New 3-hydroxyflavone derivatives for probing hydrophobic sites in microheterogeneous systems

Nine new 3-hydroxyflavone derivatives as fluorescent molecular sensors having two well-separated emission bands were synthesized. These sensors can occupy well-determined locations and orientations in macromolecular ensembles, such as micelles due to their finely-tuned designs. These polarity-sensitive dyes can incorporate into the anhydrous hydrophobic core of aqueous micelles.     

Use of Tetramethylthiuram Disulfide in Synthesis of Nitrogen-containing Heterocyclic Compounds

We have developed a method for synthesis of aryl isothiocyanates by means of thiocarbamoylation of aromatic amines by tetramethylthiuram disulfide followed by degradation of the intermediate N₍₁₎-aryl-N,N-dimethylthiourea by concentrated HCl. We have shown that thiocarbamoylation of 4-amino-5-ethyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol occurs at the 2 position of the triazole ring, while thiocarbamoylation of 4-amino-3-methyl-6-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,2,4-triazin-5-one leads to the dihetaryl-substituted thiourea. We consider the possibility of using N₍₁₎-aryl-N,N-dimethylthioureas as analogs of isothiocyanates in reactions with N-nucleophiles.__________Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 775–780, May, 2005.     

Raman spectroscopy of tris-(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane as a model system for the studies of α-chymotrypsin activation by crown ether in organic solvents

Raman spectroscopy is employed to study tris-(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and its complexes with 18-crown-6. The results obtained are used to interpret the known effect of α-chymotrypsin activation by crown ether in organic solvents. Raman spectra of the samples lyophilized from aqueous solutions at various pH values are measured in solid state, acetonitrile and cyclohexane.     

Effect of cholesterol on the properties of phospholipid membranes. 4. Interatomic voids

The properties of the interatomic voids present in fully hydrated dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC)-cholesterol mixed membranes of different compositions are analyzed in detail using a generalized variant of the Voronoi-Delaunay method on the basis of computer simulation results. The systems investigated are chosen from both sides of the DMPC-cholesterol miscibility gap; the pure DMPC bilayer has also been included in the analysis as a reference system. The results obtained show that the empty space is organized in a more compact way, forming larger voids in the presence than in the absence of cholesterol. The voids located in the region of the rigid cholesterol rings become, on average, less spherical, oriented more parallel with the membrane normal axis with increasing cholesterol concentration, whereas an opposite effect of cholesterol is observed in the middle of the membrane among the chain terminal methyl groups. In general, the preferential orientation of the voids is found to strongly correlate with that of the molecules in the hydrocarbon phase of the membranes. The membranes are found to contain rather large voids, the volume of which can be an order of magnitude larger than the largest spherical cavities present in the systems. These voids are elongated or branching channels rather than big empty holes. The voids located among the DMPC and cholesterol molecules are lying preferably parallel with the membrane normal axis. The existence of such empty channels can be of great importance in the cross-membrane permeation of small, uncharged penetrants, in particular, of polar molecules.     

Free volume properties of a linear soft polymer: a computer simulation study

Molecular dynamics simulation of a linear soft polymer has been performed and the free volume properties of the system have been analyzed in detail in terms of the Voronoi polyhedra of the monomers. It is found that there are only small density fluctuations present in the system. The local environment of the monomers is found to be rather spherical, even in comparison with liquids of atoms or small molecules. The monomers are found to be, on average, eight coordinated by their nearest geometric neighbors, including intra-chain and inter-chain ones. The packing of the monomers is found to be rather compact, in a configuration of 1900 monomers there are, on average, only three voids large enough to incorporate a spherical particle as large as a monomer, indicating that the density of the large vacancies in the system is considerably, i.e., by a few orders of magnitude lower than in molecular liquids corresponding to roughly the same reduced densities.     

Electrochemical Reduction of Arylxenon Tetrafluoroborates

Reduction potentials of arylxenon(II) tetrafluoroborates have been measured by cyclic voltammetry method on platinum disc and ultramicro electrodes. The electrochemical properties of the arylxenon(II) tetrafluoroborates are quite different to those of corresponding arylperfluoralkyliodine(III) salts.     

Synthesis and Transformations of 3-Ethoxycarbonyl-2-(N-R-thioureido)thiophenes

3-Ethoxycarbonyl-2-(N-R-thioureido)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophenes were obtained by the reaction of 2-amino-3-ethoxycarbonyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene with isothiocyanates and of 3-ethoxycarbonyl-2-isothiocyanato-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene with primary and secondary amines. The cyclization paths of the products leading to derivatives of thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine and thieno[2,3-d]-1,3-thiazine were studied. The corresponding S-substituted derivatives were obtained by the alkylation of 3-R-2-thioxo-3,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydrobenzo[b]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-ones.     

Ultrasensitive fluorescent probe for the hydrophobic range of solvent polarities

The new 3-hydroxychromone derivative 2-(6-diethylaminobenzo[b]furan-2-yl)-3-hydroxychromone (FA) displays a dramatic solvent-dependent transformation of fluorescence spectra in the range of low-polarity solvents. The two well-separated emission bands change their relative intensities so that the short-wavelength band being of a very low intensity in hexane becomes dominant in the more polar ethyl acetate and trichloromethane. We suggest the participation in this effect of excited-state intramolecular proton transfer, which is characteristic for other 3-hydroxychromone and 3-hydroxyflavone derivatives, in the range of solvents of much higher polarities. Because of these unique properties, a number of spectroscopic parameters (positions of absorption and two fluorescence maxima, the ratio of their intensities and the fluorescence quantum yield) can be measured in this solvent range with multiparametric analysis of the data. In terms of solvent polarity, the shifts in both emission bands and their intensity ratio demonstrate a good correlation with empirical polarity scales E_T^N, P_y and SPP, while the absorption spectra reveal some deviations for the tested oxygen-containing solvent molecules. A good cross-correlation is observed between fluorescence spectral shifts and the ratio of band intensities. The latter provides the means for a dramatic amplification of solvent response. Thus, a new approach for ultrasensitive scaling and probing the solvent polarity in the low-polararity range can be suggested. It involves very simple ratiometric measurements at two emission bands and can be posed for a variety of applications. We present examples of these applications for distinguishing of polarities between methylated benzene derivatives, for quantitative assay of polar impurities in low-polar solvents and for detection of the changes of solvent polarity as a function of temperature.     

Preparation and chemistry of phosphoranyl-derived iodanes

The preparation and chemistry of novel phosphoranyl-derived lambda(3)-iodanes is reported. The phosphoranyl-derived phenyliodonium sulfonates were prepared in good yields by the reaction of stabilized phosphonium ylides [1-triphenylphosphoranylidene-2-propanone, methyl(triphenylphosphoranylidene)acetate, (triphenylphosphoranylidene)acetaldehyde, and (triphenylphosphoranylidene)acetonitrile] with the pyridinium complex of iodobenzene ditriflate or with [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene under mild conditions. These compounds represent a potentially useful class of reagents that combine in one molecule synthetic advantages of a phosphonium ylide and an iodonium salt. Specifically, phosphorane-derived phenyliodonium tosylates can react with soft nucleophiles, such as iodide, bromide, benzenesulfinate, and thiophenolate anions, with a selective formation of the respective alpha-functionalized phosphonium ylides, which can be further converted to alkenes by the Wittig reaction with benzaldehyde. The phosphoranyl-derived benziodoxoles can be prepared by the reaction of 1-acetoxybenziodoxole with stabilized phosphonium ylides. An unusual ligand exchange on the iodine(III) center resulting in the substitution of a carbon ligand with an oxygen ligand was observed in the reaction of these compounds with strong acids.