Azatrioxa[8]circulenes: Planar Anti‐Aromatic Cyclooctatetraenes

We describe herein the first synthesis of a new class of anti‐aromatic planar cyclooctatetraenes: the azatrioxa[8]circulenes. This was achieved by treating a suitably functionalised 3,6‐dihydroxycarbazole with 1,4‐benzoquinones or a 1,4‐naphthoquinone. We fully characterised the azatrioxa[8]circulenes by using optical, electrochemical and computational techniques as well as by single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography. The results of a computational study (NICS) suggest that the central planar cyclooctatetraene is anti‐aromatic when the molecules are in neutral or oxidised states (2+), and that the corresponding dianions are aromatic. We discuss the aromatic/anti‐aromatic nature of the planar cyclooctatetraenes and compare them with the isoelectronic tetraoxa[8]circulenes.     

A three‐component process for the synthesis of 2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐one derivatives using nanosized nickel aluminate spinel crystals as highly efficient catalysts

NiAl₂O₄ spinel nanocrystals were synthesized as mesoporous catalysts and were fully characterized using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), X‐ray diffraction patterns (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS). These nanocrystals catalyzed the synthesis of 2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐one derivatives via a one‐pot, three‐component condensation reaction of aromatic aldehydes, isatoic anhydride, and ammonium acetate or primary aromatic amine under microwave irradiation. By far, the most obvious advantages of the offered process are efficiency and recyclability of the catalyst as well as a significantly shorter reaction time.     

Efficient One‐Pot Solvent‐Free Synthesis of 1H‐Pyrazolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐diones Catalyzed by Sulfonic Acid Functionalized Nanoporous Silica (SBA‐Pr‐SO3H)

A green protocol has been developed for the synthesis of 1H‐pyrazolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐diones by one‐pot cyclocondensation reaction of phthalhydrazide, aromatic aldehydes, and malononitrile or ethyl cyanoacetate using sulfonic acid functionalized SBA‐15 (SBA‐Pr‐SO₃H) as a heterogeneous solid acid catalyst under solvent‐free conditions.     

One‐Pot Three‐Component Mild Synthesis of 2‐Aryl‐3‐(9‐alkylcarbazol‐3‐yl)thiazolidin‐4‐ones

A series of novel 2‐aryl‐3‐(9‐alkylcarbazol‐3‐yl)thiazolidin‐4‐ones were synthesized by one‐pot three‐component reactions of 3‐amino‐9‐alkylcarbazoles, aromatic aldehydes, and 2‐mercaptoacetic acid by using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) as a cyclizing agent in dry diethyl ether at room temperature. This protocol has advantages of mild condition, short reaction time, high yield, and simple work‐up procedure.     

Cobalt‐Catalyzed Hydrogen‐Atom Transfer Induces Bicyclizations that Tolerate Electron‐Rich and Electron‐Deficient Intermediate Alkenes

A novel Co^II‐catalyzed polyene cyclization was developed that is uniquely effective when performed in hexafluoroisopropanol as the solvent. The process is presumably initiated by metal‐catalyzed hydrogen‐atom transfer (MHAT) to 1,1‐disubstituted or monosubstituted alkenes, and the reaction is remarkable for its tolerance of internal alkenes bearing either electron‐rich methyl or electron‐deficient nitrile substituents. Electron‐rich aromatic terminators are required in both cases. Terpenoid scaffolds with different substitution patterns are obtained with excellent diastereoselectivities, and the bioactive C20‐oxidized abietane diterpenoid carnosaldehyde was made to showcase the utility of the nitrile‐bearing products. Also provided are the results of several mechanistic experiments that suggest the process features an MHAT‐induced radical bicyclization with late‐stage oxidation to regenerate the aromatic terminator.     

Polysaccharide‐templated twisted assemble of 2‐anilinonaphthalene‐6‐sulfonic acid

Schizophyllan (SPG) is a natural β‐1,3‐glucan that forms a triple helix (t‐SPG) in neutral aqueous solutions and t‐SPG can be denatured to single chains (s‐SPGs) in DMSO or alkaline solutions. Exchanging the denatured solutions for neutral water leads the renaturation of the triple helix. We have reported that hydrophobic molecules can form a complex with s‐SPG when they are present in the renaturation process. Some of these, for example poly(dA) and polyaniline, were found to have aromatic amino moieties. This report demonstrates whether s‐SPG can interact with other aromatic amino compounds such as anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid (ANS) derivatives. Enhanced fluorescence intensity and red‐shifted UV absorption spectra were observed in the mixture of s‐SPG and 2,6‐ANS or 2,6‐TNS. In the circular dichroism measurement, the positive Cotton effects appeared after mixing 2, 6‐ANS with s‐SPG. When the amino proton was replaced by the methyl group or used in intramolecular hydrogen bonds, any spectral changes were not observed. These results indicate that amino proton in the ANS derivatives plays a key role in the complexation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1440–1448, 2008     

Nanostructured‐silver‐coated polyetheretherketone tube for online in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography

Polyetheretherketone tube is a better substrate for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction than fused‐silica capillary and metal tube because of its resistance to high pressure and good flexibility. It was modified with a nanostructured silver coating, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. It was connected into high‐performance liquid chromatography equipment to build the online analysis system by replacing the sample loop of a six‐port injection valve. To get the highest extraction capacity, the preparation conditions of the coating was investigated. Important extraction conditions including length of tube, sample volume, and desorption time were optimized using eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as model analytes. The tube exhibits excellent extraction efficiency toward them, with enrichment factors from 52 to 363. The online analysis method provides good linearity (0.5–100 or 1.0–100 μg/L) and low detection limits (0.15–0.30 μg/L). It has been used to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples, with relative recoveries in the range of 92.3–120%. The tube showed highest extraction ability for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, higher extraction ability for hydrophobic phthalates and anilines, and almost no extraction ability for low hydrophobic phenols, due to the possible extraction mechanism including hydrophobic and electron‐rich element‐metal interactions.     

An Efficient Synthesis of 4‐Naphthylpyrimidin‐2‐amine Derivatives under Solvent‐Free Conditions

A simple, efficient, and mild protocol for the synthesis of 4‐naphthylpyrimidin‐2‐amine derivatives under solvent‐free conditions by the reaction of aromatic aldehydes (or 1‐naphthaldehyde), 2‐acetylnaphthalene (or aromatic ketones), guanidine carbonate, and sodium hydroxide was reported. The advantages of this protocol include short reaction time, mild reaction conditions, easy workup, high yields, and environmental friendliness.     

One‐Pot Organocatalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of 3‐Nitro‐1,2‐dihydroquinolines by a Dual‐Activation Protocol

Generally, amine‐catalyzed enantioselective transformations rely on chiral enamine or unsaturated iminium intermediates. Herein, we report a protocol involving dual activation by an aromatic iminium and hydrogen‐bonding. An enantioselective aza‐Michael–Henry domino reaction of 2‐aminobenzaldehydes with nitroolefins has been developed through this protocol using primary amine thiourea catalysts to provide a variety of 3‐nitro‐1,2‐dihydroquinolines in moderate yields and with up to 90 % ee. The mechanism for the catalytic enantioselective reaction was confirmed by ESI mass spectrometric detection of the reaction intermediates. The products formed are substructures found in skeletons of important biological and pharmaceutical molecules.     

Characterization and identification of cleavage products of 3‐glycosyl‐5‐substituted‐2‐isoxazoline

We report herein the synthesis of new synthons obtained by reductive opening of 3‐glycosyl‐5‐substituted‐2‐isoxazolines. Different cleavage products have been obtained depending on the substituents (aliphatic or aromatic) in position five of the heterocycle ring. The new compounds are characterized physically and spectroscopically.     

Selective Oxidation of Alkyl‐Substituted Polyaromatics Using Ruthenium‐Ion‐Catalyzed Oxidation

Ruthenium‐ion‐catalyzed oxidation of a range of alkylated polyaromatics has been studied. 2‐Ethylnaphthalene was used as a model substrate, and oxidation can be performed in either a conventional biphasic or in a monophasic solvent system. In either case the reaction rates and product selectivity are identical. The reaction products indicate that the aromatic ring system is oxidized in preference to the alkyl chain. This analysis is possible due to the development of a quantitative NMR protocol to determine the relative amounts of aliphatic and aromatic protons. From a systematic set of substrates we show that as the length of the alkyl chain substituent on a polyaromatic increases, the proportion of products in which the chain remains attached to the aromatic system increases. Larger polyaromatic systems, based on pyrene and phenanthrene, show greater reactivity than those with fewer aromatic rings, and the alkyl chains are more stable to oxidation.     

Iridium‐Catalyzed Formyl‐Selective Deuteration of Aldehydes

We report the first direct catalytic method for formyl‐selective deuterium labeling of aromatic aldehydes under mild conditions, using an iridium‐based catalyst designed to favor formyl over aromatic C−H activation. A good range of aromatic aldehydes is selectively labeled, and a one‐pot labeling/olefination method is also described. Computational studies support kinetic product control over competing aromatic labeling and decarbonylation pathways.     

Synthesis of 3,4‐Dihalogenated Furan‐2‐(5 H)‐ones by Electrophilic Cyclization of 4‐Hydroxy‐2‐alkynoates

Functionalized 3,4‐dihalogenated furan‐2(5 H)‐ones can be readily prepared in moderate to good yields by treating 4‐hydroxy‐4‐arylbut‐2‐ynoate derivatives with ICl, IBr, and I₂. Both halogen atoms of the electrophile are incorporated in the product. The resulting halides can further afford polycyclic aromatic compounds using known palladium‐catalyzed coupling reactions.     

Sonication‐Induced Coiled Fibrous Architectures of Boc‐L‐Phe‐L‐Lys(Z)‐OMe

An ultra‐short peptide Boc‐L ‐Phe‐L ‐Lys(Z)‐OMe (Z=carbobenzyloxy) was shown to act as a highly efficient and versatile low molecular weight gelator (LMWG) for a variety of aliphatic and aromatic solvents under sonication. Remarkably, this simple dipeptide is not only able to form coiled fibres but also demonstrates self‐healing and thermal chiroptical switching behaviour. The formation of coiled assemblies was found to be influenced by the nature of the solvent and the presence of an additive. By exploiting these properties it was possible to modulate the macroscopic and microscopic properties of the organogels of this ultra‐short peptide, allowing the formation of highly ordered single‐domain networks of helical fibres with dimeric or alternatively fibre‐bundle morphology. The organogels were characterized by using FTIR, SEM, NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Interestingly, CD experiments showed that the organogels of Boc‐L ‐Phe‐L ‐Lys(Z)‐OMe in aromatic solvents exhibit thermal chiroptical switching. This behaviour was hypothesized to stem from changes in the morphology of the gel accompanied by conformational transformation of the gelling agent. The fact that such a small peptide can demonstrate hierarchical assemblies and the possibility of controlling the self‐association is rather intriguing. The self‐healing ability, chiroptical switching and more importantly the formation of helical assemblies by Boc‐L ‐Phe‐L ‐Lys(Z)‐OMe under sonication, make this dipeptide an interesting example of the self‐assembly ability of ultra‐short peptides.     

基于1,2-二氢-2-(4-羧基苯基-4-[4-(4-羧基苯氧基)-3-甲基苯基](2H)二氮杂萘-1-酮的新型芳香聚酰胺的简易合成

A new monomer diacid, 1,2-dihydro-2-(4-carboxylphenyl)-4-[4-(4-carboxylphenoxy)-3-methylphenyl]phtha-lazin-1-one (3), was synthesized through the aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction of a readily available unsymmetrical phthalazinone 1 bisphenol-like with p-chlorobenzonitrile in the presence of potassium carbonate in N,N-dimethylacetamide and alkaline hydrolysis. The diacid could be directly polymerized with various aromatic diamines 4a-4e using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents to give five new aromatic poly(ether amide)s 5a-5e containing the kink non-coplanar heterocyclic units with inherent viscosities of 1.30-1.54 dL/g.The polymers were readily soluble in a variety of solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N-dimethyl-acetamide (DMA), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), and even in m-cresol and pyridine (Py). The transparent, flexible and tough films could be formed by solution casting. The glass transition tem-peratures Tg were in the range of 286-317℃.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Formal Cross‐Coupling of Diaryl Ethers with Amines: Slicing the 4‐O‐5 Linkage in Lignin Models

Lignin is the second most abundant organic matter on Earth, and is an underutilized renewable source for valuable aromatic chemicals. For future sustainable production of aromatic compounds, it is highly desirable to convert lignin into value‐added platform chemicals instead of using fossil‐based resources. Lignins are aromatic polymers linked by three types of ether bonds (α‐O‐4, β‐O‐4, and 4‐O‐5 linkages) and other C?C bonds. Among the ether bonds, the bond dissociation energy of the 4‐O‐5 linkage is the highest and the most challenging to cleave. To date, 4‐O‐5 ether linkage model compounds have been cleaved to obtain phenol, cyclohexane, cyclohexanone, and cyclohexanol. The first example of direct formal cross‐coupling of diaryl ether 4‐O‐5 linkage models with amines is reported, in which dual C(Ar)?O bond cleavages form valuable nitrogen‐containing derivatives.     

The peptide NCbz‐Val‐Tyr‐OMe and aromatic π–π interactions

The peptide N‐benzyloxycarbonyl‐L‐valyl‐L‐tyrosine methyl ester or NCbz‐Val‐Tyr‐OMe (where NCbz is N‐benzyloxycarbonyl and OMe indicates the methyl ester), C₂₃H₂₈N₂O₆, has an extended backbone conformation. The aromatic rings of the Tyr residue and the NCbz group are involved in various attractive intra‐ and intermolecular aromatic π–π interactions which stabilize the conformation and packing in the crystal structure, in addition to N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds. The aromatic π–π interactions include parallel‐displaced, perpendicular T‐shaped, perpendicular L‐shaped and inclined orientations.     

rac‐5‐Diphenylacetyl‐2,2,4‐trimethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzothiazepine and rac‐5‐formyl‐2,2,4‐trimethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzothiazepine

rac‐5‐Diphenylacetyl‐2,2,4‐trimethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzothiazepine, C₂₆H₂₇NOS, (I), and rac‐5‐formyl‐2,2,4‐trimethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzothiazepine, C₁₃H₁₇NOS, (II), are both characterized by a planar configuration around the heterocyclic N atom. In contrast with the chair conformation of the parent benzothiazepine, which has no substituents at the heterocyclic N atom, the seven‐membered ring adopts a boat conformation in (I) and a conformation intermediate between boat and twist‐boat in (II). The molecules lack a symmetry plane, indicating distortions from the perfect boat or twist‐boat conformations. The supramolecular architectures are significantly different, depending in (I) on C—H...O interactions and intermolecular S...S contacts, and in (II) on a single aromatic π–π stacking interaction.     

Herring‐bone π–π interactions in trans‐2,6‐diphenyl‐2,3,5,6‐tetrahydrothiapyran‐4‐one

The structure of the title compound, C₁₇H₁₆OS, is primarily stabilized by T‐shaped and parallel‐displaced aromatic clusters. The distances between the centroids of the aromatic pairs are in the range 4.34–5.30 Å. In the crystal packing, the mol­ecules dimerize by means of π–π interactions of both face‐to‐face and edge‐to‐face types, and the aromatic rings associate in a cyclic edge‐to‐face tetrameric arrangement of the herring‐bone type. These herring‐bone interactions appear to insulate hydrogen‐bond interactions in the crystal structure.     

Density Functional Theory Study of the Mechanisms of Iron‐Catalyzed Regioselective Anti‐Markovnikov Addition of C‐H Bonds in Aromatic Ketones to Alkenes

The mechanisms of iron‐catalyzed regioselective anti‐Markovnikov addition of C‐H bonds in the aromatic ketones to alkenes are studied using Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations with the B3LYP‐D3 method. Our results show that the overall catalytic cycle includes the initial generation of aromatic ketone C‐H activation, the coordination and insertion of a styrene, and finally C‐C reductive elimination. Two different alkylation products are obtained through the linear or branched formation via several different paths. The formation of the linear product is energetically favorable over that of the branched product, which is in agreement with the experimental observation. The rate‐limiting step for the whole catalytic cycle to obtain the main linear product is the reductive elimination step where the Gibbs free energy in solvent THF ΔG_sol is 13.5 kcal/mol computed using the SMD method.