Ronny Priefer

Cubane: 50 years later.

Kyle F. Biegasiewicz,† Justin R. Griffiths,‡ G. Paul Savage, John Tsanaktsidis, and Ronny Priefer* †Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States ‡Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260-1660, United States Ian Wark Laboratory, CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Bayview Avenue, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia College of Pharmacy, Western New England University, Springfield, Massachusetts 01119, United States

Dialkoxy disulfides from cubycarbinols

Two dialkoxy disulfides 2 and 3 have been synthesized in respectable yields. The behaviour of 2 and 3 under thermal and photolytic conditions has been examined and we report the first examples of S2 liberation from aliphatic dialkoxy disulfides.

Development of a novel expression, ZIMAX/Kzi for determination of the counter-anion effect on the antimicrobial activity of tetrabutylammonium salts

Due to the increasing number of strains of drug-resistant bacteria, the development of new antibiotics has become increasingly important. The antibacterial properties of quaternary amines and their derivatives on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are well known. However, an encompassing study with specific emphasis on the role of the counter-anion has not been reported in the literature. By monitoring the Zone of Inhibition of various concentrations of tetrabutylammonium (TBA) salts, we observed that the counter anion plays a significant role in activity. We developed a novel method of reporting activity using zone of inhibition tests (ZI(MAX)/K(ZI)) and found it to be strongly correlated with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).

Derivatization of dicubyl disulfide

Our recent preparation of dicubyl disulfide (1) revealed some unusual properties concerning the S-S as well as the C-S bonds. In our continuing examination of this novel compound, we investigated its oxidation as well as sulfur insertion reactions. The oxidation process delivers all four possible derivatives, whereas the insertion reactions only provided mixed polysulfides.

Evaluation of a chiral cubane-based Schiff base ligand in asymmetric catalysis reactions

Summary Recently, a novel chiral cubane-based Schiff base ligand was reported to yield modest enantioselectivity in the Henry reaction. To further explore the utility of this ligand in other asymmetric organic transformations, we evaluated its stereoselectivity in cyclopropanation and Michael addition reactions. Although there was no increase in stereocontrol, upon computational evaluation using both M06L and B3LYP calculations, it was revealed that a pseudo six-membered ring exists, through H-bonding of a cubyl hydrogen to the copper core. This decreases the steric bulk above the copper center and limits the asymmetric control with this ligand.

A Portable Spectrophotometer-Based Breathalyzer for Point-of-Care Testing of Diabetic Patients

Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by the lack of sufficient insulin. This disease has become a national epidemic in the United States, and therapy non-adherence has become one of the largest precursors leading to diabetic sequelae such as diabetic ketoacidosis. A potential source of patient therapy negligence is the discomfort associated with the finger prick method of glucose monitoring. As a result, a less invasive method to monitor diabetes is sought. This paper describes a portable breathalyzer that is being developed to monitor acetone in the breath of a diabetic patient. The proposed design aims to eliminate the finger prick through a simplified approach for monitoring acetone levels in correlation to elevated glucose levels, thus determining the onset of diabetic ketoacidosis.

Assessment of Airborne Total Volatile Organic Compounds of Niagara Falls Residences as Compared to Resident Lifestyle

An indoor air study was conducted during the summers of 2007 and 2008 to determine the effect(s) of resident lifestyle on the concentrations and distributions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in residences of the city of Niagara Falls, New York. A GrayWolf Sensing Solutions Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) detector was used to measure TVOC concentrations and generic air readings of five predetermined locations within each of 58 residences. Factors including smoking, asthma, furnace filter condition, pest infestations and air conditioning and their effect(s) on TVOC concentrations were evaluated. The general distributions of TVOC within each residence were determined. Examining the latter three variables revealed no significant differences. However, TVOC concentrations increased as high as 20% in smoking households. Asthmatic households exhibited TVOC levels elevated as high as 33%. Additionally, TVOC levels from smoking households and asthmatic households gave a linear relationship (R2 =0.96).

Synthesis and Characterization of 1-Hydroxy-2-Methoxy-4-(3-Propanoic Acid) Anthracene

Abstract Base-catalyzed hydrolysis of the cycloadduct obtained from the Diels-Alder addition between the α-hydroxy-o-quinodimethane 2 and the spirolactone 3, afforded the new anthracene derivative 6, 1-hydroxy-2-methoxy-4-(3-propanoic acid) anthracene.

A history of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in self-monitoring of diabetes mellitus

Self-monitoring of glucose for individuals afflicted with diabetes mellitus has allowed patients to take control of their disease and thus directly affect the outcomes related to it. It has been almost a century since the first test to monitor ones sugar was developed; that being a urine test. The most well-known and prominent medical device for monitor blood glucose for individuals with diabetes are the finger-prick devices. This itself is an approximately 50year old technology. More recently has been the introduction of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) which entered the market place in the last year of the 20th century. As this technology has been further refined and improved, limitations associated with it have decreased. The scope of this review is to present a brief history of CGMs, both with the development of these medical devices and the challenges/limitations that they have shown.

Praseodymium-Induced Pinacol Formation

Abstract In an attempt to regenerate Ti(0) from TiOx for possible application in a catalytic McMurry coupling reaction, a praseodymium-based pinacol reaction was uncovered. This reaction formed the two products 2,3-diphenyl-2,3-butanediol (3) and α,β-dimethyl-α-phenyl-β-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]-benzene-ethanol (6) in a 1:3 ratio.