A Tin–Tungsten Mixed Oxide as an Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for C?C Bond‐Forming Reactions

Mix and calcinate : The tin–tungsten mixed oxide (Sn–W oxide) prepared by calcination of the Sn–W hydroxide at 800 °C acts as an effective and reusable solid catalyst for C? C bond‐forming reactions, such as the cyclization of citronellal, the Diels–Alder reaction, and the cyanosilylation of carbonyl compounds with trimethylsilyl cyanide (see scheme). The observed catalysis was truly heterogeneous, and the recovered catalyst could be reused without loss of its high catalytic performance.

     

Effects of Zinc(II) on the Luminescence of Europium(III) in Complexes Containing β‐Diketone and Schiff Bases

The UV, excitation, and luminescence spectra of tris(pivaloyltrifluoroacetonato)europium(III) ([Eu(pta)₃]; Hpta=1,1,1‐trifluoro‐5,5‐dimethylhexane‐2,4‐dione=HA) were measured in the presence of bis(salicylidene)trimethylenediamine (H₂saltn), bis[5‐(tert‐butyl)salicylidene]trimethylenediamine (H₂(^tBu)saltn), or bis(salicylidene)cyclohexane‐1,2‐diyldiamine (H₂salchn), and the corresponding Zn^II complexes [ZnB] (B=Schiff base). The excitation and luminescence spectra of the solution containing [Eu(pta)₃] and [Zn(salchn)] exhibited much stronger intensities than those of solutions containing the other [ZnB] complexes. The introduction of a ^tBu group into the Schiff base was not effective in sensitizing the luminescence of [Eu(pta)₃]. The luminescence spectrum of [ZnB] showed a band around 450 nm. The intensity decreased in the presence of [Eu(pta)₃], reflecting complexation between [Eu(pta)₃] and [ZnB]. On the basis of the change in intensity against the concentration of [ZnB], stability constants were determined for [Eu(pta)₃Zn(saltn)], [Eu(pta)₃Zn{(^tBu)saltn}], and [Eu(pta)₃Zn(salchn)] as 4.13, 4.9 and 5.56, respectively (log , where =[[Eu(pta)₃ZnB]]([[Eu(pta)₃]][[ZnB]])^?1). The quantum yields of these binuclear complexes were determined as 0.15, 0.11, and 0.035, although [Eu(pta)₃Zn(salchn)] revealed the strongest luminescence at 613 nm. The results of X‐ray diffraction analysis for [Eu(pta)₃Zn(saltn)] showed that Zn^II had a coordination number of five and was bridged with Eu^III by three donor O‐atoms, i.e., two from the salicylidene moieties and one from the ketonato group pta.     

Channel-selective independent sorption and collection of hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules by Cs2[Cr3O(OOCC2H5)6(H2O)3]2[alpha-SiW12O40] ionic crystal

An ionic crystal of Cs2[Cr3O(OOCC2H5)6(H2O)3]2[alpha-SiW12O40].4H2O 1a with hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels has been designed and successfully synthesized. The guest-free phase 1b sorbs dichloromethane and water in the hydrophobic and hydrophilic channels, respectively. The rate and equilibrium amount of the dichloromethane sorption into the hydrophobic channel and those of water into the hydrophilic channel were independent of each other. The sorption properties can be applied to the channel-selective sorption and collection of hydrophobic (dichloromethane) and hydrophilic (water) molecules from the mixture.     

gamma-1,2-H2SiV2W10O40] immobilized on surface-modified SiO2 as a heterogeneous catalyst for liquid-phase oxidation with H2O2

An organic-inorganic hybrid support has been synthesized by covalently anchoring an N-octyldihydroimidazolium cation fragment onto SiO2 (denoted as 1-SiO2). This modified support was characterized by solid-state 13C, 29Si, and 31P NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The results showed that the structure of the dihydroimidazolium skeleton is preserved on the surface of SiO2. The modified support can act as a good anion exchanger, which allows the catalytically active polyoxometalate anion [gamma-1,2-H2SiV2W10O40]4- (I) to be immobilized onto the support by a stoichiometric anion exchange (denoted as I/1-SiO2). The structure of anion I is preserved after the anion exchange, as confirmed by IR and 51V NMR spectroscopy. The catalytic performance for the oxidation of olefins and sulfides, with hydrogen peroxide (only one equivalent with respect to substrate) as the sole oxidant, was investigated with I/1-SiO2. This supported catalyst shows a high stereospecificity, diastereoselectivity, regioselectivity, and a high efficiency of hydrogen peroxide utilization for the oxidation of various olefins and sulfides without any loss of the intrinsic catalytic nature of the corresponding homogeneous analogue of I (i.e., the tetra-n-butylammonium salt of I, TBA-I), although the rates decreased to about half that with TBA-I. The oxidation can be stopped immediately by removal of the solid catalyst, and vanadium and tungsten species can hardly be found in the filtrate after removal of the catalyst. These results rule out any contribution to the observed catalysis from vanadium and tungsten species that leach into the reaction solution, which means that the observed catalysis is truly heterogeneous in nature. In addition, the catalyst is reusable for both epoxidation and sulfoxidation without any loss of catalytic performance.     

Structural and dynamical aspects of alkylammonium salts of a silicodecatungstate as heterogeneous epoxidation catalysts

The structural and dynamical aspects of alkylammonium salts of a silicodecatungstate [(CH(3))(4)N](4)[γ-SiW(10)O(34)(H(2)O)(2)] [C1], [(n-C(3)H(7))(4)N](4)[γ-SiW(10)O(34)(H(2)O)(2)] [C3], [(n-C(4)H(9))(4)N](4)[γ-SiW(10)O(34)(H(2)O)(2)] [C4], and [(n-C(5)H(11))(4)N](4)[γ-SiW(10)O(34)(H(2)O)(2)] [C5] were investigated. The results of sorption isotherms, XRD analyses, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy show that facile sorption of solvent molecules, flexibility of structures, and high mobility of alkylammonium cations are crucial to the uniform distribution of reactant and oxidant molecules throughout the bulk solid, which are related to the high catalytic activities for epoxidation of alkenes.     

Elucidation of the Active Conformation of Vancomycin Dimers with Antibacterial Activity against Vancomycin‐Resistant Bacteria

Covalently linked vancomycin dimers have attracted a great deal of attention among researchers because of their enhanced antibacterial activity against vancomycin‐resistant strains. However, the lack of a clear insight into the mechanisms of action of these dimers hampers rational optimization of their antibacterial potency. Here, we describe the synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel vancomycin dimers with a constrained molecular conformation achieved by two tethers between vancomycin units. Conformational restriction is a useful strategy for studying the relationship between the molecular topology and biological activity of compounds. In this study, two vancomycin units were linked at three distinct positions of the glycopeptide (vancosamine residue (V), C terminus (C), and N terminus (N)) to form two types of novel vancomycin cyclic dimers. Active NC‐VV‐linked dimers with a stable conformation as indicated by molecular mechanics calculations selectively suppressed the peptidoglycan polymerization reaction of vancomycin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus in vitro. In addition, double‐disk diffusion tests indicated that the antibacterial activity of these dimers against vancomycin‐resistant enterococci might arise from the inhibition of enzymes responsible for peptidoglycan polymerization. These findings provide a new insight into the biological targets of vancomycin dimers and the conformational requirements for efficient antibacterial activity against vancomycin‐resistant strains.     

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of uridine diphosphate-GlcNAc and uridine diphosphate-GalNAc analogs for the preparation of unnatural glycosaminoglycans

Eight N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate and N-acetylgalactosamine-1-phosphate analogs have been synthesized chemically and were tested for their recognition by the GlmU uridyltransferase enzyme. Among these, only substrates that have an amide linkage to the C-2 nitrogen were transferred by GlmU to afford their corresponding uridine diphosphate(UDP)-sugar nucleotides. Resin-immobilized GlmU showed comparable activity to nonimmobilized GlmU and provides a more facile final step in the synthesis of an unnatural UDP-donor. The synthesized unnatural UDP-donors were tested for their activity as substrates for glycosyltransferases in the preparation of unnatural glycosaminoglycans in vitro. A subset of these analogs was useful as donors, increasing the synthetic repertoire for these medically important polysaccharides.