Synthesis of di-branched heptasaccharide by one-pot glycosylation using seven independent building blocks

[reaction: see text] We describe an efficient synthesis of di-branched heptasaccharide 1 having phytoalexin elicitor activity in soybeans by one-pot glycosylation. The synthesis involves chemo- and regioselective sequential six-step glycosylations using seven independent building blocks and sequential removal of acyl- and benzyl ether-type protecting groups. The coupling of seven building blocks requires only four chemoselective activitable leaving groups of glycosyl donors. Both the glycosylation and deprotection reactions can be achieved utilizing a parallel manual synthesizer.     

Investigation of the crystal structure and the structural and magnetic properties of SrCu2(PO4)2

SrCu2(PO4)2 was prepared by the solid-state method at 1153 K. Its structure was solved by direct methods in the space group Pccn (No. 56) with Z = 8 from synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data measured at room temperature. Structure parameters were then refined by the Rietveld method to obtain the lattice parameters, a = 7.94217(8) A, b = 15.36918(14) A, and c = 10.37036(10) A. SrCu2(PO4)2 presents a new structure type and is built up from Sr2O16 and Cu1Cu2O8 units with Cu1...Cu2 = 3.256 A. The magnetic properties of SrCu2(PO4)2 were investigated by magnetic susceptibility, magnetization up to 65 T, Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR), electron-spin resonance, and specific heat measurements. With spin-dimer analysis, it was shown that the two strongest spin-exchange interactions between Cu sites result from the Cu1-O...O-Cu2 and Cu2-O...O-Cu2 super-superexchange paths with Cu1...Cu2 = 5.861 A and Cu2...Cu2 = 5.251 A, and the superexchange associated with the structural dimer Cu1Cu2O8 is negligible. The magnetic susceptibility data were analyzed in terms of a linear four-spin cluster model, Cu1-Cu2-Cu2-Cu1 with -2J(1)/kB = 82.4 K for Cu1-Cu2 and -2J(2)/k(B) = 59 K for Cu2-Cu2. A spin gap deduced from this model (Delta/kB = 63 K) is in agreement with that obtained from the Cu NQR data (Delta/kB = 65 K). A one-half magnetization plateau was observed between approximately 50 and 63 T at 1.3 K. Specific heat data show that SrCu2(PO4)2 does not undergo a long-range magnetic ordering down to 0.45 K. SrCu2(PO4)2 melts incongruently at 1189 K. We also report its vibrational properties studied with Raman spectroscopy.     

Isolation and structure determination of a new marine toxin,neosurugatoxin, from the Japanese Ivory Shell, Babylonia japonica.

A new toxin, named neosurugatoxin, was isolated from the toxic Japanese Ivory Shell and its structure was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis.     

Stir bar sorptive extraction with in situ derivatization and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for determination of chlorophenols in water and body fluid samples

A new method, stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) with in situ derivatization and thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which is used for the determination of trace amounts of chlorophenols, such as 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TrCP), 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol (2,3,4,6-TeCP) and pentachlorophenol (PCP), in tap water, river water and human urine samples, is described. The derivatization conditions with acetic acid anhydride and the SBSE conditions such as extraction time are investigated. Then, the stir bar is subjected to TD followed by GC-MS. The detection limits of the chlorophenols in tap water, river water and human urine samples are 1-2, 1-2, and 10-20 pg ml⁻¹ (ppt), respectively. The calibration curves for the chlorophenols are linear and have correlation coefficients higher than 0.99. The average recoveries of the chlorophenols in all the samples are higher than 95% (R.S.D. < 10%) with correction using added surrogate standards, 2,4-dichlorophenol-d₅, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol-¹³C₆, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol-¹³C₆ and pentachlorophenol-¹³C₆. This simple, accurate, sensitive and selective analytical method may be applicable to the determination of trace amounts of chlorophenols in liquid samples.     

Catalytic specificity exhibited by p-sulfonatocalix[n]arenes in the methanolysis of N-acetyl-l-amino acids

Specific acid catalysis of p-sulfonatocalix[n]arenes (n = 4, Calix-S4; n = 6, Calix-S6; n = 8, Calix-S8) was observed in the alcoholysis of N-acetyl-l-amino acids in methanol. The methanolysis rates of basic amino acid substrates (His, Lys, and Arg) were markedly enhanced in the presence of Calix-Sn, as compared with rates observed with p-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid (pHBS), which is a noncyclic analogue of Calix-Sn. This catalytic effect of Calix-Sn was not observed for the methanolysis of Phe, Tyr, and Trp substrates. On the other hand, (1)H NMR experiments following the effect of Calix-Sn on N-acetyl-l-amino acid substrates in CD(3)OD showed that the spectrum of a mixture of the His substrate with Calix-Sn was significantly different from the combined spectra of the respective compounds. These changes in spectra support the formation of an inclusion complex of Calix-Sn with basic amino acids. Furthermore, it was obvious that methanolysis of the His substrate catalyzed by Calix-S4 and Calix-S6 obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. These results indicate that the catalytic activity of Calix-Sn originates from its forming a complex with specific substrates (basic amino acids), similar to enzymatic reactions.     

W(CO)5(L)-catalyzed endo-selective cyclization of allenyl silyl enol ethers: an efficient method for the cyclopentene annulation onto alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones

[reaction: see text] Indium-mediated allenylation of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones in the presence of tert-butyldimethylsilyl triflate and dimethyl sulfide gives 6-siloxy-1,2,5-trienes, which undergo W(CO)(5)(L)-catalyzed 5-endo cyclization to give the corresponding cyclopentene derivatives in good yield. Furthermore, this novel W(CO)(5)(L)-catalyzed cyclization of allenyl silyl enol ethers proceeds in a 6-endo manner when 5-siloxy-1,2,5-trienes are employed as a substrate. In these reactions, effective electrophilic activation of allenyl compounds for attack by silyl enol ethers is achieved using a catalytic amount of W(CO)(6).     

Penning ionization electron spectroscopy of C6H6 by collision with He*(2 3 S) metastable atoms and classical trajectory calculations: optimization of ab initio model potentials

The potential energy surface of benzene (C(6)H(6)) with a He*(2(3)S) atom was obtained by comparison of experimental data in collision-energy-resolved two-dimensional Penning ionization electron spectroscopy with classical trajectory calculations. The ab initio model interaction potentials for C(6)H(6)+He*(2(3)S) were successfully optimized by the overlap expansion method; the model potentials were effectively modified by correction terms proportional to the overlap integrals between orbitals of the interacting system, C(6)H(6) and He*(2(3)S). Classical trajectory calculations with optimized potentials gave excellent agreement with the observed collision-energy dependence of partial ionization cross sections. Important contributions to corrections were found to be due to interactions between unoccupied molecular orbitals and the He*2s orbital. A C(6)H(6) molecule attracts a He*(2(3)S) atom widely at the region where pi electrons distribute, and the interaction of -80 meV (ca. -1.8 kcal/mol) just cover the carbon hexagon. The binding energy of a C(6)H(6) molecule and a He* atom was 107 meV at a distance of 2.40 A on the sixfold axis from the center of a C(6)H(6) molecule, which is similar to that of C(6)H(6)+Li and is much larger than those of the C(6)H(6)+[He,Ne,Ar] systems.     

Preparation of Secondary Carbinamines via Alkylation of N-Boryl Imines Generated from Partial Reduction of Nitriles with NABH4-Carboxylic Acid

Secondary carbinamines have been prepared from alkylation of N-boryl imines which were generated in situ from partial reduction of nitriles with sodium brohydride modified by carboxylic acid.     

Vacuum birefringence in strong magnetic fields: (I) Photon polarization tensor with all the Landau levels

Photons propagating in strong magnetic fields are subject to a phenomenon called the “vacuum birefringence” where refractive indices of two physical modes both deviate from unity and are different from each other. We compute the vacuum polarization tensor of a photon in a static and homogeneous magnetic field by utilizing Schwinger’s proper-time method, and obtain a series representation as a result of double integrals analytically performed with respect to proper-time variables. The outcome is expressed in terms of an infinite sum of known functions which is plausibly interpreted as summation over all the Landau levels of fermions. Each contribution from infinitely many Landau levels yields a kinematical condition above which the contribution has an imaginary part. This indicates decay of a sufficiently energetic photon into a fermion–antifermion pair with corresponding Landau level indices. Since we do not resort to any approximation, our result is applicable to the calculation of refractive indices in the whole kinematical region of a photon momentum and in any magnitude of the external magnetic field.