Metal-free transannulation reaction of indoles with nitrostyrenes: a simple practical synthesis of 3-substituted 2-quinolones

3-Substituted 2-quinolones are obtained via a novel, metal-free transannulation reaction of 2-substituted indoles with 2-nitroalkenes in polyphosphoric acid. The reaction can be used in conjunction with the Fisher indole synthesis offering a practical three-component heteroannulation methodology to produce 2-quinolones from arylhydrazines, 2-nitroalkenes and acetophenone

Electrophilically Activated Nitroalkanes in Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydroquinozalines

Nitroalkanes activated with polyphosphoric acid serve as efficient electrophiles in reactions with various nucleophilic amines. Strategically placed second functionality allows for the design of annulation reactions enabling preparation of various heterocycles. This strategy was employed to develop an innovative synthetic approach towards 3,4-dihydroquinazolines from readily available 2-(aminomethyl)anilines

Synthesis of imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines via cyclocondensation of 2-(aminomethyl)pyridines with electrophilically activated nitroalkanes

Imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines were efficiently prepared via the cyclization of 2-picolylamines with nitroalkanes electrophilically activated in the presence of phosphorous acid in polyphosphoric acid (PPA) medium

A Convenient Way to Quinoxaline Derivatives through the Reaction of 2-(3-Oxoindolin-2-yl)-2-phenylacetonitriles with Benzene-1,2-diamines

Microwave-assisted reaction between 2-(3-oxoindolin-2-yl)-2-phenylacetonitriles andbenzene-1,2-diamines leads to the high-yielding formation of the corresponding quinoxalines as sole, easily isolaable products. The featured transformation involves unusual extrusion of phenylacetonitrile molecule and could be performed in a short sequence starting from commonly available indoles and nitroolefins

Improved Method for Preparation of 3-(1H-Indol-3-yl)benzofuran-2(3H)-ones

3-(1H-Indol-3-yl)benzofuran-2(3H)-ones were efficiently accessed via polyphosphoric acid-mediated condensation of 3-(2-nitrovinyl)-1H-indoles with phenols

The Analysis of Polystyrene and Polystyrene Aggregates into the Mega Dalton Mass Range by Cryodetection MALDI TOF MS

Mass spectra of atactic polystyrene were collected into the mega-dalton mass range with a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometer, which incorporates a cryodetector comprised of an array of 16 superconducting tunnel junctions (STJ). The STJ cryodetector, theoretically, has no loss in signal response at any mass compared with the reduced signal found at high mass when using a conventional secondary-ionization detector. Since ion detection at high m/z is one of the fundamental limitations of mass spectrometry (MS), the cryodetector was used to explore the high m/z limit of the MALDI TOF technique for the analysis of two polymer types. Mass spectra were collected for polystyrene at Mn 170, 400, 900, and 2000 kDa and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) at Mn 62.6 kDa and 153.7 kDa. For polystyrene, the data showed a trend toward increased aggregation and charge state with mass. The Mn 2 MDa polystyrene data revealed a peak at m/z 2.2 MegaTh and a charge state analysis revealed that these ions were primarily polystyrene aggregates with a mass of ∼4 MDa. This aggregate assignment was possible because the cryodetector response allows for the determination of a charge state up to about four. The contribution of each charge state for a selected peak can be determined in this fashion. This analysis revealed the preferential formation of doubly charged even-numbered aggregates over odd-numbered aggregates for high molecular mass polystyrene. A potential mechanism for the aggregation process for doubly charged species is discussed

Synthetic blends of volatile, phytopathogen-induced odorants can be used to manipulate vector behavior

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted from all plants and these VOCs are important means of communication between plants and insects. It has been documented that pathogen infections alter VOC profiles rendering infected plants more attractive to specific vectors transmitting these pathogens than uninfected plants, thus potentially aiding in pathogen propagation. Mimicking these chemical cues might enable insect attraction away from the plant or disruption of host finding behavior of the vector. However, the practical implications have not been fully explored. We used citrus, Diaphorina citri and huanglongbing (HLB) as a model host-vector-disease system because HLB threatens citrus production worldwide and is similar to other critical diseases of food crops, such as Zebra Chip affecting potato. We formulated a synthetic chemical blend using selected HLB-specific biomarker compounds, and tested the blend with the Attenu assay system for chemosensory proteins. The Attenu assay system is a procedure that identifies interactions between insect chemosensory proteins and their ligands. We found that an equimolar mixture of compounds mimicking the volatile profile of HLB-infected citrus bound chemosensory proteins. Further investigation of this blend in laboratory behavioral assays resulted in development of a synthetic lure that was more attractive to D. citri than natural citrus tree volatiles. This strategy could provide a new route to produce chemical lures for vector population control for a variety of plant and/or animal systems and it may result in the development of a practical lure for monitoring vectors of disease, such as D. citri

High-Speed Monitoring of Dust Particles in ITER ELMs Simulation Experiments with QSPA Kh-50

Dust generation under powerful plasma stream impacts has been studied in ITER ELM simulation experiments with QSPA Kh-50 plasma accelerator. Repetitive plasma exposures of tungsten have been performed by 0.25 ms plasma pulses and the heat load varied in the range (0.1÷1.1) MJm-2. Main characteristics of dust particles such as a number of ejected particles, their velocity, angular distribution and start time from the surface are investigated. Dust particles have not been observed under heat load below the cracking threshold. Quantity of dust particles rises with increasing heat load. Average velocities of dust particles are found to be strongly dependent on their start time from the surface after beginning of plasma-surface interaction. Maximal velocity achieved a few tens of meters per second

Conspecific mortality cues mediate associative learning in crickets, Acheta domesticus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)

Many terrestrial and aquatic animals learn associations between environmental features and chemical cues of mortality risk (e.g. conspecific alarm pheromones or predator-derived cues), but the chemical nature of the cues that mediate this type of learning are rarely considered. Fatty acid necromones (particularly oleic and linoleic acids) are well established as cues associated with dead or injured conspecifics. Necromones elicit risk aversive behavior across diverse arthropod phylogenies, yet they have not been linked to associative learning. Here, we provide evidence that necromones can mediate associative olfactory learning in an insect by acting as an aversive reinforcement. When house crickets (Acheta domesticus) were forced to inhabit an environment containing an initially attractive odor along with a necromone cue, they subsequently avoided the previously attractive odor and displayed tolerance for an initially unattractive odor. This occurred when crickets were conditioned with linoleic acid but not when they were conditioned with oleic acid. Similar aversive learning occurred when crickets were conditioned with ethanol body extracts composed of male and female corpses combined, as well as extracts composed of female corpses alone. Conditioning with male body extract did not elicit learned aversion in either sex, even though we detected no notable differences in fatty acid composition between male and female body extracts. We suggest that necromone-mediated learning responses might vary depending on synergistic or antagonistic interactions with sex or species-specific recognition cues