Gas chromatographic optimization studies on the side chain and ring regioisomers of methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Gas chromatographic (GC) optimization studies are conducted for the 10 methylenedioxyphenethylamine regioisomeric substances related to the drug of abuse 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy). These 10 compounds, having the same molecular weight and equivalent major mass spectral fragments, are not completely resolved using typical GC-mass spectrometry screening methods for illicit drugs. MDMA coelutes with at least one nondrug regioisomer under standard drug screening conditions. Separation of the 10 regioisomers is studied using stationary phases of varying polarities. Resolution optimization shows that very slow program rates give the best separation for the nonpolar stationary phases, requiring analysis times of as much as 85 min. Narrow-bore columns containing the same nonpolar stationary phases improve the analysis time to approximately 29 min. The polar stationary phase DB-35MS allows high-temperature programming rates, yielding complete resolution of all 10 compounds in less than 7 min. Temperature program optimization studies on the DB-35MS phase allow the separation time to be reduced to approximately 4.5 min.     

Application of ESCA to polymer chemistry. VIII. Surface structures of AB block copolymers of polydimethylsiloxane and polystyrene

The surface morphology of a number of films of AB block copolymers of polydimethylsiloxane and polystyrene was examined by ESCA and contact angle measurements. In all cases the immediate surface is shown to consist of an essentially pure polydimethylsiloxane component. By comparing the intensities of elastic peaks corresponding to photoionizations from core levels without energy loss for polydimethylsiloxane and polystyrene with those for the block copolymers and by consideration of shake-up phenomena specific to the polystyrene component, an estimate of the thickness of the polydimethylsiloxane outer layer of the latter may be obtained. This is shown to vary between ～13 and 40 Å, depending on the method of formation of copolymer film.     

Kinetics of two-phase bulk polymerization. II. The influence of dissolved polymer

The effect of dissolved polybutadiene on the initial rate of polymerization of styrene was investigated by using high-precision dilatometric techniques. The dissolved polymer reduced the rate of polymerization by amounts greater than can be accounted for by a reduction in monomer concentration. Rate reductions increased with the amount of dissolved polybutadiene and with its molecular weight and were greater for benzoyl peroxide initiator than for equal concentrations of azobisisobutyronitrile. Surprisingly, analogous rate reductions were observed when polystyrene were substituted for the polybutadienes, except that at high polystyrene concentrations, the expected autoacceleration was observed. These rate reductions showed no correlation with the viscosity of the reaction mass, nor did the dissolved polymer affect initiator efficiency. At a given level of a particular dissolved polybutadiene, rate reductions were diminished by increasing levels of each initiator, and by adding a chain-transfer agent. Good quantitative agreement was obtained with the number-average length of the growing polymer chains, whether varied by using different initiators, changing initiator level, or adding chain-transfer agent. These results are inconsistent with a chemical mechanism, but they are explained by a proposal originated by North and Reed whereby the dissolved polymer makes the reaction mass a “poorer” solvent for the growing polymer chains, reducing their overall coil dimensions and enhancing their rate of diffusion together for termination.     

Flexible ligand docking without parameter adjustment across four ligand–receptor complexes

Understanding molecular recognition is one of the fundamental problems in molecular biology. Computationally, molecular recognition is formulated as a docking problem. Ideally, a molecular docking algorithm should be computationally efficient, provide reasonably thorough search of conformational space, obtain solutions with reasonable consistency, and not require parameter adjustments. With these goals in mind, we developed DIVALI (Docking wIth eVolutionary AlgorIthms), a program which efficiently and reliably searches for the possible binding modes of a ligand within a fixed receptor. We use an AMBER-type potential function and search for good ligand conformations using a genetic algorithm (GA). We apply our system to study the docking of both rigid and flexible ligands in four different complexes. Our results indicate that it is possible to find diverse binding modes, including structures like the crystal structure, all with comparable potential function values. To achieve this, certain modifications to the standard GA recipe are essential. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Stereoselective synthesis of the cyclic ether core of (+)-laurenyne

A concise enantioselective synthesis of the cyclic ether core of the marine natural product (+)-laurenyne has been accomplished using ring-closing metathesis for medium-ring construction.     

Nonaqueous biocatalytic synthesis of new cytotoxic doxorubicin derivatives: exploiting unexpected differences in the regioselectivity of salt-activated and solubilized subtilisin

Two enzymes, Mucor javanicus lipase and subtilisin Carlsberg (SC), catalyzed the nonaqueous acylation of doxorubicin (DOX). Compared to the untreated enzyme the rate of DOX acylation at the C-14 position with vinyl butyrate in toluene was 25-fold higher by lipase ion-paired with Aerosol OT (AOT) and 5-fold higher by lipase activated by 98% (w/w) KCl co-lyophilization (3.21 and 0.67 mumol/min g-lipase, respectively, vs 0.13 mumol/min g-lipase). Particulate subtilisin Carlsberg (SC) was nearly incapable of DOX acylation, but ion-paired SC (AOT-SC) catalyzed acylation at a rate of 2.85 mumol/min g-protease. The M. javanicus formulations, AOT-SC, and SC exclusively acylated the C14 primary hydroxyl group of DOX. Co-lyophilization of SC with 98% (w/w) KCl expanded the enzyme's regiospecificity such that KCl-SC additionally acylated the C4' hydroxyl and C3' amine groups. The total rate of DOX conversion with KCl-SC was 56.7 mumol/min g-protease. The altered specificity of KCl-SC is a new property of the enzyme imparted by the salt activation, and represents the first report of unnatural regioselectivity exhibited by a salt-activated enzyme. Using AOT-SC catalysis, four unique selectively acylated DOX analogues were generated, and KCl-SC was used to prepare DOX derivatives acylated at the alternative sites. Cytotoxicities of select derivatives were evaluated against the MCF7 breast cancer cell line (DOX IC50 = 27 nM) and its multidrug-resistant sub-line, MCF7-ADR (DOX IC50 = 27 muM). The novel derivative 14-(2-thiophene acetate) DOX was relatively potent against both cell lines (IC50 of 65 nM and 8 muM, respectively) and the 14-(benzyl carbonate) DOX analogue was as potent as DOX against the MCF7 line (25 nM). Activated biocatalysts and their novel regioselectivity differences thus enabled single-step reaction pathways to an effective collection of doxorubicin analogues.     

Thermally induced ortho-metalation of dicarbomethoxyacetylenebis(triphenylphosphine)platinum

Heating a toluene solution of dicarhomethoxyacetylenebis(triphenylphosphine)platinum(0) at 130°C gives the ortho-metalated complex (Ph₃P)(Ph₂$\text{PC}{}_6\text{H}{}_4\text{)P}$t-trans-(COOMe)CCHCOOMe.     

Rapid method for the determination of alachlor, atrazine and metolachlor in groundwater by solid-phase extraction

A solid-phase extraction method is described for the separation of alachlor, atrazine and metolachlor from groundwater using solid-phase disposable columns. The method is rapid, reproducible and uses considerably fewer reagents than classical liquid-liquid methods. The average recoveries were greater than 90% for all three compounds.     

A novel regiodivergent resolution reaction mediated by a homochiral lithium amide base

The reaction of a racemic perhydroisoquinolene derivative 9 with the homochiral lithium amide basse 3 in the presence of Me₃SiCl in an regiodivergent fashion to give the two non-racemic regioisomeric enol silanes 10 and 11. Conversion of 10 into enone 15, an intermediate useful in the synthesis of the alkaloid (+)-yohimbine, was also possible.