Preparation of multifunctional hydrogels with accessible isothiouronium groups via radical cross-linking copolymerization

Hydrogels can be equipped with functional groups for specific purposes. Isothiouronium groups can enhance adsorptivity, or allow coupling of other functional groups through mild reactions after transformation to thiol groups. Here we present a method to prepare multifunctional hydrogels by introducing isothiouronium groups into poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels, and convert them into thiol-functionalized hydrogels by the reduction of the isothiouronium groups. For this purpose, the amphiphilic monomer 2-(11-(acryloyloxy)-undecyl)isothiouronium bromide (AUITB), containing an isothiouronium group, was synthesized and copolymerized with PEGDA. In this convenient way, it was possible to incorporate up to 3 wt% AUITB into the hydrogels without changing their equilibrium swelling degree. The successful functionalization was demonstrated by surface analysis of the hydrogels with water contact angle measurements and increased isoelectric points of the hydrogel surfaces from 4.5 to 9.0 due to the presence of the isothiouronium groups. The hydrogels showed a suitability as an adsorbent, as exemplified by the pronounced adsorption of the anionic drug diclofenac. The potential of the functionalization for (bio)conjugation reactions was demonstrated by the reduction of isothiouronium groups to thiols and subsequent immobilization of the functional enzyme horseradish peroxidase on the hydrogels. The results show that fully accessible isothiouronium groups can be introduced into radically cross-linked hydrogels.

Highly effective fractionation chemistry to overcome the recalcitrance of softwood lignocellulose

The efficient fractionation and thus production of individual biomass components are pivotal processes in the biorefinery concept. However, the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulose biomass, especially in the case of softwood, is one of the main obstacles to the wider application of biomass-based chemicals and materials. In this study, the use of aqueous acidic systems in the presence of thiourea was studied for the fractionation of softwood in mild conditions. Despite relatively low temperature (100 °C) and treatment times (30-90 min), notable high lignin removal efficiency (approximately 90 %) was obtained. Chemical characterization and the isolation of minor fraction of cationic, water-soluble lignin indicated that the fractionation proceed via nucleophilic addition of thiourea to lignin, resulting in dissolution of lignin in acidic water in relatively mild conditions. Besides high fractionation efficiency, both fiber and lignin fractions were obtained with bright color, significantly elevating their usability in material applications.

Bis-Thiourea Chiral Sensor for the NMR Enantiodiscrimination of N-Acetyl and N-Trifluoroacetyl Amino Acid Derivatives

A C2-symmetrical bis-thiourea chiral solvating agent (CSA), TFTDA, for NMR spectroscopy has been obtained by reacting (1R,2R)-1,2-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethylenediamine and 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl isothiocyanate. TFTDA shows remarkable propensity to enantiodiscriminate N-trifluoroacetyl (N-TFA) and N-acetyl (N-Ac) derivatives of amino acids with free carboxyl functions, with the co-presence of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) as the third achiral additive, which is needed for substrate solubilization. TFTDA shows enhanced enantiodiscriminating efficiency in comparison with the corresponding monomeric counterpart, TFTMA, pointing out cooperativity between its two symmetrical entities. A wide range of amino acid derivatives have been efficiently enantiodiscriminated in CDCl₃, with high enantioresolution quotients, which guarantee high quality in applications devoted to the quantification of enantiomers. High enantiodiscriminating efficiency is maintained also in diluted 5 mM conditions or in the presence of sub-stoichiometric amounts of CSA (0.3 equiv). The role of phenolic hydroxyls in the DABCO-mediated interaction mechanism between TFTDA and the two enantiomeric substrates has been pointed out by means of diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) and rotating frame Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY) experiments. A conformational model for both the CSA and its diastereomeric solvates formed with the two enantiomers of N-acetyl leucine has also been conceived on the basis of ROE data in order to give a chiral discrimination rationale.

Chiral Quaternary Ammoniums Derived from Dehydroabietylamine: Synthesis and Application to Alkynylation of Isatin Derivatives Catalyzed by Silver

Abietic acid and its derivatives have broadly been used in fine chemicals and are renewable resources. Its inherent chiral rigid tricyclic phenanthrene skeleton is unique. Its utilities in asymmetric catalysis remain to be explored. A series new amide-type chiral quaternary ammoniums bearing dehydroabietylamine were designed, and prepared by two convenient steps. Acylation of dehydroabietylamine with bromoacetyl chloride afforded amide holding bromoacetyl group in higher yields using triethyl amine as base. Subsequent quaternization reaction gave the desired amide-type chiral quaternary ammoniums. The new chiral quaternary ammoniums can be used as phase-transfer catalyst (PTC) for the transition metal-catalysed alkynylation of isatin derivatives.

Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Based on Dehydroabietylamine as Chiral Monomers for the Enantioseparation of RS-Mandelic Acid

Stereoselective adsorption of the enantiomers shows potential in the resolution of a racemate. In this work, we synthesized novel magnetic surface molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) on the surface of the γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS)-modified Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ particles to utilize chiral dehydroabietylamine (DHA) as a functional monomer and R-mandelic acid as a template molecule (DHA-MIPs). We performed the resolution of mandelic acid racemate (RS-MA) via adsorption on the as-prepared MIPs. The results revealed that the MIPs have good affinity and high adsorption capacity for R-MA and show better enantioselective adsorption ability for R-MA than that for S-MA. One-stage adsorption of RS-MA on the MIPs can achieve up to 53.7% enantiomeric excess (ee) for R-MA. These help us to improve the chiral separation ability of the traditional MIPs using a chiral rather than an achiral monomer in MIP preparation. The MIPs can be employed as an economic and efficient adsorbent for chiral separation of MA racemate.

Recent advances of the ionic chiral selectors for chiral resolution by chromatography, spectroscopy and electrochemistry

Ionic chiral selectors have been received much attention in the field of asymmetric catalysis, chiral recognition, and preparative separation. It has been shown that the addition of ionic chiral selectors can enhance the recognition efficiency dramatically due to the presence of multiple intermolecular interactions, including hydrogen bond, π-π interaction, van der Waals force, electrostatic ion-pairing interaction, and ionic-hydrogen bond. In the initial research stage of the ionic chiral selectors, most of work center on the application in chromatographic separation (capillary electrophoresis, high-performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography). Differently, more and more attention has been paid on the spectroscopy (nuclear magnetic resonance, fluorescence, ultraviolet and visible absorption spectrum, and circular dichroism spectrum) and electrochemistry in recent years. In this tutorial review as regards the ionic chiral selectors, we discuss in detail the structural features, properties, and their application in chromatography, spectroscopy, and electrochemistry.

A Dimeric Thiourea CSA for the Enantiodiscrimination of Amino Acid Derivatives by NMR Spectroscopy

The reaction of benzoyl isothiocyanate with (1R,2R)-1,2-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethylenediamine afforded a new thiourea chiral solvating agent (CSA) with a very high ability to differentiate 1H and 13C NMR signals of simple amino acid derivatives, even at low concentrations. The enantiodiscrimination efficiency was higher with respect to that of the parent monomer, a thiourea derivative of 2-((1R)-1-aminoethyl)phenol, thus putting into light the relevance of the cooperativity between the two molecular portions of the dimer in a cleft conformation stabilized by interchain hydrogen bond interactions. An achiral base additive (DABCO or DMAP) played an active role in the chiral discrimination processes, mediating the interaction between the CSA and the enantiomeric mixtures. The chiral discrimination mechanism was investigated by NMR spectroscopy through the determination of complexation stoichiometries, association constants, and the stereochemistry of the diastereomeric solvates.

Optically Pure Aziridin-2-yl Methanols as Readily Available 1H NMR Sensors for Enantiodiscrimination of α-Racemic Carboxylic Acids Containing Tertiary or Quaternary Stereogenic Centers

Enantiopure aziridin-2-yl methanols 3–7 are used as highly effective sensors for enantiodiscrimination of α-racemic carboxylic acids containing tertiary or quaternary stereogenic centers. A linear correlation between theoretical and observed % ee values for CSA-3 and enantiomerically enriched samples of mandelic acid has been observed, indicating the possible application of these compounds in the ee determination. The free NH and OH groups in 3–7 ensure good recognition.

Advances in Rosin-Based Chemicals: The Latest Recipes, Applications and Future Trends

A comprehensive review of the publications about rosin-based chemicals has been compiled. Rosin, or colophony, is a natural, abundant, cheap and non-toxic raw material which can be easily modified to obtain numerous useful products, which makes it an excellent subject of innovative research, attracting growing interest in recent years. The last extensive review in this research area was published in 2008, so the current article contains the most promising, repeatable achievements in synthesis of rosin-derived chemicals, published in scientific literature from 2008 to 2018. The first part of the review includes low/medium molecule weight compounds: Especially intermediates, resins, monomers, curing agents, surfactants, medications and biocides. The second part is about macromolecules: mainly elastomers, polymers for biomedical applications, coatings, adhesives, surfactants, sorbents, organosilicons and polysaccharides. In conclusion, a critical evaluation of the publications in terms of data completeness has been carried out with an indication of the most promising directions of rosin-based chemicals development.

Chiral ionic liquid crystals based on thiourea

Chiral ionic liquid crystals based on the S-methyl-N,N′-α-methylarylthiouronium cation have been prepared and studied.

Chiral sensors for determining the absolute configurations of α-amino acid derivatives

Two simple ¹H NMR tests give the absolute configurations of α-amino acids.

Differentiation of enantiomeric anions by NMR spectroscopy with chiral bisurea receptors

Enantiomeric ¹H NMR signals of chiral anions are separated by forming 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 host–guest complexes with chiral bisurea.

1-(+)-Dehydroabietylimidazolium Salts as Enantiomer Discriminators for NMR Spectroscopy

Nine new (+)-dehydroabietylimidazolium salts were synthesised and studied as chiral solvating agents for several different racemic aromatic and non-aromatic carboxylate salts. These cationic chiral solvating agents resolve racemic ionic analytes better than non-ionic ones. Bis(dehydroabietylimidazolium) bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide) gave the best discrimination for the enantiomers of carboxylate salts. Its resolution behaviour was studied by an NMR titration experiment, which indicated 1 : 1 complexation with the racemic analyte. The dehydroabietylimidazolium salts were also useful in enantiomeric excess (ee) determinations, and for the recognition of chirality of racemic aromatic and non-aromatic α-substituted carboxylic acids.

Enantiodiscrimination of carboxylic acids using the diphenylprolinol NMR chiral solvating agents

Enantiopure diphenylprolinols have been developed as effective and practical NMR chiral solvating agents for the enantiodiscrimination of diverse α-carboxylic acids.

Synthesis of Tertiary and Quaternary Amine Derivatives from Wood Resin as Chiral NMR Solvating Agents

Chiral tertiary and quaternary amine solvating agents for NMR spectroscopy were synthesized from the wood resin derivative (+)-dehydroabietylamine (2). The resolution of enantiomers of model compounds [Mosher’s acid (3) and its n-Bu₄N salt (4)] (guests) by (+)-dehydroabietyl-N,N-dimethylmethanamine (5) and its ten different ammonium salts (hosts) was studied. The best results with 3 were obtained using 5 while with 4 the best enantiomeric resolution was obtained using (+)-dehydroabietyl-N,N-dimethylmethanaminium bis(trifluoromethane-sulfonimide) (6). The compounds 5 and 6 showed a 1:1 complexation behaviour between the host and guest. The capability of 5 and 6 to recognize the enantiomers of various α-substituted carboxylic acids and their n-Bu₄N salts in enantiomeric excess (ee) determinations was demonstrated. A modification of the RES-TOCSY NMR pulse sequence is described, allowing the enhancement of enantiomeric discrimination when the resolution of multiplets is insufficient.

C-H hydroxylation of phosphonates with oxygen in [bmIm]OH To produce quaternary α-hydroxy phosphonates

A highly efficient and mild [bmIm]OH-catalyzed α-hydroxylation of phosphonates using O2 as the oxygen source is described. The employment of ionic liquid under mild reaction conditions makes this transformation green and practical. Especially, this reaction provided a novel and convenient methodology for the construction of quaternary α-hydroxy phosphonates.

Synthesis and applications of secondary amine derivatives of (+)-dehydroabietylamine in chiral molecular recognition

(+)-Dehydroabietylamine (1a), the novel derivatives (2a–6a) and their NTf₂ salts (1b–6b) were tested as chiral NMR solvating agents for the resolution of enantiomers of Mosher's acid and other carboxylic acids, and their n-Bu₄N salts.