Baking,Ageing, Diabetes: A Short History of the Maillard Reaction

The reaction of reducing carbohydrates with amino compounds described in 1912 by Louis‐Camille Maillard is responsible for the aroma, taste, and appearance of thermally processed food. The discovery that non‐enzymatic conversions also occur in organisms led to intensive investigation of the pathophysiological significance of the Maillard reaction in diabetes and ageing processes. Dietary Maillard products are discussed as “glycotoxins” and thus as a nutritional risk, but also increasingly with regard to positive effects in the human body. In this Review we give an overview of the most important discoveries in Maillard research since it was first described and show that the complex reaction, even after over one hundred years, has lost none of its interdisciplinary actuality.     

Phosphorylated Aminoacetal in the Synthesis of New Acyclic,Cyclic, and Heterocyclic Polyphenol Structures

New phosphorylated aminoacetal has been synthesized by the Kabachnik–Fields reaction; its reactivity has been studied in acid‐catalyzed condensation with linear polyphenols (2‐methylresorcinol, resorcinol, pyrogallol) and the Mannich reaction with macrocyclic polyphenol (calix[4]resorcinol). It has been determined for the first time that acid‐catalyzed reaction of phosphorus‐containing acetal with resorcinol and its derivatives in ethanol in the presence of hydrochloric acid gives new phosphorylated piperazines in addition to the compounds of diarylmethane series. Condensation of macrocyclic polyphenol (calix[4]resorcinol) with formaldehyde and N‐((dihexylphosphoryl)methyl)‐2, 2‐dimethoxyethylamine (the Mannich reaction) has resulted in novel tetrasubstituted calixarene containing aminophosphine oxide and acetal groups on the “upper rim” of molecule.     

Mechanism of the unusual substituent exchange in the reactions of alkylene oxides with organic compounds bearing β-hydroxyalkyl groups at heteroatoms S,Se, N,and P

The review summarizes the data on the study of the unusual exchange reaction between alkylene oxides and organic compounds of groups 15 and 16 of the Periodic Table bearing β-hydroxyalkyl substituents at the S, Se, N, and P heteroatoms. Despite the apparent identity of one of the starting reagents and the reaction product (retention of the three-membered ring), the structures of the formed alkylene oxide and organic compound with β-hydroxyalkyl group at the heteroatom differ from the structures of the starting materials. Using β-hydroxyalkyl sulfides as a model, the plausible mechanisms of the exchange reactions were discussed taking into account the change in the reaction order in β-hydroxyalkyl sulfide with its concentration increase. Irrespectively of the mechanism, the first stage of the reaction is the formation of an intermediate H-complex due to the H-bond formation between the OH sulfide group and the alkylene oxide oxygen atom and subsequent (for the dilute solutions) monomolecular intracomplex transformation of this H-complex. The mechanism was confirmed by semi-empirical quantum chemical calculations. In the case of concentrated solutions of β-hydroxyalkyl sulfides, possibility of the formation of intermediate sulfonium salt was discussed. Each pathway proceeds via its unique intermediates and transition states but the final stage results in the same intermediate bipolar ion with an intramolecular H-bond thus leading to the same nature and compositions of the reaction products for all reaction pathways.     

Coumarin-based thiol chemosensor: synthesis, turn-on mechanism, and its biological application

A new chemodosimetric probe (1) is reported that selectively detects thiols over other relevant biological species by the turning on of its fluorescence through a Michael type reaction. The fluorogenic process upon its reaction was revealed to be mediated by intramolecular charge transfer, as confirmed by time-dependent density functional theory calculations. The application of probe 1 to cells is also examined by confocal microscopy, and its cysteine preference was observed by an ex vivo LC-MS analysis of the cellular metabolite.     

Convergent, short synthesis of the muscarinic superagonist iperoxo

Up to now the availability of iperoxo, an important superagonist of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, was limited because the synthesis of its precursor, the iperoxo base, was characterized by low yields, laborious chromatography and low reproducibility. Here we report a robust convergent three-step synthesis by means of a Mannich reaction and nucleophilic substitution at the 3-nitro-Δ²-isoxazoline. The new route combines short reaction time, high reproducibility and an overall yield increased from 12% to 42%.     

Structure, function, and inhibition along the reaction coordinate of CTX-M beta-lactamases

CTX-M enzymes are an emerging group of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) that hydrolyze not only the penicillins but also the first-, second-, and third-generation cephalosporins. Although they have become the most frequently observed ESBLs in certain areas, there are few effective inhibitors and relatively little is known about their detailed mechanism. Here we describe the X-ray crystal structures of CTX-M enzymes in complex with different transition-state analogues and beta-lactam inhibitors, representing the enzyme as it progresses from its acylation transition state to its acyl enzyme complex to the deacylation transition state. As the enzyme moves along this reaction coordinate, two key catalytic residues, Lys73 and Glu166, change conformations, tracking the state of the reaction. Unexpectedly, the acyl enzyme complex with the beta-lactam inhibitor cefoxitin still has the catalytic water bound; this water had been predicted to be displaced by the unusual 7alpha-methoxy of the inhibitor. Instead, the 7alpha-group appears to inhibit by preventing the formation of the deacylation transition state through steric hindrance. From an inhibitor design standpoint, we note that the best of the reversible inhibitors, a ceftazidime-like boronic acid compound, binds to CTX-M-16 with a K(i) value of 4 nM. When used together in cell culture, this inhibitor reversed cefotaxime resistance in CTX-M-producing bacteria. The structure of its complex with CTX-M enzyme and the structural view of the reaction coordinate described here provide templates for inhibitor design and intervention to combat this family of antibiotic resistance enzymes.     

Fluoride microdetermination and its application to the analysis of rocks,soils, precipitation,and airborne dust

A method for the routine determination of nanogram amounts of fluoride is described. In a one-vessel technique, the fluoride is separated from the matrix by diffusion and then determined kinetically by its inhibiting effect on the zirconium-catalysed reaction between perborate and iodide. The method is applied to the analysis of geochemical materials, rain water, and aerosol filter samples.     

Syntheses and Preliminary Biological Evaluations of the Dibromopyrrole-Containing Marine Natural Products Agesasine A,Agesasine B,Longamide E and Various Congeners

Total syntheses of the title marine natural products have been achieved and so confirming the structures originally assigned to them. Upon subjecting agesasine A and its corresponding ethyl ester to Mitsunobu conditions, a 1,5-cyclodehydration reaction takes place to give 2-oxazolines. In contrast, on subjecting agesasine B to the same Mitsunobu conditions, a simple dehydration reaction occurs to give the corresponding acrylate. A total synthesis of longamide E was achieved by engaging a 1,2-disubstituted pyrrole in a lactam-forming reaction and this was followed by a two-fold and fully regio-controlled bromination reaction. A distinctly different and possibly biomimetic route was used to synthesize, via the open-chain natural product nakamurine B, longamide B and its methyl ester. Preliminary biological evaluations of the title alkaloids and various analogues against a small human cancer cell line panel reveals cytotoxic properties that vary significantly with structure.     

Synthesis,X-ray structure,and properties of the singly bonded C60 dimer having diethoxyphosphorylmethyl groups utilizing the chemistry of C60(2-)

[reaction: see text] A singly bonded C60 dimer having a diethoxyphosphorylmethyl group on each C60 cage was obtained by the reaction of C60(2-) dianion with diethyl iodomethylphosphonate followed by the treatment with iodine. The precise structure of the dimer was determined for the first time by X-ray crystallography, and its homolytic dissociation as well as spectroscopic and electrochemical properties were clarified.     

Facile, Novel Methodology for the Synthesis of Spiro

The role of the bifunctional catalyst is decisive: The magnesium ion as Lewis acid and its nucleophilic iodide counterion contribute in synergy to the successful ring expansion of the cyclopropane 1 by aldimine 2 [Eq. (1)]. This reaction offers a novel route to spiro[pyrrolidin-3,3'-oxindoles] 3.     

The Baylis-Hillman reaction: a novel source of attraction, opportunities, and challenges in synthetic chemistry

The Baylis-Hillman reaction is a successful, useful, and atom-economical carbon-carbon bond forming reaction, which has grown from an obscure level to the level of high synthetic popularity due to its operational simplicity and also due to the enormous applications of the Baylis-Hillman adducts in organic synthesis. In this tutorial review, we briefly describe the way this reaction has grown to its present heights and the opportunities, attractions, and challenges the reaction offers with respect to its asymmetric and intramolecular versions, and mechanistic aspects.     

Spectrophotometric, spectrofluorimetric, and densitometric methods for the determination of indapamide

Three sensitive spectrophotometric, spectrofluorimetric, and densitometric methods are described for the determination of indapamide. The first and second methods are based on the oxidative coupling reaction of indapamide with 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone HCl (MBTH) in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium sulfate in an acidic medium. The absorbance of the reaction product is measured at the lambdamax, 601 nm. With the same reaction, indapamide is determined by its quenching effect on the fluorescence of excess cerous ions at the emission lambdamax, 350 nm, and the excitation at lambdamax, 300 nm. The reaction conditions were optimized, and Beer's law was obeyed for indapamide at 1.2-9.6 microg/mL with mean recoveries of 99.92 +/- 0.83 and 99.97 +/- 1.11%, respectively. The third method, a stability-indicating densitometric assay, was developed for the determination of indapamide, using toluene-ethyl acetate-glacial acetic acid (69 + 30 + 1, v/v/v) as the developing system and scanning at the lambdamax, 242 nm, in the presence of the degradation product and related substance; for the indapamide concentration range of 0.6-6 microg/spot, the mean recovery was 99.73 +/- 0.71%. The proposed methods were successfully applied to the determination of indapamide in bulk powder and commercial tablets, and the results of the analysis agreed statistically with those obtained with the official method. Furthermore, the methods were validated according to the guidelines of the U.S. Pharmacopeia and also assessed by applying the standard additions technique.     

Regio- and stereoselective route to tetrasubstituted olefins by the palladium-catalyzed three-component coupling of aryl iodides, internal alkynes, and arylboronic acids

[reaction: see text] The Pd-catalyzed three-component coupling of readily available aryl iodides, internal alkynes, and arylboronic acids provides a convenient, one-step, regio- and stereoselective route to tetrasubstituted olefins in good to excellent yields, although electron-poor aryl iodides and dialkylalkynes normally afford only low yields under our standard reaction conditions. The proper combination of substrates and reaction conditions is important for high yields. The presence of water generally substantially increases the yields of the desired tetrasubstituted olefins. The reaction involves cis-addition of the aryl group from the aryl iodide to the less hindered or more electron-rich end of the alkyne, while the aryl group from the arylboronic acid adds to the other end. A modified, room-temperature procedure has also been successfully developed, which works very well for some substrates. Tamoxifen and its derivatives are synthesized in a concise, regio- and stereoselective manner by applying our synthetic protocol.     

含O-, S-, N-和C-2,3-不饱和糖苷的合成

以3,4,6-三-O-乙酰基-D-葡萄烯糖为原料,(NH₄)₂S₂O₈为催化剂,利用Ferrier重排反应制得一系列含O-, S-,N-和C-2,3-不饱和糖苷,其结构经¹H NMR, IR和MS（ESI）确证。考察了催化剂及其用量,溶剂和温度对产率的影响。结果表明：在最优条件［反应温度80 ℃,乙腈为溶剂,(NH₄)₂S₂O₈为催化剂(1 eq.)］下,3a产率高达83%。     

Theoretical studies on the hydrolysis of phosphate diesters in the gas phase,solution, and RNase A

Density functional theory, polarizable continuum models and semiempirical hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculations were applied to the hydrolysis of phosphate diesters in the gas phase, in solution, and in the enzyme RNase A. Neutralization of the negative charge of the pentacovalent phosphorane intermediates provides a substantial stabilization of the transition‐state structures in the gas phase. Inclusion of solvent effects on the phosphate/phosphorane species was critical to reproducing the trends in reactivity observed experimentally. Finally, the catalytic mechanism for the hydrolysis of uridine 2′,3′‐cyclic phosphate by RNase A was studied by QM/MM calculations. Our results suggest that the rate‐limiting transition state of the reaction corresponds to the approach of a water molecule to the phosphate and its activation by His119. Thus, His119 acts as a generalized base for the reaction. The water attack leads to a pentacovalent phosphorane transition state of formal charge ?2; this excess of negative charge in the transition state is stabilized by a number of positively charged residues including His12 and Lys41. In the second stage of the reaction, the phosphorane is converted into products. This part of the reaction proceeds without a detectable barrier, and it is facilitated by a proton transfer from Lys41 to the departing O_2′. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001     

Functionalized Hydroperoxide Formation from the Reaction of Methacrolein-Oxide,an Isoprene-Derived Criegee Intermediate,with Formic Acid: Experiment and Theory

Methacrolein oxide (MACR-oxide) is a four-carbon, resonance-stabilized Criegee intermediate produced from isoprene ozonolysis, yet its reactivity is not well understood. This study identifies the functionalized hydroperoxide species, 1-hydroperoxy-2-methylallyl formate (HPMAF), generated from the reaction of MACR-oxide with formic acid using multiplexed photoionization mass spectrometry (MPIMS, 298 K = 25 °C, 10 torr = 13.3 hPa). Electronic structure calculations indicate the reaction proceeds via an energetically favorable 1,4-addition mechanism. The formation of HPMAF is observed by the rapid appearance of a fragment ion at m/z 99, consistent with the proposed mechanism and characteristic loss of HO₂ upon photoionization of functional hydroperoxides. The identification of HPMAF is confirmed by comparison of the appearance energy of the fragment ion with theoretical predictions of its photoionization threshold. The results are compared to analogous studies on the reaction of formic acid with methyl vinyl ketone oxide (MVK-oxide), the other four-carbon Criegee intermediate in isoprene ozonolysis.     

A novel sublimable organic salt: Synthesis,characterization, thermal behavior,and catalytic activity for the synthesis of arylidene,heteroarylidene, and alkylidene malonates

A novel sublimable organic salt was synthesized, and its chemical structure was characterized by FTIR, 1D NMR, 2D NMR, and elemental analysis. In addition, the thermal phase transitions and thermal stability of new organic salt were investigated. The DSC and TGA results showed that the organic salt could convert into constituent molecules at?<?145 °C before decomposition temperature (T_dec.?~?200 °C) under atmospheric pressure without forming the liquid phase. Then, it was recondensed to regenerate the initial organic salt in the cool part of the vial. Therefore, it can be a promising organic salt towards the regeneration of spent catalyst from synthesis processes when the reaction mixture contains poorly volatile components and includes its use in gas-phase procedures. Also, the catalytic efficiency of new organic salt was investigated in the Knoevenagel condensation reaction. A variety of substituted arylidene and alkylidene malonates were isolated in 78–95% yield within six hours.? Under the optimized reaction conditions, the current catalytic procedure exhibited superiority compared to the mixed piperazine/acetic acid, piperidine/acetic acid, and piperidinium acetate. There were no significant changes in the new organic salt chemical structure and catalytic activity even after the 5th run. This work revealed the importance of the existence of simultaneous hydrogen bond acceptor/donor groups in our environmentally friendly catalyst to promote the Knoevenagel condensation reaction without the use of metal-containing catalysts.

     

Illustrating the power of singlet oxygen chemistry in a synthetic context: biomimetic syntheses of litseaverticillols A-G, I and J and the structural reassignment of litseaverticillol E

Biomimetic syntheses of the litseaverticillols A-G, I and J are reported herein. The syntheses rely heavily on the application of two different modes of reaction for photochemically generated singlet oxygen, namely, the [4+2] cycloaddition of singlet oxygen (1O2) with furans and the ene reaction of 1O2 with double bonds. The highlight of these syntheses is a one-pot cascade sequence, involving five synthetic operations initiated by a [4+2] reaction, to form the fully functionalised litseaverticillol core. A series of regioselective ene reactions are then used to appositely functionalise the side chains. The synthesis of litseaverticillol E (both its originally proposed and its actual structures) allows a structural reassignment of this natural product.     

Convenient synthesis of substituted piperidinones from alpha,beta-unsaturated amides: formal synthesis of deplancheine, tacamonine, and paroxetine

[reaction: see text] An intermolecular aza-double Michael reaction leading to functionalized piperidin-2-ones from simple starting materials has been developed. The method allows alpha,beta-unsaturated amides to be used as a synthon of the piperidine nucleus. In addition, the utility of this methodology is demonstrated by its application to a formal synthesis of the indolo[2,3-a]quinolizidine alkaloids, (+/-)-deplancheine, (+/-)-tacamonine, and the antidepressant paroxetine.     

High-Solids,Solvent-Free Modification of Engineered Polysaccharides

The nature-identical engineered polysaccharide α-(1,3) glucan, produced by the enzymatic polymerization of sucrose, was chemically modified by acylation with succinic anhydride. This modification reaction was initially performed at the micro scale in a TGA reactor to access a range of reaction conditions and to study the mechanism of the reaction. Subsequently, the best performing conditions were reproduced at the larger laboratory scale. The reaction products were characterized via coupled TGA/DSC analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, solution viscosity and pH determination. The acylation path resulted in partially modifying the polysaccharide by altering its behavior in terms of thermal properties and solubility. The acylation in a solvent-free approach was found promising for the development of novel, potentially melt-processable and fully bio-based and biodegradable ester compounds.