Internal Lewis acid assisted hydrogen bond donor catalysis

Boronate ureas are introduced as a new class of noncovalent catalysts for conjugate addition reactions with enhanced activity. Through intramolecular coordination of the urea functionality to a strategically placed Lewis acid, rate enhancements up to 10 times that of more conventional urea catalysts are observed. The tunable nature of boronate ureas is a particularly attractive feature and enables the rational design of catalysts for optimal performance, in terms of both activity and stereocontrol, in new bond-forming processes.     

Experimental and theoretical study on the absorption and fluorescence properties of substituted aryl hydrazones of 1,8-naphthalimide

Absorption and fluorescence spectra in acetonitrile for a series of substituted aryl hydrazones of N-hexyl-1,8-naphthalimide are studied with the aim of potential application of the compounds for enzyme activity localization. The influence of the substituents on the spectral characteristics has been evaluated. The absorption and fluorescence energies of substituted aryl-1,8-naphthalimide hydrazones have been calculated with the PCM TDDFT formalism. The M06 and PBE0 functionals, combined with the 6-31+G(d) atomic basis set, have been found to accurately model the excited state properties of the present set of solvated fluorophores. Absorption and fluorescence spectral characteristics have been rationalized in terms of experimental and theoretical electronic indices in order to assess their predictive abilities for application in designing analogues with good emitting properties. An excellent linear dependence is established between the experimental fluorescence and Hammett σ(p)(+) substituent constants and on the other hand σ(p)(+) constants correlate with the theoretically calculated values for the electrostatic potential at nuclei (EPN). A model for predicting the fluorescence properties of substituted hydrazones by means of EPN is drawn, including the polysubstituted derivatives, where Hammett constants are not applicable.     

Organocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of quinolizidine alkaloids (+)-myrtine, (−)-lupinine, and (+)-epiepiquinamide

The organocatalytic synthesis of quinolizidine alkaloids (+)-myrtine, (−)-lupinine, and (+)-epiepiquinamide is described. It involved, as the key step, an enantioselective intramolecular aza-Michael reaction (IMAMR) catalyzed by Jørgensen catalyst I, affording the common precursor with high enantioselectivity. This compound was subsequently transformed into the three alkaloids in a highly diastereoselective manner.     

Lanthanide(III)/pyrimidine-4,6-dicarboxylate/oxalate extended frameworks: a detailed study based on the lanthanide contraction and temperature effects

Detailed structural, magnetic, and luminescence studies of six different crystalline phases obtained in the lanthanide/pyrimidine-4,6-dicarboxylate/oxalate system have been afforded: {[Ln(μ-pmdc)(μ-ox)(0.5)(H(2)O)(2)]·3H(2)O}(n) (1-Ln), {[Ln(μ-pmdc)(μ-ox)(0.5)(H(2)O)(3)]·2H(2)O}(n) (2-Ln), {[Ln(μ(3)-pmdc)(μ-ox)(0.5)(H(2)O)(2)]·~2.33H(2)O}(n) (3-Ln), {[Ln(2)(μ(3)-pmdc)(μ(4)-pmdc)(μ-ox)(H(2)O)(3)]·5H(2)O}(n) (4-Ln), {[Ln(μ(3)-pmdc)(μ-ox)(0.5)(H(2)O)(2)]·H(2)O}(n) (5-Ln), and [Ln(pmdc)(1.5)(H(2)O)(2.5)] (6-Ln). The slow generation of the oxalate (ox) anion, obtained from the in situ partial hydrothermal decomposition of the pyrimidine-4,6-dicarboxylate (pmdc) ligand, allows us to obtain good shaped single crystals, while direct addition of potassium oxalate provides the same compounds but as polycrystalline samples. The crystal structures of all compounds are based on the double chelation established by the pmdc and ox ligands to provide distorted 2D honeycomb layers that, in some cases, are fused together, leading to 3D systems, by replacing some of the coordinated water molecules that complete the coordination sphere of the lanthanide by uncoordinated carboxylate oxygen atoms of the pmdc. The presence of channels occupied by crystallization water molecules is also a common feature with the exception of compounds 5-Ln. It is worth noting that compounds 3-Ln present a commensurate crystal structure related to the partial occupancy of the crystallization water molecules placed within the channels. Topological analyses have been carried out, showing a previously nonregistered topology for compounds 4-Ln, named as jcr1. The crystal structures are strongly dependent on the lanthanide ion size and the temperature employed during the hydrothermal synthesis. The lanthanide contraction favors crystal structures involving sterically less hindranced coordination environments for the final members of the lanthanide series. Additionally, reinforcement of the entropic effects at high temperatures directs the crystallization process toward less hydrated crystal structures. The magnetic data of these compounds indicate that the exchange coupling between the lanthanide atoms is almost negligible, so the magnetic behavior is dominated by the spin-orbit coupling and the ligand field perturbation. The luminescence properties that exhibit the compounds containing Nd(III), Eu(III), and Tb(III) have been also characterized.     

Rapid enantiomeric excess and concentration determination using simple racemic metal complexes

Racemic-metal complexes were used to determine identity, enantiomeric excess, and concentration of chiral diamines using metal-to-ligand charge transfer bands in circular dichroism spectroscopy. It takes under just 2 min per sample to determine [G]t and %R with tolerable errors (19% and 4%, respectively). The simplicity of the achiral receptors employed confers to this technique great potential for high-throughput screening.     

New Nematic Phase in Lyotropic Binary Liquid Crystals Detected by Positron Annihilation Techniquest

A new nematic phase in lyotropic binary liquid crystalline systems consisting of sodium dodecyl sulfate-water was detected, for the first time, in the absence of additives by utilizing positron annihilation techniques. Lyotropic and thermotropic phase transitions were also investigated by the same methods. The positron annihilation parameters have also indicated a better definition of the concentration ranges at which each phase exists in the system studied. Crossed polarized light microscopy was applied to substantiate these results.     

Coordination of phosphinoboranes R2PB(C6F5)2 to platinum: an alkene-type behavior

The paucity of boron-containing heteroalkene complexes prompted us to explore the coordination of phosphinoboranes. The complexes {[R(2)PB(C(6)F(5))(2)]Pt(PPh(3))(2)} (R = Cy, t-Bu) were obtained by ethylene displacement. Spectroscopic and crystallographic data indicated symmetric side-on coordination of the phosphinoborane to Pt. Thorough analysis of the bonding situation by computational means revealed important similarities but also significant differences between the phosphinoborane and ethylene complexes.     

Preparation,evaluation and characterization of quercetin-molecularly imprinted polymer for preconcentration and clean-up of catechins

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for solid extraction and preconcentration of catechins have been successfully prepared by a thermal polymerization method using quercetin as template, 4-vinylpyridine as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinker. A solution mixture of acetone and acetonitrile was used as porogen. Systematic investigations of the influence of monomer, cross-linker, porogen, as well as polymerization conditions on the properties of the MIPs were carried out. The quercetin MIPs were evaluated according to their selective recognition properties for quercetin, structurally related compounds (catechin, epigallocatechin gallate and epicatechin) and a unrelated compound of similar molecular size (α-tocopherol). Good binding was observed for quercetin, catechin and epigallocatechin gallate with an optimized MIP in a solid phase extraction system. Adsorption and kinetic characteristics were evaluated for catechins which indicated that the synthesized polymer had high adsorption capacity and contained homogeneous binding sites. Chemical and morphological characterization of the MIP was investigated by FTIR, SEM and BET, which confirmed a high degree of polymerization. Finally, the MIP was successfully applied to the clean-up and preconcentration of catechins from several natural samples.     

Urea activation of α-nitrodiazoesters: an organocatalytic approach to N-H insertion reactions

The combination of a urea catalyst and an α-nitro-α-diazo ester gives rise to a reactive species able to undergo insertion into the N-H bonds of anilines. This new strategy to achieve N-H insertion reactivity is in contrast to typical metal-catalyzed conditions for the generation of carbenoids from α-diazocarbonyl compounds. This report includes the extension of the insertion reaction to a three-component coupling for the construction of α-amino-α-aryl esters in high yield.     

Chlorodifluoroacetyl Azide, ClF(2)CC(O)N(3): Preparation, Properties, and Decomposition

Chlorodifluoroacetyl azide, ClF(2)CC(O)N(3), was prepared and characterized by IR (gas, Ar matrix), Raman (liquid), UV-vis (gas), and (19)F, (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The vibrational spectra were analyzed in terms of a single conformer, gauche-syn, where the Cl-C and the N(α)═N(β) bonds are gauche and syn to the C═O bond, respectively. The photo and thermal decomposition reactions of the azide were studied with the aid of matrix isolation. In both cases, a new isocyanate species ClF(2)CNCO was produced and characterized by matrix IR spectroscopy. The conformational properties and the Curtius rearrangement pathways of this new carbonyl azide were theoretically explored, which suggest the preference of a concerted over stepwise decomposition for the global minimum gauche-syn conformer.