Statistical Thermodynamics Unveils How Ions Influence an Aqueous Diels-Alder Reaction

The kinetics of Diels-Alder (DA) reactions in water has been known to be altered by salts for a long time. Yet the question how salts influence the reaction rate, either as rate-enhancing or rate-reducing additives, has so far remained unresolved. Conflicting hypotheses involve (i) indirect salt contributions through the modulation of internal pressure and (ii) making (or breaking) of the so-called “water-structure” by salts that strengthen (or weaken) the hydrophobic effect. In contrast to the qualitative nature of these hypotheses, here we answer this question quantitatively through a combination of transition state theory and fluctuation adsorption-solvation theory (FAST) using the DA reaction between anthracene-9-carbinol and N-ethylmaleimide as an example. We show that rate enhancement is driven by the salting out of the hydrophobic reactant, while rate-enhancing salts exhibit stronger affinity to the transition state.     

Interstrain Variability of Human Vaginal Lactobacillus crispatus for Metabolism of Biogenic Amines and Antimicrobial Activity against Urogenital Pathogens

Lactobacillus crispatus is the dominant species in the vagina of many women. With the potential for strains of this species to be used as a probiotic to help prevent and treat dysbiosis, we investigated isolates from vaginal swabs with Lactobacillus-dominated and a dysbiotic microbiota. A comparative genome analysis led to the identification of metabolic pathways for synthesis and degradation of three major biogenic amines in most strains. However, targeted metabolomic analysis of the production and degradation of biogenic amines showed that certain strains have either the ability to produce or to degrade these compounds. Notably, six strains produced cadaverine, one produced putrescine, and two produced tyramine. These biogenic amines are known to raise vaginal pH, cause malodour, and make the environment more favourable to vaginal pathogens. In vitro experiments confirmed that strains isolated from women with a dysbiotic vaginal microbiota have higher antimicrobial effects against the common urogenital pathogens Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium. The results indicate that not all L. crispatus vaginal strains appear suitable for probiotic application and the basis for selection should not be only the overall composition of the vaginal microbiota of the host from which they came, but specific biochemical and genetic traits.     

The Role of Torsional Dynamics on Hole and Exciton Stabilization in π‐Stacked Assemblies: Design of Rigid Torsionomers of a Cofacial Bifluorene

Exciton and charge delocalization across π‐stacked assemblies is of importance in biological systems and functional polymeric materials. To examine the requirements for exciton and hole stabilization, cofacial bifluorene ( F 2) torsionomers were designed, synthesized, and characterized: unhindered (model) ^Me F 2, sterically hindered ^tBu F 2, and cyclophane‐like ^C F 2, where fluorenes are locked in a perfect sandwich orientation via two methylene linkers. This set of bichromophores with varied torsional rigidity and orbital overlap shows that exciton stabilization requires a perfect sandwich‐like arrangement, as seen by strong excimeric‐like emission only in ^C F 2 and ^Me F 2. In contrast, hole delocalization is less geometrically restrictive and occurs even in sterically hindered ^tBu F 2, as judged by 160 mV hole stabilization and a near‐IR band in the spectrum of its cation radical. These findings underscore the diverse requirements for charge and energy delocalization across π‐stacked assemblies.     

C−H Functionalisation for Hydrogen Isotope Exchange

The various applications of hydrogen isotopes (deuterium, D, and tritium, T) in the physical and life sciences demand a range of methods for their installation in an array of molecular architectures. In this Review, we describe recent advances in synthetic C?H functionalisation for hydrogen isotope exchange.     

Compact, efficient 344-MHz repetition-rate femtosecond optical parametric oscillator

We describe configurations of a novel synchronously pumped femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on the crystal RbTiOAsO(4) and operating with a signal-pulse-repetition frequency as high as 344 MHz. Average signal powers as high as 600 mW and pulse durations of 78 fs are demonstrated at a wavelength of 1.25 microm, and a characterization of the signal output using frequency-resolved optical gating implies asymmetric near-sech(2)(t) intensity-profile pulses with significant amounts of spectral cubic phase.     

Broadly tunable infrared femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled RbTiOAsO(4)

We present results from what we believe is the first reported example of an optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled RbTiOAsO(4). The oscillator is pumped by a femtosecond self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser and, with a single-grating 2-mm-long crystal and one mirror set, a combination of pump and cavity-length tuning provided wavelength coverage from 1060 to 1225nm (signal) and 2.67 to 4.5 microm (idler). Average output powers were as much as 120mW in the signal and 105mW in the idler and interferometric autocorrelations recorded at signal and idler wavelengths of 1.1 and 3.26 microm, respectively, imply pulse durations of 125 and 115fs, respectively.     

Racemic and (+)-ethyl 2-acetamido-2-carboxy-5-oxohexanoate

Racemic ethyl 2-acetamido-2-carboxy-5-oxohexanoate has been isolated by single hydrolysis of the corresponding diethyl ester and resolved essentially quantitatively by diastereomeric salt formation with (–)-quinine. The (+)-isomer was retrieved from the less-soluble quininium salt. Racemate crystals, (plusmn;)-1, are monoclinic, space group P2₁/c, a = 7.609(4)Å, b = 16.731(7)Å, c = 10.746(5) Å, = 99.83(4)° enantiomeric crystals, (+)-1, are monoclinic, space group P2₁, a = 5.857(2)Å, b = 15.282(4)Å, c = 7.618(2)Å, = 95.62(2)°. Molecular packing is similar in the two structures; the enantiomer has a 0.7% higher volume per molecule and the lower fusion temperatures by 3°C. In both structures, carboxylic acids donate hydrogen bonds to the amide carbonyls of adjacent molecules without reciprocation. Amides form three-centered hydrogen bonds to carboxy oxygen of an intramolecular carboxylic acid group and to oxygen of a ketone carbonyl in an adjacent molecule.     

Crystal structures of two isomeric oximes. (EE)-2-methyl-3-phenyl-3-thiocyanatopropenaldoxime and (Z)-5-methyl-6-phenyl-1,3-thiazin-2-one oxime

The crystal structure of two isomeric oximes, C₁₁N₁₀N₂OS have been studied by X-ray diffraction. The open-chain thiocyanato derivative is somewhat'less dense and crystallizes with the orthorhombic space group Pbcn;a,b,c=18.718(1), 10.601(3), 11.528(1) Å,Z=8. The heterocyclic isomer occurs as pseudo-orthorhombic (Cmma)twinned crystals of space group P2₁/n, a, b, c, =12.11(1), 7.46(1), 12.12(1) Å, 100.09(1)^o,Z=4. Twinning occurs as a result of the near-equality of the monoclinica andc cell constants.     

X-Ray crystal structure determination of a series of 1-aryl- 2-[3-(3-[2-aryl-1-diazenyl]-1,3-diazepan-1-ylmethyl)-1, 3-diazepan-1-yl]-1-diazenes obtained from the reaction of diazonium salts with mixtures of formaldehyde and 1,4-diaminobutane

A new series of bis-triazenes, the 1-aryl-2-[3-(3-[2-aryl-1-diazenyl]-1,3-diazepan-1-ylmethyl)-1,3-diazepan-1-yl]-1-diazenes has been synthesized from the reaction of diazonium salts with a mixture of 1,4-diaminobutane and formaldehyde. The structures of 1-(p-bromophenyl)-2-[3-{3-[2-(p-bromophenyl)-1-diazenyl]-1,3-diazepan-1-ylmethyl}-1,3-diazepan-1-yl]-1-diazene(1), 1-(p-cyanophenyl)-2-[3-{3-[2-(p-cyanophenyl)-1-diazenyl]-1,3-di azepan-1-ylmethyl}-1,3-diazepan-1-yl]-1-diazene(2), and 1-(p-methoxyphenyl)-2-[3-{3-[2-(p-methoxy-phenyl)-1-diazenyl]-1,3-diazepan-1-ylmethyl}-1,3-diazepan-1-yl]-1 diazene(3) have been unequivocally determined by X-ray crystallography. The new bis-triazenes are important since the structure contains the novel saturated heterocycle, 1,3-diazepane. The general conclusion of this study is that alkanediamines with 3 or 4 carbon atoms in the spacer link between the nitrogen atoms give rise to the linear bicyclic molecules of type 5, in contrast to the case of ethylenediamine (spacer link 2 carbon atoms), which affords molecules of type 6, which exemplify the general cage structure of type 4. The crystal structures of 1, 2 and 3 are compared with the previously reported structure of the hexahydropyrimidine analogue 8a(X=CN); compounds 2 and 8a(X=CN) are homologous with respect to the alkane spacer moiety. The structures of 2 and 8a(X=CN) are very different in one respect; in 2 the aryldiazenyl-1,3-diazepanyl groups are in the s-trans orientation around the central methylene group whereas in 8a(X=CN) the arrangement of the aryldiazenyl-hexahydropyrimidinyl groups is the s-cis orientation.Crystal data: 1 C₂₃H₃₀N₈Br₂, triclinic, space group P-1, a=8.3979(2), b=10.7828(3), c=14.4692(5) ?, α=83.670(1), β=78.662(1), γ=78.758(1)°, V=1256.48(6) ?³, for Z=2. 2 C₂₅H₃₀N₁₀, monoclinic, space group P2 ₁ /n, a=13.4046(6), b=9.4482(4), c=10.6913(4)?, β=103.239(2)°, V=2490.5(2) ?³, for Z=4. 3 C₂₅H₃₆N₈O₂, triclinic, space group P-1, a=8.5223(3), b=10.6913(4), c=14.4034(7)?, α=85.657(2), β=78.731(2), γ=80.153(1)°, V=1266.88(9) ?³, for Z=2.