Reactivity and Lability Modulated by a Valence Electron Moving in and out of 25-Atom Gold Nanoclusters

The emergence of atomically precise metal nanoclusters with unique electronic structures provides access to currently inaccessible catalytic challenges at the single-electron level. We investigate the catalytic behavior of gold Au₂₅(SR)₁₈ nanoclusters by monitoring an incoming and outgoing free valence electron of Au 6s¹. Distinct performances are revealed: Au₂₅(SR)₁₈⁻ is generated upon donation of an electron to neutral Au₂₅(SR)₁₈⁰ and this is associated with a loss in reactivity, whereas Au₂₅(SR)₁₈⁺ is generated from dislodgment of an electron from neutral Au₂₅(SR)₁₈⁰ with a loss in stability. The reactivity diversity of the three Au₂₅(SR)₁₈ clusters stems from different affinities with reactants and the extent of intramolecular charge migration during the reactions, which are closely associated with the valence occupancies of the clusters varied by one electron. The stability difference in the three clusters is attributed to their different equilibria, which are established between the AuSR dissociation and polymerization influenced by one electron.     

Convenient synthesis of novel sulfonamide derivatives as promising anticancer agents

Novel sulfonamide derivatives have been synthesized from the readily accessible N-(4-acetylphenyl)benzenesulfonamide (1) . Condensation of 1 with phenylhydrazine in refluxing ethyl alcohol gave the corresponding phenylhydrazone 2 , which was then added to the Vilsmeier-Haack reagent (POCl₃/DMF) to give the 4-formylpyrazole derivative 3 . Fusion of 1 with thiourea in the presence of iodine at 130°C afforded the 2-aminothiazole derivative 4 . Refluxing 1 with an excess of N, N-dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal furnished the enaminone 5 . The chemical reactivity of enaminone 5 toward some nitrogen and carbon nucleophiles has been studied to obtain polyfunctionalized heteroaromatic systems bearing a sulfonamide moiety. Besides, the enaminone 5 undergoes the Gewald reaction and reacts with ethyl cyanoacetate and elemental sulfur in the presence of morpholine to yield the 2-aminothiophene derivative 18 . Moreover, the utility of 5 for the synthesis of 4-(phenylsulfonamido)benzoic acid (19) was investigated. The synthesized sulfonamides were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activities against two human cell lines, MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma cells) and RPE-1 (normal retina pigmented epithelium cells). The results revealed that compounds 1-3 , 6-8 , 10 , 12b , 18 , 19 , and 21 have a potent cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 and less on RPE-1 cells compared to the positive control doxorubicin®.     

Synthesis and anticancer activity evaluation of 3-(4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-5-yl)-1H-indole-carboxylic acids derivatives

Abstract

A mild and efficient method for the synthesis of 1-oxo-9H-thiopyrano[3,4-b]indole-3-carboxylic acids and dimerized 3-(4-carboxy-1H-3-indolyl)-2-propenoic acids via alkaline hydrolysis of 3-(rhodanin-5-yl)-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acids derivatives was elaborated. Anticancer activity screening in NCI60-cell lines assay allowed identification of 5-fluoro-3-(4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-5-ylidenemethyl)-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester 2a with significant antimitotic activity at micromolar and submicromolar concentrations.     

磺酰脲类化合物在水稻田中的除草性能

水稻是我国重要的粮食作物,但杂草对水稻的产量和品质产生了严重影响。 化学防除是治理水稻田杂草最有效的途径。 文中设计合成了苯环2,6-取代和2,5-取代两个系列磺酰脲类化合物,并通过核磁共振波谱仪(NMR)和高分辨质谱仪(HRMS)等对其进行了结构表征。 通过水稻田除草活性和安全性测试发现化合物在水稻田中具有较好的除草活性,尤其是化合物10a对水稻田中的主要杂草稗草和醴肠除草活性(目测初筛防效大于90%)优于对照药醚苯磺隆和氯磺隆,安全性与之相当。     

具有抗生物污染活性的分子筛膜用于高效油水分离

The development of the global economy has been accompanied by frequent oil spills caused by accidental leaks and industrial manufacturing, which have seriously threatened the aquatic environment and human health. Traditional methods for the treatment of oily wastewater include centrifugation, skimming, flotation, oil-absorbing technology, etc., which are limited by low separation efficiency as well as secondary pollution during the post-processing of oil absorption materials. Recently, separation technologies utilizing the special wettabilities of filtration membranes have been developed to enrich and recycle oils from wastewater. Among these, the fabrication of superhydrophilic/underwater superhydrophobic membranes have attracted intensive research interest, which can selectively allow the passage of water through the membrane while blocking the oils. However, microorganisms are more likely to breed on these hydrophilic surfaces, eventually leading to the blockage of the membranes. In this study, ZSM-5 zeolite crystals (MFI topological structure) were coated onto the stainless-steel meshes by means of seeding and secondary hydrothermal growth. Then, 70% of the total Na⁺ ions in the zeolite channels were substituted by Ag⁺ ions via an ion exchange process. The resultant membranes (Ag@ZCMFs) were superamphiphilic in air, with both water contact angle and oil contact angle of approximately 0°. However, they became superoleophobic when immersed in water, and the underwater oil contact angle reached 151.27° ± 4.34°. In terms of special wettability, Ag@ZCMF achieved efficient separation for various oil-water mixtures with separation efficiencies above 99%. The water flux and intrusion pressure of Ag@ZCMF depended on the diameter of pinholes in the membrane, which could be modulated by altering the time of secondary hydrothermal growth. For instance, the average diameter of pinholes in Ag@ZCMF with optimum secondary growth time of 14 h (Ag@ZCMF-14) reached approximately 21 μm, giving rise to the water flux and intrusion pressure of 54720 L·m^-2·h^-1 and 4357 Pa, respectively. The anti-corrosion test and rubbing test confirmed the high chemical and mechanical stability of Ag@ZCMF-14, respectively. The separation efficiency of Ag@ZCMF-14 remained stable during ten purification-regeneration cycles, and no obvious attenuation was observed, proving the high separation stability of Ag@ZCMF-14. Furthermore, the loaded Ag⁺ ions afforded the membrane excellent anti-biofouling activity, which could effectively inhibit the growth of both alga and bacteria in the operating environment, thus preventing membrane blockage during the oil-water separation process. In particular, the bacteriostatic rate of Ag@ZCMF-14 to Escherichia coli reached to 99.6%. These results demonstrate that Ag@ZCMFs with anti-biofouling activity has promising potential future applications in the removal of oil slicks from oily wastewater.     

基于氮掺杂碳载铁复合物的锌空电池氧阴极催化剂

迫在眉睫的环境和能源问题推动人类探索可行、可靠和可再生的能源技术.锌-空气电池和氢氧燃料电池等器件显示出高能量转换效率,但是仍有许多难题有待克服,例如阴极侧上缓慢的氧还原反应(ORR),以及高昂的成本极大地限制了铂基催化剂在商业上的广泛应用.因此,开发高性能的廉价ORR催化剂具有重要意义.过渡金属碳氮化合物(M-N-C, M=Co, Fe等)成为最有希望替代铂基催化剂的一类材料, M-N-C催化剂可以通过直接热解含有过渡金属、氮和碳物种的前驱体合成.然而热解时金属原子易团聚,多孔结构不能被有效地控制,导致相对较差的催化活性.目前, MOF衍生的催化剂在能源转化和储存技术中得到了广泛的关注,其具有丰富的氮含量、高比表面积和可调的孔道结构等特点.本文报道了一种简便可靠可控的合成铁氮共掺杂碳十二面体纳米结构催化剂的方法,并作为阴极电催化剂用于锌空气电池中,测试结果证实,合成的铁氮共掺杂的纳米碳具有与铂基材料相当的活性和更加优异的稳定性.表面吸附了的邻菲罗啉铁的ZIF-8在碳化过程中,氮基团能够结合铁形成Fe Nx结构单元,因此可得到铁氮共掺杂的电催化剂.粉末X射线衍射,扫描电镜证实ZIF-8的成功合成.经过热解得到的催化剂中Fe Nx或Fe Cx衍射峰较弱,表明样品中铁含量较低,存在部分无定型铁.通过拉曼光谱分析发现,引入的邻菲罗啉在热解过程中诱导了缺陷的形成,所以Fe-NCDNA-0的ID/IG比值明显高于NC.同时ID/IG随着铁含量的增加而减少,这是因为铁可以诱导石墨化,诱导效应随着铁含量的增加而增加.分析氮气吸附-脱附等温线得出,引入邻菲罗啉之后,比表面积增加;而铁的引入因其占据了微孔结构,导致比表面积下降.同时电镜证实Fe-NCDNA-2具有较大的形貌扭曲,使得该材料具有较大的比表面积.系统的电化学研究表明,氮掺杂有利于增强ORR活性,在引入铁之后形成高效的活性中心会进一步提高催化性能.因此, Fe-NCDNA-2在碱性条件下表现出优异的ORR性能.线性扫描伏安法曲线表明,铁氮共掺杂的材料表现出与Pt/C相似的性能,其中Fe-NCDNA-2的半波电位(E1/2)为0.863 V,比商业Pt/C的电位更正(E1/2=0.841 V).同时, Fe-NCDNA-2具有更加优异的稳定性,测试30000 s后的电流保持率为80%(Pt/C:64%).在中性介质中,合成的材料也展示了较高的ORR活性.Fe-NCDNA-2的E1/2=0.715 V,催化30000 s后电流保持率77%,均优于商业Pt/C催化剂.组装的锌空气电池进一步验证其作为氧还原催化剂实际应用的可行性.相比于以Pt/C为催化剂做空气阴极的电池,以Fe-NCDNA-2组装的电池表现出更高的开路电压,更高的功率密度(184 m Wcm^-2),以及更加优异的充放电循环稳定性.该工作也有利于启发研究人员探索类似的氮掺杂过渡金属碳材料在各种催化上的应用.     

铂合金氧还原催化剂:合成、结构和性能

质子交换膜燃料电池是一种将燃料中的化学能直接转化为电能的装置,它具有转化效率高、能量密度高、低温启动、易于操作等优点,因而被认为是最具发展前景的新能源利用方式,在电动汽车、便携电源及分散式电站有着广泛应用.但是,目前质子交换膜燃料电池技术的发展面临着巨大挑战,主要问题包括高成本、低功率密度和低寿命.众所周知,质子交换膜燃料电池中的阴极氧还原反应在酸性条件下是一个复杂的四电子过程,动力学速度缓慢,限制了电池的最终性能.目前大量使用的阴极氧还原催化剂是细小的铂或铂合金纳米颗粒负载在碳载体上,其成本占燃料电池总成本的比例最大.制约燃料电池商业化发展的另一个重要问题是电池寿命低,其中氧还原催化剂的稳定性是决定电池寿命的主要因素.在这样的研究背景下,如何降低催化剂中铂的用量、提高催化剂活性和稳定性显得尤为重要,这也是近年来国内外学者研究的热点.在铂基合金催化剂中,通常采用过渡金属元素作为掺杂元素,由于原子半径不匹配(几何效应)以及电子结构不同(电子效应),合金催化剂表现出优于纯铂催化剂的催化性能.近几年,对于铂基合金催化剂的研究已取得重大进展,以合金组成和结构研究为基础,通过精确控制原子结构、调控表面电子状态以及制备工艺,获得了各种特殊形貌的催化剂,大大提高了催化活性.本文深入综述了近年来铂基合金氧还原催化剂制备、形貌和性能,特别关注了催化剂形貌和催化活性之间的关系.值得注意的是,具有有序原子排列的铂合金催化剂不仅在半电池中表现出优异活性,在实际质子交换膜燃料电池中也显示了很好的活性和稳定性.另一方面,碳载体的形貌及微观结构也对提高催化活性和稳定性起到决定性作用,通过化学手段加强金属纳米颗粒与碳载体之间的相互作用也是提高催化剂稳定性的重要途径.尽管铂基氧还原催化剂在近几年取得了重要进展,但在实际商业化过程中还存在诸多挑战,本文在综述进展的基础上,对铂基催化剂的发展提出了展望.首先,对于氧还原反应机理仍需要深入研究,采用更加精确的理论模型模拟氧还原动力学过程,以获得影响催化活性的关键因素.其次,提高催化剂在膜电极中的催化活性和利用率.目前,氧还原催化剂在半电池测试中性能优异,但是实际燃料电池操作条件下其性能远不能达到要求,这与膜电极、催化剂层及扩散层结构相关.因此,基于不同铂基催化剂的特性,合理设计膜电极组件的结构是将催化剂进行实际应用的基础.最后,催化剂的稳定性仍需进一步提高,尽管目前大部分催化剂在实验室半电池研究中表现了很好的稳定性,但在实际燃料电池中的稳定性研究还不足,而且对催化剂在膜电极中性能衰退机理的研究也非常有限.因此,对于铂基氧还原催化剂的研发仍需要国内外科研工作者不懈的努力.     

含二芳胺基的吡啶甲酰胺的合成、晶体结构与除草活性

新化合物N-[2-(苯胺基)苯基]-2甲氧基吡啶-3-甲酰胺(C19H17N3O2)通过三步反应合成, 其结构通过1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, ESI-MS表征,其晶体结构通过 X-ray单晶射线衍射仪解析。该晶体属单斜晶系,空间群为P 1 21/n 1,晶胞参数为：a = 10.6329(18)?,b = 13.026(2) ?,c = 12.267(2) ?;Z =4, V =1669.7(5) ?3, Mr = 319.35, Dc = 1.270 mg/m3, S = 1.027, F(000) = 672, μ (MoKα) = 0.085 mm-1 ,可观测点精修最终偏离因子R = 0.0535 以及wR = 0.1353 和3854 个可观测点 I > 2σ(I). 晶体结构表明分子间存在氢键N(3)–H(3)???O(2)对晶体结构起到稳定的作用。初步除草活性表明,化合物N-[2-(苯胺基)苯基]-2甲氧基吡啶-3-甲酰胺在3000 g a.i/hm2对稗草的茎叶处理抑制率为91.81%。     

氟喹诺酮-3-N-酰胺类衍生物的合成与抗肿瘤活性

为扩展氟喹诺酮由抗菌活性向抗肿瘤活性转化的结构修饰策略,利用药效团生物电子等排及其拼合和骨架迁越药物化学分子构建方法,以酰胺基作为氟喹诺酮C-3位羧基的生物电子等排体,氟喹诺酮骨架为酰胺基的功能修饰基,设计合成了氟喹诺酮-3-N-酰胺类目标化合物。其结构经元素分析和光谱数据确证。体外抗肿瘤实验结果表明,目标化合物对Hep-3B细胞和Capan-1细胞的抗增殖活性均显著强于母体环丙沙星的活性,尤其对Hep-3B细胞的抑制活性最强。因此,用酰胺基来替代C-3羧基有利于提高氟喹诺酮的抗肿瘤活性。     

The Diversity of a Polyclonal FluCell-SELEX Library Outperforms Individual Aptamers as Emerging Diagnostic Tools for the Identification of Carbapenem Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Textbook procedures require the use of individual aptamers enriched in SELEX libraries which are subsequently chemically synthesized after their biochemical characterization. Here we show that this reduction of the available sequence space of large libraries and thus the diversity of binding molecules reduces the labelling efficiency and fidelity of selected single aptamers towards different strains of the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to a polyclonal aptamer library enriched by a whole-cell-SELEX involving fluorescent aptamers. The library outperformed single aptamers in reliable and specific targeting of different clinically relevant strains, allowed to inhibit virulence associated cellular functions and identification of bound cell surface targets by aptamer based affinity purification and mass spectrometry. The stunning ease of this FluCell-SELEX and the convincing performance of the P. aeruginosa specific library may pave the way towards generally new and efficient diagnostic techniques based on polyclonal aptamer libraries not only in clinical microbiology.