The first version of The Periodic Table elaborated by Mendeleev was published on February 17th 1869. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of this event, the United Nations declared 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table. This discovery was achieved as the conclusion of a long itinerary engaging several researchers investigating the periodicity in the properties of the chemical elements. In this process the Sicilian chemist Stanislao Cannizzaro provided a significant contribution. The impact of the Periodic Table on the scientific progress, as well as on the improvement of mankind life conditions and welfare, has been enormous. However, the increasing recognition of the limted resources of our planet, nowadays requires a change of paradigm from linear to circular economy. In order to tackle such a complex problem, the data reported in the traditional Periodic Table need to be integrated by information regarding the elements availability in nature, the sustainability of the processes, and the recycling possibility. Examples regarding lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements are reported.

Principal properties for gases and ionic liquids (ILs) were used as descriptors to model gas solubility in ILs by means of data-driven approaches such as partial least squares (PLS) and orthogonal PLS (OPLS). Satisfactory PLS predictions, spanning above 3 log units, can be easily achieved using a nine parameters equation, while disjoint OPLS models for different gases, namely hydrocarbons, neutral and acidic ones, allow more accurate predictions.

In the field of ionic liquids (ILs), theory-driven modeling approaches aimed at the best fit for all available data by using a unique, and often nonlinear, model have been widely adopted to develop quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models. In this context, we propose chemoinformatic and chemometric data-driven procedures that lead to QSPR soft models with local validity that are able to predict relevant physicochemical properties of ILs, such as viscosity, density, decomposition temperature, and conductivity. These models, which use readily available and easily interpretable VolSurf + descriptors, represent an unexploited opportunity for experimentalists to model and predict the physicochemical properties of ILs in industrial R&D design.

Principal properties (PPs), new compact descriptors for 48 gases were derived, their physico-chemical significance discussed, and applications to predict gas solubility in organic solvents by means of data-driven soft models reported. [GRAPHICS]

The expanding applications of ionic liquids (ILs) give rise to a need to combine their efficiency with their environmental and economic sustainability. Experimental investigations can explore only a tiny portion of the enormous chemical space covered by IL cation and anion combinations. Hence the utility of the recently derived in silico VolSurf+ descriptors to develop quantitative structure–property relationships (QSPRs). In this context, multivariate data-driven approaches taking into account the simultaneous variation of both anionic and cationic counterparts of ILs turn out to be suitable to predict ILs toxicities as well as physico-chemical properties by means of partial least squares (PLS) modelling. Examples of applications for the design of sustainable and efficient ILs are reported and the potentialities of such multivariate approaches for smart ILs and materials design are pointed out.

VolSurf+ in silico physicochemical descriptors for both the cationic and the anionic counterparts of ionic liquids (ILs) have been derived. These descriptors, suitable for molecular modelling of IL structures which, due to their amphiphilic nature, interact strongly with biological matrices, can be related to aquatic toxicity by means of a partial least squares statistical model. This model gives an insight into the relationships between structural physicochemical properties and aquatic toxicity as well as a satisfactory quantitative structure–property correlation, allowing prediction of aquatic toxicity scores of ILs.

Five in silico principal properties (PPs) for 218 heterocyclic cations and four PPs for 38 organic and inorganic anionic counterparts of ionic liquids (ILs) were derived by the VolSurf+ approach. VolSurf+ physicochemical descriptors take into account several cationic structural features of ILs such as heterocyclic aromatic and non-aromatic cationic cores, alkyl chain length, presence of oxygen atoms in the substituents as well as the properties of a wide variety of inorganic and organic anions. Combination of these cation and anion PPs can provide descriptors for over 8000 ILs, thus allowing the development of QSPR models for IL cytotoxicity (IPC-81 rat cell line) and enzyme toxicity (acetylcholinesterase inhibition). The adoption of a Partial Least Squares approach, relating PPs and toxicities, provided affordable predictions for ILs in both learning and external validation sets, implying the possibility to extend the predictive model to a set of 520 ILs. This allows us to establish priorities in selecting ILs for experimental hazard assessment as required by the REACH regulation.

VolSurf+ in silico principal properties of ionic liquids were used to develop a QSPR model providing affordable heat capacity predictions which were experimentally validated.

The in silica VolSurf+ descriptors, accounting for both cationic and anionic structural features of ionic liquids (ILs) were used to develop a Partial Least Squares (PLS) model able to establish a Quantitative Structure Property Relationship (QSPR) correlation with their solvatochromic dye Nile Red polarity. The PLS model allowed prediction of ENR values for 116 ILs providing an in silica ILs polarity database. (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recently derived in silico structural descriptors for both IL cations and anions allowed the development of a QSPR model correlating ionic liquid structures to Vibrio fischeri toxicity using the partial least squares (PLS) approach. Interpretation of the PLS model confirmed the effect of IL cationic structural features such as the influence of cation side chain length, presence of heteroatoms, and non-aromaticity of the heterocyclic scaffold on toxicity. The PLS model also provided a quantitative evaluation of anion effects, previously not evidenced due to the structural similarity of the anions considered. A simple equation in which three descriptors (two for the cations and one for the anions) allow the prediction of Vibrio fischeri toxicity for over 8000 ILs is reported.

VolSurf+ in silico physicochemical descriptors for both the cationic and the anionic counterparts of ionic liquids (ILs) have been derived. These descriptors, suitable for molecular modelling of IL structures which, due to their amphiphilic nature, interact strongly with biological matrices, can be related to aquatic toxicity by means of a partial least squares statistical model. This model gives an insight into the relationships between structural physicochemical properties and aquatic toxicity as well as a satisfactory quantitative structure-property correlation, allowing prediction of aquatic toxicity scores of ILs.

Three novel donor-π-acceptor molecules with a bis-thiophene core have been synthesized through a simple and versatile metal-free synthetic procedure. Study of their optical and electrochemical properties, and a preliminary evaluation of their use as dyes in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are presented. The proposed synthetic protocol results in a drastic reduction of the size and complexity of the sensitizer molecule, possibly enabling cost decrease by overall yield improvement and easy scalability. Particular attention has been paid to limit the environmental impact by reducing the number of synthetic steps and especially avoiding the use of organometallic reactions.

The effects of side chain modification and chirality in linezolid-like 1,2,4-oxadiazoles have been studied to design new potent antibacterials against Gram-positive multidrug-resistant pathogens. The adopted strategy involved a molecular modelling approach, the synthesis and biological evaluation of new designed compounds, enantiomers separation and absolute configuration assignment. Experimental determination of the antibacterial activity of the designed (S)-1-((3-(4-(3-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)phenyl)-oxazolidin-2-one-5-yl)methyl)-3-methylthiourea and (S)-1-((3-(3-fluoro-4-(3-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)phenyl)-oxazolidin-2-one-5-yl)methyl)-3-methylthiourea against multidrug resistant linezolid bacterial strains was higher than that of linezolid.

A multivariate insight into the toxicities of ionic liquids provides a comprehensive picture and guidelines for the evaluation of their eco- and bio-sustainability.

A dataset of 50 compounds was used to generate a QSAR model and to design 9 new heteroaryl ethylenes. These compounds were synthesized, tested in vitro and a significant agreement with in silico predictions observed. Studies using Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy pointed out that the compounds may act by different mechanisms.

The synthesis and the in vitro antibacterial activity of novel linezolid-like oxadiazoles are reported. Replacement of the linezolid morpholine C-ring with 1,2,4-oxadiazole results in an antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus both methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant comparable or even superior to that of linezolid. While acetamidomethyl or thioacetoamidomethyl moieties in the C(5) side-chain are required, fluorination of the phenyl B ring exhibits a slight effect on an antibacterial activity but its presence seems to reduce the compounds cytotoxicity. Molecular modeling performed using two different approaches - FLAP and Amber software - shows that in the binding pose of the newly synthesized compounds as compared with the crystallographic pose of linezolid, the 1,2,4-oxadiazole moiety seems to perfectly mimic the function of the morpholinic ring, since the H-bond interaction with U2585 is retained. (C) 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The synthesis of (E)-2-cyano-3-(5-piperidin-1-yl-2,2-bithien-5-yl)acrylic acid, a novel amyloid aggregation fluorescent probe, is reported. This new probe is able to monitor soluble oligomeric aggregates after 24 h, at which time Thioflavin T emission, commonly used to monitor amyloid fibril formation, remains unchanged. Atomic force microscopy, native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and dynamic light scattering confirm that the earlier stages of aggregation are prefibrillar oligomeric species not possessing the amyloid structure. This new molecular scaffold expands the toolbox of fluorescent probes for the identification of prefibrillar oligomers, which is needed in studies aimed at the early detection of the soluble toxic aggregates that characterize the so-called protein misfolding diseases.

Almond and VolSurf + modelling procedures allowed the structural design of new di- and mono-heteroaryl-ethylenes. The structural modifications suggested by the molecular modelling were verified by the synthesis of the designed molecules and by the evaluation of their in vitro activities against two lung tumour cell lines, A549 and H226. 2-{(E)-2-[5'-(Dibutylamino)-2,2'-bithien-5-yl]viny1}-1-methylquinolinium iodide exhibited in vitro antiproliferative activity two orders of magnitude higher than that of the most active compound previously synthesized in our laboratory. 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

OPLS discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was successfully applied for the selection of a limited number of gene transcripts necessary to discriminate PTPN11 and RAS mutated cells in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) patients. The original set of 273 variables with VIP (1) values higher than 2.0 in the OPLS-DA model could be further reduced to 200 by elimination of less informative variables in the PCA class models adopted for SIMCA classification. The above 200 transcripts not only achieve a satisfactory discrimination accuracy between PTPN11 and RAS mutated cells but also indicate clearly that wild type samples belong to none of the mutated class models. In this list it was possible to identify candidate genes that could be involved in the molecular mechanisms discriminating PTPN11 and RAS mutations in ALL. Among them CBFA2T2, a member of the "ETO" family, is known because of its homology and association with the product of RUNX1-CBFA2T1 gene fusion generated by t(8;21) translocation, one frequent cause of acute myeloid leukemia.