Electrochemistry-enabled residue-specific modification of peptides and proteins.

Selective chemical reactions at precise amino acid residues of peptides and proteins have become an exploding field of research in the last few decades. With the emerging utility of bioconjugated peptides and proteins as drug leads and therapeutic agents, the design of smart protocols to modulate and conjugate biomolecules has become necessary. During this modification, the most important concern of biochemists is to keep intact the structural integrity of the biomolecules. Hence, a soft and selective biocompatible reaction environment is necessary. Electrochemistry, a mild and elegant tunable reaction platform to synthesize complex molecules while avoiding harsh and toxic chemicals, can provide such a reaction condition. However, this strategy is yet to be fully exploited in the field of selective modification of polypeptides. With this possibility, the use of electrochemistry as a reaction toolbox in peptide and protein chemistry is flourishing day by day. Unfortunately, there is no suitable review article summarizing the residue-specific modification of biomolecules. The present review provides a comprehensive summary of the latest manifested electrochemical approaches for the modulation of five redox-active amino acid residues, namely cysteine, tyrosine, tryptophan, histidine and methionine, found in peptides and proteins. The article also highlights the incredible potential of electrochemistry for the regio- as well as chemoselective bioconjugation strategy of biomolecules.

Correction: Strongly coupled Mn3O4-porous organic polymer hybrid: a robust, durable and potential nanocatalyst for alcohol oxidation reactions.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C6RA07200C.].

Nanofibrils of a CuII-Thiophenyltriazine-Based Porous Polymer: A Diverse Heterogeneous Nanocatalyst.

Herein, we report knitting of a thiophenyltriazine-based porous organic polymer (TTPOP) with high surface area and high abundance of nitrogen and sulfur sites, synthesized through a simple one-step Friedel-Crafts reaction of 2,4,6-tri(thiophen-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine and formaldehyde dimethyl acetal in the presence of anhydrous FeCl3, and thereafter grafting of Cu(OAc)2·H2O in the porous polymer framework to achieve the potential catalyst (CuII-TTPOP). TTPOP and CuII-TTPOP were characterized thoroughly utilizing solid-state 13C-CP MAS NMR, Fourier transform infrared, wide-angle powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface imaging by transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The porosity of the nanomaterials was observed in the surface imaging and verified through conducting N2 gas adsorption techniques. Keeping in mind the tremendous importance of C-C and C-N coupling and cyclization processes, the newly synthesized CuII-TTPOP was employed successfully for a wide range of organic catalytic transformations under mild conditions to afford directly valuable diindolylmethanes and spiro-analogues, phthalimidines, propargyl amines, and their sugar-based chiral compounds with high yields using readily available substrates. The highly stable new heterogeneous catalyst showed outstanding sustainability, robustness, simple separation, and recyclability.

Role of Surface Phenolic-OH Groups in N-Rich Porous Organic Polymers for Enhancing the CO2 Uptake and CO2/N2 Selectivity: Experimental and Computational Studies.

Design and successful synthesis of phenolic-OH and amine-functionalized porous organic polymers as adsorbent for postcombustion CO2 uptake from flue gas mixtures along with high CO2/N2 selectivity is a very demanding research area in the context of developing a suitable adsorbent to mitigate greenhouse gases. Herein, we report three triazine-based porous organic polymers TrzPOP-1, -2, and -3 through the polycondensation of two triazine rings containing tetraamine and three dialdehydes. These porous organic polymers possess high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas of 995, 868, and 772 m2 g-1, respectively. Out of the three materials, TrzPOP-2 and TrzPOP-3 contain additional phenolic-OH groups along with triazine moiety and secondary amine linkages. At 273 K, TrzPOP-1, -2, and -3 displayed CO2 uptake capacities of 6.19, 7.51, and 8.54 mmol g-1, respectively, up to 1 bar pressure, which are considerably high among all porous polymers reported till date. Despite the lower BET surface area, TrzPOP-2 and TrzPOP-3 containing phenolic-OH groups showed higher CO2 uptakes. To understand the CO2 adsorption mechanism, we have further performed the quantum chemical studies to analyze noncovalent interactions between CO2 molecules and different polar functionalities present in these porous polymers. TrzPOP-1, -2, and -3 have the capability of selective CO2 uptake over that of N2 at 273 K with the selectivity of 61:1, 117:1, and 142:1 by using the initial slope comparing method, along with 108.4, 140.6, and 167.4 by using ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) method, respectively. On the other hand, at 298 K, the calculated CO2/N2 selectivities in the initial slope comparing method for TrzPOP-1, -2, and -3 are 27:1, 72:1, and 96:1, whereas those using IAST method are 42.1, 75.7, and 94.5, respectively. Cost effective and scalable synthesis of these porous polymeric materials reported herein for selective CO2 capture has a very promising future for environmental clean-up.

A facile approach for the synthesis of hydroxyl-rich microporous organic networks for efficient CO2 capture and H2 storage.

A new series of porous organic networks (PONs) internally decorated with several free -OH functional groups has been synthesized through acid catalyzed condensation reaction of terephthalaldehyde and nucleophilic aromatic compounds. These materials possess high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface areas (592-865 m2 g-1) and showed maximum CO2 adsorption capacity of 4.31 mmol g-1 and H2 uptake of 8.23 mmol g-1 at 273 and 77 K, respectively, under 1 bar.

MnFe2 O4 Nanocrystals Wrapped in a Porous Organic Polymer: A Designed Architecture for Water-Splitting Photocatalysis.

A novel MnFe2 O4 -porous organic polymer (POP) nanocomposite was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method and using the highly cross-linked N-rich benzene-benzylamine POP. The nanocomposite presented highly efficient photocatalytic performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from pure water without addition of any sacrificial agent under one AM 1.5 G sunlight illumination. A photocatalytic activity of 6.12 mmol h-1 g-1 was achieved in the absence of any noble metal cocatalyst, which is the highest H2 production rate reported for nonprecious metal catalysts. The photocatalytic performance of MnFe2 O4 -POP could be attributed to the intrinsic synergistic effects of manganese ferrite (MnFe2 O4 ) nanoclusters interacting with the nitrogen dopant POP with a unique mesoporous nanoarchitecture and spatially confined growth of MnFe2 O4 in the interconnected POP network, leading to high visible-light absorption with fast electron transport.

Silver nanoparticles embedded over porous metal organic frameworks for carbon dioxide fixation via carboxylation of terminal alkynes at ambient pressure.

Ag nanoparticles (NPs) has been supported over a porous Co(II)-salicylate metal-organic framework to yield a new nanocatalyst AgNPs/Co-MOF and it has been thoroughly characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS) and N2 adsorption/desorption analysis. The AgNPs/Co-MOF material showed high catalytic activity in the carboxylation of terminal alkynes via CO2 fixation reaction to yield alkynyl carboxylic acids under very mild conditions. Due to the presence of highly reactive AgNPs bound at the porous MOF framework the reaction proceeded smoothly at 1atm CO2 pressure. Moreover, the catalyst is very convenient to handle and it can be reused for several reaction cycles without appreciable loss of catalytic activity in this CO2 fixation reaction, which suggested a promising future of AgNPs/Co-MOF nanocatalyst.

Mesoporous polyacrylic acid supported silver nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst for reductive coupling of nitrobenzenes and alcohols using glycerol as hydrogen source.

Silver nanoparticle immobilized mesoporous cross-linked polyacrylic acid (Ag-MCP-1) has been synthesized via aqueous-phase polymerization of acrylic acid followed by the surface immobilization with silver nanoparticles. The nanocomposite material has been characterized by different spectroscopic techniques. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of silver nanoparticles, while transmission electron microscope image showed that Ag nanoparticles are formed and uniformly dispersed in the mesoporous polyacrylic acid. The Ag-MCP-1 nanocomposite can be used as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst in the reductive coupling of nitrobenzenes and alcohols using glycerol as hydrogen source. This nanocomposite can be reused more than five times without any significant decrease in its catalytic activity.

Ag@polypyrrole: A highly efficient nanocatalyst for the N-alkylation of amines using alcohols.

We have synthesized Ag@polypyrrole nanomaterial by dispersing ultrafine silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) over the organic polymer polypyrrole. The Ag@polypyrrole material has been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible absorption (UV-vis) and atomic adsorption spectroscopy (AAS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The XRD pattern suggested the cubic crystalline phase of Ag NPs in Ag@polypyrrole. TEM image analysis revealed that silver nanoparticles are highly dispersed in the polymer matrix. The Ag@polypyrrole acts as an efficient and versatile heterogeneous nanocatalyst in the N-alkylation of amines using alcohols. The catalyst can be easily prepared, highly robust and reused several times without decrease in its catalytic activity.

Morphology evolution of single-crystalline hematite nanocrystals: magnetically recoverable nanocatalysts for enhanced facet-driven photoredox activity.

We have developed a new green chemical approach for the shape-controlled synthesis of single-crystalline hematite nanocrystals in aqueous medium. FESEM, HRTEM and SAED techniques were used to determine the morphology and crystallographic orientations of each nanocrystal and its exposed facets. PXRD and HRTEM techniques revealed that the nanocrystals are single crystalline in nature; twins and stacking faults were not detected in these nanocrystals. The structural, vibrational, and electronic spectra of these nanocrystals were highly dependent on their shape. Different shaped hematite nanocrystals with distinct crystallographic planes have been synthesized under similar reaction conditions, which can be desired as a model for the purpose of properties comparison with the nanocrystals prepared under different reaction conditions. Here we investigated the photocatalytic performance of these different shaped-nanocrystals for methyl orange degradation in the presence of white light (λ > 420 nm). In this study, we found that the density of surface Fe(3+) ions in particular facets was the key factor for the photocatalytic activity and was higher on the bitruncated-dodecahedron shape nanocrystals by coexposed {104}, {100} and {001} facets, attributing to higher catalytic activity. The catalytic activity of different exposed facet nanocrystals were as follows: {104} + {100} + {001} (bitruncated-dodecahedron) > {101} + {001} (bitruncated-octahedron) > {001} + {110} (nanorods) > {012} (nanocuboid) which provided the direct evidence of exposed facet-driven photocatalytic activity. The nanocrystals were easily recoverable using an external magnet and reused at least six times without significant loss of its catalytic activity.

Fabrication of Ruthenium Nanoparticles in Porous Organic Polymers: Towards Advanced Heterogeneous Catalytic Nanoreactors.

A novel strategy has been adopted for the construction of a copolymer of benzene-benzylamine-1 (BBA-1), which is a porous organic polymer (POP) with a high BET surface area, through Friedel-Crafts alkylation of benzylamine and benzene by using formaldehyde dimethyl acetal as a cross-linker and anhydrous FeCl3 as a promoter. Ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru NPs) were successfully distributed in the interior cavities of polymers through NaBH4, ethylene glycol, and hydrothermal reduction routes, which delivered Ru-A, Ru-B, and Ru-C materials, respectively, and avoided aggregation of metal NPs. Homogeneous dispersion, the nanoconfinement effect of the polymer, and the oxidation state of Ru NPs were verified by employing TEM, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping, cross polarization magic-angle spinning (13)C NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analytical tools. These three new Ru-based POP materials exhibited excellent catalytic performance in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes at RT (with a reaction time of only ≈ 30 min), with high conversion, selectivity, stability, and recyclability for several catalytic cycles, compared with other traditional materials, such as Ru@C, Ru@SiO2, and Ru@TiO2, but no clear agglomeration or loss of catalytic activity was observed. The high catalytic performance of the ruthenium-based POP materials is due to the synergetic effect of nanoconfinement and electron donation offered by the 3D POP network. DFT calculations showed that hydrogenation of nitrobenzene over the Ru (0001) catalyst surface through a direct reaction pathway is more favorable than that through an indirect reaction pathway.

A ruthenium-grafted triazine functionalized mesoporous polymer: a highly efficient and multifunctional catalyst for transfer hydrogenation and the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions.

A new ruthenium-grafted mesoporous organic polymer Ru-MPTAT-1 has been synthesized via simple and facile in situ radical polymerization of 2,4,6-triallyloxy-1,3,5-triazine (TAT) in aqueous medium in the presence of an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) as a template, followed by grafting of Ru(II) onto its surface. Ru-MPTAT-1 has been characterized by elemental analysis, powder XRD, HRTEM, FT-IR, UV-vis DRS, TG-DTA, FESEM and XPS characterization tools. The Ru-MPTAT-1 material showed very good catalytic activity in the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction for aryl halides and transfer hydrogenation reaction for a series of carbonyl compounds. The catalyst is easily recoverable from the reaction mixture and can be reused several times without appreciable loss of catalytic activity in the above reactions. Highly dispersed and strongly bound Ru(II) sites at the mesoporous polymer surface could be responsible for the observed high activity of the Ru-MPTAT-1 catalyst in these reactions.

Tungstic acid functionalized mesoporous SBA-15: a novel heterogeneous catalyst for facile one-pot synthesis of 2-amino-4H-chromenes in aqueous medium.

A new highly ordered mesoporous tungstic acid functionalized SBA-15, TAFMC-1 has been synthesized via post-synthesis modification of mesoporous SBA-15 with (3-chloropropyl) triethoxysilane followed by substitution reaction of chlorine atom of the 3-chloropropyl group by tungstic acid group under refluxing conditions in n-hexane. The tungstic acid functionalized mesoporous silica material has been characterized by using small angle powder X-ray diffraction, N2 sorption, HR-TEM, FE-SEM, FT-IR and solid state MAS NMR studies. TAFMC-1 catalyzes the facile one-pot catalytic three-component condensation reaction of resorcinol, aromatic aldehyde and malononitrile for the synthesis of a diverse range of 2-amino-4H-chromenes in aqueous medium. This heterogeneous catalyst can be recycled very efficiently for six consecutive reaction cycles without significant loss of catalytic activity.