The 2‐Cyano‐2,2‐dimethylethanimine‐N‐oxymethyl Group for the 2′‐Hydroxyl Protection of Ribonucleosides in the Solid‐Phase Synthesis of RNA Sequences

The reaction of 2‐cyano‐2‐methyl propanal with 2′‐O‐aminooxymethylribonucleosides leads to stable and yet reversible 2′‐O‐(2‐cyano‐2,2‐dimethylethanimine‐N‐oxymethyl)ribonucleosides. Following N‐protection of the nucleobases, 5′‐dimethoxytritylation and 3′‐phosphitylation, the resulting 2′‐protected ribonucleoside phosphoramidite monomers are employed in the solid‐phase synthesis of three chimeric RNA sequences, each differing in their ratios of purine/pyrimidine. When the activation of phosphoramidite monomers is performed in the presence of 5‐benzylthio‐1H‐tetrazole, coupling efficiencies averaging 99 % are obtained within 180 s. Upon completion of the RNA‐chain assemblies, removal of the nucleobase and phosphate protecting groups and release of the sequences from the solid support are carried out under standard basic conditions, whereas the cleavage of 2′‐O‐(2‐cyano‐2,2‐dimethylethanimine‐N‐oxymethyl) protective groups is effected (without releasing RNA alkylating side‐products) by treatment with tetra‐n‐butylammonium fluoride (0.5 m) in dry DMSO over a period of 24–48 h at 55 °C. Characterization of the fully deprotected RNA sequences by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), enzymatic hydrolysis, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry confirmed the identity and quality of these sequences. Thus, the use of 2′‐O‐aminooxymethylribonucleosides in the design of new 2′‐hydroxyl protecting groups is a powerful approach to the development of a straightforward, efficient, and cost‐effective method for the chemical synthesis of high‐quality RNA sequences in the framework of RNA interference applications.     

Coumarinylmethyl Caging Groups with Redshifted Absorption

The small and synthetically easily accessible coumarinylmethyl backbone has been modified to generate a family of photolabile protecting groups with redshifted absorption. We relied on introducing electron‐donating groups in the 7 position and electron‐withdrawing groups in the 2‐, and 2‐ and 3 positions. In particular, we showed that the diethylamino‐thiocoumarylmethyl and the diethylamino‐coumarylidenemalononitrilemethyl are relevant for uncaging with cyan light. They both exhibit a significant action cross section for uncaging in the 470–500 nm wavelength range and a low light absorption between 350 and 400 nm. These attractive features are favorable to perform chromatic orthogonal photoactivation with UV and blue‐cyan light sources, respectively.     

[Pd(Fmes)2(tmeda)]: A Case of Intermittent C?H⋅⋅⋅F?C Hydrogen‐Bond Interaction in Solution

The X‐ray structure of the title compound [Pd(Fmes)₂(tmeda)] (Fmes=2,4,6‐tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl; tmeda=N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine) shows the existence of uncommon C? H???F? C hydrogen‐bond interactions between methyl groups of the TMEDA ligand and ortho‐CF₃ groups of the Fmes ligand. The ¹⁹F NMR spectra in CD₂Cl₂ at very low temperature (157 K) detect restricted rotation for the two ortho‐CF₃ groups involved in hydrogen bonding, which might suggest that the hydrogen bond is responsible for this hindrance to rotation. However, a theoretical study of the hydrogen‐bond energy shows that it is too weak (about 7 kJ mol^?1) to account for the rotational barrier observed (ΔH^≠=26.8 kJ mol^?1), and it is the steric hindrance associated with the puckering of the TMEDA ligand that should be held responsible for most of the rotational barrier. At higher temperatures the rotation becomes fast, which requires that the hydrogen bond is continuously being split up and restored and exists only intermittently, following the pulse of the conformational changes of TMEDA.     

Mechanism of Copper(I)‐Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation of Phosphorothioate Esters: Influence of the Leaving Group on α Regioselectivity

The mechanism of Cu^I‐catalyzed allylic alkylation and the influence of the leaving groups (OPiv, SPiv, Cl, SPO(OiPr)₂; Piv: pivavloyl) on the regioselectivity of the reaction have been explored by using density functional theory (DFT). A comprehensive comparison of many possible reaction pathways shows that [(iPr)₂Cu]^? prefers to bind first oxidatively to the double bond of the allylic substrate at the anti position with respect to the leaving group, and this is followed by dissociation of the leaving group. If the leaving group is not taken into account, the reaction then undergoes an isomerization and a reductive elimination process to give the α‐ or γ‐selective product. If OPiv, SPiv, Cl, or SPO(OiPr)₂ groups are present, the optimal route for the formation of both α‐ and γ‐substituted products changes from the stepwise elimination to the direct process, in which the leaving group plays a stabilizing role for the reactant and destabilizes the transition state. The differences to the energy barrier for the α‐ and γ‐substituted products are 2.75 kcal mol^?1 with SPO(OiPr)₂, 2.44 kcal mol^?1 with SPiv, 2.33 kcal mol^?1 with OPiv, and 1.98 kcal mol^?1 with Cl, respectively; these values show that α regioselectivity in the allylic alkylation follows a SPO(OiPr)₂>SPiv>OPiv>Cl trend, which is in satisfactory agreement with the experimental findings. This trend mainly originates in the differences between the attractive electrostatic forces and the repelling steric interactions of the SPO(OiPr)₂, SPiv, OPiv, and Cl groups on the Cu group.     

Resonant equations with the Neumann p-Laplacian plus an indefinite potential

We consider a nonlinear Neumann problem driven by the p  -Laplacian plus an indefinite potential and a Carathéodory reaction which at ±∞ is resonant with respect to any nonprincipal variational eigenvalue of the differential operator. Using critical point theory and Morse theory (critical groups), we show that the problem has at least three nontrivial smooth solutions, two of which have constant sign. In the process we prove some results of independent interest concerning the unique continuation property of eigenfunctions and the critical groups at infinity of a C¹$C^1$-functionals.     

水热法改性褐煤及含氧官能团与水相互作用的研究

利用水热法对蒙东褐煤进行了改性。通过微量热仪测定和分析了煤炭表面骨架大分子和各种官能团与水结合能的大小。结果表明,水热法改性后,褐煤中的羧基和羰基随温度升高显著降低,而羟基的变化比较复杂。计算得到了低阶煤中含氧官能团和煤炭表面骨架大分子亲水能力由大到小的顺序是羧基酚羟基羰基煤炭表面骨架大分子。     

Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) on Oxygen-rich Porous Carbon Materials Obtained from Glucose/Potassium Oxalate

To investigate the effects of oxygen-containing functional groups on the adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with different polarity, oxygen-rich porous carbon materials (OPCs) were synthesized by heat treatment of glucose/potassium oxalate material. The carbon material had a large specific surface area (1697 m² g⁻¹) and a high oxygen content (18.95 at.%). OPC exhibited high adsorption capacity of toluene (309 mg g⁻¹) and methanol (447 mg g⁻¹). The specific surface area and total pore volume determined the adsorption capacity of toluene and methanol at the high-pressure range, while the oxygen-containing groups became the main factor affecting the methanol adsorption at the low-pressure range due to the hydrogen bond interaction through the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This study provides an important hint for developing a novel O-doped adsorbent for the VOCs adsorption applications and analyzing the role of oxygen-containing groups in the VOCs adsorption under the low-pressure range.     

Exploring the Role of Surface States in Emissive Carbon Nanodots: Analysis at Single-Particle Level

Fluorescent carbon nanodots (CDs) have been highlighted as promising semiconducting materials due to their outstanding chemical and optical properties. However, the intrinsic heterogeneity of CDs has impeded a clear understanding of the mechanisms behind their photophysical properties. In this study, as-prepared CDs are fractionated via chromatography to reduce their structural and chemical heterogeneity and analyzed through ensemble and single-particle spectroscopies. Many single particles reveal fluorescence intensity fluctuations between two or more discrete levels with bi-exponential decays. While the intrinsic τ₁ components are uniform among single particles, the τ₂ components from molecule-like emissions spans a wider range of lifetimes, reflecting the inhomogeneity of the surface states. Furthermore, it is concluded that the relative population and chemical states of surface functional groups in CDs have a significant impact on emissive states, brightness, blinking, stability, and lifetime distribution of photoluminescence.     

Special tensors in the deformation theory of quadratic algebras for the classical Lie algebras

Using deformation theory, Braverman and Joseph constructed certain primitive ideals in the enveloping algebras of the simple Lie algebras. Except in the case sl(2,C)$\mathfrak{s}\mathfrak{l}(2,\mathbb{C})$, there is a special value of the deformation parameter giving an ideal of infinite codimension. For the classical Lie algebras, the uniqueness of the special value is equivalent to the existence of tensors with very particular properties. The existence of these tensors was concluded abstractly by Braverman and Joseph but here we present explicit formulae. This allows a rather direct computation of the special value of the deformation parameter.