Theoretical investigations on the SO2 + HO2 reaction and the SO2–HO2 radical complex

The mechanism of the SO₂ + HO₂ reaction was studied theoretically for the first time. Three product channels were revealed, namely, O₂ + HOSO, O₂ + HSO₂, and OH + SO₃. The O₂ + HOSO channel dominates the reaction under combustion conditions. A five-member-ring complex [SO₂–HO₂] exists at the entrance of the reaction. The structure and binding energy (D_e and D₀) of the SO₂–HO₂ complex have been calculated. In view of D₀ = 21.2 ± 2.0 kJ mol⁻¹, the SO₂–HO₂ complex should be stable at low temperature. The infrared spectra and frequency shifts were calculated for both SO₂–HO₂ and SO₂–DO₂, and compared with the available experimental data.     

Oxidation of some catecholamines by sodium N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonamide in acid medium: A kinetic and mechanistic approach

The kinetics of the oxidation of five catecholamines viz., dopamine (A), L-dopa (B), methyldopa (C), epinephrine (D) and norepinephrine (E) by sodium N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonamide or chloramine-T (CAT) in presence of HClO₄ was studied at 30±0.1 °C. The five reactions followed identical kinetics with a first-order dependence on [CAT] _o , fractional-order in [substrate] _o , and inverse fractional-order in [H⁺]. Under comparable experimental conditions, the rate of oxidation of catecholamines increases in the order D>E>A>B>C. The variation of ionic strength of the medium and the addition of p-toluenesulfonamide or halide ions had no significant effect on the reaction rate. The rate increased with decreasing dielectric constant of the medium. The solvent isotope effect was studied using D₂O. A Michaelis-Menten type mechanism has been suggested to explain the results. Equilibrium and decomposition constants for CAT-catecholamine complexes have been evaluated. CH₃C₆H₄SO₂NHCl of the oxidant has been postulated as the reactive oxidizing species and oxidation products were identified. An isokinetic relationship is observed with β=361 K, indicating that enthalpy factors control the reaction rate. The mechanism proposed and the derived rate law are consistent with the observed kinetics.     

Separation of Sulfonylurea Herbicides and Determination of Bensulfuron-methyl Residues in Tapwater by HPTLC

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - In this work we have studied the separation of a mixture of the sulfonylurea herbicides (metsulfuron-methyl, chlorsulfuron,...     

A New Hydroxo‐bridged Chromium(III) Dimer [Cr(saltn)OH]2·4H2O: Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Magnetic Properties

A new hydroxo‐bridged dimeric Cr(III) complex [Cr(saltn)OH]₂·4H₂O [H₂saltn=N,N′‐bis(salicylidene)trimethylenediamine] has been synthesized and its structural and magnetic properties have been investigated. The complex crystallizes in the triclinic space group P‐1 with one dimeric formula unit in a cell of dimensions a=0.95828(19) nm, b=0.95926(19) nm, c=1.0437(2) nm, α=86.77(3)°, β=82.48(3)°, and γ=64.93(3)°. The geometry around each chromium(III) center is six‐coordinate, distorted‐octahedral. The bridging Cr₂O₂ unit is strictly planar, as required by the crystallographic symmetry. The Cr? O? Cr′ bridging angle is 99.94(16)°, and the distance between Cr…Cr′ is 0.3019 nm. The magnetic susceptibility of the complex has been examined in the range of 2‐300 K. By using the spin‐spin coupled model for an S₁=S₂=3/2 dimeric system , the magnetic data were fitted to give the parameters of g=2.01(1), J=‐0.85(2) cm^‐1, and zJ' =0.18(3)cm^‐1, indicating the presence of a weak antiferromagnetic spin‐exchange interaction between the Cr(III) ions in the binuclear complex.     

Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of ketones with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by Sn-aniline complex

Sn-aniline complex was prepared by a simple procedure.Cyclic and acyclic ketones were oxidized into lactones or esters with very high selectivity and yield with 30% hydrogen peroxide in the presence of Sn-aniline complex.     

3-Aminooxetanes: versatile 1,3-amphoteric molecules for intermolecular annulation reactions

Despite the versatility of amphoteric molecules, stable and easily accessible ones are still limitedly known. As a result, the discovery of new amphoteric reactivity remains highly desirable. Herein we introduce 3-aminooxetanes as a new family of stable and readily available 1,3-amphoteric molecules and systematically demonstrated their amphoteric reactivity toward polarized π-systems in a diverse range of intermolecular [3 + 2] annulations. These reactions not only enrich the reactivity of oxetanes, but also provide convergent access to valuable heterocycles.

Despite the versatility of amphoteric molecules, stable and easily accessible ones are still limitedly known.

Amphoteric molecules, which bear both nucleophilic and electrophilic sites with orthogonal reactivity, represent an attractive platform for the development of chemoselective transformations.¹ For example, isocyanides are well-established 1,1-amphoteric molecules, with the terminal carbon being both nucleophilic and electrophilic, and this feature has enabled their exceptional reactivity in numerous multi-component reactions.² In the past few decades, substantial effort has been devoted to the search for new amphoteric molecules.^1–5 Among them, 1,3-amphoteric molecules proved to be versatile. The Yudin and Beauchemin laboratories have independently developed two types of such molecules, α-aziridine aldehydes and amino isocyanates, respectively.^4,5 With an electrophilic carbon and a nucleophilic nitrogen in relative 1,3-positions, these molecules are particularly useful for the chemoselective synthesis of heterocycles with high bond-forming efficiency without protective groups (Fig. 1). However, such elegant amphoteric systems still remain scarce. Therefore, the development of new stable amphoteric molecules with easy access remains highly desirable.Open in a separate windowFig. 1Representative [1,3]-amphoteric molecules versus 3-aminooxetanes.In this context, herein we introduce 3-aminooxetanes as a new type of 1,3-amphoteric molecules and systematically demonstrate their reactivity in a range of [3 + 2] annulations, providing rapid access to diverse heterocycles. Notably, 3-aminooxetanes are bench-stable and either commercially available or easily accessible. However, their amphoteric reactivity has not been appreciated previously.Oxetane is a useful functional group in both drug discovery and organic synthesis.^6–9 Owing to the ring strain, it is prone to nucleophilic ring-opening, in which it serves as an electrophile (Scheme 1A).^6–8 We envisioned that, if a nucleophilic group is installed in the 3-position (e.g., amino group), such molecules should exhibit 1,3-amphoteric reactivity due to the presence of both nucleophilic and electrophilic sites (Scheme 1B). Importantly, the 1,3-relative position is crucial for inhibiting self-destructive intra- or intermolecular ring-opening (i.e. the 3-nucleophilic site attack on oxetane itself) due to high barriers. Thus, such orthogonality is beneficial to their stability. In contrast, the nucleophilic site is expected to react with an external polarized π bond (e.g., X = Y, Scheme 1B), which enables a better-positioned nucleophile (Y) to attack the oxetane and cyclize. Thus, a formal [3 + 2] annulation should be expected. Unlike the well-known S_N2 reactivity of oxetanes with simple bond formation, this amphoteric reactivity would greatly enrich the chemistry of oxetanes with multiple bond formations and provide expedient access to various heterocycles. In contrast to the conventional approaches that require presynthesis of advanced intermediates (e.g., intramolecular ring-opening),⁸ the exploitation of such amphoteric reactivity in an intermolecular convergent manner from simple substrates would be more practically useful. Moreover, more activation modes could be envisioned in addition to oxetane activation. In 2015, Kleij and coworkers reported an example of cyclization between 3-aminooxetane and CO₂ in 55% yield, which provided a pioneering precedent.¹⁰ However, a systematic study to fully reveal such amphoteric reactivity in a broad context remains unknown in the literature.Open in a separate windowScheme 1Typical oxetane reactivity and the new amphoteric reactivity.To test our hypothesis, we began with the commercially available 3-aminooxetanes 1a and 1b as the model substrates. Phenyl thioisocyanate 2a and CS₂ were initially employed as reaction partners, as they both have a polarized C S bond as well as a relatively strong sulfur nucleophilic motif. Moreover, the resulting desired products, iminothiazolidines and mercaptothiazolidines, are both heterocycles with important biological applications (Fig. 2).¹¹ To our delight, simple mixing these two types of reactants in DCM resulted in spontaneous reactions at room temperature without any catalyst. The corresponding [3 + 2] annulation products iminothiazolidine 3a and mercaptothiazolidine 4a were both formed with excellent efficiency (Scheme 2). It is worth mentioning that catalyst-free ring-opening of an oxetane ring is rarely known, particularly for intermolecular reactions.^6–9 In this case, the high efficiency is likely attributed to the suitable choice and perfect position of the in situ generated sulfur nucleophile.Open in a separate windowFig. 2Selected bioactive molecules containing iminothiazolidine and mercaptothiazolidine motifs.Open in a separate windowScheme 2Initial results between 3-aminooxetanes and thiocarbonyl compounds.The catalyst-free annulation protocol is general with respect to various 3-aminooxetanes and isothiocyanates. A range of iminothiazolidines and mercaptothiazolidines were synthesized with high efficiency under mild conditions (Scheme 3). Many of them were obtained in quantitative yield. Quaternary carbon centers could also be generated from 3-substituted 3-aminooxetanes (e.g., 3j). The structure of product 3b was unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystallography.Open in a separate windowScheme 3Formal [3 + 2] annulation with isothiocyanates and CS₂. Reaction conditions: 1 (0.3–0.4 mmol), 2 (1.1 equiv.) or CS₂ (1.5 equiv.), DCM (2 mL), RT, 3 h for 3 and 36 h for 4. Yields are for the isolated products.With the initial success of thiocarbonyl partners, we next turned our attention to isocyanates, in which the carbonyl group serves as the [3 + 2] annulation motif. Compared with sulfur as the nucleophilic site in the above cases, the oxygen atom is less nucleophilic. As expected, initial tests of the reactivity by mixing 1b and 5a resulted in no desired annulation product 6a in the absence of a catalyst (Table 1, entry 1). Next, Brønsted acids, including TsOH and the super acid HNTf₂, were examined as catalysts, but with no success (entries 2 and 3). We then resorted to various Lewis acids, particularly those oxophilic ones, in hope of activating the oxetane unit. Unfortunately, many of them still remained ineffective (e.g., ZnCl₂, AuCl, and FeCl₃). However, to our delight, further screening of stronger Lewis acids helped identify Sc(OTf)₃, Zn(OTf)₂, and In(OTf)₃ to be effective at room temperature, leading to the desired iminooxazolidine product 6a in good yield (entries 7–9). Its structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Nevertheless, aiming to search for a cheaper catalyst, we continued to optimize this reaction at a higher temperature using previous ineffective catalysts. Indeed, FeCl₃ was found to be effective at 80 °C (61% yield, entry 10), while Brønsted acid TsOH remained ineffective at this temperature (entry 11). Notably, decreasing the loading of FeCl₃ to 1 mol% led to a higher yield (89% yield, entry 12). However, further decreasing to 0.5 mol% resulted in slightly diminished efficiency (entry 13).Reaction conditions for annulation with isocyanates^a

Aqueous p-nitrotoluene oxidation induced with direct glow discharge plasma

A plasma induced degradation process has been studied to treat 4-nitrotoluene (4-NT) present as an aqueous pollutant. The plasma was locally generated from a glow discharge around a tip of a platinum anode in an electrolytic solution. The influence of initial pH and Fe²⁺ on the degradation was examined. Major intermediates resulting from the degradation process were identified. Amongst the aromatic intermediates, p-hydroxybenzoic acid was the predominant degradation product. The formation of oxalic acid, malic acid was also observed. The final products of degradation were NH ₄ ⁺ , NO ₃ ⁻ and CO₂. Based on the analysis of intermediates and the kinetic considerations, the degradation was shown to follow a pseudo-first order reaction hence, a possible reaction pathway was proposed.     

Preparation of a set of selectively protected disaccharides for modular synthesis of heparan sulfate fragments: toward the synthesis of several <Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-sulfonated [β-D-GlcUA-(1→4)-β-D-GlcNAc]OPr types

A concise method for a stereocontrolled synthesis of a set of selectively protected disaccharides is reported. Coupling of the donor 11 onto acceptors 23 and 24, promoted by trimethylsilyl triflate-N-iodosuccinimide (TMSOTf-NIS), generated the disaccharides 25 and 26. Under typical conditions, condensation of the fully protected donor 12 onto acceptors 23 and 24 produced the disaccharides 27 and 28. The building blocks 25–28 were prepared in moderate yields having exclusive β-stereoselectivity. A unique pattern of protecting groups distinguished clearly between positions to be sulfated and functional groups remaining as free hydroxyl groups. Acetyl and/or levulinoyl esters temporarily protected the positions to be sulfated, while benzyl ethers were used for permanent protection. The anomeric positions were protected as allyl ethers, whereas the 4′-positions were masked as p-methoxybenzyl (PMB) ethers. The orthogonality of the PMB and allyl groups can then be used for further elongation of the chain by recurrent deprotection and activation steps. The hydroxyl group, OH-6, of glucosamine moieties was protected as a TBDPS ether to avoid oxidation. A five-step deprotection/sulfonation sequence was applied to the disaccharide 27 to generate the corresponding sulfated [β-D-GlcUA-2-OSO₃Na-(1→4)-β-D-Glc pNAc]-(1→O-Pro) 34.     

Optimization of the design and operation of FAIMS analyzers

Field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) holds significant promise for post-ionization separations in conjunction with mass-spectrometric analyses. However, a limited understanding of fundamentals of FAIMS analyzers has made their design and operation largely an empirical exercise. Recently, we developed an a priori simulation of FAIMS that accounts for both ion diffusion (including anisotropic components) and Coulomb repulsion, and validated it by extensive comparisons with FAIMS/MS data. Here it is corroborated further by FAIMS-only measurements, and applied to explore how key instrumental parameters (analytical gap width and length, waveform frequency and profile, the identity and flow speed of buffer gas) affect FAIMS response. We find that the trade-off between resolution and sensitivity can be managed by varying gap width, RF frequency, and (in certain cases) buffer gas, with equivalent outcome. In particular, the resolving power can be approximately doubled compared to "typical" conditions. Throughput may be increased by either accelerating the gas flow (preferable) or shortening the device, but below certain minimum residence times performance deteriorates. Bisinusoidal and clipped-sinusoidal waveforms have comparable merit, but switching to rectangular waveforms would improve resolution and/or sensitivity. For any waveform profile, the ratio of two between voltages in high and low portions of the cycle produces the best performance.     

Preparation and characterization of trans-RhCl(CO)(TPPTS)2-intercalated layered double hydroxides

trans-RhCl(CO)(TPPTS)₂ (TPPTS=tris(m-sulfonatophenyl)phosphine) has been intercalated into Zn-Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) by the method of ion exchange. The structure, composition and thermal stability of the composite material have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and ³¹P solid-state magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermogravimetry, and differential thermal analysis. The geometry of trans-RhCl(CO)(TPPTS)₂ was fully optimized using the PM3 semiempirical molecular orbital method, and a schematic model for the intercalated species has been proposed. The thermal stability of trans-RhCl(CO)(TPPTS)₂ is significantly enhanced by intercalation, which suggests that such materials may have prospective application as the basis of a supported catalyst system for the hydroformylation of higher olefins.