No / The pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepines (PBDs) are a class of DNA minor groove binding agents that react covalently with guanine bases, preferably at Pu-G-Pu sites. A series of three fluorescent PBD¿coumarin conjugates with different linker architectures has been synthesized to probe correlations between DNA binding affinity, cellular localization and cytotoxicity. The results show that the linker structure plays a critical role for all three parameters. Graphical abstract A series of three fluorescent PBD¿coumarin conjugates with different linker architectures has been synthesized to probe correlations between DNA-binding affinity, cellular localization and cytotoxicity.

Yes / The duocarmycins are potent antitumour agents with potential in the development of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) as well as being clinical candidates in their own right. In this paper, we describe the synthesis of a duocarmycin monomer (DSA) that is suitably protected for utilisation in solid phase synthesis. The synthesis was performed on a large scale and the resulting racemic protected Fmoc-DSA subunit was separated by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) into the single enantiomers. Application to solid phase synthesis methodology gave a series of monomeric and extended duocarmycin analogues with amino acid substituents. The DNA sequence selectivity was similar to previous reports for both the monomeric and extended compounds. The substitution at the C-terminus of the duocarmycin caused a decrease in antiproliferative activity for all of the compounds studied. An extended compound containing an alanine at the C-terminus was converted to the primary amide or to an extended structure containing a terminal tertiary amine but this had no beneficial effects on biological activity. / MJS was funded by Novartis and UEA. We thank the EPSRC Mass Spectrometry Service, Swansea. We thank Richard Robinson and Julia Hatto at Novartis for help in the large scale synthesis.

Yes / The synthesis of nanoparticles of conjugates of caffeic acid-modified chitosan with ruthenium arene complexes is described. The chemical structure and physical properties of the nanoparticles were characterised by electronic absorption spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), 1H NMR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and circular dichroism (CD) analysis. The multi-spectral results revealed that caffeic acid is covalently bound to chitosan and chelates to {Ru(p-cymene)Cl}+. The DLS studies indicated that the Ru–caffeic acid modified chitosan nanoparticles are well-defined and of nanometre size. Such well-defined nanocomposites of chitosan and metal complexes might find a range of applications, for example in drug delivery. / We thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 21571154), the Jiangsu Overseas Research & Training Program for University Prominent Young & Middle-aged Teachers and Presidents, Leverhulme Trust (Early Career Fellowship No. ECF-2013-414 to NPEB), the ERC (Grant No. 247450 to PJS), EPSRC (EP/F034210/1 to PJS) and Science City (AWM/ERDF) for support, and EU COST Action CM1105 for stimulating discussions.

The main thrust of this thesis is the development of new triarylborane containing luminescent molecules as well as utilizing triarylboron center as a receptor for the selective detection of biologically, environmentally and industrially important anions such as fluoride and cyanide in aqueous and non-aqueous solutions. The thesis contains nine chapters. The contents of each chapter are described below. Chapter 1 The first chapter is an introduction to the theme of the thesis and presents a general review on the techniques, theories and photochemistry relevant to the present work with emphasis on photochemistry of triarylboranes and their importance in the field of anion sensor chemistry. A review on various boron based luminophores is also presented. Chapter 2 The second chapter deals with the general experimental techniques and synthetic procedures utilized in this work. Chapter 3 This chapter deals with the synthesis of boryl-BODIPY dyads (1-8) in which triarylborane acts as anion receptor and BODIPY as a signalling unit. The absorption spectra of all boryl-BODIPY dyads shows similar pattern. However, the fluorescence spectra of 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 shows dual emission bands whereas 4, 5 and 8 exhibit a single emission band. These interesting photophysical properties of boryl-BODIPYs (1-8) depends on the dihedral angle between two chromophores and partial energy transfer from donor (triarylborane) to acceptor (BODIPY) unit. The energy transfer efficiency of compounds 4, 5 and 8 is higher (close to 100%) compared to other series of boryl-BODIPYs (1-3, 6 and 7), due to the orthogonal arrangement of chromophores with high dihedral angles. To better understand photophysical properties and energy transfer process, anion binding studies were carried out since triarylborane acts as receptor for fluoride and cyanide ions. Anion binding studies of boryl-BODIPYs were (1-5) carried out in dichloromethane solutions and using tetrabutylammonium salt of fluoride/cyanide. All boryl-BODIPY dyads (1-5) were sensitive and selective sensor of fluoride, whereas the presence of only excess amounts (20 equv or more amounts) of cyanide made any changes in absorption and emission spectra. Other anions even above 100 eq were unable to cause any change. The quenching efficiency of compounds 4 and 5 was found to be more than that of other boryl-BODIPYs (1 and 3). The binding of fluoride with boryl-BODIPY (1-5) was entirely reversible; addition of BF3•Et2O to the fluoride adducts of compounds (1-5) regenerated the parent compounds. Chapter 4 In chapter 3, it was established that linear boryl-BODIPY dyads (1-8) show dual/single fluorescence bands depending on the dihedral angle between triarylborane and BODIPY unit. This Chapter describes the synthesis of three new “V” shaped boryl-BODIPY dyads (9, 10 and 11) their optical properties, Compound 9-11 are structurally similar differing only in the number of methyl substituents on the BODIPY moiety which were found to play major role in determining their optical behavior. The dyads show rare forms of multiple channel emission characteristics arising from different extents of electronic energy transfer (EET) processes between the two covalently linked fluorescent chromophores (triarylborane and BODIPY units). Owing to the presence of Lewis acidic triarylborane moiety, the dyads function as highly selective and sensitive fluoride sensors with vastly different response behavior. Upon binding of fluoride to the tricoordinate borane centre, dyad 9 shows gradual quenching of its BODIPY dominated emission due to the cessation of (borane to BODIPY) EET process. Dyad 10 shows ratiometric changes in its emission behavior upon addition of fluoride. Dyad 11 forms fluoride induced nanoaggregates which result in fast and effective quenching of its emission intensity upon addition of even small quantities of analyte (i.e. 0.1 equivalent of fluoride). When the solution is allowed to stand, disaggregation of the molecules results in partial recovery of the initial fluorescence bands. Thus, small structural alterations in these three structurally close dyads (9-11) result in exceptionally versatile and unique photophysical behavior and remarkably diverse responses towards a single analyte i.e. fluoride anion. Chapter 5 This chapter deals with intermolecular charge transfer (ICT) process in borane containing donor-acceptor triads and tetrads to realize colorimetric response for small anions such as fluoride and cyanide. Triad 12 and tetrad 13 incorporating –B(Mes)2, BDY (borondipyrromethene), and TPA (triphenylamine) were synthesized. Introduction of two dissimilar acceptors (triarylborane and BODIPY) on a single donor (TPA) resulted in two distinct ICT process (amine to borane and amine to BDY). The absorption and emission properties of new triad and tetrad are highly dependent on individual building units. The nature of electronic communication among the individual fluorophore units has been comprehensively investigated and compared with building units. Compounds 12 and 13 showed chromogenic and fluorogenic response towards small anions such as fluoride and cyanide. Chapter 6 In the previous chapter, it was demonstrated that although triphenylamine-triarylborane-BODIPY donor-acceptor conjugates show colorimetric response towards fluoride and cyanide. They could not distinguish these two interfering anions. To overcome the anion interference peripherally triarylborane decorated porphyrin (14) and its Zn(II) complex (15) were designed and synthesized and this forms the subject matter of this Chapter. Compound 15 contains two different Lewis acidic binding sites (Zn(II) and boron centre). Unlike all previously known triarylborane based sensors, the optical responses of 15 towards fluoride and cyanide are distinctively different thus enabling the discrimination of these two interfering anions. Metalloporphyrin 15 shows a multiple channel fluorogenic response towards fluoride and cyanide and also a selective visual colorimetric response towards cyanide. By comparison with model systems and from detailed photophysical studies on 14 and 15, it was concluded that the preferential binding of fluoride occurs at the peripheral borane moieties resulting in the cessation of the EET (electronic energy transfer) process from triarylborane to porphyrin core and with negligible negative cooperative effects. On the other hand, cyanide binding occurs at the Zn(II) core leading to drastic changes in its absorption behavior which can be followed by the naked eye. Such changes are not observed when the boryl substituent is absent (e.g. tetraphenyl-Zn(II)-porphyrin or TPP). The conjugates 14 and 15 showed reversible binding interaction towards CN and F and they are capable of extracting fluoride from aqueous media. Chapter 7 This Chapter deals with the design of a sensor which can detect fluoride colorimetrically in aqueous medium. Detecting fluoride in aqueous solution is an important area of current research owing to both positive and negative health and environmental effects associated with the fluoride ion. Although numerous fluoride sensors are reported, the colorimetric sensing (visual detection without the need of costly equipment and complicated analytical of fluoride at recommended levels 0.7 ppm) has not realized. Here we report the design, optical and fluoride sensing ability of two new water soluble Lewis acidic triarylborane-triarylamine conjugates 16 and 17 (containing one or two ammonium cations (-C6H4-NMe3). Compound 17 shows selective colorimetric response for aqueous inorganic fluoride at as low a level as 0.1 ppm Chapter 8 The synthesis and optical properties of four new triarylborane–dipyrromethane (TAB– DPM) conjugates (19a–d) containing dual binding sites (hydrogen bond donor and Lewis acid) have been reported. The new compounds exhibit a selective fluorogenic response towards the F− ion. The NMR titrations show that the fluoride ions bind to the TAB–DPM conjugates via the Lewis acidic triarylborane centre in preference to the hydrogen bond donor (dipyrromethane) units. Chapter 9 A new triarylborane-aza-BODIPY conjugate is reported (22). The conjugate molecule consists of two blue emissive dimesitylarylborane moiety and a NIR (near infra-red) emissive aza-BOIDPY core and shows panchromatic absorption spanning over ~300-800 nm region. The presence of two different fluorophore units in the conjugate leads to a broad dual-emissive feature covering a large part of visible and NIR region. DFT computational studies suggest limited electronic communication between the individual fluorophore units which may be responsible for the intriguing optical features of the conjugate molecule. Further, the broadband emissive conjugate can act as a selective sensor for fluoride anion as a result of fluorescence quenching response in both visible as well as in NIR spectral region.

The aplyronines are a family of 24-membered macrolides of polyketide origin, isolated from the Japanese sea hare Aplysia kurodai. They exhibit an exceptional biological activity profile, acting through an actin and tubulin dual-targeting mechanism, with subnanomolar growth inhibitory potency against a diverse range of cancer cell lines. These characteristics render the aplyronines ideal payloads for antibody-drug conjugates but their prohibitively low natural abundance calls for an efficient total synthesis to overcome the supply issue. This dissertation describes the efforts towards developing a second-generation Paterson synthesis of the macrocyclic core of the aplyronines, focused on improving the scalability and selectivity of key transformations. Chapter 1 details the isolation, biological background and previous synthetic efforts towards the aplyronines to illustrate their therapeutic potential and the challenges associated with material sourcing by chemical synthesis. Chapter 2 presents the existing body of work on the aplyronine project within the Paterson group, highlighting the lessons learned over the past two decades and shortcomings to be addressed. Chapter 3 discusses a revised protecting group strategy towards the C1-C27 macrocyclic alcohol 159 with fewer manipulation steps. A refined reaction sequence featuring titanium aldol methodology and an enzymatic desymmetrisation process delivered multigram stocks of the C15-C27 aldehyde 161 upon scale- up, testifying to the robustness of the devised route. Synthesis of the C1-C14 northern fragment 253 closely followed the existing boron aldol approach with optimisation of the C11-C12 alkylation step, geared towards enhancing the regioselectivity. Chapter 4 describes the coupling of the two major fragments using an Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction to assemble the C1-C27 backbone of the cyclic aplyronine core and suitably adjusted endgame steps to enable a one-step oxidative unmasking of the macrolactonisation sites. The first-generation intermediate 159 was accessed via site-specific Yamaguchi esterification and orthogonal deprotection of the C27 allyl carbonate. Discussion in Chapter 5 includes the appendage of the C28-C34 side chain 118, prepared by the known sequence, and suggestions for the future direction of the second-generation route with the outlook of linker appendage for the purposes of antibody-drug conjugate development.

A novel concept for protein recognition has been developed. The recognition unit is a hybrid molecule obtained by conjugation of a small organic molecule to a synthetic polypeptide selected from a 16-membered set of 42 amino acid residue sequences. The sequences are unordered and have no prior relation to the target proteins. The concept is based on the hypothesis that a small set of sequences capable of hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions can yield a binder for any selected protein, provided that the small molecule shows medium affinity or better and is reasonably selective. The concept has been illustrated by the design, synthesis and evaluation of binders for three different proteins, the C-reactive protein, CRP, human Carbonic anhydrase II, HCAII, and Acetylcholine esterase, AChE. Highly efficient binders for CRP have been developed by conjugation of a derivative of the natural ligand, phosphocholine, to the side chain of one of the amino acids in each polypeptide. The binders in the set show a wide range of affinities for CRP and the tightest binder, 4-C10L17-PC6, binds almost irreversibly. Selected binders have been evaluated in human serum, where they capture CRP with high selectivity.High-affinity binders have been developed for HCAII, and the selectivity evaluated by extraction of the protein from blood. The binder 4-C37L34-B, a polypeptide conjugated to a spacered benzenesulphonamide residue, was able to extract Carbonic anhydrases specifically and to discriminate between the two isoforms of human Carbonic anhydrase. The conjugation of an acridine derivative to a polypeptide via a 14 atom spacer has been shown to yield a binder with high affinity and selectivity for AChE. The selectivity was demonstrated by extraction of AChE from Cerebrospinal fluid. This thesis focuses on the development of a fast and reliable procedure for the construction, selection and evaluation of protein binders, with the ambition to develop a technology that is applicable to the development of binders for all proteins.

This thesis consists of two different research problems. In the first one, the heat transfer characteristic of wavy fin assembly with dehumidification is carried out. In general, fin tube heat exchangers are employed in a wide variety of engineering applications, such as cooling coils for air conditioning, air pre-heaters in power plants and for heat dissipation from engine coolants in automobile radiators. In these heat exchangers, a heat transfer fluid such as water, oil, or refrigerant, flows through a parallel tube bank, while a second heat transfer fluid, such as air, is directed across the tubes. Since the principal resistance is much greater on the air side than on the tube side, enhanced surfaces in the form of wavy fins are used in air-cooled heat exchangers to improve the overall heat transfer performance. In heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC), the air stream is cooled and dehumidified as it passes through the cooling coils, circulating the refrigerant. Heat and mass transfer take place when the coil surface temperature in most cooling coils is below the dew point temperature of the air being cooled. This thesis presents a simplified analysis of combined heat and mass transfer in wavy-finned cooling coils by considering condensing water film resistance for a fully wet fin in dehumidifier coil operation during air condition. The effects of variation of the cold fluid temperature (-5˚C - 5˚C), air side temperature (25˚C - 35˚C), and relative humidity (50% - 70%) on the dimensionless temperature distribution and the augmentation factor are investigated and compared with those under dry conditions. In addition, comparison of the wavy fin with straight radial or rectangular fin under the same conditions were investigated and the results show that the wavy fin has better heat dissipation because of the greater area. The results demonstrate that the overall fin efficiency is dependent on the relative humidity of the surrounding air and the total surface area of the fin. In addition, the findings of the present work are in good agreement with experimental data. The second problem investigated is the heat transfer analysis of confined liquid jet impingement on various surfaces. The objective of this computational study is to characterize the convective heat transfer of a confined liquid jet impinging on a curved surface of a solid body, while the body is being supplied with a uniform heat flux at its opposite flat surface. Both convex and concave configurations of the curved surface are investigated. The confinement plate has the same shape as the curved surface. Calculations were done for various solid materials, namely copper, aluminum, Constantan, and silicon; at two-dimensional jet. For this research, Reynolds numbers ranging from 750 to 2000 for various nozzle widths channel spacing, radii of curvature, and base thicknesses of the solid body, were used. Results are presented in terms of dimensionless solid-fluid interface temperature, heat transfer coefficient, and local and average Nusselt numbers. The increments of Reynolds numbers increase local Nusselt numbers over the entire solid-fluid interface. Decreasing the nozzle width, channel spacing, plate thickness or curved surface radius of curvature all enhanced the local Nusselt number. Results show that a convex surface is more effective compared to a flat or concave surface. Numerical simulation results are validated by comparing them with experimental data for flat and concave surfaces.

Two classes of ion-channels comprising 22 members were prepared. Three members were linear oligo-esters with terephthalate core designed to span both leaflets of the bilayer; these were prepared in a modular synthesis in three linear steps. 19 half-channels based on cyclodextrins with functionalized primary-rims were prepared by the Huisgen Cu+-catalyzed [3+2]-cyclization; three distinct synthetic protocols were established to be applicable to these substrates. The voltage-clamp experiment was used to characterize the ion transport properties of these 22 compounds as well as 5 oligo-esters previously prepared by solid-phase synthesis. All but two were active in bilayers, with the majority of these compounds showing highly complex conductance activities. Exponentially voltage-dependent currents were observed for two compounds (both terephthalate-derived); exclusive “square-top” activities were observed for one solid-phase–derived compound and one cyclodextrin-based channels; fractal openings were observed for at least two cyclodextrin-based channels. An “activity grid” notation was proposed as an empirical, coarse, but model-free method of treating the complex data. Through an exhaustive analysis of previously published synthetic ion channels, disparate compounds were found to share modes of activity. Supporting software were developed to facilitate the preparation of activity grids from current traces acquired for the aforementioned 27 compounds. Resulting activity grids for individual experiments were collated to generate an activity profile for each compound, from which a structure–activity map was established and could be compared to the literature data. Four core findings emerged. First, the activity grid notation is sufficiently expressive to denote highly complex mixture of activities. Second, systematic application of the notation reduces selection bias in data analysis. Third, many synthetic ion channels share highly sim- ilar activities and suggests the participation of the lipids, water, and ions in pore-formation. Lastly, the cyclodextrin half-channels are generally membrane active, and their activities are clearly modulated by structural variations. / Graduate

Η ασιτρετίνη, τα ψωραλένια και η μινοξιδίλη αποτελούν φάρμακα επιλογής για την αντιμετώπιση δερματικών ασθενειών (ψωρίαση, καρκίνος δέρματος, λεύκη, ανδρογενής αλωπεκία). Στο πλαίσιο της παρούσας διδακτορικής διατριβής αναπτύχθηκαν συγκλίνουσες συνθετικές μεθοδολογίες για την ολική σύνθεση αναλόγων της ασιτρετίνης με μεταβολές στο λιπόφιλο τμήμα της. Επιπλέον, τροποποιήθηκαν με χημικό τρόπο ψωραλένια, όπως το τριοξαλένιο, το μπερκαπτένιο και το ξανθοτοξένιο και συντέθηκε μια πληθώρα υβριδικών αναλόγων και συζευγμάτων τους με όξινα ρετινοειδή. Τέλος, αναπτύχθηκαν μεθοδολογίες για την ολική σύνθεση αναλόγων και συζευγμάτων της μινοξιδίλης με πολυαμίνες και άλλα βιοδραστικά μόρια. / Acitretin, Psoralens and Minoxidil are the drug of choice for the treatment of several dermatological disorders, such as psoriasis, vitiligo, cancer and adrogenic alopecia. In the context of the present thesis we developed efficient convergent synthetic methodologies for the total syntheses of acitretin analogs, incorporating changes in the lipophilic part. Moreover, psoralens, such as trioxsalen, bergapten and xanthotoxin, were chemically modified, in order to synthesize, hybrid analogs and conjugates with acidic retinoids. Finally, we developed efficient synthetic methodologies for the total synthesis of analogs and conjugates of Minoxidil with polyamines and other molecules with biological interest.

Luminescent boron containing materials find numerous applications in modern technologies such as display/lighting, bio-imaging and sensing. Thus, investigations of structure-property relationships in organic luminescent compounds to understand their molecular and bulk properties are of fundamental importance. The main thrust of this thesis is the development of facile synthetic routes for boron containing novel polyads and study their structure-property correlations and to utilize this information to design functional materials with desired properties such as multiple emission, bio imaging, anion sensing and organic photo voltaic characteristics. This thesis contains seven chapters and the contents of each chapter are described below. Chapter 1 This chapter is a concise overview of the recent developments in the chemistry of boron based molecular systems such as triarylborane and BODIPYs. This chapter also highlights the basic nature of broad emissive materials. In addition, an advance in the frontier areas such as bio imaging is discussed in brief. Chapter 2 This chapter describes the structure and optical properties of a new triad (Borane-Bithiophene-BODIPY) 1. Triad 1 exhibits unprecedented tricolour emission when excited at borane centred high energy absorption band and also acts as a selective fluorescent and colorimetric sensor for fluoride ion with ratiometric response. The experimental results are supported by computational studies. Chapter 3 Two fluorescent compounds with similar absorption profiles and complementarily emissive properties can be regarded as the ideal couple for the generation of white-light. Two structurally close and complementarily fluorescent boron based molecular siblings 2 and 3 were prepared. The luminescence properties of individual triads were modulated to an extent to complement each other by controlling the intramolecular energy transfer in triads by fine-tuning the dihedral angle between fluorophores in 2 and 3. A binary mixture of 2 and 3 emitted white-light. Chapter 4 This chapter deals with a straight forward strategy for the generation of white-light emission in aqueous media. Using a blue-emissive AIE-active (aggregation-induced emission) 1, 8-naphthalimide- based sensitizer and a boron-dipyrromethene based red emitter as a dopant, water dispersible nanostructures with tunable emission features are produced. The white-light emissive (WL) nano-aggregates are stable at neutral pH and have been elegantly utilized for four-colour cell imaging (including near- infrared imaging). Chapter 5 This chapter describes the design and development of a NIR emitting triarylborane decorated styryl-BODIPY (4) via a facile synthetic route. Incorporation of TAB entities results in a significantly red shifted broad emission in 4 (compared to compound M3 which is devoid of TAB unit). The near coplanar orientation of Ar3B planes and BODIPY core results in a highly efficient (TAB to BODIPY) EET process in 4. Conjugate 4 acts as a highly selective and sensitive fluoride sensor with naked eye visual response as well as ratiometric fluorescent response. The dual emission in fluoride bound 4 possibly results from the restricted partial TAB to BODIPY energy transfer. Chapter 6 This chapter describes how the energy of transitions of the broad emissive molecular triads can be fine-tuned by judiciously changing the spacer oligothiophene length. A series of triarylborane and BODIPY conjugates (TAB-π-BODIPY) has been designed, and synthesized by a combined strategy of changing the connection mode between the two units, extending the conjugation size by introducing terthiophene, quaterthiophene, and pentathiophene units. The electrochemical and photophysical behavior of these conjugates were investigated. The experimental findings were rationalized by density functional theory calculations. Chapter 7 This chapter describes design and development of boron based novel electron acceptor BDY for the bulk-heterojunction solar cell. The electron mobility values of BDY was found to be of the order of standard PCBM. Bulk-heterojunction was fabricated using BDY as the electron acceptor layer. The power conversion efficiency of the newly developed solar cells with BDY as electron acceptor is much higher than the value obtained for standard cells with PCBM as the electron acceptor.