Acceleration of the Passerini reaction in the presence of nucleophilic additives

An accelerating effect of nucleophilic additives was revealed for the Passerini multi-component reaction. The influence of aqueous solutions on the reaction rate was studied in detail and the direct involvement of water in the bond-making step was attributed as the basis of an accelerating effect. Other nucleophiles were tested as alternatives to water; as a result N-hydroxysuccinimide is proposed as an accelerant of the Passerini reaction.     

Structure of the 18-Crown-6 Complex with Ammonium Hexafluorosilicate and Water

The crystalline host–guest type complex [(18-crown-6NH₄)₂][SiF₆]4H₂Ohas been obtained as the result of the interaction of SiF₄2NH₃ with 18-crown-6 (18C6) in an aqueous medium. Crystal data: monoclinic, space groupC 2 c, a=26.541(2), b=8.363(2), c=20.469(2) Å, = 122.43(1)°and Z=4. The final R-value is 0.070 for 3253 reflections with I 2(I).The crystals consist of the complex [NH₄18C6]⁺ cations, [SiF₆]^2-anions and water molecules. The ammonium cation is hydrogen bonded by three of its H-atoms to the crown ether oxygen atoms with N(1) O separations2.923(5)–2.940(5) Å and by the fourth H-atom to the fluorine atom of thehexafluorosilicate anion, the N(1)F(4) distance being 2.797(6) Å.The conformation of the macrocycle and the hydrogen-bond geometry in thecomplex cation closely resemble those in related adducts between 18-crown-6and ammonium salts. All crystal components are connected via a system of hydrogen bonds into a ribbon along the b axis in the unit cell.     

Stereospecific fragmentations in the mass spectra of stereoisomeric isoindoloquinazolines

The mass spectrometric behavior of stereo- and regioisomeric, partially saturated isoindoloquinazolines was studied by positive-ion electron ionization (EI) and fast-atom bombardment (FAB/LSIMS) mass spectrometry combined with collision-induced dissociation (CID). A highly stereospecific retro-Diels-Alder process was observed in the cyclohexene-fused isomers under the EI conditions, and a corresponding (although less specific) fragmentation was observed in their FAB spectra. In the absence of RDA fragmentations, regio- and stereoisomers of the cyclohexane-fused heterocycles could be distinguished based on their FAB/CID spectra.     

Diverse redox-active molecules bearing O-, S-, or Se-terminated tethers for attachment to silicon in studies of molecular information storage

A molecular approach to information storage employs redox-active molecules tethered to an electroactive surface. Attachment of the molecules to electroactive surfaces requires control over the nature of the tether (linker and surface attachment group). We have synthesized a collection of redox-active molecules bearing different linkers and surface anchor groups in free or protected form (hydroxy, mercapto, S-acetylthio, and Se-acetylseleno) for attachment to surfaces such as silicon, germanium, and gold. The molecules exhibit a number of cationic oxidation states, including one (ferrocene), two [zinc(II)porphyrin], three [cobalt(II)porphyrin], or four (lanthanide triple-decker sandwich compound). Electrochemical studies of monolayers of a variety of the redox-active molecules attached to Si(100) electrodes indicate that molecules exhibit a regular mode of attachment (via a Si-X bond, X = O, S, or Se), relatively homogeneous surface organization, and robust reversible electrochemical behavior. The acetyl protecting group undergoes cleavage during the surface deposition process, enabling attachment to silicon via thio or seleno groups without handling free thiols or selenols.     

Controlled phase separations in solutions of soluble polyelectrolyte complex of DIVEMA (copolymer of divinyl ether and maleic anhydride)

Copolymer of divinyl ether and maleic anhydride (DIVEMA) is known to possess some anti-tumor and immune-stimulating activity and use as a drug carrier in anti-tumor drug delivery systems. Samples of DIVEMA of different degrees of polymerization were synthesized and characterized. Interaction of the hydrolyzed water-soluble DIVEMA polyanions with poly(N-ethyl-4-vinylpyridinium) cations (PEVP) has been studied. According to the potentiometry data, almost all carboxylic groups of the polyanions were able to form ion pairs with PEVP. In aqueous and water-salt solutions, formation of either soluble or insoluble polyelectrolyte complexes occurred depending on pH, ratio of the oppositely charged groups, and degree of polymerization of PEVP and/or DIVEMA. The phase separations followed general rules revealed by studying mixtures of PEVP and polycarboxylic acids. However in the case of DIVEMA, a significant broadening of the region for insoluble complexes at the expense of the region of soluble complexes was established. The data obtained demonstrate plausible advantages of the complex formation as the non-covalent modification of the polymeric carrier that endow DIVEMA with the ability for reversible soluble-insoluble transformation, in particular at physiological pH and ionic strength.     

Structural and mechanistic look at the orthoplatination of aryl oximes by dichlorobis(sulfoxide or sulfide)platinum(II) complexes

Structural and mechanistic aspects of orthoplatination of acetophenone and benzaldehyde oximes by the platinum(II) sulfoxide and sulfide complexes [PtCl(2)L(2)] (2, L = SOMe(2) (a), rac-SOMePh (b), R-SOMe(C(6)H(4)Me-4) (c), and SMe(2) (d)) to afford the corresponding platinacycles cis-(C,S)-[Pt(II)(C(6)H(3)-2-CR'=NOH-5-R)Cl(L)] (3, R, R' = H, Me) have been investigated. The reaction of acetophenone oxime with sulfoxide complex 2a in methanol solvent occurs noticeably faster than with sulfide complex 2d due to the fact that the sulfoxide is a much better platinum(II) leaving ligand than the sulfide. Evidence is presented that the orthoplatination is a multistep process. The formation of unreactive dichlorobis(N-oxime)platinum(II) cations accounts for the rate retardation by excess acetophenone oxime and suggests the importance of pseudocoordinatively unsaturated species for the C-H bond activation by Pt(II). A comparative X-ray structural study of dimethyl sulfoxide platinacycle 3b (R = R' = Me) and its sulfide analogue 3e (R = H, R' = Me), as well as of SOMePh complex 3c (R = H, R' = Me), indicated that they are structurally similar and a sulfur ligand is coordinated in the cis position with respect to the sigma-bound phenyl carbon. The differences concern the Pt-S bond distance, which is notably longer in the sulfide complex 3e (2.2677(11) A) as compared to that in sulfoxide complexes 3b (2.201(2)-2.215(2) A) and 3c (2.2196(12) A). Whereas the metal plane is practically a plane of symmetry in 3b due to the H-bonding between the sulfoxide oxygen and the proton at carbon ortho to the Pt-C bond, an S-bonded methyl of SOMePh and SMe(2) is basically in the platinum(II) plane in complexes 3c and 3e, respectively. There are intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bond networks in complex 3b. An interesting structural feature of complex 3c is that the two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit of the crystal reveal an extremely short Pt-Pt contact of 3.337 A.     

Synthesis of novel, potentially biologically active dibenzosuberone derivatives

Novel representatives of the important group of biologically active dibenzosuberone derivatives were prepared: 3,7-dibromo-5-(dimethylaminoethyl- oxyimino)-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepta-1,4-diene (1), 3,7-dibromo-5-(3- dimethylaminopropylidene)-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene (2) and 1,7- dibromo-5-(3-dimethylaminopropylidene)-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo-[a,d]-cycloheptene (3). These compounds are potential tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), which are still the most frequently prescribed antidepressants in many countries.     

Estimation of the absolute internal-rotation entropy of molecules with two torsional degrees of freedom from stochastic simulations

A method of statistical estimation is applied to the problem of evaluating the absolute entropy of internal rotation in a molecule with two torsional degrees of freedom. The configurational part of the entropy is obtained as that of the joint probability density of an arbitrary form represented by a two-dimensional Fourier series, the coefficients of which are statistically estimated using a sample of the torsional angles of the molecule obtained by a stochastic simulation. The internal rotors in the molecule are assumed to be attached to a common frame, and their reduced moments of inertia are initially calculated as functions of the two torsional angles, but averaged over all the remaining internal degrees of freedom using the stochastic-simulation sample of the atomic configurations of the molecule. The torsional-angle dependence of the reduced moments of inertia can be also averaged out, and the absolute internal-rotation entropy of the molecule is obtained in a good approximation as the sum of the configurational entropy and a kinetic contribution fully determined by the averaged reduced moments of inertia. The method is illustrated using Monte Carlo simulations of isomers of stilbene and halogenated derivatives of propane. The two torsional angles in cis-stilbene are found to be much more strongly correlated than those in trans-stilbene, while the degree of the angular correlation in propane increases strongly on substitution of hydrogen atoms with chlorine.