Asymmetric autocatalysis: product recruitment for the increase in the chiral environment (PRICE)

Asymmetric catalytic reactions are possible via efficient transfer of the chiral environment of a reaction to the transition state. In theory any asymmetric structure may contribute to this, including the product of the reaction itself. For product influence to be significant, a nonlinear effect needs to operate, whereby one diastereomer of the product/catalyst assists the reaction, and the other does not. When these conditions are satisfied, we obtain an asymmetric autocatalytic reaction in which the enantiomeric excess of a compound (that is both product and catalyst) actually increases as the reaction iterates. It is only recently that we have seen reports of such processes. Of particular interest are Soai's reports of the alkylation of aromatic heterocycles. Such reactions, aside from their inherent interest, may offer clues into the origins of asymmetric molecular replication that predated the origin of life.     

The preparation,isomerization, and characterization of some phosphagerma- and arsagermacarboranes

Treatment of the disodium salts of 7,8- and 7,9-B₉H₉CHE^2? with germanium diiodide in refluxing benzene results in the formation of 1,2,3- and 1,2,7-GeB₉H₉CHE (E = P or As), icosahedral boranes containing three different heteroatoms in the cage. Heating 1,2,7-GeB₉H₉CHP at 512° for 8 hours in an evacuated sealed tube yields a mixture of three new isomers one of which has been isolated and characterized.     

Preparation of cadmium selenide-polyolefin composites from functional phosphine oxides and ruthenium-based metathesis

Cadmium selenide nanoparticles, prepared by known methods, were stabilized with functional phosphine oxide 1, then used to support the polymerization of cyclic olefins radially outward from the surface by ruthenium-catalyzed ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The conversion of compound 1 into the new metathesis catalyst 3 by carbene exchange and the subsequent polymerization of cyclic olefins were observed spectroscopically by (1)H NMR to afford for example CdSe-polycyclooctene composite 6. Transmission electron micrographs on thin films of these composites showed good nanoparticle dispersion. This is in stark contrast to the substantial nanoparticle aggregation observed when similar polymerizations were performed in the presence of conventional TOPO-covered nanoparticles. The methods reported here to prepare composite product 6 are applicable to other cyclic olefins, and suggest that this chemistry will be useful for incorporating CdSe nanoparticles into a wide variety of polymer matrices.     

Critical factors for high-performance physically adsorbed (dynamic) polymeric wall coatings for capillary electrophoresis of DNA

Physically adsorbed (dynamic) polymeric wall coatings for microchannel electrophoresis have distinct advantages over covalently linked coatings. In order to determine the critical factors that control the formation of dynamic wall coatings, we have created a set of model polymers and copolymers based on N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and N,N-diethylacrylamide (DEA), and studied their adsorption behavior from aqueous solution as well as their performance for microchannel electrophoresis of DNA. This study is revealing in terms of the polymer properties that help create an "ideal" wall coating. Our measurements indicate that the chemical nature of the coating polymer strongly impacts its electroosmotic flow (EOF) suppression capabilities. Additionally, we find that a critical polymer chain length is required for polymers of this type to perform effectively as microchannel wall coatings. The effective mobilities of double-stranded (dsDNA) fragments within dynamically coated capillaries were determined in order to correlate polymer hydrophobicity with separation performance. Even for dsDNA, which is not expected to be a strongly adsorbing analyte, wall coating hydrophobicity has a deleterious influence on separation performance.     

Platinum and palladium imido and oxo complexes with small natural bite angle diphosphine ligands

Treatment of L(2)MCl(2) (M = Pt, Pd; L(2) = Ph(2)PCMe(2)PPh(2) (dppip), Ph(2)PNMePPh(2) (dppma)) with AgX (X = OTf, BF(4), NO(3)) in wet CH(2)Cl(2) yields the dinuclear dihydroxo complexes [L(2)M(mu-OH)](2)(X)(2), the mononuclear aqua complexes [L(2)M(OH(2))(2)](X)(2), the mononuclear anion complexes L(2)MX(2), or mixtures of complexes. Addition of aromatic amines to these complexes or mixtures gives the dinuclear diamido complexes [L(2)Pt(mu-NHAr)](2)(BF(4))(2), the mononuclear amine complexes [L(2)M(NH(2)Ar)(2)](X)(2), or the dinuclear amido-hydroxo complex [Pt(2)(mu-OH)(mu-NHAr)(dppip)(2)](BF(4))(2). Deprotonation of the Pd and Pt amine or diamido complexes with M'N(SiMe(3))(2) (M' = Li, Na, K) gives the diimido complexes [L(2)M(mu-NAr)](2) associated with M' salts. Structural studies of the Li derivatives indicate association through coordination of the imido nitrogen atoms to Li(+). Deprotonation of the amido-hydroxo complex gives the imido-oxo complex [Pt(2)(mu-O)(mu-NAr)(dppip)(2)].LiBF(4).LiN(SiMe(3))(2), and deprotonation of the dppip Pt hydroxo complex gives the dioxo complex [Pt(mu-O)(dppip)](2).LiN(SiMe(3))(2).2LiBF(4).     

A wide-angle secondary ion probe for organic ion imaging

A secondary ion source has been developed for an organic ion microprobe capable of imaging samples up to 2 em in diameter. The source uses a focused 5 keY Cs⁺ ion beam which is rastered across the sample surface, and secondary ions from each point on the sample are collected and formed into a low energy beam to be analyzed by a quadrupole mass filter. Dynamic emittance matching is employed to deflect ions from off-axis points on the sample back onto the mass analyzer axis. Rastering and dynamic emittance matching are rapidly controlled by assembly language programs using an IBM/AT (80286) type computer. A low energy ion monitor was used to tune and evaluate the secondary ion source by providing a magnified cross-sectional image of the ion beam at the source exit aperture. A well-focused and centered secondary ion beam was obtained from each point on the sample, indicating that large-scale dynamic emittance matching with high collection efficiency is possible. Mass resolved images of grids and glycerol samples are shown to demonstrate the performance of the integrated secondary ion source mass analyzer and control system.     

From clusters to ionic complexes: structurally characterized thallium titanium double alkoxides

A series of sterically varied titanium alkoxides [[Ti(OR)(4)](n)(), n = 4, OR = OCH(2)CH(3) (OEt); n = 1, OCH(CH(3))(2) (OPr(i)); n = 2, OCH(2)C(CH(3))(3) (ONep); n = 1, OC(6)H(3)(CH(3))(2)-2,6 (DMP)] were reacted with a series of thallium alkoxides [[Tl(OR)](x) (x = 4, OR = OEt, ONep; n = infinity, DMP)]. The resultant products of the [Tl(mu(3)-OEt)](4)-modified [Ti(OR)(4)](n)() (OR = OEt, OPr(i), ONep) were found by X-ray analysis to be Tl(4)Ti(2)(mu-O)(mu(3)-OEt)(8)(OEt)(2) (1), Tl(4)Ti(2)(mu-O)(mu(3)-OPr(i))(5)(mu(3)-OEt)(3)(OEt)(2) (2), and TlTi(2)(mu(3)-OEt)(2)(mu-OEt)(mu-ONep)(2)(ONep)(4) (3), respectively. The reaction of [Tl(mu(3)-OEt)](4), 12HOEt, and 4[Ti(mu-ONep)ONep)(3)](2) to generate 3 in a higher yield resulted in the isolation of TlTi(2)(mu(3)-OEt)(mu(3)-ONep)(mu-OEt)(mu-ONep)(2)(ONep)(4) (4). Compounds 1 and 2 possess an octahedral (Oh) arrangement of two Ti and four Tl metal atoms around a mu-O central oxide atom (the Tl-O distance is too long to be considered a bond). For both compounds, each Ti atom adopts a distorted Oh geometry with one terminal OEt ligand. The Tl atoms are formally 4-coordinated, adopting a distorted pyramidal geometry using four mu(3)-OR (OR = OEt or OPr(i)) ligands to complete their coordination sphere. The Tl atoms reside approximately 1.4 A below the basal plane of oxygens. In contrast to these structures, both 3 and 4 utilize ONep ligands and display reduced oligomerization yielding trinuclear complexes without oxo formation. The two Ti cations are Oh, and the single Tl cation is in a formal distorted pyramidal (PYD) arrangement. If the lone pair of the Tl cations are considered in the geometry, each Tl adopts a square base pyramidal geometry. Two terminal ONep ligands are bound to each Ti with the remainder of the molecule consisting of mu(3)- and mu-ONep ligands. The reaction of [Tl(mu(3)-ONep)](4) with two equivalents of [Ti(mu-ONep)(ONep)(3)](2) also led to the isolation of the homoleptic trinuclear complex TlTi(2)(mu(3)-ONep)(2)(mu-ONep)(3)(ONep)(4) (5) which is analogous in structure to the mixed ligand species of 3 and 4. Each Ti is Oh coordinated with six ONep ligands, and the single Tl is PYD bound by ONep ligands. A further increase in the steric bulk of the pendant ligands, using [Tl(mu-DMP)](infinity) and [Ti(mu-ONep)(ONep)(3)](2), resulted in a further decrease in the nuclearity yielding the dinuclear species TlTi(mu-DMP)(mu-ONep)(DMP)(ONep)(2) (6). For 6, the two metals are bound by a mu-ONep and a mu-DMP ligand. The Tl metal center was solved in a bent geometry while the Ti adopted a distorted trigonal bipyramidal (TBP) geometry using three ONep and two DMP ligands to fill its coordination sphere. Further increasing the steric bulk of the ancillary ligands using Ti(DMP)(4) and [Tl(mu-DMP)](infinity) led to the formation of [Tl(+)][(-)(eta(2-3)-DMP)Ti(DMP)(4)] (7). The Ti metal center is in a TBP geometry, and the "naked" Tl cation resides unencumbered by solvent molecules but was found to have a strong pi-interaction with four DMP ligands of neighboring Ti(DMP)(5)(-) anions. For this novel set of compounds, (205)Tl NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the solution behavior of these compounds. Multiple (205)Tl resonances were observed for the solution spectra of the crystalline material of 1-6, and a broad singlet was observed for 7. The large number of minor resonances noted for these compounds was attributed to sensitivity of the Tl cation based on small variations due to ligand rearrangement. However, the major resonance noted in the (205)Tl NMR solution spectra of 1-7 are in agreement with their respective solid-state structures.     

Determination of bupivacaine and metabolites in rat urine using capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometric detection

A method using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) was developed for the structural elucidation of bupivacaine and metabolites in rat urine. Prior to CE-MS analysis, solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for sample cleanup and preconcentration purposes. Exact mass and tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) experiments were performed to obtain structural information about the unknown metabolites. Two instruments with different mass analyzers were used for mass spectrometric detection. A quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) and a magnetic sector hybrid instrument were coupled to CE and used for the analysis of urine extracts. Hydroxybupivacaine as well as five other isomerically different metabolites were detected including methoxylated bupivacaine.     

2,3,5,6‐Tetrakis[3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]‐2,5‐bis(dimethylamino)2,3,5,6‐tetrabora‐1,4‐dioxane diethyl ether 0.667‐solvate

The title compound, C₃₆H₂₆B₄F₂₄N₂O₆·0.667C₄H₁₀O, has centrosymmetric tetraboradioxane molecules, half each of three of these comprising the asymmetric unit together with a molecule of diethyl ether. Disorder affects most of the CF₃ groups and one ethyl group of the solvent molecule. The B₄O₂ rings are approximately planar and contain two B atoms with trigonal geometry and two with distorted tetrahedral geometry, the B—O bonds for the four‐coordinate B atoms being longer than those for the three‐coordinate B atoms. N—H...O hydrogen bonds link two of the crystallographically independent molecules together in chains, while the third molecule forms discrete trimolecular clusters with two solvent molecules via N—H...O hydrogen bonds. This is the first crystallographically characterized example of a tetrabora‐dioxane molecule containing both four‐ and three‐coordinate B atoms.