Cycloaddition Reactions of an Active Cyclic Phosphane/Borane Pair with Alkenes,Alkynes, and Carbon Dioxide

The active six-membered cyclo-FLP 6 undergoes a rapid P/B addition reaction to carbon dioxide. At elevated temperature, the resulting heterobicyclo[2.2.2]octane derived product 7 undergoes ring opening and equilibrates with the cyclotetramer (7)₄ . In the large macrocyclic structure, four monomeric six-membered cyclo-FLP units are connected by four CO₂ molecules to form the supramolecular ring system. The P/B cyclo-FLP 6 undergoes a variety of additional cycloaddition reactions.     

Parallel Versus Antiparallel β-Sheet Structure in Cyclic Peptide Hybrids Containing γ- or δ-Cyclic Amino Acids

Cyclic peptides with disc-shaped structures have emerged as potent building blocks for the preparation of new biomaterials in fields ranging from biological to material science. In this work, we analyze in depth the self-assembling properties of a new type of cyclic peptides based on the alternation of α-residues and cyclic δ-amino acids (α,δ-CPs). To examine the preferred stacking properties adopted by cyclic peptides bearing this type of amino acids, we carried out a synergistic in vitro/in silico approximation by using simple dimeric models and then extended to nanotubes. Although these new cyclic peptides (α,δ-CPs) can interact either in a parallel or antiparallel fashion, our results confirm that although the parallel β-sheet is more stable, it can be switched to the antiparallel stacking by choosing residues that can establish favorable cross-strand interactions. Moreover, the subsequent comparison by using the same methodology but applied to α,γ-CPs models, up to the moment assumed as antiparallel-like d,l -α-CPs, led to unforeseen conclusions that put into question preliminary conjectures about these systems. Surprisingly, they tend to adopt a parallel β-sheet directed by the skeleton interactions. These results imply a change of paradigm with respect to cyclic peptide designs that should be considered for dimers and nanotubes.     

Optoelectronic Properties of Carbon-Bound Boron Difluoride Hydrazone Dimers

The creation of dimeric boron difluoride complexes of chelating N-donor ligands is a proven strategy for the enhancement of the optoelectronic properties of fluorescent dyes. We report dimers based on the boron difluoride hydrazone (BODIHY) framework, which offer unique and sometimes unexpected substituent-dependent absorption, emission, and electrochemical properties. BODIHY dimers have low-energy absorption bands (λ_max=421 to 479 nm, ϵ=17 200 to 39 900 m ⁻¹ cm⁻¹) that are red-shifted relative to monomeric analogues. THF solutions of these dimers exhibit aggregation-induced emission upon addition of water, with emission enhancement factors ranging from 5 to 18. Thin films of BODIHY dimers are weakly emissive as a result of the inner-filter effect, attributed to intermolecular π-type interactions. BODIHY dimers are redox-active and display two one-electron oxidation and two one-electron reduction waves that strongly depend on the N-aryl substituents. These properties are rationalized using density-functional theory calculations and X-ray crystallography experiments.     

Group 6 Oxyfluoro-Anion Salts of [XeF5]+ and [Xe2F11]+: Syntheses and Structures of [XeF5][M2O2F9] (M=Mo,W), [Xe2F11][M′OF5] (M′=Cr,Mo, W), [XeF5][HF2]⋅CrOF4, and [XeF5][WOF5]⋅XeOF4

The reactions of the fluoride-ion donor, XeF₆, with the fluoride-ion acceptors, M′OF₄ (M′=Cr, Mo, W), yield [XeF₅]⁺ and [Xe₂F₁₁]⁺ salts of [M′OF₅]⁻ and [M₂O₂F₉]⁻ (M=Mo, W). Xenon hexafluoride and MOF₄ react in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (aHF) to give equilibrium mixtures of [Xe₂F₁₁]⁺, [XeF₅]⁺, [(HF)_nF]⁻, [MOF₅]⁻, and [M₂O₂F₉]⁻ from which the title salts were crystallized. The [XeF₅][CrOF₅] and [Xe₂F₁₁][CrOF₅] salts could not be formed from mixtures of CrOF₄ and XeF₆ in aHF at low temperature (LT) owing to the low fluoride-ion affinity of CrOF₄, but yielded [XeF₅][HF₂]⋅CrOF₄ instead. In contrast, MoOF₄ and WOF₄ are sufficiently Lewis acidic to abstract F⁻ ion from [(HF)_nF]⁻ in aHF to give the [MOF₅]⁻ and [M₂O₂F₉]⁻ salts of [XeF₅]⁺ and [Xe₂F₁₁]⁺. To circumvent [(HF)_nF]⁻ formation, [Xe₂F₁₁][CrOF₅] was synthesized at LT in CF₂ClCF₂Cl solvent. The salts were characterized by LT Raman spectroscopy and LT single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which provided the first X-ray crystal structure of the [CrOF₅]⁻ anion and high-precision geometric parameters for [MOF₅]⁻ and [M₂O₂F₉]⁻. Hydrolysis of [Xe₂F₁₁][WOF₅] by water contaminant in HF solvent yielded [XeF₅][WOF₅]⋅XeOF₄. Quantum-chemical calculations were carried out for M′OF₄, [M′OF₅]⁻, [M′₂O₂F₉]⁻, {[Xe₂F₁₁][CrOF₅]}₂, [Xe₂F₁₁][MOF₅], and {[XeF₅][M₂O₂F₉]}₂ to obtain their gas-phase geometries and vibrational frequencies to aid in their vibrational mode assignments and to assess chemical bonding.     

Zinc Imine Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane as a Quattro-Site Catalyst for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from Epoxides and Low-Pressure CO2

In the present research, the synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and structural investigations of a unique Zn^II complex of imine-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) is designed, and hereby described, as a catalyst for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂. The uncommon features of the designed catalytic system is the elimination of the need for a high pressure of CO₂ and the significant shortening of reaction times commonly associated with such difficult transformations like that of styrene oxide to styrene carbonate. Our studies have shown that imine-POSS is able to chelate metal ions like Zn^II to form a unique coordination complex. The silsesquioxane core and the hindrance of the side arms (their steric effect) influence the construction process of the homoleptic Zn₄@POSS-1 complex. The compound was characterized in solution by NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ²⁹Si), ESI-MS, UV/Vis spectroscopy and in the solid state by thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CP MAS) NMR (¹³C, ²⁹Si) spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.     

Unravelling the Time Scale of Conformational Plasticity and Allostery in Glycan Recognition by Human Galectin-1

The interaction of human galectin-1 with a variety of oligosaccharides, from di-(N-acetyllactosamine) to tetra-saccharides (blood B type-II antigen) has been scrutinized by using a combined approach of different NMR experiments, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and isothermal titration calorimetry. Ligand- and receptor-based NMR experiments assisted by computational methods allowed proposing three-dimensional structures for the different complexes, which explained the lack of enthalpy gain when increasing the chemical complexity of the glycan. Interestingly, and independently of the glycan ligand, the entropy term does not oppose the binding event, a rather unusual feature for protein-sugar interactions. CLEANEX-PM and relaxation dispersion experiments revealed that sugar binding affected residues far from the binding site and described significant changes in the dynamics of the protein. In particular, motions in the microsecond-millisecond timescale in residues at the protein dimer interface were identified in the presence of high affinity ligands. The dynamic process was further explored by extensive MD simulations, which provided additional support for the existence of allostery in glycan recognition by human galectin-1.     

Cyclic Bis-alkylidene Complexes of Titanium and Zirconium: Synthesis,Characterization, and Reaction

Transition-metal alkylidenes have exhibited wide applications in organometallic chemistry and synthetic organic chemistry, however, cyclic Schrock-carbene-like bis-alkylidenes of group 4 metals with a four-electron donor from an alkylidene have not been reported. Herein, the synthesis and characterization of five-membered cyclic bis-alkylidenes of titanium ( 4 a , b ) and zirconium ( 5 a , b ) are reported, as the first well-defined group 4 metallacyclopentatrienes, by two-electron reduction of their corresponding titana- and zirconacyclopentadienes. DFT analyses of 4 a show a four-electron donor (σ-donation and π-donation) from an alkylidene carbon to the metal center. The reaction of 4 a with N,N′-diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC) leads to the [2+2]-cycloaddition product 6 . Compound 4 a reacted with CO, affording the oxycyclopentadienyl titanium complex 7 . These reactivities demonstrate the multiple metal–carbon bond character. The reactions of 4 a or 5 a with cyclooctatetraene (COT) or azobenzene afforded sandwich titanium complex 8 or diphenylhydrazine-coordinated zirconacyclopentadiene 9 , respectively, which exhibit two-electron reductive ability.     

Synthesis,characterization and redox properties of Ar–C=N→Ge←N=C–Ar containing system

1. Download : Download high-res image (59KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

TEMPO-mediated radical polymerization in the synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) macromonomer

1. Download : Download high-res image (53KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Pyridinium-functionalized metalloporphyrins as bifunctional catalysts for cycloaddition of epoxides and carbon dioxide

New pyridinium-functionalized metalloporphyrins MEtPpBr₄ (M = Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺; EtPp = 5, 10, 15, 20-tetra(4-(3-(N-ethyl-4-pyridyl)pyrazolyl)phenyl)porphyrin) were synthesized as bifunctional catalysts for the cycloaddition reactions of epoxides and CO₂. The effects of catalyst loading, CO₂ pressure, reaction temperature and time on catalytic activity were investigated. ZnEtPpBr₄ ( 1 ) and CoEtPpBr₄ ( 2 ) exhibited efficient activities in the cycloaddition reactions of various epoxides with CO₂ as at 120 °C under 2 MPa of CO₂ pressure without solvent. Most of corresponding cyclic carbonates could be obtained in almost quantitative yields and > 99.9% selectivity with molar ratio of epoxide/catalyst 2222 after 8 hr of reaction.