Intercalation of heterocyclic compounds in α-zirconium phosphate: Imidazole,benzimidazole, histamine and histidine

The intercalation of imidazole and some organic species containing the imidazole ring, between the layers of crystalline zirconium phosphate has been investigated. Fourteen new, well-ordered intercalation compounds are obtained with the batch procedure at r.t. and/or 60°C. A mechanism of formation of the various compounds is proposed on the basis of the interaction between the guest molecules (with their dimensions and geometries) and the free PO₃OH groups available between the layers of the host. The new phases have been characterized by TG and X-ray methods.     

Foldamers of bifunctional diketopiperazines displaying a β-bend ribbon structure

The synthesis of two oligomers, of a bifunctional diketopiperazine scaffold DKP-1, formally derived from the cyclization of l-aspartic acid and (S)-2,3-diaminopropionic acid, is reported. A trimeric and a tetrameric structure were prepared by solution-phase peptide synthesis (Boc strategy). Conformational analysis of these derivatives was carried out by a combination of ¹H NMR spectroscopy, CD spectroscopy, and molecular modeling, and revealed the formation of β-bend ribbon involving 10-membered H-bonded rings and a reverse turn of the growing peptide chain.     

Regioselective reduction of 3-substituted 2,3-dihydrobenzothiadiazines with borohydrides

A simple and efficient synthetic path for N-1 or N-2 alkyl-substituted 2-aminobenzenesulfonamides was developed based on regioselective reduction with NaBH₃CN in different solvents.     

Crystal structure ofcis-diaqua bis(2,2′-bipyridyl)chromium(III) nitrate, [Cr(bipy)2(H2O)2] (NO3)3

cis-Diaquabis(2,2-bipyridyl)chromium(III) nitrate crystallizes in the mono-clinic system, space groupP2₁/c, witha=16.102(6),b=10.792(5),c=15.076(6) Å,=112.90(5)°, andZ=4. The saltlike structure was determined from X-ray crystallography and refined toR=7.5% for 3342 observed reflections. The Cr atom is octahedrally surrounded by twocis water molecules and by two chelated 2,2-bypiridyl ligands forming two nearly orthogonal planes. Selected bond distances are: Cr-O, 2.00(1) and 1.98(1) Å, Cr-N, 2.04 Å (mean).     

Polystyrene functionalized with EDOT oligomers

The control of the organization of polymeric films from the nano- to the meso-scale is an ongoing field and different approaches have been proposed by many authors with the aim to drive the organization and the morphology of the materials to optimize their properties. One of the driving force of the organization at the micrometric and submicrometric scale is the degree of interaction between different polymeric chains and many successful examples of ordered supramolecular organization based on nano and microphase separation have been reported by using block copolymers and polymer blends. In this work we report on a synthetic approach to prepare a copolymeric structure formed by polystyrene and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) oligomers with the aim of preparing thin polymeric films exhibiting organized morphologies.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Biological Evaluation of a Dual-Action Ligand Targeting αvβ3 Integrin and VEGF Receptors

A dual-action ligand targeting both integrin α_Vβ₃ and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs), was synthesized via conjugation of a cyclic peptidomimetic α_Vβ₃ Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) ligand with a decapentapeptide. The latter was obtained from a known VEGFR antagonist by acetylation at the Lys13 side chain. Functionalization of the precursor ligands was carried out in solution and in the solid phase, affording two fragments: an alkyne VEGFR ligand and the azide integrin α_Vβ₃ ligand, which were conjugated by click chemistry. Circular dichroism studies confirmed that both the RGD and VEGFR ligand portions of the dual-action compound substantially adopt the biologically active conformation. In vitro binding assays on isolated integrin α_Vβ₃ and VEGFR-1 showed that the dual-action conjugate retains a good level of affinity for both its target receptors, although with one order of magnitude (10/20 times) decrease in potency. The dual-action ligand strongly inhibited the VEGF-induced morphogenesis in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs). Remarkably, its efficiency in preventing the formation of new blood vessels was similar to that of the original individual ligands, despite the worse affinity towards integrin α_Vβ₃ and VEGFR-1.