Xishaglaucumins A—J,New Cembranoids with Anti-Inflammatory Activities from the South China Sea Soft Coral Sarcophyton glaucum

Ten new cembrane-type diterpenoids,namely xishaglaucumins A—J(1—10),along with ten known related ones(11—20),have been isolated from the soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum collected off the Xisha Island in the South China Sea.Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis,quantum mechanical nuclear magnetic resonance(QM-NMR)methods,X-ray diffraction analysis,chemical methods and comparison with the reported data in the literature.The absolute configuration of new compounds 1,5 and known compounds 11,12,16 and 20 were determined either by chemical methods or by X-ray diffraction analysis using Cu Kα(λ=1.5417A).In in vitro bioassay,compound 4 exhibited inhibitory effects on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in BV-2 microglial cells.     

Artematrovirenolides A—D and Artematrolides S—Z,Sesquiterpenoid Dimers with Cytotoxicity against Three Hepatoma Cell Lines from Artemisia atrovirens

Inspired by the intriguing structures and remarkable activities of sesquiterpenoid dimers,12 new sesquiterpenoid dimers,artematrovirenolides A—D(1—4)and artematrolides S—Z(8—12),were isolated from the EtOAc fraction of Artemisia atrovirens through a bioactivity-guided approach.Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic data and absolute configuration was assigned based on single crystal X-ray diffraction data and ECD calculations.Structurally,all compounds are presumably formed via[4+2]cycloaddition involving three connecting model.Compounds 1—4 are four novel hetero-dimeric[4+2]Diels-Alder adducts dimerized from a rotundane-type unit and a guaiane-type monomer,and compounds 5—12 are eight new homo-dimeric[4+2]adducts derived from two guaianolide moieties.A putative biosynthetic pathway for compounds 1—4 was also proposed.Compounds 4,6,7,and 10 demonstrated moderate cytotoxicity against HepG2,SMMC-7721,and Huh7 cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 9.3 to 62.3μmol/L.Interestingly,compounds 5 and 11 manifested cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 13.6 and 12.8(HepG2),18.5 and 13.1(SMMC-7721),and 16.5 and 19.4μmol/L(Huh7),respectively,which were equivalent to the positive control,sorafenib.This investigation suggests that compounds 5 and 11 might be considered as potent antihepatoma candidates and deserve further structural modification and mechanism study.     

α‐Haloketal (1′R,4S,5S)‐dimethyl 2‐(1′‐bromoethyl)‐2‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐1,3‐dioxolane‐4,5‐dicarboxylate

The crystal structure and absolute configuration of the title compound, C₁₇H₂₁BrO₈, have been determined by X‐ray analysis. They confirmed the 1′R absolute configuration at the 1′‐bromoethyl moiety which has been assigned previously on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic data. Cohesion of the crystal can be attributed to weak intermolecular C—H?O and van der Waals interactions.     

High Syn Selectivity of a SE′ Reaction: Acylation of an Optically Active 1,1-Disilyl-2-alkene. Preliminary communication

The disilane/disilylmethane rearrangement of an optically active disilanyl sulfide 9B was used to prepare an optically active disilylalkene 10 whose absolute configuration was established by X-ray analysis of the bromo derivative 13 (P2₁, a = 7.847 (3) Å, b = 9.487 (3) Å, c = 20.010 (8) Å, β = 82.28° (3), Z = 2). Acylation of 10 furnished an optically active ketone 14 , which was degraded to 16 , a compound of known absolute configuration. The enantiomeric excess of 10 was determined by alkylation with an optically active lithium compound and that of 14 by an optically active NMR.-shift reagent. The S_E′ reaction 10 → 14 was thus shown to proceed with 94% (97% syn/3% anti) stereoselectivity.     

Diverse Ring-seco Limonoids from Munronia unifoliolata and Their Biological Activities

Twenty-two new limonoids,mufolinoids A—V(1—22),including six rings A,B-seco limonoids(1—6),twelve ring A-seco limonoids(7—18),four ring-intact limonoids(19—22),together with thirteen known compounds(23—35)were isolated from Munronia unifoliolata.Their structures including absolute configurations were elucidated by combination of NMR,HR-MS,single-crystal X-ray diffraction and calculations of ECD and NMR technologies.Compounds 24,25,33,34 could be significantly reversed the multidrug resistance of MCF-7/doxorubicin(DOX)cells,and the reversal fold(RF)was much higher than that of positive drug Verapamil.Compounds 24,28,and 29 exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity with the IC50 values in the range of 17.7—39.4μmol/L.Furthermore,compound 29 could markedly inhibit the release of IL-1βby inhibiting the initiation and assembly of NLRP3 inflammasome,which demonstrates the great potential of limonoids as an anti-inflammatory agent.     

Synthesis,structural elucidation,characterization and theoretical DFT study of 1‐(o‐tolyl)biguanidium chloride

The structure of the new salt 1‐(o‐tolyl)biguanidium chloride, C₉H₁₄N₅⁺·Cl^?, has been determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The salt crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c. In this structure, the chloride and biguanidium hydrophilic ions are mostly connected to each other via N—H…N and N—H…Cl hydrogen bonds to form layers parallel to the ab plane around y = and y = . The 2‐methylbenzyl groups form layers between these layers around y = 0 and y = , with the methyl group forming C—H…π interactions with the aromatic ring. Intermolecular interactions on the Hirshfeld surface were investigated in terms of contact enrichment and electrostatic energy, and confirm the role of strong hydrogen bonds along with hydrophobic interactions. A correlation between electrostatic energy and contact enrichment is found only for the strongly attractive (N—H…Cl^?) and repulsive contacts. Electrostatic energies between ions reveal that the interacting biguanidium cation pairs are repulsive and that the crystal is maintained by attractive cation…Cl^? dimers. The vibrational absorption bands were identified by IR spectroscopy.     

Synthesis,structures and properties of two donor–acceptor acridone-based compounds

Two donor–acceptor acridone-based compounds, namely, 2-{10-[4-(diphenylamino)phenyl]acridin-9-ylidene}malononitrile ( TPA-AD-DCN ), C₃₄H₂₂N₄, and 2-{10-[4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl]acridin-9-ylidene}malononitrile ( CzPh-AD-DCN ), C₃₄H₂₀N₄, have been synthesized in high yield and their structures determined. TPA-AD-DCN and CzPh-AD-DCN crystallized in the centrosymmetric space groups P and P2₁/c, respectively. Both molecules adopt a `butterfly-like' configuration of the common part of the structure and differences occur within the substituents on the acridine N atom. A Hirshfeld surface analysis showed that the H…H and C…H/H…C contacts constitute a high percentage of the intermolecular interactions. The optical and electrochemical properties, as well as theoretical calculations, of TPA-AD-DCN and CzPh-AD-DCN support the structural characterization of these materials. As crystallization-induced emission materials, TPA-AD-DCN and CzPh-AD-DCN are anticipated to be of potential use in the construction of promising optoelectronic materials.     

Configurational assignment in alkyl‐branched sugars via the geminal C,H coupling constants

The measurement of the magnitude and sign of ²J(C,H) couplings offers a reliable way to determine the absolute configuration at a carbon center in a fixed cyclic system. A decrease of the dihedral angle ? in the O—C_A—C_B—H fragment always leads to a change of the ²J(C_A,H_B) coupling to more negative values, independent of the type and position of substituents at the two carbon centers. The orientations of the two substituents at C‐3 of the epimeric pair 1 and 2 were determined unambiguously through the measurement of the geminal coupling constants between C‐3 and the hydrogen atoms at C‐2 and C‐4. In particular, ²J(C‐3,H‐2ax) with ?1.5 Hz, ? = 174° in 1 and ?6.6 Hz, ? = 47° in 2 , and ²J(C‐3,H‐4) with +1.5 Hz, ? = 175° in 1 and ?4.7 Hz, ? = 49° in 2 showed the greatest differences between the two epimers. Both couplings therefore allow the determination of the absolute configuration at C‐3. It should be noted, however, that the size of the coupling constants can be different for dihedral angles of nearly identical size, when there are different numbers of electronegative substituents on the two coupling pathways, i.e. no O‐substituent at C‐2, but one axial O‐substituent at C‐4. It becomes clear that it is not sufficient to measure the magnitude of ²J coupling constants only, but that the sign of the geminal coupling is needed to identify the absolute configuration at a chiral center. The coupling of C‐3 with H‐2eq is not useful for the determination of the configuration at C‐3, as the similarity of the dihedral angles ? (O—C‐3—C‐2—H‐2eq) (57° in 1 and 70° in 2 ) leads to identical coupling constants (?6.1 Hz) for both epimers. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bulk polarity of 3,5,7‐trinitro‐1‐azaadamantane mediated by asymmetric NO2(lone pair)…NO2(π‐hole) supramolecular bonding

Molecular crystals exhibiting polar symmetry are important paradigms for developing new electrooptical materials. Though accessing bulk polarity still presents a significant challenge, in some cases it may be rationalized as being associated with the specific molecular shapes and symmetries and subtle features of supramolecular interactions. In the crystal structure of 3,5,7‐trinitro‐1‐azaadamantane, C₉H₁₂N₄O₆, the polar symmetry of the molecular arrangement is a result of complementary prerequisites, namely the C_3v symmetry of the molecules is suited to the generation of polar stacks and the inherent asymmetry of the principal supramolecular bonding, as is provided by NO₂(lone pair)…NO₂(π‐hole) interactions. These bonds arrange the molecules into a trigonal network. In spite of the apparent simplicity, the structure comprises three unique molecules (Z′ =  +  + ), two of which are donors and acceptors of three N…O interactions and the third being primarily important for weak C—H…O hydrogen bonding. These distinct structural roles agree with the results of Hirshfeld surface analysis. A set of weak C—H…O and C—H…N hydrogen bonds yields three kinds of stacks. The orientation of the stacks is identical and therefore the polarity of each molecule contributes additively to the net dipole moment of the crystal. This suggests a special potential of asymmetric NO₂(lone pair)…NO₂(π‐hole) interactions for the supramolecular synthesis of acentric materials.     

The absolute configuration of anti-Vibrio citrinin dimeric derivative by VCD,ECD and NMR methods

Citrinin dimeric derivatives are bioactive polyketides previously reported from Penicillium, Aspergillus and Monascus fungi species. Due to the large distance between the stereogenic centers of the two monomer units, it was difficult to determine the absolute configuration of the whole molecule (1). In previous work, the absolute configuration of 1 was just proposed by biogenetic considerations. To address this problem, the experimental VCD of 1 was compared with the corresponding DFT calculations for two diastereomers (1a and 1b). Also, the experimental ECD and NMR spectra of 1 were combined for analysis with the corresponding theoretical predictions for different diastereomers. Additionally, compound 1 showed promising anti-Vibrio activity against pathogenic Vibrio spp. with MIC values ranging from 0.4 to 0.8?μM.

     

Isolation and structure of an 18‐membered macrocycle containing two diselenide linkages and its precursor

The structures of the 18‐membered diselenide‐linked macrocycle 10,27‐di‐tert‐butyl 11,28‐dioxo‐2,3,19,20‐tetraselena‐10,12,27,29‐tetraazapentacyclo[28.4.0.0^4,9.0^13,18.0^21,26]tetratriaconta‐1(30),4(9),5,7,13,15,17,21,23,25,31,33‐dodecaene‐10,27‐dicarboxylate, C₃₆H₃₄N₄O₆Se₄, and its precursor di‐tert‐butyl 2,2′‐[diselane‐1,2‐diylbis(2,1‐phenylene)]dicarbamate, C₂₂H₂₈N₂O₄Se₂, are reported. The precusor to the macrocycle contains two tert‐butyl phenylcarbamate arms connected to a diselenide group, with Se—C and Se—Se bond lengths of 1.914 (4) and 2.3408 (6) Å, respectively. The macrocycle resides on a crystallographic center of inversion in space group P with one molecule in the unit cell (Z′ = ). It contains an 18‐membered macrocyclic ring with two diselenide linkages. In this macrocycle, there are two free and two protected amino groups.     

A five‐coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complex including a neutral axial pyridine N‐oxide ligand

While six‐coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complexes with pyridine N‐oxides as axial ligands have been studied as they exhibit rare spin‐crossover behavior, studies of five‐coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complexes including neutral axial ligands are rare. A five‐coordinate pyridine N‐oxide–5,10,15,20‐tetraphenylporphyrinate–iron(III) complex, namely (pyridine N‐oxide‐κO)(5,10,15,20‐tetraphenylporphinato‐κ⁴N,N′,N′′,N′′′)iron(III) hexafluoroantimonate(V) dichloromethane disolvate, [Fe(C₄₄H₂₈N₄)(C₅H₅NO)][SbF₆]·2CH₂Cl₂, was isolated and its crystal structure determined in the space group P. The porphyrin core is moderately saddled and the Fe—O—N bond angle is 122.08 (13)°. The average Fe—N bond length is 2.03 Å and the Fe—ONC₅H₅ bond length is 1.9500 (14) Å. This complex provides a rare example of a five‐coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complex that is coordinated to a neutral organic ligand through an O‐monodentate binding mode.     

Four 1‐naphthyl‐substituted tetrahydro‐1,4‐epoxy‐1‐benzazepines: hydrogen‐bonded structures in one,two and three dimensions

(2S*,4R*)‐2‐exo‐(1‐Naphthyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1H‐1,4‐epoxy‐1‐benzazepine, C₂₀H₁₇NO, (I), crystallizes with Z′ = 2 in the space group P2₁; the two independent molecules have the same absolute configuration, although this configuration is indeterminate. The molecules of each type are linked by a combination of C—H...O and C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds to form two independent sheets, each containing only one type of molecule. (2SR,4RS)‐7‐Methyl‐2‐exo‐(1‐naphthyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1H‐1,4‐epoxy‐1‐benzazepine, C₂₁H₁₉NO, (II), crystallizes as a true racemate in the space group P2₁/c, and a combination of C—H...N, C—H...O and C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds links the molecules into sheets, each containing equal numbers of the two enantiomorphs. (2S*,4R*)‐2‐exo‐(1‐Naphthyl)‐7‐trifluoromethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1H‐1,4‐epoxy‐1‐benzazepine, C₂₁H₁₆F₃NO₂, (III), crystallizes as a single enantiomorph, as for (I), but now with Z′ = 1 in the space group P2₁2₁2₁; again, the absolute configuration is indeterminate. A single C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bond links the molecules of (III) into simple chains. (2S,4R)‐8‐Chloro‐9‐methyl‐2‐exo‐(1‐naphthyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1H‐1,4‐epoxy‐1‐benzazepine, C₂₁H₁₈ClNO, (IV), crystallizes as a single enantiomorph of well defined configuration, in the space group P2₁2₁2₁, where two independent C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds link the molecules into a single three‐dimensional framework structure.     

Two New Cycloartane Triterpenoids from Kleinhovia hospita

Two new cycloartane triterpenoids, (23R)‐21,23:23,27‐diepoxycycloarta‐1,24‐diene‐3,27‐dione ( 1 ) and (3α)‐(α‐L ‐arabinopyranosyloxy)‐1α‐hydroxy‐23‐oxocycloartan‐28‐oic acid ( 2 ), together with six known pentacyclic triterpenoids, 3 – 8 , and five known C₂₉ steroids, 9 – 13 , were isolated from Kleinhovia hospita. The structures of these compounds were determined by analysis of their spectroscopic data. Moreover, the absolute configuration of 1 was confirmed by quantum‐chemical TDDFT calculation of its ECD spectrum. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against human colon carcinoma (HCT116) and gastric carcinoma (SGC7901) cell lines, and compounds 6, 7, 8, 11 , and 12 exhibited antiproliferative activities with IC₅₀ values ranging from 23.0 to 91.8 μM .     

A threefold superstructure of the anti‐epileptic drug phenytoin sodium as a mixed methanol solvate hydrate

Phenytoin sodium, a salt of 5,5‐diphenylimidazolidine‐2,4‐dione, or phenytoin, is commercially available in various dosage forms for its anti‐epileptic properties to treat and prevent seizures. The title compound, poly[aquatris(μ₃‐4,4‐diphenyl‐2,5‐dioxoimidazolidin‐1‐ido)trimethanoltrisodium(I)], [Na₃(C₁₅H₁₁N₂O₂)₃(CH₄O)₃(H₂O)_1.08]_n, a methanol solvate and hydrate of phenytoin sodium, forms a modulated crystal structure that consists of a supercell made up of three close‐to‐identical repeat units. Each of the basic fragments consists of one phenytoin anion, a sodium cation, and either a methanol, or a methanol and a water molecule coordinated to the sodium ion, yielding a formula unit of Na(C₁₅H₁₁N₂O₂)(CH₃OH)_x(H₂O)_y for each of the three segments (x, y = 0 or 1; x + y = 1 or 2). Modulation along the b axis is introduced due to the presence or absence of water or methanol molecules at sodium and by the alternating torsion angles of one of the two phenytoin phenyl rings. Individual segments within the asymmetric unit are linked by covalent Na—O and Na—N bonds, with each sodium ion coordinated to one anionic amide N atom and three keto O atoms. The Na—N and one of the Na—O bonds connect (C₁₅H₁₁N₂O₂)·Na units along the modulation direction, creating an infinite [(C₁₅H₁₁N₂O₂)·Na] chain that is further stabilized by intramolecular N—H…O hydrogen bonding parallel to [010]. The second Na—O bond connects this chain with a symmetry‐equivalent copy of itself created by a screw‐axis operation, yielding double strands of [(C₁₅H₁₁N₂O₂)·Na] chains. Two of these double strands, propagating in opposite directions, constitute the content of the unit cell. Neighboring double strands are connected with each other to form layers perpendicular to the a axis, tethered together via O—H…O hydrogen bonds involving the water and methanol molecules. In addition to modulation, each of the repeat units also exhibits disorder of the modulated segments. Phenyl rings of each repeat unit are rotationally disordered, and sodium‐coordinated methanol and water molecules are also positionally disordered and/or partially occupied. The solvated structure reported here, while not matching the patterns reported for any of the known forms of phenytoin sodium, does provide a first insight into the complications and complexities involved in resolving the structure of anhydrous phenytoin sodium.     

A new C-glycosyl flavone and a new neolignan glycoside from Passiflora edulis Sims peel

A new C-glycosyl flavone, Chrysin-8-C-(2″-O-β-6-deoxy-glucopyranosyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), a new neolignan glycoside, citrusin G (2), as well as 15 known compounds (3–17) were isolated from the peel of Passiflora edulis Sims. The structure determinations were primarily based on comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, and the absolute configuration of 2 were unequivocally determined by the CD experiment and chemical transformation. Compound 1 represents the rare examples of the flavonoid featuring a deoxy glucose sugar moiety. Compounds 5, 7 and 9 exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 34.92, 16.12 and 26.67 μM, respectively.     

Die Kristallstruktur und absolute Konfiguration von Mikrolin

The Crystal Structure and Absolute Configuration of Mikrolin. The crystal structure and absolute configuration of mikrolin has been determined by X-ray diffraction. Crystals of mikrolin belong to space group P2₁2₁2₁ with a = 17.867, b = 7.947, c = 9.824 Å, Z = 4. The structure was solved by multi-solution method, and refined to R = 0.060. The anomalous scattering of CuKα-radiation by chlorine was used to determine the absolute configuration of the molecule.     

N‐Tosyl‐l‐proline benzene hemisolvate: a rare example of a hydrogen‐bonded carboxylic acid dimer with symmetrically disordered H atoms

The carboxylic acid group is an example of a functional group which possess a good hydrogen‐bond donor (–OH) and acceptor (C=O). For this reason, carboxylic acids have a tendency to self‐assembly by the formation of hydrogen bonds between the donor and acceptor sites. We present here the crystal structure of N‐tosyl‐l ‐proline (TPOH) benzene hemisolvate {systematic name: (2S)‐1‐[(4‐methylbenzene)sulfonyl]pyrrolidine‐2‐carboxylic acid benzene hemisolvate}, C₁₂H₁₅NO₄S·0.5C₆H₆, (I), in which a cyclic R₂²(8) hydrogen‐bonded carboxylic acid dimer with a strong O—(H)…(H)—O hydrogen bond is observed. The compound was characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy, and crystallizes in the space group I2 with half a benzene molecule and one TPOH molecule in the asymmetric unit. The H atom of the carboxyl OH group is disordered over a twofold axis. An analysis of the intermolecular interactions using the noncovalent interaction (NCI) index showed that the TPOH molecules form dimers due to the strong O—(H)…(H)—O hydrogen bond, while the packing of the benzene solvent molecules is governed by weak dispersive interactions. A search of the Cambridge Structural Database revealed that the disordered dimeric motif observed in (I) was found previously only in six crystal structures.     

The x-ray structure analysis of 17-beta-bromoacetoxy-9-beta, 10-alpha-androst-4-en-3-on

The structure of 17β-bromacetoxy-9β, 10α-androst-4-en-3-one has been determined by three-dimensional X-ray crystallographic methods. The crystals of the restrosteroid belong to the orthorhombic space group P2₁2₁2₁ with four molecules per unit cell. The cell constants are a = 11.32 Å, b = 13.71 Å and c = 12.52 Å. The absolute configuration of the molecule has been determined by the anomalous dispersion method. Bond length, bond angles and distances of atoms from ‘best planes’ are given. Ring A represents a distorted half-chair, ring B and C a chair and ring D an envelope conformation. The molecule shows, contrary to normal 9α, 10β-steroids, a bent shape.     

Conformational polymorphism in a cobalt(II) dithiocarbamate complex

Two conformational polymorphs of (N,N‐dibutyldithiocarbamato‐κ²S,S′)[tris(3,5‐diphenylpyrazol‐1‐yl‐κN²)hydroborato]cobalt(II), [Co(C₄₅H₃₄BN₆)(C₉H₁₈NS₂)] or [Tp^Ph2Co(S₂CNBu₂)], 1 , are accessible by recrystallization from dichloromethane–methanol to give orthorhombic polymorph 1a , while slow evaporation from acetonitrile produces triclinic polymorph 1b . The two polymorphs have been characterized by IR spectroscopy and single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography at 150 K. Polymorphs 1a and 1b crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pbca and the triclinic space group P, respectively. The polymorphs have a trans ( 1a ) and cis ( 1b ) orientation of the butyl groups with respect to the S₂CN plane of the dithiocarbamate ligand, which results in an intermediate five‐coordinate geometry for 1a and a square‐pyramidal geometry for 1b . Hirshfeld surface analysis reveals minor differences between the two polymorphs, with 1a exhibiting stronger C—H…S interactions and 1b favouring C—H…π interactions.