A theoretical study on the low-lying excited states of 2,2':5',2'-terthiophene and 2,2':5',2':5',2'-quaterthiophene.

The nature and properties of the low-lying singlet and triplet valence excited states of 2,2':5',2'-terthiophene (terthiophene) and 2,2':5',2':5',2'-quaterthiophene (tetrathiophene) are discussed on the basis of high-level ab initio computations. The spectroscopic features determined experimentally for short alpha-oligothiophenes are rationalised on theoretical grounds. Special attention is devoted to the nonradiative decay process through intersystem crossing (ISC) from the singlet to the triplet manifold, which is known to be relatively less efficient in tetrathiophene. Along the geometry relaxation of the S1 state of terthiophene, the S1 and T2 states become degenerate, which leads to a favourable situation for the occurrence of ISC. The parallel process is expected to be less favoured in tetrathiophene because of the less efficient spin-orbit coupling and the increase of the S1-T2 energy gap.     

A novel synthesis of enantiomerically pure 5,5,5,5',5',5'-hexafluoroleucine

[reaction in text] A novel, short, and efficient synthesis of (S)-5,5,5,5',5',5'-hexafluoroleucine (6) in greater than 99% ee starting from the protected oxazolidine aldehyde 1 is described. The enantiomeric excess of the product was calculated from an NMR analysis of a dipeptide formed by reaction with a protected L-serine derivative. Furthermore, a racemic sample of N-acylated hexafluoroleucine was enzymatically resolved by treatment with porcine kidney acylase I and was found to have the same optical rotation as a synthetic sample of 6.     

New telluride-mediated elimination for novel synthesis of 2',3'-didehydro-2',3'-dideoxynucleosides

Several 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides (ddNs) and 2',3'-didehydro-2',3'-dideoxynucleosides (d4Ns) are FDA-approved anti-HIV drugs. Via conveniently synthesized 2,2'-anhydronucleosides, we have developed a novel synthesis of d4Ns by discovering and applying a new telluride-mediated elimination reaction. Our experiment results show that after substitution of 2,2'-anhydronucleosides with a telluride monoanion, a telluride intermediate is formed, and its elimination leads to formation of the olefin products (d4Ns). Our mechanistic study indicates that this telluride-assisted reaction consists of two steps: substitution (or addition) and elimination. By using dimethyl ditelluride (0.1 equiv) as the reagent, d4Ns can be synthesized with yields up to 90% via this telluride-mediated elimination. Our novel strategy has great potential to simplify synthesis of these drugs and to further reduce cost of AIDS treatment and will also facilitate development of novel d4N and ddN analogues.     

The synthesis and photoactivated cytotoxicity of novel 5-phenyl-3- （2,2＇：5＇,2″-terthien-5-yl）-4,5-dihydro-lH-pyrazolines

A series of novel 5-phenyl-3-（2,2＇：5＇,2″-terthien-5-yl）-4,5-dihydro-lH-pyrazolines were synthesized in this report. Their photoactivated cytotoxicities on the 5podoptera litura （SL） cell line were evaluated using the MTT method. It was noticed that the inhibitory activities of all the conjugates was enhanced when irradiated with UV-A light. Compounds 4, 6 and 8 were found to be most effective with inhibition rates of 88.1%, 88.0%, and 90,5%, respectively, For compound B, the inhibition rate value was only slightly enhanced under the irradiation treatment （78.3%） compared to the dark treatment （74.8%）. The relationship analysis between structure and activity showed that the middle thiophene ring played an important role on the inhibitory activities. It was shown that these compounds could be the potential candidates for new photoactivated pesticides.     

Hydrolysis of 2',3'-O-methyleneadenos-5'-yl bis(2',5'-di-O-methylurid-3'-yl) phosphate, a sugar O-alkylated trinucleoside 3',3',5'-monophosphate: implications for the mechanism of large ribozymes

Hydrolytic reactions of 2',3'-O-methyleneadenos-5'-yl bis(2',5'-di-O-methylurid-3'-yl) phosphate (1), a sugar O-alkylated trinucleoside 3',3',5'-monophosphate, have been followed by RP HPLC over a wide pH range. Under neutral and mildly acidic conditions, the only reaction observed was a pH-independent cleavage of the O-C5' bond of the 5'-linked nucleoside. Under more alkaline conditions nucleophilic attack by hydroxide ion starts to compete. The reaction is first order in [OH(-)] and becomes predominant at pH 10. Each of the 3'-linked nucleosides is displaced 2.9 times as readily as the 5'-linked one. To determine the beta(lg) value for the hydroxide ion catalyzed hydrolysis of 1, two diesters (2a,b) having 2',3'-O-methyleneadenosine (7) and 2',5'-di-O-methyluridine (4) as leaving groups were hydrolyzed under alkaline conditions. Since the beta(lg) value for this reaction is known, DeltapK(a) between 4 and 7 could be calculated. The beta(lg) for the hydrolysis of 1 was estimated to be -0.5 with use of this information. The mechanisms of the partial reactions and the role of leaving group properties in ribozyme reactions of large ribozymes are discussed.