SnCl4 and SbCl5 promoted aromatization of enamines

Aromatic amines have been synthesized efficiently from enamines using SnCl₄ and SbCl₅ in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature.     

Insecticidal Activity and Free Radical Scavenging Properties of Isolated Phytoconstituents from the Saudi Plant Nuxia oppositifolia (Hochst.)

Chromatographic purification of the alcoholic extract from the aerial parts of the Saudi plant Nuxia oppositifolia (Hochst.), Benth., resulted in five isolated phenolic compounds. Two flavones, hispidulin (1) and jaceosidin (2), and the phenylethanoid glycosides, verbascoside (3), isoverbascoside (4), and conandroside (5), were identified and their chemical structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses. The insecticidal activity of compounds 1 and 2, in addition to 11 compounds isolated in a previous research (6–16), was evaluated against the Yellow Fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Four compounds displayed adulticidal activity with LD₅₀ values of 2–2.3 μg/mosquito. Free radical scavenging properties of the plant extracts and compounds (1–5) were evaluated by measuring the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate radical cation (ABTS^•+) scavenging activity. All compounds exhibited notable activity, compared with the positive control, l-Ascorbic acid. This study suggests that N. oppositifolia could be a promising source of secondary metabolites, some with lethal adulticidal effect against Ae. aegypti.     

Light-regulated electrostatic interactions in colloidal suspensions

The net charge of a colloidal particle was controlled using light and a new photocleavable self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The SAM contained a terminal ammonium group and a centrally located carboxylic acid group that was masked with an ortho-nitrobenzyl functionality. Once exposed to UV light, the 2-nitrobenzyl group was cleaved, therefore transforming the colloidal particle from a net positive (silica-SAM-NH3+) to a net negative (silica-SAM-COO-) charge. By varying the UV exposure time, their zeta potential could be tailored between +26 and -60 mV at neutral pH. To demonstrate a photoinduced gel-to-fluid phase transition, a binary colloidal suspension composed of silica-SAM-NH3+ and negatively charged, rhodamine-labeled silica particles was mixed to form a gel. Exposure to UV light rendered all of the particles negative and therefore converted the system into a colloidal fluid that settles to form a dense sediment.     

Eu(III) macrocyclic complexes promote cleavage of and bind to models for the 5'-cap of mRNA. Effect of pendent group and a second metal ion

The interaction of three Eu(III) macrocyclic complexes Eu(THED)3+, Eu(ATHC)3+, and Eu(ATHC)3+, and Eu(S-THP)3+ with two 5'-cap model compounds, GpppG and m7GpppG is studied (THED = 1,4,7,10-tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,4,7,-10-tetraazacyclododecane, ATHC = 1-(carbamoylmethyl)-4,7,10-tris(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,4,7,10- tetraazacyclododecane, S-THP = 1S,4S,7S,10S-tetrakis(2-hydroxypropyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane). Laser-induced excitation luminescence spectroscopy is used to study the binding of Eu(S-THP)3+ to GpppG (K = 5.9 x 10(4) M-1) and to characterize the Eu(S-THP)-GpppG complex. Both Eu(THED)3+ and Eu(S-THP)3+ bind to m7GpppG as monitored by use of fluorescence spectroscopy with binding constants of 5.9 x 10(3) and 4.4 x 10(4) M-1, respectively. The kinetics of cleavage of GpppG by two macrocyclic complexes is studied. Cleavage of GpppG by Eu(THED)3+ is accelerated by 15-fold in the presence of an equivalent of Zn(NO3)2 at pH 7.3, 37 degrees C, suggesting that two metal ions accelerate the cap cleavage reaction. Eu(ATHC)3+ promotes cleavage of GpppG with a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 2.6 x 10(-5) s-1 at pH 7.3, 37 degrees C, and 0.30 mM complex.     

“Living” radical graft polymerization of styrene to styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) with 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy (TEMPO)

Well‐defined graft copolymers with styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) backbones and polystyrene branches were synthesized by living free radical polymerization (LFRP) techniques. Thus 1‐ benzoyl‐2‐phenyl‐2‐(2′,2′,6′,6′‐tetramethyl‐piperidinyl‐1′‐oxy)ethane (BZ‐TEMPO) was synthesized and hydrolyzed to the corresponding 1‐hydroxyl derivative. This functional nitroxyl compound was coupled with brominated SBR (SBR‐Br). The resulting macroinitiator (SBR‐TEMPO) for “living” free radical polymerization was then heated in the presence of styrene for the formation of the controlled graft copolymer. ¹H‐NMR and IR spectroscopy were used to investigate the structure of the polymers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Thorium with Disodium Salt of Arsenazo-III in Perchloric Acid

A rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of thorium using 0.04% Arsenazo-III in a 2M perchloric acid solution. Absorbance was measured in 1 cm cell and the complex has a sensitive absorption peak at 654 nm. The complex is formed instantly in perchloric acid and remains stable for 45 minutes with constant absorbance. Beer's law is obeyed in the range 1–60 g·g^–1 of thorium concentration with a molar absorptivity at 654 nm = 3.07·10⁵ M^–1·cm^–1 at 24±2°C. The foreign ions interference in thorium determination have been checked. The cations were tested at >60-fold excess of thorium, Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II) and Ni(II) interfere negatively, whereas only Ce(III) has increased the absorbance. Among the anions, cyanide, phosphate, thiocyanate and acetate at 150-fold excess of thorium cause significant interference. However, thorium can bedetermined in the presence of nitrate, chloride, oxalate, tartrate, ascorbate, thiosulphate and citrate. The method has been applied on certified reference material for thorium determination after extractive separation and the result was found in good agreement with the certified value. The method has been also applied successfully to determine thorium at g·g^–1 level in local ore samples with a precision of ±0.04%.     

Ammonia chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry in structural determination of alkaloids. II. Tetraponerines from pseudomyrmecine ants

Chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (CI-MS/MS) of alkaloids with ammonia reagent gas and collision-activated dissociation as well as EI-MS/MS were applied to the tetraponerine alkaloids in extracts from six pseudomyrmecine ants of the genus Tetraponera. The MS/MS techniques along with gas chromatography Fourier transform infrared (GC/FTIR) spectra allowed identification in two extracts of seven of the eight known tetraponerines. The EI-MS/MS fragmentations proved diagnostic for the ring system and the CI-MS/MS patterns for the C-8 or C-9 substitution, while the Bohlmann bands in FTIR spectra were diagnostic for the C-8 or C-9 configurations. An Indian ant (T. allaborans) had T-2, T-4 and T-8, while a Chinese ant (T. binghami) had T-5, T-6, T-7 and T-8. Four other ants, T. rufonigra (India), T. penzigi (Africa), T. clypeata (Africa) and T. sp. cf. emeryi (Africa), had no tetraponerines.     

Optimization of a New Extraction Technique for Analysis of Verbenone and cis-Verbenol in Pine Seeds

Results from a systematic study of the factors affecting extraction of cis-verbenol and verbenone from pine seeds are presented. Five extraction conditions were investigated: extraction solvent, method of extraction, extraction temperature, volume of solvent, and the ratio of the mass of sample to the amount of extraction solvent. The resulting optimized method uses magnetic-stirring-assisted extraction of pine seeds (5 g) with ethyl acetate (75 mL) for 20 min, at room temperature. RSDs were less than 5% for both compounds. GC–FID was used for quantification of cis-verbenol and verbenone in the extracts.     

(π)C—H···S, (allyl)C—H···C(π) and π···π intermolecular interactions: synthesis, characterization, and crystal structure of 2,2′-bipyridine bis(diallyldithiocarbamato)zinc(II)

A mixed-ligand Zn(II) complex formulated as [Zn(aldtc)₂(bipy)] (aldtc=diallyldithiocarbamate; bipy=2,2′-bipyridine) was synthesized and characterized by IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectral measurements and X-ray crystallography. The crystal structure of this complex indicates that Zn has a distorted octahedral geometry. The Zn—N distances are invariant (2.168(2) Å), while those of the Zn—S are slightly different (2.5408(9) and 2.5440(9) Å). The N—Zn—N, S—Zn—S and N—Zn—S bond angles are in the range 75.35(13)–99.75(7)°, 70.48(3)–161.02(5)° and 95.26(7)–160.32(7)°, respectively. The crystal packing of the complex shows different motifs of supramolecularity resulting from both hydrophilic ((π)C—H···S) and hydrophobic ((allyl)C—H···C(π)) intermolecular interactions. These interactions result in a chain arrangement of molecules along crystallographic c axis and the chains are further connected via π···π stacking along with ((π)C—H···S along b axis leading to an overall crystal packing that can be regarded as layers of complexes along bc plane, which are held together through nonconventional hydrogen bonding and π···π stacking.     

Enhancement of distillate selectivity in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis by using iron and cobalt catalysts in a novel dual-bed reactor ?

Summary An integrated process for producing liquid fuels from synthesis gas via a two-stage Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reaction is disclosed. An iron catalyst was used in the first bed of a fixed-bed reactor followed by a ruthenium promoted cobalt catalyst in the second bed. The activity and selectivity of the dual-bed system were assessed and compared with those using catalysts in a single bed system, separately. The methane selectivity in the dual-bed reactor was about 11% less compared to that of the single-bed system. The C₅⁺ selectivity for the dual-bed reactor was 19.7% higher than that of the single-bed system.