Biodegradable polymers derived from natural fatty acids

A new class of polyanhydrides synthesized from nonlinear hydrophobic fatty acid esters, based on ricinoleic, maleic acid, and sebacic acid, possessed desired physico-chemical and mechanical properties for use as drug carriers. The polymers were synthesized by melt condensation to yield film-forming polymers with molecular weights exceeding 100,000. Their rate of elimination from rats in the course of about 2 months was faster than that found for similar polyanhydrides previously tested. In vitro studies showed that these polymers underwent rapid degradation in the first 10 days. The drug release followed first-order kinetics, showing a rapid drug release rate in the first 10 days which correlated with the degradation of the polymers. The fatty acid ester monomers underwent in vitro enzymatic degradation to the natural starting acids. Tests in rats demonstrated their toxicological inertness and biodegradability. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Entrapped energy in chiral solutions: quantification and information capacity

A homogeneous solution of a chiral substance stores a residual chemical potential, related to its overall anisotropy. Therefore, by mixing solutions of opposite enantiomers, heat release may take place, corresponding to the mutual anisotropy annulment. In the following study we present proofs for this fundamental, yet unexplored, prediction by measuring the heat released upon mixing of aqueous solutions of D-proline with L-proline, as well as D-alanine with L-alanine, using isothermal titration calorimetry. Heat release in the range of 0.6-6 cal/mol was detected in these intermolecular racemizations at 30 degrees C. Its magnitude varied linearly with the apparent optical rotation, which complied with the possibility that the hydration envelope coating the chiral molecule is of a long-range condensed and asymmetrical configuration that can expand by integration with adjacent hydration envelopes. The ordered water in such hydration layers constitutes regions of "negative entropy", a basic medium for information storage. On the basis of our findings, a fundamental expression which combines entropy, information capacity, and thermal energy is proposed.     

Photokinetics of two novel photochromic diarylethenes derived from benzothiophene

Two new unsymmetrically substituted photochromic diarylethenes, namely 3‐[3, 3,4,4,5,5‐hexafluoro‐2‐(2‐methylbenzothien‐3‐yl)cyclopent‐1‐en‐1‐yl]‐2‐methyl‐6‐methoxy‐1‐ benzothiophene and 3‐[3,3,4,4,5,5‐hexafluoro‐2‐(2‐methylbenzothien‐3‐yl)cyclopent‐1‐en‐1‐yl]‐2‐methyl‐6‐methoxy‐7‐nitro‐1‐benzothiophene, were synthesized. Their optical properties and kinetics of cyclization and cycloreversion were determined in four solvents and compared with the symmetrical diarylethene (3,3,4,4,5,5‐hexafluorocyclopent‐1‐en‐1,2‐diyl)bis(2‐methyl‐1‐benzothiophene). While the UV spectra of the three compounds are almost insensitive to solvent changes, the rates of the ring‐opening and ring‐closure reactions exhibit interesting kinetic behavior that differs from other diarylethenes reported in the literature. The cycloreversion for the three compounds follows first‐order kinetics, whereas the cyclization cannot be described by a simple kinetic law. Different approaches were tested, and a complex exponential equation could be derived that fits the experimental data. The unusual presence of two ring‐opened conformational isomers, one of them nonphotochromic, is proposed for the ring‐opened compounds to explain the derived kinetic law and observed solvent effects. These results are of interest in relation to the application of the novel diarylethenes as potential optical materials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 44: 736–744, 2012     

Tandem addition beta-lithiation-alkylation sequence on alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes

A tandem reaction between (E)-cinnamaldehyde, 1a, and phenyllithium affording beta-substituted dihydrochalcones was recently reported. NMR spectroscopic studies on the reaction mixture, as well as isotopic exchange reactions and trapping of two intermediates, provide clues on the several mechanistic steps of this new reaction. Extended studies revealed that beta-alkyl-substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes and aliphatic lithium reagents did not afford good yields of the tandem reaction products, while aromatic lithium reagents gave good results. The aggregation features of the aryllithium reagents and the extended charged delocalization effects are considered to promote beta-selectivity. This approach provides a convenient route for the synthesis of a wide variety of beta-alkyl-substituted dihydrochalcones.     

[(Ph)2(NMe2)C(OLi)⋅THF]2: Crystal Structure of the Tetrahedral Intermediate Formed in the Reaction of N,N-Dimethylbenzamide and Phenyllithium

Information on the reaction path for the 1,2-eliminiation of LiNMe₂ to form benzophenone is provided by the X-ray crystal structure analysis of the tetrahedral adduct [(Ph)₂(NMe₂)C(OLi)⋅THF]₂ (a portion of the structure is shown schematically), which is prepared from N,N-dimethylbenzamide and phenyllithium. A N1−Li1 interaction, which is not observed, would lead to loss of the anomeric effect (n_N→σ^*_C−O) as well as high conformational strain along the C1−N1 bond.     

Facile structural elucidation of imidazoles and oxazoles based on NMR spectroscopy and quantum mechanical calculations

The reaction of 1,2,3-tricarbonyl derivatives with hexamethylenetetramine and ammonium acetate in acetic acid provides an unambiguous approach to the synthesis of imidazoles, whereas the Bredereck reaction of α-haloketones in formamide, yields both imidazoles and oxazoles. Herein we describe a facile methodology for distinguishing between these heterocyclic compounds based on a combination of NMR spectroscopy and quantum mechanical calculations. In the NMR data the oxazole C-2 has a chemical shift of ca. 150 ppm whereas in the imidazoles it is found at ca. 135 ppm, with a ¹J_C-H of ca. 250 Hz for the oxazoles and ca. 210 Hz for the imidazoles. ¹J_C-H values can be easily obtained from a gated-decoupled ¹³C spectrum, and even more trivially, from the separation of the H-2 ¹³C satellites in the ¹H spectra. Additionally, the computed NMR data, obtained from density functional theory, are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data and serve as valuable tools in identifying the products of the Bredereck reaction.     

The binding of CNA35 contrast agents to collagen fibrils

CryoTEM demonstrates that a CNA35-bearing liposomal MRI contrast agent selectively binds to poorly assembled collagen type I as opposed to well-assembled collagen fibrils, whereas monomeric CNA35 binds to all forms of collagen. It is shown that upon conjugation to liposomes and micelles CNA35 loses its ability to dissociate ordered collagen fibrils and thereby to create its own binding sites.