Alkylation of nitroaromatics with tetraalkylborate ion via electrochemical oxidation

Aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction (S(N)Ar) is one of the most thoroughly studied reactions. Alkylation of nitroaromatics with Grignard reagents via chemical oxidation of the sigma(H)-complexes is the most general method to introduce an alkyl group into a nitroaromatic compound. This approach has considerable drawbacks, especially when more than one nitro group are present in the aromatic ring. In this article, we present an electrochemical approach, which offers a new very selective methodology for obtaining alkyl polynitroaromatic compounds. Different strategies based on the use of tetralkylborate anion as nucleophiles are used so as to increase efficiency and to reduce the drawbacks associated with this reaction. A wide list of dinitro- and trinitro-aromatic compounds are studied, the range of yields obtained being from fair (40%) to excellent (85%). The key to improvement in the process is the use of electrochemical techniques for the oxidation of the mixture sigma(H)-complexes/tetrabutylborate ion. The electroactive character of the nucleophile, which can be oxidized to an alkyl radical, means that the S(N)Ar of the hydrogen polar mechanism is not the only mechanism operating during the electroxidation process, since the hydrogen radical S(N)Ar mechanism is running at the same time. Electrochemical mechanistic studies allow the participation of each mechanism in the global product yield obtained to be quantified.     

Computer experiments on crystalline nylons: structural analysis of nylons with large aliphatic segments

A theoretical study based on force-field calculations has been performed to investigate the structural preferences of crystalline even nylons n with large and very large aliphatic segments. Atomistic energy calculations and Monte Carlo simulations were carried out considering the conventional and forms of nylons 10, 12, 18, 24, and 32. Results indicated that the form is the most favored for nylons 10, 12, 18, and 24. However, the structure was unstable for nylon 32, a polymer in which the density of hydrogen bonds is almost negligible. In this case, the arrangement is energetically more favored than the one.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of spongistatin/altohyrtin analogues: E-ring dehydration and C46 side-chain truncation

Simplified analogues of the potent antimitotic marine macrolide spongistatin 1/altohyrtin A were synthesised and evaluated as growth inhibitory agents against a range of human tumour cell lines, including Taxol-resistant strains, revealing that E-ring dehydration leads to enhanced cytotoxicity at the low picomolar level while truncation of the side-chain at C46 results in a drastic decrease in activity.     

Reactivity of dimetallated benzalazines

Summary The action of dpe or PPh₃ on dimetallated benzalazines in presence of NaClO₄ gives to ionic compounds only with dpe. can be obtained from [Pd(p-XC₆H₃CH=N-)Cl(PPh₃)₂]₂ and AgClO₄.     

(Eta3-phenylallyl)(phosphanyloxazoline)palladium complexes: X-ray crystallographic studies,NMR investigations,and Ab initio/DFT calculations

All possible (eta(3)-allyl)palladium complexes (1-4) of the ligand (4S)-[2-(2'-diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl]-4,5-dihydro-4-(2-propyl)-oxazole (L 1) and eta(3)-allyl ligands with one to three phenyl substituents at the terminal allylic centers were synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystal structure analysis and, with respect to allylic isomers, by NMR investigations. Equilibrium geometries, electronic structures, and relative energies of isomeric complexes were computed by restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations; experimentally determined isomer ratios could be reproduced. The results allowed important conclusions to be drawn regarding the mechanism of Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitutions.     

Chromatographic and column stability at pH 7 of a C18 dimethylurea polar stationary phase

Chromatographic evaluations of a C18 dimethylurea phase in 150 mm x 3.9 mm HPLC columns were performed using the Tanaka and Engelhardt test mixtures. The applicability of the new C18 dimethylurea phase was also evaluated with a mixture of some herbicides and their metabolites. An artificial aging procedure was also performed by passing a potassium phosphate mobile phase buffered at pH 7.0 through C18 50 mm x 3.9 mm dimethylurea columns. The column stability was evaluated by means of the chromatographic parameters obtained for the separation of some compounds from the Neue test mixture, using apolar, polar and highly basic analytes.     

Ab initio and DFT modeling of stereoselective deamination of aziridines by nitrosyl chloride

The stereochemical course of the deamination of cis‐2,3‐dimethylaziridine by nitrosyl chloride was investigated at the QCISD/6‐31G(d) level. Calculations reveal that the reaction takes place in two steps. In the first step, the reactants form a pre‐reactive complex, followed by a spiro‐type bicyclic transition state, which on dissociative cycloelimination gives the N‐nitrosoaziridine intermediate. In the second step, this intermediate undergoes cycloreversion through a slightly asynchronous concerted transition state to form an alkene with the same stereochemistry, which is in total agreement with experiment. In the whole reaction, the denitrosation step is found to be rate‐determining. For comparison, geometry optimizations and energies were also obtained at the B3LYP/6‐31G(d) level. It was found that the B3LYP energy results differed significantly from the QCISD ones. To analyze the reason for this difference, B3LYP calculations were repeated by varying the contribution of exact exchange in the Becke functional. With respect to the QCISD results, it has been shown that the functional with 0% exact exchange yields the best activation barriers, whereas the functional with 30% exact exchange is the most suitable one to carry out the complexation and reaction energy calculations. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Emulsion polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate using a hydrophobically modified inulin and comparison with other surfactants

The use of a new class of graft polymer surfactants, based on inulin, in emulsion polymerization of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) particles is described. PS and PMMA were synthesized by emulsion polymerization, and stable particles with a high monomer content (50 wt %) were obtained with a very small amount of polymeric surfactant ([surfactant]/[monomer] = 0.0033). The latex dispersions were characterized by dynamic light scattering and by transmission electron microscopy to obtain the average particle size and the polydispersity index, and the stability was determined by turbidimetry measurements and expressed in terms of critical coagulation concentration. The last section gives a comparison of PMMA particles prepared by emulsion polymerization using classical surfactants from different types as emulsifiers with that obtained using the copolymer surfactant. It shows the superiority of INUTEC SP1 as it is the only one that allows stable particles at 20 wt % monomer content, with a smaller ratio [surfactant]/[monomer] = 0.002.     

Diastereoselective formation of cyanohydrins from alpha-alkoxy aldehydes

[reaction: see text] The reaction of alpha-alkoxy aldehydes with Et4NAg(CN)2 or Me3SiCN in the presence of MgBr2 x OEt2 in CH2Cl2 at 0 degrees C gives the corresponding syn cyanohydrins in good yield with high diastereoselectivity. Excess MgBr2 x OEt2 (typically 5 equiv) is required for high diastereoselectivity. Et4NAg(CN)2 (but not Me3SiCN) is sufficiently reactive to give cyanohydrins at -78 degrees C, and higher diastereoselectivity is obtained at this temperature.