Gear effect—10 : Conformational aspects of the positive or negative buttressing effects of methyl groups: polymethylpyridines

The effect of the shape of a methyl group on reactivity, which cannot be accounted for by considering a methyl group as a spherical substituent with the appropriate van der Waals radius, was considered in kinetics of alkylalion of substituted pyridines and barriers to rotation and ground state conformations of an isopropyl group attached to a planar framework. The perturbation of a methyl group by an o-methyl group is accounted for by a unique conformational explanation which involves the polyhedral shape of the methyl group.     

Bi-fluorescence-labeled maltoheptaoside: convenient substrate for continual assay of alpha-amylase

A new maltoheptaose derivative was prepared as a useful substrate for continual assay of alpha-amylase. The maltoheptaoside has thionaphtyl group as a fluorescent energy donor at the reducing end and dansyl group as an acceptor group at the non-reducing end. Excitation of the thionaphthyl group at 290 nm results in emission at 523 nm from the dansyl group, while the emission from the thionaphthyl group is quenched by the dansyl group. This fluorescence energy transfer is reduced by the hydrolytic action with alpha-amylase and a significant decrease in the dansyl emission concomitant with an increase in the thionaphthyl emission was observed. Usefulness of this substrate was demonstrated for sensitive and continuous assay of alpha-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae.     

THE SECONDARY REACTION IN THE CONDENSATION OF 1-METHYL-2-METHYLTHIO-IMIDAZOLINE WITH ACTIVE METHYLENE COMPOUNDS

Mono-substituted heterocyclic ketene aminals are formed by the reactionof 1-methyl-2-methylthio-imidazoline with active methylene compoundscontaininq an acetyl or benzoyl group by the elimination of both amethylthio and an acyl group.This is resulted by the secondary reactioof the produced methanethiol to attack the more active carbonyl group.     

Direct introduction of a hydrazide group into a quartz crystal microbalance surface with dodecanoic hydrazide embedded in a hybrid bilayer membrane

Hydrazide group has a potential of immobilizing an antibody on a sensor surface in a way that ensures an optimal orientation and efficiency of the antibody. However, a multi-step chemical process, required for the preparation of a hydrazide group, is a barrier to its extensive application. This paper describes a new method to introduce a hydrazide group to a sensor surface by a one-step process using dodecanoic hydrazide. The method is based on an ability of the dodecanoic hydrazide to be incorporated into a hybrid bilayer membrane (HBM) layer, thereby presenting its hydrazide group to the surface. Liposome containing dodecanoic hydrazide was added to a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer surface of a quartz crystal microbalance for the formation of a HBM. Then, the hydrazide group, presented in the surface of the HBM layer, was utilized for the oriented immobilization of an antibody via its carbohydrate moiety which was partially oxidized prior to the conjugation reaction. Activity and stable status of the incorporated dodecanoic hydrazide was revealed by the efficiency and reproducibility of the resulting immunosensor chip.     

Total synthesis of PDE-I and -II by copper-mediated double aryl amination

A concise total synthesis of PDE-I and -II featuring copper-mediated double aryl amination with the combination of CuI, CsOAc, and Cs₂CO₃ is described. The highly substituted pyrroloindole skeleton was constructed by a one-pot five-step sequence including double aryl amination, β-elimination, deprotection of a Cbz group, and unexpected formation of an indole via removal of an Ns group followed by rearomatization. The undesired elimination of the protecting group (Ns group) was hampered by using the Boc group as a protecting group in the second-generation synthesis, which excluded the reduction of the indole required in the first-generation synthesis.     

Investigation of the inhibition mechanism of coumarins on chymotrypsin by mass spectrometry

6-Chloromethylcoumarin derivatives are known to express a marked inhibitory potency against serine proteases. However, their mechanism of inhibition remains unclear. In order to confirm the postulated mechanism, we use mass spectrometry. The shift mass obtained after inactivation by two compounds, which differ only by the nature of the leaving group (chloride or acetate) was in agreement with an alkylenzyme formation. With another compound devoid of a latent alkylating group, the shift mass obtained with the complex corresponds to an acylenzyme resulting from the interaction of the serine residue with the lactone carbonyl group. These results clearly demonstrate that the inhibition is not due to an attack of the exocyclic carbonyl group by the active serine but rather result from a nucleophilic attack on the intracyclic carbonyl group.     

Intramolecular nucleophilic addition of an organorhodium(I) to a nitrile

Nucleophilic addition of an organorhodium(I) to a cyano group has been observed for the first time in the rhodium-catalysed reaction of cyano-substituted alkynes with arylboronic acids. The higher reactivity of a cyano group relative to an alkoxycarbonyl group toward an organorhodium(I) species is demonstrated by an intramolecular example.     

Intramolecular Diels-Alder Reaction of Furans with Allenyl Ethers Followed by Phenylthio and Trialkylsilyl Groups Rearrangement

A new reaction involving an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of a furan diene with an allenyl ether dienophile followed by phenylthio group rearrangement was discovered. Treatment of the propargyl ethers 2a-c with t-BuOK in t-BuOH at 85 ° C gave the phenylthio group rearrangement products 5a-c and 6a-c . A reaction involving an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of a furan diene with an allenyl ether dienophile followed by trialkylsilyl group rearrangement is also demonstrated.     

Antimicrobial Poly(2‐methyloxazoline)s with Bioswitchable Activity through Satellite Group Modification

Biocides are widely used for preventing the spread of microbial infections and fouling of materials. Since their use can build up microbial resistance and cause unpredictable long‐term environmental problems, new biocidal agents are required. In this study, we demonstrate a concept in which an antimicrobial polymer is deactivated by the cleavage of a single group. Following the satellite group approach, a biocidal quaternary ammonium group was linked through a poly(2‐methyloxazoline) to an ester satellite group. The polymer with an octyl‐3‐propionoate satellite group shows very good antimicrobial activity against Gram‐positive bacterial strains. The biocidal polymer was also found to have low hemotoxicity, resulting in a high HC₅₀/MIC value of 120 for S. aureus. Cleaving the ester satellite group resulted in a 30‐fold decrease in antimicrobial activity, proving the concept valid. The satellite group could also be cleaved by lipase showing that the antimicrobial activity of the new biocidal polymers is indeed bioswitchable.     

Highly stereoselective,thermodynamically controlled and reversible formation of a new P-chiral phosphine

The highly stereoselective formation of a chiral alpha-hydroxyphospholane under very mild condition is reported, taking place on a camphor skeleton by an intramolecular thermodynamically controlled and reversible addition of an epimeric secondary phosphine group to a carbonyl group.     

N−H Imine as a Powerful Directing Group for Cobalt‐Catalyzed Olefin Hydroarylation

N‐alkyl and N‐aryl imines have been frequently used as directing groups in rhodium‐ and cobalt‐catalyzed hydroarylation reactions of olefins and alkynes. However, the scope of such hydroarylation reactions has been limited by the difficulty of preparation of sterically hindered imines by condensation, and also by the steric bulkiness of the imine group itself. Reported herein is that an N?H imine serves as an alternative and highly effective directing group for cobalt‐catalyzed hydroarylation of olefins, and unlocks many of the limitations associated with the previously employed N‐aryl imine directing group. The power of this minimal nitrogen directing group is manifested in a fourfold ortho alkylation of benzophenone imine, and it occurs rapidly at ambient temperature.     

Synthesis of benzofuran derivatives—II A new synthesis of visnagin

Starting with 2-methyl-5:7-dihydroxychromone, an allyl group is introduced into the 6-position by Claisen migration of a 5-allyl ether. The initial protection of the 7-hydroxyl is best effected by tosylation. If the tosyl group is removed before Claisen migration and the C-allyl compound subjected to ozonolysis and ring closure, norvisnagin is obtained in a poor yield and can be methylated to visnagin. In an alternative method the tosyl group is removed just before ozonolysis. For this purpose the previous methylation of the 5-position is advantageous. This route gives visnagin directly in good yield.     

Multisite Solid Catalyst for Cascade Reactions: The Direct Synthesis of Benzodiazepines from Nitro Compounds

Substituted 1,5‐benzodiazepines are selectively synthesized in one pot from substituted nitroaromatics and ketones. The reaction is performed in the presence of hydrogen and in the absence of solvent by using a bifunctional solid catalyst with a chemoselective hydrogenation functional group capable of reducing the nitro group to a diamino group and an acid functional group, which catalyzes the cyclocondensation of the amino group with the ketone.     

Fluoride-mediated phosphination of alkenes and alkynes by silylphosphines

Regioselective phosphination of carbon-carbon unsaturated bonds by a fluoride-mediated reaction of silylphosphines is described. Alkenes and alkynes having a directing group, such as an aromatic or a carbonyl group, reacted to form a carbon-phosphorus bond under mild conditions. When an anhydrous fluoride source was applied in the presence of an electrophile, the corresponding three-component coupling product was obtained.     

Synthesis of sphingomyelin carbon analogues as sphingomyelinase inhibitors

The highly efficient and stereocontrolled syntheses of sphingomyelin carbon analogues 1 and 2 were achieved by effectively utilizing Hofmann rearrangement of enantiomerically pure beta-hydroxyamide 7, which was prepared by an asymmetric hydrogenation of alpha-acyl-gamma-butyrolactone 9 and ring opening with NH(3). Intermediary isocyanate 6 was selectively trapped with the vicinal hydroxy group in an intramolecular fashion to produce an oxazolidinone derivative, 5. In the synthesis of a quite polar compound such as 1, a convenient one-pot procedure of the introduction of a benzyloxycarbonyl group into the hydroxy group resulting from the oxazolidinone ring opening is another key point, because, in addition to the efficiency, this protecting group was easily removable by a simple procedure and workup at the final step. Both synthesized compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate inhibitory activity toward sphingomyelinase from B. cereus.     

Novel bifunctional probe for radioisotope-free photoaffinity labeling: compact structure comprised of photospecific ligand ligation and detectable tag anchoring units

A novel method for radioisotope-free photoaffinity labeling was developed, in which a bifunctional ligand is connected to a target protein by activation of a photoreactive group, such as an aromatic azido or 3-trifluoromethyl-3H-diazirin-3-yl group, and identification of the ligated product is achieved by anchoring of a detectable tag through the Staudinger-Bertozzi reaction with an alkyl azido moiety that survives photolysis. The chemical ground of this method was confirmed using model compounds with the bifunctional group under photoirradiation in the presence of trapping agents for reactive intermediates. The utility of the method has been demonstrated by specific labeling of the catalytic portion of human HMG-CoA reductase.     

Synthesis of the sphingolipid activator protein, saposin C, using an azido-protected O-acyl isopeptide as an aggregation-disrupting element

In order to achieve an efficient synthesis of highly hydrophobic proteins by the native chemical ligation (NCL) reaction, we examined to incorporate the O-acyl isopeptide method, which is known to improve the solubility of the segment, to the NCL reaction: a peptide thioester having O-acyl isopeptide structures is prepared by the Boc mode solid-phase method using an azido group as a protecting group for the isopeptide site, and then ligated with C-terminal segment with an in situ reduction of the azido group followed by an O- to N-acyl shift. This method was successfully applied to the synthesis of the sphingolipid activator protein, saposin C.     

Stereospecific Construction of Chiral Tertiary and Quaternary Carbon by Nucleophilic Cyclopropanation with Bis(iodozincio)methane

The reaction of a ketone having a leaving group at the α‐position, such as α,β‐epoxy ketone or α‐sulfonyloxy ketone, with bis(iodozincio)methane affords a zinc alkoxide of cyclopropanol. The reaction proceeds by nucleophilic addition of the dizinc to the carbonyl group and a sequential intramolecular nucleophilic substitution of the introduced iodozinciomethyl group to the adjacent electrophilic carbon that has a leaving group. When an optically active α,β‐epoxy ketone or α‐sulfonyloxy ketone is treated with the dizinc, a zinc alkoxide of cyclopropanol having a chiral tertiary or quaternary carbon in the cyclopropane ring is obtained, and the obtained zinc alkoxide of cyclopropanol acts as a chiral homoenolate. When it is treated with an electrophile in the presence of copper cyanide, it gives an optically active α‐tertiary or ‐quaternary ketone that retains high optical purity.     

A route to 1,4-disubstituted aromatics and its application to the synthesis of the antibiotic culpin

A method is described for converting tert-butyl benzoates or tert-butyl 1-naphthoates into derivatives having an alkyl or substituted alkyl group in a 1,4-relationship to an alkyl, aryl, alkenyl, or alkynyl group. Key steps in the sequence are (i) addition of an organometallic species to a cross-conjugated cyclohexadienone obtained by Birch alkylation of a tert-butyl benzoate or a tert-butyl 1-naphthoate, followed by allylic oxidation, and (ii) treatment with BiCl3 x H2O, which results in removal of the tert-butyl group and spontaneous decarboxylative aromatization. The method was applied to the synthesis of the antimicrobial fungal metabolite culpin.     

Thermal stability of phthalate esters: Effect of substituents on the β-carbon atom

In order to clarify the mechanism conferring heat resistance on phthalate esters, those with a substituent on the β-carbon atom, such as bis(2-aminobutyl) phthalate, bis(2-nitrobutyl) phthalate, bis(2,4-diphenylbutyl) phthalate and dineopentyl phthalate, were synthesized and their thermal stabilities were studied by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis. The analytical results for these phthalate esters were compared with those for dibutyl phthalate, with a straight alkyl chain. As the temperatures required for a 3% weight loss of phthalate esters with a substituent, an electron-donating group (amino group) or an electron-accepting group (nitro group) on the β-carbon atom move to the higher end of the range, the effect of the adjacent group was recognized. The presence of a phenyl group in phthalate esters considerably improved the heat resistance. It is considered that the high heat resistance of bis(2,4-diphenylbutyl) phthalate is due to the obstruction of the planar configuration for cis elimination by the phenyl group and hindrance by the phenyl group of the formation of the six-membered cyclic transition state owing to the interaction between non-bondable molecules.