On-Demand Generation and Use in Continuous Synthesis of the Ambiphilic Nitrogen Source Chloramine.

Herein, we demonstrate the on-demand synthesis of chloramine from aqueous ammonia and sodium hypochlorite solutions, and its subsequent utilization as an ambiphilic nitrogen source in continuous-flow synthesis. Despite its advantages in cost and atom economy, chloramine has not seen widespread use in batch synthesis due to its unstable and hazardous nature. Continuous-flow chemistry, however, provides an excellent platform for generating and handling chloramine in a safe, reliable, and inexpensive manner. Unsaturated aldehydes are converted to valuable aziridines and nitriles, and thioethers are converted to sulfoxides, in moderate to good yields and exceedingly short reaction times. In this telescoped process, chloramine is generated in situ and immediately used, providing safe and efficient conditions for reaction scale-up while mitigating the issue of its decomposition over time.

Novel charged sodium and calcium channel inhibitor active against neurogenic inflammation.

Voltage-dependent sodium and calcium channels in pain-initiating nociceptor neurons are attractive targets for new analgesics. We made a permanently charged cationic derivative of an N-type calcium channel-inhibitor. Unlike cationic derivatives of local anesthetic sodium channel blockers like QX-314, this cationic compound inhibited N-type calcium channels more effectively with extracellular than intracellular application. Surprisingly, the compound is also a highly effective sodium channel inhibitor when applied extracellularly, producing more potent inhibition than lidocaine or bupivacaine. The charged inhibitor produced potent and long-lasting analgesia in mouse models of incisional wound and inflammatory pain, inhibited release of the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from dorsal root ganglion neurons, and reduced inflammation in a mouse model of allergic asthma, which has a strong neurogenic component. The results show that some cationic molecules applied extracellularly can powerfully inhibit both sodium channels and calcium channels, thereby blocking both nociceptor excitability and pro-inflammatory peptide release.

Synthesis of Highly Substituted 2-Arylindoles via Copper-Catalyzed Coupling of Isocyanides and Arylboronic Acids.

Highly functionalized 2-arylindoles were synthesized from 2-alkenylarylisocyanides and arylboronic acids using a simple, inexpensive copper catalyst. The reaction exhibits excellent functional group tolerance for both the arylisocyanide and boronic acid coupling partners. To avoid the direct handling of the pungent arylisocyanide starting materials, continuous flow chemistry is further demonstrated to provide safe and effective access to 2-arylindoles through in situ dehydration and cyclization of easy-to-handle 2-alkenyl- N-formylanilines.

Design and Synthesis of a Calcium-Sensitive Photocage.

Photolabile protecting groups (or "photocages") enable precise spatiotemporal control of chemical functionality and facilitate advanced biological experiments. Extant photocages exhibit a simple input-output relationship, however, where application of light elicits a photochemical reaction irrespective of the environment. Herein, we refine and extend the concept of photolabile groups, synthesizing the first Ca(2+) -sensitive photocage. This system functions as a chemical coincidence detector, releasing small molecules only in the presence of both light and elevated [Ca(2+) ]. Caging a fluorophore with this ion-sensitive moiety yields an "ion integrator" that permanently marks cells undergoing high Ca(2+) flux during an illumination-defined time period. Our general design concept demonstrates a new class of light-sensitive material for cellular imaging, sensing, and targeted molecular delivery.

The chemistry of small-molecule fluorogenic probes.

Chemical fluorophores find wide use in biology to detect and visualize different phenomena. A key advantage of small-molecule dyes is the ability to construct compounds where fluorescence is activated by chemical or biochemical processes. Fluorogenic molecules, in which fluorescence is activated by enzymatic activity, light, or environmental changes, enable advanced bioassays and sophisticated imaging experiments. Here, we detail the collection of fluorophores and highlight both general strategies and unique approaches that are employed to control fluorescence using chemistry.

Chiroptical study of chiral discrimination by amino acid based ionic liquids.

The chiral discrimination ability of amino acid based chiral ionic liquids is studied using chiroptical luminescence techniques. A racemic mixture of dissymmetric europium tris(2,6-pyridinedicarboxylate) complexes are dissolved in five chiral ionic liquids, including l- and d-alanine methyl ester bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide), l-leucine methyl ester bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide), l-proline methyl ester bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide), and tetrabutylammonium l-alanate. Circularly polarized luminescence spectra are measured for the samples over the 283-323 K temperature range. Analysis of the spectroscopic results shows that the amino acid methyl ester chiral ionic liquids show discrimination with a preference (handedness) that corresponds to the stereoisomer (l- vs d-). Most of the chiral ionic liquids show enthalpically dominated discrimination, but l-leucine methyl ester bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide) shows entropically dominated chiral discrimination.

DNA at aqueous/solid interfaces: chirality-based detection via second harmonic generation activity.

We present electronic spectra of single-strand and duplex DNA oligonucleotides covalently attached to fused quartz/aqueous interfaces and demonstrate that a strong nonlinear optical linear dichroism response is obtained when adenine and thymine bases undergo Watson-Crick base pairing to form a double helix. Complementary chi(3) charge screening studies indicate that the signal originates from 5 x 10(11) strands per square centimeter, or 6 attomoles of surface-bound oligonucleotides. The label-free, molecular-specific nature afforded by nonlinear optical studies of DNA at aqueous/solid interfaces allows for the real-time tracking of interfacial DNA hybridization for the first time.