Structure Elucidator: a versatile expert system for molecular structure elucidation from 1D and 2D NMR data and molecular fragments

StrucEluc is an expert system that allows the computer-assisted elucidation of chemical structures based on the inputs of a series of spectral data including 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectra. The system has been enabled to allow a chemist to utilize fragments stored in a fragment database as well as user-defined fragments submitted by the chemist in the structure elucidation process. The association of fragments in this way has been shown to dramatically speed up the process of structure generation from 2D NMR data and has helped to minimize or eliminate the need for user intervention thereby further enabling the vision of automated elucidation. The use of fragments has frequently transformed very difficult 2D NMR elucidation challenges into easily solvable tasks. A strategy to utilize molecular fragments has been developed and optimized based on specific challenging examples. This strategy will be described here using real world examples. Experience gained by solving more than 150 structure elucidation problems from a variety of literature sources is also reviewed in this work.     

Control of Redox Potential by Deprotonation of Coordinated 1H‐Imidazole in Complexes of 2‐(1H‐Imidazol‐2‐yl)pyridine

Complexes [ML₃]²⁺ of the bidentate ligand 2‐(1H‐imidazol‐2‐yl)pyridine were prepared with iron(II), cobalt(II), and ruthenium(II). The electronic spectra suggest the ligand to be a weaker σ‐donor and π‐acceptor than the closely related 2,2′‐bipyridine. The complexes are readily deprotonated by addition of base, and the effect of the deprotonation is to lower the M^III/M^II redox potential by roughly 900 mV. This is roughly 75% of the drop observed for related complexes of 2,6‐di‐1H‐imidazol‐2‐ylpyridine, and suggests the effect to be largely coulombic in origin.     

The synthesis of a precursor of polybenzimidazole (PBI) and blends with polyamic acid (PAA)

The precursor of polybenzimidazole (PBI), poly(3,3′-diamino-4,4′-benzidine isophthalamide) (PDABI), was synthesized from poly(3,3′-dinitro-4,4′-benzidine isophthalamide) (PDNBI) by reduction. With increasing temperature, the NH₂ moiety which was protected by SnCl₅^?1 could cyclize and form PBI. Blends with polyamic acid (LaRC-TPI) were prepared. Clear blend films were prepared at up to 400°C. The IR spectra displayed shifts in the NH stretching band, thereby providing evidence for specific interactions related to the miscibility of their cured blends. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Dimethyldihydropyrene-dehydrobenzoannulene hybrids: studies in aromaticity and photoisomerization

The synthesis and study of dehydrobenzoannulene (DBA)-dimethyldihydropyrene (DDP) hybrids as models for the investigation of aromaticity in weakly diatropic systems is reported. Three new monofused DBA-DDP hybrids have been synthesized, and their NMR spectra are discussed with regard to quantifying the aromaticity remaining in multibenzene-fused DBAs. Nucleus-independent chemical shifts, determined at a series of locations for each compound, bond lengths, and (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shifts were calculated and used to probe the aromaticity of these hybrids. Systems where more than one annulene/DBA is fused to the DDP core have also been obtained, and their potential use in photoinduced isomerization applications is discussed.     

Forces in molecular recognition: Comparison of experimental data and molecular mechanics calculations

Summary NMR studies of the rotation barrier of the disaccharide of the glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin have been used to test the performance of computer simulation techniques using molecular mechanics. In the absence of any solvated water, no correlation could be found between experiment and calculation. By introducing solvent water molecules into the binding region of the antibiotic, the NMR results could be simulated both qualitatively and quantitatively within experimental error without using massive computational resources.     

Pyridine N-alkylation by lithium, magnesium, and zinc alkyl reagents: synthetic, structural, and mechanistic studies on the bis(imino)pyridine system

The 2,6-bis(alpha-iminoalkyl)pyridines 2,6-[ArNC(CR(3))](2)C(5)H(3)N [R = H, D; Ar = 2,6-i-Pr(2)C(6)H(3) (DIPP), 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3) (DMP)] react with MeLi in Et(2)O to give a binary mixture of products: the pyridine N-methylated species 2,6-[ArNC(CR(3))](2)C(5)H(3)N(Me)Li(OEt(2)) and the deprotonated/dedeuterated species 2-[ArNC(CR(3))],6-[ArNC(=CR(2))]C(5)H(3)NLi(OEt(2)). For R = D, the product ratio is 2:1 in favor of the N-methylated product, while, for R = H, the deprotonated product is favored by 5:1, increasing to 8:1 in toluene solvent. Warming solutions of the N-methylated species leads to clean conversion to the thermodynamically preferred deprotonated species. Crossover experiments show that MeLi is re-formed and dissociates from the terdentate ligand before deprotonating the ketimine methyl unit. For MgR(2) (R = Et, i-Pr) and ZnR(2) (R = Et) reagents, N-alkylation products are formed exclusively, but derivatives containing bulky aryl substituents are found to undergo further rearrangement to 2-alkylated species, arising by migration of the alkyl group of the N-alkyl moiety to the adjacent ring carbon atom. The reversibility of the N-alkylation process has been probed using deuterio-labeled Mg alkyl reagents and mixed alkyl zinc species. A cationic zinc derivative is shown to undergo "reverse" alkyl migration, from the heterocycle nitrogen atom to the zinc center. EPR spectroscopy reveals a paramagnetic intermediate in which the unpaired electron is delocalized over the heterocycle and di-imine moieties of the ligand, indicating that the N-alkylation reactions proceed via single electron-transfer processes.     

Conformational studies of small ring derivatives by x-ray crystallography—I: The crystal structure of p-nitrostyrene oxide

The crystal structure of p-nitrostyrene oxide has been determined at room temperature from three-dimensional X-ray diffractometer data, and refined by full-matrix least-squares to a final R = 0·045. The crystals are monoclinic, space group P2₁/c with unit-cell dimensions a = 7·8244(2), b = 7·1277(2), c = 14·2059(4) Å, β = 104·193(3)°. The value of the dihedral angle formed by the phenyl ring and the oxirane ring (80·2°) can be rationalised on the basis of pseudoconjugation between the two rings, and of non-bonding interactions of one of the ortho-hydrogens of the phenyl ring with the hydrogens of the oxirane ring. The oxirane ring contains a short CC bond of length 1·448(4) Å.     

A thirty year look at the nuclear science programs at the American Museum of Science and Energy

The American Museum of Science and Energy has been involved in nuclear science education since it opened in 1949. For a period between the mid-1950's and the early 1980's, a series of traveling exhibits and demonstrations provided the nation with programs about basic nuclear science and peaceful applications of atomic energy. The Museum itself continues educating its visitors about nuclear science via audio-visuals, interactive exhibitry and live demonstrations and classes.     

Comparison of power and exponential field programming in field-flow fractionation.

Field programming in field-flow fractionation has the purpose of expanding the molecular weight or particle diameter range subject to a single analytical run. The two most widely used field programs are those in which the field strength decays with time according to an exponential function and a power function, respectively. The performances of these two programming functions are compared by obtaining limiting equations showing how retention time tr, standard deviation in retention sigma t, and fractionating power Fd vary with particle diameter d. It is shown that uniform fractionating power (Fd independent of d) can be obtained with power programming but that in exponential programming Fd is always non-uniform, varying as d-1/2. In exponential programming a linear relationship arises between tr and log d. This particular relationship is impossible to realize in power programming but an alternative linear relationship can be obtained by plotting tr versus dt/3. These results are made more concrete by plotting and comparing field strength, relative field strength, Fd and tr for specific programming cases.     

Altered mechanisms of reactions of phosphate esters bridging a dinuclear metal center

Kinetic isotope effects in the nucleophile and leaving group were obtained for the reaction of p-nitrophenyl phosphate monoester coordinated to a dinuclear Co(III) complex. The metal complex of the p-nitrophenyl phosphate monoester was found to hydrolyze by a single-step concerted mechanism, with significant nucleophilic participation in the transition state. By contrast, the hydrolysis of uncomplexed p-nitrophenyl phosphate occurs by a very loose transition state with little bond formation to the nucleophile. Previously, the metal complex of the diester methyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate was found to hydrolyze via a two-step addition-elimination mechanism, in contrast to the concerted hydrolysis mechanism followed by uncomplexed diesters with the p-nitrophenolate leaving group. These results show that coordination to a metal complex can significantly alter the mechanism of phosphoryl transfer.