Through-space electronic interactions of [2.2]metacyclophane benzyl cations

The hydrolysis of 8-bromomethyl[2.2]metacyclophanes 3 to the corresponding 8-hydroxymethyl derivatives 4 was carried out in 83% aqueous dioxane solution at 25°C. Substituent effect through space on the rate of the hydrolysis of bromomethyl groups attached on the opposite aromatic ring was first found in this investigation. Interestingly, the introduction of the substituents at the internal position 16 tends to enhance the hydrolysis reaction rate 10–100 times. It was found also that the stabilization by both the direct through-space cation-π-interaction and the interaction through the intra-annular 8,16-position are possible in the [2.2]metacyclophane 8-benzyl cations. The good correlation with log(K/K_H) and σ_p ⁺ was observed for the hydrolysis of internally unsubstituted 5-bromomethyl[2.2]MCPs 7, in which the direct through-space cation-π-interactions are not possible. TiCl₄ and Nafion-H, a perfluorinated resinsulfonic acid, catalysed Friedel-Crafts benzylation of benzene and substituted benzenes with 8-bromomethyl- and 8-hydroxymethyl[2.2]metacyclophanes to afford 8-benzyl[2.2]metacyclophanes is described. A high substrate and positional selectivity were observed in the present benzylation reaction quite different from those obtained from the benzyl bromide and benzyl alcohol. The benzyl cation intermediate stabilized by the through-space electronic interaction among the opposite benzene ring was first demonstrated in the benzylation of [2.2]metacyclophane systems. The mild and selective transannular reaction attributable to the highly strained character of [2.2]metacyclophane skeleton and the increased stabilization of the 5-benzyl cation intermediate arising from the electronic interactions among the opposite benzene ring through the intra-annular 8,16-positions was also observed.     

Electron-capturing derivatization of neutral steroids for increasing sensitivity in liquid chromatography/negative atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry.

Derivatization of neutral steroids for increasing sensitivity in liquid chromatography/negative atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) has been examined. Under APCI conditions, gas-phase electrons are provided by the corona discharge and captured by electron-affinitive compounds. In negative APCI-MS, therefore, ultrahigh sensitivity can be obtained by tagging neutral steroids, whose ionization efficiencies are low in the conventional APCI-MS, with electron-capturing moieties, such as a nitro group. We synthesized various boronic acid and hydrazine derivatives having electron-capturing moieties as derivatization reagents for 1,2-diol compounds and oxosteroids, respectively. Among reagents examined, those having the 2-nitro-4-trifluoromethylphenyl moiety were most effective in increasing sensitivity. That is, the detection responses of the derivatives with these reagents were increased by several to more than 200-fold over intact steroids, where limits of detection were some picograms. The developed derivatization procedures were applied to analyses of small amounts of steroids in human plasma and gave satisfactory results.     

Effect of adlayer structure on the host-guest recognition between calcium and crown-ether-substituted phthalocyanine arrays on Au single-crystal surfaces.

Adlayers of 15-crown-5-ether-substituted cobalt(II) phthalocyanine (CoCRPc) were prepared by immersion of either Au(111) or Au(100) substrate into benzene-ethanol (9:1 v/v) mixed solutions containing CoCRPc. In situ STM imaging was carried out after transferring the CoCRPc-modified Au crystals into aqueous HClO(4) solution. The packing arrangement of the CoCRPc array on Au(111) was determined to be p(8 x 4 radical 3R - 30 degrees ), and the internal structure was clearly observed by high-resolution STM. Two adlayer structures of CoCRPc, (8 x 9) and (4 radical 5 x 4 radical 5)R26.7 degrees, were found on the Au(100)-(1 x 1) terrace. In the presence of 1 mM Ca(2+), two Ca(2+) ions were trapped in two diagonally located 15-crown-5-ether moieties of each CoCRPc molecule on Au(111), whereas encapsulation of Ca(2+) ions was not seen in the CoCRPc arrays on the Au(100)-(1 x 1) surface. The present study demonstrates that the relationship between crown moieties of CRPc and the underlying Au lattice is important in the trapping of Ca(2+) ions in crown rings.     

The Double Simmons-Smith Reactions VIA Silatropies

The cyclopropanation of ethyl 3-trimethylsiloxy-2-alkenoates with the Simmons-Smith reagent, followed by ring cleavage and hydrolysis with an alkali solution, gave the corresponding 3-methyl-4-oxoalkanoic acids and 5-oxoalkanoic acids.     

Reaction of cinnamaldehyde and derivatives with Raney Ni–Al alloy and Al powder in water. Reduction or oxido-reduction?

A series of experiments dealing with the reduction of cinnamaldehyde and parent compounds was carried out in completely aqueous media in order to assess the character of this process. We wish to show that the treatment of these substrates in water with Raney catalysts is an oxido-reductive process.     

A multielement masking method using magnesium hydroxide coprecipitation for the selective determination of lead in water samples by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry.

We present a new multielement masking method using magnesium hydroxide coprecipitation for the selective determination of Pb by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). The recovery of Pb in the masking method was over 95%, while interfering ions (Cd(2+), Co(2+), Cu(2+), Fe(3+), Mn(2+), and Ni(2+)) could be removed at 100% from the analytical sample. A linear regression was obtained in the Pb concentration from 10 to 1000 microg kg(-1) in the existence of 100 microg kg(-1) of the interfering ions. When this method was applied to the determination of Pb in a natural water-standard reference material (NIST 1640), the determined value for Pb in this work (25.4 +/- 4.1 microg kg(-1)) almost agreed with the certified value (27.89 +/- 0.14 microg kg(-1)).     

Chemistry of ecteinascidins. Part 2. Preparation of 6'-O-acyl derivatives of stable ecteinascidin and evaluation of cytotoxicity

A large amount of stable ecteinascidin 770 (1b) was isolated from the Thai tunicate, Ecteinascidia thurstoni, which was pretreated with potassium cyanide in buffer solution (pH 7), along with a minor metabolite, ecteinascidin 786 (1c). A number of 6'-O-acyl derivatives 3-19 and three diacetyl derivatives 2a-c of the stable 1b were prepared and evaluated for activity against human tumor cell lines HCT116, QG56, and DU145. Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ester derivatives such as 12, 13, and 16-19 showed similar in vitro cytotoxicity to 1b, whereas the other derivatives were less cytotoxic than 1b. Furthermore, we discovered that the N-indole-3-carbonyl derivative of ecteinascidin 770 (22) has higher cytotoxicity than 1b.     

Neutron powder diffraction study of methane deuterohydrate by the maximum entropy method

To examine the nature of thermal motions of the CH₄ molecules in the methane deuterohydrate (8CH₄·46D₂O), the scattering length density distribution was observed by the maximum entropy method (MEM) using neutron powder diffraction data measured in the temperature range of 7-185 K. We drew the scattering-length density distribution as three dimensional graphic images and used the same isosurface level for all temperatures. The negative scattering length density, corresponding to the H atoms of CH₄, was observed only in the large cage. The positive scattering length density attributed to the C atom of CH₄ was observed at the center of each cage. With an increase in temperature, the negative and positive scattering length densities in the large cage disappear. The positive scattering length density remains at the center of the small cage regardless of temperature. These results strongly indicate that the motions of CH₄ depend on the cage size and geometry.