A previously developed and industrially feasible process for selective, Pd-mediated, liquid-phase heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines was extended to the reduction of 3-phenylpropionitrile (PPN) to 3-phenylpropylamine (PPA). PPN, which belongs to the homologous series of benzonitrile (BN) and benzyl cyanide (BC), was hydrogenated under mild reaction conditions (30-80 °C, 6 bar), over Pd/C, in two immiscible solvents (dichloromethane/water) and using acidic additives (NaH2PO4 and H2SO4). Although relatively high conversion (76%) was achieved, the selectivity to PPA (26%) and its isolated yield (20%) were lesser than those in the case of the hydrogenation of BN or BC reported earlier. However, the purity of PPA was >99% without using any purification method. Quantum chemical calculations using a density functional theory (DFT) method were performed to compare the adsorption interactions of the different imine intermediates on palladium, as well as to clarify the differences observed in the primary amine selectivity. PPA is a valuable intermediate for the synthesis of carboxypeptidase B enzyme inhibitors, antimuscarinic drugs, or potential anticancer agents in the pharmaceutical industry. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.A novel hyperbranched ester plasticizer (SOHE) was synthesized from soybean oil. FTIR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopies were used to analyze the chemical structure of SOHE. SOHE was added into poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Thermal, mechanical, and dynamic mechanical properties of PVC samples were studied with thermal gravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, and tensile tests. The results of SOHE substitution of petroleum-based dioctyl phthalate (DOP) in soft PVC samples were studied. The results indicated that PVC blends mixed with the obtained plasticizer showed higher thermal stability and flexibility. When DOP was completely replaced with SOHE, the T i, T 10, and T 50 of the films were raised to 267.5, 275.3, and 338.0 °C, respectively. The plasticizing mechanism was also investigated. The volatility resistance and extraction were studied, which results indicated that the migration stability of PVC samples was significantly enhanced with the increasing amount of SOHE. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.New self-assembled hydrogel materials of poly(vinyl alcohol)/cyclodextrin-modified poly(acrylic acid)/azobenzene-modified poly(acrylic acid) (PVA/PAA-CD/PAA-Azo) were successfully prepared via host-guest interactions and hydrogen bonds. The as-prepared hydrogel materials were characterized by various techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, and specific surface area tests. The prepared hydrogels with different concentrations of PVA exhibited different network structures.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/takinib.html  In addition, ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation and temperature change induce a gel-sol phase transition in the hydrogel materials. The obtained hydrogel materials could be used as good adsorbents for two model organic dye molecules, which was mainly due to electrostatic interactions between methylene blue/rhodamine B (MB/RhB) and the gels in the adsorption process. In particular, the adsorption processes of the as-prepared hydrogel materials conformed to the pseudo-first-order model with a high correlation coefficient, which indicates that gel has a potential application in the field of wastewater purification. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.Since Earth was formed, in the Precambrian era up until our present days, electric current has participated in the morphology and chemical composition of organic and inorganic structures. Attempting to elucidate the mechanism by which electric current participated in the creation of the first cell in the Precambrian era is an intriguing and of a permanent subject of interest to be studied. One way of emulating the formation of structures similar to those that might have existed in the Precambrian era in the presence of a biomolecule and an electric current source is to use as a model, the silica-carbonate of alkaline earth metal compounds known as biomorphs. The objective of this work was to assess the influence exerted by an electric current (negatively or positively charged indium tin oxide electrodes) on the formation of biomorphs in the presence of RNA. The compounds obtained under both electric charges were visualized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their chemical composition was analyzed through Raman spectroscopy. The biomorphs obtained under a positive electric current correspond to aragonite-type BaCO3(I) and calcite-type BaCO3(II). Whereas, under a negative current, carbon graphite and aragonite-type BaCO3(I) were obtained. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence showing that the presence of RNA and the electric current is fundamental in the rearrangement of atoms, suggesting that organic and inorganic compounds have coexisted since the primitive era. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.Key roles of bisulfite (HSO3 -) in food quality assurance and human health necessitate a reliable analytical method for rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of HSO3 -. Herein, a new red-emitting ratiometric fluorescence probe, BIQ, is reported for sensitive and selective detection of HSO3 - in food samples and live animals. Probe BIQ recognizes HSO3 - via a 1,4-nucleophilic addition reaction. As a result of this specific reaction, emission intensities at 625 and 475 nm are dramatically changed, allowing the detection of HSO3 - in a ratiometric fluorescence model in an aqueous solution. The obvious changes of solution color from pink to transparent and fluorescence color from rose-red to cyan allow the detection of HSO3 - by naked eyes. Furthermore, probe BIQ has fast response in color and fluorescence ( less then 2 min), excellent selectivity, and a low detection limit (0.29 μM), which enables its application in HSO3 - detection in food samples and live organisms. The practical applications of probe BIQ are then demonstrated by the visualization of HSO3 - in live animals (zebrafish and nude mouse) as well as the determination of HSO3 - in white wine and sugar.