Facile Chan‐Lam coupling using ferrocene tethered N‐heterocyclic carbene‐copper complex anchored on graphene

Ferrocene tethered N‐heterocyclic carbene‐copper complex anchored on graphene ([GrFemImi]NHC@Cu complex) has been synthesized by covalent grafting of ferrocenyl ionic liquid in the matrix of graphene followed by metallation with copper (I) iodide. The [GrFemImi]NHC@Cu complex has been characterized by fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), fourier transform Raman (FT‐Raman), CP‐MAS ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) analysis, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis and X‐ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis. This novel complex served as a robust heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of bioactive N‐aryl sulfonamides from variety of aryl boronic acids and sulfonyl azides in ethanol by Chan‐Lam coupling. Recyclability experiments were executed successfully for six consecutive runs.     

Numerical simulation of effects of flow maldistribution on heat and mass transfer in a PEM fuel cell stack

A 3D numerical study was carried out to analyze flow, heat and mass transfer first in a single half-cell cathode channel of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. From practical point of view, it is necessary to put the appropriate number of cells in a stack. Hence, the above study on a single half-cell is extended to a stack of channels. Due to stacking, the assumption of uniform flow distribution would no longer hold true. Therefore, the channel flow-maldistribution is considered. The water formed at the active surface due to the electrochemical reaction diffuses through the porous layer and eventually enters the gas flow duct. The higher gas velocities in the duct result in faster water vapour removal which leads to a lower value of water vapour into the duct and hence a lower Nusselt number.     

Synthesis of New 2‐Phenylpyrano[3,2‐b]phenothiazin‐4(6H)‐one Derivatives

A new synthesis of 2‐phenylpyrano[3,2‐b]phenothiazin‐4(6H)‐one derivatives was reported. First 2,10‐diacetyl‐3‐hydroxyphenothiazine ( 2 ) was converted into their benzoyloxy esters ( 3a – 3j ) using different aromatic carboxylic acids in the presence of phosphorous oxychloride in pyridine. Benzoyloxy esters were converted into their 1,3‐diones ( 4a – 4j ) by using dry KOH in pyridine via Baker‐Venkataraman transformation reaction. The 1,3‐diones thus obtained were cyclised to pyranophenothiazines ( 5a – 5j ) by refluxing in an acetic acid/HCl mixture.     

Intramolecular O‐arylation using nano‐magnetite supported N‐heterocyclic carbene‐copper complex with wingtip ferrocene

Nano‐magnetite supported N‐heterocyclic carbene‐copper complex with wingtip ferrocene has been prepared via multi‐step procedure. The complex has been characterized by various analytical techniques such as fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), fourier transform Raman (FT‐Raman), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis. The catalytic activity of the complex has been exploited in intramolecular O‐arylation of o‐iodoanilides under heterogeneous conditions. The complex could be successfully recycled up to twelve consecutive cycles.     

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of 4‐(10H‐Phenothiazin‐2‐yl)‐pyrimidin‐2(1H)‐one/thione Derivatives

A series of chalcones 3a , 3b , 3c , 3d containing phenothiazine nucleus were prepared by Claisen–Schmidt condensation. The chalcones on treatment with urea, thiourea, phenyl urea, and phenyl thiourea in alcoholic KOH yielded compounds 4a , 4b , 4c , 4d , 4e , 4f , 4g , 4h , 4i , 4j , 4k , 4l , 4m , 4n , 4o , 4p , and the structures of these compounds were confirmed by spectral and elemental analyses. The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for antimicrobial activity.     

Effect of increase in orientational order of lipid chains and head group spacing on non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug induced membrane fusion

Membrane fusion is a key event in many biological processes. The fusion process, both in vivo and in vitro, is induced by different agents which include mainly proteins and peptides. For protein- and peptide-mediated membrane fusion, conformational reorganization serves as a driving force. Small drug molecules do not share this advantage; hence, drug induced membrane fusion occurring in absence of any other fusogenic agent and at physiologically relevant concentration of the drugs is a very rare event. To date, only three drugs, namely, meloxicam (Mx), piroxicam (Px), and tenoxicam (Tx), belonging to the oxicam group of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), have been shown by us to induce fusion at very low drug to lipid ratio without the aid of any other fusogenic agent. In our continued effort to understand the interplay of different physical and chemical parameters of both the participating drugs and the membrane on the mechanism of this drug induced membrane fusion, we present here the effect of increase in orientational order of the lipid chains and increase in head group spacing. This is achieved by studying the effect of low concentration cholesterol (<10 mol %) at temperatures above the chain-melting transition. Low concentration cholesterol (<10 mol %), above the gel to fluid transition temperature, is mainly known to increase orientational order of the lipid chains and increase head group spacing. To isolate the effect of these parameters, small unilameller vesicles (SUVs) formed by dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) with an average diameter of 50-60 nm were used as simple model membranes. Fluorescence assays were used to probe the time dependence of lipid mixing, content mixing, and leakage and also used to determine the partitioning of the drugs in the membrane bilayer. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the effect of drugs in the presence of cholesterol on the chain-melting temperature which reflects the fluidization effect of the hydrophobic tail region of the bilayer. Our results show contradictory effect of low concentration cholesterol on the fusion induced by the three drugs, which has been explained by parsing the effect of orientational order and increase in head group spacing on the fusion process.     

Reusable thin film photocatalyst of Fe‐doped TiO2 deposited by ECR plasma

The paper presents an improved method of depositing nanocrystalline thin films of Fe‐doped TiO₂ to be used as a reusable cyclic photocatalyst for degrading the organic pollutants. The technique of electron cyclotron resonance plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition was employed with titanium tetra‐isopropoxide (C₁₂H₂₈O₄Ti) and ferrocene (C₁₀H₁₀Fe) as precursors of Ti and Fe, respectively. Optical emission spectroscopy was used to identify the reactive species, to determine the electron temperature and the ion density during deposition. The films were characterized using optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra, whereas the morphological analysis was carried out with scanning electron microscopy. Strong adhesion of the deposited films with the substrate ruled out any possibility of TiO₂ particles being leached out. It was confirmed by observing the degradation rate of the same film repeatedly. Cyclic use of the film for the catalytic reactions thus makes the process much user friendly for the water treatment. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Catalyst‐Dependent Selectivity in the Relay Catalytic Branching Cascade

The synthesis of small organic molecules as probes for discovering new therapeutic agents has been an important aspect of chemical biology. One of the best ways to access collections of small molecules is to use various techniques in diversity‐oriented synthesis (DOS). Recently, a new form of DOS, namely “relay catalytic branching cascades” (RCBCs), has been introduced, wherein a common type of starting material reacts with several scaffold‐building agents (SBAs) to obtain structurally diverse molecular scaffolds under the influence of catalysts. Herein, the RCBC reaction of a common type of substrate with SBAs is reported to give two different types of molecular scaffolds and their formation is essentially dependent on the type of catalyst used.