New reactivity of hydroxyallylpyridyl derivatives as C-3 carbon nucleophiles

Hydroxyallylpyridyl derivatives exhibited a peculiar thermal behavior likely ascribed to the weak acidity of the ‘picoline-type’ hydrogen atom on the C-1 carbon of the allyl residue, leading to allyl inversion products. The unprotected alcohol reacted as ‘vinylogous picoline’ carbon nucleophile with strongly activated heterocyclic counterparts. A mechanistic rationale for this unprecedented reactivity was proposed.     

KOH负载量对不同煤样加氢气化效果影响的实验研究

在加压固定床反应器中研究了碱金属催化剂KOH的添加量对呼和浩特煤和内蒙平庄煤加氢气化反应性的影响,并通过渣样酸洗水洗、原子吸收、XRD考察了煤结构中对气化反应活性有影响的因素。实验结果表明,催化剂的添加使呼和浩特煤的反应总气相产品产率明显提高,催化剂的饱和添加量约为15%。内蒙平庄煤在催化剂负载量增至30%时,才有较为明显的催化效果,但当催化剂负载量增至50%时,内蒙平庄煤60 min内的总气相产品产率仍低于64%。从XRD结果可以看出,随着加氢气化反应的进行,催化剂逐渐与煤中灰分反应失活,同时内蒙平庄煤中未反应的碳结构逐渐转化为活性较差的石墨,导致其反应后期的气化速率较缓慢。气化残渣中水可溶K与水不可溶但酸可溶K的比值与催化反应活性密切相关,当催化剂负载量小于20%时,内蒙平庄煤的高灰分可使大部分催化剂失活,导致其气化速率缓慢。     

Pseudoasymmetry, stereogenicity, and the RS-nomenclature comprehended by the concepts of holantimers and stereoisograms

The concepts of holantimer and stereoisogram are applied to comprehensive discussions on the term ‘pseudoasymmetry’, where the concept of RS-stereogenicity is used as a more definite concept than usual stereogenicity. Thereby, three relationships contained in each stereoisogram can be definitely specified: an enantiomeric relationship is related to chiral/achiral, an RS-diastereomeric relationship is related to RS-stereogenic/RS-astereogenic, and a holantimeric relationship is related to scleral/ascleral, which is coined to keep the terminology in a balanced fashion. Such stereoisograms are classified into five types (Types I-V) by virtue of the three relationships. Among them, Type I, III, and V are selected as a set of RS-stereogenic units: chiral/ascleral RS-stereogenic unit (or Type I unit), chiral/scleral RS-stereogenic unit (or Type III unit), and achiral/scleral RS-stereogenic unit (or Type V unit). Thereby, the term ‘pseudoasymmetric stereogenic units’ should be replaced by the term ‘achiral/scleral RS-stereogenic units’ (or ‘Type V units’).     

Water-promoted unprecedented chemoselective nucleophilic substitution reactions of 1,4-quinones with oxygen nucleophiles in aqueous micelles

Unique nucleophilic substitution and addition reactions of nitrogen and sulfur nucleophiles with 1,4-quinones in aqueous suspension with amines and thiols have recently been demonstrated by us.² However, the reactivity of oxygen nucleophiles toward nucleophilic substitution compared to nitrogen and sulfur nucleophiles ‘on water’ is not facile. An unprecedented economical, green methodology approach using ordinary laundry detergent (LD; washing powder, 0.5 mol %, reusable)/SDS as surfactant ‘in water’ for nucleophilic substitution by oxygen nucleophiles in 1,4-quinones in excellent yields has been demonstrated.     

Environmentally benign electrophilic and radical bromination ‘on water’: H2O2-HBr system versus N-bromosuccinimide

A H₂O₂-HBr system and N-bromosuccinimide in an aqueous medium were used as a ‘green’ approach to electrophilic and radical bromination. Several activated and less activated aromatic molecules, phenylsubstituted ketones and styrene were efficiently brominated ‘on water’ using both systems at ambient temperature and without an added metal or acid catalyst, whereas various non-activated toluenes were functionalized at the benzyl position in the presence of visible light as a radical activator. A comparison of reactivity and selectivity of both brominating systems reveals the H₂O₂-HBr system to be more reactive than NBS for benzyl bromination and for the bromination of ketones, while for electrophilic aromatic substitution of methoxy-substituted tetralone it was higher for NBS. Also, higher yields of brominated aromatics were observed when using H₂O₂-HBr ‘on water’. Bromination of styrene reveals that not just the structure of the brominating reagent but the reaction conditions: amount of water, organic solvent, stirring rate and interface structure, play a key role in defining the outcome of bromination (dibromination vs bromohydroxylation). In addition, mild reaction conditions, a straightforward isolation procedure, inexpensive reagents and a lower environment impact make aqueous brominating methods a possible alternative to other reported brominating protocols.     

Dramatic increase in the rate of the Mukaiyama aldol reaction by ‘fluorous nano flow’ system in the lowest concentration of a fluorous catalyst

The reactivity of the Mukaiyama aldol reaction is significantly increased by ‘fluorous nano flow’ system even in the low concentration (<0.0001 M) of a lanthanide fluorous catalyst and the reaction completes within seconds as a contact time in the micro cell.     

Isolation and structural analysis of novel conformational isomers of the m-xylylene-bridged calix[6]arenes: the ‘partial cone’ and ‘inverted cone’ isomers

In the benzylation of a m-xylylene-bridged calix[6]arene tetrol, the first example of the ‘partial cone’ isomer of a calix[6]arene was obtained in addition to the corresponding cone and 1,2,3-alternate isomers, and its structure was established by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The synthesis and crystal structure of the ‘inverted cone’ isomer as well as its thermal conversion to the ‘normal cone’ isomer are also described.     

煤催化气化过程中钾的迁移及其对气化反应特性的影响

在固定床反应器中研究了钾在热解和水蒸气气化过程中的变迁,并在TG-DSC上考察了钾系催化剂对煤焦水蒸气气化的催化效果以及随钾化合物形态变化的关系。结果表明,干混法和浸渍法添加碳酸钾对煤焦水蒸气气化的催化效果显著,煤焦的气化反应性随着钾添加量的增加而增大,当催化剂添加到一定量时催化效果陡增,同时神府煤钾的负荷饱和添加量为10%。在煤样热解和气化过程中,钾的化学形态会发生变化,发现并定量了还原态钾中间体的生成。在气化过程中碳酸钾的催化规律和还原态钾中间体的数量之间存在对应关系,当碳转化率为0.2～0.4时,气化速率和还原态钾中间体的数量达到最大值。在700～800℃,钾系催化剂的催化作用和还原态钾中间体的数量之间也存在对应关系,即碳酸钾催化效果较好,氯化钾的催化效果较差,硫酸钾的催化效果随温度的变化明显。     

Dipyridinocalixcrown/diiodoperfluorocarbon binary host systems for CsI: structural studies and fluorous phase extraction of caesium

A mixture of partial cone 2,4-bis[(2-pyridylmethyl)oxy]-(1,3)-p-tert-butylcalix[4]crown-6, hexadecafluoro-1,8-diiodooctane and CsI in EtOH produces a crystalline ‘supramolecular salt’. In the solid state the caesium ion of the ‘supercation’ is encapsulated inside the cavity created by the crown ether loop, the picolyl and the inverted phenyl moieties, while the two iodide ions of the ‘superanion’ form a discrete five-component aggregate held together by co-existing hydrogen and halogen bonds. Similar calix/CsI/iodofluorocarbon adducts are shown to exist also in solution. In a prototypical study, a combination of this calixcrown and liquid octafluoro-1,4-diiodobutane acts as an effective ‘binary host’ system for the selective extraction of CsI from aqueous to fluorous phase.     

Reaction of Selectfluor (F-TEDA-BF4) with chloromethylated-DABCO monocation salts (X = BF4, NTf2) and other nitrogen bases (Et3N; piperidine; basic ionic liquid); unexpected formation of symmetrical [N−H−N] trication salts

Selectfluor reacts with N-chloromethylated DABCO monocation BF₄ or NTf₂ salts in MeCN (rt to 80 °C) to give symmetrical [N−H−N]⁺ trication salts. The same dimeric adducts are formed via the reaction of Selectfluor with Et₃N, piperidine, or a basic-IL (imidazolium with an alkyl-piperidine tether). The resulting stable salts were studied by multinuclear NMR, ¹⁵N/¹H HMBC, electrospray-MS, and by chemical reactivity. This hitherto unreported reactivity behavior contrasts the well documented ‘transfer fluorination’ by Selectfluor to quinuclidine and the quinuclidinic nitrogen of cinchona alkaloids.     

Pre-analytical method for NMR-based grape metabolic fingerprinting and chemometrics

Although metabolomics aims at profiling all the metabolites in organisms, data quality is quite dependent on the pre-analytical methods employed. In order to evaluate current methods, different pre-analytical methods were compared and used for the metabolic profiling of grapevine as a model plant. Five grape cultivars from Portugal in combination with chemometrics were analyzed in this study. A common extraction method with deuterated water and methanol was found effective in the case of amino acids, organic acids, and sugars. For secondary metabolites like phenolics, solid phase extraction with C-18 cartridges showed good results. Principal component analysis, in combination with NMR spectroscopy, was applied and showed clear distinction among the cultivars. Primary metabolites such as choline, sucrose, and leucine were found discriminating for ‘Alvarinho’, while elevated levels of alanine, valine, and acetate were found in ‘Arinto’ (white varieties). Among the red cultivars, higher signals for citrate and GABA in ‘Touriga Nacional’, succinate and fumarate in ‘Aragonês’, and malate, ascorbate, fructose and glucose in ‘Trincadeira’, were observed. Based on the phenolic profile, ‘Arinto’ was found with higher levels of phenolics as compared to ‘Alvarinho’. ‘Trincadeira’ showed lowest phenolics content while higher levels of flavonoids and phenylpropanoids were found in ‘Aragonês’ and ‘Touriga Nacional’, respectively. It is shown that the metabolite composition of the extract is highly affected by the extraction procedure and this consideration has to be taken in account for metabolomics studies.     

N-Dansyl-carbazoloquinone; a chemical and electrochemical fluorescent switch

A new ‘push-pull’ molecule having an efficient fluorophore (dansyl) in electronic communication with an active redox quencher (phenyl-carbazoloquinone) through an NH-bridge was designed and synthesized. This all-organic molecule is suggested as a highly reversible ‘on/off’ molecular switching system. Chemical and electrochemical inter-conversion between the quinone acceptor and the dansyl donor were demonstrated via UV-vis, cyclic voltammetry and fluorescence measurements.     

Phenylsulfonyl as a directing group for nitrile oxide cycloadditions and mCPBA epoxidations

An unexpected selectivity trend in the nitrile oxide cycloaddition and epoxidation reactions of 4,4-disubstituted cyclopentenes is reported. A variety of facially distinct, ‘X-’ and ‘Y-substituted’ cyclopentenes were investigated.     

Electrochemically induced dethreading of a 2-pseudorotaxane based on the 1,2-bis(4,4′-pyridinium)ethane/24-crown-8 ether motif

Reversible electrochemical regulation of dethreading and rethreading of a 2-pseudorotaxane complex composed of a dibenzo-24-crown-8 ‘wheel’ noncovalently bound to the ethyl bridge of a bis-viologen ‘axle’ is demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry.     

Synthesis of cyclic peptides via O-N-acyl migration

We describe here a novel and convenient synthesis of head-to-tail cyclic peptide avoiding racemization. Linear depsipeptides including a serine residue as the key element for ester bond formation and acyl transfer were synthesized on 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin. After cleavage from the resin, intramolecular head-to-tail cyclization was performed in solution by C-terminal activation of urethane protected O-acyl serine residue. After removal of the N^α-serine protecting group, the final step consisted in O-N-acyl migration reaction on the ‘switch’ or ‘click’ element to restore native cyclic peptides.     

An environmentally friendly and cost effective synthesis of estradiol featuring two novel reagents: Si(0)/KF and PMHS/hexamethyldisiloxane/pTSA

Si(0)/KF is introduced as a strong, inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and safe reagent for ‘dissolving metal’-type reduction. PMHS/hexamethyldisiloxane/pTSA is introduced as an inexpensive substitute for Et₃SiH/TFA for ‘ionic hydrogenation’, where the hexamethyldisiloxane functions as a capping agent to block the oligomeric silicone by-product from cross-linking to a gel, rubber, or plastic. An environmentally friendly and cost effective synthesis of estradiol is described which showcases these new reagents.     

Synthesis of (tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)acetates based on a ‘cyclization/hydrogenation/enzymatic kinetic resolution’ strategy

A variety of (tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)acetates and (pyrrolidin-2-yl)acetates have been prepared by hydrogenation of 2-alkylidenetetrahydrofurans and 2-alkylidenepyrrolidines, which are readily available by cyclization reactions of 1,3-dicarbonyl dianions (‘free dianions’) or 1,3-bis-silyl enol ethers (‘masked dianions’) with 1,2-dielectrophiles. The enzymatic kinetic resolution of (tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)acetates with recombinant esterase Est56 proceeded with excellent enantioselectivities (E>100).     

Temperature-driven on/off fluorescent indicator of pH window: an anthracene-conjugated thermoresponsive polymer

A simple copolymer, poly(NIPAM-co-N_AN), consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and 9-aminomethylanthracene (N_AN) units behaves as a temperature-driven on/off fluorescence indicator of pH window (2-12): showing an ‘on-off’ fluorescence intensity profile against the pH window at 15 °C, while showing an ‘off-on-off’ profile at 34 °C.     

H-quadrupolar coupling-based analysis of stereochemical and regiochemical memory in the Pd-catalysed allylic alkylation of iso-cinnamyl type substrates employing the chiral monophosphine ligands ‘MOP’ and ‘MAP’

The reaction of iso-cinnamyl acetate with NaC(Me)(CO₂Me)₂, catalysed by Pd-‘MOP’ (MOP=2-methoxy-2′-diphenylphosphino-1,1′-binaphthalene) is known to proceed with a regiochemical memory effect that results in the predominant generation of the branched alkylation product. The analogous reaction employing ‘MAP’ as ligand (MAP=2-N,N-dimethylamino-2′-diphenylphosphino-1,1′-binaphthalene) proceeds with ‘normal’ regioselectivity to generate predominantly the linear isomer of product. A ²H-NMR based analysis, employing quadrupolar coupling in a chiral liquid crystal matrix, has been developed to facilitate the simultaneous study of the regiochemical and stereochemical outcome of the reaction of both enantiomers of iso-cinnamyl ester substrates in ²H-labelled but racemic samples. The analysis allows the comparison of relative rates of two competing isomerisation processes occurring in the π-allyl intermediates in the Pd-catalysed reaction, one of which facilitates asymmetric induction, the other resulting in loss of regiochemical memory. It is demonstrated that the two processes are partially coupled and that this then limits the attainment of high global enantiomeric excess in the branched product to reactions that proceed with low regiochemical retention. A key factor for the observation of high regiochemical memory is found to be the nucleophilicity of the malonate anion and the electrophilicity of the Pd-π-allyl intermediate with reduction in the reactivity of either partner resulting in the onset of substantial loss of memory.