Name: cercosporin-photocatalyzed [4+1]- and [4+2]-annulations of azoalkenes under mild conditions
Uploaded: 2020-07-17T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Cercosporin-Photocatalyzed [4+1]- and [4+2]-Annulations of Azoalkenes Under Mild Conditions at JoVE.com

We thank for the National Key R&#38;D Program of China (2018YFA0901700), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grants No. BK20160167), the Thousand Talents Plan (Young Professionals), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (JUSRP51712B), the National First-class Discipline Program of Light Industry Technology and Engineering (LITE2018-14) and Postdoctoral Foundation in Jiangsu Province (2018K153C) for the funding support.

NOTE: &#945;-Halo-N-acyl-hydrazones were prepared according to a published procedure60. All the solvents and other chemical reagents were obtained from commercial sources without further purification. We first described the synthesis of &#945;-Halo-N-acyl-hydrazones and the biosynthesis of cercosporin as a metal-free photocatalyst. Next, we illustrated the protocols of the cercosporin-photocatalyzed reactions for the synthesis of 1,2,3-thiadiazoles and 1,4,5,6-t...

Nitrogen-containing heterocycles are important motifs for many new drugs and were traditionally synthesized through thermal cycloaddition reactions. Due to great interest, a new photocatalytic method for the synthesis of these compounds is highly desired. To take advantage of the excellent photosensitization properties of cercosporin, we applied cercosporin as a metal-free photocatalyst in two categories of annulation reactions to synthesize nitrogen-containing heterocycles.
First, we reported...

Nitrogen-containing heterocycles have drawn much attention since they are not only important skeletons for a wide range of natural products with bioactivities, but also the synthetic precursors for agrochemicals and drug molecules1,2. Among the various N-heterocycles, 1,2,3-thiadiazoles3,4 and 1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridazines5,6 are the most important molecules, which are utilized as versatile intermediates in the synthetic chemistry (Figure 1). Since modification of their functional groups always induces distinctive pharmacological activities, extensive efforts have been devoted to developing effective strategies for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles and they were mostly synthesized through thermal cycloaddition reactions7,8,9,10. Nowadays, to meet the requirements of sustainable development and green chemistry, photocatalysis has exerted great importance and advantages11,12,13,14, which includes effectiveness15,16,17,18,19 and avoidance of stoichiometric reagents for the activation20,21. The powerful and versatile four-unit intermediates, azoalkenes (1,2-diaza-1,3-dienes)22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29, have been employed as precursors in metal-based Ru(bpy)3Cl2-photocatalyzed reactions with high efficiency for the annulation of halogeno hydrazine and ketocarbonyls30. Furthermore, it was also used in the metal-free Eosin Y photocatalyzed system, but affording the desired product in only 7% yield. Since metal-free photocatalysts show great advantage over transition metal-based photocatalysts, regarding to the environmental factor as well as the cheaper prices18,19, it is highly important to develop new metal-free photocatalytic systems for the synthesis of N-heterocycles.
Cercosporin31,32,33,34,35, hypocrellin36,37,38,39,40, elsinochrome41 and phleichrome42,43 (Figure 2) belong to perylenequinonoid pigments (PQPs) in nature and are produced by endophytic fungi, which have been widely investigated regarding to their photophysical and photobiological properties, and applied in photodynamic therapy and photophysical diagnosis, due to their strong absorption in UV-vis region and unique properties of photosensitization36,44,45,46,47. Upon irradiation, those PQPs can be prompted to excited state and then generate active species through energy transfer (EnT) and electron transfer (ET)35,38,44,48,49,50,51,52,53,54. Thus, we envisioned that these natural PQPs may be utilized as &#34;metal-free&#34; photocatalysts to drive organic reactions, which have rarely been investigated55,56,57,58,59.
Herein, we report the protocol for the biosynthesis of cercosporin from liquid fermentation and then apply it as a metal-free photocatalyst for the [4+1] annulation reaction of azoalkenes and KSCN, as well as the [4+2] cyclodimerization of azoalkenes, which supply 1,2,3-thiadiazoles and 1,4,5,6- tetrahydropyridazines with high efficiency under mild conditions, respectively (Figure 3).

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cercosporin-photocatalyzed [4+1]- and [4+2]-annulations of azoalkenes under mild conditions

The interest on nitrogen-containing heterocycles has expanded rapidly in the synthetic community since they are important motifs for new drugs. Traditionally, they were synthesized through thermal cycloaddition reactions, whereas today, photocatalysis is preferred due to the mild and efficient conditions. With this focus, a new photocatalytic method for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles is highly desired. Here, we report a protocol for the biosynthesis of cercosporin, which could function as a metal-free photocatalyst. We then illustrate cercosporin-photocatalyzed protocols for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles 1,2,3-thiadiazoles through annulation of azoalkenes with KSCN, and synthesis of 1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridazines [4+2] through cyclodimerization of azoalkenes under mild conditions, respectively. As a result, there is a new bridge between the microbial fermentation method and organic synthesis in a mild, cost-effective, environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.

Synthesis of &#945;-Halo-N-acyl-hydrazones: They are synthesized according to Protocol 1.
Synthesis of cercosporin: It was synthesized and purified according to Protocol 2. 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): &#948; ppm 14.82 (s, 2H, ArH), 7.06 (s, 2H, ArH), 5.57 (s, 2H, CH2), 4.20 (s, 6H, 2OCH3), 3.62-3.57 (m, 2H, CH2), 3.42-3.37 (m,...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Cercosporin-Photocatalyzed [4+1]- and [4+2]-Annulations of Azoalkenes Under Mild Conditions at JoVE.com

Cercosporin-Photocatalyzed [4+1]- and [4+2]-Annulations of Azoalkenes Under Mild Conditions

New routes for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles utilizing cercosporin as a metal-free photocatalyst were developed.

The interest on nitrogen-containing heterocycles has expanded rapidly in the synthetic community since they are important motifs for new drugs. ...

This protocol can be used for the biosynthesis of cercosporins through microbial fermentation, which in turn can be used to synthesize nitrogen-containing heterocycles in the green and mild conditions. An advantage of this technique is that it can be used as a bridge between the microbial fermentation methods and the organic synthesized processes. Nitrogen-containing heterocycles are not only important skeleton for many natural product with bioactivities, but they are synthetic precursors for many agrochemicals and drugs.Demonstrating the procedure with Philippe Icyishaka will be Yan Zhang, a technician from my laboratory. For alpha-Halo-N-acyl-hydrazone preparation, weigh out 10 millimolar of ketone and 10 millimolar of benzoyl hydrazine into a flask. Add 20 milliliters of methanol to the flask, and equip the flask with a stir bar and a rubber stopper.Slowly inject 250 microliters of hydrochloric acid into the mixture, and incubate the flask in air at room temperature. After one hour, collect the precipitate after reaction by filtration, and wash the product with acetone. Then dry the precipitate by vacuum, and identify the product by NMR.To prepare cercosporin, charge a three-liter shake flask with one liter of S-7 medium, and inoculate the cercosporin-producing strain into the shake flask. Culture the mixture under light conditions at 135 revolutions per minute and 25 degrees Celsius for two weeks. At the end of the incubation, use a vacuum pump to subject the fermentation broth to vacuum filtration, and extract the pellet and the supernatant separately with three 50-milliliter volumes of dichloromethane.Collect the pellet for drying in a freezer dryer, and combine the organic phases. Wash the organic phases with water two to three times, and concentrate the solution under vacuum. Redissolve the residue with analytical methanol, and filter the product through a 18-micrometer, organic microfiltration membrane.Then purify the cercosporin with a Sephadex LH-20 column, and identify the product by HPLC according to standard protocols. To prepare 1, 2, 3-thiadiazole, add the entire volume of the alpha-Halo-N-acyl-hydrazone, one milligram of cercosporin, 27 milligrams of potassium tert-butoxide, and 39 milligrams of potassium thiocyanate into a 10-millimeter Schlenk tube equipped with a rubber stopper and a stirring bar. Purge the Schlenk tube with oxygen three times before injecting two milliliters of dry acetonitrile into the tube.Subject the tube to a five-watt, blue LED from the bottom for 16 hours before washing four times with 15 milliliters of saturated sodium chloride solution. After the last wash, combine the aqueous phase, and re-extract the aqueous phase with four 15-milliliter volumes of ethyl acetate. Combine the organic phase, and dry with anhydrous sodium sulfate.Remove the solvent with a vacuum evaporator. To purify the product with thin-layer chromatography, draw a straight line on the silica plate, and add the dissolved product to the line. Put the silica plate in the chromatography cylinder with 10 to one PE to EA.After, dissolve the silica in DCM.Remove the silica from the product by filtration, and dry the DCM with a rotary evaporator. Then identify the compound by NMR according to standard protocol. To prepare 1, 4, 5, 6-tetrahydropyridazine, add the entire volume of the alpha-Halo-N-acyl-hydrazone, 2.7 milligrams of cercosporin, and 195 milligrams of cesium carbonate into a 10-milliliter Schlenk tube equipped with a rubber stopper and a stirring bar.Purge the Schlenk tube three times with nitrogen, and inject two milliliters of acetonitrile in water into the tube. Subject the Schlenk tube to a five-watt, blue LED from the bottom for 16 hours followed by four washes with 15 milliliters of saturated sodium chloride per wash. Combine the aqueous phase, and re-extract the aqueous phase with four 15-milliliter volumes of ethyl acetate.Combine the organic phase, and dry with anhydrous sodium sulfate. Remove the solvent with a vacuum evaporator. To purify the product with thin-layer chromatography, draw a straight line on the silica plate, and add the dissolved product to the line.Put the silica plate in the chromatography cylinder with 10 to one PE to EA.After, dissolve the silica in DCM. Remove the silica from the product with filtration, and dry the DCM with a rotary evaporator. Then identify the compound by NMR according to standard protocol.These representative results demonstrate how 4-aryl-1, 2, 3-thiadiazoles and 1, 4, 5, 6-tetrahydropyridazines can be conveniently synthesized by cercosporin-catalyzed photocatalytic reactions from alpha-Halo-N-acyl-hydrazone. The 4-aryl-1, 2, 3-thiadiazoles acquisition procedure is suitable for substrates bearing both electron-donating and electron-accepting groups in the phenyl ring, providing the desired products with moderate to good yields. Always remember to use nitrogen and oxygen for two different categories of the reactions.

cercosporin-photocatalyzed-4-1-4-2-annulations-azoalkenes-under-mild

Research

JoVE Journal

Chemistry

Particles without a Box: Brush-first Synthesis of Photodegradable PEG Star Polymers under Ambient Conditions

Convenient methods for the rapid, parallel synthesis of diversely functionalized nanoparticles will enable discovery of novel formulations for drug delivery, biological imaging, and supported catalysis. In this report, we demonstrate parallel synthesis of brush-arm star polymer (BASP) nanoparticles by the &#34;brush-first&#34; method. In this method, a norbornene-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macromonomer (PEG-MM) is first polymerized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) to generate a living brush macroinitiator. Aliquots of this initiator stock solution are added to vials that contain varied amounts of a photodegradable bis-norbornene crosslinker. Exposure to crosslinker initiates a series of kinetically-controlled brush+brush and star+star coupling reactions that ultimately yields BASPs with cores comprised of the crosslinker and coronas comprised of PEG. The final BASP size depends on the amount of crosslinker added. We carry out the synthesis of three BASPs on the benchtop with no special precautions to remove air and moisture. The samples are characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC); results agreed closely with our previous report that utilized inert (glovebox) conditions. Key practical features, advantages, and potential disadvantages of the brush-first method are discussed.

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) brush-arm star polymers (BASPs) with narrow mass distributions and tunable nanoscopic sizes are synthesized in via ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of a PEG-norbornene macromonomer followed by transfer of portions of the resulting living brush initiator to vials containing varied amounts of a rigid, photo-cleavable bis-norbornene crosslinker.

Convenient methods for the rapid, parallel synthesis of diversely functionalized nanoparticles will enable discovery of novel formulations for drug ...

Split-and-pool Synthesis and Characterization of Peptide Tertiary Amide Library

Peptidomimetics are great sources of protein ligands. The oligomeric nature of these compounds enables us to access large synthetic libraries on solid phase by using combinatorial chemistry. One of the most well studied classes of peptidomimetics is peptoids. Peptoids are easy to synthesize and have been shown to be proteolysis-resistant and cell-permeable. Over the past decade, many useful protein ligands have been identified through screening of peptoid libraries. However, most of the ligands identified from peptoid libraries do not display high affinity, with rare exceptions. This may be due, in part, to the lack of chiral centers and conformational constraints in peptoid molecules. Recently, we described a new synthetic route to access peptide tertiary amides (PTAs). PTAs are a superfamily of peptidomimetics that include but are not limited to peptides, peptoids and N-methylated peptides. With side chains on both &#945;-carbon and main chain nitrogen atoms, the conformation of these molecules are greatly constrained by sterical hindrance and allylic 1,3 strain. (Figure 1) Our study suggests that these PTA molecules are highly structured in solution and can be used to identify protein ligands. We believe that these molecules can be a future source of high-affinity protein ligands. Here we describe the synthetic method combining the power of both split-and-pool and sub-monomer strategies to synthesize a sample one-bead one-compound (OBOC) library of PTAs.

Peptide tertiary amides (PTAs) are a superfamily of peptidomimetics that include but are not limited to peptides, peptoids and N-methylated peptides. Here we describe a synthetic method which combines&#160;both split-and-pool and sub-monomer strategies to synthesize a one-bead one-compound library of PTAs.

Peptidomimetics are great sources of protein ligands. The oligomeric nature of these compounds enables us to access large synthetic libraries on solid ...

Mizoroki-Heck Cross-coupling Reactions Catalyzed by Dichloro{bis[1,1',1''-(phosphinetriyl)tripiperidine]}palladium Under Mild Reaction Conditions

Dichloro-bis(aminophosphine) complexes of palladium with the general formula of [(P{(NC5H10)3-n(C6H11)n})2Pd(Cl)2] (where n = 0-2), belong to a new family of easy accessible, very cheap, and air stable, but highly active and universally applicable C-C cross-coupling catalysts with an excellent functional group tolerance. Dichloro{bis[1,1',1''-(phosphinetriyl)tripiperidine]}palladium [(P(NC5H10)3)2Pd(Cl)2] (1), the least stable complex within this series towards protons; e.g. in the form of water, allows an eased nanoparticle formation and hence, proved to be the most active Heck catalyst within this series at 100 &#176;C and is a very rare example of an effective and versatile catalyst system that efficiently operates under mild reaction conditions. Rapid and complete catalyst degradation under work-up conditions into phosphonates, piperidinium salts and other, palladium-containing decomposition products assure an easy separation of the coupling products from catalyst and ligands. The facile, cheap, and rapid synthesis of 1,1',1"-(phosphinetriyl)tripiperidine and 1 respectively, the simple and convenient use as well as its excellent catalytic performance in the Heck reaction at 100 &#176;C make 1 to one of the most attractive and greenest Heck catalysts available.
We provide here the visualized protocols for the ligand and catalyst syntheses as well as the reaction protocol for Heck reactions performed at 10 mmol scale at 100 &#176;C and show that this catalyst is suitable for its use in organic syntheses.

Mizoroki-Heck Cross-coupling Reactions Catalyzed by Dichloro{bis[1,1&#039;,1&#039;&#039;-phosphinetriyltripiperidine]}palladium Under Mild Reaction Conditions

Dichloro{bis[1,1',1''-(phosphinetriyl)tripiperidine]}palladium [(P(NC5H10)3)2Pd(Cl)2] (1) is an easy accessible, cheap, and air stable, but highly active Heck catalyst with an excellent functional group tolerance that efficiently operates under mild reaction conditions to give the coupling products in very high yields.

Dichloro-bis(aminophosphine) complexes of palladium with the general formula of [(P{(NC5H10)3-n(C6H11)n})2Pd(Cl)2] (where n = 0-2), belong to a new family ...

A Simple Method for the Size Controlled Synthesis of Stable Oligomeric Clusters of Gold Nanoparticles under Ambient Conditions

Reducing dilute aqueous HAuCl4 with sodium thiocyanate (NaSCN) under alkaline conditions produces 2 to 3 nm diameter nanoparticles. Stable grape-like oligomeric clusters of these yellow nanoparticles of narrow size distribution are synthesized under ambient conditions via two methods. The delay-time method controls the number of subunits in the oligoclusters by varying the time between the addition of HAuCl4 to alkaline solution and the subsequent addition of reducing agent, NaSCN. The yellow oligoclusters produced range in size from ~3 to ~25 nm. This size range can be further extended by an add-on method utilizing hydroxylated gold chloride (Na+[Au(OH4-x)Clx]-) to auto-catalytically increase the number of subunits in the as-synthesized oligocluster nanoparticles, providing a total range of 3 nm to 70 nm. The crude oligocluster preparations display narrow size distributions and do not require further fractionation for most purposes. The oligoclusters formed can be concentrated &#62;300 fold without aggregation and the crude reaction mixtures remain stable for weeks without further processing. Because these oligomeric clusters can be concentrated before derivatization they allow expensive derivatizing agents to be used economically. In addition, we present two models by which predictions of particle size can be made with great accuracy.

We describe a simple method for producing highly stable oligomeric clusters of gold nanoparticles via the reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) with sodium thiocyanate (NaSCN). The oligoclusters have a narrow size distribution and can be produced with a wide range of sizes and surface coats.

Reducing dilute aqueous HAuCl4 with sodium thiocyanate (NaSCN) under alkaline conditions produces 2 to 3 nm diameter nanoparticles. Stable grape-like ...

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Major and severe accidents have occurred three times in nuclear power plants (NPPs), at Three Mile Island (USA, 1979), Chernobyl (former USSR, 1986) and Fukushima (Japan, 2011). Research on the causes, dynamics, and consequences of these mishaps has been performed in a few laboratories worldwide in the last three decades. Common goals of such research activities are: the prevention of these kinds of accidents, both in existing and potential new nuclear power plants; the minimization of their eventual consequences; and ultimately, a full understanding of the real risks connected with NPPs. At the European Commission Joint Research Centre&#39;s Institute for Transuranium Elements, a laser-heating and fast radiance spectro-pyrometry facility is used for the laboratory simulation, on a small scale, of NPP core meltdown, the most common type of severe accident (SA) that can occur in a nuclear reactor as a consequence of a failure of the cooling system. This simulation tool permits fast and effective high-temperature measurements on real nuclear materials, such as plutonium and minor actinide-containing fission fuel samples. In this respect, and in its capability to produce large amount of data concerning materials under extreme conditions, the current experimental approach is certainly unique. For current and future concepts of NPP, example results are presented on the melting behavior of some different types of nuclear fuels: uranium-plutonium oxides, carbides, and nitrides. Results on the high-temperature interaction of oxide fuels with containment materials are also briefly shown.

We present experiments in which real nuclear fuel, cladding, and containment materials are laser heated to temperatures beyond 3,000 K while their behavior is studied by radiance spectroscopy and thermal analysis. These experiments simulate, on a laboratory scale, the formation of a lava-phase following a nuclear reactor core meltdown.

Major and severe accidents have occurred three times in nuclear power plants (NPPs), at Three Mile Island (USA, 1979), Chernobyl (former USSR, 1986) and ...

Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy

Phase-separated giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) exhibiting coexisting liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered domains are a common biophysical tool to investigate the lipid raft hypothesis. Numerous studies, however, neglect the impact of physiological solution conditions. On that account, the current work presents the effect of high-salinity buffer and trans-membrane solution asymmetry on liquid-liquid phase separation in charged GUVs grown from dioleylphosphatidylglycerol, egg sphingomyelin, and cholesterol. The effects were studied under isothermal and varying temperature conditions.
We describe equipment and experimental strategies applicable for monitoring the stability of coexisting liquid domains in charged vesicles under symmetric and asymmetric high-salinity solution conditions. This includes an approach to prepare charged multicomponent GUVs in high-salinity buffer at high temperatures. The protocol entails the option to perform a partial exchange of the external solution by a simple dilution step while minimizing the vesicle dilution. An alternative approach is presented utilizing a microfluidic device that allows for a complete external solution exchange. The solution effects on phase separation were also studied under varying temperatures. To this end, we present the basic design and utility of an in-house built temperature control chamber. Furthermore, we reflect on the assessment of the GUV phase state, pitfalls associated with it and how to circumvent them.

Experiments on phase separated giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) frequently neglect physiological solution conditions. This work presents approaches to study the effect of high-salinity buffer on liquid-liquid phase separation in charged multicomponent GUVs as a function of trans-membrane solution asymmetry and temperature.

Phase-separated giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) exhibiting coexisting liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered domains are a common biophysical tool to ...

Preparation of Hollow Polystyrene Particles and Microcapsules by Radical Polymerization of Janus Droplets Consisting of Hydrocarbon and Fluorocarbon Oils

In this article, we have demonstrated a method for producing hollow particles and microcapsules using oil droplets consisting of hydrocarbon oil (styrene) and fluorocarbon oil (perfluoro-n-octane, PFO) in aqueous surfactant (sodium dodecylsulfate, SDS) solutions. Since fluorocarbon oils are immiscible with hydrocarbon oils, the two oils are separated. Emulsions are prepared by stirring styrene/PFO/aqueous SDS solution mixtures at 80 &#176;C. The type of emulsions and the morphology of droplets in the emulsions are observed by light microscope and scanning confocal fluorescence microscope. It is found that oil droplets with Janus-type morphologies consisting of mutually immiscible styrene and PFO are formed in aqueous SDS solutions. Polystyrene particles are fabricated by radical polymerization of the ternary mixtures of styrene/PFO/aqueous SDS solution at 80 &#176;C. The morphologies of the polystyrene are confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy observations. These observations show the preparation of hollow polystyrene particles with a single hole on the surface. To our knowledge, this method is a novel strategy using the immiscibility of hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon oils. The hollow particles can also be applied to the preparation of microcapsules.

A protocol for the fabrication of hollow polymer particles and microcapsules by radical polymerization using emulsions consisting of styrene, perfluoro-n-octane, and aqueous SDS (sodium dodecylsulfate) solution is presented.

In this article, we have demonstrated a method for producing hollow particles and microcapsules using oil droplets consisting of hydrocarbon oil (styrene) ...

Extraction of Lignin with High &#946;-O-4 Content by Mild Ethanol Extraction and Its Effect on the Depolymerization Yield

Lignin valorization strategies are a key factor for achieving more economically competitive biorefineries based on lignocellulosic biomass. Most of the emerging elegant procedures to obtain specific aromatic products rely on the lignin substrate having a high content of the readily cleavable &#946;-O-4 linkage as present in the native lignin structure. This provides a miss-match with typical technical lignins that are highly degraded and therefore are low in &#946;-O-4 linkages. Therefore, the extraction yields, and the quality of the obtained lignin are of utmost importance to access new lignin valorization pathways. In this manuscript, a simple protocol is presented to obtain lignins with high &#946;-O-4 content by relatively mild ethanol extraction that can be applied to different lignocellulose sources. Furthermore, analysis procedures to determine the quality of the lignins are presented together with a depolymerization protocol that yields specific phenolic 2-arylmethyl-1,3-dioxolanes, which can be used to evaluate the obtained lignins. The presented results demonstrate the link between lignin quality and potential for the lignins to be depolymerized into specific monomeric aromatic chemicals. Overall, the extraction and depolymerization demonstrates a trade-off between the lignin extraction yield and the retention of the native aryl-ether structure and thus the potential of the lignin to be used as the substrate for the production of chemicals for higher-value applications.

Extraction of Lignin with High &amp;#946;-O-4 Content by Mild Ethanol Extraction and Its Effect on the Depolymerization Yield

Here, we present a protocol to perform ethanol extraction of lignin from several biomass sources. The effect of the extraction conditions on the lignin yield and &#946;-O-4 content are presented. Selective depolymerization is performed on the obtained lignins to obtain high aromatic monomer products.

Lignin valorization strategies are a key factor for achieving more economically competitive biorefineries based on lignocellulosic biomass. Most of the ...

Synthesis of Terpolymers at Mild Temperatures Using Dynamic Sulfur Bonds in Poly(S-Divinylbenzene)

Elemental sulfur (S8) is a byproduct of the petroleum industry with millions of tons produced annually. Such abundant production and limited applications lead to sulfur as a cost-efficient reagent for polymer synthesis. Inverse vulcanization combines elemental sulfur with a variety of monomers to form functional polysulfides without the need for solvents. Short reaction times and straight forward synthetic methods have led to rapid expansion of inverse vulcanization. However, high reaction temperatures (&#62;160 &#176;C) limit the types of monomers that can be used. Here, the dynamic sulfur bonds in poly(S-divinylbenzene) are used to initiate polymerization at much lower temperatures. The S-S bonds in the prepolymer are less stable than S-S bonds in S8, allowing radical formation at 90 &#176;C rather than 159 &#176;C. A variety of allyl and vinyl ethers have been incorporated to form terpolymers. The resulting materials were characterized by 1H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry, as well as examining changes in solubility. This method expands on the solvent-free, thiyl radical chemistry utilized by inverse vulcanization to create polysulfides at mild temperatures. This development broadens the range of monomers that can be incorporated thus expanding the accessible material properties and possible applications.

Synthesis of Terpolymers at Mild Temperatures Using Dynamic Sulfur Bonds in PolyS-Divinylbenzene

The goal of this protocol is to initiate polymerization using dynamic sulfur bonds in poly(S-divinylbenzene) at mild temperatures (90 &#176;C) without using solvents. Terpolymers are characterized by GPC, DSC and 1H NMR, and tested for changes in solubility.

Elemental sulfur (S8) is a byproduct of the petroleum industry with millions of tons produced annually. Such abundant production and limited applications ...

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions

Developing photocatalytic H2 production devices is the one of the key steps for constructing a global H2-based renewable energy infrastructure. A number of photoactive assemblies have emerged where a photosensitizer and cobaloxime-based H2 production catalysts work in tandem to convert light energy into the H-H chemical bonds. However, the long-term instability of these assemblies and the need for hazardous proton sources have limited their usage. Here, in this work, we have integrated a stilbene-based organic dye into the periphery of a cobaloxime core via a distinct axial pyridine linkage. This strategy allowed us to develop a photosensitizer-catalyst hybrid structure with the same molecular framework. In this article, we have explained the detailed procedure of the synthesis of this hybrid molecule in addition to its comprehensive chemical characterization. The structural and optical studies have exhibited an intense electronic interaction between the cobaloxime core and the organic photosensitizer. The cobaloxime was active for H2 production even in the presence of water as the proton source. Here, we have developed a simple airtight system connected with an online H2 detector for the investigation of the photocatalytic activity by this hybrid complex. This photosensitizer-catalyst dyad present in the experimental setup continuously produced H2 once it was exposed in the natural sunlight. This photocatalytic H2 production by the hybrid complex was observed in aqueous/organic mixture media in the presence of a sacrificial electron donor under complete aerobic conditions. Thus, this photocatalysis measurement system along with the photosensitizer-catalyst dyad provide valuable insight for the development of next generation photocatalytic H2 production devices.

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions

We have directly incorporated a stilbene-based organic dye into a cobaloxime core to generate a photosensitizer-catalyst dyad for photocatalytic H2 production. We have also developed a simple experimental setup for evaluating the light-driven H2 production by photocatalytic assemblies.

Developing photocatalytic H2 production devices is the one of the key steps for constructing a global H2-based renewable energy infrastructure. A number ...