The Role of a Dipeptide Outer‐Coordination Sphere on H2‐Production Catalysts: Influence on Catalytic Rates and Electron Transfer

The outer‐coordination sphere of enzymes acts to fine‐tune the active site reactivity and control catalytic rates, suggesting that incorporation of analogous structural elements into molecular catalysts may be necessary to achieve rates comparable to those observed in enzyme systems at low overpotentials. In this work, we evaluate the effect of an amino acid and dipeptide outer‐coordination sphere on [Ni(P^Ph₂N^Ph‐R₂)₂]²⁺ hydrogen production catalysts. A series of 12 new complexes containing non‐natural amino acids or dipeptides was prepared to test the effects of positioning, size, polarity and aromaticity on catalytic activity. The non‐natural amino acid was either 3‐(meta‐ or para‐aminophenyl)propionic acid terminated as an acid, an ester or an amide. Dipeptides consisted of one of the non‐natural amino acids coupled to one of four amino acid esters: alanine, serine, phenylalanine or tyrosine. All of the catalysts are active for hydrogen production, with rates averaging ～1000 s^?1, 40 % faster than the unmodified catalyst. Structure and polarity of the aliphatic or aromatic side chains of the C‐terminal peptide do not strongly influence rates. However, the presence of an amide bond increases rates, suggesting a role for the amide in assisting catalysis. Overpotentials were lower with substituents at the N‐phenyl meta position. This is consistent with slower electron transfer in the less compact, para‐substituted complexes, as shown in digital simulations of catalyst cyclic voltammograms and computational modeling of the complexes. Combining the current results with insights from previous results, we propose a mechanism for the role of the amino acid and dipeptide based outer‐coordination sphere in molecular hydrogen production catalysts.     

A Chiral Recognition Mechanism Proposed for Resolving π-Acidic Racemates on π-Acidic Chiral Stationary Phases Derived from (S)-Leucine

A chiral recognition mechanism which can rationalize the resolution of N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-α-amino amides on chiral stationary phases (CSPs) obtained from N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)leucine amide derivatives has been proposed on the basis of the chromatographic resolution behavior of various N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-α-amino acid derivatives and N-(various benzoyl)leucine N-propyl amides. The proposed chiral recognition mechanism utilizes two hydrogen bonding interactions between the CSP and the analyte and a π-π donor-acceptor interaction between the N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl) groups of the CSP and the analyte. From the chiral recognition mechanism proposed, it has been concluded that the resolution of π-acidic N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-α-amino acid derivatives on π-acidic CSPs derived from N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)leucine amide delivatives is not unusual, but is merely the extension of the resolution of the π-basic racemates on π-acidic CSPs. However, the chromatographic behavior of the resolution of N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)phenylglycine derivatives on CSPs derived from N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)leucine amide derivatives is different from that of the resolution of other N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-α-amino acid derivatives. To rationalize this exceptional behavior, a second chiral recognition mechanism which utilizes two hydrogen bonding interactions (which are different from those of the first chiral recognition mechanism) between the CSP and the analytes and a π-π donor-acceptor interaction between the N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl) group of the CSP and the phenyl group of the analytes has been proposed to compete with the first chiral recognition mechanism. In this instance, it has been proposed that the separation factors and the elution orders of the resolution of N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)phenylglycine derivatives are dependent on the balance of the two competing chiral recognition mechanisms.     

The synthesis and transformations of ethyl (Z)-2-[2,2-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)vinyl]amino-3-dimethylaminopropenoate,a new reagent in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds

Ethyl (Z)-2-[2,2-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)vinyl]amino-3-dimethylaminopropenoate (5) , a new reagent in the synthesis of heteroaryl substituted β-amino- α,β- -dehydro—amino acid derivatives and some fused hetero-cyclic systems, was prepared from ethyl N-2,2-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)vinylglycinate (3) and N,N-dimethyl-formamide dimethyl acetal (4) . The substitution of the dimethylamino group in the compound 5 with heterocyclic amines produced ethyl 2-[2,2-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)vinyl]amino-3-heteroarylaminopropenoates 7a-f and, in some instances, [2,2-bis-(ethoxycarbonyl)vinyl]aminoazolo- or -azinopyrimidine derivatives 8g-k.     

Key Role of Intramolecular Metal Chelation and Hydrogen Bonding in the Cobalt‐Mediated Radical Polymerization of N‐Vinyl Amides

This work reveals the preponderance of an intramolecular metal chelation phenomenon in a controlled radical polymerization system involving the reversible trapping of the radical chains by a cobalt complex bis(acetylacetonato)cobalt(II). The cobalt‐mediated radical polymerization (CMRP) of a series of N‐vinyl amides was considered with the aim of studying the effect of the cobalt chelation by the amide moiety of the last monomer unit of the chain. The latter reinforces the cobalt? polymer bond in the order N‐vinylpyrrolidone<N‐vinyl caprolactam<N‐methyl‐N‐vinyl acetamide, and is responsible for the optimal control of the polymerizations observed for the last two monomers. Such a double linkage between the controlling agent and the polymer, through a covalent bond and a dative bond, is unique in the field of controlled radical polymerization and represents a powerful opportunity to fine tune the equilibrium between latent and free radicals. Possible hydrogen bond formation is also taken into account in the case of N‐vinyl acetamide and N‐vinyl formamide. These results are essential for understanding the factors influencing Co? C bond strength in general, and the CMRP mechanism in particular, but also for developing a powerful platform for the synthesis of new precision poly(N‐vinyl amide) materials, which are an important class of polymers that sustain numerous applications today.     

Solvation Properties of Aliphatic Alcohol–Water and Fluorinated Alcohol–Water Solutions for Amide Molecules Studied by IR and NMR Techniques

Solvation properties of aliphatic alcohol–water and fluorinated alcohol–water solutions were probed by amide molecules as solutes using infrared (IR) and ¹H and ¹³C NMR techniques. These include four alcohols: ethanol (EtOH), 2-propanol (2-PrOH), 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE), and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) and three amides: N-methylformamide (NMF), N-methylacetamide (NMA) and N-methylpropionamide (NMP). The hydrogen bonds of the amide carbonyl oxygen with water are gradually weakened as the alcohol content increases. This decreases in the order of HFIP > TFE ≈ 2-PrOH > EtOH. In TFE– and HFIP–water solutions, the hydrogen bond between the amide amino hydrogen and water is also gradually broken with increasing x _A. This trend is more notable in the order of NMP > NMA > NMF. The hydrophobic moieties of the amide methyl and ethyl groups are solvated by the fluoroalkyl groups of fluorinated alcohols due to the hydrophobic interaction among them. Thus, the steric hindrance generated by the solvated alkyl group of amides promotes the breaking of the hydrogen bonds between amide and water.     

Syntheses of vinyl polymers containing the N-phenothiazinyl group in the side chain

Four kinds of vinyl polymers containing N-substituted phenothiazinyl groups in side chains were obtained by syntheses of the respective monomers and subsequent polymerizations. Thus, N-acrylamidomethylphenothiazine, N-(N-acrylamidomethyl)carbamoylethyl phenothiazine, β-(N-phenothiazinyl)ethyl acrylate and methacrylate, and β-(N-phenothiazinyl)ethyl vinyl ether were synthesized. It was found that all monomers except the last monomer can be polymerized with typical free-radical initiators such as α,α′-azobisisobutyronitrile to afford stable soluble polymers with electron-donating characteristics, presumably due to the absence of a hydrogen atom at the site of the nitrogen atom of the phenothiazinyl group. The last monomer was found to be susceptible to typical cationic initiators such as boron trifluoride etherate to afford a stable soluble polymer also with the electron-donating characteristic.     

Structure dependence in the solvolysis kinetics of amino acid esters

To better understand acyl transfer reactions of oligopeptides, seventeen N-acyl amino acid esters were solvolyzed in mildly basic methanol-d₄. All show pseudo-first-order kinetics by ¹H NMR. The rate constant varies up to 400-fold with the identity of the amino acid and up to 6200-fold with the identity of the N-acyl group. The impact of the N-acyl group on the rate constant is discussed in terms of crowding, amide conformation, and amide CO bond character.     

Synthesis and photochemical properties of solar energy storage-exchange polymers containing pendant norbornadiene moieties

New photoresponsive polymers 1–4 containing pendant norbornadiene (NBD) moieties with N,N-disubstituted amide groups were synthesized with 97, 98, 92, and 94% conversions by the substitution reaction of poly (p-chloromethyl) styrene] with potassium salts of 3piperidyloxo-2,5-NBD-2-carboxylic acid, 3-(NN-dipropylcarbamoyl) -2,5-NBD-2-carboxylic acid, 3-(N-methyl-N-phenylcarbamoyl)-2,5-NBD-2-carboxylic acid, and 3-(N,N-dipheylcarbmoyl)-2,5-NBD-2-carboxylic acid, respectively, using tetrabutylammonium bromide as a phase transfer catalyst for all. Polymers 1–4 with N,N-disubstituted amide groups on the NBD moieties were sensitized by adding appropriate photosensitizers such as Michler's ketone and 4- (N,N-dimethylamino) benzophenone in the film state, although the reactivities of the polymers without photosensitizer were lower than that of our previously reported polymer 5 containing pendant 3- (N-phenylcarbamoyl) -2,5-NBD-2-carboxylate moiety. It was also found that the photo-irradiated retaining polymers 1–4 containing the corresponding QC moieties can be stored about 80–86 kJ/mol of their thermal energy. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Partial molar volumes and adiabatic compressibilities ofN-acetyl-DL-serinamide andN-acetyl-L-threonmamide in dilute aqueous solutions

Densities and sound velocities in dilute aqueous solutions ofN-acetyl-DL-serinamide andN-acetyl-L-threoninamide were measured at 5, 15, 25, 35, and 45°C. Partial molar volumes and partial molar adiabatic compressibilities of these amino acid derivatives at infinite dilution were determined. The partial molar quantities for the parent amino acids, serine and threonine, were also determined and compared with the acetyl amide derivatives. The contribution of the side chain of theN-acetyl amino acid amide or amino acid to the partial molar quantities were estimated from the difference between the partial molar quantities for the solute studied and those for the corresponding species,N-acetyl-glycinamide or glycine, without the side chain.     

Creation of Ternary Multicomponent Crystals by Exploitation of Charge‐Transfer Interactions

Four new ternary crystalline molecular complexes have been synthesised from a common 3,5‐dinitrobenzoic acid (3,5‐dnda) and 4,4′‐bipyridine (bipy) pairing with a series of amino‐substituted aromatic compounds (4‐aminobenzoic acid (4‐aba), 4‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)benzoic acid (4‐dmaba), 4‐aminosalicylic acid (4‐asa) and sulfanilamide (saa)). The ternary crystals were created through the application of complementary charge transfer and hydrogen‐bonding interactions. For these systems a dimer was created through a charge‐transfer interaction between two of the components, while hydrogen bonding between the third molecule and this dimer completed the construction of the ternary co‐crystal. All resulting structures display the same acid ??? pyridine interaction between 3,5‐dnba and bipy. However, changing the third component causes the proton of this bond to shift from neutral OH ??? N to a salt form, O^? ??? HN⁺, as the nature of the group hydrogen bonding to the carboxylic acid was changed. This highlights the role of the crystal environment on the level of proton transfer and the utility of ternary systems for the study of this process.     

Triclinic polymorph of sulfasalazine

In this modification of the title compound, 5‐{4‐[(2‐pyridyl­amino)­sulfonyl]­phenyl­diazenyl}salicylic acid, C₁₈H₁₄N₄O₅S, the mol­ecule is present in the amide tautomeric form. Two azo‐bridged phenyl rings render the bulk of the mol­ecule planar, with the carboxyl­ic acid group at one terminal and the pyridyl­amino residue at the other. The repeating unit in the crystal is a centrosymmetric dimer containing two identical R(8) hydrogen‐bonded ring systems, each involving the carboxyl­ic acid and pyridyl­amino moieties. Additional stabilization is due to an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the 2‐hydroxyl group and the carbonyl O atom of the carboxyl­ic acid group, as well as intermolecular π–π stacking.     

Effect of N‐methyl amide linkage on hydrogen bonding behavior and water transport properties of partially N‐methylated random aromatic copolyamides

The synthesis, conformational preferences, hydrogen bonding behaviors, and membrane properties of new partially N‐methylated random aromatic copolyamides were reported. These copolyamides were prepared by the low temperature polycondensations of isophthaloyl chloride with 3,5‐diaminobenzoic acid, N,N'‐dimethyl‐4,4'‐diaminodiphenyl ether (MDAE), and 4,4'‐diaminodiphenyl ether. The incorporation of the N‐methyl amide linkages into the polymer backbone decreased the contents of the cis conformation in the N‐methyl amide linkages and suppressed the hydrogen bondings among the amide linkages. Furthermore, the surface hydrophilicity of the copolyamides evaluated by water contact angle measurements decreased with increasing the MDAE unit in the polymer backbone. These experimental results indicated that the suppression of the hydrogen bonding and the existence of the tertiary amide linkage in the cis conformation induced the loose packing of the polymer chains. As a result, the incorporation of the N‐methyl amide linkage increased water flux and decreased salt rejection. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 3453–3462     

2‐Acetamido‐N‐benz­yl‐2‐(methoxy­amino)acetamides: functionalized amino acid anticonvulsants

In the crystal structure of 2‐acetamido‐N‐benz­yl‐2‐(methoxy­amino)acetamide (3L), C₁₂H₁₇N₃O₃, the 2‐acetyl­amino­acetamide moiety has a linearly extended conformation, with an inter­planar angle between the two amide groups of 157.3 (1)°. In 2‐acetamido‐N‐benz­yl‐2‐[meth­oxy(meth­yl)­amino]­acetamide (3N), C₁₃H₁₉N₃O₃, the planes of the two amide groups inter­sect at an angle of 126.4 (4)°, resulting in a chain that is slightly more bent. The replacement of the methoxy­amino H atom of 3L with a methyl group to form 3N and concomitant loss of hydrogen bonding results in some positional/thermal disorder in the meth­oxy­(methyl)­amino group. In both structures, in addition to classical N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, there are also weak non‐standard C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen bonds and packing inter­actions result in planar hydro­philic and hydro­phobic areas perpendicular to the c axis in 3L and parallel to the ab plane in the N‐meth­yl derivative. Stereochemical comparisons with phenytoin have identified two O atoms and a phenyl group as mol­ecular features likely to be responsible for the anticon­vulsant activities of these compounds.     

Stereospecific control of peptide gas‐phase ion chemistry with cis and trans cyclo ornithine residues

We report non‐chiral amino acid residues cis‐ and trans‐1,4‐diaminocyclohexane‐1‐carboxylic acid (cyclo‐ornithine, cO) that exhibit unprecedented stereospecific control of backbone dissociations of singly charged peptide cations and hydrogen‐rich cation radicals produced by electron‐transfer dissociation. Upon collision‐induced dissociation (CID) in the slow heating regime, peptide cations containing trans‐cO residues undergo facile backbone cleavages of amide bonds C‐terminal to trans‐cO. By contrast, peptides with cis‐cO residues undergo dissociations at several amide bonds along the peptide ion backbone. Diastereoisomeric cO‐containing peptides thus provide remarkably distinct tandem mass spectra. The stereospecific effect in CID of the trans‐cO residue is explained by syn‐facially directed proton transfer from the 4‐ammonium group at cO to the C‐terminal amide followed by neighboring group participation in the cleavage of the CO―NH bond, analogous to the aspartic acid and ornithine effects. Backbone dissociations of diastereoisomeric cO‐containing peptide ions generate distinct [b_n]⁺‐type fragment ions that were characterized by CID‐MS³ spectra. Stereospecific control is also reported for electron‐transfer dissociation of cis‐ and trans‐cO containing doubly charged peptide ions. The stereospecific effect upon electron transfer is related to the different conformations of doubly charged peptide ions that affect the electron attachment sites and ensuing N―C_α bond dissociations.     

Antimicrobial agents as photostabilizers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride)

Some amide derivatives of ethylene glycol‐bis(2‐aminoethylether)‐N,N,N^′,N^′‐tetraacetic acid (EGTA) have been prepared via their coupling with different aniline derivatives: amino, methyl, chloro, and hydroxy aniline. The EGTA amide derivatives were characterized, and their antimicrobial activities were evaluated. These antimicrobial agents have been investigated as photostabilizers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), suspension PVC, with a K value of 70. Their stabilizing efficiencies were evaluated by determining the percentage of weight loss, the intrinsic viscosities, as well as the amount of formed gel of the photodegraded PVC. The extent of discoloration and the change in the mechanical properties of the photodegraded polymer were also evaluated. The applied materials reduced the loss in weight that resulted from HCl evolution during photodegradation. Both viscosity and gel content measurements showed also a decrease in their values during the degradation process. The decrease in the percentage of gel formation upon applying the investigated photostabilizers reflects the lowering in extent of cross‐linking of the polymer, which implies preserving the mechanical properties of PVC. The extent of discoloration was also improved in the presence of the investigated compounds. The results have proved a greater stabilizing efficiencies of the antimicrobial EGTA amide derivatives than that of the phenyl salicylate ultraviolet (UV) absorber, which is commonly used as an industrial stabilizer. A radical mechanism was proposed to account for the stabilizing action of the investigated products. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrogen bonding between carboxylic acids and amide-based macrocycles in their host–guest complexes

For 12- and 13-membered macrocycles in which two amide linkages are integrated in the macrocyclic ring systems, the formation of 1:1 host–guest complexes with acetic and benzoic acids has been confirmed by NMR titrations. The complex formation occurs with the formation constants of 8–27 M^? 1, under competition with the dimerisation of acid molecules. Benzoic acid tends to form more stable complexes than acetic acid. The binding force is due to a pair of hydrogen bonds, O_carboxyl–H…O = C_amide and C = O_carboxyl…H–N_amide, between the carboxyl group of a guest molecule and the amide group of a host molecule. The former bond is stronger than the latter, and defines the stability of the complexes. The formation of the pair of hydrogen bonds is accompanied by the conformational conversion of the amide group from the trans-form to the cis-form. The influence of such a conversion on the internal molecular motion is observed as a slight broadening of signal width.

For 12- and 13-membered macrocycles in which two amide linkages are integrated in the macrocyclic ring systems, the formation of 1:1 host–guest complexes with acetic and benzoic acids has been confirmed by NMR titrations. The binding force for the complex formation is due to a pair of hydrogen bonds, O_carboxyl–H…O = C_amide and C = O_carboxyl…H–N_amide. The former bond is stronger than the latter and dominates the hydrogen-bond formation. The formation of the pair of hydrogen bonds is accompanied by the conformational conversion of the amide group from the stable trans-form to the less stable cis-form.     

Room-temperature polycondensation of β-amino acid derivatives VI. Synthesis of various N-(hydroxyethyl) nylons

Various N-(hydroxyethyl)amino acid esters having a methyl substituent or phenyl group between amine and ester groups have been synthesized and their polycondensation behavior was investigated. These substituted amino acid esters gave amorphous polyamides which were soluble in alcohol. A model reaction between N-(hydroxyethyl)-amine and carboxylic acid ester was carried out in order to elucidate the role of hydroxyethyl group on the polycondensation. It was found that the amidation reaction took place rapidly at room temperature when the alkyl group of the carboxylic acid was small. N-(Hydroxyethyl) polyamides were obtained from N,N′-(bishydroxyethyl)-dicamines and dicarboxylic acid esters. The reaction mechanism of the room-temperature polycondensation reaction is discussed.     

Complex Formation Reactions of Divinyltin(IV) Complexes with Amino Acids,Peptides, Dicarboxylic acids and Related Compounds

Complex formation equilibria of divinyltin(IV) with amino acids, peptides, and dicarboxylic acids have been investigated. Stoichiometry and stability constants for the complexes formed were determined at 25°C and ionic strength 0.1 M NaNO₃. The results showed the formation of ML, MLH, and ML₂ (organotin : ligand : hydrogen) complexes with amino acids. Peptides form ML complexes and the corresponding deprotonated amide species MLH_?1. In the latter species the binding with divinyltin(IV) occurs through the terminal amino group, carboxylate oxygen, and the amide nitrogen atoms (CO^? ₂, N^? _amide, NH₂). The results showed the formation of ML and ML₂ complexes with dicarboxylic acids. The concentration distribution of the complexes in solution was evaluated. The bonding sites of the divinyltin(IV) complex in solid state with oxalic acid was investigated by means of elemental analyses, FTIR, and mass spectra. Non-isothermal decomposition of the above complex has been studied and the result was statistically analyzed. The main steps were identified for the thermal decomposition reaction and each step proved to be a first order reaction. The kinetic parameters E _a and A were calculated for each step in the reaction. The thermodynamic functions H, G, and S* were calculated for each step of the reaction.     

Evaluation of the origin of conformational and tautomeric preferences in N‐formylformamide – A quantum chemical study

Quantum chemical study of N‐formylformamide (NFF) was carried out at various theoretical levels and the determinate equilibrium conformations were recomputed at the high level ab initio methods such as G2MP2, G2, G3, and complete basis set (CBS)‐QB3. The computational results reveal that the amide resonance and intramolecular hydrogen bonding are two superior factors in determining the most stable conformation of diamide (DA) and amide–imidic (AI) acid tautomers, respectively. The evaluation of hydrogen bond energies predicts that the hydrogen bond (HB( strength of NFF is weaker than the malonaldehyde (MA). But the results of atoms in molecules (AIM(, natural bond orbital (NBO), and geometrical parameters are given a different order, E_HB(NFF) > E_HB(MA). Although the bond average energies of tautomerization process emphasized on more stability of AI tautomer, but our theoretical calculations reveal that the DA conformers are more stable than the AI ones. The population analyses of equilibrium conformations by NBO method also predict that the origin of tautomeric preference is mainly because of the electron delocalization of amide functional group, especially LP(N)→ π*_C?O charge transfer. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Nucleic acid base grafted imino polyurethane

Preparation of two model polymers of polynucleotides with linear polyurethane backbone and 2-(thymin-1-yl)propionyl or 2-(uracil-1-yl)propionyl group as grafted pendant are described. 2-(Thymin-1-yl)propionic acid (TPA) and 2-(uracil-1-yl)propionic acid (UPA) were grafted into partial imino functionalized polyurethane, poly[(β,β′-diethylene)amine methylene bis(4-phenylcarbamate)]-75 (PU-NH-75), at the secondary amino group through amide bonds with 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBT) using the active ester technique. Two novel polymer models of polynucleotides, poly[(N-(2-(thymin-1-yl)propionyl)-β,β′-diethylene)amine methylene bis(4-phenylcarbamate)]-75 (PU-NT-75) and poly[(N-(2-(uracil-1-yl)propionyl)-β,β′-diethylene)amine methylene bis(4-phenylcarbamate)]-75 (PU-NU-75) were obtained. The imino polyurethane PU-NH-75 was produced from the partially deprotected N-Cbz imino polyurethane, poly[N-(benzyloxycarbonyl-β,β′-diethylene)amine methylene bis(4-phenylcarbamate)] (PU-NCbz) which was prepared by the polyaddition of 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) with diol monomer N-benzyloxycarbonyl-β,β′-dihydroxyethylamine (CbzHEA). Selective N-protection of N-benzyloxycarbonyloxy-5-norbornene-2,3-bicarboximide (CbzONB) with β,β′-dihydroxyethylamine (HEA) gave the N-Cbz protected diol monomer HEA. The related monomer model compounds were also prepared by the same methods.