Thermally induced fixed diradical generation on solid supports for surface‐initiated polymerization

A method is presented for generation of all surface‐bound radicals on solid polymer surfaces. Thus, secondary amide group of newly synthesized crosslinking comonomer, methacryloyloxyethyl methacrylamide was determined as versatile precursor for generation fixed diradicals on solid microspheres, obtained by copolymerization with methyl methacrylate (MMA) in aqueous suspension. Nitrosoation of the secondary amide groups on the microbeads and followed thermolysis above 90 °C was demonstrated to give surface‐bound radicals, capable of initiating polymerization of vinyl monomers, such as; styrene, MMA, N‐vinyl formamide, and N‐vinyl, 2‐pyrrolidone, as evidenced by H NMR, Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimeter techniques. Appreciable grafting yields (55.1%–286.1%) and low free‐homopolymer formation (7.2%–19.7%) were noted within 6 h of the grafting at 100 °C in each case. This strategy involving the use of amide functional crosslinker seemed to be generally applicable to generate surface‐bound radicals for surface‐initiated polymerization from various solid substrates. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Fluorescence emission enhancement in substituted 3-styrylindoles in the solid state

Fluorescence emission properties of substituted 3-styrylindoles viz 3-(2-phenylethenyl-E)-NH-indole (1), 3-[2-(4-cyanophenyl)ethenyl-E]-NH-indole (2), and 3-(2-cyano-2-phenylethenyl-Z]-NH-indole (3) in n-hexane, THF–H₂O binary mixtures and solid state are reported. In general, fluorescence efficiency in solid state is found to be much higher than in n-hexane solution. The fluorescence enhancement in solid state is attributed to restricted intramolecular motions. Interestingly, the molecules of 3 in solid state are also bound together through intermolecular hydrogen bonds yielding polymer like structure, leading to further enhancement of fluorescence emission. In THF–H₂O binary mixtures, drastic enhancement of fluorescence efficiency is observed due to aggregate formation.     

Effect-Directed Profiling of Monofloral Honeys from Ethiopia by High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Ethiopian honey is used not only as food but also for treatment in traditional medicine. For its valorization, bioactive compounds were analyzed in nine types of monofloral Ethiopian honey. Therefore, a non-target effect-directed profiling was developed via high-performance thin-layer chromatography combined with multi-imaging and planar effect-directed assays. Characteristic bioactivity profiles of the different honeys were determined in terms of antibacterial, free-radical scavenging, and various enzyme inhibitory activities. Honeys from Hypoestes spp. and Leucas abyssinica showed low activity in all assays. In contrast, others from Acacia spp., Becium grandiflorum, Croton macrostachyus, Eucalyptus globulus, Schefflera abyssinica, Vernonia amygdalina, and Coffea arabica showed more intense activity profiles, but these differed depending on the assay. In particular, the radical scavenging activity of Croton macrostachyus and Coffea arabica honeys, the acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting activity of Eucalyptus globulus and Coffea arabica honeys, and the antibacterial activity of Schefflera abyssinica honey are highlighted. Bioactive compounds of interest were further characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Identifying differences in bioactivity between mono-floral honey types affects quality designation and branding. Effect-directed profiling provides new insights that are valuable for food science and nutrition as well as for the market, and contributes to honey differentiation, categorization, and authentication.     

N‐Alkylation of Indole Compounds in Modified Wittig–Horner Reaction

N‐Ethyl‐3‐styrylindoles are prepared under modified Wittig–Horner reaction conditions.     

Hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction combined with capillary HPLC for the selective determination of six sulfonylurea herbicides in environmental waters

A three‐phase hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction combined with a capillary LC method using diode array detection was proposed for the determination of six sulfonylurea herbicides, triasulfuron, metsulfuron‐methyl, chlorsulfuron, flazasulfuron, chlorimuron‐ethyl, and primisulfuron‐methyl, in environmental water samples. Different factors that can affect the extraction process such as extraction solvent, acidity of the donor phase, composition and pH of the acceptor phase, salt addition, stirring speed, and extraction time were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, detection and quantitation limits between 0.1 – 1.7 and 0.3 – 5.7 μg/L, respectively, and enrichment factors ranging from 71 to 548 were obtained. The calibration curves were linear within the range of 0.3 – 40 μg/L. Intra‐ and interday RSDs were <6.3 and 8.4%, respectively. The relative recoveries of the spiked ground and river water samples were in the range of 69.4 – 119.2 and 77.4 – 111.7%, respectively. The results of the study revealed that the developed methodology involves an efficient sample pretreatment allowing the preconcentration of analytes, combined with the use of a miniaturized separation technique, suitable for the accurate determination of sulfonylurea herbicides in water.     

Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Is Not a Major Modulating Factor in the Cytotoxic Response to Natural Products in Cancer Cell Lines

Numerous natural products exhibit antiproliferative activity against cancer cells by modulating various biological pathways. In this study, we investigated the potential use of eight natural compounds (apigenin, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, fisetin, forskolin, procyanidin B2, resveratrol, urolithin A) and two repurposed agents (fulvestrant and metformin) as chemotherapy enhancers and mesenchymal-to-epithelial (MET) inducers of cancer cells. Screening of these compounds in various colon, breast, and pancreatic cancer cell lines revealed anti-cancer activity for all compounds, with curcumin being the most effective among these in all cell lines. Although some of the natural products were able to induce MET in some cancer cell lines, the MET induction was not related to increased synergy with either 5-FU, irinotecan, gemcitabine, or gefitinib. When synergy was observed, for example with curcumin and irinotecan, this was unrelated to MET induction, as assessed by changes in E-cadherin and vimentin expression. Our results show that MET induction is compound and cell line specific, and that MET is not necessarily related to enhanced chemosensitivity.     

A Fluorescence Study of Novel Styrylindoles in Homogenous and Microhetrogeneous Media

In this paper are presented absorption and fluorescence emission properties of 3-styrylindoles viz. 3-(2-phenylethenyl-E)-NH-indole (1), 3-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl-E)-NH-indole (2), 3-[2-(4-cyanophenyl)ethenyl-E]-N-ethylindole (3) and 3-[2-(4-cyanophenyl)ethenyl-E]-NH-indole (4) in organic solvents, 1,4-dioxane-water binary mixtures and micelles (SDS, CTAB and Triton-X-100). The fluorescence properties of 2-4 have been utilized to probe the microenvironment (binding constant, CMC, micropolarity and solubilization site) of the micelles.     

Regio‐selective peroxybromination of poly(vinyl methyl ketone) as versatile tool for generation active ATRP initiation sites on solid surfaces

Peroxybromination or so‐called radical bromination is an environmentally friendly process which involves the use of in situ generated bromine by action of hydrogen peroxide on sodium or ammonium bromide in acid medium. The reaction takes place at room temperature without eliminating hydrobromic acid and no needs the use of elemental bromine. The reaction with poly(vinyl methyl ketone) in biphasic system was demonstrated to result in quantitative bromination exclusively at the methyne carbon of the polymer. The brominated polymer was successfully used as multifunctional macroinitiator for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene and MMA to give bottlebrush polymers, as evidenced by ¹H NMR and GPC. This strategy was demonstrated to provide a means of easy bromination of solid polystyrene microspheres (210–420 μm) constituting with vinyl methyl ketone copolymer segments. Bromoalkyl groups generated (1.3 mmol g^?1) in aqueous mixture were used for surface initiated ATRP of glycidyl methacrylate and styrene monomers to give dense graft chains tethered to the surfaces with hydrolysis‐proof linkages. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 3892–3900