Influence of quaternary onium salts,crown ethers and cryptands on olefin epoxidations promoted by HOCl/ClO− in the Presence of Mn(III)-tetrakis(2,6-dichlorophenyl)porphyrin chloride

Reaction rates of alkene epoxidations, promoted by aqueous NaOCl and catalyzed by Mn(III)-tetrakis(2,6-dichlorophenyl)porphyrin chloride1 (P) in the presence of a lipophilic axial ligand (L) (e.g.N-hexylimidazole) and carried out under H₂O/CH₂Cl₂ two phase conditions at 0°C, are strongly enhanced by lowering the pH of the aqueous phase from 12.7 to 9.5. Under these conditions, a further relevant increase in the reaction rates can be achieved by adding phase-transfer catalysts (PT), e.g. quaternary ammonium salt 3, lipophilic crown ether4 or cryptand5, provided that the amount of L is very small (L/P=1 for very reactive alkenes, e.g. cyclooctene, and 10 for poorly reactive ones, e.g. 1-dodecene). In the case of cyclooctene epoxidation, the use of 0.006–0.03 mol. equiv. of PT completes the reaction in 1–10 min., the initial rates being up to 600 turnovers/min. with (2.2.2,C₁₀) cryptand. In the absence of the axial ligand, the quaternary ammonium salt3 and cryptand5 show an inhibitory effect. Such an effect is due to the formation of the poorly reactive Mn(P)CI species, by Cl– extraction to the organic phase. However, dibenzo crown ether 4 does not show this effect. In the presence of 4, and with L/P =1, the 1-dodecene epoxidation reaches 94% in 1 min. The unique behavior of crown ethers can be explained by their ineffectiveness in extracting alkali chlorides, providing a very low concentration of Cl– in the organic phase and thus avoiding the Mn(III)-porphyrin deactivation.This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Dr C. J. Pedersen.     

Geminate rebinding in R-state hemoglobin: kinetic and computational evidence for multiple hydrophobic pockets

Biphasic geminate rebinding of CO to myoglobin upon flash photolysis has been associated to ligand distribution in hydrophobic cavities, structurally detected by time-resolved crystallography, xenon occupancy, and molecular simulations. We show that the time course of CO rebinding to human hemoglobin also exhibits a biphasic geminate rebinding when the protein is entrapped in wet nanoporous silica gel. A simple branched kinetic scheme, involving the bound state A, the primary docking site C, and a secondary binding site B was used to calculate the microscopic rates and the time-dependent population of the intermediate species. The activation enthalpies of the associated transitions were determined in the absence and presence of 80% glycerol. Potential hydrophobic docking cavities within the alpha and beta chains of hemoglobin were identified by computational modeling using xenon as a probe. A hydrophobic pocket on the distal side of the heme, corresponding to Xe4 in Mb, and a nearby site that does not have a correspondence in Mb were detected. Neither potential xenon sites on the proximal side nor a migration channel from the distal to proximal site was located. The small enthalpic barriers between states B and C are in very good agreement with the location of the xenon sites on the distal side. Furthermore, the connection between the two xenon sites is relatively open, explaining why the decreased mobility of the protein with viscosity only slightly perturbs the energetics of ligand migration between the two sites.     

Enantiomeric separation of chiral peptide nucleic acid monomers by capillary electrophoresis with charged cyclodextrins

Direct chiral separation of chiral peptide nucleic acid (PNA) monomers has been achieved for the first time by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with charged cyclodextrins as chiral selectors added to the electrophoretic buffer. Selectively modified 6-deoxy-6-N-histamino-beta-cyclodextrin and sulfobutyl ether-beta-CD were successfully used as chiral selectors for the enantiomeric separation of chiral monomers based on different aminoethylamino acids bearing thymine or adenine as nucleobases. Chiral separations were obtained at low selector concentrations (1-3 mM) with good enantioselectivity and resolution factors. Separations were optimized as a function of pH in order to exploit the effect of the electrostatic interactions between the oppositely charged selector and selectand. The method has been applied to the analysis of the enantiomeric excess of chiral monomers used for the solid phase synthesis of chiral PNA oligomers. CE chiral analysis showed that a very high enantiomeric purity was generally achieved in the synthesis of all monomers, except for histidine and aspartic acid based monomers in which ca. 10% of the "wrong" enantiomer was always present.     

Partitioning of metals between the aqueous phase and suspended insoluble material in fog droplets

This paper discusses the partitioning of metals (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Al, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn) between the aqueous phase and the suspended insoluble material in fog samples collected in the Po Valley during two extensive fields campaigns. Metals represent on average 11% of the mass of suspended insoluble matter, while the main component is carbon (both organic carbon, OC = 35%, and black carbon, BC = 8%). The unaccounted suspended matter mass is very high, on average 46%, and is attributable to non metallic species, such as O and N and of Si. The principal metals in the insoluble suspended fraction are Fe and Al (2-5%), while the contributions of other metals (Na, Mg, Cu, Pb and Zn) are lower than 1%. Ca and K exhibited high blank values and could not be detected above blank detection limit threshold. The main components in the aqueous phase are NO3- (34%), WSOC (23%), SO4(2-) (18%) and NH4+ (19%), while trace metals and remaining cations and anions accounted for less than 1% of solute mass. The main dissolved trace metals in fog droplets are Zn, Al and Fe, while the main metallic cations are Na and Ca. Fe and Al are the only metals preferentially distributed in the suspended insoluble matter of fog droplets (partitioning ratio respectively 37% and 33%). All other metals are mostly dissolved in the aqueous phase (mean partitioning ratios of Mg, Pb, Zn, Cu and Na are 69%, 70%, 77%, 81% and 87%). These findings are in agreement with literature data on metal speciation in cloud and rain samples. The dependence of partitioning ratios on pH is investigated for the different metals, with only Al showing a clear partitioning ratio decrease with increasing pH. Conversely, the other metals show no dependence or a complex and highly variable behaviour. The partitioning ratio of iron (mean 37%) observed in the Po Valley fog samples is much higher than the water extractable iron in aerosol particles (typically 1-2 %): this fact can be explained by differences in the aerosol sources and composition among sites and by chemical processes in the aqueous phase, such as complexation and redox reactions involving organic ligands (oxalate, or other organic acids as humic-like organic matter) which may promote Fe solubility.     

Rh(I) coordination chemistry of chiral alpha-aminophosphine(eta6-arene)chromium tricarbonyl ligands

The diastereoselective addition of Ph(2)PH to the chiral ortho-substituted eta(6)-benzaldimine complexes (eta(6)-o-X-C(6)H(4)CH=NAr)Cr(CO)(3) (1, X = MeO, Ar = p-C(6)H(4)OMe; 2, X = Cl, Ar = Ph) leads to the formation of the corresponding chiral aminophosphines (alpha-P,N) Ph(2)P-CH(Ar(1))-NHAr(2) (3, Ar(1) = o-C(6)H(4)(OCH(3))[Cr(CO)(3)], Ar(2) = p-C(6)H(4)OCH(3); 4, Ar(1) = o-C(6)H(4)Cl[Cr(CO)(3)], Ar(2) = Ph) in equilibrium with the starting materials. The uncomplexed benzaldimine (o-ClC(6)H(4)CH=NPh), 2', analogously produces an equilibrium amount of the corresponding aminophosphine Ph(2)P-CH(Ar(1))-NHAr(2) (4', Ar(1) = o-C(6)H(4)Cl, Ar(2) = Ph). Depending on the equilibrium constant, the subsequent addition of (1)/(2) equiv of [RhCl(COD)](2) (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) leads to either Ph(2)PH oxidative addition in the case of 3 or to the corresponding [RhCl(COD)(alpha-P,N)] complexes [RhCl(COD)(Ph(2)P-CH[o-C(6)H(4)Cl[Cr(CO)(3)]]-NHPh)] (5) and [RhCl(COD)(Ph(2)P-CH(o-C(6)H(4)Cl)-NHPh)] (5') in the cases of the aminophosphines 4 and 4'. The addition of the latter ligands, as racemic mixtures, to (1)/(4) equiv of [Rh(CO)(2)Cl](2) leads to the [RhCl(CO)(alpha-P,N)(2)] complexes [RhCO(Ph(2)P-CH[o-C(6)H(4)Cl[Cr(CO)(3)]]-NHPh)(2)Cl] (7) or [RhCO(Ph(2)P-CH(o-C(6)H(4)Cl)-NHPh)(2)Cl] (7') as mixtures of (R(C),S(C))/(S(C),R(C)) and (R(C),R(C))/(S(C),S(C)) diastereomers. The rhodium complexes 5 and 7' have been fully characterized by IR and (31)P NMR spectroscopies and X-ray crystallography. These compounds exhibit intramolecular Rh-Cl.H-N interactions in the solid state and in solution. The stability of the new rhodium complexes has been studied under different CO pressures. Under 1 atm of CO, 5 is converted to an unstable complex [RhCl(CO)(2)(alpha-P,N)], 6, which undergoes ligand redistribution leading to 7 plus an unidentified complex. This reaction is inhibited under higher CO or syngas pressure, as confirmed by the observation of the same catalytic activity in hydroformylation when styrene was added to a catalytic mixture that was either freshly prepared or left standing for 20 h under high CO pressure.     

Synthesis, Chemical Characterization, and Molecular Structure of Au8{Fe(CO)4}4(dppe)2 and Au6Cu2{Fe(CO)4}4(dppe)2

The new Au₈{Fe(CO)₄}₄(P^P)₂ and Au₆Cu₂{Fe(CO)₄}₄(P^P)₂ (P^P=dppm, dppe) neutral cluster compounds were isolated in good yields by condensation of the [Au₃{Fe(CO)₄}₂(P^P)]^- anions with Au(SEt₂)Cl and CuCl, respectively, and have been characterized by IR, NMR and microanalyses. The molecular structures of Au₈{Fe(CO)₄}₄(dppe)₂ and Au₆Cu₂{Fe(CO)₄}₄(dppe)₂ have been determined by X-ray diffraction studies. Both molecules adopt a stereogeometry of the heavy atoms consisting of a triangulated and corrugated ribbon twisted around the elongation direction. Contrary to the expectations the latter displays the two copper atoms in the sites of highest connectivity. This implies that site exchange between copper and gold occurs during the synthesis.     

Conformational studies by dynamic NMR spectroscopy. Part 96: Stereomutations of highly hindered naphthylphenyl atropisomers in solution and in the solids

When a benzene ring bears two 2-methyl-1-naphthyl moieties in the para, meta or ortho positions as in 1,4-bis(2-methyl-1-naphthyl)benzene, 1, 1,3-bis(2-methyl-1-naphthyl)benzene, 2 and 1,2-bis(2-methyl-1-naphthyl)benzene 3, two rotational isomers (atropisomers) are generated, with the two naphthyl substituents in a syn or anti relationship. In the case of the para and meta derivatives (1 and 2, respectively) these atropisomers could not be separated but were detected by NMR spectroscopy, that also allowed the determination of their syn-anti interconversion barriers in solution (19.5 and 20.4 kcal mol⁻¹, respectively) and, in the case of 2, also in the solid state (26.7 kcal mol⁻¹). In the more hindered ortho derivative 3, the syn (meso) and anti (racemic) atropisomers interconvert in solution with a barrier (31.2 kcal mol⁻¹) sufficiently high to allow their physical separation. The racemic form could also be separated (by enantioselective HPLC) into the PP and MM enantiomers. Analysis of the corresponding CD spectra allowed the assignment of the absolute configuration. When three such naphthyl substituents are bonded to the phenyl in a meta relationship, two atropisomers in statistical proportions were observed: the anti (C_s symmetry) and the syn (C_3v symmetry) display a 3:1 ratio at the equilibrium in solution. This ratio is different in the solid state, as is the interconversion barrier (22.1 and 32.1 kcal mol⁻¹ in solution and in the solid, respectively).     

Synthesis of 5H-benzimidazo[1,2-a][1,3,4]thiadiazolo[2,3-d][1,3,5]triazin-5-one and 12H-benzimidazo[1,2-a]pyrimido[6,1-d][1,3,5]triazin-12-one,two new heterocyclic ring systems

2-(2,6-Dimethylpyrimidin-4-ylaminobenzimidazole) (VIIa) and 2-(1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-ylamino)benzimidazole (VIIb) underwent a ring-closure reaction with phosgene giving 1,3-dimethyl-12H-benzirnidazo[1,2-a]pyrirnido[6,1][-d][1,3,5]triazin-12-one (IIa) and 5H-benzimidazo[1,2-a][1,3,4]thiadiazolo[2,3-d][1,3,5]triazin-5-one (IIb) two hitherto unknown heterocyclic systems. A convenient synthesis of 2,6-dimethyl-4-aminopyrimidine is described.     

Synthesis of 2-oxazolines mediated by N,N′-diisopropylcarbodiimide

N-(β-Hydroxy)amides can be cyclised by reaction with diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC) to give the corresponding 2-oxazolines in high yields. The reaction requires only very mild Lewis-acid catalysis (5 mol % Cu(OTf)₂) and can be accomplished with simple heating, or in very short reaction times under microwave irradiation.