Crystal Structure of 8-Demethoxyrunanine

A new hasubanane-type alkaloid, 8-demethoxyrunanine, was isolated from Sino- menium acutum and characterized by melting point, HREIMS, 1H NMR, and X-ray diffraction analysis. X-ray diffraction reveals that the title compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, space group P212121 with a = 7.308（1）, b = 21.742（5）, c = 22.893（4）A, V = 3637.5（11） A^3, Z = 8, Dx = 1.254 g/cm^3, F（000） = 1472, μ（MoKα） = 0.087 mm^-1, the final R = 0.0438 and wR = 0.0575 for 4497 independent reflections with Rint = 0.0192 and 2091 observed reflections with I 〉 2σ（I）. Four rings （ring A： one benzene ring, ring B： one hexagon carbon ring in a half-chair conformation, ring C： one hexagon carbon ring with α,β-unsaturated ketone segment （-CR2=CR1-C=O） in a screw-boat conformation, and ring D： one nonplanar tetrahydropyrrole） form a hasubanane-type alkaloid.     

Bromination of sydnones. I. Reaction with 3-arylsydnones containing electron-donors on the aryl ring

Bromination has been examined for a series of 3-arylsydnones (1) with electron donors (dimethyl to dimethoxy) on the aryl ring. In no example was exclusive aryl ring bromination observed, however, exclusive sydnone ring bromination could be realized in every case. For two dimethoxyphenyl examples both aryl and sydnone ring bromination occurred.     

Development of an approach to the synthesis of the ABC ring system of Hemibrevetoxin B

An efficient approach for the synthesis of a model of the ABC ring system of Hemibrevetoxin B is described. Key features include a ring expansion to yield the ring C oxepane, the reduction of a 2-furyl ketone with high levels of 1,3-stereocontrol, and an Achmatowicz oxidative ring expansion to yield the ring A tetrahydropyran. All seven stereogenic centers present in the model compound were controlled with high levels (>98:<2) of diastereoselectivity.     

Combined experimental/theoretical refinement of indole ring geometry using deuterium magnetic resonance and ab initio calculations

We have used experimental deuterium NMR spectra from labeled tryptophans in membrane-spanning gramicidin A (gA)(1) channels to refine the geometry of the indole ring and, specifically, the C2-(2)H bond direction. By using partial exchange in a cold organic acid, we were able to selectively deuterate ring positions C2 and C5 and, thereby, define unambiguous spectral assignments. In a backbone-independent analysis, the assigned spectra from four distinct labeled tryptophans were used to assess the geometry of the planar indole ring. We found that the C2-(2)H bond makes an angle of about 6 degrees with respect to the normal to the indole ring bridge, and the experimental geometry was confirmed by density functional calculations using a 6-311G** basis set. The precisely determined ring geometry and the experimental spectra in turn are the foundation for calculations of the orientation of each tryptophan indole ring, with respect to the bilayer membrane normal, and of a principal order parameter S(zz) for each ring. The results have general significance for revising the tryptophan ring geometry that is used in protein molecular modeling, as well as for the analysis of tryptophan ring orientations in membrane-spanning proteins. The experimental precision in the definition of the indole ring geometry demonstrates yet another practical application emanating from fundamental research on the robust gramicidin channel.     

Influence of small rings on the thermodynamics of equilibrium self-assembly

The competition between the formation of linear chain clusters and ring structures in an equilibrium self-assembling system is reexamined by developing a new Flory-Huggins type theory that combines an estimate for the loss of configurational entropy ΔS(ring) upon ring formation with the standard treatment of the free energy of a polydisperse solution of linear chains. The excess entropy of ring formation ΔS(ring) is obtained from an analytical fit to exact enumeration data for self-avoiding chains and rings with 30 or fewer steps on a cubic lattice. Illustrative calculations of the spinodal curves and the extent and the average degree of self-assembly highlight the physical conditions for which the cyclic structures impact the thermodynamic characterization of equilibrium self-assembling systems.     

Synthesis of one‐, two‐ and three‐ring macrocyclic,bifunctional compounds for use in radiolabelling monoclonal antibodies

The synthesis of new linked bis‐ and tris‐ring tetraazamacrocyclic (bifunctional) reagents for use in an alternative strategy for radiolabelling antibodies is described. For comparison with the above systems, a new single ring bifunctional system incorporating a dioxocyclam ring is also reported.     

Synthesis of new 14-membered macrolide antibiotics via a novel ring contraction metathesis

[reaction: see text] A novel ring opening ring closing metathesis (ROM-RCM) was demonstrated for cyclic conjugated dienes, effecting the excision of a C(2)H(2) unit and a net ring contraction. Applying the ring contraction metathesis, new 14-membered ring macrolide antibiotics were synthesized in a single step from existing 16-membered ring macrolides. This new class of macrolide antibiotics will provide access to new therapeutics for the treatment of macrolide-resistant bacterial infections.     

Evaluating Shielding‐Based Ring‐Current Models by Using the Gauge‐Including Magnetically Induced Current Method

Magnetically induced current densities and integrated ring‐current strength susceptibilities have been calculated at the density functional theory (DFT) level for a test set consisting of 17 ring‐shaped molecules using the gauge‐including magnetically induced current (GIMIC) method. Reliable values for the ring‐current strengths have been obtained by performing numerical integration of the current‐density susceptibility passing a cut plane perpendicularly to the molecular ring. The current densities and ring current strengths were calculated at the DFT level using the B3LYP functional and def2‐TZVP basis sets. Current densities and ring‐current strengths have also been calculated at the Hartree‐Fock self‐consistent field (HF‐SCF) level using Dunning’s aug‐cc‐pVTZ basis sets, which allow a direct comparison with ring‐current strengths that have previously been estimated using ring‐current models based on magnetic shielding calculations. Current density calculations at both levels of theory show that the magnetic shielding based ring‐current models are not a very accurate means to estimate the magnetically induced ring current strengths, whereas they provide qualitatively the correct aromaticity trends for the studied molecules.     

Effects of chromophore orientation and molecule conformation on surface-enhanced Raman scattering studied with alkanoic acids and colloidal silver nanoparticles

Experimental studies have been carried out to gain a better understanding of the effects of chromophore orientation and molecular conformation on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based on metal nanostructures. A series of alkanoic acids that contain a phenyl ring separated by methylene groups from the carboxylic acid, including phenylacetic acid, 3-phenylpropionic acid, 4-phenylbutyric acid, 5-phenylvaleric acid, and 6-phenylhexanoic acid, was investigated as model molecules with colloidal silver nanoparticles as SERS substrates. As the number of methylene groups increases, the molecules display an interesting zigzag intensity pattern of the phenyl ring bending mode around 1000 cm(-1) as well as a trend of appearance and disappearance of either the degenerate ring breathing mode or C[Double Bond]O vibrational mode near 1585 and 1630 cm(-1), respectively. Molecules containing an odd number of methylene units display a higher ring bending intensity and degenerate ring breathing mode and are suggested to have a trans conformation on the particle surface. Molecules with an even number of methylene units show a C[Double Bond]O vibrational mode and weaker ring bending in their SERS spectra and are suggested to have a gauche conformation on the silver nanoparticle surface. The different conformation is attributed to the varying interactions of the carboxylic group or the phenyl ring pi electrons with the silver surface. The SERS intensity was found to change little as the length between the phenyl ring and the carboxylic group was increased by adding CH(2) spacers. This is possibly because the effective distance between the phenyl ring and the silver surface does not change much with increasing number of CH(2) spacers as a result of changes in molecular conformation and variations in the phenyl ring orientation with CH(2) addition. The insight gained from this study is important for understanding SERS of complex molecules for which chromophore orientation and molecular conformation must be taken into careful consideration.     

Rotating minidisk–disk electrodes

Rotating minidisk–disk electrode (RMDDE) was developed by replacing ring electrode of rotating ring–disk electrode (RRDE) with a minidisk electrode. Its applications were demonstrated by studying electrochemical reactions of ferricyanide and divalent copper. The replacement of ring electrode by minidisk electrode results in following advantages. First, the fabrication of RMDDE is easier than that of RRDE with the same electrode material. Second, there is more freedom in choosing electrode materials and sizes, since it is difficult to make thin ring electrodes of RRDE with fragile materials. Third, the replacement of ring electrode by minidisk electrode saves electrode materials, especially rare materials. Finally, the substitution of minidisk electrode for ring electrode allows using multiple minidisks for simultaneous monitoring of multiple components. Therefore, RMDDE is a promising generator–collector system, especially when special generator–collector systems are not commercially available, such as corrosion study and electrocatalysis study of new electrode materials.     

The theta-temperature depression caused by topological effect in ring polymers studied by Monte Carlo simulation

We studied equilibrium conformations of linear and ring polymers in dilute solutions over the wide range of segment number N of up to 2048 with Monte Carlo simulation, and evaluated N dependence of the radii of gyration, R(g), of chains. The polymer molecules treated in this study are assumed to be composed of beads and bonds, and they are put in a three-dimensional face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice. The values of Flory's critical exponent, ν, for linear and ring polymers were estimated from the N dependence of R(g), and the temperatures at which ν reach 1/2 were obtained. Here we define those as Θ-temperatures in this report. The simulation result shows that the Θ-temperature for ring polymers is evidently lower than that of the linear polymers, and the origin of the Θ-temperature depression is discussed. Since R(g) of a ring polymer is smaller than that for a linear polymer at the same N and temperature, the segment density for a ring polymer is increased by the topological effect and the repulsive force between segments of a ring polymer at the Θ-temperature for a linear polymer is stronger. Thus, the origin of the Θ-temperature depression for ring polymers is the repulsive force emphasized by the topological effect of rings.     

Polyesters by a Radical Pathway: Rationalization of the Cyclic Ketene Acetal Efficiency

Radical ring‐opening polymerization (rROP) of cyclic ketene acetals (CKAs) combines the advantages of both ring‐opening polymerization and radical polymerization thereby allowing the robust production of polyesters coupled with the mild polymerization conditions of a radical process. rROP was recently rejuvenated by the possibility to copolymerize CKAs with classic vinyl monomers leading to the insertion of cleavable functionality into a vinyl‐based copolymer backbone and thus imparting (bio)degradability. Such materials are suitable for a large scope of applications, particularly within the biomedical field. The competition between the ring‐opening and ring‐retaining propagation routes is a major complication in the development of efficient CKA monomers, ultimately leading to the use of only four monomers that are known to completely ring‐open under all experimental conditions. In this article we investigate the radical ring‐opening polymerization of model CKA monomers and demonstrate by the combination of DFT calculations and kinetic modeling using PREDICI software that we are now able to predict in silico the ring‐opening ability of CKA monomers.     

Sites of reaction of pilocarpine

Analysis of the sites of reaction of a biologically important compound, pilocarpine, a molecule with imidazole and butyrolactone rings connected by a methylene bridge, has been accomplished in a quadrupole ion trap with the aim of characterizing its structure/reactivity relationships. Ion-molecule reactions of pilocarpine with chemical ionizing agents, dimethyl ether (DME), 2-methoxyethanol, and trimethyl borate (TMB), along with collision-activated dissociation elucidated the reaction sites of pilocarpine and made possible the comparison of structural features that affect sites of reaction. Based on MS/MS experiments, methylation occurs on the imidazole ring upon reactions with CH3OCH2+ or (CH3OCH2CH2OH)H+ ions but methylation occurs on the lactone ring for reactions with (CH3O)2B+ ions. Bracketing experiments with two model compounds, alpha-methyl-gamma-butyrolactone and N-methyl imidazole, show the imidazole ring to have a greater gas-phase basicity and methyl cation affinity than the lactone ring. The contrast of methylation by TMB ions on the lactone ring is explained by initial addition of the dimethoxyborinium ion, (CH3O)2B+, on the imidazole ring with subsequent collisional activation promoting an intramolecular transfer of a methyl group to the lactone ring with concurrent loss of CH3OBO. Semiempirical molecular orbital calculations are undertaken to further address the favored reaction sites.     

Characterization of rat liver microsomal metabolites of AM-630, a potent cannabinoid receptor antagonist, by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

The in vitro metabolism of AM-630 was studied by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. AM-630 is an aminoalkylindole analogue that behaves primarily as a potent CB2-selective antagonist. In this study, 17 metabolic products were identified that resulted from the incubation of AM-630 in rat liver microsome preparations. Six metabolic pathways were proposed to account for all detected metabolites: (1) o-demethylation of the methoxyphenyl group, (2) morpholinyl ring opening, (3) hydroxylation on the methoxy/hydroxyl phenyl ring, (4) hydroxylation on the indole ring, (5) hydroxylation on the morpholine ring and (6) loss of the morpholine ring leading to metabolites containing either a hydroxylated or a carboxylated alkyl terminal. Three metabolites were identified as morpholinyl ring-opening products: M1, M6 and M13. Six metabolites (M2-M5, M7 and M8) were proposed to be the products of o-demethylation, hydroxylation on the methoxyphenyl group or the morpholinyl ring, dehydration following morpholinyl ring monohydroxylation, or a combination of the above metabolic pathways. The remaining eight metabolites were attributed to a pathway involving the loss of the morpholine ring at various points during the metabolic processes.     

Strain energy of small ring hydrocarbons. Influence of C-h bond dissociation energies

Ab initio calculations at the G2, G3, and CBS-Q levels of theory have been applied to the question of the origin of ring strain in a series of unsaturated hydrocarbons. In addition to the angular ring strain germane to all three-membered ring hydrocarbons, a general trend is in evidence that suggests that the increased ring strain (SE) of unsaturated small ring alkenes may be attributed in part to their relatively weak allylic C-H bonds. The high strain energy of cyclopropene (54.1 kcal/ mol) is attributed largely to angular strain. The anomalously low SE of cyclobutene relative to cyclobutane (DeltaSE = 4 kcal/mol) is a consequence of normal C-H bond dissociation energies for cyclobutane (100.6 kcal/mol) and very strong vinyl C-H bonds (111.9 kcal/mol) and a relatively strong pi-bond energy (63.5 kcal/mol) for cyclobutene. The greater SE of methylenecyclopropane (39.5 kcal/ mol), relative to methylcyclopropane (29.8 kcal/mol), can be attributed to the strong ring C-H bonds of methylcyclopropane (110.5 kcal/mol) and relatively weak allylic C-H bonds (99.3 kcal/mol) of methylenecyclopropane. The increased SE of 1-methylcyclopropene relative to isomeric methylenecyclopropane is ascribed to its weak ring C-H bonds and to angular strain. The relative thermodynamic stability of a series of small ring alkenes is determined by a measure of their hydrogenation enthalpies. Independent confirmation of the SEs of a series of substituted cyclopropenes is provided by their dimerization/combination with cyclopropane to form a six-membered ring reference compound.     

Ring opening versus ring expansion in rearrangement of bicyclic cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals

Ring opening and expansion of multicyclic cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals provides an appealing method for the construction of heavily substituted ring systems in a stereocontrollable fashion. Here we conducted the first, systematic study on the regioselectivity in the rearrangement of various synthetically relevant cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals. It was found that a two-layer ONIOM method, namely ONIOM(QCISD(T)/6-311+G(2d,2p):B3LYP/6-311+G(2df,2p)), could accurately predict the free energy barriers of the ring openings of cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals with a precision of 0.3 kcal/mol. By using this powerful tool we found that the regiochemistry for the ring opening of monocyclic cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals could be easily predicted by the relative stability of the two possible carbon radical products. A linear correlation was found between the activation and reaction free energies. This observation indicated that the ring opening of cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals was strongly affected by the thermodynamic factors. On the basis of the above results we extended our study to the rearrangement of bicyclic cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals that could undergo both ring opening and expansion. It was found that for bicyclic cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals whose radical center was located at the bridge methyl group, ring expansion was the favored rearrangement pathway unless a strongly radical-stabilizing substituent was placed in the cyclobutyl ring adjacent to the bridge methyl group. On the other hand, for bicyclic cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals whose radical center was located at the 2-position, ring opening was the favored rearrangement pathway unless a strongly radical-stabilizing substituent was placed in the cyclobutyl ring at the bridge position.     

Synthetic studies toward melotenine A

Attempts to the construction of B/C ring and E ring in melotenine A are described. Based on para-dienone chemistry, a tactical application of tandem aminolysis/aza-Michael addition reaction was made to access highly functionalized building blocks with the pyrrolo[2,3-d]carbazole tetracyclic unit (A/B/C/D ring). Albeit negative results for assembling the dihydroazepine unit (E ring) by using the proposed fragmentation reaction of gem-dihalocyclopropanes, an alternative strategy based on ring closing metathesis was evolved to forge the E ring possessing a twisted 1,3-diene unit embedded in the rigid skeleton of melotenine A.     

Three-carbon ring expansion by cyclopropane insertion: macrocyclic musks from readily available C-12 starting materials

A thermal three-carbon ring expansion based on side chain ring insertion of a cyclopropane moiety is described. Flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) of 1-cyclopropyl-cycloalk-3-enol derivatives leads to the three-carbon ring expanded enones with clean retention of double bond geometry. Substrates bearing methyl groups on the cyclopropane ring undergo regioselective bond cleavage, allowing for the systematic preparation of selectively substituted macrocyclic musks from low-priced C-12 starting compounds.     

The micro-optical ring electrode. 3: Transient photocurrent studies of photophysical-electrochemical and photophysical-chemical-electrochemical systems

The micro-optical ring electrode (MORE) is a photoelectrochemical device based on a ring microelectrode that uses the insulating material interior to the ring electrode as a light guide. In this paper, we describe the preparation and characterization of very thin ring MOREs with (ring inner radius)/(ring outer radius) > 0.99. Theoretically, we derive asymptotic analytical expressions for the time dependence of the diffusion-limited transient light-on photocurrent generated by two general types of photoelectrochemical systems: (a) the PE (photophysical-electrochemical) system, wherein the photoexcited species itself is directly detected on the ring; (b) the PCE (photophysical-chemical-electrochemical) system, wherein the photoexcited species undergoes a homogeneous electron transfer reaction prior to electrochemical detection. Experimentally, we establish that it is possible to use such MOREs to study the wavelength dependence of photocurrents derived from photoelectrochemically active systems, such as the Ru(bipy)3 2+/Fe3+ PCE system, demonstrating the potential utility of the MORE as a selective electroanalytical probe. We also use our expressions for the time dependence of photocurrents at the MORE to derive values for the photoelectrochemical kinetic parameters of this system, including the rate coefficient for the back reaction of photogenerated Ru(bipy)3 3+ (0.115 s(-1)) and the quantum efficiency for the primary redox products, Ru(bipy)3 3+ and Fe2+, escaping cage recombination, phi(CE) = 0.099.     

Reaction mechanism of porphyrin metallation studied by theoretical methods

We have studied the reaction mechanism for the insertion of Mg2+ and Fe2+ into a porphyrin ring with density functional calculations with large basis set and including solvation, zero-point and thermal effects. We have followed the reaction from the outer-sphere complex, in which the metal is coordinated with six water molecules and the porphyrin is doubly protonated, until the metal ion is inserted into the deprotonated porphyrin ring with only one water ligand remaining. This reaction involves the stepwise displacement of five water molecules and the removal of two protons from the porphyrin ring. In addition, a step seems to be necessary in which a porphyrin pyrrolenine nitrogen atom changes its interaction from a hydrogen bond to a metal-bound solvent molecule to a direct coordination to the metal ion. If the protons are taken up by a neutral imidazole molecule, the deprotonation reactions are exothermic with minimal barriers. However, with a water molecule as an acceptor, they are endothermic. The ligand exchange reactions were approximately thermoneutral (+/-20 kJ mol(-1), with one exception) with barriers of up to 72 kJ mol(-1) for Mg and 51 kJ mol(-1) for Fe. For Mg, the highest barrier was found for the formation of the first bond to the porphyrin ring. For Fe, a higher barrier was found for the formation of the second bond to the porphyrin ring, but this barrier is probably lower in solution. No evidence was found for an initial pre-equilibrium between a planar and a distorted porphyrin ring. Instead, the porphyrin becomes more and more distorted as the number of metal-porphyrin bonds increase (by up to 191 kJ mol(-1)). This strain is released when the porphyrin becomes deprotonated and the metal moves into the ring plane. Implications of these findings for the chelatase enzymes are discussed.