Iodine(III)‐Catalyzed Rearrangements of Imides: A Versatile Route to α,α‐Dialkylated α‐Hydroxy Carboxylamides

A tertiary hydroxy group α to a carboxyl moiety comprises a key structural motif in many bioactive substances. With the herein presented metal‐free rearrangement of imides triggered by hypervalent λ³‐iodane, an easy and selective way to gain access to such a compound class, namely α,α‐disubstituted‐α‐hydroxy carboxylamides, was established. Their additional methylene bromide side chain constitutes a useful handle for rapid diversification, as demonstrated by a series of further functionalizations. Moreover, the in situ formation of an iodine(III) species under the reaction conditions was proven. Our findings clearly corroborate that hypervalent λ³‐benziodoxolones are involved in these organocatalytic reactions.     

Caesium carbonate supported on hydroxyapatite‐encapsulated Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanocrystallites as a novel magnetically basic catalyst for the one‐pot synthesis of pyrazolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐diones

A novel nanomagnetic basic catalyst of caesium carbonate supported on hydroxyapatite‐coated Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄@HAP‐Cs₂CO₃) was prepared. This new catalyst was fully characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometry techniques, and then the catalytic activity of this catalyst was investigated in the synthesis of 1H‐pyrazolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐dione derivatives. Also, Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄@HAP‐Cs₂CO₃ could be reused at least five times without significant loss of activity and could be recovered easily by applying an external magnet. Thus, the developed nanomagnetic catalyst is potentially useful for the green and economic production of organic compounds. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Metabolomics techniques applied in the investigation of phenolic acids from the agro-industrial by-product of Carapa guianensis Aubl

Processing of Carapa guianensis seeds to obtain oil on an industrial scale generates a significant amount of by-product, approximately 66% w/w, which is called cake and is a potential source of biomolecules, including simple phenolic structures. For this reason, studies were carried out on the chemical profiles of hydrolyzed extract from this agro-industrial by-product through High Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). These techniques were used to detect metabolic classes and/or groups, and to identify, for the first time, thirteen simple phenolic acids in this by-product. The sample antioxidant capacity was determined by methods of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS⁺) radicals direct sequestration. The hydrolyzed fraction showed a total of 63.47% in the relative abundance of the total of compounds, standing out: p-hydroxybenzoic acid (39.19%) and protocatechuic acid (3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid) (5.62%), both from hydroxybenzoic acids and 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)lactic acid, (7.76%) hydroxycinnamic acids derivatives. In these results, the fraction rich in simple phenolic acids was obtained, attributing the prominent behavior of this matrix antioxidant activity, expressed by (IC₅₀: of 16.42 µg/mL and 6.52 µg/mL for DPPH and ABTS⁺ radicals, respectively). The research demonstrated an alternative to applicability that involves sustainability from agro-industrial. These techniques were used to detect metabolic classes and/or groups, and to identify, for the first time, thirteen simple phenolic acids in this by-product, generating a process capable of converting biomass into a bioproduct, consisting of bioactive compounds, in addition to adding value to the industrial chain.     

Direct Addition of Amides to Glycals Enabled by Solvation‐Insusceptible 2‐Haloazolium Salt Catalysis

The direct 2‐deoxyglycosylation of nucleophiles with glycals leads to biologically and pharmacologically important 2‐deoxysugar compounds. Although the direct addition of hydroxyl and sulfonamide groups have been well developed, the direct 2‐deoxyglycosylation of amide groups has not been reported to date. Herein, we show the first direct 2‐deoxyglycosylation of amide groups using a newly designed Brønsted acid catalyst under mild conditions. Through mechanistic investigations, we discovered that the amide group can inhibit acid catalysts, and the inhibition has made the 2‐deoxyglycosylation reaction difficult. Diffusion‐ordered two‐dimensional NMR spectroscopy analysis implied that the 2‐chloroazolium salt catalyst was less likely to form aggregates with amides in comparison to other acid catalysts. The chlorine atom and the extended π‐scaffold of the catalyst played a crucial role for this phenomenon. This relative insusceptibility to inhibition by amides is more responsible for the catalytic activity than the strength of the acidity.     

Highly dispersed palladium nanoclusters incorporated in amino‐functionalized silica spheres for the selective hydrogenation of succinic acid to γ‐butyrolactone

Highly dispersed palladium nanoclusters incorporated on amino‐functionalized silica sphere surfaces (Pd/SiO₂‐NH₂) were fabricated by a simple one‐pot synthesis utilizing 3‐(2‐aminoethylamino)propyltrimethoxysilane (AAPTS) as coordinating agent. Uniform palladium nanoclusters with an average size of 1.1 nm can be obtained during the co‐condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate and AAPTS owing to the strong interaction between palladium species and amino groups in AAPTS. The palladium particle size can be controlled by addition of AAPTS and plays a significant role in the catalytic performance. The Pd/SiO₂‐NH₂ catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity for succinic acid hydrogenation with 100% conversion and 94% selectivity towards γ‐butyrolactone using 1,4‐dioxane as solvent at 240°C and 60 bar for 4 h. Moreover, the Pd/SiO₂‐NH₂ catalyst is robust and readily reusable without loss of its catalytic activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-voltage and low specific on-resistance power UMOSFET using P and N type columns

For the first time, we present the unique features exhibited by power 4H–SiC UMOSFET in which N and P type columns (NPC) in the drift region are incorporated to improve the breakdown voltage, the specific on-resistance, and the total lateral cell pitch. The P-type column creates a potential barrier in the drift region of the proposed structure for increasing the breakdown voltage and the N-type column reduces the specific on-resistance. Also, the JFET effects reduce and so the total lateral cell pitch will decrease. In the NPC-UMOSFET, the electric field crowding reduces due to the created potential barrier by the NPC regions and causes more uniform electric field distribution in the structure. Using two dimensional simulations, the breakdown voltage and the specific on-resistance of the proposed structure are investigated for the columns parameters in comparison with a conventional UMOSFET (C-UMOSFET) and an accumulation layer UMOSFET (AL-UMOSFET) structures. For the NPC-UMOSFET with 10 µm drift region length the maximum breakdown voltage of 1274 V is obtained, while at the same drift region length, the maximum breakdown voltages of the C-UMOSFET and the AL-UMOSFET structures are 534 and 703 V, respectively. Moreover, the proposed structure exhibits a superior specific on-resistance (R_on,sp) of 2 mΩ cm², which shows that the on-resistance of the optimized NPC-UMOSFET are decreased by 56% and 58% in comparison with the C-UMOSFET and the AL-UMOSFET, respectively.