Preparation of VC nanoliposomes by high pressure homogenization: Process optimization and evaluation of efficacy, transdermal absorption, and stability.

Vitamin C (VC) possesses antioxidant and whitening effects. However, its effectiveness is hindered by challenges such as instability, impaired solubility, and limited bioavailability hinder. In this study, VC was encapsulated in nanoliposomes by primary emulsification and high-pressure homogenization. The VC nanoliposomes were comprehensively characterized for their microscopic morphology, particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and encapsulation efficiency (EE). Orthogonal experiments were designed to optimize the optimal preparation process, and the antioxidant activity, whitening efficacy, transdermal absorption, and stability of VC nanoliposomes were evaluated based on this optimized process. The findings demonstrated the high reproducibility of the optimal process, with particle size, PDI, and EE values of 113.502 ± 4.360 nm, 0.104 ± 0.010, and 56.09 ± 1.01 %, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed effective encapsulation of VC nanoliposomes with better thermal stability than aqueous VC solution. Besides, the VC nanoliposomes demonstrated excellent antioxidant and whitening effects in efficacy experiments, stronger skin permeability in transdermal experiments and fluorescence tracking. Furthermore, storage stability tests indicated that the VC in nanoliposomes remained relatively stable after 60 days of storage. These findings highlighted the potential use of VC nanoliposomes in a wide range of applications for the cosmetic market, especially in the development of ingredients for skin care products.

Correction to "On the Origin of the Promoting Effect Exerted by Magnesium in the ZnCl2-Catalyzed Synthesis of N,N-Diisopropylethylamine".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c04188.].

Recent advances on micellar catalysis in water.

Water is the universal solvent in nature to catalyze the biological transformation processes. However, owing to the immiscibility of many reagents in water, synthesis chemistry relies heavily on organic solvent. Micellar media is a green alternative to traditional petroleum feedstock derived solvents, which is recently attracting increasing research attention. The present review deals with the recent advances in micellar catalysis with an emphasis on the new "tailor-made" surfactants for various reactions. A brief overview of commercial surfactants, including anionic micelles, cationic micelles, and nonionic micelles is presented. More importantly, an attempt was made to discuss systematically the recent research progress on new surfactants by introducing structures, micellar effects and recycling process, aiming to serve as the basis for future development of surfactants.

On the Origin of the Promoting Effect Exerted by Magnesium in the ZnCl2-Catalyzed Synthesis of N,N-Diisopropylethylamine.

The reaction of magnesium or zinc amides with alkyl or benzyl halides is an attractive approach to make C-N bonds, especially for electron-poor organic halides. The magnesium-promoted preparation of hindered non-nucleophilic amine (N,N-diisopropylethylamine) from ethyl chloride and zinc diisopropylamide has been studied. In this paper, instead of the application scope of this method, we focused on the mechanisms of the catalytic processes and the associated electronic origins. According to the calculations, the C-N coupling process in all selected systems proceed preferably in an ethylium-transfer mode. Further, rather than undergoing the Grignard reaction route, the more pronounced electronic interactions within the transition structure as induced by the "innocent" magnesium atom should be responsible for the observed high catalytic activity of the Mg/ZnCl2 combination.

Efficient Dehydration of C6-10-α,ω-Alkanediols to Alkadienes as Catalyzed by Aliphatic Acids.

The aliphatic-acid-mediated dehydration of C6-10-α,ω-alkanediols to alkadienes proceeds in a stepwise manner: C6-10-α,ω-alkanediols react with aliphatic acids first to generate diesters; subsequent pyrolysis of the latter produces alkadienes. The highest yields of 1,5-hexadiene, 1,7-octadiene, and 1,9-decadiene were up to 70.3, 74.8, and 90.3%, respectively. It turned out that pyrolysis favors the diester with a longer carbon chain more, while acetic acid outperformed the other aliphatic acids in the pyrolysis step that a relatively lower temperature was enough for a high yield of alkadienes.