Use of pi-allyltricarbonyliron lactone complexes in the synthesis of taurospongin A: a potent inhibitor of DNA polymerase beta and HIV revers transcriptase

The total synthesis of taurospongin A by two new approaches has been achieved where pi-allyltricarbonyliron lactone complexes have been used to control highly stereoselective additions of the nucleophiles to a carbonyl unit located in the side chain of these complexes.     

Reductive decomplexation of pi-allyltricarbonyliron lactone complexes; a new route to stereo-defined 1,7-diols and 2,3-diene-1,7-diols

Treatment of pi-allyltricarbonyliron lactone complexes bearing an adjacent leaving group, with lithium naphthalenide causes decomplexation to acyclic dienols in excellent yield and without any scrambling of the allylic centre.     

Synthesis of taurospongin A: a potent inhibitor of DNA polymerase and HIV reverse transcriptase,using pi-allyltricarbonyliron lactone complexes

The synthesis of taurospongin A has been achieved using, as a key step, a pi-allyltricarbonyliron lactone complex to control a highly stereoselective addition of a methyl group to a carbonyl unit located in the side chain of the complex.     

Generalized Drinfel'd-Sokolov hierarchies

A general approach is adopted to the construction of integrable hierarchies of partial differential equations. A series of hierarchies associated to untwisted Kac-Moody algebras, and conjugacy classes of the Weyl group of the underlying finite Lie algebra, is obtained. The generalized KdV hierarchies of V.G. Drinfel'd and V.V. Sokolov are obtained as the special case for the Coxeter element. Various examples of the general formalism are treated in some detail; including the fractional KdV hierarchies.     

Copenhagen quantum mechanics

In our quantum mechanics courses, measurement is usually taught in passing, as an ad-hoc procedure involving the ugly collapse of the wave function. No wonder we search for more satisfying alternatives to the Copenhagen interpretation. But this overlooks the fact that the approach fits very well with modern measurement theory with its notions of the conditioned state and quantum trajectory. In addition, what we know of as the Copenhagen interpretation is a later 1950s development and some of the earlier pioneers like Bohr did not talk of wave function collapse. In fact, if one takes these earlier ideas and mixes them with later insights of decoherence, a much more satisfying version of Copenhagen quantum mechanics emerges, one for which the collapse of the wave function is seen to be a harmless book keeping device. Along the way, we explain why chaotic systems lead to wave functions that spread out quickly on macroscopic scales implying that Schrödinger cat states are the norm rather than curiosities generated in physicists’ laboratories. We then describe how the conditioned state of a quantum system depends crucially on how the system is monitored illustrating this with the example of a decaying atom monitored with a time of arrival photon detector, leading to Bohr’s quantum jumps. On the other hand, other kinds of detection lead to much smoother behaviour, providing yet another example of complementarity. Finally we explain how classical behaviour emerges, including classical mechanics but also thermodynamics.     

The exceptional Jordan algebra and the superstring

Two representations of the exceptional Jordan algebra are presented, one in terms of bose vertex operators, and the other in terms of superstring vertex operators in bosonised form, including their BRST ghost contributions. It is also shown how the non-exceptional Jordan algebras may be constructed similarly.     

Tau-functions and generalized intergrable hierarchies

The tau-function formalism for a class of generalized zero-curvature integrable hierarchies of partial differential equations is constructed. The class includes the Drinfel'd-Sokolov hierarchies. A direct relation between the variables of the zero-curvature formalism and the tau-functions is established. The formalism also clarifies the connection between the zero-curvature hierarchies and the Hirotatype hierarchies of Kac and Wakimoto.Address after 1^st October 1992: Theory Division, CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland