Photocatalytic dihydroxylation of light olefins to glycols by water.

Aliphatic diols such as ethylene and propylene glycol are the key products in the chemical industry for manufacturing polymers. The synthesis of these molecules usually implies sequential processes, including epoxidation of olefins using hydrogen peroxide or oxygen with subsequent hydrolysis to glycols. Direct hydroxylation of olefins by cheap and green oxidants is an economically attractive and environmentally friendly route for the synthesis of diols.

In situ nanochemical imaging of label-free drugs: a case study of antimalarials in Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes.

We report here for the first time the in vitro localization of unlabeled antimalarial drugs with high spatial resolution. This strategy further enhances our understanding of the action mechanisms of antimalarial drugs. Our approach may be applied to a wide range of domains where quantitative chemical imaging of drugs at the sub-cellular level appears critical.