ABSTRACT
A series of 2'-arylbenzaldehyde oxime ethers were synthesized and shown to generate the corresponding phenanthridines upon irradiation in the presence of 9,10-dicyanoanthracene in acetonitrile. Mechanistic studies suggest that the oxidative cyclization reaction sequence is initiated by an electron transfer step followed by nucleophilic attack of the aryl ring onto the nitrogen of the oxime ether. A concave downward Hammett plot is presumably the result of a change in charge distribution in the radical cation species with strongly electron-donating substituents that yields a less electrophilic nitrogen atom and a decreased amount of cyclized product. The reaction is selective (no nitrile byproduct is formed unlike other photochemical reactions involving aldoxime ethers) as well as regiospecific when using 2'-aryl groups with meta-substituents, making this reaction a useful alternative for preparing substituted phenanthridines.
ABSTRACT
A significant advantage of a graphene biosensor is that it inherently represents a continuum of independent and aligned sensor-units. We demonstrate a nanoscale version of a micro-physiometer - a device that measures cellular metabolic activity from the local acidification rate. Graphene functions as a matrix of independent pH sensors enabling subcellular detection of proton excretion. Raman spectroscopy shows that aqueous protons p-dope graphene - in agreement with established doping trajectories, and that graphene displays two distinct pKa values (2.9 and 14.2), corresponding to dopants physi- and chemisorbing to graphene respectively. The graphene physiometer allows micron spatial resolution and can differentiate immunoglobulin (IgG)-producing human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells from non-IgG-producing control cells. Population-based analyses allow mapping of phenotypic diversity, variances in metabolic activity, and cellular adhesion. Finally we show this platform can be extended to the detection of other analytes, e.g. dopamine. This work motivates the application of graphene as a unique biosensor for (sub)cellular interrogation.