Voltammetric Determination of 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furfural in Processed Cheese Using an Easy-Made and Economic Integrated 3D Graphene-like Electrode.

The concentration of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF) is an important quality-related index in milk and milk products. Fast, cost-effective and environmentally friendly determination of HMF is of great significance in milk products control. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) graphene-like surface (3DGrls) was successfully prepared within 5 min by an electrochemical amperometric pretreatment on a pencil graphite electrode (PGE). The fast-obtained 3D graphene-like surface increased the electrode surface area and enhanced the electron transfer capability without the addition of any harmful chemicals. The morphology and chemical composition of the obtained electrode were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results found that the electrochemical response to HMF at the prepared 3DGrls/PGE was 34 times higher than that at PGE. The modified electrode showed a good linear response to HMF in a concentration range of 0.35~116 µM with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.099 µM. The integrated electrode also exhibited excellent stability and wonderful antifouling property. Furthermore, the 3DGrls/PGE was successfully applied for the determination of HMF in three processed cheese samples with satisfactory results.

Construction of 1-Naphthols via Benzannulation Based on the Reaction of Aryl tert-Butyl Ynol Ethers with Ynamides or Ynol Ethers.

A new version of benzannulation featuring the use of aromatic tert-butyl ynol ethers as the convenient precursors for arylketenes has been developed. Both ynamides and ynol ethers undergo this reaction smoothly, giving 3-amino and 3-alkoxy 1-naphthols in good to excellent yields under the heated reaction conditions. The high efficiency, excellent regioselectivity, good functional group compatibility, and broad substrate scope render this reaction particularly valuable for organic synthesis.

Silver-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective addition of carboxylic acids to ynol ethers.

A silver-catalyzed trans addition of carboxylic acids to ynol ethers is described. The reaction has a broad scope with respect to carboxylic acids and ynol ethers, delivering (Z)-α-alkoxy enol esters in good yields with excellent regio- and stereoselectivity. Meaningfully, the Ni-catalyzed selective coupling of alkenyl C-OPiv bonds of (Z)-α-alkoxy enol esters with boronic acids enables a convenient route to the access of (E)-enol ethers. As such, the two-step procedure, consisted of a hydrocarboxylation and a subsequent Suzuki-Miyaura coupling, offers a formal trans hydroarylation of ynol ethers, thus providing a good complementary method to our previous report.

Palladium-catalyzed hydroarylation, hydroalkenylation, and hydrobenzylation of ynol ethers with organohalides: A regio- and stereoselective entry to α,ß- and ß,ß-disubstituted alkenyl ethers.

A Pd-catalyzed reductive addition of organohalides, including aryl, alkenyl, and benzyl halides, to ynol ethers has been realized in the presence of 2-propanol, giving α,ß- and ß,ß-disubstituted olefinic ethers in satisfactory yields with excellent regio- and stereoselectivity. It represents the first highly regio- and stereoselective hydroarylation, hydroalkenylation, and hydrobenzylation of ynol ethers.

Preparation of 3,4,5-trisubstituted oxazolones by Pd-catalyzed coupling of N-alkynyl tert-butyloxycarbamates with aryl halides and related electrophiles.

A novel palladium-catalyzed approach for the assembly of 3,4,5-trisubstituted oxazolones has been achieved by the coupling of N-alkynyl tert-butyloxycarbamates with aryl halides and related electrophiles, which involves an oxidative addition followed by oxypalladation/reductive elimination. The reaction provides a convenient access to diversely substituted oxazolones in satisfactory yields and shows good functional group compatibility.

Determination of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in milk products by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and its simulation analysis.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is a useful indicator of thermal damage degree and freshness of milk. It is of great importance to develop simple, rapid and accurate analytical methods for the sensitive detection of 5-HMF in milk and milk-based products. In this work, surface-enhance Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was used for rapid determination of 5-HMF in processed cheese by colloidal Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) substrate synthesized by the classical solvothermal reduction method. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to determine the vibration assignments of 5-HMF and the surface enhancement effect of AuNPs substrate. The results found that a good linear response on the AuNPs substrate for 5-HMF in the concentration range of 0.1-75 mM was established with the detection limit of 75 µM (S/N = 3). Furthermore, the present method could be applied to the determination of 5-HMF in a cheese real sample which revealed its promising application in food safety and analysis.

[3+2] Cycloaddition of alkyl aldehydes and alkynes enabled by photoinduced hydrogen atom transfer.

[3+2] Cycloaddition is a step- and atom-economic method for the synthesis of five-membered rings. Despite the great success of 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, the radical [3+2] annulation of alkynes remains a formidable challenge. Herein, a photoinduced decatungstate-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of various internal alkynes using abundant aliphatic aldehydes as a three-carbon synthon is developed, producing elaborate cyclopentanones in 100% atom economy with excellent site-, regio-, and diastereoselectivity under mild conditions. The catalytic cycle consists of hydrogen atom abstraction from aldehydes, radical addition, 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer, anti-Baldwin 5-endo-trig cyclization, and back hydrogen abstraction. The power of this method is showcased by the late-stage elaboration of medicinally relevant molecules and total or formal synthesis of (±)-ß-cuparenone, (±)-laurokamurene B, and (±)-cuparene.

Radical Chain Isomerization of N-Sulfonyl Ynamides to Ketenimines and Its Application to Furan Dearomatization.

A radical chain isomerization of N-sulfonyl ynamides to isolable ketenimines is developed, featuring mild reaction conditions, a high efficiency, ∼100% atom economy, a broad substrate scope, and column chromatography-free workup in most cases. Meanwhile, an unprecedented dearomatization of furans is achieved by the radical chain isomerization-triggered aza-Claisen rearrangement, providing highly chemo-, regio-, stereo-, and diastereoselective access to functionalized quaternary nitriles.

Desulfurization of Diaryl(heteroaryl) Sulfoxides with Benzyne.

Two benzyne-enabled desulfurization reactions have been demonstrated which convert diaryl sulfoxides and heteroaryl sulfoxides to biaryls and desulfurized heteroarenes, respectively. The reaction accessing biaryls tolerates a variety of functional groups, such as halides, pseudohalides, and carbonyls. Mechanistic studies reveal that both reactions proceed via a common assembly process but divergent disassemblies of the generated tetraaryl(heteroaryl) sulfuranes.

Palladium-Catalyzed anti-Selective Fluoroalkylboration of Internal and Terminal Alkynes.

A Pd-catalyzed anti-stereospecific alkyne fluoroalkylboration, including mono-, di-, and perfluoroalkylboration, has been developed with fluoroalkyl halides and diboron reagents. The reaction is effective for both internal and terminal alkynes. It provides straightforward and streamlined access to functionalized 1,2-fluoroalkylboronated alkenes in a highly regio- and stereocontrolled manner. Preliminary studies suggest that this reaction is enabled by the combination of radical alkylation and metal-catalyzed borylation, thus leading to the realization of three-component trans-carboboration of alkynes for the first time.

Copper-catalyzed acyltrifluoromethylation of alkenes: rapid access to trifluoroethyl indanones and related compounds.

Copper-catalyzed acyltrifluoromethylation of alkenes has been developed for the first time, affording trifluoroethyl indanones and related cyclic ketones in promising yields with excellent diastereoselectivity. The fast incorporation of CF3 and indanone into a single molecule renders it an efficient and valuable tool for the synthesis of biologically active compounds.

Synthesis, characterization, optical properties and theoretical calculations of 6-fluoro coumarin.

6-Fluoro coumarin is synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR. The optical properties of the title compound are investigated by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence emission spectra, the results show the title compound can absorb UV-vis light at 319, 269 and 215nm, moreover it exhibits blue-purple fluorescence emission at 416nm. Theoretical studies on molecular structure, infrared spectra (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR) chemical shifts, UV-vis absorption and fluorescence emission of the synthesized compound have been worked out. Most chemical calculations were performed by density functional theory (DFT) method at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level (NMR at B3LYP/Aug-CC-Pvdz level) using Gaussian 09 program. The compared results reveal that the scaled theoretical vibrational frequencies are in good accordance with the observed spectra; computational chemical shifts are consistent with the experimental values in most parts, except for some minor deviations; the UV-vis absorption calculated matches the experimental one very well, and the fluorescence emission spectrum is in good agreement with the experimental one when the solute-solvent hydrogen-bonding interaction is considered. These good coincidences prove that the computational methods selected can be used to predict these properties of other similar materials where it is difficult to arrive at experimental results.

Pd-catalyzed addition of boronic acids to ynol ethers: a highly regio- and stereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted vinyl ethers.

A Pd-catalyzed addition of boronic acids to ynol ethers has been realized, delivering trisubstituted vinyl ethers in good yields with perfect control of the regio- and stereoselectivity. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions and exhibits excellent functional group compatibility. Moreover, the resultant products can be converted into pentasubstituted benzenes via the tandem Diels-Alder/aromatization reaction.