Manu Lahtinen

Nonporous Organic Solids Capable of Dynamically Resolving Mixtures of Diiodoperfluoroalkanes

Halogen bonding has increasingly facilitated the assembly of diverse host-guest solids. Here, we show that a well-known class of organic salts, bis(trimethylammonium) alkane diiodides, can reversibly encapsulate α,ω-diiodoperfluoroalkanes (DIPFAs) through intermolecular interactions between the hosts I– anions and the guests terminal iodine substituents. The process is highly selective for the fluorocarbon that forms an I–···I(CF2)mI···I– superanion that is matched in length to the chosen dication. DIPFAs that are 2 to 12 carbons in length (common industrial intermediates) can thereby be isolated from mixtures by means of crystallization from solution upon addition of the dissolved size-matched ionic salt. The solid-state salts can also selectively capture the DIPFAs from the vapor phase, yielding the same product formed from solution despite a lack of porosity of the starting lattice structure. Heating liberates the DIPFAs and regenerates the original salt lattice, highlighting the practical potential for the system in separation applications.

Bioprospective of Sorbus aucuparia leaf extract in development of silver and gold nanocolloids.

At the present time the bioprospective field is a dynamic area of research. The rapid biosynthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles without using toxic chemicals is reported here. Sorbus aucuparia is omnipresent in Europe. The aqueous leaves extract of the plant were used as reducing agent for the synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles from their salt solutions. The synthesized nanoparticles were spherical, triangular and hexagonal in shape with an average size of 16 and 18nm for silver and gold, respectively. Different extract quantities, metal concentrations, temperatures and contact times were investigated to find their effect on nanoparticles synthesis. The resulting silver and gold nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The concentration of residual silver and gold ions was measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) spectroscopy. Silver and gold nanoparticle suspensions gave maximum UV-vis absorbance at 446 and 560nm, respectively. The XRD data illustrated characteristic diffraction patterns of the elemental silver and gold phases and the average size of the crystallites were estimated from the peak profiles by Scherrer method. FTIR spectra of the leaf extract before and after the development of nanoparticles were determined to allow identification of possible functional groups responsible for the conversion of metal ions to metal nanoparticles.

Novel one-pot synthesis of quaternary ammonium halides: new route to ionic liquids

Treatment of an amide with an alkyl or substituted alkyl halide in the presence of a weak base in a one-pot reaction leads to crystalline quaternary ammonium halides with reasonable chemical yields; some of the compounds show low melting points and a liquid range of over 50–100 °C before decomposition.

13C Chemical Shift Tensors in Hypoxanthine and 6-Mercaptopurine: Effects of Substitution, Tautomerism, and Intermolecular Interactions

Principal values of the (13)C chemical shift tensor (CST) are measured for two biologically interesting and structurally related compounds, hypoxanthine and 6-mercaptopurine, and differences in the values are discussed with an attempt to reveal chemical shifts sensitive to substitution and prototropic tautomerism in the purine ring. Furthermore, methods of density-functional theory (DFT) are used to calculate principal values of the (13)C chemical shift tensor and orientations of the principal components. Values calculated for isolated molecules are compared to those for several supramolecular clusters and then to experimental data to investigate the degree of modulation of the (13)C CSTs by molecular packing. Focusing on the protonated carbons, C2 and C8, which are crucial for relaxation measurements, we show that neglecting intermolecular interactions can lead to errors as large as 30 ppm in the delta(22) principal component. This has significant implications for the studies of molecular dynamics, employing spin relaxation, in large fragments of nucleic acids at high magnetic fields.

Bile acid–amino acid ester conjugates: gelation, structural properties, and thermoreversible solid to solid phase transition

Design, synthesis, and gelation properties of three novel biocompatible bile acid–L-methionine methyl ester conjugates are presented. Two of the conjugates have been shown to undergo self-assembly leading to organogelation in certain aromatic solvents. The properties of these gels have been investigated by conventional methods typical for molecular gel studies along with 13C CPMAS NMR spectroscopic studies of the native gel. In addition, properties in solid and solution states for all three compounds have been investigated, and single crystal X-ray structures of all compounds determined. Furthermore, powder X-ray diffraction studies have revealed that compound 1 undergoes a dynamic and reversible conformational change in the solid state when cooling from ambient temperature to −150 °C. The powder X-ray diffraction data of the room-temperature conformer has been utilized to unambiguously determine the structure at room temperature.

Unraveling the packing pattern leading to gelation using SS NMR and X-ray diffraction: direct observation of the evolution of self-assembled fibers

A detailed understanding of the mode of packing patterns that leads to the gelation of low molecular mass gelators derived from bile acid esters was carried out using solid state NMR along with complementary techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM). Solid state 13C{1H} cross polarization (CP) magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR of the low molecular mass gel in its native state was recorded for the first time. A close resemblance in the packing patterns of the gel, xerogel and bulk solid states was revealed upon comparing their 13C{1H}CPMAS NMR spectral pattern. A doublet resonance pattern of 13C signals in 13C{1H}CPMAS NMR spectra were observed for the gelator molecules, whereas the non-gelators showed simple singlet resonance or resulted in the formation of inclusion complexes/solvates. PXRD patterns revealed a close isomorphous nature of the gelators indicating the similarity in the mode of the packing pattern in their solid state. Direct imaging of the evolution of nanofibers (sol–gel transition) was carried out using POM, which proved the presence of self-assembled fibrillar networks (SAFINs) in the gel. Finally powder X-ray structure determination revealed the presence of two non-equivalent molecules in an asymmetric unit which is responsible for the doublet resonance pattern in the solid state NMR spectra.

Protocol for development of various plants leaves extract in single-pot synthesis of metal nanoparticles

This article is aimed to extend a simple protocol for preparation of various plant leaves extract and their application to green synthesis of the metallic nanoparticles. Five plant leaves extract showed mild reduction and stabilization ability for silver and gold nanoparticles (AgNPs and AuNPs) at room temperature. The particle size range varied from 25 to 42 nm and 21 to 47 nm for AgNPs and AuNPs, respectively. Plant leaves extract-mediated nanoparticles were characterized to confirm the shape, size, crystallinity, and content using different spectroscopic investigations. Differences in stability of nanoparticles at different pH were also measured by zeta potential.

Solution stoichiometry determines crystal stoichiometry in halogen-bonded supramolecular complexes

The behavior of the methylisonicotinate (MINC) building block as halogen bonding-acceptor module has been investigated in the solid state. Both the N and the O atoms of MINC interact with the iodine atoms of 1,4-diiodotetrafluorobenzene (DITFB) giving rise to N⋯I and O⋯I interactions. Hierarchy between these interactions allows the control of the composition and thus the structure of the supramolecular complex, according to the composition of the reaction mixture. A structure based on an infinite chain and a trimeric supermolecule have been obtained starting from a 1 ∶ 1 MINC/DITFB stoichiometry or by using a large excess of MINC, respectively. While the former structure shows simultaneous N⋯I and O⋯I halogen bonds, only N⋯I interactions are present in the latter one. The results also elicit some general considerations based on the rare chain morphology shown by the 1 ∶ 1 complex.

Systematic study of the physicochemical properties of a homologous series of aminobisphosphonates

Aminobisphosphonates, e.g., alendronate and neridronate, are a well known class of molecules used as drugs for various bone diseases. Although these molecules have been available for decades, a detailed understanding of their most important physicochemical properties under comparable conditions is lacking. In this study, ten aminobisphosphonates, H2N(CH2)nC(OH)[P(O)(OH)2]2, in which n = 2–5, 7–11 and 15 have been synthesized. Their aqueous solubility as a function of temperature and pH, pKa-values, thermal stability, IR absorptions, and NMR spectral data for both liquid (1H, 13C, 31P-NMR) and solid state (13C, 15N and 31P-CPMAS NMR) were determined.

Cyclic dipeptides: catalyst/promoter-free, rapid and environmentally benign cyclization of free amino acids

“The best catalyst is no catalyst.” With growing public concern over global warming and the amount of greenhouse gases, it is important to reduce the amount of chemicals and eliminate waste, to obtain better results in a simple, selective, safe, and environmentally benign fashion compared to conventional tedious chemical synthesis. Herein, we disclose an environmentally benign, rapid, catalyst/promoter/coupling reagent-free cyclization procedure of free amino acids to furnish exclusively cyclic dipeptides (2,5-diketopiperazines, DKPs) in excellent or even quantitative yield, along with their solid state self-assembling properties. This process is extremely simple and highly efficient with little or no traditional synthetic skills and without any chromatographic purification. Synthesis of structurally diverse DKPs has been achieved with a dramatic decrease in the reaction time, the amount/number of solvents used, a significant increase in the yield and nearly complete elimination of waste. As a result, this is an excellent example for the environmentally benign, clean and green chemistry concept. The most exciting outcome of our investigation is an unusual case of chiral self-recognition encountered upon the cyclization of rac-pipecolic acid, which resulted in the formation of the meso-product exclusively.