Sugar-based micro/mesoporous hypercross-linked polymers with in situ embedded silver nanoparticles for catalytic reduction

Analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: An update for 2017-2018

This review is the tenth update of the original article published in 1999 on the application of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI) mass spectrometry to the analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates and brings coverage of the literature to the end of 2018. Also included are papers that describe methods appropriate to glycan and glycoprotein analysis by MALDI, such as sample preparation techniques, even though the ionization method is not MALDI. Topics covered in the first part of the review include general aspects such as theory of the MALDI process, new methods, matrices, derivatization, MALDI imaging, fragmentation and the use of arrays. The second part of the review is devoted to applications to various structural types such as oligo- and poly-saccharides, glycoproteins, glycolipids, glycosides, and biopharmaceuticals. Most of the applications are presented in tabular form. The third part of the review covers medical and industrial applications of the technique, studies of enzyme reactions, and applications to chemical synthesis. The reported work shows increasing use of combined new techniques such as ion mobility and highlights the impact that MALDI imaging is having across a range of diciplines. MALDI is still an ideal technique for carbohydrate analysis and advancements in the technique and the range of applications continue steady progress.

Exploring Mannosylpurines as Copper Chelators and Cholinesterase Inhibitors with Potential for Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive cholinergic neurotransmission imbalance, with a decrease of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity followed by a significant increase of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in the later AD stages. BChE activity is also crucial for the development of Aβ plaques, the main hallmarks of this pathology. Moreover, systemic copper dyshomeostasis alters neurotransmission leading to AD. In the search for structures targeting both events, a set of novel 6-benzamide purine nucleosides was synthesized, differing in glycone configuration and N⁷/N⁹ linkage to the purine. Their AChE/BChE inhibitory activity and metal ion chelating properties were evaluated. Selectivity for human BChE inhibition required N⁹-linked 6-deoxy-α-d-mannosylpurine structure, while all three tested β-d-derivatives appeared as non-selective inhibitors. The N⁹-linked l-nucleosides were cholinesterase inhibitors except the one embodying either the acetylated sugar or the N-benzyl-protected nucleobase. These findings highlight that sugar-enriched molecular entities can tune bioactivity and selectivity against cholinesterases. In addition, selective copper chelating properties over zinc, aluminum, and iron were found for the benzyl and acetyl-protected 6-deoxy-α-l-mannosyl N^9-linked purine nucleosides. Computational studies highlight molecular conformations and the chelating molecular site. The first dual target compounds were disclosed with the perspective of generating drug candidates by improving water solubility.

Water Solubility and Surface Activity of Alkoxyethyl β-d-Maltosides

Green surfactants alkyl glycosides are key to solve the inherent problem of water solubility due to their commercial application and extensive scientific research. Based on the enhancement strategy of hydrophilicity through the reconstruction of the conventional alkyl β-d-maltoside by introducing an oxyethyl group (-OCH₂CH₂-), d-maltose was used to prepare a series of nonionic disaccharide-based surfactants alkoxyethyl β-d-maltosides (4a-h, n = 6-16) so that the related water solubility was effectively improved, while the corresponding surface activity and other excellent properties were still maintained. Their physicochemical properties, including water solubility, surface activity, moisture absorption, and thermotropic liquid crystalline behavior, were investigated. The liquid crystal texture of alkoxyethyl β-d-maltosides (n = 7-16) has a fan-shaped focal conic texture. Furthermore, decoxyethyl β-d-maltoside had the strongest foaming characteristic and the best foam stability. Moreover, dodecoxyethyl β-d-maltoside (4f, n =12) had stronger emulsifying activity in the rapeseed oil/water system. Finally, CTAC/4f binary surfactants had an obvious synergistic effect. Such β-d-maltosides should have good application prospects in the future.

Carbazole-functionalized hyper-cross-linked polymers for CO2 uptake based on Friedel-Crafts polymerization on 9-phenylcarbazole

To systematically explore the effects of the synthesis conditions on the porosity of hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs), a series of 9-phenylcarbazole (9-PCz) HCPs (P1-P11) has been made by changing the molar ratio of cross-linker to monomer, the reaction temperature T 1, the used amount of catalyst and the concentration of reactants. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was utilized to characterize the structure of the obtained polymers. The TG analysis of the HCPs showed good thermal stability. More importantly, a comparative study on the porosity revealed that: the molar ratio of cross-linker to monomer was the main influence factor of the BET specific surface area. Increasing the reaction temperature T 1 or changing the used amount of catalyst could improve the total pore volume greatly but sacrificed a part of the BET specific surface area. Fortunately changing the concentration of reactants could remedy this situation. Slightly changing the concentration of reactants could simultaneously obtain a high surface area and a high total pore volume. The BET specific surface areas of P3 was up to 769 m2 g-1 with narrow pore size distribution and the CO2 adsorption capacity of P11 was up to 52.4 cm3 g-1 (273 K/1.00 bar).

Microporous Hyper-Crosslinked Polystyrenes and Nanocomposites with High Adsorption Properties: A Review

Hyper-crosslinked (HCL) polystyrenes show outstanding properties, such as high specific surface area and adsorption capability. Several researches have been recently focused on tailoring their performance for specific applications, such as gas adsorption and separation, energy storage, air and water purification processes, and catalysis. In this review, main strategies for the realization of HCL polystyrene-based materials with advanced properties are reported, including a summary of the synthetic routes that are adopted for their realization and the chemical modification approaches that are used to impart them specific functionalities. Moreover, the most up to date results on the synthesis of HCL polystyrene-based nanocomposites that are realized by embedding these high surface area polymers with metal, metal oxide, and carbon-based nanofillers are discussed in detail, underlining the high potential applicability of these systems in different fields.