Pd-Catalyzed Cascade Cyclization/Thiocarbonylation with Thioformates: Synthesis of Thioester-Functionalized Oxindoles.

A Pd-catalyzed thiocarbonylative cyclization of N-(o-iodoaryl)acrylamides with easily accessible thioformates has been developed. The reaction has a wide substrate scope with good yields and represents a powerful route to the synthesis of thioester-functionalized oxindoles. Both S-aryl and alkyl thioformates as the thioester sources were well tolerated. The active Pd-CO intermediate may play an important role in the transformation process.

Palladium-Catalyzed Cyclization Coupling with Cyclobutanone-Derived N-Tosylhydrazones: Synthesis of Benzofuran-3-Cyclobutylidenes and Spirocyclobutanes.

A palladium-catalyzed cyclization coupling of iodoarene-tethered alkynes with cyclobutanone-derived N-tosylhydrazones is reported, providing a convenient and efficient approach to benzofuran-3-cyclobutylidenes. On this basis, spirocyclobutanes can be generated smoothly in an efficient cascade manner by the addition of dienophiles. Good yields and scalability are demonstrated. Sequential intramolecular carbopalladation, palladium-carbene migratory insertion, δ-hydride elimination, and cycloaddition processes are involved.

Palladium-Catalyzed Heck Cyclization with P(O)H Compounds to Construct Phosphinonyl-Azaindoline and -Azaoxindole Derivatives.

We report herein a concise method for the construction of phosphinonyl-azaindoline and -azaoxindole derivatives via a palladium-catalyzed cascade cyclization with P(O)H compounds. Various H-phosphonates, H-phosphinates, and aromatic secondary phosphine oxides are all tolerated under the reaction conditions. Furthermore, the phosphinonyl-azaindoline isomer families such as 7-, 5-, and 4-azaindolines could be synthesized in moderate to good yields.

Domino Heck/Hiyama cross-coupling: trapping of the σ-alkylpalladium intermediate with arylsilanes.

A palladium-catalyzed domino Heck cyclization/Hiyama coupling reaction by the trapping of the σ-alkylpalladium intermediate with arylsilanes is described. A wide range of aryl-tethered alkenes and arylsilanes are all compatible with the reaction conditions. This approach shows good yields and excellent functional group tolerance, presenting a more practical and sustainable alternative to the conventional domino Heck cyclization/Suzuki coupling reaction.

Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Cyclization/Dearomatization/Arylation of Alkyne-Containing Phenol-Based Biaryls with Aryl Halides: An Entry to Diversely Functionalized Spirocyclohexadienones.

A convenient method for the synthesis of aryl-functionalized spirocyclohexadienone scaffolds from alkyne-containing phenol-based biaryls with aryl halides via palladium-catalyzed cyclization/dearomatization/arylation is developed. The approach provides a series of spirocyclohexadienone molecules in moderate to high yields. The reaction occurs chemoselectively through dearomative C-arylation rather than common O-arylation of phenols.

LDPC-coded DFT-Spread DMT signal transmission employing probabilistic shaping 16/32QAM for optical interconnection.

The generation and transmission of a 150-Gb/s discrete-Fourier-transform spread (DFT-spread) probabilistic shaping (PS) 16QAM discrete multi-tone (DMT) signal with low-density parity-check (LDPC)-coded modulation for optical interconnection are proposed and experimentally demonstrated for the first time. The PS-16QAM symbols are reshaped from 32-QAM symbols based on the near-Gaussian distribution. The maximal shaping gain of around 0.5 dB is obtained for the PS-16QAM compared with the traditional unshaped one. Compared with the standard 16QAM, the proposed PS-16QAM DMT signal shows superior receiver sensitivity to provide abundant system loss budget for leveraging the legacy. Jointly iterative decoding algorithms based LDPC is utilized for PS de-mapping and inherent overlapped symbols identification in PS. In addition, the joint applications of DFT-spread and PS techniques can significantly improve received power sensitivity (RPS).

Base-promoted direct synthesis of functionalized N-arylindoles via the cascade reactions of allenic ketones with indoles.

A convenient Cs2CO3-promoted cascade benzannulation reaction of allenic ketones with indoles was achieved for the synthesis of functionalized N-arylindole derivatives under transition-metal-free conditions. A series of readily available starting materials can undergo the process successfully. It represents a practical method for the construction of N-arylindole scaffolds with high atom economy.

Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Carbopalladation/Phenol Dearomatization Reaction: Construction of Diversely Functionalized Spirocarbocyclic Scaffolds.

A novel palladium-catalyzed cascade carbopalladation/phenol dearomatization reaction has been achieved. The process provides a variety of indolone-, dihydrobenzofuran-, dihydrobenzopyran- and hydroquinoline-containing spirofused molecules bearing two quaternary centers in moderate to good yields. The potential synthetic utility of this method is demonstrated by a gram-scale experiment and further transformations.

Hepatitis C virus NS4B protein induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition by upregulation of Snail.

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key process associated with tumor metastasis and poor prognosis. HCV infection, HCV core and NS5A protein could induce EMT process, but the role of NS4B on EMT remains poorly understood. METHODS: We overexpressed HCV NS4B protein in HepG2 cells or Huh7.5.1 cells infected by HCVcc, the E-cadherin expression, N-cadherin expression and the EMT-associated transcriptional factor Snail were determined. The migration and invasion capabilities of the transfected cells were evaluated using wound-healing assay. Additionally, we used Snail siRNA interference to confirm the relation of HCV NS4B and Snail on EMT promotion. RESULTS: HCV NS4B increased the expression of EMT related markers and promoted cell migration and invasion. Snail knock-down almost completely eliminated the function of NS4B protein in EMT changes and reversed cell migration capacity to lower level. HCV NS4B protein could reduce the expression of Scribble and Hippo signal pathway were subsequently inactivated, resulting in the activation of PI3K/AKT pathway, which may be the reason for the up-regulation of Snail. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that HCV NS4B protein induces EMT progression via the upregulation of Snail in HCC, which may be a novel underlying mechanism for HCV-associated HCC development, invasion and metastasis.

CuCl-Catalyzed direct C-H alkenylation of benzoxazoles with allyl halides.

An efficient and concise CuCl-catalyzed C2-alkenylation reaction of benzoxazoles with allyl halides has been established. The distinctive features of this protocol include the use of an inexpensive copper salt as a catalyst, simple and readily available starting materials, and ligand-free conditions. An important application of this method to the synthesis of 1,3-diene substituted benzoxazoles has also been achieved.

A first-principles study of the thermodynamic and electronic properties of Mg and MgH2 nanowires.

In this article, we studied the thermodynamic and electronic properties of Mg and MgH2 nanowires with different diameters, and elucidated why MgH2 nanowires are good hydrogen storage materials through first-principles calculations. Previous experiments have shown that the orientation relationship between Mg and MgH2 nanowires is the Mg[0001] direction parallel to the MgH2[110] direction. In our calculations, Mg nanowires oriented along the [0001] direction and MgH2 nanowires oriented along the [110] direction were built from bulk Mg and MgH2 crystals, respectively. We found that as the diameters of Mg and MgH2 nanowires decrease, Mg and MgH2 nanowires become more unstable, and the hydrogen desorption energies and temperatures of MgH2 nanowires decrease. That is, the thinner the MgH2 nanowires get, the more dramatically hydrogen desorption temperatures (Td) will decrease. Meanwhile, we also found that when the diameters of MgH2 nanowires are larger than 1.94 nm, the Td almost maintain the same value at about 440 K, only about 40 K lower than that of bulk MgH2 crystal; if the diameters are less than 1.94 nm, the Td reduce very quickly. In particular, compared with bulk MgH2 crystal, the Td of the thinnest MgH2 nanowire with a diameter of 0.63 nm can be reduced by 164 K. In addition, the electronic structure calculations showed that Mg nanowires are metals, while MgH2 nanowires are semiconductors. In particular, our results showed that the electronic structures of MgH2 nanowires are influenced by the surface effect and quantum size effect. That is to say, the band gaps of MgH2 nanowires are controlled by surface electronic states and the size of MgH2 nanowires.

Lewis Acid Mediated Tandem Reaction of Propargylic Alcohols with Hydroxylamine Hydrochloride To Give α,ß-Unsaturated Amides and Alkenyl Nitriles.

We have developed a highly selective method for the synthesis of α,ß-unsaturated amides and alkenyl nitriles from readily available propargylic alcohols. The reaction proceeded smoothly under the neutral conditions with hydroxylamine hydrochloride (NH2OH·HCl) as the nitrogen source. The development of these new strategies has significantly extended the application of hydroxylamine hydrochloride to the chemistry of propargylic alcohols. Moreover, both secondary and tertiary alcohols have been highly regioselectively transformed to the desired products with good functional group compatibility.

Emerging A-D-A fused-ring photosensitizers for tumor phototheranostics.

As we all know, cancer is still a disease that we are struggling against. Although the traditional treatment options are still the mainstream in clinical practice, emerging phototheranostics technologies based on photoacoustic or fluorescence imaging-guided phototherapy also provide a new exploration direction for non-invasive, low-risk and highly efficient cancer treatment. Photosensitizers are the core materials to accomplish this mission. Recently, more attention has been paid to the emerging A-D-A fused-ring photosensitizers. A-D-A fused-ring photosensitizers display strong and wide absorption spectra, high photostability and easy molecular modification. Since this type of photosensitizer was first used for tumor therapy in 2019, its application boundaries are constantly expanding. Therefore, in this feature article, from the perspective of molecular design, we focused on the development of these molecules for application in phototheranostics over the past five years. The effects of tiny structural changes on their photophysical properties are discussed in detail, which provides a way for structural optimization of the subsequent A-D-A photosensitizers.

Tunning the hydrophobic performance and thermal stability of pectin film by acetic anhydride esterification.

Pectin, a polysaccharide found in plant cell walls, is characterized by a high abundance of hydroxyl groups and carboxylic acid groups, which results in a strong affinity for water and limits its suitability as a film material. This study aimed to modulate the esterification degree of PEC films by adjusting the concentration of acetic anhydride, and assess the impact of acetic anhydride esterification modification on the properties of the resultant PEC films. The results demonstrated successful grafting of acetic anhydride onto the galacturonic acid ring in the PEC molecule through the esterification process. The hydrophobicity, thermal stability, barrier properties, and mechanical properties of the esterified PEC films were investigated. Among the various concentrations tested, the E-PEC-0.25 film exhibited the highest contact angle of 103.46° and tensile strength of 33.44 MPa, showcasing optimal performance. The E-PEC-0.1 film achieved the highest esterification degree of 0.94 and elongation at a break of 21.11 %. It also exhibited the transparency of 11.66 and the lowest water vapor transmission rate of 0.56 g·mm/(m2·h·kpa). Additionally, TGA and DSC tests revealed enhanced thermal stability of the esterification-prepared films. These findings highlight the potential of acetic anhydride tuning as a promising strategy for optimizing pectin film production.

Three-component cascade carbopalladation/Heck cyclization/borylation: facile access to boryl-functionalized indenes.

A mild Pd-catalyzed three-component cascade cyclization functionalization of o-iodostyrenes, internal alkynes and boron reagents is presented. The transformation is driven by a controlled reaction sequence of intermolecular carbopalladation, intramolecular Heck-type cyclization, and a borylation process to give versatile boryl-functionalized indene skeletons in a selective fashion. Significantly, (Bpin)2, (Bneop)2 and CH2(Bpin)2 as boron sources are all tolerated. Additionally, the synthetic utility of this approach is demonstrated by gram-scale synthesis and synthetic transformations.

Evaluating the mechanism of soybean meal protein for boosting the laccase-catalyzed of thymol onto lignosulfonate via restraining non-specific adsorption.

The control of laccase-catalyzed efficiency often relies on the utilization of modifying enzyme molecules and shielding agents. However, their elevated costs or carcinogenicity led to the inability for large-scale application. To address this concern, we found that a low-cost protein from soybean meal can reduce lignin's ineffective adsorption onto enzymes for improving the efficiency of thymol grafting to lignosulfonate. The results demonstrated that by adding 0.5 mg/mL of additional soybean meal protein, the thymol reaction ratio of the modified lignosulfonate (L-0.5 S) significantly boosted from 18.1 % to 35.0 %, with the minimal inhibitory concentrations of the L-0.5 S against Aspergillus niger dramatically improved from 12.5 mg/mL to 3.1 mg/mL. Multiple characterization methods were employed to better understand the benefit of the modification under the addition of the soybean meal protein. The CO and R1-O group content increased from 20.5 % to 37.8 % and from 65.1 % to 75.5 %, respectively. The proposed potential reaction mechanism was further substantiated by the physicochemical properties. The incorporation of soybean meal effectively mitigated the non-specific adsorption of lignosulfonate, resulting in a reduction of the surface area of lignin from 235.0 to 139.2 m2/g. The utilization of soybean meal as a cost-effective and efficient shielding agent significantly enhanced the efficiency of subsequent enzyme catalysis. Consequently, the application of soybean meal in commercial enzyme catalysis holds considerable appeal and amplifies the relevance of this study in preservative industries.

Temporal Dynamics of Fungal Communities in Alkali-Treated Round Bamboo Deterioration under Natural Weathering.

Microbes naturally inhabit bamboo-based materials in outdoor environments, sequentially contributing to their deterioration. Fungi play a significant role in deterioration, especially in environments with abundant water and favorable temperatures. Alkali treatment is often employed in the pretreatment of round bamboo to change its natural elastic and aesthetic behaviors. However, little research has investigated the structure and dynamics of fungal communities on alkali-treated round bamboo during natural deterioration. In this work, high-throughput sequencing and multiple characterization methods were used to disclose the fungal community succession and characteristic alterations of alkali-treated round bamboo in both roofed and unroofed habitats throughout a 13-week deterioration period. In total, 192 fungal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) from six phyla were identified. The fungal community richness of roofed bamboo samples declined, whereas that of unroofed bamboo samples increased during deterioration. The phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota exhibited dominance during the entire deterioration process in two distinct environments, and the relative abundance of them combined was more than 99%. A distinct shift in fungal communities from Basidiomycota dominant in the early stage to Ascomycota dominant in the late stage was observed, which may be attributed to the increase of moisture and temperature during succession and the effect of alkali treatment. Among all environmental factors, temperature contributed most to the variation in the fungal community. The surface of round bamboo underwent continuous destruction from fungi and environmental factors. The total amount of cell wall components in bamboo epidermis in both roofed and unroofed conditions presented a descending trend. The content of hemicellulose declined sharply by 8.3% and 11.1% under roofed and unroofed environments after 9 weeks of deterioration. In addition, the contact angle was reduced throughout the deterioration process in both roofed and unroofed samples, which might be attributed to wax layer removal and lignin degradation. This study provides theoretical support for the protection of round bamboo under natural weathering.

Mechanistic insights into the cinnamaldehyde modification of lignin for sustainable anti-fungal reagent.

The limited anti-fungal activity of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL) has been a challenge in its direct application as a bamboo preservative. To address this issue, the cinnamaldehyde modification of EHL was carried out to introduce anti-fungal structures into the lignin matrix, effectively enhancing its anti-fungal activity. The results demonstrated that the minimal inhibitory concentrations of the modified lignin (EHL-DC) against Aspergillus niger significantly improved from 16 mg/mL to 1 mg/mL, with comparable enhancements in anti-fungal activity against other fungi. As a result of the modification, the EHL-DC is more prone to interact with fungal cell membranes, contributing to a roughened, shrunken hyphal surface and a decrease in mycelial biomass. Multiple characterization methods were employed to better grapple with the EHL-DC chemical changes. The nitrogen content increased from 2.3 % to 8.3 %, and alterations in elemental compositions further support the proposed reaction mechanism and its role in enhancing EHL's anti-fungal activity. This study offers novel insights into the high-value utilization of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin based on green chemistry principles.

Highly regioselective and stereoselective cascade reductive cyclization of δ-ketoamide: practical access to oxa-bridged benzazepines.

A highly regioselective and stereoselective cascade reduction cyclization of δ-ketoamide is realized under LiAlH4-assisted conditions, providing an atom-economical and straightforward approach to access oxa-bridged benzazepines in moderate to good yields. This method overcomes the limitations of aldehydes or other precursors of primary alcohols and realizes the cascade reduction cyclization of secondary alcohol anions generated in situ from ketones. The reaction proceeds with broad substrate scope and good functional group compatibility.

Exploration of Optimal Reaction Conditions for Constructing Hydrophobic Polymers with Low Deformation to Facilitate the Dimensional Stability of Laminated Bamboo Lumber.

The environmental moisture changes would result in the deformation and cracking of laminated bamboo lumber (LBL) easily due to the unreleased internal stress, leading to poor durability. In this study, a hydrophobic cross-linking polymer with low deformation was successfully fabricated and introduced in the LBL by polymerization and esterification to improve its dimensional stability. In an aqueous solution, the 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and Maleic anhydride (MAh) were employed as the base compounds for synthesizing the copolymer of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and maleic acid (PHM). The hydrophobicity and swelling performance of the PHM was adjusted by controlling the reaction temperatures. PHM-modified LBL's hydrophobicity as indicated by the contact angle, increased from 58.5° to 115.2°. The anti-swelling efficiency was also improved. Moreover, multiple characterizations were applied to clarify the structure of PHM and its bonding linkages in LBL. This study demonstrates an efficient avenue to facilitate the dimensional stability of LBL by PHM modification and sheds new light on the efficient utilization of LBL using a hydrophobic polymer with low deformation.