Société Chimique de France

Wonderful gels: A trihybrid gel was prepared by incorporating graphene oxide and in situ synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into an amino-acid-based native gel matrix (see pict). The morphology of this system indicates the presence of three distinctly different nanostructures: nanofibers, nanosheets, and nanoparticles. The catalytic efficiency of this trihybrid system is enhanced relative to that of AuNPs in a dihybrid system.

[Communication]
Jayanta Nanda, Abhijit Biswas, Bimalendu Adhikari, Arindam Banerjee
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 19, 5041. Read article.

An ugly duckling grows into a swan: Many organisms grow their crystalline mineral phases through the secondary nucleation of nanospheres made of an amorphous precursor phase. Stable amorphous calcium carbonate biominerals were used to induce a similar transformation in vitro. The amorphous nanospheres underwent a solid-phase transformation that resulted in highly ordered calcite crystals composed of aggregated particles (see SEM image).

[Communication]
Assaf Gal, Wouter Habraken, Dvir Gur, Peter Fratzl, Steve Weiner, Lia Addadi
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 18, 4867. Read article.

Parting water! Direct splitting of pure water into H₂ and O₂ under visible light (λ>400 nm) was achieved by using a modified TaON photocatalyst with d⁰ electronic configuration. Modification of a less-defective TaON (ZrO₂/TaON) with core/shell-structured RuO_x/Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles and colloidal IrO₂ was found to be indispensable to achieving the reaction (see figure).

[Communication]
Kazuhiko Maeda, Daling Lu, Kazunari Domen
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 16, 4986. Read article.

She's electric: The addition reactions of diaryl disulfides (ArSSAr) to alkenes and alkynes were achieved with a catalytic amount of an electrochemically generated arylbis(arylthio)sulfonium ion (ArS(ArSSAr)⁺) to give the corresponding diarylthiolated products. A cation chain mechanism mediated by ArS(ArSSAr)⁺ as a chain carrier is suggested.

[Full Paper]
Kouichi Matsumoto, Tomonari Sanada, Hayato Shimazaki, Kazuaki Shimada, Shino Hagiwara, Shunsuke Fujie, Yosuke Ashikari, Seiji Suga, Shigenori Kashimura, Jun-ichi Yoshida
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 4, 325. Read article.

Iron-bound structure: The ferric complex of a tetradentate siderophore mimic was synthesized and co-crystallized with the periplasmic binding protein CeuE of Campylobacter jejuni. In addition to electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding interactions between the binding pocket and the substrate, the structure showed direct coordination of two amino acid side chains to the Fe^III center (orange, see figure).

[Communication]
Daniel J. Raines, Olga V. Moroz, Keith S. Wilson, Anne-K. Duhme-Klair
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 17, 4595. Read article.

“Photothermometer”: A PAOF system was constructed using a diode laser as the energy source, an aqueous suspension of plasmonic nanostructures as the photothermal transducer, and a glass capillary for measuring the volumetric expansion of the suspension (see picture). The suspension could be driven to move up the capillary by more than 30 mm and be used to control the operation of an electrical switch.

[Communication]
Jie Zeng, David Goldfeld, Younan Xia
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 15, 4169. Read article.

Together we are strong: Immediately after high-temperature reduction, ZnPd/ZnO catalysts are not notably CO₂ selective in the methanol steam reforming process. Under methanol steam reforming conditions, high CO₂ selectivity can only be achieved by the rather slow formation of ZnO patches on the surface of intermetallic ZnPd nanoparticles to create a highly synergistic interface.

[Communication]
Matthias Friedrich, Simon Penner, Marc Heggen, Marc Armbrüster
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 16, 4389. Read article.

Anion-triggered chiral switch: Reversible switching between fac and mer isomers in tris(2,2'-bipyridine)iron(II) complexes, the ligands of which are substituted at the 5-position with various peptides of different lengths and sequences, has been achieved (see figure). The remote stereocontrol at the Fe^II center by a domino-type chiral information transfer along an achiral peptide main-chain was observed even over 3 nm (50 bond lengths).

[Communication]
Naoki Ousaka, Yuki Takeyama, Eiji Yashima
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 15, 4680. Read article.

Mixed noblility: We show that the modification of a gold/carbon catalyst with platinum or palladium produces stable and recyclable catalysts for the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA): the support and nanoparticle chemistry directly mediate the selective oxidation of terminal hydroxyl groups in bio-derived HMF. This finding is a significant advance over current conversion technology because of the technological importance of FDCA.

[Communication]
Alberto Villa, Marco Schiavoni, Sebastiano Campisi, Gabriel M. Veith, Laura Prati
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 4, 609. Read article.

Baking biomass! Highly porous carbonaceous monoliths are designed and synthesized from a sustainable saccharide derivative. With furfural as the carbon precursor and using a carbonization method that is based on using a concentrated direct emulsion as a soft-template, a graphitized carbon framework was produced. As a proof of principle, these new carbons are successfully used as electrodes for enzymatic biofuel cells.

[Full Paper]
Nicolas Brun, Lise Edembe, Sébastien Gounel, Nicolas Mano, Magdalena M. Titirici
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 4, 701. Read article.

A twist in the tale: The emission properties of π-conjugated molecules with an N-methylbenzimidazole as a proton-responsive unit are compared between T-shaped cross-conjugated and linear conjugated molecules. Acid-responsive twisted intramolecular charge-transfer (TICT) emission requires the cross-conjugated T-shaped structure in terms of the separation of frontier molecular orbitals of the HOMO and LUMO, as well as bond rotation.

[Full Paper]
Toshifumi Inouchi, Takuya Nakashima, Tsuyoshi Kawai
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 3, 230. Read article.

Tertiary amides are reduced to their corresponding tertiary amines in high isolated yields by using the polymeric silane polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) in the presence of an in situ generated iron/N-heterocyclic carbene complex (1 mol-%), generated from iron(II) acetate and 1-(2-hydroxy-2-phenylethyl)-3-methylimidazolium triflate ([PhHEMIM][OTF]), and a catalytic amount of lithium chloride (1 mol-%).

[Short Communication]
Alexey Volkov, Elina Buitrago, Hans Adolfsson
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 11, 2066. Read article.

Shine on you crazy dots: A rapid and high-output strategy allows the fabrication of polymer-like carbon dots (CDs) with quantum yields as high as ca. 80 %. This value is the highest reported to date for fluorescent carbon-based materials, and gives promise for their application in multicolor-patterning and biosensors.

[Communication]
Shoujun Zhu, Qingnan Meng, Lei Wang, Junhu Zhang, Yubin Song, Han Jin, Kai Zhang, Hongchen Sun, Haiyu Wang, Bai Yang
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 14, 3953. Read article.

A variety of (E)-dehydroamino acid esters were stereoselectively synthesized by using (diphenylphosphono)glycinate. The stereoselectivity was influenced by metal additives. Various (E)-dehydroamino acid esters were prepared by the condensation reaction of the new phosphonates with easily available aldehydes by choosing the appropriate reaction conditions.

[Short Communication]
Yoko Yasuno, Makoto Hamada, Takeshi Yamada, Tetsuro Shinada, Yasufumi Ohfune
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 10, 1884. Read article.

Crystallized! Mono-, di-, and tricationic amines that display unprecedented chemical environments around the central nitrogen atom have been structurally characterized. Cyclic voltammetry experiments and density functional calculations have been performed to gain insight into the electronic structure of these new compounds.

[Communication]
Agnes Kozma, Gopinadhanpillai Gopakumar, Christophe Farès, Walter Thiel, Manuel Alcarazo
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 11, 3542. Read article.

The asymmetric dehydro-Diels–Alder (ADDA) reaction to axially chiral (1,5)naphthalenophanes was investigated. Using chiral auxiliaries, both photochemical and thermal DDA provided the target compounds, in which the latter approach provided better results in regard to yields and stereoselectivity. Furthermore, the mechanism of the DDA reaction was investigated by means of DFT calculations.

[Full Paper]
Pablo Wessig, Annika Matthes, Uwe Schilde, Alexandra Kelling
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 11, 2123. Read article.

Nature versus man-made: Biocatalyzed artificial photosynthesis occurs through the coupling of redox biocatalysis and photocatalysis to mimic natural photosynthesis based on visible-light-driven regeneration of enzyme cofactors. Key design principles for reaction components, such as electron donors, photosensitizers, and electron mediators, are described for artificial photosynthesis involving biocatalytic assemblies.

[Concept]
Sahng Ha Lee, Jae Hong Kim, Chan Beum Park
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 14, 4392. Read article.

Pyranoside phosphinite-oxazoline ligands were successfully applied in the asymmetric Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of a wide range of minimally functionalized olefins (ee up to 99 %). The introduction of a bulky ortho-tolyl phosphinite moiety was crucial to achieving the highest enantioselectivities with some of the most challenging substrate types.

[Full Paper]
Javier Mazuela, Oscar Pàmies, Montserrat Diéguez
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2013, No. 12, 2139. Read article.

Support for platinum: The hydrothermal treatment of cellulose under H₂ in the presence of tungstated alumina-based catalysts (AlW) yields lactic acid or acetol and propylene glycol as the main products depending on the presence or absence of supported platinum.

[Full Paper]
Flora Chambon, Franck Rataboul, Catherine Pinel, Amandine Cabiac, Emmanuelle Guillon, Nadine Essayem
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 3, 500. Read article.

Paired up: The structures and proton-coupled behavior of adenine–thymine and a modified base pair containing a thymine isostere, adenine–difluorotoluene (A-F), are studied in different solvents by dispersion-corrected density functional theory. DNA sequences capable of changing their sequence conformation on protonation are used in the construction of pH-based molecular switches (see picture).

[Article]
A. K. Jissy, Sukanya Konar, Ayan Datta
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 6, 1219. Read article.

SIRT1 specificity: The multispecific SIRT1 enzyme catalyzes the deacetylation of acetyllysine residues within protein targets. However, little is known regarding the molecular basis for SIRT1 substrate recognition. Kinetic analysis of SIRT1 with a panel of peptide substrates shows the high importance of the region N-flanking the target acetyllysine and its high conservation through evolution.

[Communication]
Roman Meledin, Ashraf Brik, Amir Aharoni
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 5, 577. Read article.

The core of the matter: The fabrication and application of magnetic-core/layered-double-hydroxide (LDH)-shell composites with hierarchical structure represent a new direction in the development of LDH-based multifunctional materials, which will contribute to the progress of chemistry and material science (see scheme).

[Concept]
Mingfei Shao, Min Wei, David G. Evans, Xue Duan
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 13, 4100. Read article.

There and back: An isocyanide-centered silene–disilene reversibility was observed for the insertion of isocyanides into unsymmetrically substituted disilenes. This reaction leads to the formation of silenes at room temperature; the disilene is regenerated in the presence of a Lewis acid.

[Communication]
Moumita Majumdar, Volker Huch, Iulia Bejan, Antje Meltzer, David Scheschkewitz
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 12, 3516. Read article.

Climbing the cucurbit ladder: Cucurbit[6]uril dimers (connected gray cylinders; see scheme) were prepared by condensation of glycoluril hexamer with the appropriate tetraaldehydes. The self-assembly process between these dimers and oligoviologen compounds (blue) in water leads to a supramolecular ladder with the dimensions and molecular weight typical of small proteins.

[Communication]
James B. Wittenberg, Peter Y. Zavalij, Lyle Isaacs
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 13, 3690. Read article.

Hit for six! Six bonds are formed in a tandem process that gives rise to substituted 1,4-dihydropyrrole[3,2-b]pyrroles. Unparalleled simplicity and versatility of this one-pot reaction, no chromatography, as well as highly interesting optical properties have the potential to bring these molecules to the forefront in various applications.

[Full Paper]
Anita Janiga, Eliza Glodkowska-Mrowka, Tomasz Stoklosa, Daniel T. Gryko
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 5, 411. Read article.

Gingering up macrocycles: Asarol methyl ether (1,2,4,5-tetramethoxybenzene), a component of ginger, reacts with paraformaldehyde in the presence of BF₃·OEt₂ to produce a new family of macrocycles. Solid-state structures of asar[6]-, asar[7]-, asar[8]-, asar[9]-, asar[10]- and asar[11]arene shed light on the conformational behavior of this new family of potential receptors, which could find applications in materials science and the life sciences in the fullness of time.

[Full Paper]
Severin T. Schneebeli, Chuyang Cheng, Karel J. Hartlieb, Nathan L. Strutt, Amy A. Sarjeant, Charlotte L. Stern, J. Fraser Stoddart
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 12, 3860. Read article.

Hop, skip, and jump: A mathematical model that allows the identification of limiting steps for current production under several experimental conditions and in different layers of a biofilm is presented. A comparison of model outputs considering electron hopping and conduction through pili indicates that only electron hopping can account for some recent experimental results.

[Full Paper]
P. Sebastian Bonanni, Dan F. Bradley, Germán D. Schrott, Juan Pablo Busalmen
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 4, 711. Read article.

Electron collection: A high-potential material, BaSnO₃, as the photoanode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is explored. The DSSC that is fabricated using highly crystalline BaSnO₃ nanoparticles shows an overall energy conversion efficiency of 5.2 %, which is the highest performance in ternary oxide-based DSSCs. This high performance comes from rapid charge capture in the BaSnO₃ nanoparticle photoelectrode.

[Full Paper]
Dong Wook Kim, Seong Sik Shin, Sangwook Lee, In Sun Cho, Dong Hoe Kim, Chan Woo Lee, Hyun Suk Jung, Kug Sun Hong
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 3, 449. Read article.

Looks like lysine: The catalytically essential lysine in N-acetylneuraminic acid lyase was replaced by thialysine by chemical modification. High yields of modified enzyme allowed detailed structural and kinetic analyses which demonstrated that thialysine is a good structural mimic of lysine, but that the altered pK_a of the thialysine results in lower recovery of activity.

[Full Paper]
Nicole Timms, Claire L. Windle, Anna Polyakova, James R. Ault, Chi H. Trinh, Arwen R. Pearson, Adam Nelson, Alan Berry
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 4, 474. Read article.

Elemental photocatalysts are emerging as a new class of visible-light-responsive catalytic materials for applications in pollutant degradation and water splitting.

[Concept]
Gang Liu, Ping Niu, Hui-Ming Cheng
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 5, 885. Read article.

Water repulsion and CO₂ attraction: We have developed a SiO₂ aerogel membrane modified with -CF₃ functional groups. This has the potential to be used in a membrane contactor for CO₂ absorption. The as-coated hydrophobic SiO₂ aerogel membranes reveal excellent reusability. The hydrophobized silica aerogel membrane contactor is a promising technology for large-scale CO₂ absorption during the post-combustion process in power plants.

[Full Paper]
Yi-Feng Lin, Chien-Hua Chen, Kuo-Lun Tung, Te-Yu Wei, Shih-Yuan Lu, Kai-Shiun Chang
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 3, 437. Read article.

A new route to α-glycosyl azides by way of TMSN₃ ring-opening of 1,6-anhydro sugars is presented. The potential of this methodology is demonstrated by the expeditious synthesis of a pseudopentasaccharide following a “click-click” approach.

[Full Paper]
Mathieu L. Lepage, Anne Bodlenner, Philippe Compain
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 10, 1963. Read article.

Ringing the changes: Selenazolines have applications in medicinal chemistry, but their synthesis is challenging. We report a new convenient and less toxic route to these heterocycles that starts from commercially available selenocysteine. The new route depends on a heterocyclase enzyme that creates oxazolines and thiazolines from serines/threonines and cysteines.

[Communication]
Jesko Koehnke, Falk Morawitz, Andrew F. Bent, Wael E. Houssen, Sally L. Shirran, Matthew A. Fuszard, Iain A. Smellie, Catherine H. Botting, Margaret C. M. Smith, Marcel Jaspars, James H. Naismith
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 5, 564. Read article.

The spectroscopic properties of Rh and Ir complexes that contain meso-p-methoxyphenyldipyrromethene (dipyH) and phenylpyridine (ppy) ligands, [Rh(dipy)₃], [Rh(ppy)₂(dipy)] and [Ir(ppy)₂(dipy)], are described and discussed from experimental and theoretical approaches.

[Full Paper]
Diane Ramlot, Mateusz Rebarz, Leen Volker, Margriet Ovaere, David Beljonne, Wim Dehaen, Luc Van Meervelt, Cécile Moucheron, Andrée Kirsch-De Mesmaeker
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2013, No. 12, 2031. Read article.

Sipholenol A, a sipholane triterpene from Callyspongia siphonella, and its analogues are shown to have antimigratory activity in metastatic human breast cancer cells, while exhibiting no cytotoxicity towards normal epithelial cells. Evaluation of 19,20-anhydrosipholenol A 4β-benzoate ester against 451 human protein kinases identified protein tyrosine kinase 6 as a potential target. Sipholane triterpenoids represent novel antimigratory marine natural products with potential for development against metastatic malignancies.

[Full Paper]
Ahmed I. Foudah, Sandeep Jain, Belnaser A. Busnena, Khalid A. El Sayed
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 3, 497. Read article.

Antiviral identification: Using a virtual screening protocol, ∼250 000 commercially available compounds were theoretically evaluated for potential anti-HIV activity through disruption of the gp120–CD4 interface. Twenty hits were subsequently evaluated in vitro, identifying four novel chemical scaffolds with EC₅₀ values ranging between 25–0.9 μM against wild-type (NL4-3) HIV-1-infected MT-4 cells. Phe 43 cavity of gp120 was confirmed as the target by a mutation experiment, being the Met 475 Ile mutant strain resistant to these agents.

[Full Paper]
Cristina Tintori, Manikandan Selvaraj, Roger Badia, Bonaventura Clotet, José A. Esté, Maurizio Botta
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 3, 475. Read article.

Ties that bind: Typically, a fluorophore binds to one of the Sudlow's sites on albumin. Surprisingly, BP(OH)₂ did not exhibit such behavior, but rather appeared to bind to a cleft at the interface of subdomains IIIA and IIB.

[Full Paper]
Dipanwita De, Harpreet Kaur, Anindya Datta
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 4, 728. Read article.

The synthesis of enamines from only tertiary amines has been developed by using a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)₂ (5 mol %) in air. These generated enamines were successfully used for 1,4-conjugated addition reactions with fluoroalkylated olefins as an alternative synthetic route for the formylmethylation of olefins. This reaction adds potential for the use of tertiary amines as a nucleophilic C₂ synthon. EWG=electron-withdrawing group.

[Full Paper]
Atsunori Morigaki, Mio Kawamura, Satoru Arimitsu, Takashi Ishihara, Tsutomu Konno
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 3, 239. Read article.

Tri and tri again: An efficient way of synthesizing 2,4,5-trisubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles by a cascade reaction with benzaldehydes, acetophenones, sodium azide, and aryl halides in one pot has been developed. This method is convenient, general, atom economical, and gives good yields with high regioselectivity.

[Communication]
Xiang Liu, Xiaolong Li, Yongxin Chen, Dong Wang, Jingying Chen, Baohua Chen
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 3, 212. Read article.

Cyclos and cycles: Cyclopalladated arylimine complexes are immobilized on solid slides and characterized. The heterogeneous catalyst obtained exhibits 10 times the catalytic performance of its homogeneous counterpart. None of the reactions require the use of ligands, air isolation, or assistant solvents. The catalysts are run for 8 cycles without deactivation. A Suzuki reaction mechanism is proposed.

[Full Paper]
Na Zhao, Tiesheng Li, Zhen Zhai, Jingjing Qiu, Wenjian Xu, Hui Liu, Yangjie Wu
ChemCatChem, February 11, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201200730. Read article.

Iron bru: Fe-doped ZnO may contain Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ species. Whilst Mößbauer spectroscopy can distinguish these sites in pure oxides FeO and Fe₂O₃, it gives very similar shifts for Fe-doped phases. This result is rationalized by electron redistribution from the dopant site to the crystal matrix. Mößbauer shifts correlate with the local charge on the Fe sites and different dopant sites can be identified by the Mößbauer quadrupole splitting (see figure).

[Communication]
Jianping Xiao, Agnieszka Kuc, Suman Pokhrel, Lutz Mädler, Rainer Pöttgen, Florian Winter, Thomas Frauenheim, Thomas Heine
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 10, 3287. Read article.

CA all the way! Early hits from a series of benzodiazepine inhibitors of viral capsid protein (CA), a novel target against HIV, were characterized using NMR and X-ray co-crystallography. Ligand-based ¹⁹F NMR was used to confirm binding specificity and reversibility, and to identify the N-terminal domain (CA_NTD) as the molecular target. Protein-based NMR identified key residues involved in binding, while X-ray co-crystallography confirmed the binding site and mode. Conformationally restricted cyclic inhibitors further validated the possible binding modes.

[Full Paper]
Nathalie Goudreau, René Coulombe, Anne-Marie Faucher, Chantal Grand-Maître, Jean-Eric Lacoste, Christopher T. Lemke, Eric Malenfant, Yves Bousquet, Lee Fader, Bruno Simoneau, Jean-François Mercier, Steve Titolo, Stephen W. Mason
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 3, 405. Read article.

Reinventing the wheel: The β-propeller domain folds like a wheel to provide key protein–protein interactions in the cell. Here we used high-throughput yeast sorting to “invent” β-propellers of new binding specificities with cellular targets.

[Communication]
Keya Zhang, Heng Li, Karan Bhuripanyo, Bo Zhao, Tiffany F. Chen, Ning Zheng, Jun Yin
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 4, 426. Read article.

Al in: A new strategy was introduced to modify the electronics and steric hindrance of the Pd^II ion in order to change its reactivity towards benzene hydroxylation. In trifluoroacetic acid, free Pd^II ions provide dominantly biphenyl, with phenol as minor product. Ligation of bpym to the Pd^II ion results in its deactivation with regard to benzene functionalization. The addition of the redox inactive Al^III ion to the Pd^II(bpym) complex recovers its catalytic activity, and alters the reactivity of Pd^II ion from benzene coupling to hydroxylation.

[Communication]
Huajun Guo, Zhuqi Chen, Fuming Mei, Dajian Zhu, Hui Xiong, Guochuan Yin
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 5, 888. Read article.

Fungi for the better: The so far highest known current density (1.37 mA cm⁻²) for the enzymatic O₂ reduction under physiological conditions is reported. This is achieved by the design of a new redox polymer with an increased catalytic site density and by using a new bilirubin oxidase (BOD) from Magnaporthe oryzae.

[Communication]
Marine Cadet, Xavier Brilland, Sébastien Gounel, Frédéric Louerat, Nicolas Mano
ChemPhysChem, February 7, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201300027. Read article.

An ode to anodes: Ternary nanocomposites consisting of a porous MnO framework, metallic Co nanoparticles, and a solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) were produced from MnCO₃ precursors. As the highly dispersed Co nanoparticles and SEI provide electron and Li-ion conductive networks, respectively, the MnO frameworks are applicable as durable anode materials for Li-ion batteries.

[Full Paper]
Feng Dang, Yuya Oaki, Takao Kokubu, Eiji Hosono, Haoshen Zhou, Hiroaki Imai
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 4, 760. Read article.

Tetrameric and octameric 2,6-pyridylene ethynylene oligomers joined to a β-D-glucopyranoside by a o-phenylene linker were prepared and their higher-order structure studied. The chiral helical structures formed by intramolecular H-bonding and linker stabilization improve CD activity and resistance to protic surroundings. Stabilization was enhanced with the addition of Cu(OTf)₂ and Zn(NO₃)₂ salts.

[Full Paper]
Fumihiro Kayamori, Hajime Abe, Masahiko Inouye
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 9, 1677. Read article.

A wide range of functionalized compounds can easily be obtained by a Pd-catalyzed one-pot hydrostannylation/elimination/distannylation/radical allylation sequence. In this highly catalyst-economic protocol, the Pd catalyst can be involved in up to 5 different reactions.

[Full Paper]
Manuel R. Klos, Uli Kazmaier
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 9, 1726. Read article.

Three is a magic number: Antibodies adsorbed on bare graphene lose their ability to recognize antigens. However, this obstacle can be overcome by the conjugation of these antibodies to self-assembled monolayers of a tripodal compound (see picture).

[Communication]
Jason A. Mann, Thomas Alava, Harold G. Craighead, William R. Dichtel
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 11, 3177. Read article.

Tidal power: We report the synthesis and biological evaluation of several ProTides of 6-modified analogues of 2'-fluoro-2'-deoxyguanosine as anti-influenza agents. The superiority of the ProTides over the parent nucleosides was demonstrated in both influenza virus replication assays in MDCK cells and vRNP reconstitution assays in HEK-293T cells.

[Full Paper]
Silvia Meneghesso, Evelien Vanderlinden, Andrea Brancale, Jan Balzarini, Lieve Naesens, Christopher McGuigan
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 3, 415. Read article.

A new synthetic route is described for the Pd-catalyzed preparation of mono- and di-B-mercapto(ortho-, meta-, and para-)carboranes from iodocarboranes and a sulfur nucleophile (TIPS–SH).

[Short Communication]
Kuanysh Z. Kabytaev, Thomas A. Everett, Alexander V. Safronov, Yulia V. Sevryugina, Satish S. Jalisatgi, M. Frederick Hawthorne
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2013, No. 14, 2488. Read article.

Two are better than one: The diazaperopyrenium dication acts as both a viologen-like electron-poor and an electron-rich guest, resulting in the formation of a 1:2 complex with cucurbit[8]uril. This chameleonic binding facilitates deaggregation of the dications from aqueous solutions, leading to an increase in the fluorescence quantum yield of the diazaperopyrenium dication.

[Communication]
Karel J. Hartlieb, Ashish N. Basuray, Chenfeng Ke, Amy A. Sarjeant, Henri-Pierre Jacquot de Rouville, Takashi Kikuchi, Ross S. Forgan, Josh W. Kurutz, J. Fraser Stoddart
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 3, 225. Read article.

The electrochemical and optical properties of 6,13-disubstituted pentacenes, in addition to their solid-state packing motifs, were determined. 6,13-Bis(trifluoromethyl)pentacene and 6,13-dimethoxypentacene exhibit slipped face-to-face π stacking in the solid state, whereas 6,13-diethoxypentacene forms pairs of π-stacking molecules in the solid state.

[Short Communication]
Jonas Schwaben, Niels Münster, Tobias Breuer, Michael Klues, Klaus Harms, Gregor Witte, Ulrich Koert
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 9, 1639. Read article.

Nuclease sensor trio: Fluorogenic DNA sensors were developed for distinct classes of nucleases: 3'-exonucleases, 5'-exonucleases, and endonucleases. The highly selective sensors, built from very small modified DNA oligomers containing the unnatural fluorescent base pyrene, and employing thymine as a quencher, were found to function in a variety of complex biological media.

[Communication]
Jong-Wha Jung, Sarah K. Edwards, Eric T. Kool
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 4, 440. Read article.

Pi in the sky: 1,2-bis(ferrocenyl)distibene and 1,2-bis(ferrocenyl)dibismuthene derivatives, where two bulky ferrocenyl units are bridged by a Sb=Sb and Bi=Bi π spacer, have been synthesized as a new family of novel d–π conjugated systems. Their molecular structures, spectroscopic behavior, and electrochemical properties reveal the Sb=Sb and Bi=Bi units to be effective π-electron spacers.

[Communication]
Michiyasu Sakagami, Takahiro Sasamori, Heisuke Sakai, Yukio Furukawa, Norihiro Tokitoh
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 4, 690. Read article.

Nanoassembly: Assembly isomers of a {Mn₈W₄} Keggin cluster within a [W₃₆Mn₁₀Si₄O₁₃₆(OH)₄(H₂O)₈]²⁴⁻ cluster are reported. The clusters are formed through the aggregation of new {γ-SiMnW₉} fragments in a tetrahedral fashion. Investigation of the crystal growth of these clusters revealed two intermediate clusters, which unveiled a mechanism of formation (see scheme). Physical analysis of the magnetic and solution behaviour of the isomers is also reported.

[Full Paper]
Ross S. Winter, Jun Yan, Christoph Busche, Jennifer S. Mathieson, Alessandro Prescimone, Euan K. Brechin, De-Liang Long, Leroy Cronin
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 9, 2976. Read article.

One up, one down: Functionalization of metal–organic framework structures by a methyl group leads to two opposing and competitive effects on CO₂ adsorption: enhanced CO₂ affinity and reduced porosity.

[Full Paper]
Hui Liu, Yonggang Zhao, Zhijuan Zhang, Nour Nijem, Yves J. Chabal, Xiangfang Peng, Heping Zeng, Jing Li
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 4, 778. Read article.

This publication reports the synthesis of porphyrin derivatives bearing amino-heterocyclic moieties at a β position. Molecular modeling and docking calculations show that all compounds synthesized have high affinity values to leishmanial arginase. These derivatives are potential leishmaniasis agents.

[Full Paper]
Mônica M. Bastos, Ana T. P. C. Gomes, Maria G. P. M. S. Neves, Artur M. S. Silva, Osvaldo A. Santos-Filho, Núbia Boechat, José A. S. Cavaleiro
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 8, 1485. Read article.

Fluorine is unique! A synthesis method for polynuclear systems with bridging fluorido ligands has been developed. The method is based on anchoring and protection of the fluorido ligand by initial coordination to a robust metal center (e.g., Cr^III) and subsequent use of the robust fluoride complex for construction of more complicated polynuclear structures.

[Thesis Treasury]
Torben Birk
ChemistryOpen 2013, 2, No. 1, 13. Read article.

Dual activity: We report the synthesis and efficient catalytic properties of acid–base bifunctional mesoporous silica catalyst comprising tertiary amine and optimized concentration of surface silanol (weak acid) groups for the Michael addition reactions between various trans-β-nitrostyrenes and active methylene compounds, such as malononitrile, acetylacetone, and diethylmalonate.

[Full Paper]
Sayantani Das, Anandarup Goswami, Nagarajan Murali, Tewodros Asefa
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, No. 4, 910. Read article.

Stripes on a plane: A set of highly ordered microscopic stripes (purple; see scheme) were produced over a large area by using controlled evaporative self-assembly in a cylinder-on-Si geometry of conjugated homopolymers or all-conjugated diblock copolymer (P3BHT). The crystallinity of the as-prepared assemblies of P3BHT was greatly improved following chloroform vapor annealing, resulting in a fourfold increase in electrical conductivity.

[Communication]
Wei Han, Ming He, Myunghwan Byun, Bo Li, Zhiqun Lin
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 9, 2564. Read article.

π-Stacking: Quantum chemical calculations and Protein Data Bank searches on N-methylacetamide/heteroarene stacking were performed, yielding new guidelines that will help future structure-based drug design. The stacking interaction depends on the relative orientation and the magnitude of the two dipole moments, as well as the π-electron density of the arene.

[Full Paper]
Michael Harder, Bernd Kuhn, François Diederich
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 3, 397. Read article.

Polymers that toe the line: Well-defined linear polystyrene chains containing precisely positioned hexose moieties (mannose, galactose, and N-acetylglucosamine) were synthesized by a sequence-controlled polymerization approach followed by a series of site-selective modification steps. Such multifunctional single-chain hexose arrays associate specifically with complementary lectins (see picture).

[Communication]
Nathalie Baradel, Sébastien Fort, Sami Halila, Nezha Badi, Jean-François Lutz
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 8, 2335. Read article.

Ghost in the shell: Fe₃O₄@mesosilica CSNs with a well-preserved morphology, mesoporous structure, and tunable large pore diameters (2.5–17.6 nm) were prepared through a new solvothermal post-treatment method. The resultant Fe₃O₄@mesosilica CSNs showed a higher adsorption capacity for benzene (up to 1.5 g g⁻¹) and lysozyme than that without pore expansion, thus making them a good candidate for loading large molecules.

[Full Paper]
Yan Yang, Jia Liu, Shiyang Bai, Xiaobo Li, Qihua Yang
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 3, 582. Read article.

Dipotassium pentachloridooxidotechnetate has been isolated as single crystals and its structure investigated by crystallographic and first-principles theoretical techniques.

[Short Communication]
Erik V. Johnstone, Philippe F. Weck, Frederic Poineau, Eunja Kim, Paul M. Forster, Alfred P. Sattelberger, Kenneth R. Czerwinski
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2013, No. 7, 1097. Read article.

Co-op multiplayer: The synergistic effect of bimetallic alloy nanoparticles in various catalytic reactions is highlighted, in particular those related to fuel cells, such as the electrochemical oxidation of MeOH, EtOH, and formic acid, CO oxidation, oxygen reduction, and the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane, formic acid, hydrous hydrazine, and hydrazine borane. The use of synergistic catalysis in a number of other reactions is also discussed.

[Review]
Ashish Kumar Singh, Qiang Xu
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, No. 3, 652. Read article.

Defensive circles: Leaf-beetle larvae synthesise the iridoid monoterpene chrysomelidial as a defensive compound. Feeding experiments with the deuterated precursor [²H₅]8-hydroxygeraniol indicated two stereodivergent cyclisation modes towards chrysomelidial. To study the influence of the cyclisation mode on the stereochemistry, the configurations of chrysomelidials from seven species of leaf-beetle larvae were determined.

[Full Paper]
Maritta Kunert, Peter Rahfeld, Kamel H. Shaker, Bernd Schneider, Anja David, Konrad Dettner, Jacques M. Pasteels, Wilhelm Boland
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 3, 353. Read article.

Rise to the top: A series of phosphated ceria catalysts were studied and presented an increase in oxidative dehydrogenation selectivity with respect to pure ceria, mainly at the expense of total oxidation selectivity. Thus, the selectivity to propene was approximately 74 % with surface-phosphated catalysts and 62 % with bulk-phosphated catalysts.

[Full Paper]
Ioan-Teodor Trotuş, Cristian M. Teodorescu, Vasile I. Pârvulescu, Ioan-Cezar Marcu
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, No. 3, 757. Read article.

It's raining MN₂: The energy landscapes of pernitrides of metals with different maximum valence (M=Ca, Sr, Ba, La, and Ti) were globally explored and trends in their structural, physical, and electronic properties were investigated. For TiN₂, a new structure type, TiN₂-I, was found to constitute the thermodynamically stable modification.

[Full Paper]
A. Kulkarni, J. C. Schön, K. Doll, M. Jansen
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 4, 743. Read article.

Lifting the cloak: Equipping activity-based probes for deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) with catch-and-release handles and subsequent delivery of these probes to the cytosol of semi-intact cells allows the study of deubiquitylating enzymes under conditions as close to physiological as possible. Using these conditions, we demonstrated that the second chlamydial DUB is expressed during the course of infection.

[Full Paper]
Jasper H. L. Claessen, Martin D. Witte, Nicholas C. Yoder, Angela Y. Zhu, Eric Spooner, Hidde L. Ploegh
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 3, 343. Read article.

Still haven't (quite) found what I'm looking for: The search for new superheavy elements is at present one of the most exciting adventures in nuclear physics. Thanks to enhanced experimental techniques, the synthesis of elements Z=113 to 118 in reactions using ⁴⁸Ca projectiles and targets made of isotopes of the elements neptunium to californium has been claimed.

[Essay]
Fritz P. Heßberger
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 3, 483. Read article.

In a new light: A new method for determining absolute values of quantum yield of luminescent emitters, based on the modification of the radiative transition of emitters within a tunable metallic nanocavity is presented. The method is easy to set up and works without any calibration. It will thus be useful for all applications where absolute and calibration-free measurements of luminescence quantum yields are needed.

[Article]
Alexey I. Chizhik, Ingo Gregor, Benedikt Ernst, Jörg Enderlein
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 3, 505. Read article.

Complex radical interactions: The complexes of aromatic radicals and water are investigated using computational methods (see picture) and (for the benzyl radical–water complex) by matrix isolation experiments.

[Article]
Rachel Crespo-Otero, Kenny Bravo-Rodriguez, Saonli Roy, Tobias Benighaus, Walter Thiel, Wolfram Sander, Elsa Sánchez-García
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 4, 805. Read article.

Separation of CO₂. Microporous polyurethane networks were prepared based on a renewable resource. Betulin, extracted from birch bark, is used as a structure-directing diol monomer in A₃-B₂ monomers. The resulting microporous networks show very promising CO₂/N₂ selectivities. The state of adsorbed CO₂ is analyzed by in situ NMR spectroscopy, and pure physisorption is proven. The preparation of monolithic materials is demonstrated as well.

[Communication]
Jekaterina Jeromenok, Winfried Böhlmann, Christian Jäger, Jens Weber
ChemistryOpen 2013, 2, No. 1, 17. Read article.

Recyclable ribbons: Fe₂V₄O₁₃ nanoribbons (see figure) growing on a stainless-steel mesh were fabricated by a simple and facile hydrothermal reaction. The nanoribbons can be easily recycled and used in the photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into renewable hydrocarbon fuel (CH₄) and in the degradation of gaseous isopropyl alcohol.

[Full Paper]
Ping Li, Yong Zhou, Wenguang Tu, Qi Liu, Shicheng Yan, Zhigang Zou
ChemPlusChem 2013, 78, No. 3, 274. Read article.

A treasure trove of terpenes: The products of two fungal sesquiterpene synthases from the rice pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi were identified by gene-knockout experiments, genetic engineering of the fungus for production optimization, isolation of the sesquiterpenes, and structure elucidation by spectroscopic methods.

[Communication]
Nelson L. Brock, Kathleen Huss, Bettina Tudzynski, Jeroen S. Dickschat
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 3, 311. Read article.

Probes with a preference: Folate-functionalized quantum dots, gold/silver nanoparticles, and magnetic quantum dots have been synthesized and used as fluorescence, dark-field, and dual-imaging probes for the selective detection of cancer cells and tissues (see figure).

[Full Paper]
Amit Ranjan Maity, Arindam Saha, Arun Roy, Nikhil R. Jana
ChemPlusChem 2013, 78, No. 3, 259. Read article.

Spot the drop: Principles of localised photoelectrochemistry are summarised and an experimental approach, the photoelectrochemical scanning droplet cell microscopy (PE-SDCM, see picture), is described which allows the performance of the most important photoelectrochemical experiments within a diameter of 100 μm. Its general applicability is demonstrated by investigating n- and p-doped Si.

[Article]
Jan Philipp Kollender, Andrei Ionut Mardare, Achim Walter Hassel
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 3, 560. Read article.

Red light: Two fluorogenic compounds were synthesized by derivatization of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein at the C4' and C5' positions. These compounds have excellent photostability and emit at red wavelengths. Both compounds are highly selective for detecting bovine serum albumin because of their particular dyad structures.

[Communication]
Xiaoqing Xiong, Fengling Song, Shiguo Sun, Jiangli Fan, Xiaojun Peng
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 2, 145. Read article.

Sodium manganese hexacyanoferrates (NMHFCs) synthesized in aqueous solution at room temperature show high reversible capacity and outstanding rate capability as cathodes for a rechargeable sodium-ion battery (SIB). Earth-abundant elements and a low-cost synthesis route make these NMHFCs promising cathodes for SIBs, independent of natural lithium sources.

[Communication]
Long Wang, Yuhao Lu, Jue Liu, Maowen Xu, Jinguang Cheng, Dawei Zhang, John B. Goodenough
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 7, 1964. Read article.

Observing the invisible: The Trp-cage miniprotein folds in a multistate process into its native structure. Heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy studies combined with molecular dynamics simulations provide direct evidence for the 3₁₀- to α-helix rearrangement as an initial step during the unfolding. The G¹¹-P¹² peptide bond isomerization slows down the folding under acidic conditions (see figure; F=folded, I=intermediate, and U=unfolded structures).

[Full Paper]
Petra Rovó, Pál Stráner, András Láng, István Bartha, Kristóf Huszár, László Nyitray, András Perczel
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 8, 2628. Read article.

Typical hexadecavalent glyco-POSS prepared by thiol-yne coupling. A measured IC₅₀ of 2 nM was found by ELLA with tetrameric wheat germ agglutinin (WGA).

[Full Paper]
Alberto Marra, Samuele Staderini, Nathalie Berthet, Pascal Dumy, Olivier Renaudet, Alessandro Dondoni
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 6, 1144. Read article.

An efficient synthesis of substituted-1H-pyrazole-4-carbodithioates is accomplished through the one-pot reaction of phenyl hydrazine, aldehydes, and alkyl-3-oxo-3-arylpropanedithioates by using ferric sulfate (Fe₂(SO₄)₃·xH₂O) at 80 °C. Mild reaction conditions, good yields, and shorter reaction times are some of the salient features of the present protocol. One of the products has a Cl···S interaction in its crystal structure.

[Communication]
Abu T. Khan, Arindam Ghosh, Sidick Basha R, Mohammad Hedayetullah Mir
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 2, 126. Read article.

Joining the (quantum) dots: Recent progress in the synthesis of highly luminescent CdSe, CdS, ZnSe, and other A^IIB^VI core–shell colloidal quantum dots and the influence of the core structure and the core–shell interface on their luminescence quantum yield (see figure) is reported in this Minireview. Short- and long-term prospects for the development of techniques for producing fluorescent quantum dots for biological and technological applications are discussed.

[Minireview]
Pavel Samokhvalov, Mikhail Artemyev, Igor Nabiev
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 5, 1534. Read article.

Soot toxification: The increasing chemical activity of the emitted soot particulate produced by modern diesel engines is an unwanted side effect of modification of the motors. This makes Euro IV and VI soots chemically and biologically highly active and hazardous. Taking these factors into consideration, the question arises whether the reduced net mass of diesel soot particulate emitted overcompensates for the induced micro- and nanostructure.

[Essay]
Benjamin Frank, Manfred E. Schuster, Robert Schlögl, Dang Sheng Su
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 10, 2673. Read article.

Needles from the haystack: As part of GlaxoSmithKline's commitment to open innovation research against neglected diseases such as TB, herein we report the results of a high-throughput phenotypic screen of two million compounds. A set of 177 potent, non-cytotoxic hits against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv are described. Samples of these compounds will be made available in an effort to promote further research against this critical disease.

[Full Paper]
Lluís Ballell, Robert H. Bates, Rob J. Young, Daniel Alvarez-Gomez, Emilio Alvarez-Ruiz, Vanessa Barroso, Delia Blanco, Benigno Crespo, Jaime Escribano, Rubén González, Sonia Lozano, Sophie Huss, Angel Santos-Villarejo, José Julio Martín-Plaza, Alfonso Mendoza, María José Rebollo-Lopez, Modesto Remuiñan-Blanco, José Luis Lavandera, Esther Pérez-Herran, Francisco Javier Gamo-Benito, José Francisco García-Bustos, David Barros, Julia P. Castro, Nicholas Cammack
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 2, 313. Read article.

Crystal clear: A series of new substrate analogue inhibitors of the WNV NS2B–NS3 protease with an improved selectivity profile was developed, which contain decarboxylated arginine mimetics at the P1 position. For one of the most potent inhibitors, a crystal structure in complex with the WNV protease was determined.

[Full Paper]
M. Zouhir Hammamy, Caroline Haase, Maya Hammami, Rolf Hilgenfeld, Torsten Steinmetzer
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 2, 231. Read article.

A series of CuS hierarchical nanostructures have been synthesized. The CuS nanostructures with large surface area show excellent photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. The formation mechanism of the hierarchical structures was discussed. Selected CuS nanostructures possess excellent microwave absorbing properties. When the absorbers have a thickness is 3.5 mm, the minimum reflection loss can reach −76.4 dB at 12.64 GHz (see graph).

[Full Paper]
Shuai He, Guang-Sheng Wang, Chang Lu, Xin Luo, Bo Wen, Lin Guo, Mao-Sheng Cao
ChemPlusChem 2013, 78, No. 3, 250. Read article.

Highly decorated! A direct and efficient way to decorate TiO₂ nanotubes with copper, Cu₂O and CuO particles is shown. Active palladium species embedded in the TiO₂ nanotube walls allow specific initiation sites to be triggered for electroless copper deposition. These Cu₂O-decorated TiO₂ nanotubes could be used for water splitting.

[Communication]
Anca Mazare, Ning Liu, Kiyoung Lee, Manuela S. Killian, Patrik Schmuki
ChemistryOpen 2013, 2, No. 1, 21. Read article.

To bond or not to bond: The factors governing halogen-bonding interactions, which involve a region of positive electrostatic potential on a covalently bonded halogen and a negative site (see picture), such as the lone pair of a Lewis base, are described. Particularly important is the positive potential, labeled a σ hole, which is an extension of the covalent bond to the halogen.

[Review]
Peter Politzer, Jane S. Murray
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 2, 278. Read article.

A new class of fluorescent metal complex with “ballerina”-like geometry is described. When functionalized with biotin (green) and a dye (orange/red), the zinc(II) complex can be used to visualize interactions with avidin. Metal complexes that can exhibit selective fluorescence changes in response to a macromolecular binding event have great potential for imaging applications.

[Full Paper]
Mingfeng Yu, Qun Yu, Peter J. Rutledge, Matthew H. Todd
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 2, 224. Read article.

Showing the way: Emerging microfluidic systems called surface-tension-confined microfluidic (STCM) devices are reviewed. STCM devices utilize surface energy that can control the movement of fluid droplets. Unlike conventional microfluidics, which confine the movement of fluids by three-dimensional microchannels, STCM systems provide two-dimensional platforms for microfluidics.

[Minireview]
Inseong You, Nayeon Yun, Haeshin Lee
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 3, 471. Read article.

Paraffin cracking by Brønsted acid sites (BAS) in faujasite zeolites is strongly influenced by the presence of nearby extraframework aluminum (Al_EF) species (see picture). Although enhanced acidity of faujasites with decreasing framework Al density is directly evident from CO_ads FTIR spectroscopy, H/D exchange reactions, and paraffin cracking activities, such correlations are less evident for Al_EF modified zeolites, which is also discussed in terms of structure.

[Full Paper]
Sami M. T. Almutairi, Brahim Mezari, Georgy A. Filonenko, Pieter C. M. M. Magusin, Marcello S. Rigutto, Evgeny A. Pidko, Emiel J. M. Hensen
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, No. 2, 452. Read article.

Dual to the death: The selective conversion of methane into higher alkanes in industrially relevant conversions combines the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) with the selective hydrogenation of CO and CO₂ in a second reactor, without the need for expensive pre-separation of the reaction products that are formed in the OCM reactor. Thus, the yield of higher alkanes (34 %) is at least 50 % higher than that from a single OCM reactor.

[Communication]
Evgenii V. Kondratenko, Uwe Rodemerck
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, No. 3, 697. Read article.

A crown of titanium: A new class of chiral macrocyclic Ti^IV–salen complexes are efficient, recyclable, and scalable catalysts for the asymmetric addition of ethyl cyanoformate to aldehydes, which is useful for the synthesis of bioactive compounds. The figure shows the best-performing ligand with two salen units linked flexibly in a crown ether-like motif.

[Full Paper]
Arghya Sadhukhan, Manoj K. Choudhary, Noor-ul H. Khan, Rukhsana I. Kureshy, Sayed H. R. Abdi, Hari C. Bajaj
ChemCatChem, January 9, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201200617. Read article.

Give‘em fluorine! Bright and highly photostable boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes were obtained by the introduction of up to three pentafluoro- or 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl moieties to the BODIPY core, which present a first generation of potent dual X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)/fluorescence labels for the quantification of surface functional groups.

[Full Paper]
Mandy Hecht, Tobias Fischer, Paul Dietrich, Werner Kraus, Ana B. Descalzo, Wolfgang E. S. Unger, Knut Rurack
ChemistryOpen 2013, 2, No. 1, 25. Read article.

The antischistosomal effect of two [(η⁶-praziquantel)Cr(CO)₃] derivatives was investigated. The compounds (see figure: Cr purple, N blue, O red) were prepared in a one-step procedure from commercially available praziquantel. Both derivatives show a high in vitro activity against Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic trematode, and only a minor cytotoxic effect on selected mammalian cell lines.

[Communication]
Malay Patra, Katrin Ingram, Vanessa Pierroz, Stefano Ferrari, Bernhard Spingler, Robin B. Gasser, Jennifer Keiser, Gilles Gasser
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 7, 2232. Read article.

Which side are you on? Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy is used for the first time to elucidate the coordination and distribution of aluminum in industrial-relevant zeolites at the single-particle level. Extended regions of a few hundred nanometers, rich in higher aluminum coordination environments, are heterogeneously embedded within the zeolite particle, before and after a steaming post-treatment.

[Communication]
Luis R. Aramburo, Yijin Liu, Tolek Tyliszczak, Frank M. F. de Groot, Joy C. Andrews, Bert M. Weckhuysen
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 3, 496. Read article.

Under pressure: Panduratin A (1) has been synthesized in six steps including a high pressure Diels–Alder reaction. This divergent sequence also allowed the synthesis of 4-hydroxypanduratin A, panduratin H, panduratin I, nicolaioidesin B, and 2-hydroxyisopanduratin A. The binding of panduratin A to the dengue virus NS2B-NS3 protease was investigated by NMR spectroscopy.

[Communication]
Luke A. Pasfield, Laura de la Cruz, Junming Ho, Michelle L. Coote, Gottfried Otting, Malcolm D. McLeod
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 1, 60. Read article.

Wrap it! A novel carbon-based catalytic material is reported based on the combination of experimental measurements and first-principles calculations. A significant acceleration of the hydrogenation of magnesium at room temperature in the presence of nickel nanoparticles wrapped in multilayer grapheme (see picture) is observed.

[Article]
Anatoliy Ye. Yermakov, Danil W. Boukhvalov, Michael A. Uimin, Ekaterina S. Lokteva, Alexey V. Erokhin, Nina N. Schegoleva
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 2, 381. Read article.

What's the damage? Trapping the C3'-thymidinyl radical in biologically significant architectures delivers both the repaired oligomer and 1-(2'-deoxy-β-D-threo-pentofuranosyl)thymidine-containing substrates. The stereoselectivity of the reduction was found to be dependent upon the DNA structure.

[Communication]
Nicholas J. Amato, Amanda C. Bryant-Friedrich
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 2, 187. Read article.

Ruthenium and phosphor work wonders: Air-stable ruthenium phosphomide complexes are active catalysts in the hydrogenation of sodium bicarbonate, carbon dioxide, and carbonyl compounds. Hydrogenation proceeds with high catalyst turnover numbers in the absence of amines or other additives. The application range of these new ruthenium catalysts also includes the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde and benzaldehyde.

[Full Paper]
Saravanan Gowrisankar, Christopher Federsel, Helfried Neumann, Carolin Ziebart, Ralf Jackstell, Anke Spannenberg, Matthias Beller
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 1, 85. Read article.

T for two: The reactions of 4,5,6,7-tetrathiocino-[1,2-b:3,4-b']-1,3,8,10-tetrasubstituted-diimidazolyl-2,9-dithiones (R₂,R'₂-todit; 1: R=R'=Et; 2: R=R'=Ph; 3: R=Et, R'=Ph) with Br₂ exclusively afforded “T-shaped” compounds, whereas the reactions of compounds 1–3 with I₂ provided CT adducts. The nature of all of the reaction products was elucidated based on XRD analysis, FT-Raman spectroscopy, and DFT calculations.

[Full Paper]
Annalisa Mancini, M. Carla Aragoni, Neil Bricklebank, Carlo Castellano, Francesco Demartin, Francesco Isaia, Vito Lippolis, Anna Pintus, Massimiliano Arca
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 3, 639. Read article.

Quadrupolar leap: Two-photon absorption (TPA) properties of five novel terpyridine-based quadrupolar derivatives have been investigated to clarify the influences of molecular structures and molecular environment on their nonlinear optical behaviors in organic solvents and aqueous media. We found that alkylcarbazole as the donor and bis(styryl)benzene as a conjugation bridge can enhance TPA cross-sections of chromophores in both organic solvent and aqueous media.

[Full Paper]
Tingchao He, Zheng Bang Lim, Lin Ma, Hairong Li, Deepa Rajwar, Yongjun Ying, Ziyun Di, Andrew C. Grimsdale, Handong Sun
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 3, 564. Read article.

Do it in the microwave: A graphene/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (G/PEDOT) hybrid has been prepared by the in situ polymerization of EDOT monomer using the precursor of graphene, graphene oxide, as an oxidant under microwave heating. The G/PEDOT hybrid as a supercapacitor material exhibits high specific capacitance (see figure), excellent electrochemical stability, and high energy density.

[Full Paper]
Dong Sun, Li Jin, Yun Chen, Jian-Rong Zhang, Jun-Jie Zhu
ChemPlusChem 2013, 78, No. 3, 227. Read article.

Tickling transitions: When a nuclear magnetic resonance is irradiated with a weak radio-frequency amplitude ${{\omega _2 }}$/(2π)≤J, all connected transitions split. The type of the connectivity can be identified by the line broadening (see picture).

[Article]
Takuya F. Segawa, Diego Carnevale, Geoffrey Bodenhausen
ChemPhysChem 2013, 14, No. 2, 369. Read article.

Cleavable linkers: 1,2-Amino alcohol systems were developed for solid-phase synthesis of conditional peptides that would be hypersensitive to periodate oxidation without undergoing cooxidation of methionine and cysteine residues present. These cleavable peptide ligands were applied in the generation of MHC exchange reagents for the detection of antigen-specific T cells in peripheral blood cells.

[Full Paper]
Alessia Amore, Kim Wals, Evelyn Koekoek, Rieuwert Hoppes, Mireille Toebes, Ton N. M. Schumacher, Boris Rodenko, Huib Ovaa
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 1, 123. Read article.

Metal masterpieces: The mode of action of cytotoxic tin organometallics is largely unknown. Virtual screening suggested inhibition of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) as a contributing factor for organotin biochemistry. Its relevance was confirmed in an interdisciplinary pilot study of a series of tin(IV) complexes with benzoate ligands.

[Full Paper]
Kely Navakoski de Oliveira, Vincent Andermark, Susanne von Grafenstein, Liliane A. Onambele, Gregor Dahl, Riccardo Rubbiani, Gerhard Wolber, Chiara Gabbiani, Luigi Messori, Aram Prokop, Ingo Ott
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 2, 256. Read article.

Tin best or tin pest? The role of Sn extrinsic dopants in chalcopyrite AgInS₂ is investigated to understand their effects on the optical, electronic, and photoelectrochemical properties of this promising photoanode material. We found that at low amounts, Sn increased the AgInS₂ carrier concentration and photocurrent, but was detrimental at higher dopant concentrations.

[Full Paper]
Qian Cheng, Xihong Peng, Candace K. Chan
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 1, 102. Read article.

WO_x before Pt: Ordered mesoporous tungsten suboxide (m-WO_3−x) is synthesized by using a hard template and a partial reduction process. The m-WO_3−x is used as an alternative catalyst for a counter electrode (CE) instead of Pt for iodine-free electrolyte (T₂/T⁻)-based dye-sensitized solar cells. The catalytic activity of m-WO_3−x CE is superior to that of conventional Pt CEs.

[Full Paper]
Inyoung Jeong, Changshin Jo, Arockiam Anthonysamy, Jung-Min Kim, Eunae Kang, Jongkook Hwang, Easwaramoorthi Ramasamy, Shi-Woo Rhee, Jin Kon Kim, Kyoung-Su Ha, Ki-Won Jun, Jinwoo Lee
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 2, 299. Read article.

PAMs new in town! An effective, combined bioinformatics and chemoinformatics approach was applied to the design of novel asymmetric bivalent α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) with marked potency in vitro and efficacy in vivo for preventing neuroapoptosis. The novel chemotype could provide pharmacological probes and potential therapeutic agents for glutamatergic hypofunction and its related neurological and psychiatric disorders.

[Communication]
Haijun Chen, Cheng Z. Wang, Chunyong Ding, Christopher Wild, Bryan Copits, Geoffrey T. Swanson, Kenneth M. Johnson, Jia Zhou
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 2, 226. Read article.

Seven-membered metallacycloalkyne compounds were synthesized and structurally characterized. Zirconocene–alkyne complexes, such as those of 1-(trimethylsilyl)prop-1-yne and diphenylacetylene reacted with [3]cumulene to give 1-zirconacyclohept-2-en-5-yne in good yields. Coupling of benzyne and [3]cumulenes on the metal also gave the corresponding metallacycles.

[Full Paper]
Noriyuki Suzuki, Takashi Tsuchiya, Naoto Aihara, Masakazu Iwasaki, Masahiko Saburi, Teiji Chihara, Yoshiro Masuyama
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2013, No. 3, 347. Read article.

The crystal packing of the polymeric spin-crossover material [Fe(Htrz)₂(trz)](BF₄) shows short N–H···N, between polymer chains, which is revealed by the positioning of the Htrz (1H-1,2,4-triazole) and trz^– ligands. Beyond the classical XRD study, a pair-distribution-function investigation shows that the crystal structure remains identical when the coherent-domain size is reduced to approximately 10 nm.

[Full Paper]
Arnaud Grosjean, Philippe Négrier, Pierre Bordet, Céline Etrillard, Denise Mondieig, Stanislav Pechev, Eric Lebraud, Jean-François Létard, Philippe Guionneau
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2013, No. 5-6, 796. Read article.

True blue: 2-Phenyl-naphthoxazole derivatives efficiently emit in the blue region (see figure) as a result of a favorable crystal packing mode. They readily gave micro/nanocrystals by using a solvent-exchange method. By solvent drop-casting, the unsubstituted derivative spontaneously generated highly oriented nanofibers. These compounds are promising candidates for the fabrication of blue-emitting tracers and nanofibers.

[Full Paper]
Abdelhamid Ghodbane, Jérémy Colléaux, Nathalie Saffon, Rachid Mahiou, Jean-Pierre Galaup, Suzanne Fery-Forgues
ChemPlusChem 2013, 78, No. 2, 185. Read article.

Biotransformation of odorants and volatiles in humans is essential for understanding their potential roles with regard to physiological action. Eucalyptol, a common odorant, is shown to yield a range of chiral metabolites that are detectable in human urine, thereby revealing information on rarely investigated pathways in human metabolism (see figure).

[Full Paper]
Monika Schaffarczyk, Teodor Silviu Balaban, Michael Rychlik, Andrea Buettner
ChemPlusChem 2013, 78, No. 1, 77. Read article.

Silver shield: Silver is used in different forms as an antibacterial agent. Earlier, sparingly soluble silver salts were predominantly used, but today, silver nanoparticles (see picture for an SEM image of cubic silver nanoparticles) are gaining increasing importance. As silver is also toxic towards mammalian cells, there is the question of the therapeutic window in the cases of consumer products and medical devices.

[Review]
Svitlana Chernousova, Matthias Epple
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 6, 1636. Read article.

The use of ethynylated anilines as activated alkynes in cycloaddition–retroelectrocyclization reactions with tetracyanoethene and tetracyanoquinodimethane provides access to novel, highly electron-deficient polycyanobutadienes and unprecedented chromophores. Electrochemical studies show that the electron-accepting abilities are strongly enhanced upon elimination of the amino donor substituent.

[Full Paper]
Adam R. Lacy, Anna Vogt, Corinne Boudon, Jean-Paul Gisselbrecht, W. Bernd Schweizer, François Diederich
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 5, 869. Read article.

Fuel for the future? 2,5-Dimethylfuran has been the subject of many recent studies since its potential as a ‘green next-generation’ biofuel was highlighted in 2007. The chemistry of this compound is characterised by unusually strong ring-carbon-to-hydrogen bonds, and some of its derivatives are distinguished by extremely weak bonds. This combination makes the task of unravelling their chemistry, and the impacts on the environment and human health, both interesting and challenging.

[Minireview]
John M. Simmie, Judith Würmel
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 1, 36. Read article.

During the beer brewing process, bitter tasting cis and trans iso-α-acids are generated from the precursor α-acids found in hops. The absolute configurations of the α-acid (−)-humulone and several of its derivatives have now been elucidated by X-ray crystallography, thus resolving decades of confusion over the humulone isomerization mechanism.

[Communication]
Jan Urban, Clinton J. Dahlberg, Brian J. Carroll, Werner Kaminsky
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 5, 1553. Read article.

What a solution! A bi-capped inclusion complex of C₆₀ with organosilylated γ-cyclodextrin that is highly soluble in nonpolar and weakly polar organic solvents, such as CHCl₃ or cyclohexane, was prepared and characterized. The complex facilitates the separation of C₆₀ from C₇₀ and selective functionalization of C₆₀. Furthermore, fabrication of a thin film of the complex by using a solution technique was demonstrated.

[Communication]
Youhei Takeda, Toshiki Nagamachi, Katsuaki Nishikori, Satoshi Minakata
Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, No. 1, 69. Read article.

Caught in the act: The FRET-Capture approach exploits a bound solvatochromic fluorophore, 4-N,N-dimethylamino-1,8-naphthalimide, as a FRET donor in both inter- and intramolecular energy transfer. A unique feature of this method is the additional level of signal selectivity as the FRET signal is only turned on when the donor is specifically bound to the protein of interest, eliminating high background and false positive signals.

[Communication]
Elke Socher, Barbara Imperiali
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 1, 53. Read article.

Tungsten is key: Four commercial catalysts (containing Pt or Pd) and four acidic additives (hydrochloric, tungstic, phosphotungstic, and silicotungstic acids) were used for the conversion of glycerol to propanediols in aqueous solution. The tungsten containing additives are the key to 1,3-propanediol selectivity.

[Full Paper]
Jeroen ten Dam, Kristina Djanashvili, Freek Kapteijn, Ulf Hanefeld
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, No. 2, 497. Read article.

A fluorophore displaying both large solvatochromism and CIE: A series of 17,17-dialkyl-3,14-diaryltetrabenzofluorenes including the 3,14-bis(p-nitrophenyl) derivative were prepared by using Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. The fluorescence of the dinitro derivative in aqueous THF exhibits a considerably large solvent effect (Δλ_em>90 nm) and crystalline-induced emission (CIE).

[Full Paper]
Yoshiaki Ueda, Yusuke Tanigawa, Chitoshi Kitamura, Hiroshi Ikeda, Yuichi Yoshimoto, Mirai Tanaka, Kazuhiko Mizuno, Hiroyuki Kurata, Takeshi Kawase
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 2, 392. Read article.

1, 3, 2, 4, 5, go! A new dithiolene ligand, 1,3,2-dithiazole-4-thione-5-thiolate (dttt⁻), which is a stable and diamagnetic monoanion, was prepared. Its tris(dithiolene) complex Cr(dttt)₃·CS₂ is octahedral and forms a dimer through intermolecular interatomic S···S and S···C contacts in its crystalline state. Magnetic measurements of the complex revealed paramagnetism with intradimer ferromagnetic and interdimer antiferromagnetic interactions.

[Communication]
Tadamitsu Nakamura, Kota Sasamori, Takeshi Kodama, Koichi Kikuchi, Wataru Fujita
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 2, 348. Read article.

Splitting up: An overview of molecular catalytic assemblies for electrochemical water oxidation and an analysis of recent progress in catalyst design and performance are presented, including systems integration of modules for future stand-alone solar-to-fuel conversion devices (see figure). The thermodynamics of intermediates and the mechanism of O-O bond formation are also described.

[Minireview]
Khurram Saleem Joya, Jose L. Vallés-Pardo, Yasir F. Joya, Thomas Eisenmayer, Brijith Thomas, Francesco Buda, Huub J. M. de Groot
ChemPlusChem 2013, 78, No. 1, 35. Read article.

Slow relaxation: Exergonic high-spin→low-spin relaxation after photoexcitation has been found to be exceedingly slow in a class of iron(II) complexes with hexadentate imine ligands. The thermal activation barriers that arise between the quintet- and singlet-spin manifolds are the highest ever recorded for spin crossover of isolated molecules in free solution (see figure).

[Communication]
Philipp Stock, Tomasz Pędziński, Nicole Spintig, Andreas Grohmann, Gerald Hörner
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 3, 839. Read article.

Peptide-like scaffold enhancements: [Ni(P^Ph₂N^Ph-dipeptide₂)₂]²⁺ electrocatalysts containing dipeptides in the outer-coordination sphere (such as depicted) show an impact on rate and overpotential. Amide functional groups enhance the rate modestly, while polar and aromatic groups do not impact catalysis. This work shows the impact that an outer-coordination sphere can have on a molecular catalyst system.

[Full Paper]
Matthew L. Reback, Bojana Ginovska-Pangovska, Ming-Hsun Ho, Avijita Jain, Thomas C. Squier, Simone Raugei, John A. S. Roberts, Wendy J. Shaw
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 6, 1928. Read article.

C-C coupling: The free energies of the CO and CN⁻ reduction pathways are calculated to identify the routes favored by FeMoco and FeVco nitrogenase active sites. The potential-limiting step in CO reduction is the initial protonation and adsorption of CHO*. CN⁻ reduction is limited by a second protonation of HCN. Higher-order hydrocarbons, limited by the same steps, are likely built from CH₂* intermediates common to both CO and CN⁻ reduction pathways.

[Communication]
Joel B. Varley, Jens K. Nørskov
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, No. 3, 732. Read article.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are metal cluster compounds with a broad range of pharmacological properties, including antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiprotozoal, antiviral and anticancer activities. The inhibition of enzymes, in particular those accessible from the extracellular space, may constitute an important biological mechanism of action of POMs.

[Microreview]
Holger Stephan, Manja Kubeil, Franziska Emmerling, Christa E. Müller
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2013, No. 10-11, 1585. Read article.

Between the sheets: Sodium-ion batteries are an attractive, low-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Nitrogen-doped porous carbon sheets are prepared by chemical activation of polypyrrole-functionalized graphene sheets. When using the sheets as anode material in sodium-ion batteries, their unique compositional and structural features result in high reversible capacity, good cycling stability, and high rate capability.

[Communication]
Heng-guo Wang, Zhong Wu , Fan-lu Meng , De-long Ma , Xiao-lei Huang , Li-min Wang, Xin-bo Zhang
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 1, 56. Read article.

It's nano: Small and uniform chromium nanoparticles, either preformed or generated in situ, effectively catalyze the conversion of glucose into 5-hydroxymethyl furfural. The results compare favorably with those achieved by using a catalyst system based on divalent CrCl₂ in ionic liquids (ILs). In addition, the chromium nanoparticles are found in the CrCl₂/IL system, and the implications of their presence in that system is investigated.

[Communication]
Jianghua He, Yuetao Zhang, Eugene Y.-X. Chen
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 1, 61. Read article.

Potency with potential: 2-Phenoxy- nicotinamides were identified as potent agonists at the GPBAR1 receptor, a target in the treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Extensive structure–activity relationship studies supported by homology modeling and docking resulted in the identification of optimized GPBAR1 agonists, potent against both human and mouse receptors, endowed with favorable physicochemical properties and good metabolic stability.

[Communication]
Rainer E. Martin, Caterina Bissantz, Olivier Gavelle, Christoph Kuratli, Henrietta Dehmlow, Hans G. F. Richter, Ulrike Obst Sander, Shawn D. Erickson, Kyungjin Kim, Sherrie Lynn Pietranico-Cole, Rubén Alvarez-Sánchez, Christoph Ullmer
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 4, 569. Read article.

From the deep: The title actinomycete yielded three new abyssomicins J–L. The dimeric thioether J (see scheme) represents a unique example of a masked Michael acceptor with anti-TB properties. Mechanistic insights into the biosynthesis, biomimetic synthesis, stability, and biological mechanism of action of abyssomicins aid our understanding of, and prospects for the development of Michael-acceptor-based drugs.

[Communication]
Qian Wang, Fuhang Song, Xue Xiao, Pei Huang, Li Li, Aaron Monte, Wael M. Abdel-Mageed, Jian Wang, Hui Guo, Wenni He, Feng Xie, Huanqin Dai, Miaomiao Liu, Caixia Chen, Hao Xu, Mei Liu, Andrew M. Piggott, Xueting Liu, Robert J. Capon, Lixin Zhang
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, No. 4, 1231. Read article.

A new isomer of a higher fullerene, C_s-C₈₂ (no. 4), has been discovered as a chloride, C₈₂Cl₂₀ (see picture: C gray, Cl green). It was obtained by chlorination of a C₈₂/C₈₄ mixture with VCl₄ and investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation.

[Communication]
Shangfeng Yang, Tao Wei, Sergey I. Troyanov
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 2, 351. Read article.

Preparations of benzannulated cycloheptanones starting from binaphthyl molecular platforms are described.

[Full Paper]
Grégory Pieters, Kamal Sbargoud, Alexandre Bridoux, Anne Gaucher, Sylvain Marque, Flavien Bourdreux, Jérôme Marrot, David Flot, Guillaume Wantz, Olivier Dautel, Damien Prim
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 3, 490. Read article.

A set of star-shaped chromophores containing functionalized fluorene units were synthesized and shown to possess ascending two-photon absorptivities with the growth of their π systems. The observed effective optical power-limiting and stabilization behaviors in the nanosecond time domain indicate that these dye molecules have potential as broadband and quick-responding optical limiters.

[Full Paper]
Tzu-Chau Lin, Che-Yu Liu, Bor-Rong Huang, Ja-Hon Lin, Yu-Kai Shen, Cheng-Yu Wu
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 3, 498. Read article.

Oligonucleotide conjugates bearing different labels were synthesized by mono- or poly-Thiol Michael-Type Additions (TMTAs) through the use of acrylamide derivatives. Bis-oligonucleotide conjugates were obtained with a combination of TMTA and CuAAC “click” chemistry.

[Full Paper]
Albert Meyer, Jean-Jacques Vasseur, François Morvan
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 3, 465. Read article.

CA II makes a good PET: Discovering positron emission tomography (PET) probes with high target affinities is challenging. PET probe discovery using in situ click chemistry uses ¹⁹F-bearing fragments as ¹⁸F surrogates. This ensures that the lead hits and PET probes have equivalent chemical or biological characteristics, making PET probe discovery predictable and reliable.

[Communication]
Vani P. Mocharla, Joseph C. Walsh, Henry C. Padgett, Helen Su, Barbara Fueger, Wolfgang A. Weber, Johannes Czernin, Hartmuth C. Kolb
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 1, 43. Read article.

Concise approach with control: A total synthesis of the polyhydroxy caprolactam amide natural product bengamide E from tartaric acid has been described. The key reactions include the elaboration of the bis(dimethylamide) unit of tartaric acid and involves 1,3-dithiane addition and a Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons olefination.

[Full Paper]
Prashant K. Metri, Raphael Schiess, Kavirayani R. Prasad
Chem. Asian J. 2013, 8, No. 2, 488. Read article.

All-vanadium redox flow batteries are considered to be one of the most promising technologies for large-scale stationary energy storage. Nevertheless, constant capacity decay severely jeopardizes their long-term stability. The capacity-decay mechanism of vanadium flow batteries using a Nafion membrane is investigated and elucidated. Capacity-restoration methods are proposed and experimentally validated.

[Full Paper]
Qingtao Luo, Liyu Li, Wei Wang, Zimin Nie, Xiaoliang Wei, Bin Li, Baowei Chen, Zhenguo Yang, Vincent Sprenkle
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 2, 268. Read article.

Crosstown traffic: Further development of Li–O₂ batteries may eventually lead to their use in transportation applications. One problem that needs to be addressed is electrolyte decomposition, which has been partially mitigated by using ether- rather than carbonate-based solvents. The influence of oxygen crossover from the cathode to the anode on electrolyte, and lithium anode, decomposition in ether-based Li-O₂ batteries is investigated.

[Communication]
Rajeev S. Assary, Jun Lu, Peng Du, Xiangyi Luo , Xiaoyi Zhang, Yang Ren, Larry A. Curtiss, Khalil Amine
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 1, 51. Read article.

A radically new gel: AFM and ESR spectroscopic studies are used to investigate a radical-functionalised gel and the gelation process (see graph). The analyses also provide evidence that the fibrillar structure is maintained below the gelling concentration. This opens relevant perspectives in terms of the realization of complex supramolecular chiral structures incorporating paramagnetic functions.

[Full Paper]
Matteo Mannini, Stefano Cicchi, Debora Berti, Andrea Caneschi, Alberto Brandi, Luisa Lascialfari, Lorenzo Sorace
ChemPlusChem 2013, 78, No. 2, 149. Read article.

Helices, screws or twists transform rotational motion into translations in soft tissue or fluidic environments. The actuation occurs wirelessly through low-strength rotating magnetic fields. These swimming microrobots can be used for micro-object or microfluidic manipulation tasks or as transport platforms for targeted delivery in medical applications.

[Concept]
Kathrin E. Peyer, Soichiro Tottori, Famin Qiu, Li Zhang, Bradley J. Nelson
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 1, 28. Read article.

To coin a phrase: Experiments in solid neon and argon under cryogenic conditions led to the formation and characterization of MF₂ and MF₃ molecules (M=Au, Ag, Cu), NgAuF complexes (Ng=Ne, Ar), and AuF₅ (see figure), whilst also providing evidence for the formation of Au₂F₆. IR spectra were in excellent agreement with state-of-the-art quantum-chemical calculations.

[Full Paper]
Xuefeng Wang, Lester Andrews, Felix Brosi, Sebastian Riedel
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, No. 4, 1397. Read article.

Let the light shine: The formation of cationic hydrocarbon pool species that absorb at specific wavelengths is followed by using in situ UV/Vis spectroscopy. Experimentally derived activation energies for their formation correlate well with calculated kinetic rate constants for methylation reactions. The studied species are crucial intermediates in active methanol-to-olefin routes. Our results show that the zeolite cage plays a decisive role in their activity.

[Full Paper]
Veronique Van Speybroeck, Karen Hemelsoet, Kristof De Wispelaere, Qingyun Qian, Jeroen Van der Mynsbrugge, Bart De Sterck, Bert M. Weckhuysen, Michel Waroquier
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, No. 1, 173. Read article.

Order, order! More ordered graphitic layers on the supporting carbon nanofibers surface led to Au particles bonded through their {1 1 1} plane, exhibiting more facet area. This catalyst presented higher selectivity toward C-C bond cleavage in the liquid-phase oxidation of glycerol.

[Full Paper]
Di Wang, Alberto Villa, Dangsheng Su, Laura Prati, Robert Schlögl
ChemCatChem, November 30, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201200535. Read article.

Strengthening the weakest link: A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. In this study, we show two important performance limiting factors in BiVO₄ photoanodes; water oxidation kinetics and electron transport. Based on this knowledge, the photoanode is modified by surface catalysis and doping, resulting in approximately 3-fold photocurrent improvement.

[Full Paper]
Fatwa F. Abdi, Nienke Firet, Roel van de Krol
ChemCatChem 2013, 5, No. 2, 490. Read article.

Runner-up! Disulfide bond cleavage comes second in gas phase radical ion chemistry. Cleavage of N-Cα backbone bonds is preferred over disulfide bond cleavage in electron capture dissociation (ECD) of peptides and proteins, but disulfide bonds can be cleaved by vibrational excitation or secondary radical reactions.

[Full Paper]
Barbara Ganisl, Kathrin Breuker
ChemistryOpen 2012, 1, No. 6, 260. Read article.

Clearing the way: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are proving a potent weapon in the treatment of type II diabetes. A new vitamin B₁₂–GLP-1 conjugate is investigated and shown to have insulinotropic properties similar to the unmodified peptide. These results are critical to the exploitation of the vitamin B₁₂ oral uptake pathway for peptide delivery.

[Communication]
Susan Clardy-James, Oleg G. Chepurny, Colin A. Leech, George G. Holz, Robert P. Doyle
ChemMedChem 2013, 8, No. 4, 582. Read article.

DNA oligonucleotides modified with nucleoside monomers which have an electron withdrawing group (EWG) at the 2'-position of the furanose ring form more stable duplexes with complementary RNA as compared to unmodified DNA. Here we show that an anti-periplanar orientation of the nucleobase and the 2'-EWG is important for optimal duplex stabilization even for nucleic acid analogues with conformationally locked furanose rings.

[Communication]
Punit P. Seth, Pradeep S. Pallan, Eric E. Swayze, Martin Egli
ChemBioChem 2013, 14, No. 1, 58. Read article.

An I for an A: Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing occurs at a generally higher frequency in humans, compared to other primates. With a focus on the RNA substrate, sequence-dependent conformational exchanges suggest that a fine balance between global duplex stability and local adenosine flexibility orchestrates A-to-I editing levels.

[Full Paper]
Michael Samir Dahabieh, Dhrubajyoti Samanta, Jean-Claude Brodovitch, Christian Frech, Melanie A. O'Neill , B. Mario Pinto
ChemBioChem 2012, 13, No. 18, 2714. Read article.

Sensitive dyes absorb it all: Co-sensitization of three spectrally complementary dyes on a TiO₂ film in a well-designed sequence significantly improves the photovoltaic performance of the device, and an efficiency of 8.2 % is achieved. The devices demonstrate a panchromatic response with an incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency >80 % over the entire visible spectral region from 400 to 700 nm.

[Full Paper]
Ming Cheng, Xichuan Yang, Jiajia Li, Fuguo Zhang, Licheng Sun
ChemSusChem 2013, 6, No. 1, 70. Read article.

Dissecting the bond between the methylene and the gem-dimethyl unit of khusimone leads to a spirocycle of almost identical shape, which was synthesized by 1,4-conjugate addition of a vinyl Gilman reagent, Mukaiyama aldol condensation of a bromo aldehyde prepared by Ireland–Claisen rearrangement of allyl isovalerate, and subsequent cyclization.

[Full Paper]
Philip Kraft, Natacha Denizot
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2013, No. 1, 49. Read article.