Chemical repercussions of orbital interactions through bond and through space The reactivity of the double bond in unsaturated cyclic sulphones towards aziridine formation and epoxidation

The ease of formation of aziridine and/or epoxides from a series of bicyclic olefins, where distant sulphonyl groups are present, is very variable. There is some correlation between reactivity of the vinyl group and its π-ionisation potential which is high in the present molecules relative to comparison olefins. This increase is thought to be due to the presence of orbital interactions through bonds and/or through space between the sulphone group and the double bond, making the latter electron deficient. The ionisation potentials were determined by UV-photoelectron spectroscopy and the assignments made by recourse to ab initio configuration interaction methods.     

Quantitative characterization of the global electrophilicity pattern of some reagents involved in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions

The global electrophilicity power, ω, of a series of dipoles and dipolarophiles commonly used in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions may be conveniently classified within a unique relative scale. The effects of chemical substitution on the electrophilicity of molecules have been evaluated using a representative set of electron-withdrawing and electron-releasing groups for a series of dipoles including nitrone, nitrile oxide and azide derivatives. The absolute scale of electrophilicity is used to rationalize the chemical reactivity of these species as compared to the static reactivity pattern of the reagents involved in the Diels-Alder reactions.     

Trapping phosphodiester-quinone methide adducts through in situ lactonization

The goal of in situ modification of DNA via phosphodiester alkylation has led to our design of quinone methide derivatives capable of alkylating dialkyl phosphates. A series of catechol derivatives were investigated to trap the phosphodiester-quinone methide alkylation adduct through in situ lactonization. The catechol derivatives were uniquely capable of characterizable p-quinone methide formation for mechanistic clarity. These investigations revealed that with a highly reactive lactonization group (phenyl ester), lactonization competed with quinone methide formation. Lactone-forming groups of lower reactivity (methyl ester, n-propyl ester, and dimethyl amide) allowed quinone methide formation followed by phosphodiester alkylation; however, they were ineffective at in situ lactonization to drain the phosphodiester alkylation equilibrium to the desired phosphotriester product. The derivatives tethered with lactone-forming functionality of intermediate reactivity (chloro-, trichloro-, and trifluoroethyl esters), allowed quinone methide formation, phosphodiester alkylation, and in situ lactonization to efficiently afford the trapped phosphotriester adduct.     

Reactivity of dissolving pulps modified by TEMPO-mediated oxidation

The reactivity of dissolving pulps towards derivatization or dissolution is a crucial quality parameter and is mainly determined by the accessibility of the hydroxyl groups. When dissolving pulps are produced from paper-grade pulps by cold caustic extraction (CCE), their reactivity is often inferior as compared to commercial prehydrolysis kraft dissolving pulps. It was hypothesized that pulp reactivity can be enhanced by the introduction of small amounts of substituents to facilitate interchain accessibility. In this study, CCE-treated Eucalyptus globulus kraft paper pulp was subjected to TEMPO-mediated oxidation to initiate partial oxidation of the C₆-hydroxyl groups to carboxyl groups. The effect of this pulp modification on the reactivity towards xanthation and the subsequent dissolution in diluted aqueous alkali solution (viscose process) as well as the dissolution in complexing and non-complexing solvents, respectively, was thoroughly examined. The results revealed that the oxidized pulps rich in C₆-carboxylate groups impeded the xanthation reaction obviously because of the reduced availability of hydroxyl groups. When N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide monohydrate was used as a direct solvent, a very high content of C₆-carboxylate groups was found to reduce the solubility of the pulp fibers as less hydrogen bonds can be formed with NMMO·H₂O. In the case of dissolution in the complexing solvent cupriethylenediamine, the dissolution mechanism of cellulose was not deteriorated by the high content of C₆-carboxylate groups. Instead, the oxidation procedure increased the hydrophilic character and the swelling capacity of the outer cell wall layers allowed homogeneous dissolution.     

Identification of diamine linkers with differing reactivity and their application in the synthesis of melamine dendrimers

Diamine linkers for the synthesis of dendrimers based on melamine were identified using competition reactions. The relative reactivity of the surveyed cyclic monoamines varies by 40 times, expanding the previously identified series to an overall relative reactivity range of 320 times. Azetidine is 40 times more reactive than the cyclic, nine-membered ring (C₈H₁₇N), and 320 times more reactive than benzylamine. Reactivity differences are attributed to pK_a values and sterics. Diamines incorporating these groups are useful linkers that can be employed in dendrimer synthesis. Specifically, the nucleophilicity of the individual amine groups comprising 3-aminoazetidine, 3-aminopyrrolidine, and 4-aminopiperidine varies by 100 times, 70 times, and 20 times, respectively. These linkers are incorporated into a generation three dendrimer.     

β-Carbonylsilanes with a silacyclohexane skeleton and additional C-functionalized organyl groups at the silicon atom: synthesis, reactivity, and NMR-spectroscopic characterization

A series of novel β-carbonylsilanes, with a silacyclohexane skeleton and additional C-functionalized organyl groups at the silicon atom, were synthesized, their reactivity was explored, and they were structurally characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. The aim of these investigations was to provide the basis for the development of novel silicon-based drugs containing a silacyclohexane skeleton, with a CH₂C(O)R substituent and an additional C-functionalized organyl group at the silicon atom.     

Towards the stability limit of cyclic diphosphonium bis-ylides

A typology of molecules containing two phosphonium ylide groups (bis-ylides) is proposed, versus the bridge length (fused, ω- and α-bisylides) and their relative topographical orientations (head-to-head, tail-to-tail or head-to-tail). The formal electrostatic constraint occurring in the head-to-head series is systematically addressed for cyclic representatives based on the o-bis(diphenylphosphonio)benzene framework. After a survey of previously reported results in the fused and β-bis-ylide series, emphasis is given to the cyclic α-bis-ylides. The non-substituted, non-stabilized version escaped isolation through spontaneous fragmentation to bis(diphenylphosphino)benzene and acetylene. Inspired by this result, the reverse process was employed for the generation of stabilized representatives with ethoxycarbonyl and benzoyl substituents at the ylidic carbon atoms. The stability and stereochemistry of the obtained head-to-head α-bis-ylides was investigated by NMR techniques and reproduced and analyzed by DFT calculations. The role of electrostatics in determining structural and reactivity features of cyclically constrained species is here illustrated.     

Chiral relay in NHC-mediated asymmetric β-lactam synthesis II; asymmetry from NHCs derived from acyclic 1,2-diamines

The synthesis of a range of imidazolinium salts derived from acyclic 1,2-diamines, and an evaluation of the reactivity and asymmetric induction of the corresponding NHCs as catalysts for the asymmetric synthesis of β-lactams, is reported. An N-methyl-substituted NHC derived from (1R,2R)-1,2-diphenylethanediamine shows optimal reactivity and enantioselectivity in this series, in contrast to that observed with NHCs derived from (1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine.     

N-Alkylation of N-arylsulfonyl-α-amino acid methyl esters by trialkyloxonium tetrafluoroborates

In this work we present the results obtained for the N-alkylation of a series of N-arylsulfonyl-α-amino acid methyl esters bearing different substituents at the 4-position of the sulfonamide aromatic ring. In particular, we compare the reactivity of these species with diazomethane and trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate in N-methylation processes. Diazomethylation is unsuccessful for N-arylsulfonamide derivatives containing electron-releasing groups on the aromatic ring. In these cases trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate is the reagent of choice for the direct and quantitative N-methylation. Further we extend our evaluation to the use of triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate. This reagent shows to be very efficient in order to prepare N-ethyl derivatives of N-arylsulfonyl-α-amino acid methyl esters. An experimental protocol similar to that used for N-methylation with trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate is applied for the N-ethylation.     

p-Phenylene sulfide oligomers and their properties. Ar-S couplings mediated by copper or by fluorine substitutions

A series of monodisperse p-phenylene sulfide oligomers were efficiently synthesized by using a bidirectional growth. A strategy combining Cu-catalyzed Ar-S couplings for small oligomers and fluorine aromatic substitutions by aryl thiolates for longer ones was put forward. The latter method is superior to Cu-catalyzed reactions for longer oligomers. Fluorine chemistry brings some new advantages such as solubility and reactivity. Qualitative crystallinity studies were reported according to the oligomer size and the functional series, by using a microscope equipped with a heating stage and a camera.     

Sterically congested macrobicycles with heteroatomic bridgehead functionality

A series of cyclophanes composed of two triarylelement caps linked by two-atom bridges has been synthesized. The bridgehead functional groups include phosphines in combination with amines, hydrosilanes, methylsilanes, and ethoxysilanes. Computational studies accurately predicted that when the bridgehead substituents are small (lone pairs or protons), an in_,in bridgehead stereochemistry is strongly favored, but larger bridgehead substituents favor the formations of in_,out stereoisomers. The X-ray structures, spectra, and reactivity of these compounds are discussed, as well as the resolution of one of the cyclophanes into pure enantiomers.     

Synthesis of 3-substituted 2-cyclohexenones through umpoled functionalization

A new protocol to obtain 3-substituted 2-cyclohexenones, was developed by reversing the chemical reactivity of 2-cyclohexenone. One-pot synthesis of 3-substituted 2-cyclohexenones can be achieved by treatment of 3-phenylthiosilyl enol ether with a mixture of t-BuLi/HMPA that allows hydrogen-selective exchange in presence of reactive electrophiles such as aldehydes, ketones and alkyl halides. This affords the corresponding product in moderate overall yield, after silyl enol ether cleavage and concomitant thiophenol elimination initiated with TBAF.     

Influence of acyl groups on glucopyranoside reactivity in Lewis acid promoted anomerisation

Lewis acid promoted anomerisation has potential in O- or S-glycoside synthesis. Herein, the anomerisation kinetics of thirty-one β-d-glucopyranosides was determined to determine how particular acyl protecting groups and their location influence reactivity towards a Lewis acid promoted reaction. The replacement of acetyl groups with benzoyl groups led to reduced reactivity when located at O-3, O-4 and O-6. However a reactivity increase was observed when the acetyl group was replaced by a benzoyl group at O-2. The 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-(4-methoxy)benzoate had an?～2-fold increase in rate when compared to the tetrabenzoate.     

A new class of fluorescent dyes based on 1,3-benzodioxole and [1,3]-dioxolo[4.5-f]benzodioxole

We report on synthesis and photophysical properties of a new class of fluorescent dyes. They are characterized by large Stokes-shifts, long fluorescence lifetimes in organic solvents and a pronounced dependency of the fluorescence lifetime on the solvent polarity. Also worthy of note is the high bleaching stability. To provide access to biochemical and medical applications a series of derivatives were prepared, which exhibit specific reactivity towards different biologically relevant functional groups (carboxylic acids, amines, maleimides, N-hydroxysuccinimide esters). Furthermore, two alkynes were prepared, which could be used in ‘Click’ chemistry.     

A top-down method for the determination of residue-specific solvent accessibility in proteins

We present a method employing top-down Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) for the rapid profiling of amino acid side-chain reactivity. The reactivity of side-chain groups can be used to infer residue-specific solvent accessibility and can also be used in the same way as H/D exchange reactions to probe protein structure and interactions. We probed the reactivity of the N-terminal and epsilon-lysine amino groups of ubiquitin by reaction with N-hydroxysuccinimidyl acetate (NHSAc), which specifically acetylates primary amines. Using a hybrid Q-FTMS instrument, we observed several series of multiply acetylated ubiquitin ions that varied with the NHSAc:protein stoichiometry. We isolated and fragmented each member of the series of acetylated ubiquitin ions in the front end of the instrument and measured the fragment ion masses in the FTMS analyzer cell to determine which residue positions were modified. As we increased the NHSAc:protein stoichiometric ratio, identification of the fragments from native protein and protein with successively increasing modification allowed the assignment of the complete order of reactivity of the primary amino groups in ubiquitin (Met 1 approximately Lys 6 approximately Lys 48 approximately Lys 63>Lys 33>Lys 11>Lys 27, Lys 29). These results are in excellent agreement with the reactivity expected from other studies and predicted from the known crystal structure of ubiquitin. The top-down approach eliminates the need for proteolytic digestion, high-performance liquid chromatographic separations and all other chemical steps except the labeling reaction, making it rapid and amenable to automation using small quantities of protein.     

Disic acids : A study of a new series of strong organic acids and their condensation products with aldehydes

4-(p-Nitrophenyl)-3,5-dihydroxyisoxazole is a remarkably strong acid which possesses unique chemical reactivity towards carbonyl compounds. It has been shown that these properties are encountered in a series of related 3,5-dihydroxyisoxazole derivatives. It appears that this isoxazole system is very electron deficient, a fact that together with a neighboring group effect is responsible for the exceptional acidity and reactivity. The electron deficiency is also reflected in the deshielding of the aromatic protons. Comparison of the NMR spectra served as a criterion for the electron deficiency of the isoxazole moiety. This new class of acids yield a variety of novel systems. The influence of substitution on the visible spectrum of the aldimonium system obtained with derivatives of benzaldehyde is discussed.     

Gas-phase reactions of divalent Ni complex ions with acetonitrile: Chelate ring size,inductive, and steric effects

Ni(II) complexes of a series of pentadentate polyamine ligands have been reacted with CH₃CN in the gas phase using a modified quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. The ligands have structural features such that upon complexation, chelate ring size, sterics, and inductive effects can be evaluated in the gas phase. Rate and equilibrium constants for CH₃CN addition to the metal complexes show that there is a general decrease in the gas-phase reactivity as the chelate ring size is increased. Density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theory have been used to obtain minimum energy structures and Mulliken charges for the complexes. The decreased reactivity observed as the chelate ring size is increased correlates with a decrease in the atomic charge on the metal. A larger chelate ring size enhances ligand flexibility and improves the overlap of the ligand’s donor atoms with the metal center. Adding methyl groups adjacent to or on the nitrogen donor groups of a ligand also decreases the rate and equilibrium constants for the reactions of a given complex with CH₃CN. Analysis of Mulliken charges for these complexes indicates that both inductive and steric effects are responsible for lower complex reactivity. These results suggest that while the gas-phase reactivity of a metal complex with CH₃CN is very dependent on the functional groups directly bound to the metal, in some cases steric effects can conceal the correlation between reactivity and coordination structure.     

Enyne synthesis through a modified Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction catalyzed by cyclopalladated complexes

A series of conjugated enynes were successfully synthesized by the palladacycle-catalyzed modified Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction of β-bromostyrene and terminal alkynes. The reaction proceeds smoothly in DMSO at 40 °C to give the corresponding products in moderate to excellent yields. This catalytic system is tolerant to a broad range of functional groups on the substrates. Moreover, the products were furnished as specific E isomers. We also found that the product of the reaction between (E)-β-bromostyrene and 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol is diarylated enyne in the presence of excess Cs₂CO₃.