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We report the discovery of a quaternary ammonium surface additive for CO2 reduction on Ag surfaces that changes the Faradaic efficiency for CO from 25% on Ag foil to 97%, while increasing the current density for CO production by a factor of 9 from 0.14 to 1.21 mA/cm2 and reducing the current density for H2 production by a factor of 440 from 0.44 to 0.001 mA/cm2. Using ReaxFF reactive molecular dynamics, we find that the surface additive with the highest selectivity, dihexadecyldimethylammonium bromide, promotes substantial population of CO2 near the Ag surface along with sufficient H2O to activate the CO2. While a critical number of water molecules is required in the reduction of CO2 to CO, the trend in selectivity strongly correlates with the availability of CO2 molecules. We demonstrate that the ordering of the cationic modifiers plays a significant role around the active site, thus determining reaction selectivity. The dramatic improvement by addition of a simple surface additive suggests an additional strategy in electrocatalysis.

Isobutene is a specialty chemical used in the production of fuel additives, polymers, and other high-value products. While normally produced by steam cracking of petroleum naphtha, there is increasing interest in identifying routes to synthesizing isobutene from biomass-derived compounds, such as ethanol and acetone. Recent work has shown that zinc-zirconium mixed oxides are effective and selective catalysts for producing isobutene from ethanol. However, the reaction pathway, the roles of acidic and basic sites, and the role of water in promoting stability and selectivity are not yet clearly defined. In this study, a series of zinc-zirconium mixed oxides with tunable acid-base properties were synthesized and characterized with XRD, Raman spectroscopy, BET, CO2-TPD, NH3-TPD, and IR DRIFTS of adsorbed pyridine in order to probe the roles of acid and base sites for each step in the ethanol-to-isobutene reaction pathway. The observed reaction kinetics, supported by modeling of these kinetics, suggest that the reaction of ethanol to isobutene proceeds via a five-step sequence. Ethanol first undergoes dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde, which is then oxidized to acetic acid. This product undergoes ketonization to produce acetone, which dimerizes to form diacetone alcohol. The latter product either decomposes directly to isobutene and acetic acid or produces these products by dehydration to mesityl oxide and subsequent hydrolysis. The acetic acid formed undergoes ketonization to produce additional acetone. The dispersion of zinc oxide on zirconia was found to produce a balance between Lewis acidic and basic sites that prevent the loss of ethanol via dehydration to ethylene and promote the cascade reactions of ethanol and acetone to isobutene. Water, while inhibiting both isobutene and mesityl oxide formation, improves isobutene selectivity by suppressing side reactions such as unimolecular dehydration, acetone decomposition, and deactivation due to coke formation.

Catalysts are generally classified into three categories: homogeneous, heterogeneous and enzyme, each evolved as an independent field. Efforts to bridge these fields are scarce but desirable. In this Perspective, we first describe how numerous classes of reactions can be achieved by all three categories of catalysts. Examples are given based on a selective survey of the literature. Next, a selection of important approaches, the benefits and challenges of constructing heterogeneous-homogeneous, heterogeneous-enzyme and homogeneous-enzyme hybrid catalysts are discussed based on published researches. Hybrid catalysts not only increase the performance, including activity, selectivity, lifetime and recyclability compared to one of the components, but also offer extra functions such as a microenvironment for different reaction pathways, and cascade catalysis for products that are challenging to produce. We expect future tailor-made hybrid catalysts will combine the advantages of the components and be optimized for industrial applications.

The efficacy of tandem dehydrogenation-condensation catalysts for the upgrade of bio-derived intermediates is largely determined by their relative (de-)hydrogenation and decarbonylation activity. Here, the effects of support and particle size of heterogeneous PdCu alloy catalysts on (de-)hydrogenation and decarbonlylation reactions were investigated using kinetic measurements, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT). The chemical mismatch of Cu2+ with Ti4+ and Ca2+ prevents the substitution of Cu into the lattice of TiO2 or hydroxyapatite supports, and facilitates its alloying with Pd, resulting in improved selectivity for hydrogenation-dehydrogenation reactions compared to decarbonylation reactions. Based on kinetic measurements of butyraldehyde reactions over Pd and PdCu/SiO2 model catalysts, decarbonylation activity is attributed to the presence of Pd surface ensembles, while (de-)hydrogenation reactions are catalyzed by PdCu sites on the surface. This is consistent with selectivity and CO coverage trends with increasing conversion, and DFT-based microkinetic modeling. Selectivity control can also be achieved using the PdCu nanocluster size. Smaller nanoparticles favor the C-CO bond scission step of the decarbonylation reaction, due to the stronger binding of CO and alkyl species to sites of lower coordination. CO-induced segregation of reactive Pd atoms to under-coordinated step/edge sites also amplifies the geometric effect on the catalytic behavior.

Growing interest in finding renewable alternatives to conventional fossil fuels and petroleum-derived specialty chemicals has motivated the investigation of biomass-derived alcohols to make ethers as diesel additives or lubricants. To optimize the direct etherification of long chain alcohols in the liquid phase, it is necessary to develop an understanding of the kinetics and mechanism of etherification and dehydration reactions. In this study, tungstated zirconia was identified as a selective solid-acid catalyst for the liquid-phase etherification of 1-dodecanol. Investigations of the mechanism and kinetics of this reaction suggest that cooperation between Brønsted- and Lewis-acid sites on tungstated zirconia enhances the selectivity to ether by increasing the surface concentration of adsorbed alcohol, thereby promoting bi-molecular ether formation relative to unimolecular alcohol dehydration. The suggested rate limiting step for etherification is the formation of a C–O bond between two adsorbed alcohol molecules, and the suggested rate-limiting step for dehydration is the cleavage of the C–H bond of the β-carbon atom in an adsorbed alcohol. Measurements of the kinetic isotope effects for etherification and dehydration support the proposed mechanism. A microkinetic model based on the proposed mechanism for dodecanol etherification and dehydration over tungstated zirconia accurately describes the observed effects of alcohol concentration and product inhibition.

Herein, we present work on the catalyst development and the kinetics of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) condensation. After examining multiple combinations of metal and basic catalysts reported in the literature, Cu supported on calcined hydrotalcites (HT) was found to be the optimal catalyst for the ABE condensation. This catalyst gave a six-fold increase in reaction rates over previously reported catalysts. Kinetic analysis of the reaction over CuHT and HT revealed that the rate-determining step is the C−H bond activation of alkoxides that are formed from alcohols on the Cu surface. This step is followed by the addition of the resulting aldehydes to an acetone enolate formed by deprotonation of the acetone over basic sites on the HT surface. The presence of alcohols reduces aldol condensation rates, as a result of the coverage of catalytic sites by alkoxides.

Renewable resources and bio-based feedstocks may present a sustainable alternative to petrochemical sources to satisfy modern society's ever-increasing demand for energy and chemicals. However, the conversion processes needed for these future bio-refineries will likely differ from those currently used in the petrochemical industry. Biotechnology and chemocatalysis offer routes for converting biomass into a variety of molecules that can serve as platform chemicals. While a host of technologies can be leveraged for biomass upgrading, condensation reactions are significant because they have the potential to upgrade these bio-derived feedstocks while minimizing the loss of carbon and the generation of by-products. This review surveys both the biological and chemical catalytic routes to producing platform chemicals from renewable sources and describes advances in condensation chemistry and strategies for the conversion of these platform chemicals into fuels and high-value chemicals.

Self-condensation of biomass-derived methyl ketones catalyzed by solid bases or acids produces corresponding cyclic trimers exclusively in excellent yields. Condensates containing 24-45 carbon atoms are shown to be suitable lubricant base-oils after the removal of residual unsaturation and oxygen. Properties of cycloalkanes produced from biomass are very similar to those of conventional lubricant base-oils. The process reported here offers an environmentally benign alternative to the current non-selective production of lubricant base-oils from α-olefins, and avoids the production of corrosive waste products.

Chiral anion phase-transfer of aryldiazonium cations was utilized to achieve highly enantioselective α-amination of carbonyl compounds. A broad scope of indanone- and benzosuberone-derived substrates was amenable to this strategy. Critical to obtaining high levels of enantioselectivity was the use of BINAM-derived phosphoric acids. The utility of this transformation was demonstrated through facile conversion of diazene products to valuable α-amino acid derivatives.

© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. The Back Cover shows a depiction of the carbon cycle for a tunable set of chemistry that can be used to synthesize exceptional jet fuel via n-alkyl methyl ketones. In this work, methyl ketones, which can be derived from biomass in either chemical or hybrid biological-chemical pathways, are selectively transformed to cyclic trimers by aldol condensation and Michael addition. By altering the ratio of starting methyl ketones, an alkane blend can be generated after hydrodeoxygenation that not only satisfies the low freezing point necessary for jet fuel, but also the broad volatility distribution typical of petroleum-derived fuels. The carbon generated by combustion of these fuels then produces further biomass, completing the carbon cycle. More details can be found in the Full Paper by Sacia etal. (DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201500002).

© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. A highly efficient water-tolerant, solid-base catalyst for the self-condensation of biomass-derived methyl ketones to jet-diesel fuel precursors was developed by grafting site-isolated secondary amines on silica-alumina supports. It is shown that apart from the nature and density of amine groups and the spatial separation of the acidic and basic sites, the acidity of the support material plays a critical role in defining the catalytic activity. It is also found that a combination of weakly acidic silanol/aluminol with secondary amine groups can mimic proline catalysts and are more effective in catalyzing the selective dimerization reaction than the combination of amines with organic acids. In situ FTIR measurements demonstrate that acidic groups activate methyl ketones through their carbonyl groups leading to a favorable C-C bond formation step involving an enamine intermediate. DFT analysis of the reaction pathway confirms that C-C bond formation is the rate-limiting step.

A combination of visible light photocatalysis and gold catalysis is applied to a ring expansion-oxidative arylation reaction. The reaction provides an entry into functionalized cyclic ketones from the coupling reaction of alkenyl and allenyl cycloalkanols with aryl diazonium salts. A mechanism involving generation of an electrophilic gold(III)-aryl intermediate is proposed on the basis of mechanistic studies, including time-resolved FT-IR spectroscopy.

The enantioselective bromocyclization of allenes is accomplished through the use of a chiral dinuclear gold complex and/or chiral phosphate anions in the presence of an N-bromolactam as an electrophilic bromine source. This method provides access to heterocyclic vinyl bromides with an allylic stereocenter in excellent yield and enantioselectivity. These enantioenriched vinyl bromides may serve as a handle for further derivatization via cross-coupling reactions. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Controlled modifications of amino acids are an indispensable tool for advancing fundamental and translational research based on peptides and proteins. Yet, we still lack methods to chemically modify each naturally occurring amino acid sidechain. To help address this gap, we show that N,α-diaryl oxaziridines expand the scope of bioconjugation methods to chemically modify cysteine, methionine, and tryptophan residues with evidence for additional tyrosine labelling in a proteomic context. Conjugation primarily at tryptophan sites can be accessed by selective cleavage of modifications at other sidechains. The N,α-diaryl oxaziridine reagents are accessed through photoisomerization of nitrones, which serve as photocaged reagents, thus providing an additional level of control over reactivity. Initial guiding principles for the design of nitrone reagents are developed by exploring the impact of structure on UV-vis absorption, photoisomerization, and reactivity. We identify a nitrone structure that maximizes photoisomerization efficiency, the aqueous stability of the oxaziridine, the extent of amino acid modification, and the stability of the resulting amino acid conjugates. We then translate nitrone reagents to modify proteins in aqueous conditions. Finally, we use nitrones to profile reactive residues across the proteome of a mammalian cell line and find that they expand the proteome coverage., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Catalysis of multicomponent transformations requires controlled assembly of reactants within the active site. Supramolecular scaffolds possess synthetic microenvironments that enable precise modulation over noncovalent interactions (NCIs) engaged by reactive, encapsulated species. While molecular properties that describe the behavior of single guests in host cavities have been studied extensively, multicomponent transformations remain challenging to design and deploy. Here, simple univariate regression and threshold analyses are employed to model reactivity in a cascade reduction of azaarenes catalyzed by water-soluble metal organic cages. Yield and stereoselectivity models help deduce unknown mechanisms of reactivity by the multicomponent, host-guest complexes. Furthermore, a comprehensive model is established for NCIs driving stereoselectivity in the reported host-guest adducts.

Utopia Point Bayesian Optimization (UPBO) was used to identify reaction conditions that are highly selective for the formation of N1 and N2-methyl-3-aryl pyrazole constitutional isomers. UPBO was used to explore a wide chemical space and identify basic reaction conditions for a typically acid-catalyzed Knorr pyrazole condensation. These studies revealed that selectivity in the reaction stems from a condition-dependent equilibrium of intermediates prior to dehydration. For the N2-methyl isomer reaction pathway, a hemiaminal intermediate was found to form reversibly under the reaction conditions, enabling a highly selective synthesis of the N2 isomer upon dehydrative workup. UPBO was able to successfully optimize conversion and selectivity simultaneously with search spaces of >1 million potential variable combinations without the need for high-performance computational resources.

Nonaqueous organic redox flow batteries (N-ORFBs) are a promising technology for grid-scale storage of energy generated from intermittent renewable sources. Their primary benefit over traditional aqueous RFBs is the wide electrochemical stability window of organic solvents, but the design of catholyte materials, which can exploit the upper range of this window, has proven challenging. We report herein a new class of N-ORFB catholytes in the form of squaric acid quinoxaline (SQX) and squaric acid amide (SQA) materials. Mechanistic investigation of decomposition in battery-relevant conditions via NMR, HRMS, and electrochemical methods enabled a rational design approach to optimizing these scaffolds. Three lead compounds were developed: a highly stable one-electron SQX material with an oxidation potential of 0.51 V vs Fc/Fc + that maintained 99% of peak capacity after 102 cycles (51 h) when incorporated into a 1.58 V flow battery; a high-potential one-electron SQA material with an oxidation potential of 0.81 V vs Fc/Fc + that demonstrated negligible loss of redox active material as measured by pre- and postcycling CV peak currents when incorporated in a 1.63 V flow battery for 110 cycles over 29 h; and a proof-of-concept two-electron SQA catholyte material with oxidation potentials of 0.48 and 0.85 V vs Fc/Fc + that demonstrated a capacity fade of just 0.56% per hour during static H-cell cycling. These findings expand the previously reported space of high-potential catholyte materials and showcase the power of mechanistically informed synthetic design for N-ORFB materials development.

Transition-metal-catalyzed carbene insertion reactions of a nitrogen-hydrogen bond have emerged as robust and versatile methods for the construction of C-N bonds. While significant progress of homogeneous catalytic metal carbene N-H insertions has been achieved, the control of chemoselectivity in the field remains challenging due to the high electrophilicity of the metal carbene intermediates. Herein, we present an efficient strategy for the synthesis of a rhodium single-atom-site catalyst (Rh-SA) that incorporates a Rh atom surrounded by three nitrogen atoms and one phosphorus atom doped in a carbon support. This Rh-SA catalyst, with a catalyst loading of only 0.15 mol %, exhibited exceptional catalytic performance for heterogeneous carbene insertion with various anilines and heteroaryl amines in combination with diazo esters. Importantly, the heterogeneous catalyst selectively transformed aniline derivatives bearing multiple nucleophilic moieties into single N-H insertion isomers, while the popular homogeneous Rh 2 (OAc) 4 catalyst produced a mixture of overfunctionalized side products. Additionally, similar selectivities for N-H bond insertion with a set of stereoelectronically diverse diazo esters were obtained, highlighting the general applicability of this heterogeneous catalysis approach. On the basis of density functional theory calculations, the observed selectivity of the Rh-SA catalyst was attributed to the insertion barriers and the accelerated proton transfer assisted by the phosphorus atom in the support. Overall, this investigation of heterogeneous metal-catalyzed carbene insertion underscores the potential of single-atom-site catalysis as a powerful and complementary tool in organic synthesis.

Methods to access chiral sulfur(VI) pharmacophores are of interest in medicinal and synthetic chemistry. We report the desymmetrization of unprotected sulfonimidamides via asymmetric acylation with a cinchona-phosphinate catalyst. The desired products are formed in excellent yield and enantioselectivity with no observed bis-acylation. A data-science-driven approach to substrate scope evaluation was coupled to high throughput experimentation (HTE) to facilitate statistical modeling in order to inform mechanistic studies. Reaction kinetics, catalyst structural studies, and density functional theory (DFT) transition state analysis elucidated the turnover-limiting step to be the collapse of the tetrahedral intermediate and provided key insights into the catalyst-substrate structure-activity relationships responsible for the origin of the enantioselectivity. This study offers a reliable method for accessing enantioenriched sulfonimidamides to propel their application as pharmacophores and serves as an example of the mechanistic insight that can be gleaned from integrating data science and traditional physical organic techniques.

Methods for selective covalent modification of amino acids on proteins can enable a diverse array of applications, spanning probes and modulators of protein function to proteomics 1-3 . Owing to their high nucleophilicity, cysteine and lysine residues are the most common points of attachment for protein bioconjugation chemistry through acid-base reactivity 3,4 . Here we report a redox-based strategy for bioconjugation of tryptophan, the rarest amino acid, using oxaziridine reagents that mimic oxidative cyclization reactions in indole-based alkaloid biosynthetic pathways to achieve highly efficient and specific tryptophan labelling. We establish the broad use of this method, termed tryptophan chemical ligation by cyclization (Trp-CLiC), for selectively appending payloads to tryptophan residues on peptides and proteins with reaction rates that rival traditional click reactions and enabling global profiling of hyper-reactive tryptophan sites across whole proteomes. Notably, these reagents reveal a systematic map of tryptophan residues that participate in cation-π interactions, including functional sites that can regulate protein-mediated phase-separation processes., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

The incorporation of organic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in microelectronic devices requires precise spatial control over the self-assembly process. In this work, selective deposition of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) on specific electrodes within a two-microelectrode array is achieved by using pulsed electrodeposition. Spectroscopic analysis of the NHC-coated electrode arrays reveals that each electrode is selectively coated with a designated NHC. The impact of NHC monolayers on the electrodes' work function is quantified using Kelvin probe force microscopy. These measurements demonstrate that the work function values of each electrode can be independently tuned by the adsorption of a specific NHC. The presented deposition method enables to selectively coat designated microelectrodes in an electrode array with chosen NHC monolayers for tuning their chemical and electronic functionality., (© 2023 The Authors. Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

An aqueous electrochemically controlled host-guest encapsulation system demonstrates a large and synthetically tunable redox entropy change. Electrochemical entropy is the basis for thermally regenerative electrochemical cycles (TRECs), which utilize reversible electrochemical processes with large molar entropy changes for thermogalvanic waste-heat harvesting and electrochemical cooling, among other potential applications. A supramolecular host-guest system demonstrates a molar entropy change of 4 times that of the state-of-the-art aqueous TREC electrolyte potassium ferricyanide. Upon encapsulation of a guest, water molecules that structurally resemble amorphous ice are displaced from the host cavity, leveraging a change in the degrees of freedom and ordering of the solvent rather than the solvation of the redox-active species to increase entropy. The synthetic tunability of the host allows rational optimization of the system's Δ S , showing a range of -51 to -101 cal mol -1 K -1 (-2.2 to -4.4 mV K -1 ) depending on ligand and metal vertex modifications, demonstrating the potential for rational design of high-entropy electrolytes and a new strategy to overcome theoretical limits on ion solvation reorganization entropy.

New methods for the general asymmetric synthesis of sulfonimidamides are of great interest due to their applications in medicinal chemistry, agrochemical discovery, and academic research. We report a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling method for the enantioselective aryl-carbonylation of sulfonimidamides. Using data science techniques, a virtual library of calculated bisphosphine ligand descriptors was used to guide reaction optimization by effectively sampling the catalyst chemical space. The optimized conditions identified using this approach provided the desired product in excellent yield and enantioselectivity. As the next step, a data science-driven strategy was also used to explore a diverse set of aryl and heteroaryl iodides, providing key information about the scope and limitations of the method. Furthermore, we tested a range of racemic sulfonimidamides for compatibility of this coupling partner. The developed method offers a general and efficient strategy for accessing enantioenriched sulfonimidamides, which should facilitate their application in industrial and academic settings.

Herein, we report the synthesis of a nitrone-linked covalent organic framework, COF-115, by combining N, N', N', N'''-(ethene-1, 1, 2, 2-tetrayltetrakis(benzene-4, 1-diyl))tetrakis(hydroxylamine) and terephthaladehyde via a polycondensation reaction. The formation of the nitrone functionality was confirmed by solid-state 13 C multi cross-polarization magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy of the 13 C-isotope-labeled COF-115 and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The permanent porosity of COF-115 was evaluated through low-pressure N 2 , CO 2 , and H 2 sorption experiments. Water vapor and carbon dioxide sorption analysis of COF-115 and the isoreticular imine-linked COF indicated a superior potential of N-oxide-based porous materials for atmospheric water harvesting and CO 2 capture applications. Density functional theory calculations provided valuable insights into the difference between the adsorption properties of these COFs. Lastly, photoinduced rearrangement of COF-115 to the associated amide-linked material was successfully demonstrated., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are a promising stationary energy storage technology for leveling power supply from intermittent renewable energy sources with demand. A central objective for the development of practical, scalable RFBs is to identify affordable and high-performance redox-active molecules as storage materials. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a new organic scaffold, indolo[2,3- b ]quinoxaline, for highly stable, low-reduction potential, and high-solubility anolytes for nonaqueous redox flow batteries (NARFBs). The mixture of 2- and 3-( tert -butyl)-6-(2-methoxyethyl)-6 H -indolo[2,3- b ]quinoxaline exhibits a low reduction potential (-2.01 V vs Fc/Fc + ), high solubility (>2.7 M in acetonitrile), and remarkable stability (99.86% capacity retention over 49.5 h (202 cycles) of H-cell cycling). This anolyte was paired with N -(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)-ethyl)phenothiazine (MEEPT) to achieve a 2.3 V all-organic NARFB exhibiting 95.8% capacity retention over 75.1 h (120 cycles) of cycling.

The widespread success of BINOL-chiral phosphoric acids (CPAs) has led to the development of several high molecular weight, sterically encumbered variants. Herein, we disclose an alternative, minimalistic chiral phosphoric acid backbone incorporating only a single instance of point chirality. Data science techniques were used to select a diverse training set of catalysts, which were benchmarked against the transfer hydrogenation of an 8-aminoquinoline. Using a univariate classification algorithm and multivariate linear regression, key catalyst features necessary for high levels of selectivity were deconvoluted, revealing a simple catalyst model capable of predicting selectivity for out-of-set catalysts. This workflow enabled extrapolation to a catalyst providing higher selectivity than both reported peptide-type and BINOL-type catalysts (up to 95:5 er ). These techniques were then successfully applied towards two additional transforms. Taken together, these examples illustrate the power of combining rational design with data science ( ab initio ) to efficiently explore reactivity during catalyst development., Competing Interests: DECLARATION OF INTERESTS The authors declare no competing interests.

While vaccines and antivirals are now being deployed for the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we require additional antiviral therapeutics to not only effectively combat SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, but also future coronaviruses. All coronaviruses have relatively similar genomes that provide a potential exploitable opening to develop antiviral therapies that will be effective against all coronaviruses. Among the various genes and proteins encoded by all coronaviruses, one particularly "druggable" or relatively easy-to-drug target is the coronavirus Main Protease (3CL pro or Mpro), an enzyme that is involved in cleaving a long peptide translated by the viral genome into its individual protein components that are then assembled into the virus to enable viral replication in the cell. Inhibiting Mpro with a small-molecule antiviral would effectively stop the ability of the virus to replicate, providing therapeutic benefit. In this study, we have utilized activity-based protein profiling (ABPP)-based chemoproteomic approaches to discover and further optimize cysteine-reactive pyrazoline-based covalent inhibitors for the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Structure-guided medicinal chemistry and modular synthesis of di- and tri-substituted pyrazolines bearing either chloroacetamide or vinyl sulfonamide cysteine-reactive warheads enabled the expedient exploration of structure-activity relationships (SAR), yielding nanomolar potency inhibitors against Mpro from not only SARS-CoV-2, but across many other coronaviruses. Our studies highlight promising chemical scaffolds that may contribute to future pan-coronavirus inhibitors., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The syntheses of two novel, organic, and chiral photocatalysts are presented. By combining donor-acceptor cyanoarene-based photocatalysts with a chiral phosphoric acid, bifunctional catalysts have been designed. In preliminary proof-of-concept reactions, their use in both enantioselective energy transfer and photoredox catalysis is demonstrated.

Cysteines are routinely used as site-specific handles to synthesize antibody-drug conjugates for targeted immunotherapy applications. Michael additions between thiols and maleimides are some of the most common methods for modifying cysteines, but these functional groups can be difficult to prepare on scale, and the resulting linkages have been shown to be reversible under some physiological conditions. Here, we show that the enzyme tyrosinase, which oxidizes conveniently accessed phenols to afford reactive ortho -quinone intermediates, can be used to attach phenolic cargo to cysteines engineered on antibody surfaces. The resulting linkages between the thiols and ortho -quinones are shown to be more resistant than maleimides to reversion under physiological conditions. Using this approach, we construct antibody conjugates bearing cytotoxic payloads, which exhibit targeted cell killing, and further demonstrate this method for the attachment of a variety of cargo to antibodies, including fluorophores and oligonucleotides.

Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) is a versatile strategy for identifying and characterizing functional protein sites and compounds for therapeutic development. However, the vast majority of ABPP methods for covalent drug discovery target highly nucleophilic amino acids such as cysteine or lysine. Here, we report a methionine-directed ABPP platform using Redox-Activated Chemical Tagging (ReACT), which leverages a biomimetic oxidative ligation strategy for selective methionine modification. Application of ReACT to oncoprotein cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) as a representative high-value drug target identified three new ligandable methionine sites. We then synthesized a methionine-targeting covalent ligand library bearing a diverse array of heterocyclic, heteroatom, and stereochemically rich substituents. ABPP screening of this focused library identified 1oxF11 as a covalent modifier of CDK4 at an allosteric M169 site. This compound inhibited kinase activity in a dose-dependent manner on purified protein and in breast cancer cells. Further investigation of 1oxF11 found prominent cation-π and H-bonding interactions stabilizing the binding of this fragment at the M169 site. Quantitative mass-spectrometry studies validated 1oxF11 ligation of CDK4 in breast cancer cell lysates. Further biochemical analyses revealed cross-talk between M169 oxidation and T172 phosphorylation, where M169 oxidation prevented phosphorylation of the activating T172 site on CDK4 and blocked cell cycle progression. By identifying a new mechanism for allosteric methionine redox regulation on CDK4 and developing a unique modality for its therapeutic intervention, this work showcases a generalizable platform that provides a starting point for engaging in broader chemoproteomics and protein ligand discovery efforts to find and target previously undruggable methionine sites.

Developing strategies to study reactivity and selectivity in flexible catalyst systems has become an important topic of research. Herein, we report a combined experimental and computational study aimed at understanding the mechanistic role of an achiral DABCOnium cofactor in a regio- and enantiodivergent bromocyclization reaction. It was found that electron-deficient aryl substituents enable rigidified transition states via an anion- π interaction with the catalyst, which drives the selectivity of the reaction. In contrast, electron-rich aryl groups on the DABCOnium result in significantly more flexible transition states, where interactions between the catalyst and substrate are more important. An analysis of not only the lowest-energy transition state structures but also an ensemble of low-energy transition state conformers via energy decomposition analysis and machine learning was crucial to revealing the dominant noncovalent interactions responsible for observed changes in selectivity in this flexible system., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.

All-organic non-aqueous redox flow batteries (O-NRFBs) are a promising technology for grid-scale energy storage. However, most examples of high-voltage (>2 V) O-NRFBs rely upon the use of distinct anolytes and catholytes separated by a membrane or porous separator which can result in crossover of redox active material from one side of the battery to the other. The resulting electrolyte mixing leads to irreversible reductions in energy density and capacity. A potentially attractive solution to overcome this crossover issue is the implementation of symmetric flow batteries where a single bipolar molecule functions as both an anolyte and a catholyte. Herein, we report the development of a new class of bipolar redox active materials for use in such symmetric flow batteries through the electronic coupling of phenothiazine catholytes and phthalimide anolytes. Such a strategy results in hybrid molecules possessing higher cell voltages than what could be obtained together by their uncoupled building blocks. Performance in flow batteries is demonstrated for two members of this new class of molecules, with the highest performing candidate featuring a Δ E of 2.31 V and demonstrating 93.6% average coulombic efficiency, 86.8% energy efficiency, and 68.6% capacity retention over the course of 275 charge-discharge cycles and 5 cell polarity reversals. Finally, the superior performance of symmetric O-NRFBs is experimentally confirmed by comparing these results to an asymmetric flow battery constructed with a distinct phenothiazine catholyte and a distinct phthalimide anolyte on opposing sides of the cell., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Cancer mortality is primarily a consequence of its metastatic spread. Here, we report that methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MSRA), which can reduce oxidized methionine residues, acts as a suppressor of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) metastasis. MSRA expression is decreased in the metastatic tumors of PDA patients, whereas MSRA loss in primary PDA cells promotes migration and invasion. Chemoproteomic profiling of pancreatic organoids revealed that MSRA loss results in the selective oxidation of a methionine residue (M239) in pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2). Moreover, M239 oxidation sustains PKM2 in an active tetrameric state to promote respiration, migration, and metastasis, whereas pharmacological activation of PKM2 increases cell migration and metastasis in vivo. These results demonstrate that methionine residues can act as reversible redox switches governing distinct signaling outcomes and that the MSRA-PKM2 axis serves as a regulatory nexus between redox biology and cancer metabolism to control tumor metastasis., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests C.J.C., F.D.T., and A.H.C. are inventors on patent applications related to the redox-active reagents for methionine conjugation. C.J.T. is listed as an inventor on patents related to PKM2 activators. The remaining authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The results of quantum chemical and molecular dynamics calculations reveal that polyanionic gallium-based cages accelerate cyclization reactions of pentadienyl alcohols as a result of substrate cage interactions, preferential binding of reactive conformations of substrate/H 3 O + pairs, and increased substrate basicity. However, the increase in basicity dominates. Experimental structure-activity relationship studies in which the metal vertices and overall charge of the cage are varied confirm the model derived via calculations.

A highly enantioselective aza-Darzens reaction (up to 99% ee) catalyzed by an enantiopure supramolecular host has been discovered. To understand the role of host structure on reaction outcome, nine new gallium(III)-based enantiopure supramolecular assemblies were prepared via substitution of the external chiral amide. Despite the distal nature of the substitution in these catalysts, changes in enantioselectivity (61 to 90% ee) in the aziridine product were observed. The enantioselectivities were correlated to the flexibility of the supramolecular host scaffold as measured by the kinetics of exchange of a model cationic guest. This correlation led to the development of a best-in-class catalyst by substituting the gallium(III)-based host with one based on indium(III), which generated the most flexible and selective catalyst.

The wide use of copper is limited by its rapid oxidation. Main oxidation mitigation approaches involve alloying or surface passivation technologies. However, surface alloying often modifies the physical properties of copper, while surface passivation is characterized by limited thermal and chemical stability. Herein, we demonstrate an electrochemical approach for surface-anchoring of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) nanolayer on a copper electrode by electro-deposition of alkyne-functionalized imidazolium cations. Water reduction reaction generated a high concentration of hydroxide ions that induced deprotonation of imidazolium cations and self-assembly of NHCs on the copper electrode. In addition, alkyne group deprotonation enabled on-surface polymerization by coupling surface-anchored and solvated NHCs, which resulted in a 2 nm thick NHC-nanolayer. Copper film coated with a NHC-nanolayer demonstrated high oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures and under alkaline conditions., (© 2022 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Understanding the bonding of gold(I) species has been central to the development of gold(I) catalysis. Herein, we present the synthesis and characterization of the first gold(I)-cyclobutadiene complex, accompanied with bonding analysis by state-of-the-art energy decomposition analysis methods. Analysis of possible coordination modes for the new species not only confirms established characteristics of gold(I) bonding, but also suggests that Pauli repulsion is a key yet hitherto overlooked element. Additionally, we obtain a new perspective on gold(I)-bonding by comparison of the gold(I)-cyclobutadiene to congeners stabilized by p-, d-, and f-block metals. Consequently, we refine the gold(I) bonding model, with a delicate interplay of Pauli repulsion and charge transfer as the key driving force for various coordination motifs. Pauli repulsion is similarly determined as a significant interaction in Au I -alkyne species, corroborating this revised understanding of Au I bonding., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)