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News

Latest Impact Factor

The editors and publishers were pleased to learn that ISI has determined the 2010 impact factor for Chemistry—An Asian Journal to be 4.188. This value confirms the establishment of the journal as a top research platform rooted in Asia for authors and readers throughout the world.

Research of the DayEditors' Choice: Spotlights

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The Importance of Being Exchanged: [Gd^III₄M^II₈(OH)₈(L)₈(O₂CR)₈]⁴⁺ Clusters for Magnetic Refrigeration

Playing it cool: Almost all of the constituent parts of the complex [Ln^III₄M^II₈(OH)₈(L)₈(O₂CR)₈]X₄, namely the lanthanide ions Ln³⁺, the transition-metal ions M²⁺, the bridging ligand L, the carboxylates, and the counterions X can be exchanged, thus allowing a thorough understanding of the individual contributions to the magnetocaloric effect. Example in picture: Gd purple, Cu green, O red, N blue.

[Communication]
Thomas N. Hooper, Jürgen Schnack, Stergios Piligkos, Marco Evangelisti, Euan K. Brechin
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, No. 19, 4633. Read article.

Disposable Electrochemical Immunosensor by Using Carbon Sphere/Gold Nanoparticle Composites as Labels for Signal Amplification

A convenient and low-cost immunosensor was designed by using a polyethylene-glycol-film-modified screen-printed carbon electrode combined with a self-synthesized carbon sphere/gold nanoparticle composite as an electrochemical label for signal amplification (see scheme). This efficient method provides a potential application for clinical detection of protein markers.

[Full Paper]
Qiunan Xu, Feng Yan, Jianping Lei, Chuan Leng, Huangxian Ju
Chem. Eur. J. 2012, 18, No. 16, 4994. Read article.

Is There No End to the Total Syntheses of Strychnine? Lessons Learned in Strategy and Tactics in Total Synthesis

Strychnine thrillers beyond Agatha Christie: The complex indole alkaloid strychnine has engaged the chemical community since the 19th century. This Review examines why strychnine has been and still remains an important target for directed synthesis efforts. Selected syntheses of strychnine are discussed with the aim of identifying their influence on the evolution of the strategy and tactics of organic synthesis.

[Review]
Jeffrey S. Cannon, Larry E. Overman
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, No. 18, 4288. Read article.

A New Vapor-Phase Hydrothermal Method to Concurrently Grow ZnO Nanotube and Nanorod Array Films on Different Sides of a Zinc Foil Substrate

Vertically aligned ZnO single-crystal nanotube/nanorod array films have been concurrently fabricated, respectively, on the top and bottom surfaces of a zinc foil substrate by a facile vapor-phase hydrothermal method, due to the unique vapor-phase reaction environment (see figure).

[Communication]
Haimin Zhang, Yibing Li, Porun Liu, Ying Li, Dongjiang Yang, Huagui Yang, Huijun Zhao
Chem. Eur. J. 2012, 18, No. 17, 5165. Read article.

Visible-Light-Promoted Stereoselective Alkylation by Combining Heterogeneous Photocatalysis with Organocatalysis

Dream team: Heterogeneous inorganic semiconductors and chiral organocatalysts team up for the stereoselective photocatalytic formation of carbon–carbon bonds. However, the connection between the organic and inorganic catalysts should not be too tight: Covalent immobilization inactivates the system.

[Communication]
Maria Cherevatskaya, Matthias Neumann, Stefan Füldner, Christoph Harlander, Susanne Kümmel, Stephan Dankesreiter, Arno Pfitzner, Kirsten Zeitler, Burkhard König
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, No. 17, 4062. Read article.

Reversible ON/OFF Nanoswitch for Organocatalysis: Mimicking the Locking and Unlocking Operation of CaMKII

Flip a switch: A nanoswitch uses chemical inputs to turn an organocatalytic Knoevenagel reaction on and off (see scheme: R=reactant, P=product). To stop catalysis the chemical input (pink and green) wraps around the inhibitory segment of the nanoswitch to effect release or unlocking of the switch. The process can run reversibly over three cycles without loss of activity.

[Communication]
Michael Schmittel, Soumen De, Susnata Pramanik
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, No. 16, 3832. Read article.

DNA Architectonics: towards the Next Generation of Bio-inspired Materials

Any which way but loose: DNA has become a fascinating construction material for nanosized objects (see figure); these are beginning to play an important role in nanotechnology due to their ability to form structures with function. This article highlights the recent developments in the field of DNA architectonics, including 2D and 3D structures, nanoparticle complexes, chemical modification and DNA-based nanodevices.

[Concept]
Eugen Stulz
Chem. Eur. J. 2012, 18, No. 15, 4456. Read article.

A New, Highly Conductive, Lithium Salt/Nonionic Surfactant, Lyotropic Liquid-Crystalline Mesophase and Its Application

Salty water! Lithium salts (LiCl, LiNO₃, and LiClO₄) at very high concentrations in water form lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) mesophases with a nonionic surfactant (10-lauryl ether) and display high ionic conductivities (10⁻²–10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹) over a broad temperature range (−10 to 80 °C) with excellent behavior as gel electrolytes in electrochemical applications.

[Communication]
Cemal Albayrak, Atilla Cihaner, Ömer Dag
Chem. Eur. J. 2012, 18, No. 14, 4190. Read article.

Formal Synthesis of (−)-Cephalotaxine Based on a Tandem Hydroamination/Semipinacol Rearrangement Reaction

Catalytic asymmetric formal synthesis of (−)-cephalotaxine has been accomplished based on an efficient tandem intramolecular hydroamination/asymmetric semipinacol rearrangement reaction catalyzed by chiral silver phosphate. During the course of the study it was observed that an advanced intermediate could be obtained in enantiopure form by enantiomer separation on silica gel.

[Communication]
Qing-Wei Zhang, Kai Xiang, Yong-Qiang Tu, Shu-Yu Zhang, Xiao-Ming Zhang, Yu-Ming Zhao, Tian-Cai Zhang
Chem. Asian J. 2012, 7, No. 5, 894. Read article.

An Unprecedented 1,2-Shift in the Biosynthesis of the 3-Aminosalicylate Moiety of Antimycins

The new 1,2: The feeding of fluorine-labelled precursors together with mutagenesis experiments revealed that the rare 3-amino-salicylate moiety of antimycins is produced by a particular multicomponent oxidation complex.

[Communication]
Ilka Schoenian, Christian Paetz, Jeroen S. Dickschat, Bertrand Aigle, Pierre Leblond, Dieter Spiteller
ChemBioChem 2012, 13, No. 6, 769. Read article.

Hydrogen Production from Glucose and Sorbitol by Sorption-Enhanced Steam Reforming: Challenges and Promises

One-pot stew of sugars: The steam reforming of sugars, such as sorbitol and glucose, with an integrated CO₂ capture using a calcium-based acceptor is demonstrated to give hydrogen of very high purity and improved yield in a single step, while the risk of coke formation compared to conventional steam reforming is reduced. However, there is a trade-off between hydrogen selectivity and yield. High temperatures lead to high hydrogen yields with relatively low purity.

[Full Paper]
Li He, De Chen
ChemSusChem 2012, 5, No. 3, 587. Read article.

Enhanced Electrocatalytic Stability of Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on a Nitrogen-Doped Composite of Carbon Nanotubes and Mesoporous Titania under Oxygen Reduction Conditions

Cheers for titania: An N-doped composite of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and mesoporous TiO₂ is used as support for Pt nanoparticles applied in the oxygen reduction reaction. The composite Pt/N-TiO₂-CNT shows a higher stability than Pt particles on carbon black or N-doped CNTs, as indicated by accelerated stress tests of up to 2000 cycles. The enhanced stability is attributed to strong interactions between TiO₂ and Pt and a higher corrosion resistance of TiO₂ as well as CNTs.

[Communication]
Justus Masa, Ankur Bordoloi, Martin Muhler, Wolfgang Schuhmann, Wei Xia
ChemSusChem 2012, 5, No. 3, 523. Read article.

Synthesis of Functional Acetylene Derivatives from Calcium Carbide

AHA Erlebnis: CaC₂, used to produce acetylene until several decades ago, is re-emerging as a cheap, sustainable resource synthesized from coal and lignocellulosic biomass. We report efficient catalytic protocols for the synthesis of functional acetylene derivatives from CaC₂ through aldehyde, alkyne, and amine (AAA) as well as alkyne, haloalkane, and amine (AHA) couplings, and in addition demonstrate its use in click and Sonogashira chemistry, showing that calcium carbide is a sustainable and cost-efficient carbon source.

[Communication]
Zhewang Lin, Dingyi Yu, Yin Ngai Sum, Yugen Zhang
ChemSusChem 2012, 5, No. 4, 625. Read article.

Cascade Coupling of Ene Reductases with Alcohol Dehydrogenases: Enantioselective Reduction of Prochiral Unsaturated Aldehydes

Hear O'YE, hear O'YE! The combination of the in situ substrate feeding product removal technology with a multienzymatic cascade system (old yellow enzyme and horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase) increased both the yields and enantioselectivities in the reduction of α-substituted cinnamaldehydes.

[Full Paper]
Elisabetta Brenna, Francesco G. Gatti, Daniela Monti, Fabio Parmeggiani, Alessandro Sacchetti
ChemCatChem 2012, 4, No. 5, 653. Read article.

Basicity of Phosphanes and Diphosphanes in Acetonitrile

The basicities of a number of important phosphanes and diphosphanes have been determined in the solvent acetonitrile. The relationship between basicity and structure was examined and compared with amines and diamines.

[Full Paper]
Kristjan Haav, Jaan Saame, Agnes Kütt, Ivo Leito
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2012, No. 11, 2167. Read article.

Development of Stereocontrolled Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Domino Heck/Suzuki β,α-Diarylation Reactions with Chelating Vinyl Ethers and Arylboronic Acids

Watch out for water! The stereoselective diarylation of three different metal-coordinating, cyclic methylamino vinyl ethers is described. The reaction proceeds via a chelation-controlled Heck/Suzuki diarylation pathway, and represents the first example of a stereoselective, oxidative Heck/Suzuki domino reaction.

[Full Paper]
Alejandro Trejos, Luke R. Odell, Mats Larhed
ChemistryOpen 2012, 1, No. 1, 49. Read article.

Hydroxy Group Acidities of Partially Protected Glycopyranosides

Relative acidities were determined spectrophotometrically for twenty partially methylated methyl α-D-glycopyranosides. It was proven that the more adjacent hydroxy groups a sugar displays, the more acidic is the corresponding hydroxy system, apparently caused by extended hydrogen bonding. A first estimation of the pK_a of partially methylated methyl α-D-glycopyranosides was obtained.

[Full Paper]
Martin Matwiejuk, Joachim Thiem
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2012, No. 11, 2180. Read article.

Spiked Gold Beads as Substrates for Single-Particle SERS

One to enhance them all: Spiked gold beads are efficient optical enhancers for single-particle SERS ultradetection (see picture), due to the localization of high electric fields at the apex of the tips and the antenna effect displayed by the core.

[Article]
Paula Aldeanueva-Potel, Enrique Carbó-Argibay, Nicolás Pazos-Pérez, Silvia Barbosa, Isabel Pastoriza-Santos, Ramón A. Alvarez-Puebla, Luis M. Liz-Marzán
ChemPhysChem, February 22, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201101014. Read article.

Microporous Mixed-Metal Layer-Pillared [Zn_1–xCu_x(bdc)(dabco)_0.5] MOFs: Preparation and Characterization

The one-pot solvothermal reactions of mixtures of zinc and copper salts and H₂bdc and dabco linkers have led to the formation of novel mixed-metal [Zn_1–xCu_x(bdc)(dabco)_0.5] MOFs. The prepared materials are isostructural with the known layer-pillared monometallic [M(bdc)(dabco)_0.5] (M = Zn or Cu) frameworks and exhibit permanent porosity.

[Full Paper]
Olesia Kozachuk, Kira Khaletskaya, Markus Halbherr, Angélique Bétard, Mikhail Meilikhov, Rüdiger W. Seidel, Bettina Jee, Andreas Pöppl, Roland A. Fischer
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2012, No. 10, 1688. Read article.

Flexible and General Synthesis of Functionalized Phosphoisoprenoids for the Study of Prenylation in vivo and in vitro

Prenylation probes: Eukaryotic protein prenyltransferases modify polypeptides with isoprenoid lipids. Modification of isoprenoids with reporter groups allows the creation of probes for the analysis of protein prenylation in vitro and in vivo. An amine-derivatized isoprenoid scaffold was used as a novel starting point for the synthesis of functionalized phosphoisoprenoid libraries.

[Full Paper]
Debapratim Das, Zakir Tnimov, Uyen T. T. Nguyen, Govindaraju Thimmaiah, Harriet Lo, Daniel Abankwa, Yaowen Wu, Roger S. Goody, Herbert Waldmann, Kirill Alexandrov
ChemBioChem 2012, 13, No. 5, 674. Read article.

Nonregenerative Natural Resources in a Sustainable System of Energy Supply

Rare and precious: Following the lead taken by the EU in energy and climate policy, a shift from fossil fuels to regenerative energy will have occurred globally by the second half of this century. This will be accompanied by a strong demand for other exhaustible raw materials, in particular metals. The terms “sustainability”, “depletion” and “scarcity” are examined in the context of mineral supply and the situation with regard to some rare metals is discussed.

[Full Paper]
Alex M. Bradshaw, Thomas Hamacher
ChemSusChem 2012, 5, No. 3, 550. Read article.

Chemical Rescue of Active Site Mutants of S. pneumoniae Surface Endonuclease EndA and Other Nucleases of the HNH Family by Imidazole

Nuclease activation: The HNH motif characterizes many nucleases, among them EndA from Streptococcus pneumoniae. One of the His residues is responsible for activating a water molecule for phosphodiester bond cleavage. Its replacement by other amino acids leads to inactive enzymes. However, subsequent addition of imidazole can rescue catalytic activity in vitro and in vivo.

[Full Paper]
Marika Midon, Oleg Gimadutdinow, Gregor Meiss, Peter Friedhoff, Alfred Pingoud
ChemBioChem 2012, 13, No. 5, 713. Read article.

Force Fields for Studying the Structure and Dynamics of Ionic Liquids: A Critical Review of Recent Developments

The state of the art of force-field parametrization for ionic liquids is reviewed and an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the various available force fields is provided. Insight obtained from recent electronic density functional results into the parametrization of partial charges and on the influence of polarization effects in bulk ionic liquids is highlighted.

[Minireview]
Florian Dommert, Katharina Wendler, Robert Berger, Luigi Delle Site, Christian Holm
ChemPhysChem 2012, 13, No. 7, 1625. Read article.

High Cytotoxic Activity of Phosphonium Salts and Their Complementary Selectivity towards HeLa and K562 Cancer Cells: Identification of Tri-n-butyl-n-hexadecylphosphonium bromide as a Highly Potent Anti-HeLa Phosphonium Salt

Complementary toxicity: Phosphonium salts with halogen anions are several times more cytotoxic against HeLa and K562 cancer cells than the clinically used reference compound cisplatin and show unusual complementary anticancer selectivity, which has not previously been reported in the literature.

[Full Paper]
Barbara Bachowska, Julia Kazmierczak-Baranska, Marcin Cieslak, Barbara Nawrot, Dorota Szczęsna, Joanna Skalik, Piotr Bałczewski
ChemistryOpen 2012, 1, No. 1, 33. Read article.

Dual Enzyme-Triggered Controlled Release on Capped Nanometric Silica Mesoporous Supports

Please release me: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles capped with bulky organic moieties containing amide and urea linkages were able to release their cargo upon addition of amidase and urease. Amidase induced an immediate, yet not complete, release of the cargo. On the other hand, urease allowed a near total cargo release that was delayed in time (see graph).

[Communication]
Alessandro Agostini, Laura Mondragón, Carmen Coll, Elena Aznar, M. Dolores Marcos, Ramón Martínez-Máñez, Félix Sancenón, Juan Soto, Enrique Pérez-Payá, Pedro Amorós
ChemistryOpen 2012, 1, No. 1, 17. Read article.

Theory of Chiral Plasmonic Nanostructures Comprising Metal Nanocrystals and Chiral Molecular Media

Chirality transfer: In large chiral plasmonic structures, a new electrodynamic mechanism of plasmonic CD that is qualitatively different to near-field, dipolar mechanism of plasmonic chirality is described. The models presented also show that anisotropic nanocrystals have strongly enhanced CD at the plasmonic frequency.

[Article]
Alexander O. Govorov, Zhiyuan Fan
ChemPhysChem, February 16, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201100958. Read article.

First-Principles Investigation of the Electronic and Conducting Properties of Oligothienoacenes and their Derivatives

Strong as an Ox: Chemical oxidation of the thiophene ring of fused thiophenes and their derivatives could significantly improve their semiconductor properties, which suggests it may be a promising way to convert p-type semiconductors into ambipolar or n-type semiconductors.

[Full Paper]
Jin-Dou Huang, Shu-Hao Wen, Ke-Li Han
Chem. Asian J. 2012, 7, No. 5, 1032. Read article.

Aromatic-to-Antiaromatic Switching in Triply Linked Porphyrin Bis(rhodium(I)) Hexaphyrin Hybrids

Switch 'em up: Two-electron oxidation and reduction switches the title complexes between aromatic and antiaromatic character (see picture). The switching is confirmed by ¹H NMR and UV/Vis/NIR absorption spectroscopy and by cyclic voltammetry. The structure of the porphyrin–[26]hexaphyrin hybrid tape was elucidated by X-ray diffraction analysis.

[Communication]
Takayuki Tanaka, Naoki Aratani, Atsuhiro Osuka
Chem. Asian J. 2012, 7, No. 5, 889. Read article.

Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase-Catalyzed Ring Opening of the Bicyclic Amine, Nortropine: An Experimental and DFT Computational Study

Nortropine opens up: A reaction mechanism for the ring opening of the bicyclic amine, nortropine, is proposed on the basis of a combined experimental and DFT computational analysis of the associated ²H and ¹⁵N isotope effects. The metabolism by cytochrome P450 monooxygenase leads to a labile product, and the C-N bond cleavage involves a molecule of water.

[Full Paper]
Renata A. Kwiecień, Katarzyna Kosieradzka, Jean-Yves Le Questel, Jacques Lebreton, Anaïs Fournial, Emmanuel Gentil, Marcel Delaforge, Piotr Paneth, Richard J. Robins
ChemCatChem 2012, 4, No. 4, 530. Read article.

Concentration Dependence of Glycosylation Outcome: A Clue to Reproducibility and Understanding the Reasons Behind

Depending on the concentration, the reagents can form different supramers with distinct chemical properties. The changes in supramer structure (indicated by the red vertical arrows) correlate with the glycosylation yield (1) and stereoselectivity (2) and can be detected by physical methods.

[Full Paper]
Leonid O. Kononov, Nelly N. Malysheva, Anna V. Orlova, Alexander I. Zinin, Tatiana V. Laptinskaya, Elena G. Kononova, Natalya G. Kolotyrkina
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2012, No. 10, 1926. Read article.

Through-Hole, Self-Ordered Nanoporous Oxide Layers on Titanium, Niobium and Titanium–Niobium Alloys in Aqueous and Organic Nitrate Electrolytes

Leaky layers: Several 10 μm-thick, highly aligned, porous structures of titanium dioxide, niobium pentoxide and mixed oxides can be grown anodically in nitrate-containing electrolytes with channel diameters in the range of 10–20 nm. Depending on the substrate, the electrochemical growth parameters need to be optimized to achieve a high degree of long-range order.

[Communication]
Robin Kirchgeorg, Wei Wei, Kiyoung Lee, Seugli So, Patrik Schmuki
ChemistryOpen 2012, 1, No. 1, 21. Read article.

Rare-Earth–Transition-Metal Organic–Inorganic Hybrids Based on Keggin-type Polyoxometalates and Pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylate

A rare find: Two types of organic–inorganic hybrid monovacant Keggin silicotungstates with both rare-earth–transition-metal heterometals and mixed ligands (H₂pzda and ethylenediamine; pzda=pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylate) were separated and characterized.

[Full Paper]
Shaowei Zhang, Junwei Zhao, Pengtao Ma, Jingyang Niu, Jingping Wang
Chem. Asian J. 2012, 7, No. 5, 966. Read article.

Amphiphilic EuDOTA-Tetraamide Complexes Form Micelles with Enhanced CEST Sensitivity

Four new EuDOTA-tetraamides with variable alkyl chains lengths were synthesized and their CEST properties were extensively studied. Three of these complexes werefound to spontaneously form micelles due to their long alkyl chains which resulted in a dramatic increase in their CEST sensitivities.

[Full Paper]
Osasere M. Evbuomwan, Garry Kiefer, A. Dean Sherry
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2012, No. 12, 2126. Read article.

Synthetic, Structural, and Catalytic Studies of Well-Defined Allyl 1,2,3-Triazol-5-ylidene (tzNHC) Palladium Complexes

A series of (η³-allyl)palladium complexes bearing 1,2,3-triazole carbene (tzNHC) ligands has been prepared and characterized. The donor properties of tzNHC ligands are stronger than those of imidazole carbene ligands. The [1,4-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3-methyl-1,2,3-triazol-5-ylidene](cinnamyl)PdCl complex shows high activity in the room-temperature Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction with aryl chlorides.

[Full Paper]
Takahiro Terashima, Sayuri Inomata, Kenichi Ogata, Shin-ichi Fukuzawa
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2012, No. 9, 1387. Read article.

Synthesis and Two-Photon Properties of Small Dendritic Chromophores with Symmetrical and Unsymmetrical Substituted Skeletons

A model chromophore set consisting of four fluorene/oxadiazole-based analogues was synthesized, and its members were shown to display ascending two-photon absorptivities with increasing size of their π systems. The observed nanosecond excited-state lifetimes suggested that these model compounds could be potential candidates as broad-band optical power limiters for laser pulses of long duration.

[Full Paper]
Tzu-Chau Lin, Ying-Hsuan Lee, Chia-Ling Hu, Yu-Kai Li, Yu-Jhen Huang
Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2012, No. 9, 1737. Read article.

Antagonism of microRNA Function in Zebrafish Embryos by Using Locked Nucleic Acid Enzymes (LNAzymes)

In vivo miRNA assassination: We designed and employed a strategy with locked nucleic acid enzyme (LNAzyme) for in vivo knockdown of microRNA (miRNA) in zebrafish embryos. We demonstrate that LNAzyme can efficiently knockdown miRNAs with minimal toxicity to the zebrafish embryos.

[Full Paper]
Hemant Suryawanshi, Mukesh Kumar Lalwani, Soundhar Ramasamy, Rajiv Rana, Vinod Scaria, Sridhar Sivasubbu, Souvik Maiti
ChemBioChem 2012, 13, No. 4, 584. Read article.

Investigation of D₂ Receptor–Agonist Interactions Using a Combination of Pharmacophore and Receptor Homology Modeling

The magic key for dopamine D₂ receptor agonism was studied by using a combined receptor and pharmacophore modeling approach. All available experimental data, including a set of carefully selected active and inactive ligands, were used to identify the reasons behind selectivity and to pinpoint the specific ligand–receptor interactions made by D₂ agonists.

[Full Paper]
Marcus Malo, Lars Brive, Kristina Luthman, Peder Svensson
ChemMedChem 2012, 7, No. 3, 471. Read article.

Effects of Metal Precursors on the Stability and Observed Reactivity of Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ Catalysts in Aqueous Phase Reactions

Pt precursor promotes performance: The use of H₂PtCl₆ as metal precursor affects the observed activity of γ-Al₂O₃ supported catalysts in aqueous phase conversion of cellulose to sugar alcohols. The precursor changes the point of zero charge and leads to leaching. These two phenomena shift the dissociation equilibrium of water and enhance acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose.

[Communication]
Ryan M. Ravenelle, Fatoumata Z. Diallo, John C. Crittenden, Carsten Sievers
ChemCatChem 2012, 4, No. 4, 492. Read article.

Chromenopyrazoles: Non-psychoactive and Selective CB₁ Cannabinoid Agonists with Peripheral Antinociceptive Properties

Peripheral cannabinoid: Chromenopyrazoles were identified as cannabinoid receptor ligands, and some compounds in the series were found to be selective agonists of the CB₁ receptor. Results of molecular modeling studies support this finding. Behavioral tests and peripheral pain assays carried out with the most effective agonist show peripheral analgesia without CNS-mediated effects.

[Full Paper]
Jose Cumella, Laura Hernández-Folgado, Rocio Girón, Eva Sánchez, Paula Morales, Dow P. Hurst, Maria Gómez-Cañas, Maria Gómez-Ruiz, Diana C. G. A. Pinto, Pilar Goya, Patricia H. Reggio, María Isabel Martin, Javier Fernández-Ruiz, Artur M. S. Silva, Nadine Jagerovic
ChemMedChem 2012, 7, No. 3, 452. Read article.

A Brief Summary of the Synthesis of Polyester Building-Block Chemicals and Biofuels from 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

Out of the woods: Considerable advances have been made for the synthesis of furan-based polyester building blocks, especially 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), by using nanoparticulate gold catalysts. This Minireview discuss the fundamental aspects of using nanoparticulate catalysts for the aerobic oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into FDCA and selective transformation of HMF into potential biofuels (DMF=2,5-dimethylfuran).

[Minireview]
Saikat Dutta, Sudipta De, Basudeb Saha
ChemPlusChem 2012, 77, No. 4, 259. Read article.

Fluorogenic Peptide-Based Substrates for Monitoring Thrombin Activity

An eye on thrombin: A series of fluorogenic peptidyl-AMC substrates were synthesized and subjected to a biological evaluation to determine their suitability in the thrombin generation test (TGT). Evaluation of the acquired thrombin generation curves showed that several of these substrates have excellent potential for replacement of the substrate in current use.

[Full Paper]
Sander S. van Berkel, Bas van der Lee, Floris L. van Delft, Rob Wagenvoord, H. Coenraad Hemker, Floris P. J. T. Rutjes
ChemMedChem 2012, 7, No. 4, 606. Read article.

Identifying the Decomposition Product of Single-Source Precursors: Towards Water-Soluble Quantum Dots

On the dot: A water-soluble single-source precursor has been used in the synthesis of CdS quantum dots passivated with a nucleotide in an aqueous one-pot reaction (see figure). The crystal structure of the decomposition product of a single-source precursor, 3-methyl-5-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybutyl)oxazolidine-2-thione is also presented. A new decomposition mechanism is suggested that compliments existing routes.

[Communication]
Mark Green, Lydia Sandiford, Kirsty M. Anderson, Yongmin Ma
ChemPlusChem 2012, 77, No. 3, 192. Read article.

Dual Dehydrosqualene/Squalene Synthase Inhibitors: Leads for Innate Immune System-Based Therapeutics

Double whammy! Small molecules that inhibit Staphylococcus aureus dehydrosqualene synthase (CrtM) or host squalene synthase (SQS) are of interest as novel, innate immunity-based therapeutics, blocking virulence or stimulating antibacterial neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation. The discovery of leads that do both represents a new route to treating staph infections.

[Communication]
Fu-Yang Lin, Yonghui Zhang, Mary Hensler, Yi-Liang Liu, Ohn A. Chow, Wei Zhu, Ke Wang, Ran Pang, Wdee Thienphrapa, Victor Nizet, Eric Oldfield
ChemMedChem 2012, 7, No. 4, 561. Read article.

Classical Reactive Molecular Dynamics Implementations: State of the Art

Reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) simulations are used to investigate the time evolution, governed by empirical potential energy functions, of reactive systems (see graphic). RMD approaches are the only methods that allow the study of chemical reactions in large condensed-phase systems. Exciting microscopic insights into chemical reactions in condensed phases are discussed in this review.

[Minireview]
Karim Farah, Florian Müller-Plathe, Michael C. Böhm
ChemPhysChem 2012, 13, No. 5, 1127. Read article.

Crystal-Phase- and Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Fe₂O₃ Nanomaterials

α- and γ-Fe₂O₃ nanorods were obtained by proper dehydration of a rod-shaped β-FeOOH precursor. The Fe₂O₃ nanorods showed a distinct crystal-phase effect in the reduction of NO by CO on the basis of their exposed surface facets.

[Full Paper]
Xiaoling Mou, Yong Li, Bingsen Zhang, Lide Yao, Xuejiao Wei, Dang Sheng Su, Wenjie Shen
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2012, No. 16, 2684. Read article.

DNA “Nanolamps”: “Clicked” DNA Conjugates with Photon Upconverting Nanoparticles as Highly Emissive Biomaterial

Upconverting DNA: Upconversion nanoparticles are ligated to oligonucleotides by using “click”-type cycloaddition (see figure). Excitation in the near-infrared region yields bright luminescence of the DNA conjugates in the visible range.

[Full Paper]
Moritz M. Rubner, Daniela E. Achatz, Heike S. Mader, Judith A. Stolwijk, Joachim Wegener, Gregory S. Harms, Otto S. Wolfbeis, Hans-Achim Wagenknecht
ChemPlusChem 2012, 77, No. 2, 129. Read article.

Facile One-Pot Synthesis of ZnO/SnO₂ Heterojunction Photocatalysts with Excellent Photocatalytic Activity and Photostability

It's all about performance: ZnO/SnO₂ heterojunction nanocatalysts (see the formation of a ZnO/SnO₂ heterojunction in the TEM image) with excellent photocatalytic performances have been synthesized through a simple one-pot solvothermal method. The relationship between their structure and photocatalytic performances, especially antiphotocorrosion property, has been systematically studied.

[Full Paper]
Lirong Zheng, Yuanhui Zheng, Chongqi Chen, Yingying Zhan, Xinyi Lin, Qi Zheng, Kemei Wei
ChemPlusChem 2012, 77, No. 3, 217. Read article.

Catalysis with In Situ-Generated (Hypo)iodite Ions for Oxidative Coupling Reactions

Hyping up the iodines: The discovery and development of oxidative coupling reactions catalyzed by inorganic iodine species (i.e., hypoiodite or iodite), which are generated in situ from an iodide ion and hydrogen peroxide or tert-butyl hydroperoxide as an environmentally benign oxidant is highlighted.

[Concept]
Muhammet Uyanik, Kazuaki Ishihara
ChemCatChem 2012, 4, No. 2, 177. Read article.