Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Item
    Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydro-2H-Pyrroles from Ketones, Aldehydes, and Nitro Alkanes via Hydrogenative Cyclization
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2022) Klausfelder, Barbara; Blach, Patricia; de Jonge, Niels; Kempe, Rhett
    Syntheses of N-heterocyclic compounds that permit a flexible introduction of various substitution patterns by using inexpensive and diversely available starting materials are highly desirable. Easy to handle and reusable catalysts based on earth-abundant metals are especially attractive for these syntheses. We report here on the synthesis of 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrroles via the hydrogenation and cyclization of nitro ketones. The latter are easily accessible from three components: a ketone, an aldehyde and a nitroalkane. Our reaction has a broad scope and 23 of the 33 products synthesized are compounds which have not yet been reported. The key to the general hydrogenation/cyclization reaction is a highly active, selective and reusable nickel catalyst, which was identified from a library of 24 earth-abundant metal catalysts.
  • Item
    Key Parameters for the Synthesis of Active and Selective Nanostructured 3d Metal Catalysts Starting from Coordination Compounds – Case Study: Nickel Mediated Reductive Amination
    (Weinheim : WILEY-VCH Verlag, 2021) Klarner, Mara; Blach, Patricia; Wittkämper, Haiko; de Jonge, Niels; Papp, Christian; Kempe, Rhett
    The design of nanostructured catalysts based on earth-abundant metals that mediate important reactions efficiently, selectively and with a broad scope is highly desirable. Unfortunately, the synthesis of such catalysts is poorly understood. We report here on highly active Ni catalysts for the reductive amination of ketones by ammonia employing hydrogen as a reducing agent. The key functions of the Ni-salen precursor complex during catalyst synthesis have been identified: (1) Ni-salen complexes sublime during catalyst synthesis, which allows molecular dispersion of the metal precursor on the support material. (2) The salen ligand forms a nitrogen-doped carbon shell by decomposition, which embeds and stabilizes the Ni nanoparticles on the γ-Al2O3 support. (3) Parameters, such as flow rate of the pyrolysis gas, determine the carbon supply for the embedding process of Ni nanoparticles.
  • Item
    Supra-Molecular Assemblies of ORAI1 at Rest Precede Local Accumulation into Puncta after Activation
    (Basel : Molecular Diversity Preservation International, 2021) Peckys, Diana B.; Gaa, Daniel; Alansary, Dalia; Niemeyer, Barbara A.; de Jonge, Niels
    The Ca2+ selective channel ORAI1 and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident STIM proteins form the core of the channel complex mediating store operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Using liquid phase electron microscopy (LPEM), the distribution of ORAI1 proteins was examined at rest and after SOCE-activation at nanoscale resolution. The analysis of over seven hundred thousand ORAI1 positions revealed a number of ORAI1 channels had formed STIM-independent distinct supra-molecular clusters. Upon SOCE activation and in the presence of STIM proteins, a fraction of ORAI1 assembled in micron-sized two-dimensional structures, such as the known puncta at the ER plasma membrane contact zones, but also in divergent structures such as strands, and ring-like shapes. Our results thus question the hypothesis that stochastically migrating single ORAI1 channels are trapped at regions containing activated STIM, and we propose instead that supra-molecular ORAI1 clusters fulfill an amplifying function for creating dense ORAI1 accumulations upon SOCE-activation.
  • Item
    Nanoscale Faceting and Ligand Shell Structure Dominate the Self-Assembly of Nonpolar Nanoparticles into Superlattices
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2022) Bo, Arixin; Liu, Yawei; Kuttich, Björn; Kraus, Tobias; Widmer-Cooper, Asaph; de Jonge, Niels
    Self-assembly of nanoscale structures at liquid–solid interfaces occurs in a broad range of industrial processes and is found in various phenomena in nature. Conventional theory assumes spherical particles and homogeneous surfaces, but that model is oversimplified, and nanoscale in situ observations are needed for a more complete understanding. Liquid-phase scanning transmission electron microscopy (LP-STEM) is used to examine the interactions that direct the self-assembly of superlattices formed by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in nonpolar liquids. Varying the molecular coating of the substrate modulates short-range attraction and leads to switching between a range of different geometric structures, including hexagonal close-packed (hcp), simple hexagonal (sh), dodecahedral quasi-crystal (dqc), and body-centered cubic (bcc) lattices, as well as random distributions. Langevin dynamics simulations explain the experimental results in terms of the interplay between nanoparticle faceting, ligand shell structure, and substrate–NP interactions.