New alcohol resistant strains ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae species for potable alcohol production using molasse

Two alcohol resistant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae species were isolated from a Greek vineyard plantation. The strain AXAZ-1 gave a concentration of 17.6% v/v alcohol and AXAZ-2 16.5%, when musts from raisin and sultana grapes, respectively, were employed in alcoholic fermentations. They were found to be more alcohol tolerant and fermentative in the fermentation of molasse than the traditional baker's yeast. Specifically, using an initial [symbol: see text] Be density of 16 [symbol: see text] Be at the repeated batch fermentation process, in the first as well as fourth batch, the better AXAZ-1 gave final [symbol: see text] Be densities of 6.0 and 10.5 respectively, and the baker's yeast 11.6 and 14.5.     

Efficient routes to optically active azido-, amino-, di-azido- and di-amino-cyclitols with chiro- and allo-configuration from myo-inositol

Efficient routes to hitherto unknown 1d-2,5-di-azido-di-deoxy-allo-inositol, 1d-2,5-di-amino-di-deoxy-allo-inositol, 1l-1-azido-1-deoxy-chiro-inositol and 1l-1-amino-1-deoxy-chiro-inositol were developed by using cheaply available myo-inositol as the starting material. Preliminary investigations on the enzyme inhibitory properties were done. The methodology reported is amenable to gram scale synthesis and thus can find application in natural product synthesis.     

Polymers with advanced structural and supramolecular features synthesized through topochemical polymerization

Polymers are an integral part of our daily life. Hence, there are constant efforts towards synthesizing novel polymers with unique properties. As the composition and packing of polymer chains influence polymer''s properties, sophisticated control over the molecular and supramolecular structure of the polymer helps tailor its properties as desired. However, such precise control via conventional solution-state synthesis is challenging. Topochemical polymerization (TP), a solvent- and catalyst-free reaction that occurs under the confinement of a crystal lattice, offers profound control over the molecular structure and supramolecular architecture of a polymer and usually results in ordered polymers. In particular, single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) TP is advantageous as we can correlate the structure and packing of polymer chains with their properties. By designing molecules appended with suitable reactive moieties and utilizing the principles of supramolecular chemistry to align them in a reactive orientation, the synthesis of higher-dimensional polymers and divergent topologies has been achieved via TP. Though there are a few reviews on TP in the literature, an exclusive review showcasing the topochemical synthesis of polymers with advanced structural features is not available. In this perspective, we present selected examples of the topochemical synthesis of organic polymers with sophisticated structures like ladders, tubular polymers, alternating copolymers, polymer blends, and other interesting topologies. We also detail some strategies adopted for obtaining distinct polymers from the same monomer. Finally, we highlight the main challenges and prospects for developing advanced polymers via TP and inspire future directions in this area.

This perspective showcases the potential of topochemical polymerization as an effective tool for synthesizing polymers with advanced molecular and supramolecular structures.     

Palladium-catalyzed regio- and diastereo-selective allylic alkylation using 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzoic acid: construction of vicinal quaternary and tertiary carbon centers

The palladium-catalyzed regio- and diastereo-selective allylic alkylation of allyl acetates with carbon nucleophiles occurred. The stereochemistry was highly controlled by the palladium catalyst with 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzoic acid as the ligand, and vicinal quaternary and tertiary carbon centers were constructed.     

Synthesis of fluorinated materials catalyzed by proline or antibody 38C2 in ionic liquid

The utility of reusable ionic liquid-proline (or aldolase antibody 38C2) reaction system, proceeding the aldol reactions, is described. Further, obtained α-chloro-β-hydroxy compounds were transformed to the optically active α,β-epoxy carbonyl compounds. The aldolase antibody 38C2-ionic liquid system was able to reuse in Michael additions and the reaction of fluoromethylated imines.     

Direct synthesis of Poly(Ԑ-Caprolactone)-block-poly (glycidyl methacrylate) copolymer and its usage as a potential nano micelles carrier for hydrophobic drugs

Ring-opening (ROP) and enzymatic copolymerization (ECP) are among the most widely used approaches for synthesizing copolymers of polycaprolactone (PCL). It involves multiple-step reactions and the utilization of enzymes that make the process a lot more complicated, time consuming, and expensive. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) has been adopted to synthesize a novel amphiphilic copolymer in our study. The study presents a method to eliminate the ROP/ECP multiple steps in monomer polymerization thus making the process simpler and smoother. The synthesis of cationic polymer micelles copolymer of PCL-PGMA (polycaprolactone grafted poly glycidyl methacrylate) was carried out using direct functionalization of hydroxy group in crude PCL to achieve a higher degree of functionalization, i.e., 12.8% for macroinitiator. FTIR and ¹H-NMR confirmed the successful synthesis of the copolymer with better control over the molecular weight with a PDI (1.84). DSC and XRD results showed the reduction of crystallinity by 86.81%, making copolymer more compatible for drug delivery application. The synthesized copolymer was further converted to nano-micelles drug carrier having an average size of 96.08 ± 21.22 nm. The drug encapsulation efficiency achieved was 60.0 ± 1.7%, and nano-micelles rendered a slow and controlled release of naproxen with long-term storage stability.     

Serine‐Selective Aerobic Cleavage of Peptides and a Protein Using a Water‐Soluble Copper–Organoradical Conjugate

The site‐specific cleavage of peptide bonds is an important chemical modification of biologically relevant macromolecules. The reaction is not only used for routine structural determination of peptides, but is also a potential artificial modulator of protein function. Realizing the substrate scope beyond the conventional chemical or enzymatic cleavage of peptide bonds is, however, a formidable challenge. Here we report a serine‐selective peptide‐cleavage protocol that proceeds at room temperature and near neutral pH value, through mild aerobic oxidation promoted by a water‐soluble copper–organoradical conjugate. The method is applicable to the site‐selective cleavage of polypeptides that possess various functional groups. Peptides comprising D ‐amino acids or sensitive disulfide pairs are competent substrates. The system is extendable to the site‐selective cleavage of a native protein, ubiquitin, which comprises more than 70 amino acid residues.     

Synthesis of Peptide Cysteine Dimedone Using Fmoc-Cys(Dmd)-OH: Glutathione Cysteine Dimedone as a Probe in Investigating the Sulfenic Acid Mediated Oxidation of Glutathione

Dimedone is the most widely used chemical probe for detection of cysteine sulfenic acid in peptides and proteins. The reaction of dimedone with cysteine sulfenic acid results in the formation of unique cysteine dimedone motif containing thioether bridge. Based on the structure of cysteine dimedone residue in polypeptide, a new building block of Fmoc-Cys(Dmd)-OH was developed for solid phase synthesis of peptide cysteine dimedone. Mass spectrometric sequencing of synthetic peptides have confirmed successful incorporation of cysteine dimedone in peptide chain using HBTU/HOBt as a coupling agent. The new method permits synthesis of peptides containing both cysteine thiol and cysteine dimedone in the same sequence which was difficult to achieve by conventional methods. The synthetic peptide of glutathione cysteine dimedone was used as a standard in probing the air-mediated oxidation of thiol to disulfide form of glutathione. The co-elution of standard peptide and reaction mixture of oxidation of glutathione in presence of dimedone using RP-HPLC have confirmed the formation of glutathione cysteine sulfenic as an intermediate in the air-mediated oxidation of glutathione. The synthetic peptides of cysteine dimedone may find application in the field of redox proteomics and generation of antibodies against modified cysteine residue.     

Front Cover: Enhancement of Chiroptical Responses of trans‐Bis[(β‐iminomethyl)naphthoxy]platinum(II) Complexes with Distorted Square Planar Coordination Geometry (ChemistryOpen 4/2022)

The Front Cover shows the comparison of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) properties of square planar platinum(II) complexes with different coordination geometries. Computational studies have revealed that the distortion of the coordination geometry is key to enhancement of the chiroptical responses of these compounds. More information can be found in the Research Article by Masahiro Ikeshita et al.