Pyrimidines. XIII. Novel pyrimidine to pyrimidine transformation reactions

Novel pyrimidine to pyrimidine transformation reactions are described. 1,3-Dimethyl-(or diethyl)-uracil(1) are converted into isocytosine, 2-thiouracil or uracil derivatives by treatment with guanidine, thiourea or urea, respectively. The latter two cases require base catalysis. The effects of some substituents at C-5 and C-6 of 1,3-dialkylated uracils (1a → 1e) on this transformation were examined and a plausible mechanism is offered for their reaction. The utility of this reaction is exemplified by the facile two-step conversion of pseudouridine into the anlileukemic agent, pseudoisocytidine, in good overall yield.     

Solvent effect on protein binding by polymer brush grafted onto porous membranes

An epoxy-group-containing polymer chain was grafted onto the hollow-fiber form of a porous polyethylene membrane by the immersion of the electron beam-irradiated trunk polymer in glycidyl methacrylate diluted with methanol and 1-butanol. The epoxy group density ranged from 8.5 to 13.4 mol per kg of the trunk polymer. Subsequently, the epoxy groups produced were converted into sulfonic acid and diethylamino groups. The density of -SOH and -N(C2H5), groups was 0.40 and 2.2 mol per kg of the product. respectively. The polymer brush, defined as a polymer chain extending from the surface of a pore toward the interior of the pore, was evaluated from the determination of an equilibrium binding capacity of hen egg lysozyme (HEL) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The polymer brush prepared in 1-butanol was found to be longer than that prepared in methanol from the determinations of liquid permeability and protein adsorptivity. The proteins were bound to the polymer brush prepared in 1-butanol, followed by the functionalization, at higher degrees of multilayer binding: about 30 for HEL and 6 for BSA.     

Synthesis of 4-[(1,3-diaminopyrrolo[3′,4′:4,5]pyrido[2,3-d]-pyrimidin-8-yl)benzoyl]-L-glutamic acid as a potential antifolate

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor Roland K. Robins The synthesis of 4-[(1,3-diaminopyrrolo[3′,4′:4,5]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-8-yl)benzoyl]-L-glutamic acid ( 18 ), a potential antifolate and anticancer agent, has been achieved starting from 1,4-dibromobutan-2-ol with alkyl p-aminobenzoic acids. Condensation of these two agents gave 1-(4-alkoxycarbonylphenyl)pyrrolidin-3-ols 7a,b , which were oxidized to the corresponding pyrrolidin-3-one derivatives 8a,b . Compounds 8a,b were converted into 1,3-diamino-8-(4-alkoxycarbonylphenyl)-7,8-dihydro-9H-pyrrolo[3′,4′:4,5]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines 12a,b in 4 steps. Saponification of 12b the benzoate ester and coupling with di-tert-butyl glutamate afforded a mixture of 7,8-dihydro product 16 and its aromatized derivative 17 . Finally hydrolysis of esters 16 or 17 gave only the title compound 18 . The 7,8-dihydro tricyclic derivatives were easily air-oxidized to form their fully aromatized compounds. The title compound 18 was one tenth less active than MTX against HL-60 cells in culture.     

Pyrimidines. 20. Novel reactions of 5-cyano-1,3-dimethyluracil. A simple synthesis of pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines

A reaction of 5-cyano-1,3-dimethyluracil (1, R = CN) with acetone in base afforded 1,3,7-trimethylpyrido-[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)dione ( 9a ) in a moderate yield. From a reaction mixture of 1 (R = CN) with butanone, 1,3,6,7-tetramethyl- and 7-ethyl-1,3-dimethylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione ( 9b and 9c , respectively) were isolated in low yields. When ethyl cyanoacetate or malononitrile was used in place of the ketone in the above reaction, 7-amino-6-ethoxycarbonyl- and 7-amino-6-cyano-1,3-dimethylpyrido[2,3-d]-pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione ( 14a and 14b , respectively) were obtained in quantitative yields. A plausible mechanism for the formation of bicyclic compounds is discussed.     

Rhodium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Synthesis,Structures, and Properties of Single and Double Azahelicene-Like Molecules

The enantioselective synthesis of aza[6] and [7]helicene-like molecules have been achieved by the cationic rhodium(I)/axially chiral biaryl bisphosphine complex-catalyzed intramolecular [2+2+2] cycloaddition of cyanodiynes. This protocol was successfully applied to the diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of an S-shaped double aza[6]helicene-like molecule with a high ee value of 89 %. Although no epimerization and racemization were observed in the double carbo[6]helicene-like molecule at 80 °C, epimerization and racemization of the double aza[6]helicene-like molecule proceeded at 80 °C. This double aza[6]helicene-like molecule showed good fluorescent quantum yields and chiroptical responses under both neutral and acidic conditions.     

Rhodium-Catalyzed Highly Diastereo- and Enantioselective Synthesis of a Configurationally Stable S-Shaped Double Helicene-Like Molecule

An S-shaped double helicene-like molecule (>99 % ee), possessing stable helical chirality, has been synthesized by the rhodium(I)/difluorphos complex-catalyzed highly diastereo- and enantioselective intramolecular double [2+2+2] cycloaddition of a 2-naphthol- and benzene-linked hexayne. The collision between two terminal naphthalene rings destabilizes the helical chirality of the S-shaped double helicene-like molecule, but the introduction of two additional fused benzene rings significantly increases the configurational stability. Thus, no epimerization and racemization were observed even at 100 °C. The enantiopure S-shaped double helicene-like molecule forms a trimer through the multiple C−H⋅⋅⋅π and C−H⋅⋅⋅O interactions in the solid-state. The trimers stack to form columnar packing structures, in which neighboring stacks have opposite dipole directions. The accumulation of helical structures in the same direction in the S-shaped double helicene-like molecule enhanced the chiroptical properties.     

Superconductivity and crystallographic properties of La2 − xMxCuO4 − δ (M = Na, K)

Superconductivity and crystallographic properties of La_{2 − x}M_xCuO_{4 − δ} (M = Na, K) are studied. In the La_{2 − x}M_xCuO_{4 − δ} system, superconductivity is detected for x 0.2. Oxygen content analysis shows that the system has more oxygen vacancies than the La_{2 − x}Sr_xCuO_{4 − δ} system. These oxygen vacancies may reduce the hole concentration, and high Na-doping is needed to produce superconductivity. In the La_{2 − x}K_xCuO_{4 − δ} system, superconductivity is observed for the first time. Resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements show that T_c(onset) is 40 K and the Meissner volume fraction is about 4% for x = 0.7. The system changes from orthorhombic to a tetragonal K₂NiF₄ structure at x ≈ 0.3 and only tetragonal samples show superconductivity.     

Structure and dynamics of ovalbumin gels

Solvent effects on dynamical and thermal behaviors of ovalbumin (OVA) gels induced by thermal denaturation at high temperature of 160°C were studied from dynamic shear modulus measurement, shear creep and creep recovery measurement, and DSC measurement. Two organic solvents, glycerin (G) and ethylene glycol (EG), and their mixtures with water (W)(G/W and EG/W) were used as solvent for preparation of gels. Stable gels formed in pure glycerin took a fractal structure at OVA concentration C range of 15–45wt% at a temperature specific to respective C, whereas a fractal structure was not observed for gels prepared in EG, G/W, and EG/W. The results were consistent with thermal denaturation behaviors of OVA in these solvents. Morphologies of two gels prepared in water and glycerin were explored using high resolution SEM, which showed that a basic unit responsible for formation of OVA gels was spheres with a diameter ranging from 20 to 40 nm, being much larger than 5.6 nm of the diameter of native OVA, and a fractal structure was related to network formation accompanied by melting of those spheres.Dedicated to Prof. John D. Ferry on the occasion of his 85th birthday.     

Optical resolution of racemic amino acid derivatives with molecularly imprinted membranes bearing oligopeptide tweezers

Molecularly imprinted polymeric membranes were prepared from various oligopeptide tweezers by the adoption of N‐α‐tert‐butoxycarbonyl‐D ‐tryptophan (Boc‐D ‐Trp) or N‐α‐tert‐butoxycarbonyl‐L ‐tryptophan (Boc‐L ‐Trp) as a print molecule. The chiral recognition ability of the formed molecular recognition sites was dependent on the absolute configuration of the print molecule adopted in the membrane preparation (molecular imprinting) process, whereas the candidate oligopeptide tweezers consisted of the L ‐amino acid residues. In other words, the membranes imprinted by the D ‐isomer recognized the D ‐isomer in preference to the corresponding L ‐isomer, and vice versa. The affinity constant between the target molecule and the chiral recognition site from the oligopeptide tweezers was higher than that from a single‐strand oligopeptide derivative. Those membranes selectively transported the enantiomer, which was preferentially incorporated into the membrane by dialysis. The permselectivities for these membranes exceeded their adsorption selectivities. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 385–396, 2005