Synthesis and structures of polychalcogenadistannabicyclo[k.l.m]alkanes

Reaction of steric encumbered trichlorostannane with disodium sulfide or dilithium selenide gave 2,4-dimercapto-1,3,2,4-dithiadistannetane or tetraselenadistannabicyclo[2.1.1]hexane, respectively. Reactions of steric encumbered trihydrostannane with elemental chalcogens gave pentachalcogenadistannabicyclo[k.1.1]heptanes (k = 2 and 3). The two bridgehead tin atoms of the first polychalcogenadistannabicyclo[k.l.m]alkanes are concluded to have no significant bonding interaction, judging from the longer bond distances than those of the normal tin-tin single bonds.     

Synthesis of oxa-aza spirobicycles by intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer promoted by N-radicals in carbohydrate systems

The nitrogen-centred radical generated by reaction of an N-phosphoramidate or N-cyanamide, attached to a tri- or tetramethylene tether extended from the C-1 of a carbohydrate, with (diacetoxyiodo)benzene (DIB) and iodine can undergo a regio- and stereoselective intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reaction to furnish four different oxa-azaspirobicyclic systems: 1-oxa-6-azaspiro[4.4]nonane, 1-oxa-6-azaspiro[4.5]decane, 6-oxa-1-azaspiro[4.5]decane and 1-oxa-7-azaspiro[5.5]undecane. A tandem 1,5- or 1,6-HAT-oxidation-nucleophilic cyclisation mechanism is proposed.     

Intramolecular metal-catalyzed amination of pseudo-anomeric C-H bonds

Intramolecular metal-catalyzed amination of a pseudo-anomeric C-H bond in a C-glycoside is reported. Treatment of α,β-C-carbamoyloxymethyl- or β-C-sulfamoyloxymethyl glycosides with Rh₂(OAc)₄, PhI(OAc)₂, and MgO provided original spirooxazolidines or spirooxathiazolidines in reasonable yields. No correlation between ‘anomeric’ stereochemistry and insertion efficiency was found for the conversion of carbamate derivatives whereas amination reactions of the corresponding sulfamate esters were found to be strongly dependent on the anomeric configuration.     

Platypodiol a novel clerodane diterpene from Baccharis platypoda

There is an urgent need for effective leishmanicidal drugs to replace or supplement those in current use. Our group has been bioprospecting many Brazilian plants looking for potential new ‘hits’ to combat leishmaniasis. We found that Baccharis platypoda was one of the Asteraceae species that displayed leishmanicidal activity. We now describe the isolation of the new clerodane diterpene (1), named platypodiol after its ethanolic leaf extract. Its structure was determined by detailed NMR and ESI-TOF/MS/MS experiments. Considering the few publications about this species, this result has increased the phytochemical knowledge about B. platypoda.     

C-Glycopyranosyl-1,4-benzoquinones and -hydroquinones opening access to C-glycosylated analogs of vitamin E

2-(Per-O-acetyl-β-d-glycopyranosyl)-1,4-dimethoxybenzenes led to C-glycosyl-hydroquinones suitable for preparing C-glycosylated analogs of vitamin E, having the sugar moiety free or acetylated.     

An effective C-C double bond formation via Cu(I)-catalyzed dehydrogenation

A dehydrogenation method using Cu(I) and either N,N-di-tert-butylthiadiaziridine 1,1-dioxide or N,N-di-tert-butyldiaziridinone is reported. The dehydrogenation allows a facile introduction of C-C double bond(s) into various carbocycles and heterocycles such as oxazolines and thiazolines.     

DBU-promoted alkylation of alkyl phosphinates and H-phosphonates

The alkylation of alkyl phosphinates and some H-phosphonate diesters is promoted by the base DBU. Only more reactive alkyl halides react in preparatively useful yields. However, the method provides easy access to important H-phosphinate building blocks, without the need for a protecting group strategy or metal catalysts. The reaction is conveniently conducted at, or below, room temperature. The preparation of methyl-H-phosphinate esters is particularly interesting as it avoids the heretofore more common use of methyldichlorophosphine MePCl₂.     

2-Cyanopyridazin-3(2H)-ones: effective and chemoselective electrophilic cyanating agents

2-Cyanopyridazin-3(2H)-ones are novel, effective, selective and electrophilic cyanating agents. A variety of amino, thiol and carbon nucleophiles are chemoselectively N-, S- or C-cyanated in excellent yield using 2-cyanopyridanzin-3(2H)-ones in water or tetrahydrofuran.     

Indium triflate-catalyzed allylation reactions of N-sulfonyl aldimines or N-alkoxycarbonylamino p-tolylsulfones with allyltrimethylsilane: synthesis of protected homoallylic amines

Indium triflate-catalyzed allylation reactions of N-sulfonyl aldimines or N-alkoxyloxycarbonylamino p-tolylsulfone with allyltrimethylsilane have been successfully developed to produce protected homoallylic amines.     

Sanguinamide B analogs: identification of active macrocyclic structures

We report the synthesis of three new sanguinamide B (San B) analogs. We substituted in amino acids along the San B backbone with an N-Me, glycine, or an aromatic moiety (Phe or d-Phe) generating twelve derivatives in total. Testing in HCT-116 colon cancer cell lines resulted in establishing a structure–activity relationship. Our data show that the substitution of l- or d-Phe adjacent to the thiazole in the San B backbone locks the macrocycle into a single conformer, but only d-Phe analogs are cytotoxic. We demonstrate that the conformation of the macrocycle is extremely sensitive to stereochemistry and amino acid placement.     

Synthesis of new iminocoumarins and their transformations into N-chloro and hydrazono compounds

The Knoevenagel reaction between 2-hydroxybenzaldehydes and active methylene compounds (malononitrile and ethyl cyanoacetate) produces iminocoumarins and/or coumarins. In order to study the reactivity of the prepared iminocoumarins, chlorination and reaction with N-nucleophiles were studied.     

Rapid differentiation of Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

A matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS)-based method has been developed for rapid differentiation between Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius, two herbal medicines with similar chemical and physical properties but different therapeutic effects. This method required only a small quantity of samples, and the herbal medicines were analyzed by MALDI-MS either after a brief extraction step, or directly on the powder form or small pieces of raw samples. The acquired MALDI-MS spectra showed different patterns of ginsenosides and small chemical molecules between P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius, thus allowing unambiguous differentiation between the two Panax species based on the specific ions, intensity ratios of characteristic ions or principal component analysis. The approach could also be used to differentiate red ginseng or P. quinquefolius adulterated with P. ginseng from pure P. ginseng and pure Panax quinquefolium. The intensity ratios of characteristic ions in the MALDI-MS spectra showed high reproducibility and enabled quantitative determination of ginsenosides in the herbal samples and percentage of P. quinquefolius in the adulterated binary mixture. The method is simple, rapid, robust, and can be extended for analysis of other herbal medicines.     

Bis-β-sulfanylethylester and cyclic disulfide-S-oxides as precursors of bifunctionalized anionic derivatives with two oxidized sulfurs

The cyclic disulfide and the bis-β-sulfanyl ethyl ester derived from dithiol, N,N′-1,2-phenylenebis(3-methyl-3-sulfanylbutanamide) were used as precursors to prepare upon oxidation the cyclic disulfide-S-oxides and the thioether sulfur oxidized species including thioether/sulfoxide, bis-sulfoxide, sulfoxide/sulfone, and bis-sulfone. Ring cleavage with KOH/EtOH of the cyclic disulfide-S-monooxide followed by reaction of the opened intermediate with ethyl acrylate afforded the sulfinate/β-sulfanyl ethyl ester derivative. Selective oxidation with 1 and 2 equiv of (3S)-3-tert-butyl-3-methyl-2-(phenylsulfonyl)oxaziridine or with 3 equiv of DMD led to the isolation of a series of compounds containing a sulfonate and a β-sulfanyl, a β-sulfinyl, and a β-sulfonyl ethyl ester. Retro-Michaël reaction applied to the β-sulfonyl/β-sulfinyl and bis-β-sulfonyl derivatives enabled to produce compounds containing a sulfinate and a β-sulfinyl or a β-sulfonyl ethyl ester as well as the bis-sulfinate dianion. DMD oxidation of the latter afforded the bis-sulfonate dianion. All these anionic species were characterized by ¹H NMR, mass spectrometry, HRMS or elemental analysis. Sulfenates in such pseudopeptidic structures could not be isolated from the ring cleavage of the cyclic disulfide-S-dioxide or from a retro-Michaël reaction applied to the β-sulfinyl ethyl ester. A cyclization reaction leading to an isothiazolidin-3-one is likely to occur as observed from the ring cleavage of the cyclic disulfide-S-dioxide. Finally, Ni(II) and Co(III) have been inserted into the disulfinate dianion leading to the corresponding diamidato/disulfinato complexes S-bonded to Ni(II) or Co(III) centers.     

InBr3-Et3N promoted alkynylation of aldehydes and N,O-acetals under mild conditions: facile and simple preparation of propargylic alcohols and amines

The use of a novel InBr₃-Et₃N reagent system to promote addition reactions of 1-alkynes not only with a variety of aromatic or bulky aliphatic aldehydes but also with N,O-acetals is described. The corresponding propargylic alcohols or amines are produced in good to excellent yields.     

Novel rearrangement of 7-(substituted aminomethyl)-6,7-dihydrooxazolo[2,3-f]purines to 7-(substituted amino)-7,8-dihydro-6H-[1,3]oxazino[2,3-f]purines

Oxazinopurines were obtained in high yield by the reaction of 8-bromotheophylline with morpholinomethyl-, piperidinomethyl- or indolinomethyl-substituted oxiranes without isolation of the intermediate oxazolo[2,3-f]purine.     

Fluorinated phosphorus compounds: Part 8. The reactions of bis(fluoroalkyl) phosphorochloridates with sulfur nucleophiles

The reactivity of bis(fluoroalkyl) phosphorochloridates to nucleophiles is summarised. Previous data and the results described here indicate that reactivities decrease in the order: amines>alcohols>thiols. The synthesis of CF₃CH₂OP(O)(SEt)₂ in 30% yield was accomplished by treating CF₃CH₂OP(O)Cl₂ with two molar equivalents of EtSH and Et₃N in ether. The chloridates (CF₃CH₂O)₂P(O)Cl and (C₂F₅CH₂O)₂P(O)Cl did not react with MeSH in ether at −78 °C or when heated with Pb(SMe)₂ in benzene. Ethanethiol and propanethiol reacted with fluorinated chloridates in the presence of triethylamine to give thiolates (R_FO)₂P(O)SR in 13-41% yield where R_F was CF₃CH₂, C₂F₅CH₂, C₃F₇CH₂ or (CF₃)₂CH and R was Et or n-Pr. Similarly, reaction of phosphorobromidates (R_FCH₂O)₂P(O)Br, made by brominating the corresponding bis(fluoroalkyl) H-phosphonates, with benzenethiol gave derivatives (R_FCH₂O)₂P(O)SPh in 43 and 46% yield where R_F was CF₃ and C₂F₅, respectively. Treatment of the chloridothiolate Cl(EtO)P(O)SMe, prepared in two steps from triethyl phosphite, with fluoroalcohols and triethylamine in ether gave species R_FO(EtO)P(O)SMe in 62-74% yield where R_F was CF₃CH₂, C₂F₅CH₂, C₃F₇CH₂ or (CF₃)₂CH. The reactions of bis(trifluoroethyl) phosphorochloridate with 2-mercaptoethanol, 3-mercaptopropanol and ethane-1,2-dithiol gave several unexpected products whose structures were tentatively assigned.     

VioE, a prodeoxyviolacein synthase involved in violacein biosynthesis, is responsible for intramolecular indole rearrangement

Indole-3-pyruvic acid is transformed to prodeoxyviolacein by the novel enzyme VioE, which is involved in the violacein biosynthetic pathway in Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC12472. VioE catalyzes the decarboxylation and indole-ring rearrangement of a nascent compound that is produced from indole-3-pyruvic acid and by the action of chromopyrrolic acid synthase (VioB or StaD), and ultimately the reaction yields prodeoxyviolacein.     

Toxicity assays applied to wastewater treatment

The utility and validity of toxicity tests for monitoring of wastewater treatment have been assessed. The evaluated acute toxicity tests have been Vibrio fischeri, Selenastrum capricornotum and Daphnia magna tests. The validation studies indicated that the acute toxicity tests can be considered as high sensitivity analytical tools to detect common environmental concentrations of the pollutants at concentration levels as low as ng l⁻¹. The toxicity tests showed to have discriminatory ability to distinguish between different degrees of toxicity, and the toxic specificity of the compounds on target organisms. Synergistic, additive or antagonistic effects were evaluated indicating the capacity of the toxicity test to assess the combined effects of chemicals in wastewaters. The reproducibility of these tests, calculated as relative standard deviation, is acceptable in the range of 5-22.3%. The application of multivariate date analysis proved that toxicity and chemical measures are complementary analytical tools for monitoring of wastewaters quality. The toxicity tests are useful analytical tools for screening of chemical analysis and as an early warning system to monitor the treatment of WWTPs. The use of single toxicity test or battery of tests is the best approach to evaluate the risk because they are reliable indices of the toxic impact of effluents in the aquatic environment. The toxicity tests were applied in the quality control of different European WWTPs.     

The first example of Diels-Alder cycloaddition of ortho-xylylenes to meso-tetraarylporphyrins containing electron-deficient β,β-double bonds

β-Nitro-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin and its zinc complex, or 2,7-dinitro-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin, react with 1,3-dihydrobenzo[c]thiophene 2,2-dioxide in refluxing 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, giving rise to chlorins, bacteriochlorins or isobacteriochlorins. The products obtained are attractive intermediates for further functionalization of porphyrins and may be of potential use as sensitizers in photodynamic therapy.     

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.