Intriguing transport dynamics of ethylammonium nitrate-acetonitrile binary mixtures arising from nano-inhomogeneity.

Binary mixtures of ethylammonium nitrate and acetonitrile show interesting properties that originate from the structural and dynamical nano-heterogeneity present in ionic liquids. These effects are most pronounced when the ionic liquid is the minority compound. In this study the transport properties of such mixtures are studied, including viscosity, self-diffusion and conductivity. The results strongly support the presence of structural inhomogeneity and show an interesting composition-dependent behaviour in the mixtures.

Modulation of [CuOH/O]+ Properties in [2,2'-Bipyridine]2 Homoleptic Complexes through Substitution at the 6,6' Position by Methyl Groups.

In this paper, data from a DFT-based computational study on the reactivity of [Cu(2,2'-S-bpy)2]+PF6- (S indicating substitution by methyl groups at the 6 and/or 6' position and ranging from 0 to 100% through 50%) homoleptic complexes based toward tButOOH were presented. Computational results, supported by cyclic voltammetry analysis, prove the feasibility of finely tuning the chemical properties of the complexes and their reactivity by means of insertion of methyl moieties in selected positions within the bipyridine scaffold.

An anthropocene-framed transdisciplinary dialog at the chemistry-energy nexus.

At the energy-chemistry nexus, key molecules include carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), and ammonia (NH3). The position of these four molecules and that of the more general family of synthetic macromolecular polymer blends (found in plastics) were cross-analyzed with the planetary boundary framework, and as part of five scientific policy roadmaps for the energy transition. According to the scenarios considered, the use of some of these molecular substances will be drastically modified in the coming years. Ammonia, which is currently almost exclusively synthesized as feedstock for the fertilizer industry, is envisioned as a future carbon-free energy vector. "Green hydrogen" is central to many projected decarbonized chemical processes. Carbon dioxide is forecast to shift from an unavoidable byproduct to a valuable feedstock for the production of carbon-based compounds. In this context, we believe that interdisciplinary elements from history, economics and anthropology are relevant to any attempted cross-analysis. Distinctive and crucial insights drawn from elements of humanities and social sciences have led us to formulate or re-raise open questions and possible blind-spots in main roadmaps, which were developed to guide, inter alia, chemical research toward the energy transition. We consider that these open questions are not sufficiently addressed in the academic arena around chemical research. Nevertheless, they are relevant to our understanding of the current planetary crisis, and to our capacity to properly assess the potential and limitations of chemical research addressing it. This academic perspective was written to share this understanding with the broader academic community. This work is intended not only as a call for a larger interdisciplinary method, to develop a sounder scientific approach to broader scenarios, but also - and perhaps mostly - as a call for the development of radically transdisciplinary routes of research. As scientists with different backgrounds, specialized in different disciplines and actively involved in contributing to shape solutions by means of our research, we bear ethical responsibility for the consequences of our acts, which often lead to consequences well beyond our discipline. Do our research and the knowledge it produces respond, perpetuate or even aggravate the problems encountered by society?

Stereocontrolled synthesis of new iminosugar lipophilic derivatives and evaluation of biological activities.

Iminosugars' similarity to carbohydrates determines the exceptional potential for this class of polyhydroxylated alkaloids to serve as potential drug candidates for a wide variety of diseases such as diabetes, lysosomal storage diseases, cancer, bacterial and viral infections. The presence of lipophilic substituents has a significant impact on their biological activities. This work reports the synthesis of three new pyrrolidine lipophilic derivatives O-alkylated in C-6 position. The biological activities of our iminosugars' collection were tested in two cancer cell lines and, due to the pharmaceutical potential, in the model yeast system Saccharomyces cerevisiae to assess their toxicity.

A multi-technique approach to unveil the redox behaviour and potentiality of homoleptic CuI complexes based on substituted bipyridine ligands in oxygenation reactions.

The effect of differently substituted 2,2'-bipyridine ligands (i.e. 6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, 6,6'-dimethoxy-2,2'-bipyridine and 2,2'-bipyridine) on the reversible oxidation of the resulting CuI homoleptic complexes is investigated by means of a multi-technique approach (electronic and vibrational spectroscopies, DFT, electrochemistry). Among the four tested complexes, [CuI(6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine)2] (PF6) shows a peculiar behavior when oxidized with an organic peroxide (i.e. tert-butyl hydroperoxide, tBuOOH). The simultaneous use of UV-Vis-NIR and Raman spectroscopy methods and cyclovoltammetry, supported by DFT based calculations, allowed identifying (i) the change in the oxidation state of the copper ion and (ii) some peculiar modification in the local structure of the metal leading to the formation of a [CuIIOH]+ species. The latter, being able to oxidize a model molecule (i.e. cyclohexene) and showing the restoration of the original CuI complex and the formation of cyclohexanone, confirms the potential of these simple homoleptic CuI complexes as model catalysts for partial oxygenation reactions.