Themed collection CSC100: Celebrating Canadian Chemistry

The synthesis, stability and catalytic reactivity of borocations are described in the context of their reaction in frustrated Lewis pair-type processes.

Many important chemical and biochemical phenomena proceed on sub-second time scales.

This review covers the detoxification pathways of cruciferous phytoalexins, the corresponding detoxifying enzymes and their natural and synthetic inhibitors. Paldoxins are examined as a potentially sustainable strategy to control plant pathogenic fungi.

Attaching DNA to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) enables a suite of analytical and nanotechnology applications, yet the conjugation reaction itself manifests many interesting concepts in fundamental colloidal and interface sciences.

Aerobic granules were discovered around 20 years back.

A formal N-heterocyclic carbene insertion into the B–H bond of 9-BBN followed by a ring expansion reaction is reported. NHC-9-BBN adducts were reacted in one or two steps to give the corresponding di- or triazaborines. Hydride abstraction of selected species with [Ph₃C]⁺ is facile, giving rise to 6π-aromatic cations with Lewis acidity comparable to Lewis acids commonly employed in frustrated Lewis pairs.

Organocatalytic hydrolysis: o-Phthalaldehyde induces electrophilic activation in a variety of P(O)–NH compounds, allowing mild hydrolyses.

Cu(I)-doping transforms an inactive Cu(I)/Au(I) coordination polymer into an emissive, reversible solid state sensor for dimethyl- and diethyl sulphide.

The ions of the ZnCl₂/choline chloride deep eutectic system form a neutral complex by coordination to a central metal ion.

Monofunctional dendritic silicone branches were created from hydro- and alkoxysilanes using the Piers–Rubinsztajn reaction. Monofunctional dendritic silicone branches were added to linear polymers with varied branch frequency, density and backbone molecular weight. Viscosities of the polymers increased with branch frequency to a maximum beyond which the viscosity decreased.

With only water as solvent, poly-L-leucine serves as supramolecular catalyst for the epoxidation of α,β-unsaturated ketones.

Schiff base chloro complexes of U(IV) and Th(IV) are prepared and provide access to rare pseudo trans diazide species, and a facile pathway to uranyl complexes through oxidation with NaNO₂.

A green preparation of N-alkylbenzamides involves synthesis of 2-alkyl-3-aryloxaziridines from N-alkylamines and benzaldehydes followed by iron(III) sulfate catalyzed rearrangement to the corresponding amides in water and in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate.

Ruthenium complexes with phosphine–enamido (blue) and phosphine–imine (red) ligands are both active toward acceptorless dehydrogenation reactions.

A general procedure for the alkaline hydration of α-amino nitriles has been developed using formaldehyde as catalyst.

Size-controlled discoidal and cholesteryl oleated-loaded spherical, intrinsically multimodal porphyrin-lipid nanoparticles targeted glioblastoma via apoE3 and LDLR.

A benzimidazole molecule can be protected from deprotonation with strong base by converting into a suit[1]ane – a type of 3D mechanically interlocked molecule. Utilising a combination of ring-closing and ring-opening metathesis, the wearing of the protective “suit” can be made reversible.

A microfluidic strategy is used to assess the relative efficiency and thermodynamic parameters of CO₂ binding by three Lewis acid/base combinations.

A mild palladium-catalyzed ligand-controlled regioselective 1,3-arylfluorination of 2[H]-chromenes has been developed.

There is a need to establish in vitro lung alveolar epithelial culture models to better understand the fundamental biological mechanisms that drive lung diseases.

Cyclonickellation of aryl phosphinites derived from substituted phenols is regioselective: high sensitivity to sterics favors nickellation at the less hindered C–H.

A new ^99mTc-labelled tetrazine for targeted imaging using bioorthogonal chemistry was developed and evaluated in vivo using a trans-cyclooctene derived bisphosphonate targeting regions of high bone turnover and bone lesions.

Rare earth elements show consistent bioaccumulation patterns yet limited biomagnification in remote northern ecosystems.

Bioanode sensors utilizing exoelectrogenic bacteria can be used for real-time and in situ assessment of water quality.

We report the oxidative transfer of the phosphorus(I) centre in [P^Idppe][Br] to tetrathiocin and disulfide ligands. Characterization of the resulting bis(trithio)phosphines and mechanistic insight into the formation of these products is provided.

Polylactic acid (PLA) macromonomer radical homopropagation rate coefficients are evaluated as a function of average macromonomer chain length. Hydrolysis studies of nanoparticles (NP) produced from PLA macromonomers demonstrate the importance of end-group functionality on NP degradation time.

Systematic variation of ligand geometry and ester size shows that dimensionality of barium phosphonate/phosphonate ester structures can be truncated by either route.

A fast and reliable gas chromatographic technique for the direct measurement of carbon disulfide at the parts-per-billion level is introduced.

The reaction of a Cp*Ir(III) phosphoramidate complex with secondary amines gives amine, imine-bound Cp*Ir(III) hydride complexes resulting from amine dehydrogenation.

In this work, we report on the synthesis, characterization, and photovoltaic properties of two new N-annulated PDI derivatives connected with one (M1) or two (M2) thiophene bridging units and directly compare to a twisted PDI dimer with no thiophene units (tPDI-Hex).

We synthesized novel ultra-low fouling ionic liquids and demonstrated their use with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing for the analysis of HER2 in breast cancer cell lysates.

The combined effects of freeze–thawing cycles and surfactant can inhibit the sequestration of phenanthrene in soil.

This work examines the mechanisms involved in the attenuation of postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses associated with soluble dietary fibre (SDF) consumption.

The reaction rate of rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenation of alkynes was shown to be strongly influenced by the transfer of the hydrogen gas into the solution and stirring in the solution.

We assessed the effect of free hemin on the deformability of bystander red blood cells using the multiplexed fluidic plunger microfluidic device.

Physicochemical modifications of silver nanoparticles in wastewaters determine their bioavailability to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

A new nickel-catalyzed cyclization of ortho-chlorobenzophenone hydrazones, to afford 3-aryl-1H-indazoles, is applied in a one-pot synthesis of 1,3-diaryl-1H-indazoles.

A streamlined synthetic approach to easily access complex pi-conjugated molecular materials.

A field-deployable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor is reported for the detection RDX at ppb concentration in environmental samples.

Stability of cationic surfactant coatings at moderate to high pH depends on the aggregate structure on the surface of the silica capillary.

N-Demethylation of selected N-methylalkaloids using a modified Polonovski reaction can be accomplished employing nanoscale zero-valent iron, nZVI, in isopropanol.

Automated sampling and in-line dilution allows both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions to be easily profiled by real-time HPLC-MS.

Cocrystals of the FDA-approved boron-containing API Tavaborole (AN2690) were obtained through solvent evaporation with coformers functionalized with 4-pyridyl groups.

Plastic microfluidic devices can be rapidly and inexpensively prototyped “on the fly”, for cell culture experiments in which hydrophobic small molecules play an important role.

A simple technique is presented to identify phase-transitions in polymeric aqueous two-phase systems.

Tributylphosphine-assisted greener synthesis of ultrasmall PbS quantum dots and their high performance in luminescent solar concentrator application.

The p–i–n heterojunction devices based on intrinsic absorber multiferroic Bi₂FeCrO₆ sandwiched between p-type NiO and n-type Nb-doped SrTiO₃ were demonstrated.

Alkali metal–ligand complexes are the building blocks of the exotic organic alkalide and electride materials.

Multi-media biomonitoring study of body burdens and potential sources of 11 elements in 9 Cree communities in northern Quebec (Canada).

SlyD activates the release of nickel and blocks the release of zinc from the high-affinity metal site of HypB.

The cycling stability of Sb-based anodes for sodium-ion batteries can be greatly improved by adding Sn and Bi atoms in a substitutional solid solution with the host Sb lattice.

We introduce a simple and reliable approach for practicing flow controlled multi-dimensional gas chromatography.

Rotational spectrum of 2-fluoroethanol–water reveals interesting water and methyl internal rotation tunneling and barrier-less motions in the hydrogen-bonded complex.

Sensitization of numerous emission bands (from ultraviolet to near-infrared) in rare-earth doped multilayered nanoparticles: 806 versus 980 nm excitation.

Concern for the environment has been driving major changes in the coatings industry.

N-Mesyloxycarbamates undergo intramolecular C–H amination reactions to afford oxazolidinones in good to excellent yields in the presence of rhodium(II) carboxylate catalysts.

Charge separation stabilization is achieved by placing porphyrin and C₆₀ at the two ends of central BODIPY.

The present work describes the effect of the number of thymine–thymine mispairs in single strand DNA probes on Hg(II) interactions and further to develop a highly sensitive DNA based impedimetric sensor for Hg(II) detection.

The first examples of phosphorescent platinum(II) complexes bearing pentafluorosulfanyl (–SF₅) substituted cyclometalating ligands (C^N) are reported.

An analytical protocol for the accurate and precise determination of the europium isotope ratio in low level natural waters is presented for the first time by using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) with a single-step column separation with di(2-ethylhexyl) orthophosphoric acid (HDEHP) resin.

We have applied the umbrella sampling (US) method in all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to obtain potential of mean force (PMF) profiles for ion transport through three representative G-quadruplex DNA channels: [d(TG₄T)]₄, [d(G₃T₄G₄)]₂, and d[G₄(T₄G₄)₃].

The development of solid, weighable Brønsted acids featuring the hexacoordinated phosphorous(V) anion [TRISPHAT]⁻ are reported.

Treatment of aniline derivatives in the presence of a hypervalent iodine reagent and furan produces dihydrofuranoindoline cores in one step.

Hydrogen bonding controls the intermolecular distances in supramolecular networks – a platform to design molecular patterns at surfaces/interfaces.

A surprising variation of luminescence maxima occurs for crystalline dithiocarbamate platinum(II) complexes with very similar square-planar coordination geometries but different peripheral substituents R, R′.

Artificial latexes of poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA), natural rubber, and other polymers were separately prepared from the bulk polymer using the CO₂-responsive switchable hydrophilicity solvent N,N-dicyclohexylmethylamine (Cy₂NMe) with the help of CO₂.

Engineered nanoparticles such as gold that are considered to be relatively chemically inert can influence soil enzyme activities and the composition of microbial communities that play an important role in nutrient cycling and soil health.

This study reports on the synthesis and characterization of four molecular π-extended squaraine compounds relevant to the field of organic electronics.

Fe-doped double perovskite materials show promise for renewable-derived carbon-neutral fuel production at significantly lower temperatures than current systems.

A prototype solution/slurry automated sampling instrument reveals the origin of diastereoselectivity in this organocatalyzed aldol reaction.