First Total Synthesis of (±)-Ponganone Ⅲ

In recent years, the synthesis and pharmacology of pyranoflavanoids have been extensively investigated due to their wide range of pharmacological properties^[1-3]. Ponganone Ⅲ^[4],a new natural pyranoflavanone isolated from the Pongamia pinnala, was identified as (2S)-3',4'-dimethoxy-6',6"-dimethylpyrano-[2",3":7,8]-flavanone (2) on the basis of spectra data. Its precursor,3,4-dimethoxy-2'-hydroxy-6",6"-dimethylchromeno-[2",3":4',3']-chalcone (1) is also a new natural product^[5] isolated from the roots of Lonchocarpus subglaucescent. Their total synthesis have not been reported. Herein, we wish to report the first total synthesis of compounds 1 and 2 in order to confirm the proposed structure and further more to evaluate its biological activities.     

A novel cytotoxic neophysalin from Physalis alkekengi var.francheti

A new neophysalin,named 5α-hydroxy-25,27-dihydro-4,7-didehydro-7-deoxyneophysalin A(1),along with three other known neophysalins(2-4) were isolated from the calyxes of Physalis alkekengi L.var.francheti(Mast.) Makino.The structure of 1 was determined by means of 1D and 2D NMR,UV,IR and mass spectra.Compound 1 displayed potent cytotoxicities in vitro against PC- 3 and LNCaP cell lines.     

A new series of nematic and smectic liquid crystals with negative dielectric anisotropy: the effect of terminal chain substitution on thermal and electro-optical properties

Two alkyl (1b and 1c) and four fluoroalkyl derivatives (1d-1f) of 4-arylbutyric acid (1c, 1d and 1e) and 4-arylbutanol (1b, 1f and 1g) [aryl = 2',3'-difluoro-4'-(2-(E-4-pentylcyclohexyl)ethyl)-biphenyl-1-yl] were prepared and investigated in the pure form as nematic materials (1b and 1c) and as additives to a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) host (1d-1f). A comparison of 1b and 1c with the decyl analogue 1a demonstrates the effect of terminal chain modification on thermal and electro-optical properties. The substitution of the -CH₂O- (1b) or -COO- (1c) for -CH₂CH₂- in 1a destabilized the N and SmA phases or completely eliminated the smectic behaviour (1c). Dielectric analysis revealed that the chain modification increased the negative Δε, reduced elastic constant K ₁₁ and moderately decreased rotational viscosity γ₁. The temperature dependence of the key electro-optical parameters was analysed for ester 2, the methyl analogue of 1c, which exhibits a 45 K wide N phase. All four fluoroalkyl derivatives 1d-1f showed enantiotropic SmA phases and 1e also exhibited a monotropic SmC phase. Solutions of 1d-1f in a FLC host (0.2 mmol g^-1) increased the tilt angle Θ (up to 45° for 1g), reduced rotational viscosity γ₁ and the risetime τ. The most dramatic changes were observed for 1g, which contains 15 fluorine atoms.     

Synthesis of di-and tetrasaccharide containing 6-deoxytalose from the O-antigenic polysaccharide of B. pseudomallei strain 304b

Synthesis of the disaccharide β-D-Glup-(1→3)-6-deoxy-α-L-Talp Ⅱ,and its dimer Ⅲ from the O-antigenic polysaccharide of Burkholderia pseudomallei strain 304b,were achieved through assembly of suitably synthesized building blocks,4-methoxylphenyl 6-deoxy-2,4-di-O-benzoyl-α-L-talopyranoside (7),3-O-allyl-2,4,6-tri-O-benzoyl-α,β-D-glucopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (8) and 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzoyi-α,β-D-glucopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (Ⅱ).The total yield of Ⅲ from 4-methoxyiphenyl 2,3-O-isopropylidene-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (1) was 18%.     

Synthesis and properties of optically active 1,3-diols and their derivatives as chiral dopants for ferroelectric liquid crystals

New chiral dopants β-hydroxy ketones 1, 1,3-diols 2, 1,3-dioxanes 3 and 1,3-dioxan-2-ones 4 were designed and synthesized. Reaction of (R)-1,2-epoxyoctane with carbanions derived from 2-(4-substituted phenyl)-1,3-dithianes followed by hydrolysis of the resulting hydroxy dithianes afforded 1. Reduction of 1 gave the diols 2, which yielded 3 upon acetalization and 4 upon carbonation. The syn isomers of 2, 3, and 4 exhibited larger spontaneous polarizations, when applied as chiral dopants, than the anti isomers or hydroxy ketones 1.     

Synthesis and Complexation of Phosphorus- and Selenium-Containing Macrocycles

A facile synthesis method for SePSe-containing macrocycles was developed. The macrocycles were obtained by one-pot reaction. The powder selenium was reduced by potassium borohydride in absolute alcohol to produce potassium diselenide,which reacted with bis(o-bromomethylphenyl)phenylphosphine oxide 1 to give the intermediate, 1-phenyl-2,3:8,9-dibenzo-5,6-diselena-1-phosphacyclononadiene 1-oxide 2, and its oligomer. Without isolation, the mixture was treated with potassium borohydride and sodium hydroxide to produce diselenide anion, then allowed to react with alkyl dibromide to give SePSe-containing macrocycles (shown as Scheme 1). A medium-sized eight-membered heterocycle, l-phenyl-2,3:7,8-dibenzo-5-selena-1-phosphacyclooctadiene 1-oxide 4 was obtained surprisingly. The formation of heterocycle 4 was due to the presence of potassium selenide when selenium was reduced by potassium borohydride. The attempts to isolate the intermediate 2 were totally unsuccessful. When the alkyl dibromide was the 1,2-dibromoethane, the expected macrocycle was not obtained, with deposition of red selenium and extrusion of ethylene. The similar case was reported by Pinto B. M. in 1989.     

First Total Synthesis of (-)-4-O-(6'-Hydroxy-7'(9')-Dehydro-6',7,-Dihydrogeranyl)-Coniferyl Alcohol

Some Ligularia species have long used as folk remedies due to their antibiotic, antiphlogistic and antitumor activities.¹ Compound 1,² a novel coniferyl alcohol, was isolated from ligularia duciformis(Compoitae). The geometrical structure of 1,determined by spectroscopic techniques, was corresponded to 4-o-(6,-hydroxy-7'(9')-dehydro-6',7'-dihydrogeranyl)-coniferyl alcohol. But its absolute configuration at C-₆,has not yet been determined. Herein, we report the total synthesis of (6'S)-(-)-1 from Geraniol 2 through 9 steps (Scheme 1).     

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of 28-carboxymethoxy lupane triterpenoids. Preference of 28-O-acylation over 28-O-alkylation of betulin by ethyl bromoacetate

28-Carboxymethoxy lupane tritepenoids 3 and 4 were synthesized by alkylation of betulin with the THP protected 2-hydroxyethyl iodide followed by oxidation and reduction.Direct reaction of betulin (5) or betulone (10) with ethyl bromoacetate led to 28-O-acylation, instead of 28-O-alkylation.The targeted compounds 3 and 4 were not cytotoxic at the highest concentrationtested (75 mmol/L), suggesting that elongation of the chain length at the 28-position in both betulinic acid (1) and betulonic acid (2)was detrimental to the cytotoxicity.The acylation products 28-O-bromoacetates (8a, 8b and 11) and 28-O-methoxyacetate 13exhibited cytotoxicity against several cancer cell lines tested.     

5＇-Hydroxyzearalenol,a new β-resorcylic macrolide from Fusarium sp. 05ABR26

A new β-resorcylic macrolide, 5＇-hydroxyzearalenol （1）, was isolated from the culture broth of a marine-derived fungus Fusarium sp. 05ABR26. Three known compounds, zearalenone （2）, 8＇-hydroxyzearalenone （3） and zearalenol （4） were also isolated. The structure and relative stereochemistry of 1 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Compound 2 displayed potent inhibitory activity against Pyricularia oryzae with a MIC value of 6.25 μg/mL, while compound 3 was much less active; however, 1 and 4 showed no obvious activity.     

In situ[2 + 3] cycloaddition synthesis,crystal structures,strong SHG responses and fluorescence properties of three novel Zn coordination polymers

We report on the synthesis of two acentric and one centrosymmetric Zn metal-organic complexes with 3-tetrazolenethyl pyridine spacers obtained in situ by hydrothermal routes.X-ray diffraction structural analysis reveals that they have the same equivalent nodes but with dissimilar topologies.The two acentric frameworks[Zn(Tzmp)Cl]n(1)and([Zn(Tzmp)Br]n(2),HTzmp=3-tetrazolemethyl pyridine)are isomorphism which exhibit an acentric 3D framework with(10,3)-b net called"ths",while the centro symmetric complex([Zn(Tzmp)N3]n(3))features a distinctive 2D sheet with Shubnikov hexagonal plane net.Photo-luminescent studies suggest the ligand-field strength of coordinated negative ions(Cl^->Br^->N3^-)has ordered adjusting effects on the emission redshift.The second harmonic generation(SHG)measurement shows that compounds 1 and 2 are nonlinear optically active,with SHG responses being 2/3 and half of the standard potassium dihvdrogen phosphate(KDP),respectively.     

Synthesis and characterisation of main-chain hydrogen-bonded supramolecular liquid crystalline complexes formed by azo-containing compounds

A series of azopyridine-containing hydrogen bonding acceptors (4a-c) with flexible spacers of oligo(methylene) were synthesised. Hydrogen-bonded polymeric complexes 4/5 and trimeric complexes 4/6₂ , where 5 and 6 are aromatic dicarboxylic acids and monocarboxylic acids, respectively, were prepared and their liquid crystallinity was examined using differential scanning calorimetry and polarising optical microscopy. The study showed that most of the complexes displayed reversible thermotropic nematic phase. The isotropic to nematic phase transition temperatures of polymeric complexes 4/5 and trimeric complexes 4/6₂ in general decreased with the increase in length of spacers and terminal groups in the corresponding proton acceptors 4 and the proton donors 5 and 6, respectively. Hydrogen bonding interactions in complexes 4/5 and 4/6₂ were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.     

Ferroelectric liquid crystal dopants with a chiral (R,R)-2,3-difluorooctyloxy side-chain: host dependence of the polarization power

The polarization powers δ_p of four chiral dopants with (R,R)-2,3-difluorooctyloxy side-chains were measured in four liquid crystal hosts with isotropic (I)-nematic (N)-smectic A (SmA)-smectic C (SmC) phase sequences. The four chiral dopants differ in terms of their core structures: 2-phenylpyridine (MDW950), biphenyl (5), 2-phenylpyrimidine (6) and 2-(3-nitrophenyl)pyrimidine (7). In each case, δ_p varies with the structure of the liquid crystal host, which is consistent with the behaviour of so-called Type II dopants that normally feature a chiral core structure. The δ_p(host) profile was found to depend on the degree of biaxiality of the dopant core structure, and on the degree of steric coupling between the chiral 2,3-difluorooctyloxy side-chain and the core. Conformational analyses at the B3LYP/6-31G* level suggest that the 2,3-difluorooctyloxy side-chain is conformationally more rigid than conventional chiral side-chains due to the added electrostatic repulsion of the two adjacent fluoro groups combined with the hyperconjugative 'gauche effect', and may therefore have a higher degree of biaxiality on the time average. This biaxial character should make the chiral side-chain more sensitive to variations in quadrupolar ordering imposed by the SmC phase of the liquid crystal host, and may therefore explain the dependence of δ_p on the host structure reported herein.     

Ferroelectric liquid crystals induced by atropisomeric biphenyl dopants: the effect of chiral perturbations on achiral dopants

The addition of the achiral biphenyl dopant 2,2',6,6'-tetramethyl-4,4'-bis(4-n-nonyloxybenzoyloxy)biphenyl (3) or its dithionoester or dithioester analogue (4, 5) to a 4 mol % mixture of the atropisomeric biphenyl dopant (R)-2,2',6,6'-tetramethyl-3,3'-dinitro-4,4'-bis(4-n-nonyloxybenzoyloxy)biphenyl, (R)-1, in the phenylpyrimidine SmC host PhP1 produces a significant amplification of the spontaneous polarization induced by (R)-1. This amplification may be due to a chiral perturbation by (R)-1 which causes a shift in the equilibrium between enantiomeric conformations of the achiral dopant. The degree of polarization amplification afforded by the achiral dopant, as expressed by the polarization amplification factor PAF, varies with the nature of the linking group. This may be ascribed to different rotational distributions of the core transverse dipole moments relative to the polar axis of the SmC* phase and/or to differences in lateral bulk of the polar linking groups. The latter may affect the degree of chiral molecular recognition achieved by 3-5 in the binding site of the SmC* phase.     

Synthesis of di-μ-OXO-tetra-（α-pentyloxy） tin（Ⅳ） phthalocyanine

Axially substituted tin phthalocyanines, namely dichloride-tetra-（α-pentyloxy） tin （Ⅳ） phthalocyanine 2, dihydroxy-tetra-（α-pentyloxy） tin （Ⅳ） phthalocyanine 3 and its dimmer di-μ-oxo-tetra-（α-pentyloxy） tin（Ⅳ） phthalocyanine 4 were synthesized. The catalytic effect of H2O-free CaCl2 in quinoline was used for condensation of dihydroxy tin phthalocyanine 3 to the cofacially array dimmer 4. Their structures were characterized by UV-vis, IR, elemental analysis, MS, as well as ^1HNMR spectroscopy.     

Investigation of the crystal structure of two amphiphilic diols

The crystal and molecular structures of (R)-4'-(2,3-dihydroxypropyloxy)-4-cyanobiphenyl, 1 and 4'-(cis-cis-3,5-dihydroxycyclohexyloxy)-4-cyanobiphenyl, 5 have been determined. The packing of compound 1 occurs in sheets, with a dense hydrogen bonding network within the layer of one sheet and to the next sheet, whereby the cyano groups are incorporated into the hydrogen bonding network. The hydrogen bonding scheme of compound 5 involves a water molecule; there is some disorder with regard to the hydrogen atoms bound to the water molecules.     

Synthesis ofα-D-GlcpNAc-（1→2）-[α-D-ManpNAc-（1→3）-]α-L-Rhap-（1→2）-α-L-Rhap-（1→3）-α-L-Rhap,the repeating unit of O10 antigen from Acinetobacter baumannii

An efficient synthesis ofα-D-GlcpNAc-（1→2）-[α-D-ManpNAc-（1→3）-]α-L-Rhap-（1→2）-α-L-Rhap-（1→3）-α-L-Rhap（1）, the repeating unit of the O10 antigen from Acinetobacter baumannii was achieved via sequential assembly of the building blocks,p- methoxylphenyl 2,4-di-O-benzoyl-α-L-rhamnopyranoside（2）;2-O-allyloxycarbonyl-3,4-di-O-bcnzoyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl tri- chloroacetimidate（3）;4-methoxylphenyl 3-O-allyloxycarbonyl-4-O-benzoyl-α-L-rhanmopyranoside（4）;2-azido-3-O-benzoyl-2- deoxy-4,6-O-isopropylidene-α-D-mannopyranosyl trichloroacetirnidatc（5）;2-azido-3,4,6-tri-O-benzoyl-2-deoxy-α,β-D-glucopyr- ano syl trichloroacetimidatc（6）.The total yield of 1 from 4 was 4.7%.     

CONDENSATION REACTION OF α-AROYL-α-ACETYL KETENE CYCLIC DITHIOACETALS WITH AROMATIC ALDEHYDES

As a versatile three-carbon syntho,α-oxoketene cyclic acetals 1 have been applied in many fields. In order to study the structure and application of 1, we performed that α-aroyl-α-acetyl ketene cyclic dithioacetals 2 or 3 condensed with aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by sodium ethoxide and fifteen new condensation products 4 and 5 were obtained.     

A new spirostanol saponin from the rhizomes of Paris mairei

A new spirostanol steroidal saponin,named maireioside A(1),together with three known steroidal saponins,hypoglaucin G(2), parisaponin I(3),and diosgenin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1→4)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside(4),were isolated from the rhizomes of Paris mairei.The structure elucidation was accomplished by 1D and 2D NMR methods,HR-ESI-MS, and hydrolysis.     

Two New Borates Built by Different Types of {B9} Cluster Units

Two new belt-like borates Na₄[B₉O₁₄(OH)₃]·0.5H₂O(1) and Na₅[B₉O₁₄(OH)₄](2) have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions. Both compounds contain unprecedented B₉O₁₆(OH)_n^(n+5)-[n=3(1), 4(2)] clusters, which are constructed from four B₃O₃ rings via three BO₄ tetrahedra. Compound 1 exhibits a rare 1D belt with two types of 8-membered ring(MR) windows based on B₉O₁₆(OH)₃^8- clusters. Compound 2 features two different 1D belts built by different B₉O₁₆(OH)₄^9- units, which is first discovered in borate family. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra reveal that compounds 1 and 2 have the cut-off edges below 190 nm, indicating that they may have potential application in deep UV(DUV) region.     

Mesogenic properties of cycloalkylmethyl 4-(4'-octoxybiphenyl-4-carbonyloxy)benzoate

Four analogous compounds, cyclohexylmethyl 4-(4'-octoxybiphenyl-4-carbonyloxy)benzoate (2), cyclopentylmethyl 4-(4'-octoxybiphenyl-4-carbonyloxy)benzoate (3), cyclobutylmethyl 4-(4'-octoxylbiphenyl-4-carbonyloxy)benzoate (4) and cyclopropylmethyl 4-(4'-octoxylbiphenyl-4-carbonyloxy)benzoate (5) were prepared. They all exhibit SmA, SmC and SmX phases.