Exo conformers of N‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐ and N‐(pyridin‐3‐yl)norbornene‐5,6‐dicarboximide crystals

Two isomeric pyridine‐substituted norbornenedicarboximide derivatives, namely N‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐exo‐norbornene‐5,6‐dicarboximide, (I), and N‐(pyridin‐3‐yl)‐exo‐norbornene‐5,6‐dicarboximide, (II), both C₁₄H₁₂N₂O₄, have been crystallized and their structures unequivocally determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The molecules consist of norbornene moieties fused to a dicarboximide ring substituted at the N atom by either pyridin‐2‐yl or pyridin‐3‐yl in an anti configuration with respect to the double bond, thus affording exo isomers. In both compounds, the asymmetric unit consists of two independent molecules (Z′ = 2). In compound (I), the pyridine rings of the two independent molecules adopt different conformations, i.e. syn and anti, with respect to the methylene bridge. The intermolecular contacts of (I) are dominated by C—H...O interactions. In contrast, in compound (II), the pyridine rings of both molecules have an anti conformation and the two independent molecules are linked by carbonyl–carbonyl interactions, as well as by C—H...O and C—H...N contacts.     

Stochastic/Controlled Symmetry Breaking of the T8‐POSS Cages toward Multifunctional Regioisomeric Nanobuilding Blocks

Precise synthesis of nanobuilding blocks with accurately positioned functional groups presents a daunting challenge. Herein, a practical synthesis and thorough characterization of a series of T₈‐polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) di‐ and triadducts is reported. Upon addition of triflic acid across the double bonds in octavinylPOSS (V₈T₈) followed by hydrolysis, the cubic symmetry of the T₈‐POSS cage (O_h) is broken into C_2v (ortho‐), C_2v (meta‐), and D_3d (para‐) for diadducts and further to C_s (oom‐), C_s (omp‐), and C_3v (mmm‐) for triadducts in a stochastic fashion. Their structures and regioconfigurations have been unambiguously demonstrated by ¹H, ¹³C, and ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy, as well as MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. The assignment of the diadducts was further corroborated by converting each individual diadduct into triadduct(s), the structure of which is controlled by the symmetry of the precursor. Except for the C_3v triadduct, they can all be prepared in synthetically useful quantities. The presence of two types of highly reactive and mutually orthogonal functional groups facilitates further modification into complex nanostructures and composite materials. These unique regioisomers provide a versatile platform for constructing giant molecules and Janus silsesquioxanes.     

喹啉黄中各组分的定性及定量研究

利用高效液相色谱(HPLC)对喹啉黄各组分进行分离并定量,通过液相色谱–串联质谱(LC–MS/MS)对各组分进行定性。以0.01 mol/L乙酸铵溶液和甲醇为流动相进行梯度洗脱,利用Agilent XDB–C18色谱柱对喹啉黄各组分进行分离,峰面积归一化法定量。质谱采用电喷雾负离子(ESI–)模式电离,多反应监测(MRM)模式检测,对喹啉黄各组分进行定性。结果表明,喹啉黄主要成分为喹啉黄一钠盐和喹啉黄二钠盐,分别各有两种同分异构体,各组分质量浓度在5.0~100.0μg/m L范围内与峰面积呈良好的线性关系。加标回收率为98.2%~99.1%,测定结果的相对标准偏差为0.90%~1.58%(n=6)。该方法具有良好的精密度和准确度,可用于喹啉黄中各组分的测定。     

Separation of six xanthones from Swertia franchetiana by high‐speed countercurrent chromatography

In our present study, two groups of xanthones isomers (1‐hydroxy‐3,5,8‐trimethoxyxanthone and 1‐hydroxy‐3,7,8‐trimethoxyxanthone; 1,8‐dihydroxy‐3,7‐dimethoxyxanthone and 1,8‐dihydroxy‐3,5‐dimethanolxanthone) and other two xanthones (3‐methoxy‐1,5,8‐trihydroxyxanthone and 3,5‐dimethoxy‐1‐hydroxyxanthone) were separated from Swertia franchetiana . First, a solvent system composed of petroleum ether/methanol/water (2:1:0.6, v/v) was developed for the liquid–liquid extraction of these xanthones from the crude extract. Then, an efficient method was established for the one‐step separation of these six xanthones by high‐speed countercurrent chromatography using n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/ethanol/water (HEMEW; 6:4:4:2:4, v/v) as the solvent system. The results showed that liquid–liquid extraction could be well developed for efficient enrichment of target compounds. Additionally, high‐speed countercurrent chromatography could be a powerful technology for separation xanthones isomers. It was found ethanol could be a good methanol substitute when the HEMEW system could not provide good separation factors.     

Rapid determination of lipophilic vitamins in human serum by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography using a fluorinated column and high‐throughput miniaturized liquid–liquid extraction

A high‐throughput miniaturized liquid–liquid extraction procedure followed by a simple ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography method coupled with fluorescence detection for bioanalytical analysis of all tocopherol isomers and retinol in human serum has been developed and validated. In the extraction procedure, a synthetic internal standard tocol was used, which does not occur in the human body. The separation of structurally related vitamins was achieved using a new generation of pentafluorophenyl propyl core–shell stationary phase with elution using methanol and an aqueous solution of ammonium acetate. The fluorescence of retinol and tocopherol isomers was detected at λ_ex = 325, 295 nm and λ_em = 480, 325 nm, respectively. The rapid baseline separation of all analytes was accomplished within 4.0 min. The sensitivity of method was demonstrated with lower limits of quantification: retinol 0.01 μM, α‐tocopherol 0.38 μM, β‐tocopherol 0.18 μM, γ‐tocopherol 0.14 μM, and δ‐tocopherol 0.01 μM. Possible application of this method in clinical practice was confirmed by the analysis of human serum samples from healthy volunteers. Finally, the simultaneous determination of retinol and all tocopherol isomers in human serum can enable the clarification of their role in metabolism and in diseases such as cancer.     

Deciphering composition and connectivity of a natural product with the assistance of MS and 2D NMR

A complementary application of three analytical techniques, viz. multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), and single‐crystal X‐ray diffractometry was required to identify and refine two natural products isolated from Millettia versicolor and solvent of crystallization. The two compounds, namely 3‐(2H‐1,3‐benzodioxol‐5‐yl)‐6‐methoxy‐8,8‐dimethyl‐4H ,8H‐pyrano[2,3‐h ]chromen‐4‐one, or durmillone, (I), and (2E )‐1‐(4‐{[(2E )‐3,7‐dimethylocta‐2,6‐dien‐1‐yl]oxy}‐2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐3‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)prop‐2‐en‐1‐one, (II), could not be separated by routine column chromatography and cocrystallized in a 2:1 ratio with 0.13 molecules of ethanol solvent. Compound (II) and ethanol could not be initially identified by single‐crystal X‐ray analysis due to complex disorder in the aliphatic chain region of (II). Mass spectrometry ensured that (II) represented only one species disordered over several positions in the solid state, rather than several species cohabitating on the same crystallographic site. The atomic identification and connectivity in (II) were established by several 2D (two‐dimensional) NMR techniques, which in turn relied on a knowledge of its exact mass. The derived connectivity was then used in the single‐crystal analysis to model the disorder of the aliphatic chain in (II) over three positions and allowed identification of a partially occupied ethanol solvent molecule that was disordered over an inversion center. The disordered moieties were refined with restraints and constraints.     

白藜芦醇顺反异构体及第一三重激发态结构的理论研究

在B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)水平对白藜芦醇顺反异构体及第一三重激发态进行了结构优化、频率计算和自然键轨道(Natural Bond Orbital,NBO)分析.在MP2/6-311++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)水平比较了白藜芦醇顺反异构体的能量.反式白藜芦醇整个分子呈平面结构,顺式白藜芦醇两苯环之间存在约30o扭角.第一三重激发态中两苯环几乎处于互相垂直的关系,C7-H5与C8-H6键也是几乎互相垂直的关系.顺式和反式白藜芦醇C7-C8的σ键成键情况分别为sp1.53-sp1.53和sp1.59-sp1.60,C7与C8各自提供p轨道形成π键,即形成C7=C8双键.三重态中,C7-C8的成键情况为sp1.92-sp1.89,没有p-pπ键,C7、C8均还有一个2p轨道未参与杂化,NBO分析证实C7、C8的各自剩下的2p轨道均几乎独立形成了高能量的反键轨道,分别垂直于单羟基和双羟基苯环,C7-C8键长明显长于白藜芦醇顺反异构体.顺式白藜芦醇比反式白藜芦醇的自由能高约1.3-2.5 kcal/mol,反式构型是热力学稳定构型.含时密度泛函方法(Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory,TD-DFT)方法,B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)水平计算得反式和顺式白藜芦醇最强紫外吸收峰分别在330 nm和319 nm.     

Stability and structure of mixed-ligand metal ion complexes that contain Ni2+, Cu2+, or Zn2+, and Histamine, as well as adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP4-) or uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP(4-): an intricate network of equilibria

With a view on protein–nucleic acid interactions in the presence of metal ions we studied the “simple” mixed‐ligand model systems containing histamine (Ha), the metal ions Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, or Zn²⁺ (M²⁺), and the nucleotides adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP^4?) or uridine 5′‐triphosphate (UTP^4?), which will both be referred to as nucleoside 5′‐triphosphate (NTP^4?) . The stability constants of the ternary M(NTP)(Ha)^2? complexes were determined in aqueous solution by potentiometric pH titrations. We show for both ternary‐complex types, M(ATP)(Ha)^2? and M(UTP)(Ha)^2?, that intramolecular stacking between the nucleobase and the imidazole residue occurs and that the stacking intensity is approximately the same for a given M²⁺ in both types of complexes: The formation degree of the intramolecular stacks is estimated to be 20 to 50 %. Consequently, in protein–nucleic acid interactions imidazole–nucleobase stacks may well be of relevance. Furthermore, the well‐known formation of macrochelates in binary M²⁺ complexes of purine nucleotides, that is, the phosphate‐coordinated M²⁺ interacts with N7, is confirmed for the M(ATP)^2? complexes. It is concluded that upon formation of the mixed‐ligand complexes the M²⁺? N7 bond is broken and the energy needed for this process corresponds to the stability differences determined for the M(UTP)(Ha)^2? and M(ATP)(Ha)^2? complexes. It is, therefore, possible to calculate from these stability differences of the ternary complexes the formation degrees of the binary macrochelates: The closed forms amount to (65±10) %, (75±8) %, and (31±14) % for Ni(ATP)^2?, Cu(ATP)^2?, and Zn(ATP)^2?, respectively, and these percentages agree excellently with previous results obtained by different methods, confirming thus the internal validity of the data and the arguments used in the evaluation processes. Based on the overall results it is suggested that M(ATP)^2? species, when bound to an enzyme, may exist in a closed macrochelated form only, if no enzyme groups coordinate directly to the metal ion.     

“Crowned” Univalent Indium Complexes as Donors? Experimental and Computational Insights on the Valence Isomers of EE′X4 Species

The use of the univalent indium reagent [In([18]crown-6)][OTf] as a donor is investigated by its reactions with acceptors including InX(3) (X=Cl, Br, I). The donor-acceptor complexes of the form [X([18]crown-6)In-InX(3)] obtained in this manner represent the first new isomeric form of indium(II) halides identified for at least five decades. The formation of such complexes appears to be particularly favorable and they are isolated as products in many reactions involving low-valent indium, a halide source, and [18]crown-6. A convenient solution-phase synthesis of In[ECl(4)] salts is reported. This facile and direct syntheses of In[ECl(4)] (E=Al, Ga, In) salts allows for the in situ preparation and isolation of crown-ether complexes of the form [In([18]crown-6)][ECl(4)], whose existence had been postulated but never confirmed. Solution-phase and solid-state NMR experiments reveal that these compounds can exist as either donor-acceptor complexes or ionic salts, depending on the phase of the system, the nature of the solvent employed, and the identity of the metalate anion involved. Similar investigations into the effect of a smaller crown ether allow for the isolations of salts containing the cation [In([15]crown-5)](+). Computational investigations into the nature of the crowned univalent indium donor fragments, and on the donor-acceptor complexes produced, demonstrate the influence of anionic substituents on the reactivity of lone pair of electrons of the In(I) center. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis of donor-acceptor models shows that the composition of the E-E bond MO should provide the ability to predict which models should form stable complexes.