Stable P‐Heterocyclic Carbenes: Scope and Limitations

The conjugate acids (PHCH⁺s) of P‐heterocyclic carbenes (PHCs) are prepared by formal [3+2] cycloaddition of a 1,3‐diphosphaallyl or 1,3‐phosphinophosphenium cation with various nitriles. The effect of the phosphorus substituent on the fate of the cyclization and on that of the counteranion and base in the subsequent deprotonation reaction are reported. Two PHCs that are indefinitely stable in the solid state are described. In solution, one of them, made from acetonitrile, undergoes a facile [3+2] cycloreversion, whereas the other, based on dimethyl cyanamide, is stable, presumably owing to its zwitterionic structure, which involves a tricoordinate pentavalent phosphorus atom. The reactivity of PHCs is strongly driven by the high electrophilicity of the phosphorus centers, as demonstrated by their reactivity with water and benzaldehyde. Although both PHCs reported in this paper are direct analogues of the least‐basic NHCs, their basicity is comparable to those of the more strongly basic NHCs (as determined by comparison of the carbonyl stretching frequencies of their corresponding cis‐[RhCl‐(CO)₂(L)] complexes).     

Influence of spontaneous decay on resonantly enhanced two-photon ionisation of D (2s)

The wavelength dependence of the two-photon ionisation of metastable D(2s) by a laser beam has been measured near the 2s ? 3p resonant frequency. A sharp structure is observed in the broad resonance profile at quite moderate intensity. Its origin is shown to be the spontaneous decay of the 3p state that competes with photoionisation.     

Entropic stabilization of isolated beta-sheets

Temperature-dependent electric deflection measurements have been performed for a series of unsolvated alanine-based peptides (Ac-WA(n)-NH(2), where Ac = acetyl, W = tryptophan, A = alanine, and n = 3, 5, 10, 13, and 15). The measurements are interpreted using Monte Carlo simulations performed with a parallel tempering algorithm. Despite alanine's high helix propensity in solution, the results suggest that unsolvated Ac-WA(n)-NH(2) peptides with n > 10 adopt beta-sheet conformations at room temperature. Previous studies have shown that protonated alanine-based peptides adopt helical or globular conformations in the gas phase, depending on the location of the charge. Thus, the charge more than anything else controls the structure.     

Screening approach for chiral separation of pharmaceuticals. Part III. Supercritical fluid chromatography for analysis and purification in drug discovery

High-throughput and performance analysis and purification of enantiomers are important parts of drug discovery and provide high-quality compounds for pharmacological testing. We have previously reported two parts describing chiral chromatographic screens using normal-phase (NPLC) and reversed-phase (RPLC) liquid chromatography, in order to cope with increasing numbers of new compounds generated by chemistry programs. We present in this part the development and implementation of a third faster screen using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) to maximize chance in achieving rapid enantiomer resolution of large numbers of compounds in a minimum of time. The SFC screen utilizes a narrow combination of only four columns (Chirlapak AD and AS, and Chiralcel OD and OJ) and two solvent modifiers (methanol and isopropanol). A modifier and column-switching setup was employed to allow the entire screening process to be serially run in the order AD> OD > OJ > AS and methanol > isopropanol, so that the screening for a given molecule can be stopped when separation is achieved. The switching system was fully automated for unattended operation of multiple compounds. An optimization procedure was also defined, which can be performed if needed for unsuccessful separations in the screening step. The chiral SFC strategy proved its performance and robustness in resolution of hundreds proprietary chiral molecules generated by drug discovery programs, with a success rate exceeding 95%. In addition, the generic capability of the strategy was evaluated by applying the screen and optimization methodology to a test set comprising 40 marketed drugs differing from proprietary compounds in terms of chemical diversity, revealing a similar high success rate of 98%. Chiral separations developed at the analytical scale work easily and equally well at the semi-preparative level, as illustrated with an example. The SFC screen allows resolution of compounds that were partially separated by NPLC or not separated at all by RPLC, demonstrating the utility of implementing complementary chromatographic techniques. The SFC screen is currently an integral part of our analytical support to discovery chemical programs and is considered the first try for chiral separations of new compounds, because it offers a higher success rate, performance and throughput.     

Evolution of the metallicity in the Li n H m clusters as a function of m: evidence for a segregation

The unimolecular decomposition of metal rich Li _n H _m ⁺ clusters (1 ≤ m ≤ 6, n ≤ 22 and (n ? m) > 3) is studied. The evaporative rates of the mixed clusters display features characteristic of metallic clusters. This confirms and extends to a larger size range the previous results obtained by photoionization and absorption cross section measurements. The evaporative rates are simulated by considering that there is a segregation between a metallic Li _n-m ⁺ part and an insulating (LiH)_m part in the mixed cluster.     

Synthesis and characterization of [PtIn6](GeO4)2O and its solid solution [PtIn6](GaO4)(2-x)(GeO4)xOx/2 (0 < or = x < or = 2): gradual color change of the solid solution from black (x = 0) to yellow (x = 2) as a consequence of quantum dot effect

A new phase [PtIn6](GeO4)2O, a filled variant of [PtIn6](GaO4)2, and the solid solution [PtIn6](GaO4)(2-x)(GeO4)xOx/2 (0 < or = x < or = 2) were prepared and characterized. Single-crystal structure refinements show that [PtIn6](GeO4)2O is isotypic with the mineral, sulfohalite Na6FCl(SO4)2, and crystallizes in the space group Fmm (Z = 4) with a = 1006.0(1) pm. The building units of [PtIn6](GeO4)2O are isolated [PtIn6]10+ octahedra and (GeO4)4- tetrahedra, and the isolated O2- ions occupy the centers of the In6 octahedra made up of six adjacent PtIn6 octahedra. The lattice parameter of the solid solution [PtIn6](GaO4)(2-x)(GeO4)xOx/2 (0 < or = x < or = 2) varies gradually from a = 1001.3(1) pm at x = 0 to a = 1006.0(1) pm at x = 2, and the color of the solid solution changes gradually from black (x = 0) to red (x = 1) to yellow (x = 2). The cause for the gradual color change was examined by performing density functional theory electronic structure calculations for the end members [PtIn6](GaO4)2 and [PtIn6](GeO4)2O. Our analysis indicates that an oxygen atom at the center of a In6 octahedron cuts the In 5p/In 5p bonding interactions between adjacent [PtIn6]10+ octahedra thereby raising the bottom of the conduction bands, and the resulting quantum dot effect is responsible for the color change.     

Total Chemical Synthesis of an Intra‐A‐Chain Cystathionine Human Insulin Analogue with Enhanced Thermal Stability

Despite recent advances in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, storage of insulin formulations at 4 °C is still necessary to minimize chemical degradation. This is problematic in tropical regions where reliable refrigeration is not ubiquitous. Some degradation byproducts are caused by disulfide shuffling of cystine that leads to covalently bonded oligomers. Consequently we examined the utility of the non‐reducible cystine isostere, cystathionine, within the A‐chain. Reported herein is an efficient method for forming this mimic using simple monomeric building blocks. The intra‐A‐chain cystathionine insulin analogue was obtained in good overall yield, chemically characterized and demonstrated to possess native binding affinity for the insulin receptor isoform B. It was also shown to possess significantly enhanced thermal stability indicating potential application to next‐generation insulin analogues.     

Sharp error bounds for complex floating-point inversion

We study the accuracy of the classic algorithm for inverting a complex number given by its real and imaginary parts as floating-point numbers. Our analyses are done in binary floating-point arithmetic, with an unbounded exponent range and in precision p; we also assume that the basic arithmetic operations (+, ?, ×, /) are rounded to nearest, so that the roundoff unit is u = 2^?p. We bound the largest relative error in the computed inverse either in the componentwise or in the normwise sense. We prove the componentwise relative error bound 3u for the complex inversion algorithm (assuming p ≥ 4), and we show that this bound is asymptotically optimal (as p → ∞) when p is even, and sharp when using one of the basic IEEE 754 binary formats with an odd precision (p = 53, 113). This componentwise bound obviously leads to the same bound 3u for the normwise relative error. However, we prove that the smaller bound 2.707131u holds (assuming p ≥ 24) for the normwise relative error, and we illustrate the sharpness of this bound for the basic IEEE 754 binary formats (p = 24,53,113) using numerical examples.