A Facile Synthesis of 1,2:3,4:5,6-Tri-O-Isopropylidene-D-Gluconate–A Convenient Precursor of the Open Chain form of D-Glucose

Abstract

Condensation of D-glucono-1,5-lactone (1) with acidified acetone yields in low yield, among other products, 1,2:3,4:5,6-tri-O-isopropylidene-D-gluconate (2).^1,2 Reaction of 2 with sodium methoxide in methanol gives methyl 3,4:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-D-gluconate³ (3); this compound was prepared recently by Chittenden and co-workers³ directly from 1 (by reaction of 1 with acetone and dimethoxypropane). It is easily transformed³ into 2,3:4,5-di-O-isopropylidene-D-arabinose (4).     

Electronic fluxes during diels‐alder reactions involving 1,2‐benzoquinones: mechanistic insights from the analysis of electron localization function and catastrophe theory

By means of the joint use of electron localization function (ELF) and Thom's catastrophe theory, a theoretical analysis of the energy profile for the hetero‐Diels‐Alder reaction of 4‐methoxy‐1,2‐benzoquinone 1 and methoxyethylene 2 has been carried out. The 12 different structural stability domains obtained by the bonding evolution theory have been identified as well as the bifurcation catastrophes (fold and cusp) responsible for the changes in the topology of the system. This analysis permits finding a relationship between the ELF topology and the evolution of the bond breaking/forming processes and electron pair rearrangements through the reaction progress in terms of the different ways of pairing up the electrons. The reaction mechanism corresponds to an asynchronous electronic flux; first, the O1? C5 bond is formed by the nucleophilic attack of the C5 carbon of the electron rich ethylene 2 on the most electrophilically activated carbonyl O1 oxygen of 1 , and once the σ bond has been completed, the formation process of the second O4? C6 bond takes place. In addition, the values of the local electrophilicity and local nucleophilcity indices in the framework of conceptual density functional theory accounts for the asychronicity of the process as well as for the observed regioselectivity. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ubiquitous Amyloids

The common view of amyloids and prion proteins is that they are associated with many currently incurable diseases and present a great danger to an organism. This danger comes from the fact that not only prion proteins, but also the infectious form(s) of amyloids, as it has been shown recently, are able to transmit the disease. On the other hand, organisms take advantage of the strength and durability of specific forms of amyloids. Such forms do not spread any disease. Also, in nanotechnology there is a constantly growing need to employ amyloid fibrils in many industrial applications. With increasing knowledge about amyloids and prion proteins we are aware that the amyloidal state is inherent to any protein, making the problem of amyloid formation a central one in aging-related diseases. However, the “good” amyloids can be beneficial and even necessary for our health. Furthermore, because of their mechanical properties, the amyloids are of great interest to engineers.     

Ab Initio and Quantum Chemical Topology studies on the isomerization of HONO to HNO2. Effect of the basis set in QCT

The article focus on the isomerization of nitrous acid HONO to hydrogen nitryl HNO₂. Density functional (B3LYP) and MP2 methods, and a wide variety of basis sets, have been chosen to investigate the mechanism of this reaction. The results clearly show that there are two possible paths: 1) Uncatalysed isomerisation, trans‐HONO → HNO₂, involving 1,2‐hydrogen shift and characterized by a large energetic barrier 49.7 ÷ 58.9 kcal/mol, 2) Catalysed double hydrogen transfer process, trans‐HONO + cis‐HONO → HNO₂ + cis‐HONO, which displays a significantly lower energetic barrier in a range of 11.6 ÷ 18.9 kcal/mol. Topological analysis of the Electron Localization Function (ELF) shows that the hydrogen transfer for both studied reactions takes place through the formation of a ‘dressed’ proton along the reaction path. 1 Use of a wide variety of basis sets demonstrates a clear basis set dependence on the ELF topology of HNO₂. Less saturated basis sets yield two lone pair basins, V₁(N), V₂(N), whereas more saturated ones (for example aug‐cc‐pVTZ and aug‐cc‐pVQZ) do not indicate a lone pair on the nitrogen atom. Topological analysis of the Electron Localizability Indication (ELI‐D) at the CASSCF (12,10) confirms these findings, showing the existence of the lone pair basins but with decreasing populations as the basis set becomes more saturated (0.35e for the cc‐pVDZ basis set to 0.06e for the aug‐cc‐pVTZ). This confirms that the choice of basis set not only can influence the value of the electron population at the particular atom, but can also lead to different ELF topology. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Synthesis,Structure, and Physico‐optical Properties of Manganate(II)‐Based Ionic Liquids

Several ionic liquids (ILs) based on complex manganate(II) anions with chloro, bromo, and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amido (Tf₂N) ligands have been synthesized. As counterions, n‐alkyl‐methylimidazolium (C_nmim) cations of different chain length (alkyl=ethyl (C₂), propyl (C₃), butyl (C₄), hexyl (C₆)) were chosen. Except for the 1‐hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium ILs, all of the prepared compounds could be obtained in a crystalline state at room temperature. However, each of the compounds displayed a strong tendency to form a supercooled liquid. Generally, solidification via a glass transition took place below ?40 °C. Consequently, all of these compounds can be regarded as ionic liquids. Depending on the local coordination environment of Mn²⁺, green (tetrahedrally coordinated Mn²⁺) or red (octahedrally coordinated Mn²⁺) luminescence emission from the ⁴T(G) level is observed. 1 The local coordination of the luminescent Mn²⁺ centre has been unequivocally established by UV/Vis as well as Raman and IR vibrational spectroscopies. Emission decay times measured at room temperature in the solid state (crystalline or powder) were generally a few ms, although, depending on the ligand, values of up to 25 ms were obtained. For the bromo compounds, the luminescence decay times proved to be almost independent of the physical state and the temperature. However, for the chloro‐ and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amido ILs, the emission decay times were found to be dependent on the temperature even in the solid state, indicating that the measured values are strongly influenced by nuclear motion and the vibration of the atoms. In the liquid state, the luminescence of tetrahedrally coordinated Mn²⁺ could only be observed when the tetrachloromanganate ILs were diluted with the respective halide ILs. However, for [C₃mim][Mn(Tf₂N)₃], in which Mn²⁺ is in an octahedral coordination environment, a weak red emission from the pure compound was found even in the liquid state at elevated temperatures.     

Enantiodivergent synthesis of P-chirogenic phosphines

Several approaches for the enantiodivergent synthesis of P-chirogenic mono- and diphosphines are described, using ephedrine methodology and phosphine borane chemistry. Firstly, both enantiomers of a tertiary phosphine can be obtained starting from the same oxazaphospholidine borane complex, prepared from (+)-ephedrine, when changing the order of addition of the organolithium reagents during the synthetic pathway. The second approach is based on the chlorophosphine boranes, which react with an organolithium reagent, to afford the corresponding phosphines with inversion of configuration. In the case where the chlorophosphine borane reacts with the t-butyl lithium reagent, a metal-halogen exchange occurs to afford the corresponding phosphide borane with retention of the configuration. The reaction of the phosphide borane with an alkyl halide leads to the same phosphine, but with the opposite configuration. Another approach depends on the diastereoselective preparation of the starting oxazaphospholidine borane complex from (?)-ephedrine, which leads according the case, to either one or the other enantiomer of a phosphine. Finally, the synthesis of (R,R)- and (S,S)-1,2-bis(methylphenylphosphino)ethane is also demonstrated using both enantiomers of the P-chirogenic diphosphinite diborane, which simultaneously allows the introduction of alkyl- or aryl substituents on the phosphorus atoms. In summary, these approaches show the great efficiency of the “ephedrine methodology” for the enantiodivergent synthesis of P-chirogenic mono- and diphosphines, and bearing alkyl or aryl substituents.     

Mechanical properties of hybrid composites made of a steel plate and a laminate connected by means of barbed studs

In this paper the research results of hybrid composite materials made of a steel plate and laminates are presented. The tested composites were made of a metal sheet plate and a laminate plate connected by means of barbed studs. The laminates were made of three different types of fabrics with: fibreglass, carbon fibres and aramid fibres. As a warp, epoxide resin and polyester resin were used. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth, optical and EPR properties of Li1.72Na0.28Ge4O9 single crystals pure and slightly doped with Cr

Single crystals of lithium-sodium-tetragermanate, a member of the solid solution series Li_2−xNa _x Ge₄O₉ with x=0.28, pure and slightly doped with Cr³⁺ ions (0.03 mol.% and 0.1 mol.%), were grown in ambient atmosphere by the Czochralski technique from stoichiometric melt. The crystals with dimensions up to 20 mm in diameter and 50 mm in length were obtained. The crystal structure has been determined by means of X-ray diffraction. Phase analysis and structural refinement of the Li_1.72Na_0.28Ge₄O₉ crystals were performed by X-ray powder diffraction using Ni-filtered Cu Kα radiation with a Siemens D5000 diffractometer. The absorption, excitation and photoluminescence spectra of the crystals were measured in the UV-VIS and IR range at low temperatures. EPR investigations were performed using a conventional X-band Bruker ELEXSYS E 500 CW-spectrometer operating at 9.5 GHz with 100 kHz magnetic field modulation. Temperature and angular dependences of the EPR spectra of the crystal samples were recorded in the 3–300 K temperature range.     

Studies of the surface layer structure and properties of poly(styrene/α-t-butoxy-ω-polyglycidol) microspheres by carbon nuclear magnetic resonance,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and the adsorption of human serum albumin and γ-globulins

The composition and properties of the surface layers of poly(styrene/α-t-butoxy-ω-polyglycidol) [poly(styrene/VB-polyGL)] microspheres synthesized by the radical copolymerization of styrene and α-t-butoxy-ω-vinylbenzyl-polyglycidol (VB-polyGL) macromonomers [number-average molecular weight (M_n) = 950 or 2700] were investigated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ¹³C NMR, and the adsorption of human serum albumin and γ-globulins. The number-average diameter of the synthesized microspheres was 220 nm. Their surface layers were rich in polyglycidol, with polyglycidol-to-polystyrene unit ratios of 0.443 (VB-polyGL with M_n = 950) and 0.427 (VB-polyGL with M_n = 2700). In suspensions of poly(styrene/VB-polyGL) particles in D₂O, the polymer chains in the polyglycidol-rich surface layers were highly mobile, allowing the registration of polyglycidol ¹³C NMR spectra with standard procedures for polymer solutions. In these spectra, the signals of the relatively immobile polystyrene segments were absent. The spin–lattice relaxation times (T₁) measured for polyglycidol in the microsphere surface layers and for VB-polyGL macromonomers in solution were very close, indicating similar degrees of motion in bound (in particle surface layers) and free (in solution) polyglycidol macromolecules. Studies of protein adsorption revealed that hydrophilic polyglycidol layers were protein-repellent. It was found that longer polyglycidol chains in particle surface layers were more mobile (higher T₁ values) and provided better protection against protein adsorption. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 615–623, 2004