Isotope engineering achieved by local coordination design in Ti-Pd co-doped ZrCo-based alloys.

Deuterium/Tritium (D/T) handling in defined proportions are pivotal to maintain steady-state operation for fusion reactors. However, the hydrogen isotope effect in metal-hydrogen systems always disturbs precise D/T ratio control. Here, we reveal the dominance of kinetic isotope effect during desorption. To reconcile the thermodynamic stability and isotope effect, we demonstrate a quantitative indicator of Tgap and further a local coordination design strategy that comprises thermodynamic destabilization with vibration enhancement of interstitial isotopes for isotope engineering. Based on theoretical screening analysis, an optimized Ti-Pd co-doped Zr0.8Ti0.2Co0.8Pd0.2 alloy is designed and prepared. Compared to ZrCo alloy, the optimal alloy enables consistent isotope delivery together with a three-fold lower Tgap, a five-fold lower energy barrier difference, a one-third lower isotopic composition deviation during desorption and an over two-fold higher cycling capacity. This work provides insights into the interaction between alloy and hydrogen isotopes, thus opening up feasible approaches to support high-performance fusion reactors.

Highly Effective H2/D2 Separation within the Stable Cu(I)Cu(II)-BTC: The Effect of Cu(I) Structure on Quantum Sieving.

Realizing ideal deuterium separation from isotopic mixtures remains a daunting challenge because of their almost identical sizes, shapes, and physicochemical properties. Using the quantum sieving effect in porous materials with suitable pore size and open metal sites (OMSs) enables efficient hydrogen isotope separation. Herein, synthetic HKUST-1-derived microporous mixed-valence Cu(I)Cu(II)-BTC (BTC = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate), featuring a unique network of distinct Cu(I) and Cu(II) coordination sites, can remarkably boost the D2/H2 isotope separation, which has a high selectivity (SD2/H2) of 37.9 at 30 K, in comparison with HKUST-1 and other porous materials. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the introduction of Cu(I) macrocycles in the framework decreases the pore size and further leads to relatively enhanced interaction of H2/D2 molecules on Cu(II) sites. The significantly enhanced selectivity of Cu(I)Cu(II)-BTC at 30 K can be mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of kinetic quantum sieving (KQS) and chemical affinity quantum sieving (CAQS). The results reveal that Cu(I) OMSs exhibit counterintuitive behaviors and play a crucial role in tuning quantum sieving without a complex structural design, which provides a deeper insight into quantum sieving mechanisms and a new strategy for the intelligent design of highly efficient isotope systems.

Biocatalytic synthesis of optically active hydroxyesters via lipase-catalyzed decarboxylative aldol reaction and kinetic resolution.

A two-step sequential biocatalytic process for the synthesis of chiral hydroxyesters that combines a lipase-catalyzed decarboxylative aldol reaction followed by kinetic resolution has been developed. The excellent combination of conventional and unconventional functions provides an attractive route for expanding the applications of biocatalysis.

Synthesis and in vitro antiproliferative activity of new 11-aminoalkylamino-substituted 5H- and 6H-indolo[2,3-b]quinolines; structure-activity relationships of neocryptolepines and 6-methyl congeners.

The present report describes the synthesis and antiproliferative evaluation of certain 11-aminoalkylamino-substituted 5H- and 6H-indolo[2,3-b]quinolines and their methylated derivatives. These 5-Me- and 6-Me-indolo[2,3-b]quinoline derivatives 10-14, 20 were prepared by amination at the C-11 position of the 11-chloro-5-methyl-5H- and 11-chloro-6-methyl-6H-indolo[2,3-b]quinolines with different substituents on the quinoline ring. The 11-aminoalkylaminomethylated 23, the homologue of 11, was prepared from the same intermediate for a further SAR study. These intermediates are accessible from 4-substituted anilines or their N-methylated analogues and methyl indole-3-carboxylate as a counterpart. The in vitro antiproliferative assay indicated that the 5-methylated derivatives 10-14 are more cytotoxic than their respective 6-methylated 6H-indolo[2,3-b]quinoline derivatives 20. Among them, N-(3-aminopropyl)-2-bromo-5-methyl-5H-indolo[2,3-b]quinolin-11-amine 12f was the most cytotoxic with a mean IC(50) value of 0.12 µM against human leukemia MV4-11 cell line, and also exhibited selective cytotoxicities against A549 (lung cancer), HCT116 (colon cancer) cell lines and normal fibroblast BALB/3T3 with IC(50) values of 0.543, 0.274 and 0.869 µM, respectively. The binding constant of products 12f and 20f to salmon fish sperm DNA were also evaluated using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, indicating intercalation binding with a constant of 2.93×10(5) and 3.28×10(5)Lmol(-1), respectively.

Promiscuous protease-catalyzed aldol reactions: a facile biocatalytic protocol for carbon-carbon bond formation in aqueous media.

Several proteases, especially pepsin, were observed to directly catalyze asymmetric aldol reactions. Pepsin, which displays well-documented proteolytic activity under acidic conditions, exhibited distinct catalytic activity in a crossed aldol reaction between acetone and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde with high yield and moderate enantioselectivity. Fluorescence experiments indicated that under neutral pH conditions, pepsin maintains its native conformation and that the natural structure plays an important role in biocatalytic promiscuity. Moreover, no significant loss of enantioselectivity was found even after four cycles of catalyst recycling, showing the high stability of pepsin under the selected aqueous reaction conditions. This case of biocatalytic promiscuity not only expands the application of proteases to new chemical transformations, but also could be developed into a potentially valuable method for green organic synthesis.

Copper-catalyzed nitrogen loss of sulfonylhydrazones: a reductive strategy for the synthesis of sulfones from carbonyl compounds.

An efficient method for the synthesis of sulfones via nitrogen loss of sulfonyl hydrazones is described. The reaction was performed in the presence of simple copper salt and base by utilization of sulfonyl hydrazones, which were easily prepared from carbonyl compounds. A wide variety of aryl and alkyl sulfones were obtained in moderate to good yields.

Two-step enzymatic selective synthesis of water-soluble ketoprofen-saccharide conjugates in organic media.

Ketoprofen-saccharide conjugates were synthesized by selectively enzymatic hydrolysis and acylation. Firstly, the (S)-ketoprofen vinyl ester was prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis of (R,S)-ketoprofen vinyl ester. Then enzymatic transesterification of (S)-ketoprofen vinyl ester with a series of saccharides were performed by the catalysis of a commercial protease from Bacillus licheniformis (BLP) in organic medium mixture of pyridine and tert-butanol. The ketoprofen was selectively conjugated onto the primary hydroxyl group of saccharides and with high yield after 72h. Partition coefficient determination showed that all the products have better water solubility than parent ketoprofen. Chemical hydrolysis experiment indicated that 50% ketoprofen could be release from ketoprofen glucoside and maltoside in aqueous buffer (pH 7.4) within 48h.