Category: General

Third IndustryQCC Forum

Last Thursday, the IQCC organized the third edition of the IndustryQCC Forum with four national and international companies (Repsol, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca and Pfizer) during the Science Week. The IndustryQCC Forums provide young (and more advanced) researchers of IQCC the opportunity to get to know the research carried out in (bio)chemical industry in different parts of

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Carboxylic Acid Directed gamma-Lactonization of Unactivated Primary C–H Bonds Catalyzed by Mn Complexes: Application to Stereoselective Natural Product Diversification

Reactions that enable selective functionalization of strong aliphatic C–H bonds open new synthetic paths to rapidly increase molecular complexity and expand chemical space. Particularly valuable are reactions where site-selectivity can be directed toward a specific C–H bond by catalyst control. Herein we describe the catalytic site- and stereoselective ?-lactonization of unactivated primary C–H bonds in

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Characterization of a Ferryl Flip in Electronically Tuned Nonheme Complexes. Consequences in Hydrogen Atom Transfer Reactivity

Two oxoiron(IV) isomers ( R2a and R2b) of general formula [FeIV(O)(RPyNMe3)(CH3CN)]2+ are obtained by reaction of their iron(II) precursor with NBu4IO4. The two isomers differ in the position of the oxo ligand, cis and trans to the pyridine donor. The mechanism of isomerization between R2a and R2b has been determined by kinetic and computational analyses

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IQCC Forum: Autumn edition 2022

Last Thursday took place the Autumn edition of the IQCC Forum, a quarterly meeting-place where high-quality science is discussed. The IQCC Forum gives the opportunity for PhD and postdoc members of the IQCC to present their work to a select group of critical researchers, enhancing intra-IQCC collaborations and promoting knowledge exchange within the institute. This

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PhD defense Ernest Ubasart

Next Friday will be the defense of the doctoral thesis of Ernest Ubasart Clarà, titled “Synthesis and applications of large supramolecular nanocapsules: Matryoshka-type masks, higher fullerene C84 purification and stabilization of metallic clusters and sub-namoparticles”, supervised by Xavi Ribas from IQCC. Place: Aula Magna – Facultat de Ciències Date: October 28, 2022 Time: 10.30h We wish him good luck

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Selective Biocatalytic N-Methylation of Unsaturated Heterocycles

Methods for regioselective N-methylation and -alkylation of unsaturated heterocycles with “off the shelf” reagents are highly sought-after. This reaction could drastically simplify synthesis of privileged bioactive molecules. Here we report engineered and natural methyltransferases for challenging N-(m)ethylation of heterocycles, including benzimidazoles, benzotriazoles, imidazoles and indazoles. The reactions are performed through a cyclic enzyme cascade that consists of

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A 4H+/4e– Electron-Coupled-Proton Buffer Based on a Mononuclear Cu Complex

In this research article, we describe a 4H+/4e– electron-coupled-proton buffer (ECPB) based on Cu and a redox-active ligand. The protonated/reduced ECPB (complex 1: [Cu(8H+/14e–)]1+), consisting of CuI with 2 equiv of the ligand (catLH4: 1,1?-(4,5-dimethoxy-1,2-phenylene)bis(3-(tert-butyl)urea)), reacted with H+/e– acceptors such as O2 to generate the deprotonated/oxidized ECPB. The resulting compound, (complex 5: [Cu(4H+/10e–)]1+), was characterized

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Enzymatic Control over Reactive Intermediates Enables Direct Oxidation of Alkenes to Carbonyls by a P450 Iron-Oxo Species

The aerobic oxidation of alkenes to carbonyls is an important and challenging transformation in synthesis. Recently, a new P450-based enzyme (aMOx) has been evolved in the laboratory to directly oxidize styrenes to their corresponding aldehydes with high activity and selectivity. The enzyme utilizes a heme-based, high-valent iron-oxo species as a catalytic oxidant that normally epoxidizes

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Gerard Comas wins poster prize at the 19th International Conference on DFT in Brussels

Last week (Aug 28th to Sept 2nd 2022) took place the 19th International Conference on Density Functional Theory and its Applications in Burssels, which included a poster session. Gerard Comas, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Pedro Salvador, presented a poster titled “Accurate 57Fe Mössbauer Parameters from General Gaussian Basis sets”, and won one

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Extending low-temperature operation of sodium metal batteries

In this work, we propose specific electrolyte formulations for Na-ion batteries comprising linear and cyclic ether-based solvents and sodium trifluoromethanesulfonate salt that are thermally stable down to ?150?°C and enable the formation of stable solid electrolyte interphase at low temperatures. It shows the excellent performance of Na-ion batteries at very low temperatures, essential for their

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