Chemistry, Volume 5, Issue 2 (June 2023) – 51 articles

The discovery of melamine by Justus von Liebig was fundamental for the development of several fields of chemistry. The vast majority of compounds with melamine or melamine derivatives appear as adducts. Herein, we focus on the development of novel compounds containing anionic melamine species, namely the melaminates. For this purpose, we analyze the reaction of SbCl₃ with melamine by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The whole study includes the synthesis and characterization of three antimony compounds that are obtained during the deprotonation process of melamine to melaminate with the reaction sequence from SbCl₄(C₉N₁₈H₁₉) (1) via (SbCl₄(C₆N₁₂H₁₃))₂ (2) to SbCl(C₃N₆H₄) (3). Compounds are characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The results give an insight into the mechanism of deprotonation of melamine, with the replacement of one, two, or eventually three hydrogen atoms from the three amino groups of melamine. The structure of (3) suggests that metal melaminates are likely to form supramolecular structures or metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Full article

Hypochlorous acid (HClO) is a common reactive oxygen species (ROS), with a high chemical reactivity. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an enzyme that catalyzes in vivo redox reactions between H₂O₂ and Cl⁻ to produce HClO. Abnormal levels of HClO and MPO may lead to oxidative stress, irreversible tissue damage and, thus, serious diseases; they are thus becoming important biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In this work, using HClO-induced site-specific cleavage of phosphorothioate-modified DNA to trigger rolling circle amplification (RCA), RCA-assisted biosensors have been developed for the highly sensitive and specific detection of HClO and MPO. Only two DNA oligonucleotides are used in the sensing systems. The powerful signal-amplification capability of RCA endows the sensing systems with a high sensitivity, and the specific fluorescent response of thioflavin T (ThT) to G-quadruplexes in RCA products makes a label-free signal output possible. The proposed biosensors were demonstrated to work well not only for the sensitive and specific quantitation of HClO and MPO with detection limits of 1.67 nM and 0.33 ng/mL, respectively, but also for the screening and inhibitory capacity evaluation of MPO inhibitors, thus holding great promise in disease diagnosis and drug analysis. Full article

Resource shortage is a major problem in our world. Nuclear energy is a green energy and because of this and its high energy density, it has been attracting more and more attention during the last few decades. Uranium is a valuable nuclear fuel used in the majority of nuclear power plants. More than one thousand times more uranium exists in the oceans, at very low concentrations, than is present in terrestrial ores. As the demand for nuclear power generation increases year-on-year, access to this reserve is of paramount importance for energy security. Water-insoluble polymeric materials functionalized with the amidoxime group are a technically feasible platform for extracting uranium, in the form of {UO₂}²⁺, from seawater, which also contains various concentrations of other competing metal ions, including vanadium (V). An in-depth understanding of the coordination modes and binding strength of the amidoxime group with uranyl and other competing ions is a key parameter for improving extraction efficiency and selectivity. Very limited information on the complexation of {UO₂}²⁺ with amidoximes was available before 2012. However, significant advances have been made during the last decade. This report reviews the solid-state coordination chemistry of the amidoxime group (alone or within ligands with other potential donor sites) with the uranyl ion, while sporadic attention on solution and theoretical studies is also given. Comparative studies with vanadium complexation are also briefly described. Eight different coordination modes of the neutral and singly deprotonated amidoxime groups have been identified in the structures of the uranyl complexes. Particular emphasis is given to describing the reactivity of the open-chain glutardiamidoxime, closed-ring glutarimidedioxime and closed-ring glutarimidoxioxime moieties, which are present as side chains on the sorbents, towards the uranyl moiety. The technological implications of some of the observed coordination modes are outlined. It is believed that X-ray crystallography of small uranyl-amidoxime molecules may help to build an understanding of the interactions of seawater uranyl with amidoxime-functionalized polymers and improve their recovery capacity and selectivity, leading to more efficient extractants. The challenges for scientists working on the structural elucidation of uranyl coordination complexes are also outlined. The review contains six sections and 95 references. Full article

Biomimetic N-acetylcysteamine thioesters are essential for the study of polyketide synthases, non-ribosomal peptide synthetases and fatty acid synthases. The chemistry for their preparation is, however, limited by their specific functionalization and their susceptibility to undesired side reactions. Here we report a method for the rapid preparation of N-acetylcysteamine (SNAC) 7-hydroxy-2-enethioates, which are suitable for the study of various enzymatic domains of megasynthase enzymes. The method is based on a one-pot sequence of hydroboration and the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction. The optimization of the reaction conditions made it possible to suppress potential side reactions and to introduce the highly functionalized SNAC methacrylate unit in a high yield. The versatility of the sequence was demonstrated by the synthesis of the complex polyketide-SNAC thioesters 12 and 33. Brown crotylation followed by the hydroboration to Suzuki–Miyaura reaction sequence enabled the introduction of the target motif in significantly fewer steps and with a higher overall yield and stereoselectivity than previously described approaches. This is the first report of a transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction in the presence of an SNAC thioester. Full article

CO₂ is the gas that contributes the most to the greenhouse effect and, therefore, to global warming. One of the greatest challenges facing humanity is the reduction of the concentration of CO₂ in the air. Here, we analyze the possible use of Au₁@g-C₃N₄ electrocatalyst to transform CO₂ into added-value products. We use density functional theory (DFT) to determine the reaction Gibbs energies for eight electron–proton transfer reaction paths of the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) using a single Au atom supported on 2D carbon nitride support. Our simulations classify the Au₁@g-C₃N₄ electrocatalysts as “beyond CO” since their formation is energetically favored, although their strong binding with a Au single atom does not allow the desorption process. DFT calculations revealed that the lowest energy pathway is CO₂ (g) → COOH* → CO* → HCO* → HCOH* → CH₂OH* → CH₂* → CH₃* → CH₄ (g), where the first hydrogenation of CO to HCO is predicted as the rate-limiting step of the reaction with slightly lower potential than predicted for Cu electrodes, the most effective catalysts for CO2RR. Methane is predicted to be the main reaction product after eight proton–electron transfers (CO₂ + 8 H⁺ + 8e⁻ → CH₄ + 2H₂O). The generation of formaldehyde is discarded due to the large formation energy of the adsorbed moiety and the production of methanol is slightly less favorable than methane formation. Our computational study helps to identify suitable electrocatalysts for CO2RR by reducing the amount of metal and using stable and low-cost supports. Full article

Rare-earth metal sesquioxides (RE₂O₃) are stable compounds that require high activation energies in solid-state reactions or strong acids for dissolution in aqueous media. Alternatively, dissolution and downstream chemistry of RE₂O₃ have been achieved with ionic liquids (ILs), but typically with additional water. In contrast, the anhydrous IL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate [BMIm][OAc] dissolves RE₂O₃ for RE = La–Ho and forms homoleptic dinuclear metal complexes that crystallize as [BMIm]₂[RE₂(OAc)₈] salts. Chloride ions promote the dissolution without being included in the compounds. Since the lattice energy of RE₂O₃ increases with decreasing size of the RE³⁺ cation, Ho₂O₃ dissolves very slowly, while the sesquioxides with even smaller cations appear to be inert under the applied conditions. The Sm and Eu complex salts show blue and red photoluminescence and Van Vleck paramagnetism. The proton source for the dissolution is the imidazolium cation. Abstraction of the acidic proton at the C²-atom yields an N-heterocyclic carbene (imidazole-2-ylidene). The IL can be regenerated by subsequent reaction with acetic acid. In the overall process, RE₂O₃ is dissolved by anhydrous acetic acid, a reaction that does not proceed directly. Full article

The sp³ C–H acetoxylation at the β-position of α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids proceeds smoothly under palladium catalysis in the presence of PhI(OAc)₂. This reaction provides a straightforward synthetic route to non-natural β-acetoxy-α-amino acids. The reaction of α-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid takes place via ring-opening to selectively afford an acyclic γ-acetoxy-α,β-unsaturated amino acid. Full article

Three novel cadmium(II) coordination compounds, the dimeric [Cd(CH₃COO)₂(nia)₂]₂ (1), the polymeric {[Cd(nia)₄](ClO₄)₂}_n (2), and the monomeric [Cd(H₂O)₃(nia)₃](ClO₄)₂·nia (3), were prepared in the reactions of the nicotinamide (pyridine-3-carboxamide, nia) with the corresponding cadmium(II) salts. All prepared compounds were characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR spectroscopy, TGA/DTA, and single crystal X-ray analysis. The impact of anions (acetate, perchlorate) and solvent used on the dimensionality of cadmium(II) complexes and the cadmium(II) coordination environment was investigated. The bridging capabilities of acetate ions enabled the formation of dimers in the crystal structure of 1. It was shown that the dimensionality of perchlorate complexes depends on the solvent used. The coordination polymer 2 is isolated from an ethanol solution, while monomeric compound 3 was obtained by using a water/ethanol mixture as a solvent. The pentagonal-bipyramidal coordination of cadmium(II) was found in the presence of chelating and bridging acetate ions in 1. In the presence of non-coordinating perchlorate anions in 2 and 3, the coordination geometry of cadmium(II) is found to be octahedral. The supramolecular amide-amide homosynthon ${\mathrm{R}}_2^2\left(8\right)$ was preserved in the hydrogen-bonded frameworks of all three compounds. Full article

Modified nucleobases are potentially useful building blocks when containing catalytically active functionalities and could be introduced in chiral tridimensional molecules such as nucleic acids, which creates the premises for the development of novel catalytic species. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a novel β-C-nucleoside bearing a diol group at anomeric position, amenable as a metal ligand or organocatalyst. An abasic ligand was successfully prepared and inserted into a complementary DNA strand. Full article

The field of hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite materials continues to attract the interest of the scientific community due to their fascinating properties and the plethora of promising applications in photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices. To enhance the efficiency and stability of perovskite-based devices, it is essential to discover novel compounds but also to investigate their various physicochemical, structural, and thermal properties. In this work, we report the synthesis and structural characterization of two novel hybrid lead bromide perovskites, combining the imidazolium cation (IMI) with methylammonium (MA) or formamidinium (FA) cations. The isolated polycrystalline powders were studied with X-ray powder diffraction (XPRD) and were formulated as (IMI)(MA)Pb₂Br₆, a 3D structure consisting of dimers of face-sharing octahedra linked in corner-sharing mode, and (IMI)(FA)PbBr₄, a 2D (110) oriented layer structure with zig-zag corner-sharing octahedra. The thermal stability of (IMI)(MA)Pb₂Br₆ and (IMI)(FA)PbBr₄ was investigated with thermogravimetric (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments which showed that both compounds are chemically stable (at least) up to 250 °C. Variable-temperature X-ray diffractometric (VT-XRD) studies of (IMI)(FA)PbBr₄ highlighted a structural modification occurring above 100 °C, that is a phase transformation from triclinic to orthorhombic, via an elusive monoclinic phase. Full article

Large biomolecules often have multiple intramolecular hydrogen bonds. In the cases where these interact, it requires special tools to disentangle the patterns. Such a tool could be deuterium isotope effects on chemical shifts. The use of theoretical calculations is an indispensable tool in such studies. The present paper illustrates how DFT calculations of chemical shifts and deuterium isotope effects on chemical shifts in combination with measurements of these effects can establish the complex intramolecular hydrogen bond patterns of rifampicin as an example) The structures were calculated using DFT theoretical calculations, performed with the Gaussian 16 software. The geometries were optimized using the B3LYP functional and the Pople basis set 6-31G(d) and the solvent (DMSO) was taken into account in the PCM approach. Besides the 6-31G(d) basis set, the 6-31 G(d,p) and the 6-3111G(d,p) basis sets were also tested. The nuclear shieldings were calculated using the GIAO approach. Deuteriation was simulated by shortening the X-H bond lengths by 0.01 Å. Full article

Although significant advances have been witnessed in the application of nanozymes in recent years, exploring new strategies to enhance the enzyme-like activity of nanozymes is of urgent importance. Herein, we investigate the feasibility of accelerating the peroxidase-like reaction rate of CuO nanostructures through Fe doping. The coprecipitation method was used to synthesize Fe-doped CuO (Fe-CuO) nanozymes, and the results indicate that the diversified valence of Fe benefits the redox reaction driven by CuO-based nanozymes. With the improved peroxidase-like activity, the Fe-CuO nanozyme enables the significant chromogenic oxidation reaction of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), facilitating the construction of a visual sensing platform for the sensitive and selective determination of ascorbic acid. Under optimal conditions, the absorbance at 652 nm decreases linearly with the concentration of ascorbic acid in the range of 5–50 μM, with a limit of detection as low as 4.66 μM. This work exemplifies the activity enhancement for peroxidase-mimicking nanozymes with a metal-doping strategy and provides a broad prospect for the design of more high-performance nanozymes for biosensing applications. Full article

Copper(II) clusters of the type [Cu^II₄OCl₆L₄] (L = ligand or solvent) are a well-studied example of inverse coordination compounds. In the past, they have been studied because of their structural, magnetic, and spectroscopic features. They have long been believed to be redox-inactive compounds, but recent findings indicate a complex chemical equilibrium with diverse mononuclear as well as multinuclear copper(I) and copper(II) compounds. Furthermore, depending on the ligand system, such cluster compounds have proven to be versatile catalysts, e.g., in the oxidation of cyclohexane to adipic acid. This report covers a systematic study of the formation of [Cu^II₄OCl₆(TPP)₄] and [Cu^II₄OCl₆(TPPO)₄] (TPP = triphenylphosphine, PPh₃; TPPO = triphenylphosphine oxide, O=PPh₃) as well as the redox equilibrium of these compounds with mononuclear copper(I) and copper(II) complexes such as [Cu^IICl₂(TPPO)₂], [{Cu^IICl₂}₂(TPPO)₂], [{Cu^IICl₂}₃(TPPO)₂], [{Cu^II₄Cl₄}(TPP)₄], and [Cu^ICl(TPP)_n] (n = 1–3). Full article

A new synthetic route to 1H-1,2,3-triazole-4,5-dithiols (tazdtH₂) as ligands for the coordination of Ni^II, Pd^II, Pt^II and Co^III via the dithiolate unit is presented. Different N-protective groups were introduced with the corresponding azide via a click-like copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne [3 + 2] cycloaddition (CuAAC) and fully characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Possible isomers were isolated and an alternative synthetic route was investigated and discussed. After removal of the benzyl protective groups on sulfur by in situ-generated sodium naphthalide, complexes at the [(dppe)M] (M = Ni, Pd, Pt), [(PPh₃)₂Pt] and [(η⁵-C₅H₅)Co] moieties were prepared and structurally characterized by XRD analysis. In this process, the by-products 11 and 12 as monothiolate derivatives were isolated and structurally characterized as well. With regioselective coordination via the dithiolate unit, the electronic influence of different metals or protective groups at N was investigated and compared spectroscopically by means of UV/Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Complex [(η⁵-C₅H₅)Co(5c)] (10), is subject to a dimerization equilibrium, which was investigated by temperature-dependent NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy (solution and solid-state). The thermodynamic parameters of the monomer/dimer equilibrium were derived. Full article

The dehydroaromatization of methane (MDA) is of great interest as a promising process for processing natural and associated petroleum gases, the main component of which is methane. The rapid loss of catalyst activity because of coke formation hinders the introduction of the DHA methane process into the industry. Therefore, the aim of this research was to find ways to improve Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts for MDA. The paper presents the results of the synthesis of high-silica zeolites of the ZSM-5 type with microporous and micro–mesoporous structures, the preparation of Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts based on them, and the study of the physicochemical and catalytic properties of the obtained samples during the non-oxidative conversion of methane into aromatic hydrocarbons. Zeolite catalysts were investigated using IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, TPD-NH₃, SEM, HR-TEM, and N₂ adsorption. It was found that the addition of carbon black in the stage of the synthesis of zeolite type ZSM-5 did not lead to structural changes, and the obtained samples had a crystallinity degree equal to 100%. The creation of the micro–mesoporous structure in Mo/ZSM-5 catalysts led to an increase in their activity and stability in the process of methane dehydroaromatization. The highest conversion of methane was observed on a 4.0%Mo/ZSM-5 catalyst prepared based on zeolite synthesized using 1.0% carbon black and was 13.0% after 20 min of reaction, while the benzene yield reached 7.0%. It was shown using HR-TEM that a more uniform distribution of the active metal component was observed in a zeolite catalyst with a micro–mesoporous structure than in a microporous zeolite. Full article

In this work, we explored the synthesis and characterization of Pt(II) complexes bearing different tri- and tetradentate luminophores acting as C^N*N- and C^N*N^C-chelators. Thus, we investigated diverse substitution patterns in order to improve their processability and assessed the effects of structural variations on their excited state properties. Hence, a detailed analysis of the different synthetic pathways is presented; the photophysical properties were studied by using steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. We determined the absorption and emission spectra, the photoluminescence efficiencies, and the excited state lifetimes of the complexes in fluid solutions at room temperature and frozen glassy matrices at 77 K. Finally, a structure–property relationship was established, showing that the decoration of the bridging unit on the tridentate luminophores only marginally affects the excited state properties, whereas the double cyclometallation related to the tetradentate chelator prolongs the excited state lifetime and increases the photoluminescence quantum yield. Full article

Radical translocation reactions are finding various uses in organic synthesis, in particular the stereospecific formation of complex natural products. In this work, the syntheses and single-crystal structures of two substituted 2-iodo-phenyl methyl-amides are reported, namely cyclo-propane carboxylic acid (2-iodo-phenyl)-methyl-amide, C₁₁H₁₂INO (1), and cyclo-heptane carboxylic acid (2-iodo-phenyl)-methyl-amide, C₁₅H₂₀INO (2). In each case, the methyl-amide group has a syn conformation, and this grouping is perpendicular to the plane of the benzene ring: these solid-state conformations appear to be well setup to allow an intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer to take place as part of a radical translocation reaction. Short intermolecular I⋯O halogen bonds occur in each crystal structure, leading to [010] chains in 1 [I⋯O = 3.012 (2) Å] and isolated dimers in 2 [I⋯O = 3.024 (4) and 3.057 (4) Å]. The intermolecular interactions are further quantified by Hirshfeld surface analyses. Full article

A styrylpyridine-containing cyclophane with diethylenetriamine linkers is presented as a host system whose association with representative nucleotides was examined with photometric and fluorimetric titrations. The spectrometric titrations revealed the formation of 1:1 complexes with log K_b values in the range of 2.3–3.2 for pyrimidine nucleotides TMP (thymidine monophosphate), TTP (thymidine triphosphate) and CMP (cytidine monophosphate) and 3.8–5.0 for purine nucleotides AMP (adenosine monophosphate), ATP (adenosine triphosphate), and dGMP (deoxyguanosine monophosphate). Notably, in a neutral buffer solution, the fluorimetric response to the complex formation depends on the type of nucleotide. Hence, quenching of the already weak fluorescence was observed with the purine bases, whereas the association of the cyclophane with pyrimidine bases TMP, TTP, and CMP resulted in a significant fluorescence light-up effect. Thus, it was demonstrated that the styrylpyridine unit is a useful and complementary fluorophore for the development of selective nucleotide-targeting fluorescent probes based on alkylamine-linked cyclophanes. Full article

While the use of l-proline-derived peptides has been proven similarly successful with respect to enantioselectivity, the physico-chemical and conformational properties of these organocatalysts are not fully compatible with transition state and intermediate structures previously suggested for l-proline catalysis. l-Proline or l-4-hydroxyproline catalysis is assumed to involve proton transfers mediated by the carboxylic acid group, whereas a similar mechanism is unlikely for peptides, which lack a proton donor. Herein, we prepared an array of hydroxyproline-based dipeptides through amide coupling of Boc-protected cis- or trans-4-l-hydroxyproline (cis- or trans-4-Hyp) to benzylated glycine (Gly-OBn) and l-valine (l-Val-OBn) and used these dipeptides as catalysts for a model aldol reaction. Despite the lack of a proton donor in the catalytic site, we observed good stereoselectivities for the R-configured aldol product both with dipeptides formed from cis- or trans-4-Hyp at moderate conversions after 24 h. To explain this conundrum, we modeled reaction cycles for aldol additions in the presence of cis-4-Hyp, trans-4-Hyp, and cis- and trans-configured 4-Hyp-peptides as catalysts by calculation of free energies of conformers of intermediates and transition states at the density functional theory level (B3LYP/6-31G(d), DMSO PCM as solvent model). While a catalytic cycle as previously suggested with l-proline is also plausible for cis- or trans-4-Hyp, with the peptides, the energy barrier of the first reaction step would be too high to allow conversions at room temperature. Calculations on modeled transition states suggest an alternative pathway that would explain the experimental results: here, the catalytic cycle is entered by the acetone self-adduct 4-hydroxy-4-methylpentan-2-one, which forms spontaneously to a small extent in the presence of a base, leading to considerably reduced calculated free energy levels of transition states of reaction steps that are considered rate-determining. Full article

The de novo design and synthesis of peptide-based biocatalysts that can mimic the activity of natural enzymes is an exciting field with unique opportunities and challenges. In a natural enzyme, the active site is composed of an assembly of different amino acid residues, often coordinated with a metal ion. A metalloenzyme’s catalytic activity results from the dynamic and concerted interplay of various interactions among the residues and metal ions. Aiming to mimic such enzymes, simple peptide fragments, drawing structural inspiration from natural enzymes, can be utilized as a model. In our effort to mimic a metal-containing hydrolase, we designed peptide amphiphiles (PA) 1 and 2 with a terminal histidine having amide and acid functionalities, respectively, at its C-terminal, imparting differential ability to coordinate with Zn and Cu ions. The PAs demonstrate remarkable self-assembly behavior forming excellent nanofibers. Upon coordination with metal ions, depending on the coordination site the nanofibers become rigidified or weakened. Rheological studies revealed excellent mechanical properties of the hydrogels formed by the PAs and the PA–metal co-assemblies. Using such co-assemblies, we mimic hydrolase activity against a p-nitrophenyl acetate (p-NPA) substrate. Michaelis–Menten’s enzyme kinetic parameters indicated superior catalytic activity of 2 with Zn amongst all the assemblies. Full article

Ethylene glycol (EG) produced from biomass is a promising candidate for several new applications. In this paper, EG derivatives such as mono- and di-tert-butyl ethers are considered. However, accurate thermodynamic data are essential to optimise the technology of the direct tert-butyl ether EG synthesis reaction or reverse process isobutene release. The aim of this work is to measure the vapour pressures and combustion energies for these ethers and determine the vaporisation enthalpies and enthalpies of formation from these measurements. Methods based on the First and Second Law of Thermodynamics were combined to discover the reliable thermodynamics of ether synthesis reactions. The thermochemical data for ethylene glycol tert-butyl ethers were validated using structure–property correlations and quantum chemical calculations. The literature results of the equilibrium study of alkylation of EG with isobutene were evaluated and the thermodynamic functions of ethylene glycol tert-butyl ethers were derived. The energetics of alkylation determined according to the “First Law” and the “Second Law” methods agree very well. Some interesting aspects related to the entropy of ethylene glycol tert-butyl ethers were also revealed and discussed. Full article

It has been about 36 years since the first published paper about the calorimetry and adsorption (Cal-Ad) method by Prof. Drago. These separated methods are very old and important characterization tools for different molecules and materials, as recognized in chemistry. The idea of coupling these two techniques arose from the need to have more information about the thermodynamic parameters of a catalyst. The Cal-Ad method provides a measure of the magnitude (K_i), strength (−∆H_i), and quantity (n_i) of sites present in a catalyst. The original idea is based on the application of the donor-acceptor concept using the Electrostatic Covalent Model, ECW in the areas of catalysis and material chemistry. Particularly, enthalpy measurements of acidity are directly related to the activity of various catalysts in a variety of reactions. Currently, more than twenty-five catalysts have been carefully characterized by this method in addition to spectroscopic and other thermal methods. Thus, this review seeks to present the fundamentals of the method and show different applications of the characterized catalysts for a variety of reactions in order to use these data as an alternative to choose a catalyst for an acid-dependent type reaction. Full article

The potential of pretreated sugarcane bagasse (SCB) as a low-cost and renewable source to yield activated carbon (AC) for chromate CrO₄²⁻ removal from an aqueous solution has been investigated. Raw sugarcane bagasse was pretreated with H₂SO₄, H₃PO₄, HCl, HNO₃, KOH, NaOH, or ZnCl₂ before carbonization at 700 °C. Only pretreatments with H₂SO₄ and KOH yield clean AC powders, while the other powders still contain non-carbonaceous components. The point of zero charge for ACs obtained from SCB pretreated with H₂SO₄ and KOH is 7.71 and 2.62, respectively. Batch equilibrium studies show that the most effective conditions for chromate removal are a low pH (i.e., below 3) where >96% of the chromate is removed from the aqueous solution. Full article

Here, five bonds to carbon through tri-coordination are theoretically established in the global minimum energy isomers of ${\mathrm{Al}}_3{\mathrm{C}}_3^{-}$ anion (1a) and ${\mathrm{Al}}_3{\mathrm{C}}_3$ neutral (1n) for the first time. Various isomers of ${\mathrm{Al}}_3{\mathrm{C}}_3^{-/0}$ are theoretically identified using density functional theory at the PBE0-D3/def2-TZVP level. Chemical bonding features are thoroughly analyzed for these two isomers (1a and 1n) with different bonding and topological quantum chemical tools, such as adaptive natural density partitioning (AdNDP), Wiberg Bond Indices (WBIs), nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS), and atoms in molecules (AIM) analyses. The structure of isomer 1a is planar with C_2v symmetry, whereas its neutral counterpart 1n is non-planar with C₂ symmetry, in which its terminal aluminum atoms are out of the plane. The central allenic carbon atom of isomers 1a and 1n exhibits tri-coordination and thus makes it a case of five bonds to carbon, which is confirmed through their total bond order as observed in WBI. Both the isomers show σ- and π-aromaticity and are predicted with the NICS and AdNDP analyses. Further, the results of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal their kinetic stability at room temperature; thus, they are experimentally viable systems. Full article

The Mn-Na₂WO₄/SiO₂ catalyst is regarded as the most promising catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). Despite its remarkable performance, the Mn-Na₂WO₄/SiO₂ catalyst requires a high reaction temperature (>750 °C) to show significant activity, a temperature regime that simultaneously causes quick deactivation. In the current work, we show that the benefits of this catalyst can be leveraged even at lower reaction temperatures by a using a stacked catalyst bed, which includes also a small amount of 5% La₂O₃/MgO on-top- of the Mn-Na₂WO₄/SiO₂ catalyst. The simple stacking of the two catalysts provides >7-fold higher activity and ~1.4-fold higher C₂ yield at 705 °C compared to Mn-Na₂WO₄/SiO₂ and La₂O₃/MgO, respectively. We specifically show that the enhanced OCM performance is associated with synergistic interactions between the two catalyst domains and study their origin. Full article

Structures of three cocrystals of nootropic racetams were studied. They included two cocrystals of phenylpiracetam (PPA) with 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) with different stoichiometries, PPA·HBA and PPA·2HBA, and cocrystal of 2-(4-phenyl-2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)-N’-isopropylideneacetohydrazide (PPAH) with 4-hydroxybenzamide (HBD), PPAH·HBD·(acetone solvate). X-ray study of the pure forms of PPA and PPAH was also carried out to identify variations of molecular synthons under the influence of conformers. The cocrystal structures revealed the diversity of supramolecular synthons namely, amide-amide, amide-acid, acid-acid, and hydroxyl-hydroxyl; however, very similar molecular chains were found in PPA and PPA·2HBA, and similar molecular dimers in PPAH and PPAH·HBD. In addition, conformational molecular diversity was observed as disorder in PPA·2HBA as it was observed earlier for rac-PPA that allows for the consideration that cocrystal as an example of partial solid solution. Quantum chemical calculations of PPA and PPAH conformers demonstrated that for most conformers, energy differences do not exceed 2 kcal/mol that suggests the influence of packing conditions (in this case R- and S-enantiomers intend to occupy the same molecular position in crystal) on molecular conformation. Full article

We hereby report a simple and efficient method for the preparation of 4-methylcoumarins series, including Coumarin 120 (7-amino-4-methylcoumarin) from phenols (or naphthols) and ethyl acetoacetate in the presence of 3 mol% InCl_3. Coumarins were obtained in good yields (52–92%) through Pechmann condensation, under a rapid and environmentally friendly protocol using a high-speed ball mill mixer at room temperature, with short reaction times, under solvent-free conditions. Full article

Calcium phosphate nanoparticles (60 nm) were stabilized with either polyethyleneimine (PEI; polycationic electrolyte) or carboxymethylcellulose (CMC; polyanionic electrolyte). Next, a silica shell was added and terminated with either azide or alkyne groups via siloxane coupling chemistry. The particles were covalently functionalized by copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC; click chemistry) with proteins or gold nanoparticles that carried the complementary group, i.e., either alkyne or azide. The model proteins hemoglobin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were attached as well as ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (2 nm). The number of protein molecules and gold nanoparticles attached to each calcium phosphate nanoparticle was quantitatively determined by extensive fluorescent labelling and UV–Vis spectroscopy on positively (PEI) or negatively (CMC) charged calcium phosphate nanoparticles, respectively. Depending on the cargo and the nanoparticle charge, this number was in the range of several hundreds to thousands. The functionalized calcium phosphate particles were well dispersible in water as shown by dynamic light scattering and internally amorphous as shown by X-ray powder diffraction. They were easily taken up by HeLa cells and not cytotoxic. This demonstrates that the covalent surface functionalization of calcium phosphate nanoparticles is a versatile method to create transporters with firmly attached cargo molecules into cells. Full article

This is a short overview of the life and achievements of Justus von Liebig. Clearly, this can only be an incomplete and somewhat personal view of the author, who has been a professor of inorganic chemistry at Justus Liebig University since 2002. Having already been interested in the work of Liebig for many years, and with a strong connection to the Liebig Museum in Giessen, the author hopes to provide some useful information about this great chemist, one of the founders of modern chemistry. The reader should find many interesting, probably new, facts about Liebig’s major impact on chemistry, agriculture, nutrition, and pharmacology. Full article

The synthesis, structure and photophysical properties of two polynuclear zinc complexes, namely [Zn₆L₂(µ₃-OH)₂(OAc)₈] (1) and [Zn₄L₄(µ₂-OH)₂](ClO₄)₂ (2), supported by tridentate Schiff base ligand 2,6-bis((N-benzyl)iminomethyl)-4-tert-butylphenol (HL) are presented. The synthesized compounds were investigated using ESI-MS, IR, NMR, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The hexanuclear neutral complex 1 comprises six-, five- and four-coordinated Zn²⁺ ions coordinated by O and N atoms from the supporting ligand and OH- and acetate ligands. The Zn²⁺ ions in complex cation [Zn₄L₄(µ₂-OH)₂]²⁺ of 2 are all five-coordinated. The complexation of ligand HL by Zn²⁺ ions leads to a six-fold increase in the intensity and a large blue shift of the ligand-based ¹(π-π)* emission. Other biologically relevant ions, i.e., Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cu²⁺, did not give rise to a fluorescence enhancement. Full article