Triaziridines. Part III. Triaziridine,azimine, and triazene: A SCF study of the energy and structure of N3H3-isomers

The portions of the N₃H₃ singlet potential energy surface corresponding to triaziridines ( 1 ), azimines ( 2 ) and triazenes ( 3 ) have been calculated by ab initio SCF using 3-21G, 6-31G, and 6-31G** basis sets. Minima and transition states were located by force gradient geometry optimization. The most important computation results are: (1) Triaziridines ( 1 ): The configuration at the 3 N-atoms is pyramidal. There are 2 stereoisomers, 1a and 1b . The c,t-isomer 1a has less energy than the c,c-isomer 1b . The 2 stereoisomerizations by N-inversion hve rather high activation energies. The N,N bonds in 1 are longer and weaker (STO-3G estimation) than in hydrazine. The N-homocycle 1 exhibits less ring strain than the C-homocycle cyclopropane or three-membered heterocycles. (2) Azimine ( 2 ): All 6 Atoms are in the same plane. There are 3 stereoisomers, 2a, 2b , and 2c . The order of ground state energies is (Z,Z) < (E,Z) ? (E,E). The 2 N,N bond lengths correspond to multiplicity 1½. The electronic structure of 2 corresponds to a 1,3-dipole with almost equal delocalization of the 4 π-electrons over all 3 N-atoms. The negative net charge at the central N-atom is much less than that at the terminal N-atoms. Azimines should behave as π-donors in complexation with transition metals (3) Triazene ( 3 ): All 6 atoms are in the same plane. There are 2 stereoisomers, 3a and 3b . The order of ground-state energies is (E) < (Z). The stereoisomerization proceeds as pure N-inversion. N-Inversion has a high energy barrier inversion at N(1) is faster than at N(2). One of the N,N bond lengths is typical for a double, the other for a single bond. The electronic structure of triazene 3 entails rather localized π- and p-electron pairs at N(1),N(2) and at N(3). Triazenes should behave as p-donors in complexation with transition metals. (4) -N₃H₃-Isomers: The order of ground-state energies is 3 < 2 < 1 . The energy differences between these constitutional isomers are much larger than between the stereoisomers of each. The [1,2]-H shifts for conversions of 2 to 3 and the [1,3]-H shift for tautomerization of 3 have relatively high activation energies; both shifts can be excluded as modes of thermal, unimolecular transformations.     

The chemistry of coumarin derivatives. Part 3. Synthesis of 3-alkyl-4-hydroxycoumarins by reductive fragmentation of 3,3′-alkyiidene-4,4′-dihydroxybis[coumarins]

Treatment of 3,3′-alkylidene-4,4′-dihydroxybis[coumarins] 1 with NaBH₃CN in refluxing MeOH affords 3-alkyl-4-hydroxycoumarins 2 and 4-hydroxycoumarin ( 3 ; Scheme 1). The reaction might take place via hydride trapping of alkylidenechromandiones C formed from 1 in a retro-Michael reaction. Such a retro-Michael reaction of 1 might be biologically relevant. The presence of C during the reductive fragmentation 1 → 2 is suggested by Diels-Alder and nucleophilic trapping of the alkylidenechromandiones C as well as from cross-over experiments with coumarins other than 3 (see Scheme 2). The reductive fragmentation of 1 allows the chemo- and regioselective synthesis of a variety of 3-alkyl-4-hydroxycoumarins 2 (see Table).     

Additionsreaktionen von 3-Dimethylamino-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirin an Phenylisocyanat und Diphenylketen

Addition Reaction of 3-Dimethylamino-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirine with Phenylisocyanate and Diphenylketene 3-Dimethylamino-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirine ( 1a ) reacts with carbon disulfide and isothiocyanates with splitting of the azirine N(1), C(3)-double bond to give dipolar, fivemembered heterocyclic 1:1 adducts. In some cases, these products can undergo secondary reactions to yield 1:2 and 1:3 adducts. In this paper it is shown that the reaction of 1a with phenylisocyanate also takes place by cleavage of the N(1), C(3)-bond, whereas with diphenylketene N(1), C(2)-splitting is observed. The reaction of 1a and phenylisocyanate in hexane at room temperature yields the 1:3 adduct 2 in addition to the trimeric isocyanate 3 (Scheme 1). A mechanism for the formation of 2 is given in Scheme 5. Hydrolysis experiments with the 1:3 adduct 2 , yielding the hydantoins 4–6 and the ureas 7 and 8 (Schemes 3 and 5), show that the formation of this adduct via the intermediates d , e and f is a reversible reaction. The aminoazirines 1a and 1b undergo an addition reaction with diphenylketene to give the 3-oxazolines 14 (Scheme 8), the structure of which has been established by spectral data and oxidative degradation of 14a to the 3-oxazolin-2-one 15 (R¹ ? R² ? CH₃, Scheme 9).     

Azimine IV. Kinetik und Mechanismus der thermischen Stereoisomerisierung von 2,3-Diaryl-1-phthalimido-aziminen

Azimines IV. Kinetics and Mechanism of the Thermal Stereoisomerization of 2,3-Diaryl-1-phthalimido-azimines¹) Mixtures of (1E, 2Z)- and (1Z, 2E)-2-phenyl-1-phthalimido-3-p-tolyl-azimine ( 3a and 3b , resp.) and (1E, 2Z)- and (1Z, 2E)-3-phenyl-1-phthalimido-2-p-tolylazimine ( 4a and 4b , resp.) were obtained by the addition of oxidatively generated phthalimido-nitrene (6) to (E)- and (Z)-4-methyl-azobenzene ( 7a and 7b , resp.). Whereas complete separation of the 4 isomers 3a, 3b, 4a and 4b was not possible, partial separation by chromatography and crystallization led to 5 differently composed mixtures of azimine isomers. The spectroscopic properties of these mixtures (UV., ¹H-NMR.) were used to determine the ratios of isomers in the mixtures, and served as a tool for the assignment of constitution and configuration to those isomers which were dominant in each of these mixtures, respectively. Investigation of the isomerization of the azimines 3a, 3b, 4a and 4b within the 5 mixtures at various concentrations by ¹H-NMR.-spectroscopy at room temperature revealed that only stereoisomers are interconverted ( 3a ? 3b; 4a ? 4b) and that the (1E, 2Z) ? (1Z, 2E) stereoisomerization is a unimolecular reaction. These observations exclude an isomerization mechanism via an intermediate 1-phthalimido-triaziridine (2) or via dimerization of 1-phthalimido-azimines (1) , respectively. The 3-p-tolyl substituted stereoisomers 3a and 3b isomerized slightly slower than the 3-phenyl substituted ones 4a and 4b , an effect which is consistent with the assumption that the rate determining step of the interconversion of (1E, 2Z)- and (1Z, 2E)-1-phthalimido-azimines (1a ? 1b) is the stereoisomerization of the stereogenic center at N(2), N(3), either by inversion of N(3) or by rotation around the N(2), N(3) bond. The total isomerization process is assumed to occur via the thermodynamically less stable (1Z, 2Z)- and (1E, 2E)-isomers 1c and 1d , respectively, as intermediates in undetectably low concentrations which stay in rapidly established equilibria with the observed, thermodynamically more stable (1E, 2Z)- and (1Z, 2E)-isomers 1a and 1b , respectively. At higher temperatures, the azimines 3 and 4 are transformed into N-phenyl-N,N′-phthaloyl-N′-p-tolyl-hydrazine (8) with loss of nitrogen.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Three Homoleptic Bismuth Silanolates: [Bi(OSiR3)3] (R = Me,Et, iPr)

The bismuth tris(triorganosilanolates) [Bi(OSiR₃)₃] ( 1 , R = Me; 2 , R = Et; 3 , R = iPr) were prepared by reaction of R₃SiOH with [Bi(OtBu)₃]. Compound 1 crystallizes in the triclinic space group with Z = 2 and the lattice constants a = 10.323(1) Å, b = 13.805(1) Å, c = 21.096(1) Å and α = 91.871(4)°, β = 94.639(3)°, γ = 110.802(3)°. In the solid state compound 1 is a trimer as result of weak intermolecular bismuth‐oxygen interactions with Bi–O distances in the range 2.686(6)–3.227(3) Å. The coordination at the bismuth atoms Bi(1) and Bi(3) is best described as 3 + 2 coordination whereas Bi(2) shows a 3 + 3 coordination. The intramolecular Bi–O distances fall in the range 2.041(3)–2.119(3) Å. Compound 3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbcm with Z = 4 and the lattice constants a = 7.201(1) Å, b = 23.367(5) Å and c = 20.893(1) Å, whereas the triethylsilyl‐derivative 2 is liquid. In contrast to [Bi(OSiMe₃)₃] ( 1 ) compound 3 is monomeric in the solid state, but shows similar intramolecular Bi–O distances in the range 1.998(2)–2.065(5) Å. The bismuth silanolates are highly soluble in common organic solvents and strongly moisture sensitive. Compound 1 shows the lowest thermal stability.     

First Examples of Reactions of Azole N-Oxides with Thioketones: A Novel Type of Sulfur-Transfer Reaction

The reactions of 1,4,5-trisubstituted imidazole 3-oxides 1a – k with cyclobutanethiones 5a , b in CHCl₃ at room temperature give imidazole-2(3H)-thiones 9a – k in high yield. The second product formed in this reaction is 2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutane-1,3-dione ( 6a ; Scheme 2). Similar reactions occur with 1 and adamantanethione ( 5c ) as thiocarbonyl compound, as well as with 1,2,4-triazole-4-oxide derivative 10 and 5a (Scheme 3). A reaction mechanism by a two-step formation of the formal cycloadduct of type 7 via zwitterion 16 is proposed in Scheme 5. Spontaneous decomposition of 7 yields the products of this novel sulfur-transfer reaction. The starting imidazole 3-oxides are conveniently prepared by heating a mixture of 1,3,5-trisubstituted hexahydro-1,3,5-triazines 3 and α-(hydroxyimino) ketones 2 in EtOH (cf. Scheme 1). As demonstrated in the case of 9d , a `one-pot' procedure allows the preparation of 9 without isolation of the imidazole 3-oxides 1 . The reaction of 1c with thioketene 12 leads to a mixture of four products (Scheme 4). The minor products, 9c and the ketene 15 , result from an analogous sulfur-transfer reaction (Path a in Scheme 5), whereas the parent imidazole 14 and thiiranone 13 are the products of an oxygen-transfer reaction (Path b in Scheme 5).     

Substitution of 2-phosphaindolizines by bromine and by chlorophosphines

Bromine does not add to phosphorus in a 2-phosphaindolizine 1 but substitutes its 1-position. The 1-bromo derivatives 2 are best prepared with Br₂/NEt₃ or N-bromosuccinimide. Their hydrolysis is remarkable; it involves a debromination of C-1, an oxidation of P and a selective opening of the P/C-3 bond. PCl₃ also causes a substitution of the 1-position. The resulting 1-dichlorophosphino derivatives 5 easily undergo a substituent exchange at the exocyclic phosphorus. More 1-phosphino derivatives are formed in the reaction of 1 with phenyl and diazaphospholyl dichlorophosphine.     

Theoretical and experimental infrared spectra of hydrated and dehydrated Nafion

The time‐dependent IR spectra during dehydration of fully hydrated Nafion show the reversible disappearance of the 1061 cm^?1 and 969 cm^?1 concurrent with the emergence of peaks at ～928 cm^?1 and ～1408 cm^?1. The first pair of group modes is associated with a dissociated exchange group (sulfonate) with a local C_3V symmetry. The C_3V group modes shift with state‐of‐hydration: The 969 cm^?1 peak completely vanishes and the 1061 cm^?1 is reduced to a small shoulder at 1070 cm^?1 at end of dehydration. The C_3V group modes are replaced by the pair of group modes of an associated exchange group (sulfonic acid) with C₁ local symmetry. The density functional theory normal mode analysis confirms that the sulfonic acid/sulfonate site plays a dominant role in the C₁ and C_3V group modes, respectively. This work clarifies the importance of assigning fluoropolymers peaks as group modes rather than traditional single functional group assignments as is often the case with the ～1061 cm^?1 and ～969 cm^?1 C_3V group modes. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013 , 51, 1329–1334     

X-ray Structure of a 1:2 Complex of Hexakis (3-O-acetyl-2,6-di-O-methyl)-α-cyclodextrin with Butylacetate

Abstract

Crystal structure of a 1:2 complex of hexakis(3-O-acetyl-2,6-di-O-methyl)-α-cyclodextrin (ADMACD) with butylacetate was determined by the X-ray method. The space group of the crystal is P2₁2₁2₁ with Z = 4 and D _x = 1.293 g cm^?3, and the cell dimensions are a = 11.087(2), b = 23.543(3), and c = 31.739(6) Å. The structure was solved by the direct method and refined to the R-value of 0.123 for all the 4993 observed reflections with 1<0. The ADMACD molecule is in a round shape with the pseudo hexagonal symmetry. Methyl and acetyl groups point towards the outside of the molecule. Because of the acetyl groups attached to O3 and methyl groups attached to O6, the intramolecular cavity is ca. 3 Å deeper than the cavity of native α-CD. One butylacetate molecule is coaxially accommodated with its acetyl group at the O6 side in the host cavity while the other guest molecule is located in an intermolecular space between host molecules which are stacked to form a head-to-tail channel-type packing structure along the a axis.     

Pericyclic and Heteroelectrocyclic Mechanisms for the Cyclization of 1,3,5-Hexatrien-1-one and Its 6-Aza Analog

The cyclization of 1,3,5-hexatrien-1-one, 1, and the Z- and E-isomers of 1-aza-1,3-butadienylketene 3 were studied using the semiempirical AM1 and PM3 methods. Cyclizations of compounds 1 and Z-3 are shown to occur via a mono-rotation mechanism with barriers of 15.49 and 32.85 kcal/mol respectively. The reactions proceed via non-planar transition states which result from rotation of the methylene group for compound 1 and the imino group for compound Z-3. Cyclization of E-3 proceeds via a non-rotatory mechanism through a planar transition state. The activation barrier is 4.83 kcal/mol (AM1). The electronic structures of the initial and final states, and of some intermediate structures, including the transition states for the cyclization of compounds 1 and 3, were analyzed by the natural orbital method using HF/6-31G*//AM1 calculations. Energetic, structural, and orbital criteria indicate the heteroelectric mechanism for the cyclization of compound E-3 and the pericyclic mechanism for the cyclization of compounds 1 and Z-3.     

Ab-initio calculation of resonance states of H2O

In a dissociation attachment experiment of water, three peaks were observed at 7,9, and 12 eV. The origin of the third peak has been believed to be ²B². However, the calculated energy of this state is 0.6 eV higher than the experimental value. This discrepancy is quite large compared with the case of the lower two peaks. In this study we propose new candidates for resonant states responsible for the third peak. The configurations considered are (3a₁)^?1(3pa₁)², (3a₁)^?1(3pb₁)², (3a₁)^?1(3pb₂)², (3a₁)^?1(3pa₁)¹(3pb₁)¹, (3a₁)^?1(3pb₂)¹(3pa₁)¹, and (3a₁)^?1(3pb₂)¹(3pb₁)¹ which have the parent state (3a₁)^?1(3pa₁)¹, (3a₁)^?1(3pb₁)¹, or (3a₁)^?1(3pb₂)¹. The energy levels arising from these configurations are calculated by a method of configuration interaction. A Few resonance states, which could be responsible for the third peak, are found. New decay process of these states are proposed.     

Kinetic Studies on SNAr Reactions of Substituted Benzofurazan Derivatives: Quantification of the Electrophilic Reactivities and Effect of Amine Nature on Reaction Mechanism

Kinetics of the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions of 7‐L‐4‐nitrobenzofurazans 1 ( 1a : L = Cl and 1b : L = OCH₃) and secondary cyclic amines (morpholine, piperidine, and pyrolidine) 2a–c have been measured in acetonitrile solution at 20°C. The derived values of second‐order rate constants (k ₁) have been employed to determine the electrophilicity parameters E for both benzofurazans 1a and 1b according to the linear free enthalpy relationship: log k (20°C) = s_N(E + N ) (Eq. 1 ). The second‐order rate constants for reactions of benzofurazans 1 with a series of 4‐X‐substituted anilines 3a–d (X = OH, OCH₃, CH₃, and H) have also been measured in MeCN and found to agree within a factor of 0.14–50 with those calculated by Eq. 1 from the electrophilicity parameters E measured in this work and the known nucleophile‐specific parameters N and s _N of anilines 3 . On the other hand, the reactions of these benzofurazans 1 with anilines 3 exhibit linear Brønsted‐type plots with β_nuc = 1.27 for 1a and 1.01 for 1b , which are considerably greater than those (0.57 for 1a and 0.62 for 1b ) obtained with the secondary cyclic amines 2 . These high values of β_nuc have been interpreted in terms of a single electron transfer mechanism. Secondary evidence for the validity of this mechanism is provided by the agreement between the rate constants, k ₁, for substitution of benzofurazans 1 by the anilines 3 and their oxidation potentials E °.     

Bortrifluorid-katalysierte Umsetzungen von 3-Amino-2H-azirinen mit Aminosäure-estern und Aminen

Boron-Trifluoride-Catalyzed Reactions of 3-Amino-2H-azirines with Amino-acid Esters and Amines After activation by protonation or complexation with BF₃, 3-amino-2H-azirines 1 react with the amino group of α-amino-acid esters 3 to give 3,6-dihydro-5-aminopyrazin-2(1H)-ones 4 by ring enlargement (Scheme 2, Table 1). The configuration of 3 is retained in the products 4 . With unsymmetrically substituted 1 (R¹ ≠ R²), two diastereoisomers of 4 (cis and trans) are formed in a ratio of 1:1 to 2:1. With β-amino-acid esters 5 and 7 , only openchain α-amino-imidamides 6 and 8 , respectively, are formed, but none of the seven-membered heterocycle (Scheme 3). Primary amines also react with BF₃-complexed 1 to yield α-amino-imidamides of type 9 (Scheme 4, Table 2). Compound 9b is characterized chemically by its transformation into crystalline derivatives 10 and 12 with 4-nitrobenzoyl chloride and phenyl isothiocyanate, respectively (Scheme 5). The structure of 12 is established by X-ray crystallography. Mechanisms for the reaction of activated 1 with amino groups are proposed in Schemes 6 and 7.     

3S- Versus 1s-type Gaussian primitives: Modifications of the 3-21G(*) basis set for the sulfur atom

The complete set of second-order Gaussian functions (6D) includes a totally symmetric second-order Gaussian function (3s-type) in addition to the five d-type functions. This 3s-type function in the 3–21G(*) basis set for the sulfur atom is described (1) in terms of its geometric and electronic effects observed in the sulfur atom and in four sulfur-containing molecules and (2) by the ability of a single zero-order 1s-type Gaussian function (with various exponents) to replace it in ab initio Hartree–Fock calculations. The geometry of the molecules (dihydrogen sulfide, dihydrogen thioketone, dihydrogen disulfide, and methanesulfonamide) were obtained using various semiempirical and ab initio methods. It is found that the 3s-type function lowers the energy relative to that calculated with the 3–21G(*) basis set with only five second-order Gaussian functions by ca. 46–48 kcal/mol per sulfur atom. Only small changes in geometry are observed when the latter basis set is augmented with a 3s or 1s function. When the exponent of the 1s replacement function is chosen so that the resulting function has a location similar to that of the 3s function as measured by the degree of overlap or the coincidence of radial distribution maxima, the corresponding drop in energy is less than 8 kcal/mol per sulfur atom. However, when the shape of the radial distribution of the 1s function is similar to that of the 3s, i.e., when the value of the 1s exponent is ca. equal to that of the 3s function (a local maximum in the 1s energy profile), the energy lowering is similar to that produced with the 3s function. The electronic effects observed in the molecules differ from those in the atom, the largest deviations being found in the methanesulfonamide calculations.     

Heterylation of 3-R1-5-R2-1,2,4-Triazoles with Derivatives of 3,5-Dinitro-1,2,4-Triazole

Heterylation of 3-R¹-5-R²-1'2'4-triazoles (pK _a 3-12) with N-alkyl-, N-alkenyl-, N-alkoxy-carbonyl-, N-oxoalkyl-, N-nitroxyalkyl, N-nitroaminoalkyl-3'5-dinitro-1'2'4-triazoles results insubstitution of a nitro group in 5 position of the dinitro compound yielding 1-R-methyl-3-nitro-5-(3-R¹-5-R²-1,2,4-triazolyl)-1,2,4-triazoles. The side processes: Hydroxide-ion attack on C⁵ and (or) N¹ of the ring both in the substrate and in the target compound afford 1-R-methyl3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones, 3,5-dinitro-1,2,4-triazole and NH-acids of N-C-bitriazole series. Optimal reaction media are aprotic dipolar substances, and for compounds prone to heterolysis ethyl acetate-water systems. The azole pK _a is the decisive factor controlling the composition and the ratio of reaction products. The process is promising for azoles with pK _a > 5, and the optimal range of pK _a is 8-10.     

1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions of Organic Azides with Morpholinobuta‐1,3‐dienes and with an α‐Ethynyl‐enamine

The cycloaddition of organic azides with some conjugated enamines of the 2‐amino‐1,3‐diene, 1‐amino‐1,3‐diene, and 2‐aminobut‐1‐en‐3‐yne type is investigated. The 2‐morpholinobuta‐1,3‐diene 1 undergoes regioselective [3+2] cycloaddition with several electrophilic azides RN₃ 2 ( a , R=4‐nitrophenyl; b , R=ethoxycarbonyl; c , R=tosyl; d , R=phenyl) to form 5‐alkenyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐5‐morpholino‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazoles 3 which are transformed into 1,5‐disubstituted 1H‐triazoles 4a , d or α,β‐unsaturated carboximidamide 5 (Scheme 1). The cycloaddition reaction of 4‐[(1E,3Z)‐3‐morpholino‐4‐phenylbuta‐1,3‐dienyl]morpholine ( 7 ) with azide 2a occurs at the less‐substituted enamine function and yields the 4‐(1‐morpholino‐2‐phenylethenyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole 8 (Scheme 2). The 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction of azides 2a – d with 4‐(1‐methylene‐3‐phenylprop‐2‐ynyl)morpholine ( 9 ) is accelerated at high pressure (ca. 7–10 kbar) and gives 1,5‐disubstituted dihydro‐1H‐triazoles 10a , b and 1‐phenyl‐5‐(phenylethynyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole ( 11d ) in significantly improved yields (Schemes 3 and 4). The formation of 11d is also facilitated in the presence of an equimolar quantity of tBuOH. The three‐component reaction between enamine 9 , phenyl azide, and phenol affords the 5‐(2‐phenoxy‐2‐phenylethenyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole 14d .     

Theoretical calculation of vertical ionization potentials of B2H6 by means of ΔESCF procedures

The vertical ionization potentials (IPS ) of B₂H₆ are calculated by means of the ΔE_SCF procedure, within the scheme of ab initio LCAO-MO-HF-SCF . The basis set used is LEMAO -3G. The scaling factors of the various atomic orbitals for the ground state and for the various hole states are optimized independently. The iteration procedure is specially designed to avoid the changes of the symmetry of the remaining occupied orbitals. The 1 ag (B1s) hole is found to be localized. The vertical IP of the 1 ag electron is calculated to be 196.5 eV, in fair agreement with experimental value. The D_2h symmetry is thereby broken and reduced to C_2V symmetry. The valence holes are found to be delocalized. The calculated vertical IPS are: 21.781, 16.974, 14.842, 14.389, 13.599, and 12.380 eV for the 2ag, 2b1u, 1b3u, 1b2u, 3ag, and 1b3g electrons, respectively. The agreement with experimental values is much better than the Koopmans' values. All these results are in favor of the concept that the nature of the convelent bond should be considered as a result of the mutual interactions and mutual conditioning between the wave nature of the electronic motion on the one side and the various attractive and repulsive factors on the other side.     

Hyperfine structure of the 33 P state of3He and isotope shift for the 23 S-33 P 0 transition

The hyperfine structure of the³He 1s 3p ³ P state and the³He-⁴He isotope shift is determined by high precision measurements of the 1s2s ³ S ₁-1s 3p ³ p ³ P _J transition frequencies near 389 nm. A direct frequency measurement is made without the need for wavelength calibration by tuning a single laser to the atomic frequency, and using a novel heterodyne method to observe beat frequencies with a stable reference laser. A fit to a theoretical model of hyperfine structure is used to determine the hyperfine shifts. Additional off-diagonal mixing effects are investigated to resolve a possible systematic discrepancy in the hyperfine intervals. The final isotope shift without hyperfine structure of 42184308±165 kHz is used to deduce an rms nuclear charge radius for³He of 1.956±0.042 fm. This is in good agreement with other values obtained from atomic isotope shift measurements, and a recent theoretical value of 1.958±0.006 fm. The present result helps to resolve substantial differences in the³He nuclear radius derived from electron-nuclear scattering measurements, and it provides a significant test of the nuclear three-body problem.     

Construction of Highly Substituted Nitroaromatic Systems by Cyclocondensation. Part I. Synthesis of 4-nitro-3-oxobutyrate

Methyl 4-nitro-3-oxobutyrate ( 1 ) is prepared by substitution of 4-bromo- and 4-iodo-3-oxobutyrate enol ether or enol acetate derivatives with nitrite and deprotection of the keto function (Schemes 2 and 3). A much more convenient access to 1 is, however, the nitration of acetoacetate dianion with alkyl nitrates (Scheme 4). Compound 1 is stable and storable, and can be handled safely. Its use in cyclocondensations is established by the reaction with acetylacetone (Scheme 5), affording 4,6-dimethyl-3-nitrosalicylate 48 in 70% yield. The halogen-substitution method for the synthesis of 1 gives also access to the crystalline (E)-enol ether 18 of 1 , as well as to its dimethyl acetal 25 , (Z)-enol acetate 32 , and (E)-enol acetate 33 . The 3-substituted 4-bromobutenoates 15, 16 and 26 have been prepared from 4-bromo-3-oxobutyrate 12 , a useful alternative to existing methods applying N-bromo-succinimide.     

Synthesis of Monosaccharide‐Derived Spirocyclic Cyclopropylamines and Their Evaluation as Glycosidase Inhibitors

The glucose‐, mannose‐, and galactose‐derived spirocyclic cyclopropylammonium chlorides 1a – 1d, 2a – 2d and 3a – 3d were prepared as potential glycosidase inhibitors. Cyclopropanation of the diazirine 5 with ethyl acrylate led in 71% yield to a 4 : 5 : 1 : 20 mixture of the ethyl cyclopropanecarboxylates 7a – 7d , while the Cu‐catalysed cycloaddition of ethyl diazoacetate to the exo‐glycal 6 afforded 7a – 7d (6 : 2 : 5 : 3) in 93–98% yield (Scheme 1). Saponification, Curtius degradation, and subsequent addition of BnOH or t‐BuOH led in 60–80% overall yield to the Z‐ or Boc‐carbamates 11a – 11d and 12a – 12d , respectively. Hydrogenolysis of 11a – 11d afforded 1a – 1d , while 12a – 12d was debenzylated to 13a – 13d prior to acidic cleavage of the N‐Boc group. The manno‐ and galacto‐isomers 2a – 2d and 3a – 3d , respectively, were similarly obtained in comparable yields (Schemes 2 and 4). Also prepared were the differentially protected manno‐configured esters 24a – 24d ; they are intermediates for the synthesis of analogous N‐acetylglucosamine‐derived cyclopropanes (Scheme 3). The cyclopropylammonium chlorides 1a – 1d, 2a – 2d and 3a – 3d are very weak inhibitors of several glycosidases (Tables 1 and 2). Traces of Pd compounds, however, generated upon catalytic debenzylation, proved to be strong inhibitors. PdCl is, indeed, a reversible, micromolar inhibitor for the β‐glucosidases from C. saccharolyticum and sweet almonds (non‐competitive), the β‐galactosidases from bovine liver and from E. coli (both non‐competitive), the α‐galactosidase from Aspergillus niger (competitive), and an irreversible inhibitor of the α‐glucosidase from yeast and the α‐galactosidase from coffee beans. The cyclopropylamines derived from 1a – 1d or 3a – 3d significantly enhance the inhibition of the β‐glucosidase from C. saccharolyticum by PdCl , lowering the K_i value from 40 μM (PdCl ) to 0.5 μM for a 1 : 1 mixture of PdCl and 1d . A similar effect is shown by cyclopropylamine, but not by several other amines.