Highly selective synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes from methane in a coupled Downer-turbulent fluidized-bed reactor

For the synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) from CH₄ over a Fe/MgO catalyst, we proposed a coupled Downer-turbulent fluidized-bed (TFB) reactor to enhance the selectivity and yield (or production rate) of SWCNTs. By controlling a very short catalyst residence time (1–3 s) in the Downer, only part of Fe oxides can be reduced to form Fe nano particles (NPs) available for the growth of SWCNTs. The percentage of unreduced Fe oxides increased and the yield of SWCNTs decreased accordingly with the increase of catalyst feeding rate in Downer. SWCNTs were preferentially grown on the catalyst surface and inhibited the sintering of the Fe crystallites which would be formed thereafter in the downstream TFB, evidenced by TEM, Raman and TGA. The coupled Downer-turbulent fluidized-bed reactor technology allowed higher selectivity and higher production rate of SWCNTs as compared to TFB alone.     

Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation Reaction Promoted by Cadmium In Aqueous Media

Promoted by metallic cadmium allylilic and propargyl bromides react smoothly with aldehydes in aqueous DMF to give homoallylic and homopropargyl alcohols in moderate to good yields. It can also promote pinacol coupling of aromatic aldehydes. The metallic cadmium is produced in situ by the reduction of CdCl₂ H₂O with samarium metal.     

Ultrasonicated Condensation of Indene and 2-Nitrofluorene with Aromatic Aldehydes Catalyzed by bis-(pMethoxyphenyl)telluroxide (BMPTO)

The condensation of indene or 2-nitrofluorene with aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by bis-(p-methoxyphenyl)telluroxide (BMPTO) under ultrasonic wave irradiation gave corresponding fulvenes in fair to good yield.     

Synthesis of 5-Mercaptoalkylthiopyrazolyl-and 3-Mercaptoalkylthioisoxazolyl)-1,2,4-triazoles by Ring Chain Transformation

Cyclic α-oxo-α-(1,2,4-triazolyl)ketene S,S-acetals 1a-e react with hydrazine affording the substituted pyrazolyl-1,2,4-triazoles 3a-e. With hydroxylamine hydrochloride under basic conditions the substituted isoxazolyl-1,2,4-triazoles 5a-c are obtained.     

One-Pot Synthesis of Cefpirome Sulfate from GCLE

Abstract

Cefpirome was synthesized in 37.7% overall yield from 3-chloromethyl-7-phenylacetylamino cephalosporanic acid p-methoxybenzyl ester (GCLE) by sequential substitution of C-3 chloride with iodide and 2,3-cyclopentenopyridine, followed by a one-pot procedure including deprotection of carboxyl group, hydrolysis of 7-phenylacetamido, and reaction with 2-mercaptobenzothiazolyl-(Z)-2-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)-2-methoxyiminoacetate (MAEM). The reaction conditions were as follows: obtained from GCLE at low temperature (?5 to 0 °C) and absence of light, 3-iodomethyl-7-phenylacetylamino cephalosporanic acid p-methoxybenzyl ester (GILE) without purification was reacted directly with 2,3-cyclopentenopyridine, in which the molar ratio of GCLE, NaI, and 2,3-cyclopentenopyridine was 1:2:4, and the molar ratio of the resulting compound p-methoxybenzyl 7-phenylacetylamido-3-(2,3-cyclopenteno-1-pyridinio)methyl-3-cephem-4-carboxylate iodide and MAEM was 1:1.1. The structure of the intermediate and the target compound obtained were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and mass spectroscopy.     

New Synthetic Method of p-Nitrocalixarenes

Calixarenes 1 were directly nitrated with potassium nitrate and aluminum chloride to give p-nitrocalixarenes 2 in good yields. Formation of p-nitrocalix[4]arene (2a) from reaction of p-bromomethylcalix[4]arene (3) with silver nitrate is also described.     

Migration study of iodine in Beishan granite by a column method

The fate and migration behavior of radionuclides in environment are influenced by a series of physical and chemical processes such as advection, hydrodynamic dispersion (including mechanical dispersion and molecular diffusion), retention, chemical reaction and so on. In this study, the migration of ¹²⁵I^? in Beishan granite and the potential retention of iodine by silver halide additives were investigated by a pulse injection column method. All breakthrough curves were analyzed according to the analytical solution of transport equation and the dispersion coefficient (D), and first-order sorption constant (k) were obtained. For conservative nuclide, the dispersion behavior is only related to the dispersion medium. Silver halides were proved having sorption ability for ¹²⁵I^? in the order of AgCl > AgBr > AgI. The transport of iodine in the crushed granite column can be adequately described by the advection–dispersion equation with a first-order, irreversible sorption term. The pulse injection column method can be used as a fast method to evaluate the sorption or retention ability of solid phase.     

Dynamics of viscous fingers in Hele-Shaw cells of liquid crystals Theory and experiment

The theoretical and experimental developments in the interfacial dynamics and the formation of viscous fingering patterns in Hele-Shaw cells of liquid crystal-air systems are summarized and discussed. These include radial and linear cells with or without grooves engraved on the cell plates. Instabilities of fingers, the role of intrinsic and extrinsic anisotropies, etc., are emphasized. In a linear cell, when the injected air is kept at constant pressure, a whole sequence of successive instabilities of fingers (hump, tip-splitting, sidewrinkling, sidebranching and DLA-like structure) is observed in a single run of the experiment. In our theory, the equations of motion of nematic flows in Hele-Shaw cells are derived from the Ericksen-Leslie equations. In the linear approximation, the equations resemble those of isotropic liquids with the presence of effective viscosities and anisotropic surface tension. Experimental observations are interpreted with the introduction of an effective control parameter which may be time dependent. Special features of viscous fingers in liquid crystals in contrast to those in isotropic liquids, such as asymmetric dendritics, displacement of the finger from the central axis of the linear cell, and reentrant sequence of patterns, are pointed out. Plausible explanations of these phenomena are given. In this newly developed field, a large number of interesting problems remain to be solved.     

A quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics study on the hydrolysis mechanism of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1

New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) has emerged as a major global threat to human health for its rapid rate of dissemination and ability to make pathogenic microbes resistant to almost all known β-lactam antibiotics. In addition, effective NDM-1 inhibitors have not been identified to date. In spite of the plethora of structural and kinetic data available, the accurate molecular characteristics of and details on the enzymatic reaction of NDM-1 hydrolyzing β-lactam antibiotics remain incompletely understood. In this study, a combined computational approach including molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations was performed to characterize the catalytic mechanism of meropenem catalyzed by NDM-1. The quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics results indicate that the ionized D124 is beneficial to the cleavage of the C–N bond within the β-lactam ring. Meanwhile, it is energetically favorable to form an intermediate if no water molecule coordinates to Zn2. Moreover, according to the molecular dynamics results, the conserved residue K211 plays a pivotal role in substrate binding and catalysis, which is quite consistent with previous mutagenesis data. Our study provides detailed insights into the catalytic mechanism of NDM-1 hydrolyzing meropenem β-lactam antibiotics and offers clues for the discovery of new antibiotics against NDM-1 positive strains in clinical studies.     

A PEGylated Fluorescent Turn‐On Sensor for Detecting Fluoride Ions in Totally Aqueous Media and Its Imaging in Live Cells

Owing to the considerable significance of fluoride anions for health and environmental issues, it is of great importance to develop methods that can rapidly, sensitively and selectively detect the fluoride anion in aqueous media and biological samples. Herein, we demonstrate a robust fluorescent turn‐on sensor for detecting the fluoride ion in a totally aqueous solution. In this study, a biocompatible hydrophilic polymer poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is incorporated into the sensing system to ensure water solubility and to enhance biocompatibility. tert‐Butyldiphenylsilyl (TBDPS) groups were then covalently introduced onto the fluorescein moiety, which effectively quenched the fluorescence of the sensor. Upon addition of fluoride ion, the selective fluoride‐mediated cleavage of the Si? O bond leads to the recovery of the fluorescein moiety, resulting in a dramatic increase in fluorescence intensity under visible light excitation. The sensor is responsive and highly selective for the fluoride anion over other common anions; it also exhibits a very low detection limit of 19 ppb. In addition, this sensor is operative in some real samples such as running water, urine, and serum and can accurately detect fluoride ions in these samples. The cytotoxicity of the sensor was determined to be Grade I toxicity according to United States Pharmacopoeia and ISO 10993‐5, suggesting the very low cytotoxicity of the sensor. Moreover, it was found that the senor could be readily internalized by both HeLa and L929 cells and the sensor could be utilized to track fluoride level changes inside the cells.