Computational analysis of electrode structure and configuration for efficient and localized neural stimulation.

Neuromodulation technique using electric stimulation is widely applied in neural prosthesis, therapy, and neuroscience research. Various stimulation techniques have been developed to enhance stimulation efficiency and to precisely target the specific area of the brain which involves optimizing the geometry and the configuration of the electrode, stimulation pulse type and shapes, and electrode materials. Although the effects of electrode shape, size, and configuration on the performance of neural stimulation have individually been characterized, to date, there is no integrative investigation of how this factor affects neural stimulation. In this study, we computationally modeled the various types of electrodes with varying shapes, sizes, and configurations and simulated the electric field to calculate the activation function. The electrode geometry is then integratively assessed in terms of stimulation efficiency and stimulation focality. We found that stimulation efficiency is enhanced by making the electrode sharper and smaller. A center-to-vertex distance exceeding 100 µm shows enhanced stimulation efficiency in the bipolar configuration. Additionally, the separation distance of less than 1 mm between the reference and stimulation electrodes exhibits higher stimulation efficiency compared to the monopolar configuration. The region of neurons to be stimulated can also be modified. We found that sharper electrodes can locally activate the neuron. In most cases, except for the rectangular electrode shape with a center-to-vertex distance smaller than 100 µm, the bipolar electrode configuration can locally stimulate neurons as opposed to the monopolar configuration. These findings shed light on the optimal selection of neural electrodes depending on the target applications.

Synthesis of symmetrical and unsymmetrical diarylalkynes from propiolic acid using palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling.

Symmetrical diarylalkynes were obtained from propiolic acid (or 2-butynedioic acid) and aryl halides in good yields. The optimized reaction conditions were 2.0 equiv of aryl halide, 1.0 equiv of propiolic acid, 5.0 mol % Pd(PPh(3))(2)Cl(2), 10.0 mol % 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane (dppb), 2.0 equiv of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU), and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the solvent. The coupling reaction of 2-butynedioic acid with aryl halides required 110 °C. The coupling reaction showed tolerance for functional groups such as ester, ketone, and aldehyde and exhibited chemoselectivity. In the coupling reaction of propiolic acid with aryl bromide, the diarylated product was the major one at 80 °C, even though 1 equiv of aryl halides was employed. However, among the monoarylated products that were formed predominantly at 25 and 50 °C in the coupling reaction with aryl iodide, more Sonogashira coupling product was obtained than the decarboxylative coupling product. Unsymmetrical diarylalkynes were also synthesized via this method, in which all reagents, including propiolic acid, aryl iodide, and aryl bromides were added at the beginning of the reaction.

Palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling of alkynyl carboxylic acids and aryl halides.

2-Octynoic acid and phenylpropiolic acid were employed for the palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling reaction and with a variety of aryl halides. The former needed 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane (dppb) as a ligand and the latter tri-tert-butylphosphine (P(t)Bu(3)), and both required 2 equiv of tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) for full conversion. These reactions showed high reactivities and tolerance of functional groups such as vinyl, ester, ether, ketone, and amine.

One-pot synthesis of diarylalkynes using palladium-catalyzed sonogashira reaction and decarboxylative coupling of sp carbon and sp2 carbon.

Decarboxylative coupling of sp-sp2 carbons is possible by palladium catalyst. Employing propiolic acid (1) as a difunctional alkyne, and using the consecutive reactions of the Sonogashira reaction and the decarboxylative coupling, unsymmetrically substituted diaryl alkynes were obtained in moderate to good yield.

Aminocarbonylation of aryl halides using a nickel phosphite catalytic system.

The nickel and phosphite catalytic system with sodium methoxide enables a very efficient aminocarbonylation reaction to be performed between aryl iodides or bromides and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Phosphite ligand 1, which is very stable to air and moisture and, furthermore, inexpensive, afforded the highest reaction yield.