Christian V. Stevens

Bio: Christian V. Stevens is an academic researcher from Ghent University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Ionic liquid & Bicyclic molecule. The author has an hindex of 45, co-authored 467 publications receiving 11742 citations. Previous affiliations of Christian V. Stevens include Katholieke Universiteit Leuven & University of Minnesota.

Petroselinic acid purification and its use for the fermentation of new sophorolipids

Abstract: Petroselinic acid, a positional isomer of oleic acid, was isolated from the vegetable oil of Coriandrum sativum fruits. This uncommon fatty acid was subsequently used as substrate for sophorolipid fermentation with a Starmerella bombicola lactone esterase overexpression (oe sble) strain. A petroselinic acid based diacetylated sophorolipid lactone was obtained in high purity without incorporation of de novo synthesized fatty acids such as oleic acid. A total production of 40 g/L was obtained. The petroselinic acid based sophorolipid lactone was subsequently hydrolyzed towards the petroselinic acid based sophorolipid acid. For both compounds, their critical micelle concentration (CMC) and corresponding surface tension were compared to their oleic acid based counterparts. Both petroselinic acid based sophorolipids displayed a much lower CMC value than their oleic acid based counterparts, although their minimal surface tension was the same. Besides, the sophorolipid fermentation product was chemically modified towards a novel C12 sophorolipid aldehyde. This derivative constitutes an interesting building block for further modification towards new-to-nature sophorolipids with high potential for self-assembly applications.

Enantioselective synthesis and determination of the configuration of stenusine, the spreading agent of the beetle Stenus comma

Abstract: The enantioselective total synthesis of two of the four possible stereoisomers of stenusine (1), the spreading agent of the beetle Stenus comma, is described. The silyl ether-substituted aldehyde SAMP hydrazone 2 was alkylated with (S)-1-bromo-2-methylbutane (3) yielding the hydrazone 4 in high diastereomeric purity (de >95 %). By several steps including the reduction of the hydrazone functionality and the cleavage of the N-N bond of the intermediates, 4 was converted into the BOC-protected amino alcohol 6. Subsequent cyclization of 6 afforded the (S,S) diastereomer of stenusine with 96.6 % de, >99.9 % ee, and in 11.3 % overall yield. Repetition of this synthesis using the aldehyde RAMP hydrazone (R)-2 as the starting material produced (SR)-1 with 95.0 % de, >99 % ee, and in 8.2 % overall yield. The synthetic samples of 1 were employed to investigate the stereochemistry of natural stenusine by means of GC analysis on both a chiral and an achiral, stationary phase. As a result of these studies natural stenusine was found to be a mixture of all four stereoisomers in a ratio of (S,S)/(SR)/(RR)/(R:S) = 43:40:13:4.

Unexpected four-membered over six-membered ring formation during the synthesis of azaheterocyclic phosphonates : Experimental and theoretical evaluation

Abstract: The cyclization of functionalized aminophosphonates is studied on both experimental and theoretical grounds. In a recently described route to phosphono-β-lactams [Stevens C. V.; Vekemans, W.; Moonen, K.; Rammeloo, T. Tetrahedron Lett. 2003, 44, 1619], it was found that starting from an ambident allylic anion only four-membered rings were formed without any trace of six-membered lactams. New anion trapping experiments revealed that the γ-anion is highly reactive in intermolecular reactions. Ab initio calculations predict higher reaction barriers for the γ-anion due to restricted rotation about the C−N bond and due to highly strained transition states during ring closure. The sodium or lithium counterion, explicit dimethyl ether solvent molecules, and bulk solvent effects were properly taken into account at various levels of theory.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

Production of first and second generation biofuels: A comprehensive review

Abstract: Sustainable economic and industrial growth requires safe, sustainable resources of energy. For the future re-arrangement of a sustainable economy to biological raw materials, completely new approaches in research and development, production, and economy are necessary. The ‘first-generation’ biofuels appear unsustainable because of the potential stress that their production places on food commodities. For organic chemicals and materials these needs to follow a biorefinery model under environmentally sustainable conditions. Where these operate at present, their product range is largely limited to simple materials (i.e. cellulose, ethanol, and biofuels). Second generation biorefineries need to build on the need for sustainable chemical products through modern and proven green chemical technologies such as bioprocessing including pyrolysis, Fisher Tropsch, and other catalytic processes in order to make more complex molecules and materials on which a future sustainable society will be based. This review focus on cost effective technologies and the processes to convert biomass into useful liquid biofuels and bioproducts, with particular focus on some biorefinery concepts based on different feedstocks aiming at the integral utilization of these feedstocks for the production of value added chemicals.

Chitosan chemistry and pharmaceutical perspectives.

Abstract: Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S. A. S. Nagar,Mohali, Punjab-160 062, India, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Polytechnic University, Via Ranieri 67, IT-60100 Ancona, Italy,Green Biotechnology Research Group, The Special Division for Human Life Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science andTechnology, 1-8-31 Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka-563-8577, Japan, and Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Natural Products,The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, School of Pharmacy-Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem 91120, IsraelReceived March 2, 2004