Cover Feature: A Novel Merocyanine Derivative for Probing Polarity at Cubosome Interfaces (Asian J. Org. Chem. 7/2025)

Abstract

In article number e202500005, Marcelo Jung Eberhardt, Fernanda Poletto, and co-workers present the synthesis of the novel polarity-sensitive sensor C10SP, featuring a hydrophobic tail and a merocyanine-type hydrophilic moiety, synthesized via stepwise amidation and methylation to introduce an iminium group on the indolenine scaffold. The sensor was incorporated into phytantriol-based cubosomes, which consist of twisted lipid bilayers that spontaneously form aqueous channels within. C10SP effectively detects polarity changes at the lipid-water interface, driven by interactions between the bilayer and stabilizers, underscoring the versatility of classical synthetic methods in developing advanced functional materials. The cover illustrates a unit cell of the Im3m cubosome phase, with aqueous channels lined by hydrophilic groups from both polysorbate 80 and the sensor, and hydrophobic tails from both compounds intercalated into the bilayers, showcasing the ability of C10SP to sense polarity in confined environments of biomedical interest.