A Structurally Robust Chiral Borate Ion: Molecular Design,Synthesis, and Asymmetric Catalysis

Catalysis by chiral weakly‐coordinating anions (WCAs) remains underdeveloped due to the lack of a molecular design strategy for exploiting their characteristics, such as the non‐nucleophilic nature. Here, we report the development of a chiral borate ion comprising an O,N,N,O‐tetradentate backbone, which ensures hitherto unattainable structural robustness. Upon pairing with a proton, the hydrogen borate acts as an effective catalyst for the asymmetric Prins‐type cyclization of vinyl ethers, providing access to structurally and stereochemically defined dihydropyrans. The key to selectivity control is the distinct ability of the borate ion to discriminate the prochiral faces of the acyclic oxonium ion intermediate and dictate the regiochemical outcome. We anticipate that this study paves the way for exploring the untapped potential of WCA catalysis for selective chemical synthesis.     

Simultaneous Induction of Axial and Planar Chirality in Arene–Chromium Complexes by Molybdenum‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Ring‐Closing Metathesis

The molybdenum‐catalyzed asymmetric ring‐closing metathesis of the various C_s‐symmetric (π‐arene)chromium substrates provides the corresponding bridged planar‐chiral (π‐arene)chromium complexes in excellent yields with up to >99 % ee. With a bulky and unsymmetrical substituent, such as N‐indolyl or 1‐naphthyl, at the 2‐positions of the η⁶‐1,3‐diisopropenylbenzene ligands, both biaryl‐based axial chirality and π‐arene‐based planar chirality are simultaneously induced in the products. The axial chirality is retained even after the removal of the dicarbonylchromium fragment, and the chiral biaryl/heterobiaryl compounds are obtained with complete retention of the enantiopurity.     

New di‐ and triorganotin(IV) carboxylates derived from a Schiff base: synthesis,characterization and in vitro antimicrobial activities

A new carboxylic acid, 2‐{[5‐(2‐nitrophenyl)furan‐2‐yl]methyleneamino}benzoic acid (HOBZ), has been produced by reacting 5‐(2‐nitrophenyl)furfural with 2‐aminobenzoic acid. Reactions of NaOBZ with organotin chlorides led to formation of [Me₃Sn(OBZ)] ( 1 ), [Bu₃Sn(OBZ)] ( 2 ), [Me₂Sn(OBZ)₂] ( 3 ) and [Bu₂Sn(OBZ)₂] ( 4 ). Complexes 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 have been characterized using elemental analyses and infrared, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ¹¹⁹Sn NMR and ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectroscopies. In the solid state, the OBZ ligands might coordinate to tin in an anisobidentate fashion via the carboxylate group. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of all compounds has been screened against the following fungi: Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. parasiticus, Penicillium citrinum, Candida dubliniensis, C. lusitaniae, C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata; and against the following bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus sanguinis, Escherichia coli, Citrobacter frendii, Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Complexes 2 and 4 exhibited higher biocide activity in comparison to 1 and 3 and to the control drugs nystatin and miconazole nitrate for the yeasts, and chloramphenicol and ampicillin for the bacteria. The biological activity of 2 was superior to that of 4 . In addition, the toxicity of HOBZ, NaOBz and 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 were determined using Chlorella vulgaris, revealing low toxicity of the complexes at MIC₅₀ concentrations. We also performed cell viability studies, using XTT assay, displaying no change in the mitochondrial function after 2–4 h of exposure of the microorganism to the complexes at MIC₅₀ concentrations. The butyl‐containing complexes 2 and 4 display greater lipophilicities than do the methyl analogues 1 and 3 , thereby endowing 2 and 4 with superior abilities to cross the microbe cell membrane, the possible mechanism of action. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interpretation of the Role of Composition on the Inclusion Efficiency of Monovalent Cations into Cobalt Hexacyanoferrate

Cobalt hexacyanoferrate of various compositions was prepared in flow mode and the role of the vacancy on the structure, thermogravimetric (TG) properties, and the adsorption efficiency was studied. The material, Na_yCo[Fe(CN)₆]_1−x ⋅ z H₂O, with a minimum vacancy of x=0.014 to the highest x=0.47, was obtained. The TG-differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) profile showed a distinct influence of the vacancy on the water release temperature. Materials with x>0.35 showed a smooth release of water at a relatively lower temperature. However, for the materials with x<0.35, water release took place in multiple steps, suggesting the existence of various forms of water. The FTIR profiles supported the existence of free and bonded water molecules. However, the materials with multiple water peaks in the FTIR spectra showed a shift of the major XRD peaks when heated at 285 °C in N₂ atmosphere. Regarding the effect of the vacancy on the adsorption behavior, for NH₄, the adsorption was found to be proportional to the number of Na atoms in the material, confirming the ion-exchange process. On the contrary, the materials with low vacancy and high Na content showed nominal Cs adsorption capacity. Interestingly, the K adsorption capacity was found to be in between that of the other two ions. This means the ionic size decides the rate of placement into the interstitial sites. For larger ions like Cs, the ease of percolation via the vacancy decides the overall adsorption efficiency.     

Total Synthesis of Terpioside B

The first total synthesis of terpioside B ( 1 ) has been accomplished. Key steps include the stereoselective installments of a set of challenging 1,2-cis-glycosidic linkages. Thus, α(1,4)-linked d -galactoside was effectively constructed from a 1,2-anhydrogalactose donor and an unprotected 1,6-anhydrogalactose acceptor by using a boron-mediated aglycon delivery (BMAD) method. In addition, α-l -fucofuranosides were stereoselectively and simultaneously constructed by remote group-assisted 1,2-cis-α-stereoselective glycosylations.     

1,2-Dihydro-1-hydroxy-2,3,1-benzodiazaborine Bearing an Acridine Moiety as a Circular Dichroism Probe for Determination of Absolute Configuration of Mono-Alcohols

A new chiral probe molecule for mono-alcohols is developed by using 1,2-dihydro-1-hydroxy-2,3,1-benzodiazaborine (DAB) bearing an acridine moiety 1 . In the presence of mono-alcohols, DAB 1 forms borate 2 by boronic ester formation, followed by coordination of the acridine moiety to the boron atom. Borate 2 has a chiral center on the boron atom and works as a stereodynamic circular dichroism (CD) probe molecule for chiral mono-alcohols based on the π–π interaction between the acridine moiety and the carbon–carbon unsaturated moiety on mono-alcohols.     

Effect of Alkynyl Group on Reactivity in Photoaffinity Labeling with 2-Thienyl-Substituted α-Ketoamide

Minimalist photo-reactive probes, which consist of a photo-reactive group and a tag for detection of target proteins, are useful tools in chemical biology. Although several diazirine-based and aryl azide-based minimalist probes are available, no keto-based minimalist probe has yet been reported. Here we describe minimalist probes based on a 2-thienyl-substituted α-ketoamide bearing an alkyne group on the thiophene ring. The 3-alkyne probe showed the highest photo-affinity labeling efficiency.     

Formation of an Azaruthenacyclopentadiene Skeleton via Ammonia Activation by an Electron-Deficient Ru3 Cluster

A dicationic triruthenium complex containing a μ₃-η³-C₃ ring, [(Cp*Ru)₃(μ₃-η³-C₃MeH₂−)(μ₃-CH)(μ-H)]²⁺ ( 1 a , Cp*=η⁵-C₅Me₅), reacted with ammonia to yield a μ-amido complex, [(Cp*Ru)₃(μ₃-η³-CHCMeCH) (μ₃-CH)(μ-NH₂)]²⁺ ( 5 ), via N−H bond scission. Subsequent treatment with base resulted in C−N bond formation to yield a μ₃-η²:η²-1-azabutadien-4-yl complex, [(Cp*Ru)₃(μ₃-CH)(μ₃-η²:η²-NH=CH−CMe=CH−)]⁺ ( 6 a ). The azaruthenacyclopentadiene skeleton was alternatively synthesized by the photolysis of mono-cationic complex [(Cp*Ru)₃(μ₃-η³-C₃RH₂−)(μ₃-CH)]⁺ ( 2 a ; R=Me, 2 b ; R=H) in the presence of ammonia. The C₃ ring skeleton was broken via the electron transfer to the π*(C−C) orbital in the C₃ ring, and a transiently generated unsaturated μ₃-allylic species can take up ammonia, resulting in N−H bond scission followed by C−N bond formation.     

Power of isotopic fine structure for unambiguous determination of metabolite elemental compositions: In silico evaluation and metabolomic application

In mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics studies, reference-free identification of metabolites is still a challenging issue. Previously, we demonstrated that the elemental composition (EC) of metabolites could be unambiguously determined using isotopic fine structure, observed by ultrahigh resolution MS, which provided the relative isotopic abundance (RIA) of ¹³C, ¹⁵N, ¹⁸O, and ³⁴S. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy of the RIA for determining ECs based on the MS peaks of 20,258 known metabolites. The metabolites were simulated with a ≤25% error in the isotopic peak area to investigate how the error size effect affected the rate of unambiguous determination of the ECs. The simulation indicated that, in combination with reported constraint rules, the RIA led to unambiguous determination of the ECs for more than 90% of the tested metabolites. It was noteworthy that, in positive ion mode, the process could distinguish alkali metal-adduct ions ([M + Na]⁺ and [M + K]⁺). However, a significant degradation of the EC determination performance was observed when the method was applied to real metabolomic data (mouse liver extracts analyzed by infusion ESI), because of the influence of noise and bias on the RIA. To achieve ideal performance, as indicated in the simulation, we developed an additional method to compensate for bias on the measured ion intensities. The method improved the performance of the calculation, permitting determination of ECs for 72% of the observed peaks. The proposed method is considered a useful starting point for high-throughput identification of metabolites in metabolomic research.