Gold(I)-Catalyzed Intermolecular Formal [4+2] Cycloaddition of O-Aryl Ynol Ethers and Enol Ethers: Synthesis of Chromene Derivatives

Gold(I)-catalyzed formal [4+2] cycloaddition of O-aryl ynol ethers 1 and enol ethers 2 is described. This intermolecular reaction between two electron-rich unsaturated systems takes place, under mild conditions, in the presence of 5 mol% [IPrAu(CH₃CN)]SbF₆ as catalyst giving chromene derivatives with good yields. The cycloaddition is completely regio- and stereoselective, as well as versatile for both reactives. Silyl enol ethers can also react in the same way and under the same reaction conditions with quantitative yields. A plausible mechanism through a selective addition of the enol ether to the alkyne gold activated complex followed by an intramolecular aromatic electrophilic substitution is proposed. Several experimental results support the presence of a cationic oxonium intermediate prior to the aromatic substitution. The reaction represents a new entry to the chromene core.     

Mechanically Interlocked Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Extensive research has been devoted to the chemical manipulation of carbon nanotubes. The attachment of molecular fragments through covalent‐bond formation produces kinetically stable products, but implies the saturation of some of the C? C double bonds of the nanotubes. Supramolecular modification maintains the structure of the SWNTs but yields labile species. Herein, we present a strategy for the synthesis of mechanically interlocked derivatives of SWNTs (MINTs). In the key rotaxane‐forming step, we employed macrocycle precursors equipped with two π‐extended tetrathiafulvalene SWNT recognition units and terminated with bisalkenes that were closed around the nanotubes through ring‐closing metathesis (RCM). The mechanically interlocked nature of the derivatives was probed by analytical, spectroscopic, and microscopic techniques, as well as by appropriate control experiments. Individual macrocycles were observed by HR STEM to circumscribe the nanotubes.     

On the strength of hydrogen bonding within water clusters on the coordination limit

Hydrogen bonds (HB) are arguably the most important noncovalent interactions in chemistry. We study herein how differences in connectivity alter the strength of HBs within water clusters of different sizes. We used for this purpose the interacting quantum atoms energy partition, which allows for the quantification of HB formation energies within a molecular cluster. We could expand our previously reported hierarchy of HB strength in these systems (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18 , 19557) to include tetracoordinated monomers. Surprisingly, the HBs between tetracoordinated water molecules are not the strongest HBs despite the widespread occurrence of these motifs (e.g., in ice I_h). The strongest HBs within H₂O clusters involve tricoordinated monomers. Nonetheless, HB tetracoordination is preferred in large water clusters because (a) it reduces HB anticooperativity associated with double HB donors and acceptors and (b) it results in a larger number of favorable interactions in the system. Finally, we also discuss (a) the importance of exchange-correlation to discriminate among the different examined types of HBs within H₂O clusters, (b) the use of the above-mentioned scale to quickly assess the relative stability of different isomers of a given water cluster, and (c) how the findings of this research can be exploited to indagate about the formation of polymorphs in crystallography. Overall, we expect that this investigation will provide valuable insights into the subtle interplay of tri- and tetracoordination in HB donors and acceptors as well as the ensuing interaction energies within H₂O clusters.     

Directed ortho-lithiation of unprotected diphenylphosphinic acids

Directed ortho lithiation of diphenylphosphinic acid and subsequent electrophilic trapping provides mono ortho-functionalized derivatives including enantiopure γ-aminophosphinic acids in moderate yields. Copper catalyzed coupling of the ortho anion leads to biphenyl-2,2′-diylbis(phenylphosphinic acid), a phosphorus analogue of biphenyl-2,2′-dicarboxylic acid. Preliminary studies of the metal-binding abilities of this O,O-chelating ligand towards a series of metal cations are included.     

Bicyclic units of

We prove that the group generated by the bicyclic units of has torsion for . This answers a question of Sehgal (1993).

     

Sensory quality, volatile compounds and color of pear juice treated with β-cyclodextrin

The effect of the addition of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), the most used of natural CDs, on the pear juice quality was studied. Several properties of this fruit juice, such as color, odor and aroma have been evaluated in both the absence and presence of β-CD for the first time. A study of the aroma profile of pear juice showed that esters, aldehydes, alcohols and terpenes are the most important chemical families of volatile compounds present in this fruit juice. Furthermore, a trained sensory panel was used to quantify odor/aroma attributes of pear juices in both the presence and absence of increasing β-CD concentrations. The addition of β-CD at a concentration of 15 mM to pear juice significantly increased its global quality, color intensity and reduced its browning but without any significant decrease in aroma. For this reason, a concentration of 15 mM of this type of natural CD is recommended to be used in pear juice manufacturing.     

Isotropic umbrella based triangulation of regular parametric surfaces

In this paper we propose an advancing front method for generating an isotropic triangular mesh on a regular parametric surface. Starting from a point on the surface, the method computes a set of points in the intersection curve between the surface and the sphere centered at that point with a prescribed radius. From this set we select the vertices of a cell composed by triangles approximately equilateral. The mesh grows repeating the described computation with boundary vertices of the cell as starting points. Compared to methods proposed by other authors, the current method may be considered as an improvement, since it is more efficient and flexible. Furthermore, the resulting mesh is closer to being isotropic. Additionally, we obtain a sufficient condition ensuring that a surface triangulation is of Delaunay type.     

2,4-Bis(methylsulfanyl)pyrimidine o-quinodimethane: a versatile building block for functionalized fused pyrimidines

Two alternative methods for the preparation of new pyrimidine Diels-Alder cycloadducts from the readily available 2,4-bis(methylsulfanyl)-5,6-dihydrocyclobuta[d]pyrimidine are presented. In the first method, the in situ generated pyrimidine ortho-quinodimethane reacts with various dienophiles to form the respective cycloadducts bearing two methylthio groups, which can be easily replaced by other functional groups. In the second method, one or both of the methylsulfanyl groups of the starting pyrimidine are replaced first and the resulting functionalized pyrimidines are able to undergo Diels-Alder cyclization with different dienophiles to form pyrimidine cycloadducts. These alternative synthetic strategies provide access to a wide variety of pyrimidine cycloadducts with a different substitution pattern on the pyrimidine ring. Yield data indicate that the electronic nature of the functional groups strongly influence the efficiency of the cycloaddition reaction.