Cation Transport across Bulk Liquid Organic Membranes with Oligomers of (R)-3-Hydroxybutanoic Acid

Several oligomeric derivatives 1–5 of (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid and a cyclic trimer of (R)-3-hydroxypentanoic acid ( 6 ) were used as ionophores to transport potassium picrate across a bulk liquid CH₂Cl₂ membrane. Using the cyclic trimer 1 and an oligomer mixture of (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid, 5 (ca. 28-mer), for the transport experiments, the alkali-metal ions from Li⁺ to Cs⁺ and the alkaline-earth-metal ions from Mg²⁺ to Ba²⁺ were also shown to be transported through the organic phase. Although a pronounced enhancement of the transport rates was observed in the presence of 3-hydroxyalkanoate oligomers, no special selectivity for one ion was detected. The ionophore properties of the investigated oligomers and oligolides derived from 3-hydroxybutanoic acid are compatible with the alleged role of oligo(3-hydroxybutanoate) (c-PHB; ca. 120-mer) as component of ion channels through cell membranes.     

Solid-State CP/MAS 13C-NMR Spectra of Oligolides derived from 3-hydroxybutanoic acid

The solid-state CP/MAS ¹³C-NMR spectra (cross-polarization/magic-angle spinning ¹³C-NMR) of eight lower cyclic and one linear oligomers and several polymers of (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid (3-HB) are reported. The polymeric samples of different origin and molecular weight give remarkably similar and well resolved spectra, indicating considerable similarity in the conformations of the molecules and homegeneity in the solid-state environment. The crystalline cyclic oligomers 1 – 8 containing 3–9 units of 3-HB give very well resolved spectra. The number of nonequivalent positions in the solid state can be identified and is in accord with structures from X-ray diffraction where these were determined. The spectra of the oligolides become increasingly similar to those of the polymer as the ring size increases. This spectral evidence supports the view of a homogeneous and well defined conformation for the polymeric material (as proposed previously, based on other experiments).     

Preparation and Structure of Oligolides from (R)-3-Hydroxypentanoic Acid and comparison with the hydroxybutanoic-acid derivatives: A small change with large consequences

Cyclic oligomers of (R)-3-hydroxyvaleric acid (3-HV) are prepared from the monomer by three different methods, giving various ratios of the oligomers. The macrocycles containing three to twelve 3-HV units (12- to 48-membered rings) are isolated in pure form by chromatography. The triolide 3 can be separated by distillation and isolated on large scale. Biopol, the copolymer of (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid (3-HB) and (R)-3-hydroxyvaleric acid (3-HV), is degraded to mixtures of Me- and Et-substituted triolides (‘mixolides’) with high crystallization tendency. The X-ray crystal structures of the tetrolide 4 , pentolide 5 , hexolide 6 , heptolide 7 , and of two ‘mixolides’ (with inclusions of solvent) have been determined (Figs. 3–7, 10, and 11) and are compared with those of the corresponding 3-HB derivatives reported previously. From the structural data, a 3₁ and a 2₁ helix of 3-HV can be modelled, and the latter one compared with helix structures of P9(3-HB) and P(3-HV) derived from stretch-fibre X-ray scattering. Crystals of a water-containing NaSCN complex of the triethyl triolide 3 were obtained in good quality for X-ray analysis. The structure (Figs. 12, 13, and Table 6) contains an interesting array of C?O and H₂O O-atoms around the Na⁺ ions along a channel-type tube (a-axis of the crystal) which may be relevant to the role of P(3-HB) and P(3-HV) as components of cellular ion channels.     

Poly(hydroxyalkanoates): A Fifth Class of Physiologically Important Organic Biopolymers?

Along with polyisoprenoids, polypeptides, polysaccharides, and polynucleotides, Nature contains a further group of biopolymers, the poly(hydroxyalkanoates). The commonest member of this group, poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] P(3-HB), had been identified by Lemoigne as early as the 1920s, as a storage substance in the microorganism Bacillus megaterium made up of more than 12000 (3-HB) units. However, the widespread distribution and significance of these biopolymers has only become clear recently. The work of Reusch, in particular, has shown that low molecular weight P(3-HB) (100–200 3-HB units) occurs in the cell membranes of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. The function of P(3-HB) in the latter sources is largely unknown; it has been proposed that a complex of P(3-HB) and calcium polyphosphate acts as an ion channel through the membrane. Indeed, it has even been speculated that P(3-HB) plays a role in transport of DNA through the cell wall. In the present article, the following subjects will be discussed: metabolism of P(3-HB) and analogous polyesters in the synthesis and degradation of storage materials; P(3-HB) as a starting material for chiral synthetic building blocks; synthesis of cyclic oligomers (oligolides) of up to ten 3-HB units, and their crystal structure; high molecular weight bio-copolymers of hydroxybutyrate and hydroxyvalerate (BIOPOL) as biologically degradable plastics; nonbiological production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from 3-hydroxy carboxylic acids and the corresponding β-lactones; specific synthesis of linear oligomers with a narrow molecular weight distribution, consisting of about 100 (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate units, by using an exponential coupling procedure; structure of the polyesters, and a comparison with other polymers; the experimental results which led to the postulation of a P(3-HB) ion channel through the cell wall; modeling of P(3-HB) helices of various diameters, by using the parameters obtained from the crystal structures of oligolides; formation of a crown ester complex and ion transport experiments with the triolide of 3-HB. The article describes one example of the contributions that synthetic organic chemists can make to important biological problems in an interdisciplinary framework.     

Synthesis and Structure of Linear and Cyclic Oligomers of 3-Hydroxybutanoic Acid with Specific Sequences of (R)- and (S)-Configurations

To study the stereoselectivity of enzymatic cleavage of poly(3-hydroxybutyrates) (PHB) in a well-defined system (purified depolymerase and monodisperse substrate of specific relative configuration), linear and cyclic oligomers of HB (OHBs) containing (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxybutanoate residues were synthesized. The starting material (R)-HB was prepared from natural sPHB, and (S)-HB by enantioselective reduction of 3-oxobutanoate with yeast or with H₂/Noyori-Taber catalyst (Scheme 2). The HB building blocks were then protected (O-benzyl/tert-butyl ester; Scheme 3) and coupled to give dimers 3 , 4 , tetramers 5 – 9 , and octamers 10 – 18 ; for analytical comparison, a 3mer, 5mer, 6mer, and 7mer ( 19 – 22 ) were also prepared. Two of the tetramers were subjected to macrolactonization conditions (Yamaguchi) to give the cyclic tetramers 23 and 25 and octamers 24 and 26 . All new compounds were fully characterized (m.p., [α]_D, CD, IR, ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR, MS, elemental analysis). Single-crystal X-ray structure analyses were performed with oligolides 24 and 25 (Figs. 2 and 4), and the structures, as well as the crystal packing, were compared with those of analogs containing only (R)-HB units or consisting of 3-amino- instead of 3-hydroxybutanoic-acid moieties.     

Cyclische Oligomere von (R)-3-Hydroxybuttersäure: Herstellung und strukturelle Aspekte

Cyclic Oligomers of (R)-3-Hydroxybutanoic Acid: Preparation and Structural Aspects The oligolides containing three to ten (R)-3-hydroxybutanoate (3-HB) units (12-through 40-membered rings 1–8 ) are prepared from the hydroxy acid itself, its methyl ester, its lactone (‘monolide’), or its polymer (poly(3-HB), mol. wt. ca. 10⁶ Dalton) under three sets of conditions: (i) treatment of 3-HB ( 10 ) with 2,6-dichlorobenzoyl chloride/pyridine and macrolactonization under high dilution in toluene with 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (Fig. 3); (ii) heating a solution (benzene, xylene) of the β-lactone 12 or of the methyl ester 13 from 3-HB with the tetraoxadistanna compound 11 as trans-esterification catalyst (Fig. 4); (iii) heating a mixture of poly(3-HB) and toluene-sulfonic acid in toluene/1,2-dichloroethane for prolonged periods of time at ca. 100° (Fig. 6). In all three cases, mixtures of oligolides are formed with the triolide 1 being the prevailing component (up to 50% yield) at higher temperatures and with longer reaction times (thermodynamic control, Figs. 3–6). Starting from rac-β-lactone rac- 12 , a separable 3:1 to 3:2 mixture of the l,u- and the l,l-triolide diasteroisomers rac- 14 and rac- 1 , respectively, is obtained. An alternative method for the synthesis of the octolide 6 is also described: starting from the appropriate esters 15 and 17 and the benzyl ether 16 of 3-HB, linear dimer, tetramer, and octamer derivatives 18–23 are prepared, and the octamer 23 with free OH and CO₂H group is cyclized (→ 6 ) under typical macrolactonization conditions (see Scheme). This ‘exponential fragment coupling protocol’ can be used to make higher linear oligomers as well. The oligolides 1–8 are isolated in pure form by vacuum distillation, chromatography, and crystallization, an important analytical tool for determining the composition of mixtures being ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy (each oligolide has a unique and characteristic chemical shift of the carbonyl C-atom, with the triolide 1 at lowest, the decolide 8 at highest field). The previously published X-ray crystal structures of triolide 1 , pentolide 3 , and hexolide 4 (two forms), as well as those of the l,u-triolide rac- 14 , of tetrolide ent- 2 , of heptolide 5 , and of two modifications of octolide 6 described herein for the first time are compared with each other (Figs. 7–10 and 12–15, Tables 2 and 5–7) and with recently modelled structures (Tables 3 and 4, Fig. 11). The preferred dihedral angles τ₁ to τ₄ found along the backbone of the nine oligolide structures (the hexamer and the larger ones all have folded rings!) are mapped and statistically evaluated (Fig. 16, Tables 5–7). Due to the occurrence of two conformational minima of the dihedral angle O? CO? CH₂? CH (τ₃ = + 151 or ?43°), it is possible to locate two types of building blocks for helices in the structures at hand: a right-handed 3₁ and a left-handed 2₁ helix; both have a ca. 6 Å pitch, but very different shapes and dispositions of the carbonyl groups (Fig. 17). The 2₁ helix thus constructed from the oligolide single-crystal data is essentially superimposable with the helix derived for the crystalline domains of poly(3-HB) from stretched-fiber X-ray diffraction studies. The absence of the unfavorable (E)-type arrangements around the OC? OR bond (‘cis-ester’) from all the structures of (3-HB) oligomers known so far suggests that the model proposed for a poly(3-HB)-containing ion channel (Fig. 2) must be modified.     

On the Macrolactonization of β-Hydroxy Acids. Crystal structures of the pentolide and the hexolide from (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid. Molecular modeling studies of the tetrolide

The temperature and concentration dependence of the previously reported formation of oligolides from (R)- or (S)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid under Yamaguchi's macrolactonization conditions (2,4,6-trichlorobenzoyl chloride/base) was studied. While the content of hexolide 2 in the product mixture is almost invariably ca. 35%, the amounts of pentolide 1 and of the larger rings strongly depend upon the temperature employed (Fig.1). Cyclic oligomers ( 5,6 ) are also obtained from 3-hydroxypentanoic acid. Enantiomerically pure β-butyrolactone can be used for the preparation of pento-, hexo-, and heptolide under Shanzer's macrolactonization conditions (tetra-oxadistannacyclodecane ‘template’). The X-ray crystal structures of the pentolide 1 and of two modifications (space groups C 2 and P 2₁) of the hexolide 2 were determined (Figs. 2–6 and Tables 1 and 5). No close contacts between substituent atoms and atoms in the rings or between ring atoms are observed in these structures. The hexolide C 2 modification is ‘just a large ring’, while the crystals of the P 2₁ modification contain folded rings the backbones of which resemble the seam of a tennis ball. A comparison of the torsion angles in the folded hexolide ring of the P 2₁ modification with those in the helical poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutanoate ( PHB ) suggests (Table 2) that the same interactions might be responsible for folding in the first and helix formation in the second case. Molecular modeling with force-field energy minimization of the tetrolide from four homochiral β-hydroxybutanoic acid units was undertaken, in order to find possible reasons for the fact that we failed to detect the tetrolide in the reaction mixtures. The calculated conformational energies (per monomer) for some of the tetrolide models (Figs. 7–9 and Tables 3 and 4) are not significantly higher than for the pentolide and hexolide crystal structures. We conclude that thermodynamic instability is an unlikely reason for the lack of tetrolide isolation. This result and failure to observe equilibration of pentolide 1 to a mixture of oligomers under the reaction conditions suggest that product distribution is governed by kinetic control.     

Reactions of Chiral 2-(tert-Butyl)-2H,4H-1,3-dioxin-4-ones Bearing Functional Groups in the 6-Position and Diastereoselective Catalytic Hydrogenation to cis-2,6-Disubstituted 1,3-Dioxan-4-ones

(R)-5-Bromo-6-(bromomethyl)-2-(tert-butyl)-2H,4H-1,3-dioxin-4-one ( 2 ) derived from (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid is used for substitutions and chain elongations at the side-chain C-atom in the 6-position of the heterocycle (→ 3–6 , 10–13 ). Subsequent simultaneous reductive debromination and double-bond hydrogenation (Pd/C,H₂)occurs with essentially complete diastereoselectivity (>98% ds), with H transfer from the face opposite to the t-Bu group (→ 15–20 , Table 1). Hydrolytic cleavages of the dioxanones then lead to enantiomerically pure β-hydroxy-acid derivatives (overall self-reproduction of the stereogenic center of 3-hydroxybutanoic acid or alkylation in the 4-position of this acid with preservation of configuration).     

Channel-Forming Activity of 3-Hydroxybutanoic-Acid Oligomers in Planar Lipid Bilayers

Monodisperse and polydisperse oligomers and polymers of 3-hydroxybutanoic acid (3-HB) containing 8, 16, ca. 28, 32, ca. 60, 64, 96, and ca. 3000 monomer units were incorporated into palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidyl choline (POPC) planar bilayers. At concentrations of 0.1–5% of oligo(3-HB), the resulting phospholipid bilayers showed typical single-channel behavior for Rb⁺ and Ba²⁺ ions, using the patch clamp technique. Thus, channel-forming activity of a pure polyester has been demonstrated for the first time (Figs. 1, 3, and 6). Single-channel activity depends upon the following structural parameters of the 3-HB derivatives: unprotected OH and COOH groups on the chain ends; chain length ⩾ 16 monomer units; no high-molecular-weight as in P(3-HB). The results are discussed in view of the Ca²⁺-specific channel formed with the P(3-HP)/Ca · PPi complex from genetically competent Escherichia coli and in view of the ubiquitous occurrence of low-molecular-weight P(3-HB) in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. A simple model for the channel-causing structure is proposed, based on the proven tendency of oligo- and poly(3-HB) to form ca. 50-Å thick lamellar crystallites.     

Chiral recognition in molecular and macromolecular pairs of (S)‐ and (R)‐1‐cyano‐2‐methylpropyl‐4′‐ {[4‐(8‐vinyloxyoctyloxy)benzoyl]oxy}biphenyl‐4‐ carboxylate enantiomers

(S)‐1‐Cyano‐2‐methylpropyl‐4′‐{[4‐(8‐vinyloxyoctyloxy)benzoyl]oxy}biphenyl‐ 4‐carboxylate [ (S)‐11 ] and (R)‐1‐cyano‐2‐methylpropyl‐4′‐{[4‐(8‐vinyloxyoctyloxy)benzoyl]oxy}biphenyl‐4‐carboxylate [( R)‐11 ] enantiomers, both greater than 99% enantiomeric excess, and their corresponding homopolymers, poly[ (S)‐11 ] and poly[ (R)‐11 ], with well‐defined molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions were synthesized and characterized. The mesomorphic behaviors of (S)‐11 and poly[ (S)‐11 ] are identical to those of (R)‐11 and poly[ (R)‐11 ], respectively. Both (S)‐11 and (R)‐11 exhibit enantiotropic S_A, S, and S_X (unidentified smectic) phases. The corresponding homopolymers exhibit S_A and S phases. The homopolymers with a degree of polymerization (DP) less than 6 also show a crystalline phase, whereas those with a DP greater than 10 exhibit a second S_X phase. Phase diagrams were investigated for four different pairs of enantiomers, (S)‐11 /( R)‐11 , (S)‐11 /poly[ (R)‐11 ], and poly[ (S)‐11 ]/poly[ (R)‐11 ], with similar and dissimilar molecular weights. In all cases, the structural units derived from the enantiomeric components are miscible and, therefore, isomorphic in the S_A and S phases over the entire range of enantiomeric composition. Chiral molecular recognition was observed in the S_A and S_X phases of the monomers but not in the S_A phase of the polymers. In addition, a very unusual chiral molecular recognition effect was detected in the S phase of the monomers below their crystallization temperature and in the S phase of the polymers below their glass‐transition temperature. In the S phase of the monomers above the melting temperature and of the polymers above the glass‐transition temperature, nonideal solution behavior was observed. However, in the S_A phase the monomer–polymer and polymer–polymer mixtures behave as an ideal solution. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3631–3655, 2000     

Synthesis of Linear Oligomers of (R)-3-Hydroxybutyrate and Solid-State Structural Investigations by electron microscopy and X-ray scattering

Repetitive treatment of the biopolymer P(3-HB) (molecular weight > 10⁵ Dalton, storage or s-P(3-HB)), with lithium hexamethyl disilazanid (LHMDS) at ?70° in THF leads to a mixture of oligomers with increasingly sharp distribution around a 15-, 30-, and 45mer. Discrete fragments are also isolated when P(3-HB) is heated under reflux (89°) in neat Et₃N. Linear oligo(3-HB) derivatives ( 3-7 ) containing up to 96 3-HB units are synthesized using an exponential segment-coupling strategy. These oligomers are used to calibrate size-exclusion chromatography columns for the analysis of oligo(3-HB) samples from the different sources. The linear oligo-(3-HB) derivatives also served as a model with respect to the physical properties of high molecular weight P(3-HB) and were investigated as such by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and by small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS). The thicknesses of the lamellar crystallites (long periods) formed by the 8mer, 16mer, and 32mer, are ca. 26, 52, and 53 Å, respectively, indicating that the 32mer molecules are folded once, very tightly, into a ‘hair-pin’-type conformation. High-molecular-weight P(3-HB), which was crystallized in a similar way, also has a lamellar crystallite thickness of ca. 50–65 Å. Thus, the treatment of P(3-HB) with LHMDS at low temperature causes etching of the amorphous regions, an effect well known in polymer science for studying the regularity of chain folding. The ca. 50-Å packing within the tight folds of P(3-HB) is discussed in view of its possible function in ion transport through cell membranes.     

Optisch aktive Alkohole aus 1,3-Dioxan-4-onen: eine praktikable Variante der enantioselektiven Synthese unter nucleophiler Substitution an Acetal-Zentren

Optically Active Alcohols from 1,3-Dioxan-4-ones. A Practical Version of Enantioselective Synthesis with Nucleophilic Substitution at Acetal Centers Secondary alcohols in enantiomeric excesses above 90% are accessible from 2-substituted 6-methyl-1,3-dioxan-4-ones (Scheme 4). The dioxanones are prepared from aldehydes and readily available (R)-or (S)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid. Treatment of the dioxanones with silyl nucleophiles or triisopropoxy(methyl)titanium in the presence of [Cl₃TiX] yields the corresponding 3-alkoxy acids in diastereoselectivities ≥ 95%. The ‘chiral auxiliary’ is removed from the alkoxy acids by treatment with LiN(i-Pr)₂ to give the secondary alcohols with ≤ 90% ee. cis/trans-Mixtures (9:1) of the dioxanones furnish products of the same configurational purity as those obtained from pure cis-isomers. In comparison with other variants of enantioselective synthese with nucleophilic substitution at acetal centers, the following advantages of the dioxanone method are noteworthy: (i) (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxybutanoic acids are both readily available; (ii) reactions are not sensitive to changes in conditions; (iii) the ‘chiral auxiliary’ is removed simply by base elimination, no oxidation is required; (iv) no chromatographic purification steps are necessary. The overall reaction described here is an enantioselective nucleophilic addition to aldehydes with concomitant dehydration of enantiomerically pure 3-hydroxybutanoic to crotonic acid.     

Lithiumtriamidostannat(II), Li[Sn(NH2)3] – Synthese und Kristallstruktur

Lithium Triamidostannate(II), Li[Sn(NH₂)₃] – Synthesis and Crystal Structure Rusty-red glistening, transparent crystals of Li[Sn(NH₂)₃] were obtained by reaction of metallic lithium with tetraphenyl tin in liquid ammonia at 110 °C. The structure was determined from X-ray single-crystal diffractometer data: Space group P 2₁/n, Z = 4, a = 8.0419(9) Å, b = 7.1718(8) Å, c = 8.5085(7) Å, β = 90.763(8)°, R₁ (F _o ≥ 4σ(F _o)) = 2.8%, wR₂ (F ≥ 2σ(F )) = 5.3%, N(F ≥ 2σ(F )) = 1932, N(Var.) = 65. The crystal structure contains trigonal pyramidal complex anions [Sn(NH₂)₃]^– with tin at the apex, which are connected to layers of sequence A B A B … by lithium in tetrahedra-double units [Li(NH₂)_2/2(NH₂)₂]₂.     

Herstellung enantiomerenreiner Derivate von 3-Amino- und 3-Mercaptobuttersäure durch SN2-Ringöffnung des β-Lactons und eines 1,3-Dixoanons aus der 3-Hydroxybuttersä ure

Preparation of Enantiomerically Pure Derivatives of 3-Amino- and 3-Mercaptobutanoic Acid by S_N2 Ring Opening of the β-Lactone and a 1,3-Dioxanone Derived from 3-Hydroxybutanoic Acid From (S)-4-methyloxetan-2-one ( 1 ), the β-butyrolactone readily available from the biopolymer ( R )-polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and various C, N, O and S nucleophiles, the following compounds are prepared:(s)-2-hydroxy-4-octanone ( 3 ), (R)-3-aminobutanoic acid ( 7 ) and its N-benzyl derivative 5 , (R)-3-azidobutanoic acid ( 6 ) (R)-3-mercaptobutanoic acid ( 10 ), (R)-3-(phenylthio)butanoic acid ( 8 ) and its sulfoxide 9 . The (6R)-2,6-dimethyl-2-ethoxy-1,3-dioxan-4-one ( 4 ) from (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid undergoes S^N2 ring opening with benzylamine to give the N-benzyl derivative (ent- 5 ) of (S)-3-aminobutanoic acid in 30?40% yield.     

Einfache Umwandlung von(–)-(R)-3-Hydroxybuttersäure in das (+)-(S)-Enantiomere und dessen Lacton(‒)-(S)-4-Methyloxetan-2-on

Simple Conversion of (R)-3-Hydroxybutanoic Acid to the (S)-Enantiomer and its Lactone (–)-(S)-4-Methylixetan-2-one Condensation of ( R )-3-hydroxybutanoic acid (1) with ethyl orthoacetate gives a 2-ethoxy-substituted (1,3)dioxanone 2 which is thermally labile: at ca. 100°, two competing processes commence, one leading to ethyl ( R )-3-acetoxybutanoate ( 3 ), the other one - with complete inversion of configuration - to the ( S )-4-methylixetan-2-one ( 4 ) and ethyl acetate. These can be readily separated by fractional distillation. Thus, enantiomerically pure ( S )-3-hydroxybutanoic acid (ent- 1 ) and l-2-alkyl-3-hydroxybutanoic-acid derivatives (such as 6 and 8 ) become available from the biopolymer PHB, the precursor to the acid 1 .     

The kinetics of the interaction of peroxy radicals. I. The Tertiary Peroxy Radicals

Existing data on the self-reactions of tertiary peroxy radicals RO₂ has been reanalyzed and corrected to deduce Arrhenius parameters for both termination and nontermination paths. For R = t-Butyl, these are logk_t(M^?1sec^?1) = 7.1 - (7.0/θ) and logk_nt(M^?1sec^?1) = 9.4 - (9.0/θ), respectively, different from those recommended by other authors. The higher magnitudes observed for termination processes of tertiary peroxy radicals like those of cumyl and 1,1-diphenylethyl have been discussed in terms of a much greater cage recombination of cumyloxy radicals as contrasted with t-butoxy radicals. It is shown that for benzyl peroxy radicals, the R—O bond dissociation energy is sufficiently low (18–20 kcal) that reversible dissociation into R^˙ + O₂ opens a competing second-order path to fast recombination R^˙ + RO → ROOR. This path is probably not important for cumyl peroxy radicals under usual experimental conditions but can become important for 1,1-diphenyl ethyl peroxy radicals at (O₂) < 10^?3M. At very low RO concentrations (<10^?5M), in the absence of added O₂, an apparent first-order disappearance of RO can occur reflecting the rate determining breaking of the cumyl—O bond followed by the second step above. The thermochemistry of RO is used to show that the reaction of R₂O₄ → 2RO + O₂ must be concerted and cannot proceed via RO which is too unstable and cannot form even from RO^˙ + O₂.     

Synthese von ‘D-Isothreonin’ und ‘L-Alloisothreonin’ aus L-Alanin

Synthesis of ‘D -Isothreonine’ and ‘L -Alloisothreonine’ Starting from L -Alanine Starting from L -alanine, ‘D -isothreonine’ ( = (2R, 3S)-3-amino-2-hydroxybutanoic acid) and ‘L -alloisothreonine’ ( = (2S, 3S)-3-amino-2-hydroxybutanoic acid) were synthesized.     

Cationic RhI Complexes of Azulenes and Their Catalytic Activity on the Formation of Heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylates from Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate and Azulenes

[Rh¹(η⁵-azulene)(cod)]⁺BF complexes 3a–g (cod = (Z,Z)-cycloocta-1,5-diene) have been synthesized by reaction of [Rh¹(cod)]⁺BF in THF with the corresponding azulenes 1a–g (Table 1). The structure of [Rh¹(cod)(η⁵-guaiazulene)]⁺BF ( 3a ) has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis (Fig. 1 and 2). The Rh-atom is oriented above the five-membered ring of the azulene with almost equal Rh? C distances to all five C-atoms of the ring. The (Z,Z)-cycloocta-1,5-diene ring occurs in two enantiomorphic distorted (C_2v → C₂) tub conformations in the crystals (Fig. 3). In CDCl₃ solution, the cod ligand in the complexes 3 shows a dynamic behavior on the ¹H-NMR time scale which is best explained by rotation of the cod ligand relative to the azulene ligands around an imaginary cod? Rh? azulene axis. The new complexes 3 catalyze the formation of heptalene-1,2-dicarboxylates 2 from dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (ADM) and the corresponding azulenes 1 just as effectively as [RuH₂(PPh₃)₄] and the analogous [RhH(PPh₃)₄] complex in MeCN solution (Table 3). On grounds of simplicity, 3 can be generated in situ, when [RhCl(cod)]₂ is applied as catalyst (Table 3).     

Stereoselectivity and Chiral Recognition in the Electron-Transfer Reaction between Spinach Ferredoxin and Optically Active Cobalt(III) Complexes

The kinetics of the electron transfer between reduced spinach [2Fe-2S]-ferredoxin and the optically active complexes [Co((R,R)- or (S,S)-alamp)py]⁺ ( I ), [Co((R,R)- or (S,S)-promp)H₂O]⁺ ( IIa ), and [Co((R,R)- or (S,S)-promp)py]⁺ ( IIb ) have been investigated. The reactions are stereoselective, and for I and IIa , the Stereoselectivity strongly depends on temperature due to large differences in the activation enthalpy between enantiomeric reagents. Isokinetic behaviour is observed between enantiomers, the ΔΔH values being largely compensated by the ΔΔS values. The compensation behaviour is explained by the combination of stereochemical interactions and desolvation processes on formation of the precursor complex or the transition state.