Improving the Yield and Rate of Acid-Catalyzed Deconstruction of Lignin by Mechanochemical Activation

Lignin is a potential biomass feedstock from plant material, but it is particularly difficult to economically process. Inspired by recent ball-milling results, state-of-the-art quantum mechanochemistry calculations have been performed to isolate and probe the purely mechanochemical stretching effect alone upon acid-catalyzed deconstruction of lignin. Effects upon cleavage of several exemplary simple ethers are examined first, and with low stretching force they all are predicted to cleave substantially faster, allowing for use of milder acids and lower temperatures. Effects upon an experimentally known lignin fragment model (containing the ubiquitous β-O-4 linkage) are next examined; this first required a mechanism refinement (3-step indirect cleavage, 1-step side reaction) and identification of the rate-limiting step under zero-force (thermal) conditions. Mechanochemical activation using very low stretching forces improves at first only yield, by fully shutting off the ring-closure side reaction. At only somewhat larger forces, in stark contrast, a switch in mechanism is found to occur, from 3-step indirect cleavage to the direct cleavage mechanism of simple ethers, finally strongly enhancing the cleavage rate of lignin. It is concluded that mechanochemical activation of the common β-O-4 link in lignin would improve the rate of its acidolysis via a mechanism switch past a low force threshold. Relevance to ball-milling experiments is discussed.     

Transformations of N-arylpropiolamides to indoline-2,3-diones and acids via C≡C triple bond oxidative cleavage and C(sp^2)–H functionalization

A new palladium-catalyzed oxidative conversion of N-arylpropiolamides and H2O to various indoline-2,3-diones and acids through the C≡C triple bond cleavage and C(sp2)–H functionalization is described,which is promoted by a cooperative action of catalytic CuBr2,2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy(TEMPO)and O2.The method provides a practical tool for transformations of alkynes by means of a C–H functionalization strategy,which enables the formation of one C–C bond and multiple C–O bonds in a single reaction with high substrates compatibility and excellent functional group tolerance.     

Unique Thia‐Baeyer–Villiger‐Type Oxidation of Dibenzothiophene Sulfoxides Derivatives

The present research has demonstrated that selective C?S bond cleavages of dibenzothiophene and its derivatives are feasible by thia‐Baeyer–Villiger type oxidation, i. e. the oxygen insertion process within a sulfoxide‐carbon linkage, in the presence of porphyrin iron (III) and by ultraviolet irradiation originating from sunlight, high pressure Hg‐lamp or residentially germicidal ultraviolet lamp under very mild conditions. This reaction with tert‐butylhydroperoxide at 30.0 °C leads to dibenzo[1,2]oxathiin‐6‐oxide ( PBS ) in 83.2 % isolated yield or its hydrated products, 2‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐benzenesulfinic derivatives ( HPBS ) in near 100 % yield based HPLC data. PBS and HPBS are a type of biological products detected on the C?S bond cleavage step through various oxidative biodesulfurization ( OBDS ) pathways, and are useful synthetic intermediates and fine chemicals. These observations may contribute on understanding delicately molecular aspect of OBDS in the photosynthesis system, expanding the C‐S cleavage chemistry of S‐heterocyclic compounds and approaching toward biomemic desulfurization with respect to converting sulfur contaminants to chemically beneficial blocks as needed and performing under the ambient conditions.     

Catalytic Carbonylation and Carboxylation of Organosulfur Compounds via C−S Cleavage

Transition‐metal‐catalyzed carbonylation with CO gas occupies a privileged position in organic synthesis for the synthesis of carbonyl compounds. Although this attractive and useful chemistry has led many researchers to investigate carbonylative transformations of various organic (pseudo)halides, C?S‐cleaving carbonylation of organosulfur compounds has been fairly limited. Recently, a broad spectrum of C?S‐cleaving transformations has been emerging in the field of cross‐coupling. In light of the importance of carbonyl compounds as well as considerable advancement for employing organosulfur compounds as competent surrogates of (pseudo)halides, carbonylative transformations of C?S bonds should be of high value. This Minireview focuses on catalytic C?S carbonylation of organosulfur compounds with CO or its equivalents. In addition, reductive carboxylation of C?S bonds with CO₂ is described.     

C−N,C−S and S−S Bond Cleavage by Rhodium PCcarbeneP Pincer Complexes

Rhodium PC_carbeneP complexes 1‐L {L=PPh₃, PPh₂(C₆F₅)} react with isothiocyanate, carbodiimide and disulphide to enable C?S, C?N and S?S bond cleavage. The cleaved molecules are sequestered by the metal center and the pincer alkylidene linkage, forming η²‐coordinated sulfide or imide centered pincer complexes. When a C?S or S?S bond is cleaved, the resulting complexes can bridge two rhodium centers through sulphur forming dimeric complexes and eliminating a monodentate phosphine ligand.     

加氢脱氮催化研究的新进展

化石燃料的加氢脱氮有利于改善油品质量及其稳定性,同时避免燃烧时NO_x的排放。本文介绍了不同化石燃料中有机氮化物的含量及类型,对不同加氢脱氮催化剂及其催化活性位的本质进行了探讨,同时论述了C—N键断裂机理及燃料中主要有机氮化物的HDN反应网络。着重概述了传统金属硫化物催化剂的改性方法,新型的金属碳化物、金属氮化物和金属磷化物催化剂的研究现状。     

In Vitro and In Silico Study of Analogs of Plant Product Plastoquinone to Be Effective in Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Plants have paved the way for the attainment of molecules with a wide-range of biological activities. However, plant products occasionally show low biological activities and/or poor pharmacokinetic properties. In that case, development of their derivatives as drugs from the plant world has been actively performed. As plant products, plastoquinones (PQs) have been of high importance in anticancer drug design and discovery; we have previously evaluated and reported the potential cytotoxic effects of a series of PQ analogs. Among these analogs, PQ2, PQ3 and PQ10 were selected for National Cancer Institute (NCI) for in vitro screening of anticancer activity against a wide range of cancer cell lines. The apparent superior anticancer potency of PQ2 on the HCT-116 colorectal cancer cell line than that of PQ3 and PQ10 compared to other tested cell lines has encouraged us to perform further mechanistic studies to enlighten the mode of anti-colorectal cancer action of PQ2. For this purpose, its apoptotic effects on the HCT-116 cell line, DNA binding capacity and several crucial pharmacokinetic properties were investigated. Initially, MTT assay was conducted for PQ2 at different concentrations against HCT-116 cells. Results indicated that PQ2 exhibited significant cytotoxicity in HCT-116 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 4.97 ± 1.93 μM compared to cisplatin (IC₅₀ = 26.65 ± 7.85 μM). Moreover, apoptotic effects of PQ2 on HCT-116 cells were investigated by the annexin V/ethidium homodimer III staining method and PQ2 significantly induced apoptosis in HCT-116 cells compared to cisplatin. Based on the potent DNA cleavage capacity of PQ2, molecular docking studies were conducted in the minor groove of the double helix of DNA and PQ2 presented a key hydrogen bonding through its methoxy moiety. Overall, both in vitro and in silico studies indicated that effective, orally bioavailable drug-like PQ2 attracted attention for colorectal cancer treatment. The most important point to emerge from this study is that appropriate derivatization of a plant product leads to unique biologically active compounds.     

生物正交反应在我国的研究进展

生物正交反应是指能够在生物体系中进行、且不会与天然生物化学过程相互干扰的一类化学反应.这类反应的出现为科学家对生命进程的原位研究带来了革命性的技术,已经成为化学生物学这一新兴交叉领域的核心方向之一.自这一概念提出的近二十年里,生物正交化学经历了反应类型由单一的"偶联反应"向成键偶联、断键剪切反应并重,应用场景由简单的活...     

Structure of BaGd2（MoO4）4 Crystal

The title compound belongs to monoclinic,space group C2/c with a=5.2694(1),b=12.6659(4),c=19.4108(2) ,β=91.504(2)°,V=1295.06(5) 3,Z=4 and Dc=5.599 g/cm3. The structure of BaGd2(MoO4)4 contains a MoO4 tetrahedron,a distorted GdO8 polyhedron,and Ba2+ ions in a tenfold coordination. The GdO8 polyhedra are linked together through edge-sharing to give a two-dimensional Gd layer. The MoO4 tetrahedra connected to the Gd atoms are capped up and down the Gd layer through common oxygen apices,thus forming a new Gd-Mo layer. Finally,the Gd-Mo layers are held together through bridging BaO10 polyhedra to form a three-dimensional framework. Since the Ba-μ3-O bond has a large average distance of 2.888 ,this structural characteristic will result in a cleavage along the (001) plane.     

二[1-甲基-4-(1-甲基-4-硝基吡咯-2-酰胺基)吡咯-2-酰胺基乙基]胺的合成与表征

报道了一种对称平行的多酰胺分子——二[1-甲基-4-(1-甲基-4-硝基吡咯-2-酰胺基)吡咯-2-酰胺基乙基]胺的合成方法, 以期对DNA序列进行新的特异性识别和切割, 从而研制新型有效的工具酶或抗癌药物. 合成方法简便易行、耗时短、不需过柱分离, 每步合成都有较高产率.