiconductors, polymers, and small organic molecules. Then brief highlights are put on the recently reported organic optical waveguides with various unique optical properties induced by the ordered molecular aggregations in the micro/nano-sized solid-state structures, such as polarized emission, lasing, aggregation-induced enhanced emission, etc. This article concludes with a summary and our personal view about the direction of future development in organic opto-functional waveguides as photonic devices.     

Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetric determination of Cd and Pb at a bismuth glassy carbon electrode modified with Nafion, poly(2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes

A simple, cheap, and nonpolluting method was developed for the cloud point extraction of gold (Au) and palladium (Pd). It is based on the complexation reaction of Au and Pd with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-5-pyrazolone (PMBP) and micelle mediated extraction of the complex using the non-ionic surfactant poly(ethylene glycol) mono-p-nonylphenyl ether (PONPE 7.5). Under the optimized experimental conditions, the enrichment factors are 16 and 17 for Au and Pd, respectively, for 15?mL of preconcentrated solution. The limits of detection are 3.8???g?L^?1 and 1.8???g?L^?1 for Au and Pd, respectively. The relative standard deviations are 1.4% for Au and 0.6% for Pd (n?=?11). The method was successfully applied to the determination of Au and Pd in certified reference materials and mine samples.

Theoretical Analysis of the Detailed Mechanism of Native Chemical Ligation Reactions

The method of native chemical ligation between an unprotected peptide α‐thioester and an N‐terminal cysteine–peptide to give a native peptide in aqueous solution is one of the most effective peptide ligation methods. In this work, a systematic theoretical study was carried out to fully understand the detailed mechanism of ligation. It was found that for the conventional native chemical ligation reaction between a peptide thioalkyl ester and a cysteine in combination with an added aryl thiol as catalyst, both the thiol‐thioester exchange step and the transthioesterification step proceed by an anionic concerted S_N2 displacement mechanism, whereas the intramolecular rearrangement proceeds by an addition–elimination mechanism, and the rate‐limiting step is the thiol‐thioester exchange step. The theoretical method was then extended to study the detailed mechanism of the auxiliary‐mediated peptide ligation between a peptide thiophenyl ester and an N‐2‐mercaptobenzyl peptide in which both the thiol‐thioester exchange step and intramolecular acyl‐transfer step proceed by a concerted S_N2‐type displacement mechanism. The energy barrier of the thiol‐thioester exchange step depends on the side‐chain steric hindrance of the C‐terminal amino acid, whereas that of the acyl‐transfer step depends on the side‐chain steric hindrance of the N‐terminal amino acid.     

Direct Patterning of Copper on Polyimide by Site‐Selective Surface Modification via a Screen‐Printing Process

We demonstrate a simple route to fabricating copper circuit patterns on the surface of polyimide film. The copper pattern can be obtained in three steps: 1) Formation of partially potassium hydroxide modified pattern via a screen‐printing process, 2) formation of macromolecular metal complex with copper, and 3) copper metallization by DMAB reduction. The morphologies of these copper patterns are determined by cross‐sectional transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Furthermore, the growing process of the metallic copper film is investigated. The direct patterning of copper patterns onto polyimide substrates is promising for use in electronics industry as a large‐area and low‐cost processing technique.     

Mechanistic Insights into the Ni‐Catalyzed Reductive Carboxylation of C−O Bonds in Aromatic Esters with CO2: Understanding Remarkable Ligand and Traceless‐Directing‐Group Effects

The mechanism of the Ni⁰‐catalyzed reductive carboxylation reaction of C(sp²)?O and C(sp³)?O bonds in aromatic esters with CO₂ to access valuable carboxylic acids was comprehensively studied by using DFT calculations. Computational results revealed that this transformation was composed of several key steps: C?O bond cleavage, reductive elimination, and/or CO₂ insertion. Of these steps, C?O bond cleavage was found to be rate‐determining, and it occurred through either oxidative addition to form a Ni^II intermediate, or a radical pathway that involved a bimetallic species to generate two Ni^I species through homolytic dissociation of the C?O bond. DFT calculations revealed that the oxidative addition step was preferred in the reductive carboxylation reactions of C(sp²)?O and C(sp³)?O bonds in substrates with extended π systems. In contrast, oxidative addition was highly disfavored when traceless directing groups were involved in the reductive coupling of substrates without extended π systems. In such cases, the presence of traceless directing groups allowed for docking of a second Ni⁰ catalyst, and the reactions proceed through a bimetallic radical pathway, rather than through concerted oxidative addition, to afford two Ni^I species both kinetically and thermodynamically. These theoretical mechanistic insights into the reductive carboxylation reactions of C?O bonds were also employed to investigate several experimentally observed phenomena, including ligand‐dependent reactivity and site‐selectivity.     

Highly stereoselective construction of tetrahydroquinolines via cascade aza-Michael-Michael reaction: Formal [4+2] cycloaddition of β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters with 2-aminochalcones

An efficient cascade aza-Michael-Michael sequence for the preparation of tetrahydroquinolines has been established. Three contiguous stereogenic centers are created with high levels of enantioselectivities (79–99% ee) and exclusive diastereoselectivities in the presence of a bifunctional squaramide. This approach is compatible with a broad range of β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters and 2-aminochalcones. Our protocol indicated that β-site of β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoester is an available pro-nucleophilic site.     

Phenolic resin as a carbon source for the synthesis of monometallic Mo and bimetallic CoMo carbides via carbothermal reduction route

It was the first time that phenolic resin (PR) was used as a carbon source for the synthesis of nanostructured monometallic Mo and bimetallic CoMo carbides via carbothermal reduction route. The results showed that phase-pure β-Mo₂C can be formed under an Ar atmosphere at 900°C or a H₂ atmosphere above 700°C. However, almost pure CoMo carbides (Co₃Mo₃C and Co₆Mo₆C) can be obtained only under a H₂ atmosphere at a low temperature of 630°C for 24 and 48 h, respectively. The role of PR in the preparation process has been investigated and a detailed formation mechanism was proposed based on the experimental results.