Stereospecific Synthesis of Tetrahydronaphtho[2,3-b]furans Enabled by a Nickel-Promoted Tandem Reductive Cyclization.

A Ni-mediated cascade to a stereoselective synthesis of trans-tetrahydronaphtho[2,3-b]furans is efficiently achieved for the first time. The mild reductive system can be easily generated from inexpensive and air-stable materials and shows a broad positional tolerance of substituents that were previously difficult or impossible to access by other methods. Facile syntheses toward new analogues of therapeutic agents (iso)deoxypodophyllotoxin are also reported.

Stability of SARS coronavirus in human specimens and environment and its sensitivity to heating and UV irradiation.

Objective: The causal agent for SARS is considered as a novel coronavirus that has never been described both in human and animals previously. The stability of SARS coronavirus in human specimens and in environments was studied.

Methods: Using a SARS coronavirus strain CoV-P9, which was isolated from pharyngeal swab of a probable SARS case in Beijing, its stability in mimic human specimens and in mimic environment including surfaces of commonly used materials or in household conditions, as well as its resistance to temperature and UV irradiation were analyzed.