Exploring the reactivity of bicyclic α-iminophosphonates to access new imidazoline I receptor ligands.

Recent studies pointed out the modulation of imidazoline I receptors (I-IR) by selective ligands as a putative strategy to face neurodegenerative diseases. Foregoing the classical 2-imidazoline/imidazole-containing I-IR ligands, we report a family of bicyclic α-iminophosphonates endowed with high affinity and selectivity upon I-IR and we advanced a representative compound B06 in preclinical phases. In this paper, we describe the synthetic possibilities of bicyclic α-iminophosphonates by exploring its ambivalent reactivity, leading to unprecedented molecules that showed promising activities as I-IR ligands in human brain tissues and good BBB permeation capabilities.

Metal Propionate Solutions for High-Throughput Liquid-Assisted Manufacturing of Superconducting REBaCuO (RE = Y, Gd, Sm, and Yb) Films.

The cost-effective synthesis of a series of metal propionate powders (copper, yttrium, barium, samarium, gadolinium, and ytterbium) is developed through single chemical reactions resulting in five novel crystalline forms. These complexes are valuable precursors for the preparation of epitaxial REBaCuO (REBCO) superconducting films (here, RE = Y, Sm, Gd, and Yb) through the innovative transient liquid-assisted growth (TLAG) process based on chemical solution deposition (CSD). TLAG-CSD shows impressive results with YBaCuO (YBCO), obtaining critical current densities of 2.

Exploring -dianthrylbenzenes for molecular solar thermal energy storage.

Molecular solar thermal systems, which absorb light, store it, and release it as heat, have been extensively researched, yet many potential candidates remain unexplored. To expand this range, five specifically designed -dianthrylbenzenes were investigated. Anthracene dimers have been underexplored due to issues like photooxidation and varying photodimerization efficiency.

Direct Synthesis of 2-Hydroxytrifluoroethylacetophenones via Organophotoredox-Mediated Net-Neutral Radical/Polar Crossover.

Alkene difunctionalization is a very attractive tool in synthetic organic chemistry. Herein, we disclose an operationally and practically simple method to access 2-hydroxytrifluoroethylacetophenones from styrene derivatives via photoredox catalysis. This light-mediated transformation promotes the generation of the 1-hydroxy-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl carbon-centered radical as key synthon, which undergoes Giese addition with styrenes followed by a Kornblum oxidation process.

Using electric fields to control insects: current applications and future directions.

Chemical-based interventions are mostly used to control insects that are harmful to human health and agriculture or that simply cause a nuisance. An overreliance on these insecticides however raises concerns for the environment, human health, and the development of resistance, not only in the target species. As such, there is a critical need for the development of novel nonchemical technologies to control insects.