Origin of the enantioselectivity in organocatalytic Michael additions of ß-ketoamides to α,ß-unsaturated carbonyls: a combined experimental, spectroscopic and theoretical study.

The organocatalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of secondary ß-ketoamides to α,ß-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is reported. Use of bifunctional Takemoto's thiourea catalyst allows enantiocontrol of the reaction leading either to simple Michael adducts or spirocyclic aminals in up to 99 % ee. The origin of the enantioselectivity has been rationalised based on combined DFT calculations and kinetic analysis. This study provides a deeper understanding of the reaction mechanism, which involves a predominant role of the secondary amide proton, and clarifies the complex interactions occurring between substrates and the catalyst.

A cooperative participation of the amido group in the organocatalytic construction of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters by Michael addition with ß-ketoamides.

The secondary amido group of α-substituted ß-ketoamides plays a crucial role in the control of the reactivity and spatial arrangement (selectivity) in the organocatalyzed Michael addition to unsaturated carbonyls. This results in an unprecedented activation mode of substrates through H-bonding interactions allowing the construction of enantiomerically enriched functionalized all-carbon quaternary centers and spiroaminals of high synthetic potential.

Water-dispersible sugar-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. An evaluation of their relaxometric and magnetic hyperthermia properties.

Synthesis of functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) for biomedical applications represents a current challenge. In this paper we present the synthesis and characterization of water-dispersible sugar-coated iron oxide NPs specifically designed as magnetic fluid hyperthermia heat mediators and negative contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. In particular, the influence of the inorganic core size was investigated. To this end, iron oxide NPs with average size in the range of 4-35 nm were prepared by thermal decomposition of molecular precursors and then coated with organic ligands bearing a phosphonate group on one side and rhamnose, mannose, or ribose moieties on the other side. In this way a strong anchorage of the organic ligand on the inorganic surface was simply realized by ligand exchange, due to covalent bonding between the Fe(3+) atom and the phosphonate group. These synthesized nanoobjects can be fully dispersed in water forming colloids that are stable over very long periods. Mannose, ribose, and rhamnose were chosen to test the versatility of the method and also because these carbohydrates, in particular rhamnose, which is a substrate of skin lectin, confer targeting properties to the nanosystems. The magnetic, hyperthermal, and relaxometric properties of all the synthesized samples were investigated. Iron oxide NPs of ca. 16-18 nm were found to represent an efficient bifunctional targeting system for theranostic applications, as they have very good transverse relaxivity (three times larger than the best currently available commercial products) and large heat release upon application of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation with amplitude and frequency close to the human tolerance limit. The results have been rationalized on the basis of the magnetic properties of the investigated samples.

Multicomponent reactions and ionic liquids: a perfect synergy for eco-compatible heterocyclic synthesis.

The efficiency of a chemical synthesis can be nowadays measured, not only by parameters like selectivity and overall yield, but also by its raw material, time, human resources and energy requirements, as well as the toxicity and hazard of the chemicals and the protocols involved. The development of multicomponent reactions (MCRs) in the presence of task-specific ionic liquids (ILs), used not only as environmentally benign reaction media, but also as catalysts, is a new approach that meet with the requirements of sustainable chemistry. The aim of this tutorial review is to highlight the synergistic effect of the combined use of MCRs and ILs for the development of new eco-compatible methodologies for heterocyclic chemistry.