Computer-assisted design and lactonization of model seco-acid derivatives of lankanolide

In some cases, seco-acid derivatives (a precursor of macrolactone) did not cyclize to form the corresponding macrolactone. To design easily cyclizable seco-acid derivatives of lanaknolide, the conformation of several model seco-acids was calculated, and lactonization experiments of the seco-acids prepared from oleandomycin were carried out to elucidate the efficiency of the cyclization of the model seco-acid. The easily cyclable seco-acid was designed to be C8 exomethylene derivative of lankanolide seco-acid. On the other hand, seco-acid derivative having tertiary alcohol at C8 was predicted not to cyclize to form macrolactone.     

Stabilization of ortho-quinone methides by a bis(sulfonium ylide) derived from 2,5-dihydroxy-[1,4]benzoquinone

The zwitterionic intermediates (2a) in the oxidation of ortho-alkylphenols (1) and bis(sulfonium ylide) 3 form reasonably stable 2:1-complexes (4), in which the ortho-quinone methide (oQM) moieties are not present in quinoid form with the exocyclic in-plane methylene group, but as zwitterionic, aromatic conformer having an out-of-plane exocyclic methylene group. The complex 7 derived from the α-tocopherol model compound PMC (5) was comprehensively characterized. As exemplarily demonstrated, the adducts can be advantageously employed in organic synthesis as ‘stabilized oQMs’.     

Stereoselective radical cyclizations of N-(2-halobenzoyl)-cyclic ketene-N,X(X=O, S)-acetals

2-Alkyloxazolines and 2-alkylthiazolines react with 2-halobenzoyl chlorides to form N-(2-halobenzoyl)-cyclic ketene-N,O-acetals and N-(2-halobenzoyl)-cyclic ketene-N,S-acetals in excellent yields, respectively. These ketene acetals readily undergo stereocontrolled aryl radical cyclizations to afford the central six-membered rings of substituted-2,3,10,10α-tetrahydrooxazolo[3,2-b]isoquinolin-5-ones and their 2,3,10,10α-tetrahydrothiazolo[3,2-b]isoquinolin-5-one analogs. The tertiary N,O- and N,S-radicals formed upon aryl radical reaction at the ketene-N,X(X=O, S)-acetal double bond appear to have reasonable stability. The stereoselectivity in hydrogen abstractions by these intermediate radicals from both Bu₃SnH and (Me₃Si)₃SiH was investigated. The N,S-heterocyclic fused ring products may have potential medical value.     

Achievement of ring inversion of myo-inositol derivatives due to silyloxy/silyloxy repulsion enhanced by the trans-substituents on both sides

The introduction of quite bulky trialkyl or diarylalkylsilyl groups into vicinal trans-hydroxy groups induced a conformational flip of certain multifunctionalized cyclohexane rings from the usual chair form possessing more equatorial substituents (equatorial-rich chair form) into another chair-form that has more axial substituents (axial-rich chair form). This realization was experimentally revealed by the conformational study of the synthetic myo-inositol derivatives possessing two tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBS), two triisopropylsilyl (TIPS), or two tert-butyldiphenylsilyl (TBDPS) groups on an adjacent trans-diol. Among them, the cyclohexane rings of the 4,5-bis-O-TIPS-myo-inositol, 4,5-bis-O-TBDPS-myo-inositol, and 1,2,3,6-tetra-O-benzyl-4,5-bis-O-TBDPS-myo-inositol were in the axial-rich chair form. Comparison of the ring conformations also revealed that the order of the repulsion was OTBDPS/OTBDPS>OTIPS/OTIPS>OTBS/OTBS, and the silyloxy/silyloxy repulsion was enhanced when the two silyloxy groups were placed in the center of the contiguous four equatorial substituents.     

Synthesis of Closo-1,7-Carboranyl Alkyl Amines

Of the three closo-carborane isomers (C₂B₁₀H₁₂), closo-1,2-carborane has been used most widely in the synthesis of carboranyl amines. However, closo-1,2-carboranes are prone to deboronation to nido-7,8-carborane under various conditions including attack by basic amino groups. In order to overcome this problem, closo-1,7-carboranyl ethyl-, propyl-, and butylamine were synthesized, which should be more stable towards basic deboronation than their closo-1,2-carboranyl counterparts. These closo-1,7-carboranyl amines (5, 18 and 19) were synthesized using two different methods, both starting from the corresponding closo-1,7-carboranyl alkyl iodides (3, 14 and 15). One of the carboranyl alkyl amine (5) was conjugated with folic acid to form a closo-1,7-carborane-folic acid bioconjugate (20).     

The biocatalytic conversion of 8-hydroxymanzamine A to manzamine A

The selective dehydroxylation of 8-hydroxymanzamine A (1) to form manzamine A (2) can be completed by fermentation with Fusarium solani or Streptomyces seokies. This unique biocatalytic conversion is important due to the fact that manzamine A has more desirable biological activity when assayed in a murine model against malaria.     

New protic salts of aprotic polar solvents

Aprotic polar solvents such as DMF, acetonitrile or DMSO can be protonated to form stable triflate salts when treated with triflic acid. The reaction of the same solvents with N,N-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide led to the isolation of the corresponding N,N-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide salts.     

Selective immobilization of Acinetobacter junii on the natural zeolitized tuff in municipal wastewater

The immobilization of desired bacteria onto material was usually performed in synthetic media. The aim of this study was to test the immobilization of phosphate (P)-accumulating bacteria Acinetobacter junii onto natural zeolitized tuff (NZ) in the raw or sterilized municipal wastewater containing the common bacteria Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis and the performance of immobilized A. junii in the same type of wastewater. In the sterilized wastewater which contained the mixture of A. junii, E. coli and E. faecalis, the A. junii was selectively immobilized onto NZ in significantly higher numbers than E. coli and E. faecalis. The A. junii added in the form of bioparticles to the wastewater containing E. coli and E. faecalis, multiplied and removed P from wastewater. The P removal from wastewater was a function of biomass of P-accumulating bacteria and not the amount of NZ or bioparticles used. The performance of A. junii was significantly better in membrane filtered than in autoclaved wastewater. The experiments that were performed in raw non sterilized wastewater showed that A. junii can be successfully immobilized onto NZ in competition with natively present heterotrophic bacteria, retain its metabolic activity and successfully remove P from such water, which makes this technology feasible from biotechnological aspect.     

Synthesis, Characterization, and Conductivity Studies of Poly-o-Methoxyaniline Intercalated into V2O5 Xerogel

In this work we study the conductivity properties of poly-o-methoxyaniline/V₂O₅ intercalation compounds obtained through intercalative polymerization of o-methoxyaniline with V₂O₅·nH₂O in hydrogel form and by reacting directly with V₂O₅ film in de-hydrated form (xerogel). These new compounds were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared and ultra-violet/visible spectroscopies, electron paramagnetic resonance, elemental analysis (C, N, H), thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, dc-conductivity and powder X-ray diffraction. For samples formed from V₂O₅ xerogel in film form, an increase in dc-conductivity and a decrease in the thermal activation energy in comparison with pure matrix was observed. The increase in conductivity is attributed to an increase of carrier density in the vanadium oxide lattice and the contribution of polarons from the polymer. On the other hand, for the intercalation compound obtained with V₂O₅·nH₂O in hydrogel form presents a very low room temperature conductivity value. The decrease in conductivity is due to the lack of connectivity of the various parts that compose the material.     

Polymer-supported thioanisole: a versatile platform for organic synthesis reagents

A new cross-linked polystyrene-supported thioanisole reagent is reported. This reagent incorporates the flexible JandaJel™ cross-linker and can be treated with methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate to form the corresponding sulfonium salt. This salt can in turn be deprotonated to form a polymer-supported sulfur ylide that is able to react with aldehydes and ketones to form epoxides. The thioanisole reagent can also be oxidized to form an insoluble sulfoxide reagent that is useful in Swern oxidation reactions. In these reactions, the polymer-supported thioanisole-based reagents can be recovered, regenerated and reused.     

Description of the turbidity measurements near the phase transition temperature of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) copolymers: the effect of pH, concentration, hydrophilic and hydrophobic content on the turbidity

Absorbance values between 300 and 800 nm of aqueous solutions of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-itaconic acid-9.80), poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-itaconic acid-52.05) and poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)s containing Tegomer H-Si 2111 end groups and/or blocks were measured using a Shimadzu 160-A UV-visible spectrometer. Turbidities obtained from these absorbance values were used to interpret the macromolecular phase transition from a hydrophilic to a hydrophobic structure of the polymers. The effects of comonomer type and content, concentration of the solutions, pH and temperature on the coil-globule transition were discussed in terms of turbidity form factor, β related to size and shapes of particles and calculated by using the simplified form of Debye equation.The results presented in this work show that the presence of Tegomer H-Si 2111 (Si containing end groups and/or blocks) or high amount of itaconic acid (IA) in the chains prevent a collapse transition from hydrated extended coils to hydrophobic globules, which aggregate and form a separate phase (β<2). Furthermore, it was observed that in the case of concentrated solutions intermolecular hydrophobic interactions between isopropyl groups overcame the repulsive forces resulting from the ionized carboxylic acid groups of IA or surface active nature of Si containing hydrophobic groups (β>2). This stage of the transition corresponds to macroscopic phase separation after an intramolecular process.     

‘Push-Pull’ and spirobicyclic structures by reacting N-methyl cyclic ketene-N,X (X=S, O)-acetals with isocyanates and isothiocyanates

Nucleophilic N-methyl cyclic ketene-N,X (X=S, O)-acetals can react with electrophilic aryl isocyanates and aryl isothiocyanates to form ‘push-pull’ mono-adducts, di-adducts and spirobicyclic 6/5 ring compounds.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the structure of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline derivatives as model compounds for non-linear optical organic materials

Molecular and crystal structure of a series of derivatives of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline has been studied by both X-ray diffraction method and high-level ab initio calculations. According to these data, the dimethylamino groups were found to have a trigonal-pyramidal configuration and are considerably turned with respect to the ring plane in all molecules having a substituent in the ortho-position; on the contrary, this group is planar in the meta-substituted molecules. Topological analysis of the electron density function for all molecules studied within the framework of Bader's ‘atoms in molecules’ (AIM) theory revealed that introduction of a substituent into the ortho- or meta-position of the ring results in increasing of the contribution of the resonance forms different from the quinoid one. Contribution of the latter form is predominant for the structure of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline (1). Topological analysis of the electron density distribution was used to explain a decreasing of the molecular hyperpolarisabilites of the ortho- and meta-substituted compounds as compared with those for 1.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of manganese(II) complexes with high-denticity ligands derived from azacrowns

The hepta- and octa-dentate ligands N,N′-bis(2-aminobenzyl)-1,10-diaza-15-crown-5 (L¹) and N,N′-bis(2-aminobenzyl)-1,10-diaza-18-crown-6 (L²), respectively, form stable mononuclear Mn(II) complexes. Spectrophotometric titrations performed in acetonitrile solution indicate the formation of mononuclear Mn(II) complexes with both ligands, and no evidence for the formation of binuclear complexes was obtained. The optimal architecture of L¹ allows it to impose the less usual pentagonal bipyramidal geometry on the Mn(II) guest, and the X-ray crystal structure of [Mn(L¹)](ClO₄)₂ shows that the Mn(II) ion is deeply buried in the receptor cavity, coordinated to the seven available donor atoms, with the perchlorate anions remaining outside the metal coordination sphere. In spite of its higher denticity, the receptor L² is unable to form the expected binuclear complexes. The X-ray crystal structure of [Mn(L²)](NO₃)₂ consists of the [Mn(L²)]²⁺ cation and nitrate anions involved in hydrogen-bonding interactions with the aniline groups. In [Mn(L²)]²⁺ the metal ion is also placed in the crown hole, but as a result of the large size of the macrocyclic cavity only six of the eight available donor atoms of the receptor form part of the Mn(II) coordination sphere, with the Mn(II) ion found in a distorted octahedral coordination environment.     

A convenient synthesis of iminosugar-C-glycosides via organometallic addition to N-benzyl-N-glycosylhydroxylamines

N-Benzyl-N-glycosylhydroxylamines were prepared in very good yield via condensation of furanoses and pyranoses with N-benzylhydroxylamine at 110°C for 30 min under solvent-free conditions. These anomeric sugar-hydroxylamines exist in equilibrium with the open-chain nitrone form. In fact upon treatment with various organometallic reagents, the corresponding adducts were obtained with good to high diastereoselectivity. These adducts were converted into iminosugar-C-glycosides by reductive dehydroxylation and intramolecular cyclization.     

Novel triazolopeptides: chirospecific synthesis and conformational studies of proline derived analogs

Replacing the backbone amide function by a heterocyclic bioisostere, [3+2] azide-alkyne cycloaddition has been applied for the construction of biologically relevant peptidomimetics. Starting from aminoalkynoates, triazole formation was accomplished by addition of hydrazoic acid. NMR studies displayed that the newly developed 4,5-triazolopeptides, which incorporate a biomimetic triazole NH-function as polar constraint element, showed a substantially higher tendency to form a cis-prolyl-geometry than a comparable native peptide sequence.     

Stable axial-rich chair conformer of myo-inositol derivatives due to introduction of two adjacent bulky silyl protections

The ring-conformational change of myo-inositol derivatives by introducing two tert-butyldimethylsilyl, triisopropylsilyl, or tert-butyldiphenylsilyl groups into the 1,2-trans hydroxy groups--3,4- and 4,5-positions--were investigated. The cyclohexane cores of the 4,5-bis-O-silylated derivatives with tert-butyldiphenylsilyl or triisopropylsilyl groups were present in the axial-rich chair form.     

Chemistry of cyclopropenones: synthesis of new pyrrolo[2,1-b]-1,3,4-oxadiazoles

2,3-Diphenylcyclopropenone (1) reacts with ylidene-N-phenylhydrazine-carbothioamides 2a-e to form the pyrrolo[2,1-b]-1,3,4-oxadiazoles 5a-e.     

A polystyrene-supported triflating reagent for the synthesis of aryl triflates

An insoluble polystyrene-supported triflating reagent has been prepared by suspension co-polymerization of N-(4-vinylphenyl)trifluoromethanesulphonimide, styrene and the JandaJel^® cross-linker. This reagent, in the presence of triethylamine, allows for the efficient synthesis of aryl triflates from a wide range of phenols in a process that permits the desired product to be isolated from the reaction mixture in essentially pure form via several filtration and concentration operations. Adding to the utility of this reagent is its ability to be easily recovered, regenerated and reused. Both soluble and insoluble bifunctional polymers containing trialkylamine moieties in addition to triflimide groups were also prepared and examined as triflating reagents. Unfortunately these reagents afforded only modest yields of the desired products in representative reactions.     

The interaction of fluorinated 2-arylhydrazono-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with o-phenylenediamine

2-Arylhydrazono-3-fluoroaklyl-3-oxo esters react with o-phenylenediamine under neutral conditions to form mainly o-aminoanilides, from which can be obtained 1,5-benzodiazepin-2-ones. Ethyl-2-(benzimidazol-2-yl)-2-(4-methylphenyl)hydrazonoethanoate was isolated also from the reaction of di(tri)fluoromethyl-containing 2-arylhydrazono-3-oxo esters. The reactions of o-phenylenediamine with 1,2,3-triketone 2-arylhydrazones containing alkyl substituents result in the formation of 1-(benzimidazol-2-yl)-1,2-dioxoalkane arylhydrazones, whereas phenylsubstituted analogues afford 2-phenylbenzimidazole. Nickel(II) chelates of N,N′-phenylene-bis(2-arylazo-1,3-aminovinylketones) were obtained from 1,2,3-triketone 2-arylhydrazones and o-phenylenediamine using a template method.