Solution-processable polytriazoles from spirocyclic monomers for membrane-based hydrocarbon separations.

The thermal distillation of crude oil mixtures is an energy-intensive process, accounting for nearly 1% of global energy consumption. Membrane-based separations are an appealing alternative or tandem process to distillation due to intrinsic energy efficiency advantages. We developed a family of spirocyclic polytriazoles from structurally diverse monomers for membrane applications. The resulting polymers were prepared by a convenient step-growth method using copper-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, providing very fast reaction rates, high molecular weights and solubilities in common organic solvents and non-interconnected microporosity. Fractionation of whole Arabian light crude oil and atmospheric tower bottom feeds using these materials enriched the low-boiling-point components and removed trace heteroatom and metal impurities (comparable performance with the lighter feed as the commercial polyimide, Matrimid), demonstrating opportunities to reduce the energy cost of crude oil distillation with tandem membrane processes. Membrane-based molecular separation under these demanding conditions is made possible by high thermal stability and a moderate level of dynamic chain mobility, leading to transient interconnections between micropores, as revealed by the calculations of static and swollen pore structures.

Species-agnostic polymeric formulations for inhalable messenger RNA delivery to the lung.

Messenger RNA has now been used to vaccinate millions of people. However, the diversity of pulmonary pathologies, including infections, genetic disorders, asthma and others, reveals the lung as an important organ to directly target for future RNA therapeutics and preventatives. Here we report the screening of 166 polymeric nanoparticle formulations for functional delivery to the lungs, obtained from a combinatorial synthesis approach combined with a low-dead-volume nose-only inhalation system for mice. We identify P76, a poly-ß-amino-thio-ester polymer, that exhibits increased expression over formulations lacking the thiol component, delivery to different animal species with varying RNA cargos and low toxicity. P76 allows for dose sparing when delivering an mRNA-expressed Cas13a-mediated treatment in a SARS-CoV-2 challenge model, resulting in similar efficacy to a 20-fold higher dose of a neutralizing antibody. Overall, the combinatorial synthesis approach allowed for the discovery of promising polymeric formulations for future RNA pharmaceutical development for the lungs.

Zeolite-like performance for xylene isomer purification using polymer-derived carbon membranes.

Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) have been used as precursors for the fabrication of porous carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes. PIM-1, a prototypical PIM material, uses a fused-ring structure to increase chain rigidity between spirobisindane repeat units. These two factors inhibit effective chain packing, thus resulting in high free volume within the membrane. However, a decrease of pore size and porosity was observed after pyrolytic conversion of PIM-1 to CMS membranes, attributed to the destruction of the spirocenter, which results in the "flattening" of the polymer backbone and graphite-like stacking of carbonaceous strands. Here, a spirobifluorene-based polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-SBF) was synthesized and used to fabricate CMS membranes that showed significant increases in p-xylene permeability (approximately four times), with little loss in p-xylene/o-xylene selectivity (13.4 versus 14.7) for equimolar xylene vapor separations when compared to PIM-1-derived CMS membranes. This work suggests that it is feasible to fabricate such highly microporous CMS membranes with performances that exceed current state-of-the-art zeolites at high xylene loadings.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Carbo- and Heterocycles through a CuH-Catalyzed Hydroalkylation Approach.

The enantioselective, intramolecular hydroalkylation of halide-tethered styrenes has been achieved through a copper hydride-catalyzed process. This approach allowed for the synthesis of enantioenriched cyclobutanes, cyclopentanes, indanes, and six-membered N- and O-heterocycles. This protocol was applied to the synthesis of the commercial serotonin reuptake inhibitor (-)-paroxetine.

N-substituted 2-aminobiphenylpalladium methanesulfonate precatalysts and their use in C-C and C-N cross-couplings.

A series of phosphine-ligated palladium precatalysts based on N-methyl- and N-phenyl-2-aminobiphenyl have been developed. Substitution at the nitrogen center prevents the presence of traces of aminobiphenyls that contain a free -NH2 group from contaminating cross-coupling products. These precatalysts produce N-substituted carbazoles upon activation, which cannot consume starting materials. These precatalysts were efficiently generated from 2-aminobiphenyl with minimal purification and found to be highly effective in Suzuki-Miyaura and C-N cross-coupling reactions.

Data-driven predictions of complex organic mixture permeation in polymer membranes.

Membrane-based organic solvent separations are rapidly emerging as a promising class of technologies for enhancing the energy efficiency of existing separation and purification systems. Polymeric membranes have shown promise in the fractionation or splitting of complex mixtures of organic molecules such as crude oil. Determining the separation performance of a polymer membrane when challenged with a complex mixture has thus far occurred in an ad hoc manner, and methods to predict the performance based on mixture composition and polymer chemistry are unavailable. Here, we combine physics-informed machine learning algorithms (ML) and mass transport simulations to create an integrated predictive model for the separation of complex mixtures containing up to 400 components via any arbitrary linear polymer membrane. We experimentally demonstrate the effectiveness of the model by predicting the separation of two crude oils within 6-7% of the measurements. Integration of ML predictors of diffusion and sorption properties of molecules with transport simulators enables for the rapid screening of polymer membranes prior to physical experimentation for the separation of complex liquid mixtures.

Treatment of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections via mRNA-encoded Cas13a in rodents.

Cas13a has been used to target RNA viruses in cell culture, but efficacy has not been demonstrated in animal models. In this study, we used messenger RNA (mRNA)-encoded Cas13a for mitigating influenza virus A and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in mice and hamsters, respectively. We designed CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) specific for PB1 and highly conserved regions of PB2 of influenza virus, and against the replicase and nucleocapsid genes of SARS-CoV-2, and selected the crRNAs that reduced viral RNA levels most efficiently in cell culture. We delivered polymer-formulated Cas13a mRNA and the validated guides to the respiratory tract using a nebulizer. In mice, Cas13a degraded influenza RNA in lung tissue efficiently when delivered after infection, whereas in hamsters, Cas13a delivery reduced SARS-CoV-2 replication and reduced symptoms. Our findings suggest that Cas13a-mediated targeting of pathogenic viruses can mitigate respiratory infections.

Oscillatory three-phase flow reactor for studies of bi-phasic catalytic reactions.

A multi-phase flow strategy, based on oscillatory motion of a bi-phasic slug within a fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) tubular reactor, under inert atmosphere, is designed and developed to address mixing and mass transfer limitations associated with continuous slug flow chemistry platforms for studies of bi-phasic catalytic reactions. The technique is exemplified with C-C and C-N Pd catalyzed coupling reactions.

Synthesis and application of palladium precatalysts that accommodate extremely bulky di-tert-butylphosphino biaryl ligands.

A series of palladacyclic precatalysts that incorporate electron-rich di-tert-butylphosphino biaryl ligands is reported. These precatalysts are easily prepared, and their use provides a general means of employing bulky ligands in palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. The application of these palladium sources to various C-N and C-O bond-forming processes is also described.

Design and Preparation of New Palladium Precatalysts for C-C and C-N Cross-Coupling Reactions.

A series of easily prepared, phosphine-ligated palladium precatalysts based on the 2-aminobiphenyl scaffold have been prepared. The role of the precatalyst-associated labile halide (or pseudohalide) in the formation and stability of the palladacycle has been examined. It was found that replacing the chloride in the previous version of the precatalyst with a mesylate leads to a new class of precatalysts with improved solution stability and that are readily prepared from a wider range of phosphine ligands. The differences between the previous version of precatalyst and that reported here are explored. In addition, the reactivity of the latter is examined in a range of C-C and C-N bond forming reactions.