Alkylation of guanosine and 2'-deoxyguanosine by o-quinone alpha-(p-anisyl)methide in aqueous solution

Rates of alkylation of guanosine and 2'-deoxyguanosine with o-quinone alpha-(p-anisyl)methide were measured by flash photolysis in a series of aqueous sodium hydroxide solutions and bicarbonate ion, t-butylhydrogenphosphonate ion, and biphosphate ion buffers. The data so obtained provide rate profiles for these nucleoside plus quinone methide reactions over the range pH = 7-14, which furnish guanosine and deoxyguanosine acidity constants consistent with literature information. These profiles also provide rate constants that show the reaction of o-quinone alpha-(p-anisyl)methide with guanosine and deoxyguanosine to be fairly fast processes, considerably faster than the biologically wasteful reaction of the quinone methide with water, which is the ubiquitous medium in biological systems; that makes the quinone methide a potent guonosine and deoxyguanosine alkylator.     

Flash photolytic generation of ortho-quinone methide in aqueous solution and study of its chemistry in that medium

Flash photolysis of o-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, o-hydroxybenzyl p-cyanophenyl ether, and (o-hydroxybenzyl)trimethylammonium iodide in aqueous perchloric acid and sodium hydroxide solutions, and in acetic acid and biphosphate ion buffers, produced o-quinone methide as a short-lived transient species that underwent hydration back to benzyl alcohol in hydrogen-ion catalyzed (k(H+) = 8.4 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1)) and hydroxide-ion catalyzed (k(HO)- = 3.0 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1)) reactions as well as an uncatalyzed (k(UC) = 2.6 x 10(2) s(-1)) process. The hydrogen-ion catalyzed reaction gave the solvent isotope effect k(H+)/k(D)+ = 0.42, whose inverse nature indicates that this process occurs by rapid and reversible equilibrium protonation of the carbonyl oxygen atom of the quinone methide, followed by rate-determining capture of the carbocation so produced by water. The magnitude of the rate constant of the uncatalyzed reaction, on the other hand, indicates that this process occurs by simple nucleophilic addition of water to the methylene group of the quinone methide. Decay of the quinone methide is also accelerated by acetic acid buffers through both acid- and base-catalyzed pathways, and quantitative analysis of the reaction products formed in these solutions shows that this acceleration is caused by nucleophilic reactions of acetate ion rather than by acetate ion assisted hydration. Bromide and thiocyanate ions also accelerate decay of the quinone methide through both hydrogen-ion catalyzed and uncatalyzed pathways, and the inverse nature of solvent isotope effects on the hydrogen-ion catalyzed reactions shows that these reactions also occur by rapid equilibrium protonation of the quinone methide carbonyl oxygen followed by rate-determining nucleophilic capture of the ensuing carbocation. Assignment of an encounter-controlled value to the rate constant for the rate-determining step of the thiocyanate reaction leads to pK(a) = -1.7 for the acidity constant of the carbonyl-protonated quinone methide.     

Flash photolytic generation and study of p-quinone methide in aqueous solution. An estimate of rate and equilibrium constants for heterolysis of the carbon-bromine bond in p-hydroxybenzyl bromide

Flash photolysis of p-hydroxybenzyl acetate in aqueous perchloric acid solution and formic acid, acetic acid, biphosphate ion, and tris(hydroxymethyl)methylammonium ion buffers produced p-quinone methide as a short-lived species that underwent hydration to p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol in hydronium ion catalyzed (k(H(+)) = 5.28 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1)) and uncatalyzed (k(uc) = 3.33 s(-1)) processes. The inverse nature of the solvent isotope effect on the hydronium ion-catalyzed reaction, k(H(+))/k(D(+)) = 0.41, indicates that this process occurs by rapid and reversible protonation of the quinone methide on its carbonyl carbon atom, followed by rate-determining capture of the p-hydroxybenzyl carbocation so produced by water, while the magnitude of the rate constant on the uncatalyzed process indicates that this reaction occurs by simple nucleophilic addition of water to the methylene group of the quinone methide. p-Quinone methide also underwent hydronium ion-catalyzed and uncatalyzed nucleophilic addition reactions with chloride ion, bromide ion, thiocyanate ion, and thiourea. The solvent isotope effects on the hydronium ion-catalyzed processes again indicate that these reactions occurred by preequilibrium mechanisms involving a p-hydroxybenzyl carbocation intermediate, and assignment of a diffusion-controlled value to the rate constant for reaction of this cation with thiocyanate ion led to K(SH) = 110 M as the acidity constant of oxygen-protonated p-quinone methide. In a certain perchloric acid concentration range, the bromide ion reaction became biphasic, and least-squares analysis of the kinetic data using a double-exponential function provided k(Br(-)) = 3.8 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) as the rate constant for nucleophilic capture of the p-hydroxybenzyl carbocation by bromide ion, k(ionz) = 8.5 x 10(2) s(-1) for ionization of the carbon-bromine bond of p-hydroxybenzyl bromide, and K = 4.5 x 10(5) M(-1) as the equilibrium constant for the carbocation-bromide ion combination reaction, all in aqueous solution at 25 degrees C. Comparisons are made of the reactivity of p-quinone methide with p-quinone alpha,alpha-bis(trifluoromethyl)methide as well as p-quinone methide with o-quinone methide.     

Kinetics and mechanism of hydration of o-thioquinone methide in aqueous solution. Rate-determining protonation of sulfur

o-Thioquinone methide, 2, was generated in aqueous solution by flash photolysis of benzothiete, 1, and rates of hydration of this quinone methide to o-mercaptobenzyl alcohol, 3, were measured in perchloric acid solutions, using H2O and D2O as the solvent, and also in acetic acid and tris(hydroxymethyl)methylammonium ion buffers, using H2O as the solvent. The rate profiles constructed from these data show hydronium-ion-catalyzed and uncatalyzed hydration reaction regions, just like the rate profiles based on literature data for hydration of the oxygen analogue, o-quinone methide, of the presently examined substrate. Solvent isotope effects on hydronium-ion catalysis of hydration for the two substrates, however, are quite different: k(H)/k(D) = 0.42 for the oxygen quinone methide, whereas k(H)/k(D) = 1.66 for the sulfur substrate. The inverse nature (k(H)/k(D) < 1) of the isotope effect in the oxygen system indicates that this reaction occurs by a preequilibrium proton-transfer reaction mechanism, with protonation of the substrate on its oxygen atom being fast and reversible and capture of the benzyl-type carbocationic intermediate so formed being rate-determining. The normal direction (k(H)/k(D) > 1) of the isotope effect in the sulfur system, on the other hand, suggests that protonation of the substrate on its sulfur atom is in this case rate-determining, with carbocation capture a fast following step. A semiquantitative argument supporting this hypothesis is presented.     

Generation of quinone methide from aminomethyl(hydroxy)arenes precursors in aqueous solution

o-Quinone methides (QMs) are an important reactive intermediate for organic synthetic and biological standpoints of view. Photochemical and thermal transformation of N,N-dialkyl-9-aminomethyl-10-phenanthrols and their naphthalene analogs, which act as QM precursors, has been studied. These precursors readily reacted with alkyl vinyl ethers to give 2-alkoxydibenzo[f,h]chroman and 2-alkoxybenzo[f]chroman, respectively. Thermal and photochemical generation of QM was accelerated by the presence of water molecule in reaction solvents and by the formation of anionic micelle and vesicle.     

Flash photolytic investigations on the reaction between Pu(VI) and CO-3 in alkaline medium

Absorption spectrum of a transient species of Pu(VII), [PuO₂(CO₃)₂(OH)₂]^3-, has been obtained in the flash photolysis of solutions containing (50–500) x 10^-6 mol dm^-3 Pu(VI) and (5–30) x 10^-3 mol dm^-3 Na₂CO₃ at pH 12.5. The transient species appears to form through the reaction of CO^-₃ ion radical with [PuO₂(CO₃)(OH)₂]^2- [k = (1.45 +- 0.06) x 10⁷ mol^-1 dm³ s^-1] and decays spontaneously with a rate constant of (7.61 +- 0.09) x 10² s^-1. Evidence for the photoreduction of Pu(VI) has also been obtained and a reaction mechanism is proposed to explain the results.     

Alkylation of amino acids and glutathione in water by o-quinone methide. Reactivity and selectivity.

o-Quinone methide (1) has been produced in water both thermally and photochemically from (2-hydroxybenzyl)trimethylammonium iodide (2). Michael addition reactions of 1 to various amines, and sulfides, including amino acids and glutathione have been carried out, obtaining alkylated adducts (3-16) in fairly good to quantitative yields. The reaction rate and selectivity of 1 toward nitrogen and sulfur nucleophiles, in competition with the hydration reaction, have been investigated at different pH by laser flash photolysis technique. The observed reactivity spans 7 orders of magnitude on passing from water (kNu = 5.8 M-1 s-1) to the most reactive nucleophile (2.8 x 10(8) M-1 s-1, 2-mercaptoethanol under alkaline conditions). These are the first direct reaction rate measurements of nucleophilic addition to the parent o-quinone methide (1). Competition experiments provided strong kinetic support to the involvement of free 1 as an intermediate in both thermal and photochemical reactions. Furthermore, several alkylation adducts regenerate 1 either by heating (9, 10, 13, and 14) or by irradiation (9, 11-13, 16). Such a thermal and photochemical reversibility of the alkylation process opens a new perspective for the use and application of such adducts as o-QM molecular carriers.     

Novel generation of an o-quinone methide from 2-(2'-cyclohexenyl)phenol by excited state intramolecular proton transfer and subsequent C-C fragmentation

Formation of an o-quinone methide via C-C fragmentation of a zwitterion formed by intramolecular excited state proton transfer from an o-allylphenol derivative is reported for the first time.     

A new and efficient method for o-quinone methide intermediate generation: application to the biomimetic synthesis of (+/-)-Alboatrin

[reaction: see text] A new and efficient method for o-quinone methide intermediate generation from o-methyleneacetoxy-phenols has been developed and applied to the biomimetic synthesis of (+/-)-Alboatrin.     

Dual reactivity of hydroxy- and methoxy- substituted o-quinone methides in aqueous solutions: hydration versus tautomerization

4-Hydroxy-6-methylene-2,4-cyclohexadien-1-one (1) and 4-methoxy-6-methylene-2,4-cyclohexadien-1-one (2) were generated by efficient (Φ = 0.3) photodehydration of 2-(hydroxymethyl)benzene-1,4-diol (3a) and 2-(hydroxymethyl)-4-methoxyphenol (4a), respectively. o-Quinone methides 1 and 2 can be quantitatively trapped as Diels-Alder adducts with ethyl vinyl ether or intercepted by good nucleophiles, such as azide ion (k(N3)(1) = 3.15 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) and k(N3)(2) = 3.30 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1)). In aqueous solution, o-quinone methide 2 rapidly adds water to regenerate starting material (τ(H(2)O)(2) = 7.8 ms at 25 °C). This reaction is catalyzed by specific acid (k(H(+))(2) = 8.37 × 10(3) s(-1) M(-1)) and specific base (k(OH(-))(2) = 1.08 × 10(4) s(-1) M(-1)) but shows no significant general acid/base catalysis. In sharp contrast, o-quinone methide 1 decays (τ(H(2)O)(1) = 3.3 ms at 25 °C) via two competing pathways: nucleophilic hydration to form starting material 3a and tautomerization to produce methyl-p-benzoquinone. The disappearance of 1 shows not only specific acid (k(H(+))(1) = 3.30 × 10(4) s(-1) M(-1)) and specific base catalysis (k(OH(-))(1) = 3.51 × 10(4) s(-1) M(-1)) but pronounced catalysis by general acids and bases as well. The o-quinone methides 1 and 2 were also generated by the photolysis of 2-(ethoxymethyl)benzene-1,4-diol (3b) and 2-(ethoxymethyl)-4-methoxyphenol (4b), as well as from (2,5-dihydroxy-1-phenyl)methyl- (3c) and (2-hydroxy-5-methoxy-1-phenyl)methyltrimethylammonium iodides (4c). Short-lived (τ(25°)(C) ≈ 20 μs) precursors of o-quinone methides 1 and 2 were detected in the laser flash photolysis of 3a,b and 4a,b. On the basis of their reactivity, benzoxete structures have been assigned to these intermediates.     

Speciation of phytate ion in aqueous solution. Trimethyltin(IV) interactions in self medium

In this paper the results of a potentiometric (ISE-[H+] glass electrode) investigation at t = 25 degreesC on the complexing ability of phytate towards trimethyltin(IV) (tmt) and on the acid-base properties of tmt at high metal concentration (0.050 and 0.075 mol L(-1)) are reported. First we determined the hydrolytic constants of tmt in aqueous solution without further addition of background salt (self medium); in these experimental conditions we verified the formation of the following hydrolytic species: tmt(OH)0, tmt(OH)2(-) and the binuclear species (tmt)2(OH)(+). Successively, we studied the complex formation constants obtained from the interaction of phytate anion with tmt in the same experimental conditions of hydrolytic measurements; the speciation model obtained takes into account several polynuclear species (tmtH5Phy(6-); tmt2H5Phy(5-); tmt3H4Phy(5-); tmt3H5Phy(4-); tmt4H6Phy(2-); tmtsHPhy(6-)). A comparison with literature data is reported too.     

Radical reactions in aqueous medium using (Me3Si)3SiH

(Me3Si)3SiH was used as a successful reagent in a variety of radical-based transformations in water. The system comprising substrate, silane, and initiator (ACCN) mixed in aqueous medium at 100 degrees C worked well for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates, with the only variation that an amphiphilic thiol was also needed in case of the water-soluble compounds.     

On Mn(Hg)/Mn(II) equilibria and reactions in aqueous solution

The title subject has been studied through galvanostatic single-pulse and chronopotentiometric measurements on the Mn(Hg)/Mn(II) electrode and equilibrium measurements on the same and the Ag/AgCl electrode, all in x MMnCl₂+(0.5?x)M MgCl₂ solutions of pH 4.3–4.9 at 25°C. The Mn(Hg)/Mn(II) reactions are found to occur in two consecutive steps, an unsymmetric (α_c near 0.8) ion-transfer step Mn(Hg)/Mn(I) and an essentially symmetric (α_c near 0.5) electron-transfer step Mn(I)/Mn(II). Besides charge transfer, no sluggishness other than diffusion is observed, but the dispersed precipitate Mn₂Hg₅ of saturated amalgam serves as an ageing-dependent source of anodic reactant Mn(Hg). Quantitative kinetic and thermodynamic data are presented and discussed. Comparisons are made to corresponding reactions for the succeeding elements iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and zinc.     

Calorimetric investigation of poly(methacrylic acid) and poly(acrylic acid) in aqueous solution

The enthalpy of dissociation of poly(acrylic acid) and of poly(methacrylic acid) in water and in 0.5N NaCl at 25°C has been measured over a wide range of degrees of neutralization of the polyelectrolytes. In the case of poly(methacrylic acid) the calorimetric data permit the direct evaluation of the enthalpy of conformational transition of the polymer. For this transition, with the aid of standard free energy data derived from potentiometric titrations, the change in entropy was also estimated. The relative accuracy of the thermodynamic data, and the possibility of deriving therefrom information on the mechanism of transitions of the type, globular coils → expanded coils for partially hydrophobic synthetic polyelectrolytes in aqueous solution are discussed.     

Enantioselective reactions of scalemic acyclic alpha-(alkoxy)alkyl- and alpha-(N-carbamoyl)alkylcuprates

[reaction: see text] Scalemic acyclic alpha-(alkoxy)alkyl- and alpha-(N-carbamoyl)alkylcuprates prepared from organostannanes via organolithium reagents react with vinyl iodides, propargyl mesylates, and alpha,beta-enones to afford coupled products with enantioselectivities ranging from 0 to 99% ee depending upon cuprate reagent, substrate structure, solvent, and temperature. In general, lithium cuprates give higher chemical yields and lower enantioselectivities, while the trends are reversed for the corresponding zinc cuprate reagents.     

Cellulose-g-PDMAam copolymers by controlled radical polymerization in homogeneous medium and their aqueous solution properties

Water-soluble cellulose-graft-PDMAam copolymers were prepared by single-electron-transfer living radical polymerization (SET-LRP). Cellulose based macroinitiator for SET-LRP with a degree of substitution DS ≈ 2 was synthesized from softwood dissolving pulp in a homogeneous LiCl/DMAc solution. The macroinitiator was then grafted using N,N-dimethyl acrylamide (DMAam) in DMSO. Formation of cellulose-g-DMAam copolymers were confirmed by ATR–FTIR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and SEC analyses. Light scattering and steady–shear viscosity measurements revealed that the studied chain length of grafts (DP_graft) had only minor effects on the solution properties of cellulose-g-PDMAam copolymers. SLS studies suggested a loose, solvent-draining architecture of the cellulose-g-PDMAam copolymer particles in H₂O.