The emergence of the C-H functionalization strategy in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.

Owing to the market competitiveness and urgent societal need, an optimum speed of drug discovery is an important criterion for successful implementation. Despite the rapid ascent of artificial intelligence and computational and bioanalytical techniques to accelerate drug discovery in big pharma, organic synthesis of privileged scaffolds predicted for and studies is still considered as the rate-limiting step. C-H activation is the latest technology added into an organic chemist's toolbox for the rapid construction and late-stage modification of functional molecules to achieve the desired chemical and physical properties.

Complementary amide-based donor-acceptor with unique nano-scale aggregation, fluorescence, and band gap-lowering properties: a WORM memory device.

Organic fluorescent semiconducting nanomaterials have gained widespread research interest owing to their potential applications in the arena of high-tech devices. We designed two pyrazaacene-based compounds, their stacked system, and the role of gluing interactions to fabricate nanomaterials, and determined the prospective band gaps utilizing the density functional theory calculation. The two pyrazaacene derivatives containing complementary amide linkages (-CONH and -NHCO) were efficiently synthesized.

Correlation between catalytic activity and surface ligands of monolayer protected gold nanoparticles.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are known to be a very good catalyst. Also, the anchoring of GNPs with stabilizing ligands is essential for surface modification, tuning of size and shapes, and to prevent from aggregation in suspension. But the effect of ligand on the catalytic property of ligand-capped GNP is yet to be explored in detail.

Redox-active ionic-liquid-assisted one-step general method for preparing gold nanoparticle thin films: applications in refractive index sensing and catalysis.

We describe a general one-step facile method for depositing gold nanoparticle (GNP) thin films onto any type of substrates by the in situ reduction of AuCl(3) using a newly designed redox-active ionic liquid (IL), tetrabutylphosphonium citrate ([TBP][Ci]). Various substrates such as positively charged glass, negatively charged glass/quartz, neutral hydrophobic glass, polypropylene, polystyrene, plain paper, and cellophane paper are successfully coated with a thin film of GNPs. This IL ([TBP][Ci]) is prepared by the simple neutralization of tetrabutylphosphonium hydroxide with citric acid.

Ascorbate-assisted growth of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures: sphere, spindle, and flower and their catalytic properties.

A simple solution-based method to prepare mainly flowerlike zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures using the ascorbate ion as a shape-directing/capping agent at relatively low temperature (ca. 30 and 60 degrees C) was described. However, we observed that different shapes of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures such as flowerlike, spindlelike, and spherical could be obtained with an increase in the synthesis temperature from 60 to 90 degrees C.

In situ synthesis of shape-selective gold nanocrystals using oligopeptide template: effect of various reaction parameters.

An oligopeptide with a free amino group at the N-terminus and a redox active tryptophan residue at the C-terminus was used to synthesize gold nanocrystals of different shapes. The concentration ratio of peptide to HAuCl4 has a significant effect on the shape of the formed nanocrystals and the polyhedral gold nanocrystals are mainly formed at higher such ratio. The effect of medium pH and reaction temperature on the shape of the formed gold nanocrystals has also been investigated.

Novel ascorbic acid based ionic liquids for the in situ synthesis of quasi-spherical and anisotropic gold nanostructures in aqueous medium.

A series of newly designed ascorbic acid based room temperature ionic liquids were successfully used to prepare quasi-spherical and anisotropic gold nanostructures in an aqueous medium at ambient temperature. The synthesis of these room temperature ionic liquids involves, first, the preparation of a 1-alkyl (such as methyl, ethyl, butyl, hexyl, octyl, and decyl) derivative of 3-methylimidazolium hydroxide followed by the neutralization of the derivatised product with ascorbic acid. These ionic liquids show significantly better thermal stability and their glass transition temperature (Tg) decreases with increasing alkyl chain length.

In situ synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles by using redox-active amphiphiles and their phase transfer to organic solvents.

An in situ reduction approach to synthesizing gold and silver nanoparticles by using a series of newly designed, redox-active amphiphiles at basic pH is described. These amphiphiles are the conjugates of a fatty acid (e.g.