Refolding foldamers: triazene-arylene oligomers that change shape with chemical stimuli

We describe the preparation of five triazene-arylene oligomers (3, 4, 7, 8, and 11) and investigations of their folding properties in aqueous solution. These oligomers contain four 2-fold rotors and populate a conformational ensemble comprising at least 10 states. Extensive 1D and 2D NMR studies as well as X-ray crystallography establish that the presence of three members of the cucurbit[n]uril family (CB[n]), CB[10], CB[7], and CB[8], results in the selective population of the (a,a,a,a)-, (a,s,s,a)-, and (a,a,a,s)-conformers. As a result of the high affinity and highly selective binding properties of the CB[n] family, it is possible to fold a single foldamer strand (3) into the CB[8].(a,a,a,s)-3 conformer by the addition of CB[8], then unfold and refold it into the CB[7].(a,s,s,a)-3.CB[7] conformer by addition of CB[7] and 3,5-dimethylaminoadamantane (17), then unfold and refold it again into the CB[10].(a,a,a,a)-3 conformer by addition of CB[10].CB[5] and aminoadamantane (18). The transformation of CB[8].(a,a,a,s)-3 into CB[7].(a,s,s,a)-3.CB[7] proceeds through the intermediacy of CB [8].(a,a,s,a)-3.CB[7], which enhances the rate of dissociation of strand 3 from CB[8].     

四氟乙烯齐聚体的反应 四氟乙烯四、五聚体和芳香胺的反应

前已报道四氟乙烯四聚体(全氟-3,4-甲基己烯-3)(1)、五聚体(全氟-3,4-二甲基-4-乙基己烯-2)(2)和脂肪烷氧以及脂肪胺的亲核反应.本文报道化合物1,2和芳香胺如苯胺、β-萘胺的反应.由于烯烃1、2双键处于分子中间,因而当亲核试剂进攻时,双键容易发生重排,生成的末端基烯烃更具反应性,故导致一取代、二取代、三取代以及环化降解等复杂产物.     

Electrophoresis of a sphere at an arbitrary position in a spherical cavity filled with Carreau fluid

Boundary effects on the electrophoretic behavior of a charged entity are of both fundamental and practical significance. Here, they are examined by considering the case where a sphere is at an arbitrary position in a spherical cavity under conditions of low surface potential and weak applied electrical field. Previous analyses are extended to the case of a non-Newtonian fluid, and a Carreau model is adopted for this purpose. The effects of key parameters such as the thickness of a double layer, the relative sizes of particle and cavity, the position of a particle, and the nature of a fluid on the electrophoretic mobility of a particle are discussed. Several interesting phenomena are observed. For example, if the applied electric field points toward north, the mobility of a particle has a local maximum when it is at the center of a cavity. However, if a particle is sufficiently close to the north pole of a cavity, its mobility exhibits a local minimum as its position varies. This does not occur when the particle is close to the south pole of the cavity; instead, it may move in the direction opposite to that of the applied electric field. For a Newtonian fluid, if a particle is close to the north pole of a cavity, its upward movement yields a clockwise (counterclockwise) vortex near the north pole of the cavity and a counterclockwise (clockwise) vortex near the south pole of the cavity on its right (left)-hand side. The latter is not observed for a Carreau fluid.     

Highly Stereoselective Cationic Cyclization Assisted by a Sulfenyl Group. Scope, Limitation, and Mechanism

When 8-acetoxy-2-methyl-9-(phenylthio)-2-nonene (1a) was treated with an acid, followed by a base, alkylative cyclization proceeded to give a mixture of 1,2-disubstituted cyclohexanes: 2a, 3a, and 4a. The stereochemistry of the reaction was only slightly affected by the leaving group and the reaction conditions, such as the temperature, solvent, and acid. However, the bulkiness of the sulfenyl group had a great effect on the stereochemical course of the reaction. High trans selectivity was attained when 1c (a derivative of 1a with a bulkier sulfenyl group) was used as a substrate. On the other hand, the length and rigidity of the carbon chain of the substrate also had a major effect on the stereochemistry of the reaction; a high cis selectivity was observed when 10a (a one-carbon-fewer analog of 1a) or 15a (a derivative with one more double bond in the carbon chain than in 1a) was used as the substrate. The reaction proceeded via a 6,5- or 5,5-fused-ring intermediate. The sulfenyl-group-assisted reaction could be a useful method for the stereoselective cyclization of acetates of alpha-sulfenylated secondary alcohols.     

Electrophoresis of a rigid sphere in a Carreau fluid normal to a large charged disk

The electrophoresis of a rigid sphere in a Carreau fluid normal to a large disk is analyzed theoretically under the conditions of low surface potential and weak applied electric field. Previous analyses are extended to the case where a disk can be charged, and a more realistic electrostatic force formula is applied. We show that the qualitative behavior of a sphere depends largely on its distance from a disk, the thickness of double layer, and the nature of a fluid. In general, the presence of a disk has the effect of increasing the conventional hydrodynamic drag on a sphere, and a decrease in the thickness of the double layer surrounding a sphere has the effect of enhancing the shear-thinning effect. However, this might not be the case if a sphere is uncharged and a disk is charged, where the osmotic pressure field and the induced charge on the sphere surface can be significant. The shear-thinning effect is important only if the thickness of double layer is sufficiently thick. This result can play a significant role in practice such as in electrophoretic deposition, where the deposition electrode is charged and the fluid medium is usually of shearing-thinning nature.     

Photolysis of organopolysilanes. The reaction of photochemically generated methylphenylsilylene with conjugated dienes

Photolysis of 2-phenylheptamethyltrisilane (I) in the presence of acyclic and cyclic conjugated dienes has been investigated using both a high-pressure mercury lamp with a quartz filter and a low-pressure mercury lamp with a Vycor filter. Irradiation of I in the presence of 1,3-butadiene, isoprene or 2,3-dimethylbutadiene with a high-pressure mercury lamp gave a product arising from photochemical isomerization of a silacyclopropane derivative and a compound apparently formed by 1,4-silylene addition, along with a 1/1 “ene” adduct of the diene to a photo-rearranged intermediate containing the silicon—carbon double bond. Irradiation of I in the presence of the conjugated diene with a low-pressure mercury lamp, followed by treatment of the product with methanol, afforded a methoxysilane arising from methanolysis of the corresponding silacyclopropane, together with the isomerization product, silacyclopentene and rearranged addition product. Irradiation of I in the presence of cyclopentadiene with a high-pressure mercury lamp produced methylphenylsilylcyclopentadiene, while irradiation of a similar mixture with a low-pressure mercury lamp followed by treatment with methanol gave 4-(methoxymethylphenylsilyl)-1-cyclopentene. With 1,3-cyclooctadiene, the photochemically generated methylphenylsilylene afforded many types of addition product. Photolysis of I in the presence of 1,3-cyclohexadiene, however, afforded none of the silylene addition products.     

Association-dissociation equilibrium of loop structures in single-chain folding into a toroidal condensate

Recently, it has been revealed that a semiflexible polyelectrolyte chain can form a partially folded conformation stably as a result of an electrostatic interaction. Interestingly, there are cases where the appearance of this structure requires a high-salt condition of a solution. In order to solve this problem, we consider the double equilibrium of the formation of loops and their aggregation on a single-chain polymer. First, an aggregate with a typical surface energy is examined as a test case. The basic nature of the folding transition is discussed with regard to the chemical potential of loop structures. Next, we consider a charged aggregate for which the interior is completely neutralized by counter ions. In this model, a partially folded chain appears with a high-salt condition. Based on this model, screened interactions between surface charges and a toroidal shape of a folded structure are considered essential factors bihind this phenomenon.     

Relative pKa values from first-principles molecular dynamics: the case of histidine deprotonation

Accurate calculation of pK(a) values and free energies for acid/base reactions in the condensed phase has been a long-standing goal of theoretical chemistry. We present a novel application of the Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics method to the problem of relative pK(a) determination. As a particular example, we focus on the second stage in the dissociation of histidine, a process that holds special importance for biology. Using constrained molecular dynamics, we have analyzed the structural, electronic, and dynamical transformations taking place along a preselected, intuitive reaction coordinate. By integrating the potentials of mean force for the deprotonation of histidine and for a reference reaction, autodissociation of water, we obtain a pK(a) value of 6.8, which appears to be in good agreement with the experimental estimate of 6.1. Detailed analysis was undertaken to determine the value of the constraint, which transformed the N*-H* from a covalent to a hydrogen bond. This helped to identify a number of properties that could be successfully used in monitoring the dissociation process. Additional analysis in terms of electron localization functions provided valuable insight into the nature of the deprotonation reaction.     

Functionalized chloroenamines in aminocyclopropane synthesis - VI. Chlorotetrahydropyridines as a basis for the synthesis of 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0.]hexane derivatives

Enamines 8a-e could be chlorinated by equimolar amounts of N-chlorosuccinimide (9) generating monochloroenamines 10a-e; 10a and 10d were isolated as pure substances. Two equivalents of 9 afforded the dichloroenamines 12a,c from 8a,c. Interaction of the chlorinated enamines 10a-e and 12a,c with cyanide gave morpholino-azabicyclohexane derivatives. 10a-d, thereby, led to exo-cyano-isomers lla-c; 12a,c generated endo-cyano compounds 13a,c. In the case of the ethoxycarbonylated chloroenamine 10e a mixture of diastereomeric products 11e and 14e resulted from the analogous reaction. Reduction of 11a and 14e with lithium aluminum hydride produced a pair of diastereomeric triamines 15 and 16. A tricyclic diazasystem 19 was formed from the reaction of cyanide with the carbamoylated chloroenamine 18. Monochloroenamine 10a and dichloroenamine 12a showed a significant mutagenic behaviour in the Ames test.     

Density functional theoretical study on enantiomerization of 2,2'-biphenol

The S-R enantiomerization processes of 2,2'-biphenol (biphenol) have been investigated using density functional theory (DFT). Five isomers for biphenol were identified: I0, which is the most stable isomer; I1a and I1b, which are formed by a restricted rotation of one OH group; and I2a and I2b, which are formed by a restricted rotation of the two OH groups where a and b denote cis and trans configurations, respectively. Each isomer has R- and S-enantiomers. The energies relative to the most stable isomer I0 are 1.6, 3.3, 5.3, and 5.5 kcal mol(-1) for I1a, I1b, I2a, and I2b, respectively. The direct enantiomerization of I0, in which the phenol-ring rotation is considered to be the reaction coordinate while the OH rotations are frozen, is forbidden because of the repulsion between the two OH groups. The transition states for isomerizations of I0 to other isomers (I1a, I1b, I2a, or I2b) were calculated as well as those for the other direct enantiomerizations except for that of I0. From the viewpoint of the least number of the transition states and their low energy levels, the probable S-R enantiomerization of I0 is expressed as a sequential process of isomerization: I0,S --> I1a,S, a direct enantiomerization induced by one of the two OH rotations, I1a,S --> I1a,R, and another isomerization, I1a,R --> I0,R, that is, I0,S --> I1a,S --> I1a,R --> I0,R as the whole process. This process is effective in quantum control of the enantiomerization of biphenol and can be carried out by a sequence of a pump-dump IR laser-pulse scheme.     

Surface integration approach: a new technique for evaluating geometry dependent forces between objects of various geometry and a plate

We present a new approach, which can be considered as a generalization of the Derjaguin approximation, that provides exact means to determine the force acting between a three-dimensional body of any shape and a half-space mutually interacting via pairwise potentials. Using it, in the cases of the Lennard-Jones, standard and the retarded (Casimir) van der Waals interactions we derive exact expressions for the forces between a half-space or a slab of finite thickness and an ellipsoid in a general orientation, which in the simplest case reduces to a sphere, a tilted fully elliptic torus, and a body obtained via rotation of a single loop generalized Cassini oval, a particular example of which mimics the shape of a red blood cell. The results are obtained for the case when the object is separated from the plane via a non-polar continuous medium that can be gas, liquid or vacuum. Specific examples of biological objects of various shapes interacting with a plate like substrates are also considered.     

Photochromism of mixed crystals containing bisthienyl-, bisthiazolyl-, and bisoxazolylethene derivatives

Single crystals composed of two or three different kinds of diarylethenes, having similar geometrical structures but different colors in the closed-ring isomers, 1,2-bis(2-methyl-5-phenyl-3-thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (1a), 1,2-bis(5-methyl-2-phenyl- 4-thiazolyl)perfluorocyclopentene (2a), and 1,2-bis(5-methyl-2-phenyl-4-oxazolyl)perfluorocyclopentene (3a) have been prepared in an attempt to form single crystals which exhibit different colors, depending on illumination wavelengths. When 1a and 2a are mixed in ethanol and the content of 2a in the feed is higher than that of 1a, only a needle-shaped crystal is obtained. The crystal shape is similar to that of 2a. On the other hand, high content of 1a in the feed leads to formation of a block-shaped crystal, of which the shape is similar to that of 1a. At a feed ratio of 1:1 for 1a and 2a, two types of crystals such as needle- and block-shapes are obtained from the same batch. Mixed crystals composed of three kinds of derivatives 1a/2a/3a have also been prepared. A crystal composed of the three derivatives in the molar ratio of 32 (1a):53 (2a):15 (3a) was obtained. X-ray analysis proved that 1a and 3a are packed in the crystal lattice of 2a. The mixed crystal 1a/2a/3a changed color from colorless to yellow, red, and blue upon irradiation with light of appropriate wavelengths.     

Electrokinetic flow in an elliptic microchannel covered by ion-penetrable membrane

The electrokinetic flow of an electrolyte solution in an elliptical microchannel covered by an ion-penetrable, charged membrane layer is examined theoretically. The present analysis extends previous results in that a two-dimensional problem is considered, and the system under consideration simulates the flow of a fluid, for example, in a microchannel of biological nature such as vein. The electroosmostic volumetric flow rate, the total electric current, the streaming potential, and the electroviscous effect of the system under consideration are evaluated. We show that, for a constant hydraulic diameter, the variations of these quantities as a function of the aspect ratio of a microchannel may have a local minimum or a local maximum at a medium level of ionic strength, which depends on the thickness of the membrane layer. For a constant cross-sectional area, the electroosmostic volumetric flow rate, the total electric current, and the streaming potential increase monotonically with the increase in the aspect ratio, but the reverse is true for the electroviscous effect.     

One-pot synthesis of metalated pyridines from two acetylenes, a nitrile, and a titanium(II) alkoxide

Four-component coupling process involving two acetylenes, a nitrile, and a divalent titanium alkoxide reagent, Ti(O-i-Pr)(4)/2i-PrMgCl, directly yielded titanated pyridines in a highly selective manner. The reaction can be classified into four categories: (i) a combination of an internal acetylene, a terminal acetylene, sulfonylnitrile, and the titanium reagent to yield alpha-titanated pyridines, (ii) a combination of an internal acetylene, a (sulfonylamino)acetylene, a nitrile, and the titanium reagent to yield alternative alpha-titanated pyridines, (iii) a combination of an internal acetylene, a (sulfonylamino)acetylene, a nitrile, and the titanium reagent to yield titanated aminopyridines, and (iv) a combination of an acetylenic amide, a terminal acetylene, a nitrile, and the titanium reagent to yield pyridineamides with their side chain titanated. Some of these reactions enabled virtually completely regioselective coupling of two different, unsymmetrical acetylenes and a nitrile to form a single pyridine. Synthetic applications of these reactions have been illustrated in the preparation of optically active pyridines and medicinally useful compounds.     

Fatty acids. II. The synthesis and gas-liquid chromatographic behaviour of five trimethylene-interrupted C18-diunsaturated fatty acids.

Five trimethylene-interrupted methyl octadecadiynoates, C18 delta-2a,-7a; delta-3a,-8a; delta-4a,-9a; delta-5a,-10a and delta-6a,-11a, and the corresponding cis,cis-octadecadienoates were synthesized, and their gas-liquid chromatographic properties were studied on Apiezon L, diethylene glycol succinate polyester and Silac 10C stationary phases. The equivalent chain lengths of these esters have been determined, and the separation of mixtures and the prediction of gas chromatographic behaviour of these isomers are discussed.     

Boron/nitrogen substitution of the central carbon atoms of the biphenalenyl diradical π dimer: a novel 2e-12c bond and large NLO responses

On the basis of the famous staggered biphenalenyl diradical π dimer 1, the eclipsed biphenalenyl (1a), with no centrosymmetry, was obtained by rotating a layer of 1 by 60° around its central axis. Furthermore, the central carbon atoms of 1 and 1a were substituted by boron and nitrogen atoms to form 2 and 2a with a novel 2e-12c bond. We found that the novel 2e-12c bond is formed by the electron pair of the occupied orbital of the phenalenyl monomer substituted by the nitrogen atom and the unoccupied orbital of the phenalenyl monomer substituted by the boron atom. As a result of the novel 2e-12c bond, 2 and 2a exhibit a fascinating interlayer charge-transfer transition character, which results in a significant difference in the dipole moments (Δμ) between the ground state and the crucial excited state. The values of Δμ for 2 and 2a are 6.4315 and 6.9253 Debye, clearly larger than the values of 0 and 0.0015 Debye for 1 and 1a. Significantly, the boron/nitrogen substitution effect can greatly enhance the first hyperpolarizabilities (β(0) ) of 2 and 2a with a novel 2e-12c bond compared with 1 and 1a with a traditional 2e-12c bond: 0 and 19 a.u. for 1 and 1a are much lower than 3516 and 12272 a.u. for 2 and 2a. Furthermore, the interaction energies (E(int) )of 2 and 2a are larger than those of 1 and 1a, which could be considered as a signature of reliability for the newly designed dimers. Our present work will be beneficial for further theoretical and experimental studies on the properties of molecules with the novel 2e-12c bond.     

Bubbles navigating through networks of microchannels

This paper describes the behavior of bubbles suspended in a carrier liquid and moving within microfluidic networks of different connectivities. A single-phase continuum fluid, when flowing in a network of channels, partitions itself among all possible paths connecting the inlet and outlet. The flow rates along different paths are determined by the interaction between the fluid and the global structure of the network. That is, the distribution of flows depends on the fluidic resistances of all channels of the network. The movement of bubbles of gas, or droplets of liquid, suspended in a liquid can be quite different from the movement of a single-phase liquid, especially when they have sizes slightly larger than the channels, so that the bubbles (or droplets) contribute to the fluidic resistance of a channel when they are transiting it. This paper examines bubbles in this size range; in the size range examined, the bubbles are discrete and do not divide at junctions. As a consequence, a single bubble traverses only one of the possible paths through the network, and makes a sequence of binary choices ("left" or "right") at each branching intersection it encounters. We designed networks so that, at each junction, a bubble enters the channel into which the volumetric flow rate of the carrier liquid is highest. When there is only a single bubble inside a network at a time, the path taken by the bubble is, counter-intuitively, not necessarily the shortest or the fastest connecting the inlet and outlet. When a small number of bubbles move simultaneously through a network, they interact with one another by modifying fluidic resistances and flows in a time dependent manner; such groups of bubbles show very complex behaviors. When a large number of bubbles (sufficiently large that the volume of the bubbles occupies a significant fraction of the volume of the network) flow simultaneously through a network, however, the collective behavior of bubbles-the fluxes of bubbles through different paths of the network-can resemble the distribution of flows of a single-phase fluid.     

Synthesis, properties, and redox behavior of di(1-azulenyl)(2- and 3-thienyl)methyl cations and dications composed of two di(1-azulenyl)methylium units connected with 2,5-thiophenediyl and 2,5-thienothiophenediyl spacers

The titled stable monocations, di(1-azulenyl)(2- and 3-thienyl)methyl cations 7a,b and 8a,b and dications composed of two di(1-azulenyl)methylium units connected with 2,5-thiophenediyl and 2,5-thieno[3,2-b]thiophenediyl spacers 9a,b and 10a,b were prepared by hydride abstraction of the corresponding methane derivatives. These mono- and dications 7a,b, 8a,b, 9a,b, and 10a,b showed high stability with large pK(R)+ values. The values of monocations 7a,b and 8a,b were 11.2-11.8 +/- 0.1 and 11.4-12.4 +/- 0.1, respectively. Two cation units in dications 9a,b and 10a,b were neutralized via one step at the pH of 11.1-11.7 +/- 0.1, which corresponds to the average of the pK(R)+ values of the dications and half-neutralized monocations. Electrochemical behavior of 7a,b, 8a,b, 9a,b, and 10a,b was examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Formation of the thienoquinoid products 18a,b and 19a,b from 9a,b and 10a,b was characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy under electrochemical reduction conditions. Chemical reduction of 9a,b and 10a,b with Zn powder in acetonitrile afforded 18a,b and 19a,b as deep-colored crystals, which exhibited rather high electron-donating ability.     

Electrophoresis in a Carreau fluid at arbitrary zeta potentials

The electrophoresis of colloidal particles has been studied extensively in the past. Relevant analyses, however, are focused mainly on the electrophoretic behavior of a particle in a Newtonian fluid. Recent advances in science and technology suggest that the electrophoresis conducted in a non-Newtonian fluid can play a role in practice. Here, the electrophoresis of a concentrated colloidal dispersion in a Carreau fluid is investigated under the conditions of arbitrary electrical potential where the effect of double-layer polarization may be significant. A pseudo-spectral method coupled with a Newton-Raphson iteration scheme is used to solve the governing equations, which describe the electric, the flow, and the concentration fields. The results of numerical simulation reveal that, due to the effect of shear thinning, the electrophoretic mobility for the case of a Carreau fluid is greater than for that of a Newtonian fluid. Also, the higher the surface potential of a particle, the more significant the non-Newtonian nature of a Carreau fluid on its electrophoretic mobility.     

Boundary effect on the drag force on a nonhomogeneous floc

The boundary effect on the drag force acting on a spherical floc having a nonhomogeneous structure is examined by considering a spherical floc at the centerline of a cylindrical tube. The floc is simulated by an entity having a two-layer structure, and its porous nature mimicked by varying the relative magnitude of the permeability of its inner and outer layers. The results of numerical simulation reveal that the tube wall has the effect of compressing the streamlines and vorticity contours. Also, as in the case of a rigid entity, the wake in the rear region of a floc, which arises from the convective motion of the fluid, is depressed. For fixed volume-averaged permeability, the influence of the tube wall on the behavior of a heterogeneous floc is more significant than that on the behavior of a homogeneous floc, and the influence varies with the structure of the former. The heterogeneous structure of a floc leads to a deviation in the modified drag coefficient-Reynolds number relation from a Stokes-law-like correlation. The smaller the average permeability of a floc the greater the deviation, but the presence of the tube wall has the effect of reducing the deviation.