Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Cyclo-β-tetrapeptide as a Somatostatin Analogue

Short β -peptides can mimic natural peptide hormones , as has been shown with a cyclo-β-tetrapeptide ( 1 ) that displays micromolar affinity to human somatostatin receptors. β-Peptides are thus a promising new class of peptidomimetics with potential high bioavailability due to their excellent resistance against proteases.     

Zoledronic acid: monoclinic and triclinic polymorphs from powder diffraction data

The crystal structures of the monoclinic and triclinic polymorphs of zoledronic acid, C₅H₁₀N₂O₇P₂, have been established from laboratory powder X‐ray diffraction data. The molecules in both polymorphs are described as zwitterions, namely 1‐(2‐hydroxy‐2‐phosphonato‐2‐phosphonoethyl)‐1H‐imidazol‐3‐ium. Strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds (with donor–acceptor distances of 2.60 Å or less) link the molecules into layers, parallel to the (100) plane in the monoclinic polymorph and to the (10) plane in the triclinic polymorph. The phosphonic acid groups form the inner side of each layer, while the imidazolium groups lie to the outside of the layer, protruding in opposite directions. In both polymorphs, layers related by translation along [100] interact through weak hydrogen bonds (with donor–acceptor distances greater than 2.70 Å), forming three‐dimensional layered structures. In the monoclinic polymorph, there are hydrogen‐bonded centrosymmetric dimers linked by four strong O—H...O hydrogen bonds, which are not present in the triclinic polymorph.     

Preparation of N-Fmoc-Protected β2- and β3-Amino Acids and their use as building blocks for the solid-phase synthesis of β-peptides

N-Fmoc-Protected (Fmoc = (9H-fluoren-9-ylmethoxy)carbonyl) β-amino acids are required for an efficient synthesis of β-oligopeptides on solid support. Enantiomerically pure Fmoc-β³-amino acids β³: side chain and NH₂ at C(3)(= C(β)) were prepared from Fmoc-protected (S)- and (R)-α-amino acids with aliphatic, aromatic, and functionalized side chains, using the standard or an optimized Arndt-Eistert reaction sequence. Fmoc-β²- Amino acids (β² side chain at C(2), NH₂ at C(3)(= C(β))) configuration bearing the side chain of Ala, Val, Leu, and Phe were synthesized via the Evans' chiral auxiliary methodology. The target β³-heptapeptides 5–8 , a β³- pentadecapeptide 9 and a β²-heptapeptide 10 were synthesized on a manual solid-phase synthesis apparatus using conventional solid-phase peptide synthesis procedures (Scheme 3). In the case of β³-peptides, two methods were used to anchor the first β-amino acid: esterification of the ortho-chlorotrityl chloride resin with the first Fmoc-β-amino acid 2 (Method I, Scheme 2) or acylation of the 4-(benzyloxy)benzyl alcohol resin (Wang resin) with the ketene intermediates from the Wolff rearrangement of amino-acid-derived diazo ketone 1 (Method II, Scheme 2). The former technique provided better results, as exemplified by the synthesis of the heptapeptides 5 and 6 (Table 2). The intermediate from the Wolff rearrangement of diazo ketones 1 was also used for sequential peptide-bond formation on solid support (synthesis of the tetrapeptides 11 and 12 ). The CD spectra of the β²- and β³-peptides 5 , 9 , and 10 show the typical pattern previously assigned to an (M) 3₁ helical secondary structure (Fig.). The most intense CD absorption was observed with the pentadecapeptide 9 (strong broad negative Cotton effect at ca. 213 nm); compared to the analogous heptapeptide 5 , this corresponds to a 2.5 fold increase in the molar ellipticity per residue!     

The crystal structure of 3-methyluracil from X-ray powder diffraction data

The crystal structure of 3-methyluracil has been determined ab initio by conventional monochromatic X-ray powder diffraction data. The crystal data are: orthorombic, a=6.6294(1), b=13.1816(3), c=6.53938(9) (Å), V=571.45(3) (ų), space group Pbnm, Z=8. The structure was solved by direct methods and the final Rietveld refinement converged to R_p=0.0398, R_wp=0.0528, R_Bragg=0.0294. The crystal structure exhibits endless chains of planar molecules, connected via head-to-tail N-H?O hydrogen bonds.     

Synthesis of novel pyrrolidin-2-ones: γ-aminobutyric acid cyclic analogues

Some new N-substituted pyrrolidin-2-ones, cyclic analogues of baclofen and of 3-(5-methoxybenzo-[b]furan-2-yl)-γ-aminobutyric acid, have been prepared and characterized, starting from 4-(4-chlorophenyl)-pyrrolidin-2-one and 4-(5-methoxybenzo[b]furan-2-yl)pyrrolidin-2-one.     

The molecular structure of pyrazine as determined from gas-phase electron diffraction data

The structure of pyrazine (1,4 diazabenzene, C₄H₄N₄) has been determined at 333 K by means of gas-phase electron diffraction. The r_g parameters are as follows: r(C-C) = 1.339 ± 0.002 Å. r(C-N) = 1.403 ± 0.004 Å, r(C-H) = 1.115 ± 0.004 Å. ∠C-C-N = 115.6 ± 0.4°, and ∠C-C-H = 123.9 ± 0.6° (error limits are 2.5σ). At a 10% level the r_α structure does not differ significantly from the structure in the solid state, so long as high order X-ray, results corrected for librational motion are used; otherwise significantly different results are found even at the 1% level. Calculated and observed mean square amplitudes compare favourably.     

[Pd(CH3COO)2]n from X‐ray powder diffraction data

The water‐insoluble title compound, catena‐poly­[palladium(II)‐di‐μ‐acetato‐κ⁴O:O′], [Pd(C₂H₃O₂)₂]_n, was obtained from a nitratopalladium solution and acetic acid as a pale‐pink powder. Ab initio crystal structure determination was carried out using X‐ray powder diffraction techniques. Patterson and Fourier syntheses were used for atom location and the Rietveld technique was applied for the final structure refinement. The structure consists of palladium acetate complexes connected into polymeric chains running along b, in which two Pd atoms are bridged by two acetate groups that are in a cis configuration with respect to one another. The unique Pd atom lies on a site with 2/m symmetry and the acetate moieties have imposed m symmetry; these are joined into infinite chains running along the b direction. The shortest Pd⋯Pd distance in the row is 2.9192 (1) Å. The planes of adjacent palladium complexes are inclined towards each other, the angle between the planes being approximately 30°.     

Synthesis and transformation of novel cyclic β-amino acid derivatives from (+)-3-carene

The regio- and stereoselective addition of chlorosulfonyl isocyanate to (+)-3-carene 1 resulted in β-lactam 2, which was converted to N-Boc-β-amino acid 4, β-amino ester 7, and carboxamide derivatives 18 and 20 via N-Boc activation and mild ring opening. The corresponding β-amino ester 7 was transformed to 2-thioxopyrimidin-4-one 11 and 2,4-pyrimidinedione 13. LAH reduction of 5 and 7 resulted in amino alcohols 6 and 8. The reaction of 8 with phenyl isothiocyanate, followed by cyclisation, furnished 1,3-oxazine 15.     

Structure of H(D)TaO3 determined by powder X-ray and neutron diffraction

Pure crystalline samples of HTaO₃ and DTaO₃ have been prepared. The crystal structure has been solved using powder X-ray and neutron diffraction (at 2 K and room temperature) and has been shown to consist of Ta(O,OH)₆ octahedra sharing vertices with the oxygen atoms displaced toward the vacant perovskite A sites. The compound is isomorphous with HNbO₃, D_xWO₃, and D_xReO₃ and contains hydrogen atoms as hydroxide groups.     

Reinterpretation of the monohydrate of clarithromycin from X‐ray powder diffraction data as a trihydrate

Noguchi, Fujiki, Iwao, Miura & Itai [Acta Cryst. (2012), E 68 , o667–o668] recently reported the crystal structure of clarithromycin monohydrate from synchrotron X‐ray powder diffraction data. Voids in the crystal structure suggested the possible presence of two more water molecules. After successful location of the two additional water molecules, the Rietveld refinement still showed minor problems. These were resolved by noticing that one of the chiral centres in the molecule had been inverted. The corrected crystal structure of clarithromycin trihydrate, refined against the original data, is now reported. Dispersion‐corrected density functional theory calculations were used to check the final crystal structure and to position the H atoms.     

The synthesis of β-heteroarylamino-α,β-dehydro-α-amino acid and β-heteroarylamino-α-amino acid derivatives

From heteroarylaminomethyleneoxazolones 4 , obtained from N-heteroarylformamidines 2 and 2-phenyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazole ( 3 ), the following β-heteroarylamino-α,β-dehydro-α-amino acid derivatives were prepared: methyl 8 and ethyl esters 9 , amides 10 and 11 , hydrazides 12 , and azides 15 . By catalytic hydrogenation the compounds 4 were converted into β-heteroarylamino substituted amides 18 and β-heteroarylamino-α-amino acids 20 .