A simple and regioselective α-bromination of alkyl aromatic compounds by two-phase electrolysis

Electrochemical bromination of toluene and substituted toluenes by two-phase electrolysis yields the corresponding α-brominated products. The reaction has been carried out in a single compartment cell with platinum electrodes at 0 °C in chloroform using an aqueous sodium bromide solution (60%) containing a catalytic amount of HBr. Two-phase electrolysis results in high yields (60-95%) of monobromo compounds with very high regioselectivity (>95%).     

A mild and efficient method for the oxidation of benzylic alcohols by two-phase electrolysis

Electrochemical oxidation of benzylic and substituted benzylic alcohols by two-phase electrolysis yields the corresponding aldehydes as products. The reaction was carried out in a single compartment cell with platinum electrodes at room temperature in chloroform using an aqueous sodium bromide solution (25%) containing a catalytic amount of HBr. The two-phase electrolysis resulted in high yields (74-96%) of benzaldehyde from primary alcohols and secondary alcohols were oxidized to the corresponding ketone but only in low yields under these conditions.     

Singlet fission in a hexacene dimer: energetics dictate dynamics

Singlet fission (SF) is an exciton multiplication process with the potential to raise the efficiency limit of single junction solar cells from 33% to up to 45%. Most chromophores generally undergo SF as solid-state crystals. However, when such molecules are covalently coupled, the dimers can be used as model systems to study fundamental photophysical dynamics where a singlet exciton splits into two triplet excitons within individual molecules. Here we report the synthesis and photophysical characterization of singlet fission of a hexacene dimer. Comparing the hexacene dimer to analogous tetracene and pentacene dimers reveals that excess exoergicity slows down singlet fission, similar to what is observed in molecular crystals. Conversely, the lower triplet energy of hexacene results in an increase in the rate of triplet pair recombination, following the energy gap law for radiationless transitions. These results point to design rules for singlet fission chromophores: the energy gap between singlet and triplet pair should be minimal, and the gap between triplet pair and ground state should be large.

We report the synthesis and photophysical characterization of highly exoergic singlet fission in a hexacene dimer revealing exciton dynamics that follow the energy gap law.     

Nuclear Versus Side-Chain Bromination of 4-Methoxy Toluene by an Electrochemical Method

The electrochemical bromination of 4-methoxy toluene by two-phase electrolysis yields 3-bromo 4-methoxy toluene at first, which subsequently undergoes side-chain bromination to give 3-bromo 4-methoxy benzyl bromide as a final product in 86% yield. The two-phase electrolysis consists of 25–50% NaBr as aqueous electrolyte and CHCl₃ containing aromatic compound as organic phase. The reaction temperature is maintained at 10–25 °C. The probable orientation of bromine atom in an alkyl aromatic compound (nuclear versus side chain) is explained from the experimental result.     

Electrochemical Method for the Preparation of Dibromomethyl,Bis(bromomethyl), and Bis(dibromomethyl) Arenes

Electrochemical bromination of alkyl aromatic compounds by two-phase electrolysis yields the corresponding α, α-dibrominated products. The reaction has been carried out in a single-compartment electrochemical cell using aqueous sodium bromide (40–50%), containing a catalytic amount of HBr as electrolyte, and chloroform, containing an alkyl aromatic compound, as the organic phase with a Pt plate as anode at 10–15°C. Two-phase electrolysis results in high yields (70–90%) of dibromomethyl, bis(bromomethyl), and bis(dibromomethyl) arenes, depending upon the charge passed.     

Electrochemical bromination of cyclic and acyclic enes using biphasic electrolysis

A simple method of electrochemical bromination of a series of cyclic and acyclic enes (styrene and substituted styrenes, stilbene, indene, and cyclooctene) in a biphasic water–chloroform mixture mediated by bromide/bromine redox system is reported. Aqueous 25% NaBr/H₂SO₄ is used as the electrolyte. Regio- and stereoselective dibromination of enes is achieved. Moderate to excellent yields of the product (83–98%) is obtained depending on the substrate. Electrolyte reuse has also been demonstrated successfully using HBr in the dibromination of styrene.     

Comparative evaluation of antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized using Rhizophora apiculata and glucose

The focus of the study is to compare the antibacterial efficacy of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) fabricated by exploiting biological (a mangrove plant, Rhizophora apiculata) and chemical means (Glucose). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterised using UV-visible absorption spectrophotometry (UV-vis), Fourier transform Infra-red Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles (BAgNPs) were observed at 423 nm with particle sizes of 19-42 nm. The chemically synthesized silver nanoparticles (CAgNPs) showed a maximum peak at 422 nm with particle sizes of 13-19 nm. An obvious superiority of the antibacterial potency of BAgNPs compared to the CAgNPs as denoted by the zone of inhibition (ZoI) was noted when the nanoparticles were treated against seven different Microbial Type Culture Collection (MTCC) strains. The current study therefore elucidates that the synthesized AgNPs were efficient against the bacterial strains tested.     

Light-induced enantiospecific 4π ring closure of axially chiral 2-pyridones: enthalpic and entropic effects promoted by H-bonding

Nonbiaryl axially chiral 2-pyridones were synthesized and employed for light-induced electrocyclic 4π ring closure leading to bicyclo-β-lactam photoproducts in solution. The enantioselectivity in the photoproducts varied from 22 to 95% depending on the reaction temperature and the ability of the axially chiral chromophore to form intramolecular and/or intermolecular H-bonds with the solvent. On the basis of the differential activation parameters, entropic control of the enantiospecificity was observed for 2-pyridones lacking the ability to form H-bonds. Conversely, enthalpy played a significant role for 2-pyridones having the ability to form H-bonds.     

An Yb(OTf)3‐catalyzed,convergent synthesis of new pyranyl‐ and chromenyl‐substituted quinolines through an eco‐friendly approach

A one‐pot, multicomponent, convergent microwave synthesis of some new pyranyl‐ and chromenyl‐substituted quinolines has been reported. Twenty compounds were prepared by the reaction of 2‐methoxy‐3‐formyl quinoline ( 1a‐d ), malononitrile ( 2 ), and kojic acid ( 4a‐d )/1,3‐cyclohexadione or dimedone ( 6a ‐ h )/α‐ or β‐naphthol ( 8a ‐ d , 8e ‐ h ). The structures were confirmed by infrared (IR), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ¹³C NMR, mass, and single‐crystal X‐ray analyses. On comparison with the use of conventional Lewis acid catalysts and various metal triflates under microwave conditions, the latter contributed to good yields, in specific use of the recyclable Yb(OTf)₃ catalyst attributed to high yields of the desired product. The protocol reported herein is solvent free, cost effective, and eco‐friendly.     

Phytochemical constituents from dietary plant Citrus hystrix

Chemical investigation of the fruit peel of dietary plant Citrus hystrix offered two new flavones 5,6,4′-trihydroxypyranoflavone I and 5,4′-dimethyl-6-prenylpyranoflavone XIII besides 11 known compounds. The structures of all compounds were elucidated with the aid of suitable analytical methods like 1D, 2D-NMR, mass and single crystal X-ray analysis. An X-ray crystal study of compound II was done for the first time and the compounds I–VI, XI and XII are hitherto not reported from this plant. Biological studies revealed that compound I found to have a good antidiabetic and antiacetylcholinesterase activities meanwhile compounds II, III and V showed a significant free radical scavenging ability as well as antioxidant capacity. In addition, compounds I, IV, V and VI showed cytotoxicity against U87, A549 and MCF-7 cells. Overall, the new compound I showed valuable bioactive properties. Due to insufficient quantity of compound XIII, biological studies were not done.