Hydroboration–oxidation: A chemoselective route to cellulose ω-hydroxyalkanoate esters

SiO2 nanosphere coated tough catheter with superhydrophobic surface for improving the antibacteria and hemocompatibility

Catheter infection is the most common complication after vascular catheter placement, which seriously threatens the survival of critically ill patients. Although catheters with antibacterial drug coatings have been used, catheter infections have not been effectively resolved. In this research, a SiO₂ nanosphere-coated PTFE catheter (PTFE-SiO₂) with enhanced antibacterial and excellent mechanical properties was prepared via dopamine as a graft bridge. The microscopic morphology results show that the nanospheres are uniformly dispersed on the surface of the catheter. The physicochemical characterization confirmed that PTFE-SiO₂ had reliable bending resistance properties, superhydrophobicity, and cytocompatibility and could inhibit thrombosis. Antibacterial results revealed that PTFE-SiO₂ could hinder the reproduction of E. coli and S. aureus. This research demonstrates the hydroxyl-rich materials obtained by hydroboration oxidation have the advantages of better dispersion of functional coatings, indicating their potential for helpful modification of catheters.

Planar-Chiral P and N-bridged Diferrocenes

We describe the synthesis of planar-chiral diferrocene compounds 4, 7 and 12, intended as key precursors for a new family of asymmetric catalyst ligands with less complex structures than their popular equivalents. In contrast to conventional 1,2-disubstituted ferrocenes containing center-chiral and planar-chiral elements, these compounds are purely planar-chiral due to the absence of α-substiuted ethyl groups. The title compounds 4, 7 and 12 were obtained from known precursors in 87%, 59% and 60% yields, respectively.

Mechanistic Design of Chemically Diverse Polymers with Applications in Oral Drug Delivery

Polymers play a key role in stabilizing amorphous drug formulations, a recent strategy employed to improve solubility and bioavailability of drugs delivered orally. However, the molecular mechanism of stabilization is unclear, therefore, the rational design of new crystallization-inhibiting excipients remains a substantial challenge. This article presents a combined experimental and computational approach to elucidate the molecular features that improve the effectiveness of cellulose polymers as solution crystallization inhibitors, a crucial first step toward their rational design. Polymers with chemically diverse substituents including carboxylic acids, esters, ethers, alcohols, amides, amines, and sulfides were synthesized. Measurements of nucleation induction times of the model drug, telaprevir, show that the only effective polymers contained carboxylate groups in combination with an optimal hydrocarbon chain length. Computational results indicate that polymer conformation as well as solvation free energy are important determinants of effectiveness at inhibiting crystallization and show that simulations are a promising predictive tool in the screening of polymers. This study suggests that polymers need to have an adequate hydrophilicity to promote solvation in an aqueous environment, and sufficient hydrophobic regions to drive interactions with the drug. Particularly, the right balance between key substituent groups and lengths of hydrocarbon side chains is needed to create effective materials.

Multifunctional cellulose esters by olefin cross-metathesis and thiol-Michael addition

Post-cross-metathesis thiol-Michael addition affords functionally diverse cellulose esters.