Olefination of Alkyl Halides with Aldehydes by Merging Visible-Light Photoredox Catalysis and Organophosphorus Chemistry

Summary: Carbon-carbon double bond (C=C) formation is a crucial transformation in organic chemistry. Visible-light photoredox catalysis provides economical and sustainable opportunities for the development of novel and peculiar organic reactions. Here we report a method for the olefination of alkyl halides with aldehydes by visible-light photoredox catalysis using triphenylphosphine as a reductive quencher (103 examples). This transformation accommodates a variety of aldehydes including paraformaldehyde; aqueous formaldehyde; 2,2,2-trifluoroacetaldehyde monohydrate; 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-methoxyethanol; and other common aldehydes. The present method exhibits several advantages, including operational simplicity, mild reaction conditions, wide functional group tolerance, and amenability to gram-scale synthesis. We anticipate that it will be widely used in the synthesis of organic molecules, natural products, biological molecules, and polymers. : Chemistry; Catalysis; Organic Chemistry Subject Areas: Chemistry, Catalysis, Organic Chemistr

Study on Synergistic Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Typical Functional Components of Extracts of Ginkgo Biloba Leaves

There are some differences in the anti-inflammatory activities of four typical components in EGB (extracts of ginkgo biloba leaves), and there is also a synergistic relationship. The order of inhibiting the NO-release ability of single functional components is OA > GF > OPC > G. Ginkgolide (G), proanthocyanidins (OPC), and organic acids (OA) all have synergistic effects on ginkgo flavonoids (GF). GF:OA (1:9) is the lowest interaction index among all complexes, showing the strongest synergy. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of the compound affects the expression of p-JNK, p-P38, and p-ERK1/2 proteins by inhibiting the expression of iNOS and COX2 genes on NFKB and MAPK pathways. This also provides a research basis for the development of anti-inflammatory deep-processing products of EGB

Functional Conversion of Acetyl-Coenzyme a Synthase to a Nickel Superoxide Dismutase via Rational Design of Coordination Microenvironment for the Nid-Site

The Nid site coordination microenvironment of a truncated acetyl-coenzyme A synthase has been designed systematically for functional conversion to a Ni-SOD-like enzyme. To this end, the first strategy is to introduce an axial histidine ligand, using mutations F598H, S594H and S594H-GP individually. The resulting three mutants obtained Ni-SOD-like activity successfully, although the catalytic activity was about 10-fold lower than in native Ni-SOD. The second strategy is to mimic the H-bond network in the second sphere coordination microenvironment of the native Ni-SOD. Two mutations based on F598H (EFG-F598H and YGP-F598H) were designed. The successful EFG-F598H exhibited ~3-fold Ni-SOD-like activity of F598H. These designed Ni-SOD-like metalloproteins were characterized by UV/Vis, EPR and Cyclic voltammetry while F598H was also characterized by X-ray protein crystallography. The pH titrations were performed to reveal the source of the two protons required for forming H2O2 in the SOD catalytic reaction. Based on all of the results, a proposed catalytic mechanism for the Ni-SOD-like metalloproteins is presented

Electrosynthesis of (<i>E</i>)‑Vinyl Sulfones Directly from Cinnamic Acids and Sodium Sulfinates via Decarboxylative Sulfono Functionalization

A variety of (<i>E</i>)-vinyl sulfones were constructed directly from cinnamic acids and sodium sulfinates with high regioselectivity at room temperature by virtue of an electrocatalytic oxidation. A radical intermediate was detected, and the corresponding mechanism was investigated

Endonuclease mimetic activity of laccase with sequence preference following redox potential and interaction of bases

Degradation of lignin, a natural macromolecule, by laccase via substrate radicals has been intensively studied. However, the interactions between laccase and DNA have not been thoroughly elucidated to date. In this report, we demonstrate that laccase has the endonuclease-mimetic activity with the sequence preference. The decay of plasmid and cDNA was observed with atomic force microscopy (AFM), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and DNA sequencing. Concomitantly, Image 1 appeared, which produced the DNA lesion. The sequencing results showed that A and AA were the preferred nucleotides flanking the cleaved sites. The hydrogen bonds between complementary base pairs and the base redox potential were responsible for the long-lived charge transfer state within the A-repetitive sequence governing the sequence preference. This discovery implies alternative strategies of surviving the phosphorus stress and resistance to alien DNA in certain species, in which laccase is abundant. These results enrich our understanding of the mechanisms of DNA damage and are important for the interpretation of disease treatment