The Synthesis of a New Class of Highly Fluorescent Chromones via an Inverse-Demand Hetero-Diels-Alder Reaction

Palladium-Catalyzed C2-Selective Direct Arylation of Benzo[b]thiophene 1,1-Dioxides with Arylboronic Acids

A novel oxidative cross-coupling of benzo[b]thiophene 1,1-dioxides with arylboronic acids was reported. The efficient reaction occurred at the C2-position via C-H activation, followed by Pd(II)-catalyzed arylation. Furthermore, a series of C2-arylated products with significant photoluminescence properties have been synthesized and characterized, which illustrates the potential applications of our method in the aggregation-induced emission field.

Engineering of a Red Fluorogenic Protein/Merocyanine Complex for Live-Cell Imaging

A reengineered human cellular retinol binding protein II (hCRBPII), a 15-kDa protein belonging to the intracellular lipid binding protein (iLBP) family, generates a highly fluorescent red pigment through the covalent linkage of a merocyanine aldehyde to an active site lysine residue. The complex exhibits "turn-on" fluorescence, due to a weakly fluorescent aldehyde that "lights up" with subsequent formation of a strongly fluorescent merocyanine dye within the binding pocket of the protein. Cellular penetration of merocyanine is rapid, and fluorophore maturation is nearly instantaneous. The hCRBPII/merocyanine complex displays high quantum yield, low cytotoxicity, specificity in labeling organelles, and compatibility in both cancer cell lines and yeast cells. The hCRBPII/merocyanine tag is brighter than most common red fluorescent proteins.

Crystal structures of (E)-3-(4-hy-droxy-benzyl-idene)chroman-4-one and (E)-3-(3-hy-droxy-benzyl-idene)-2-phenyl-chroman-4-one

The synthesis and crystal structures of (E)-3-(4-hy-droxy-benzyl-idene)chroman-4-one, C16H12O3, I, and (E)-3-(3-hy-droxy-benzyl-idene)-2-phenyl-chroman-4-one, C22H16O3, II, are reported. These compounds are of inter-est with respect to biological activity. Both structures display inter-molecular C-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding, forming layers in the crystal lattice. The crystal structure of compound I is consolidated by π-π inter-actions. The lipophilicity (logP) was determined as it is one of the parameters qualifying compounds as potential drugs. The logP value for compound I is associated with a larger contribution of C⋯H inter-action in the Hirshfeld surface.

Analysis of two novel 1-4 quinolinone structures with bromine and nitrobenzyl ligands

The scientific community has shown particular interest in the study of quinolinones-a class of bicyclic organic compounds. An example of these compounds are the 4-quinolinones, considered to be very useful building blocks, since they can adapt their molecular structures with different ligands for applications in various fields such as pharmacy, medicine, physics and engineering. The compounds (E)-3-(benzylidene)-2-(3-nitrophenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1-(phenylsulfonyl)-quinolin-4-(1H)-one (NFQ) and (E)-3-(benzylidene)-2-(4-bromophenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1-(phenylsulfonyl) quinolin-4-(1H)-one (BFQ) were synthesized and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and melting point. NFQ crystallized in the orthorhombic Pbca space group while BFQ appears in the monoclinic P2₁/n space group. X-ray diffraction was used to evaluate their crystallographic structures, and Hirshfeld surface evaluates the intermolecular interactions, supramolecular arrangement and packaging. Theoretical vibrational assignments and calculated electronic properties also demonstrate acceptable agreement between experimental and theoretical results.

Coumarin-based Fluorescent Probes for Selectively Targeting and Imaging the Endoplasmic Reticulum in Mammalian Cells

Developing improved fluorescent probes for imaging the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is necessary for structure-activity studies of this dynamic organelle. Two coumarin-based compounds with sulfonamide side groups were synthesized and characterized as ER-targeting probes. Their selectivity to target the ER in HeLa and GM07373 mammalian cells was shown with co-localization experiments using commercially available probes that localize in the ER, mitochondria, or lysozymes. The hydrophobicity of the coumarin-based probes was comparable to known probes that partition into the ER membrane. Their cytotoxicity in mammalian cells was low with IC50 values that range from 205 to 252 μm. The fluorescent quantum yields of the coumarin-based probes when excited with 400 nm light were 0.60, and they have a much narrower emission spectrum (from 435 to 525 nm in methanol) than that of the only commercially available ER probe that is exited with 400 nm light (ER-Tracker™ Blue-White DPX). Thus, the coumarin-based probes are more useful for multicolor imaging with yellow and red emitting fluorophores. In addition to the above benefits, ER labeling was achieved with the coumarin-based probes in both live cells and fixed cells, revealing their versatility for a wide range of cellular imaging applications.

Metal- and Solvent-Free Approach to Access 3-Se/S-Chromones from the Cyclization of Enaminones in the Presence of Dichalcogenides Catalyzed by KIO3

Herein, we describe a greener protocol for the one-pot synthesis of 3-Se/S-4H-chromen-4-ones. The desired products were obtained in good to excellent yields using 2-hydroxyphenyl enaminones and half equivalents of various odorless diorganyl dichalcogenides (S/Se) in the presence of glycerol (5 molar equiv) and KIO3 (15 mol %) as the catalyst under solvent-free conditions.