Highly beta-(E)-selective hydrosilylation of terminal and internal alkynes catalyzed by a (IPr)Pt(diene) complex

The regioselective hydrosilylation of terminal and internal alkynes catalyzed by the novel (IPr)Pt(AE) ( 7) (IPr = bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazo-2-ylidene, AE = allyl ether) complex is presented. The (IPr)Pt(AE) catalyst displays enhanced activity and regioselectivity for the hydrosilylation of terminal and internal alkynes with low catalyst loading (0.1 to 0.05 mol %) when compared to the parent (IPr)Pt(DVDS) complex ( 6) (DVDS = divinyltetramethyldisiloxane). The reaction leads to exquisite regioselectivity in favor of the cis-addition product on the less hindered terminus of terminal and internal alkynes. The solvent effects were examined for the difficult hydrosilylation of benzylpropargyl ether. In light of the observed product distribution and kinetic data, a mechanistic scheme is proposed involving two competing catalytic cycles. One cycle leads to high regioselectivities while the other, having lost the stereodirecting IPr carbene ligand, displays low regiocontrol and activities. The importance of this secondary catalytic cycle is either caused by the strong coordinating ability of the alkyne or by the low reactivity of the silane or both.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of allosecurinine and viroallosecurinine from menisdaurilide

A new and versatile synthetic route to Securinega alkaloids is reported. The first synthesis of allosecurinine has been accomplished in seven steps and 40% yield, starting from (+)-menisdaurilide, using a vinylogous Mannich reaction as the key transformation. Similarly, viroallosecurinine has been synthesized from (-)-menisdaurilide.     

Sensitive and stable monitoring of lead and cadmium in seawater using screen-printed electrode and electrochemical stripping analysis

Sensitive and stable monitoring of heavy metals in seawater using screen-printed electrodes (SPE) is presented. The analytical performance of SPE coupled with square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) for the simultaneous determination of Pb and Cd in seawater samples, in the low μg L⁻¹ range, is evaluated. The stripping response for the heavy metals following 2 min deposition was linear over the concentration range examined (10-2000 μg L⁻¹) with detection limits of 1.8 and 2.9 μg L⁻¹ for Pb and Cd, respectively. The accuracy of the method was validated by analyzing metal contents in different spiked seawater samples and comparing these results to those obtained with the well-established anodic stripping voltammetry using the hanging mercury drop electrode. Moreover, a certified reference material was also used and the results obtained were satisfactory.     

The metal loading ability of beta-amyloid N-terminus: a combined potentiometric and spectroscopic study of copper(II) complexes with beta-amyloid(1-16), its short or mutated peptide fragments, and its polyethylene glycol (PEG)-ylated analogue

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is becoming a rapidly growing health problem, as it is one of the main causes of dementia in the elderly. Interestingly, copper(II) (together with zinc and iron) ions are accumulated in amyloid deposits, suggesting that metal binding to Abeta could be involved in AD pathogenesis. In Abeta, the metal binding is believed to occur within the N-terminal region encompassing the amino acid residues 1-16. In this work, potentiometric, spectroscopic (UV-vis, circular dichroism, and electron paramagnetic resonance), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) approaches were used to investigate the copper(II) coordination features of a new polyethylene glycol (PEG)-conjugated Abeta peptide fragment encompassing the 1-16 amino acid residues of the N-terminal region (Abeta(1-16)PEG). The high water solubility of the resulting metal complexes allowed us to obtain a complete complex speciation at different metal-to-ligand ratios ranging from 1:1 to 4:1. Potentiometric and ESI-MS data indicate that Abeta(1-16)PEG is able to bind up to four copper(II) ions. Furthermore, in order to establish the coordination environment at each metal binding site, a series of shorter peptide fragments of Abeta, namely, Abeta(1-4), Abeta(1-6), AcAbeta(1-6), and AcAbeta(8-16)Y10A, were synthesized, each encompassing a potential copper(II) binding site. The complexation properties of these shorter peptides were also comparatively investigated by using the same experimental approach.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of thorium bis(hydrogenphosphate) monohydrate

Microcrystals of Th(HPO 4) 2.H 2O were hydrothermally obtained from a Th(NO 3) 4-CO(NH 2) 2-H 3PO 3-H 2O system ( T = 180 masculineC). The structure [orthorhombic, Pbca, a = 9.1968(2) A, b = 18.6382(2) A, c = 8.7871(2) A], unlike alpha-Zr(HPO 4) 2.H 2O-type layered compounds, consists of a three-dimensional framework with PO 4 tetrahedra coordinated to Th atoms. The water molecule is also coordinated to the Th atom and projected toward small channels running along the directions of the a and c axes. The ThO 6O(w) environment could be described as a highly distorted pentagonal bipyramid.     

Phosphorous acid and urea: valuable sources of phosphorus and nitrogen in the hydrothermal synthesis of ammonium-thorium phosphates

Microcrystals of the first ammonium-thorium phosphates, (NH 4) 2Th(PO 4) 2.H 2O (tetragonal, I4 1/ amd, a = 7.0192(4) A, c = 17.9403(8) A) and NH 4Th 2(PO 4) 3 (monoclinic, C2/ c, a = 17.880(6) A, b = 6.906(1) A, c = 8.152(2) A, beta = 104.39(2) degrees ) were hydrothermally obtained from a Th(NO 3) 4-CO(NH 2) 2-H 3PO 3-H 2O system ( T = 180 degrees C). In both cases, the structure consists of a three-dimensional framework with PO 4 tetrahedra coordinated to Th atoms (ThO n polyhedra, where n = 8 or 9, for the tetragonal or monoclinic phase, respectively). The ammonium ions (and water molecules) are located in the tunnels.     

The higher dimensional analogue of certain estimates of Roth and Sárközy

In this paper we study the irregularities of distribution of subsets of integer vectors relative to higher dimensional arithmetic progressions. In particular we give one-sided estimate of the discrepancies of subsets of d-dimensional cubes, i.e. we show that these discrepancies have both large positive and small negative values.