Enantioselective Hydrogenation and Transfer Hydrogenation of Bulky Ketones Catalysed by a Ruthenium Complex of a Chiral Tridentate Ligand

A study on the enantioselective hydrogenation of tertiary alkyl ketones catalysed by a novel class of tridentate–Ru complex is reported. In contrast to the extensively studied [RuCl₂(diphos)(di-primary amine)] complexes, this new class of hydrogenation catalyst smoothly reduces these less reactive bulky ketones with up to 94 % ee. The same catalyst system can also selectively reduce other potentially problematic substrates such as bulky heterocyclic ketones. Unusually for a pressure hydrogenation catalyst, similar enantioselectivity can be obtained under transfer hydrogenation conditions. The transfer hydrogenations are somewhat slower than the pressure hydrogenations, but this drawback is readily overcome, since we have discovered that a microwave accelerated transfer hydrogenation of the above ketones occurs within 20 min at about 90 °C with similar selectivity to that obtained in the pressure hydrogenation system.     

Exponential dichotomy of linear systems with almost periodic matrices

Using the Lyapunov direct method, we establish a condition of exponential dichotomy for the class of dynamical systems under weaker assumptions as compared to the case of an arbitrary continuous matrix on the derivative of the Lyapunov function along the trajectories. By way of application, we obtain a sufficient condition for the dichotomy of a second order almost periodic vector equation in terms of coefficients.     

Optical, redox, and NLO properties of tricyanovinyl oligothiophenes: comparisons between symmetric and asymmetric substitution patterns

A series of tricyanovinyl (TCV)-substituted oligothiophenes was synthesized and investigated with a number of physical methods including UV/Vis, IR, and Raman spectroscopy, nonlinear optical (NLO) measurements, X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry. Mono- or disubstituted oligomers were prepared by the reaction of tetracyanoethylene with mono- or dilithiated oligomers. The comparative effects of the symmetric and asymmetric substitutions in the electronic and molecular properties have been addressed. These oligomers display dramatic reductions in both their optical and electrochemical band gaps in comparison with unsubstituted molecules. The analysis of the electronic properties of the molecules was assisted by density functional theory calculations, which are in excellent agreement with the experimental data. TCV substitution influences the energies of the frontier orbitals, especially with respect to the stabilization of LUMO orbitals. X-ray structural characterization of a monosubstituted oligomer exhibits pi-stacking with favorable intermolecular interactions. NLO results agree with the role of the intramolecular charge-transfer feature in the asymmetric samples. These results furthermore exalt the role of conformational flexibility in the disubstituted compounds and reveal an unexpected nonlinear optical activity for symmetric molecules. Regarding the electronic structure, the interpretation of the vibrational data reflects the balanced interplay between aromatic and quinoid forms, finely tuned by the chain length and substitution pattern. The electronic and structural properties are consistent with the semiconducting properties exhibited by these materials in thin film transistors (TFTs).     

Quantitative analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in adipose tissue, human serum and foodstuff samples by gas chromatography with ion trap tandem mass spectrometry and isotope dilution

A method based on gas chromatography (GC) separation followed by ion trap tandem mass spectrometry detection in EI mode (ITD-MS/MS), using isotope dilution, was developed for the determination of ten native polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and four (13)C(12)-labeled congeners in biological (fat tissue and human serum) and food samples. The highest-mass fragment ions were used as precursor ions for those congeners with molecular ions with m/z values higher than the maximum of the instrument. In these cases (hepta-BDEs and (13)C(12)-hexa-BDEs) no fragmentation was achieved under the experimental conditions employed. Repeatability (lower than 9%) and reproducibility (lower than 13%), expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 3 and 4, respectively), were satisfactory. Similarly, the coefficient of variation (n = 4) of the isotopic ratio between the two most abundant product ions was lower than 10 and 6% for native and labeled congeners, respectively. To evaluate the feasibility of the method, the optimized isotope dilution GC/ITD-MS/MS method was used for the quantitation of selected PBDE congeners in different samples including adipose tissue, human serum and foodstuff samples, from three inter-laboratory comparative exercises, covering a wide range of concentrations. A solid-phase extraction procedure, previously developed for PCB determination in small-size bird serum samples, was successfully applied to quantification of PBDEs in 1 mL samples of human serum.     

Phospholipase cleavage of D- and L-chiro-glycosylphosphoinositides asymmetrically incorporated into liposomal membranes

The nature of chiro-inositol-containing inositolphosphoglycans (IPGs), reported to be putative insulin mediators, was studied by examination of the substrate specificities of the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) and the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) by using a series of synthetic D- and L-chiro-glycosylphosphoinositides. 3-O-alpha-D-Glucosaminyl- (3) and -galactosaminyl-2-phosphatidyl-L-chiro-inositol (4), which show the maximum stereochemical similarity to the 6-O-alpha-D-glucosaminylphosphatidylinositol pseudodisaccharide motifs of GPI anchors, were synthesized and asymmetrically incorporated into phospholipid bilayers in the form of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs). Similarly, 2-O-alpha-D-glucosaminyl- (5) and -galactosaminyl-1-phosphatidyl-D-chiro-inositol (6), which differ from the corresponding pseudodisaccharide motif of the GPI anchors only in the axial orientation of the phosphatidyl moiety, were also synthesized and asymmetrically inserted into LUVs. The cleavage of these synthetic molecules in the liposomal constructs by PI-PLC from Bacillus cereus and by GPI-PLD from bovine serum was studied with the use of 6-O-alpha-D-glucosaminylphosphatidylinositol (7) and the conserved GPI anchor structure (8) as positive controls. Although PI-PLC cleaved 3 and 4 with about the same efficiency as 7 and 8, this enzyme did not accept 5 or 6. GPI-PLD accepted both the L-chiro- (3 and 4) and the D-chiro- (5 and 6) glycosylinositolphosphoinositides. Therefore, IPGs containing L-chiro-inositol only are expected to be released from chiro-inositol-containing GPIs if the cleavage is effected by a PI-PLC, whereas GPI-PLD cleavage could result in both L-chiro- and D-chiro-inositol-containing IPGs.     

The Stille reaction in the synthesis of the C37-norcarotenoid butenolide pyrrhoxanthin. Scope and limitations

The sequential Stille cross-coupling reactions of the dihalogenated gamma-alkylidenebutenolide 7 with stannanes 9 and 6 afforded the carbon skeleton of pyrrhoxanthin, a highly functionalized C7'-C8' acetylenic C37-norcarotenoid butenolide. Although the first halogen-selective Stille coupling takes place in 90% yield at ambient temperature, double isomerization of the Z,E- to the E,Z-C7'-C10' enyne, likely induced by the catalyst, accompanyied the bond formation, leading to 9'Z-20 and, ultimately, to 9'Z-pyrrhoxanthin 9'Z-1.     

Analysis of polymeric phenolics in red wines using different techniques combined with gel permeation chromatography fractionation

A multiple-step analytical method was developed to improve the analysis of polymeric phenolics in red wines. With a common initial step based on the fractionation of wine phenolics by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), different analytical techniques were used: high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), HPLC-mass spectrometry (MS), capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and spectrophotometry. This method proved to be valid for analyzing different families of phenolic compounds, such as monomeric phenolics and their derivatives, polymeric pigments and proanthocyanidins. The analytical characteristics of fractionation by GPC were studied and the method was fully validated, yielding satisfactory statistical results. GPC fractionation substantially improved the analysis of polymeric pigments by CZE, in terms of response, repeatability and reproducibility. It also represented an improvement in the traditional vanillin assay used for proanthocyanidin (PA) quantification. Astringent proanthocyanidins were also analyzed using a simple combined method that allowed these compounds, for which only general indexes were available, to be quantified.     

Influence of solvent and weak C-H...O contacts in the self-assembled [Pt2M4{CC(3-OMe)C6H4}8] (M = Cu, Ag) clusters and their role in the luminescence behavior

New alkynyl complexes [Pt2M4{CC(3-OMe)C6H4}8] (M = Ag 1, Cu 2) have been synthesized and their structures and properties compared to those of related [Pt2M4(CCPh)8] compounds. For the Pt-Ag derivatives, the X-ray structures of the discrete yellow solvate monomer, [Pt2Ag4{CC(3-OMe)C6H4}8].2THF ([1.2THF]), and the dark garnet unsolvated polymeric form, [Pt2Ag4{CC(3-OMe)C6H4}8](infinity) ([1](infinity)), are presented. The yellow form ([1.2THF]) exhibits a distorted octahedral geometry of the metal centers with the platinum atoms mutually trans and the four silver atoms in the equatorial plane. Pairs of Ag atoms are weakly bridged by THF molecules [mu-Ag2...O(THF)]. The garnet form ([1](infinity)) has an unprecedented infinite stacked chain of octahedral clusters linked by short Pt...Pt bonds (3.1458(8) A). In both forms, different types of weak C-H...O (OMe) hydrogen bonds are observed. For comparative purposes, we have also provided the crystal structures of the yellow monomer form, [Pt2Ag4-(CCPh)8].CHCl3, and the red dimer form, [Pt2Ag4(CCPh)8]2 (Pt-Pt 3.221(2) A). These clusters display intense photoluminescence in both solution and the solid state, at room temperature and 77 K. The emission observed for the yellow form [1.2THF] in the solid state is assigned to a 3MLM'CT [Pt(d)/pi(CCR) --> Pt(p(z))/Ag(sp)/pi(CCR)] state modified by Pt...Ag, Ag...Ag, and Ag...(THF) contacts. However, in the garnet form [1](infinity) and in 2, the emissions are related to the axial Pt-Pt bonds and are assigned as phosphorescence from a metal-metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (3MMLCT) excited state ([1](infinity)), or an admixture of a metal-metal (Pt-Pt) centered 3(dsigmap(z)sigma) and 3MMLCT excited state (2). For 1, a remarkable quenching and a shift to higher energies in the emission is observed on changing from CH2Cl2 to THF, and for both 1 and 2, the emission spectra at 77 K varies with the concentration, showing their tendency to stack even in glass.     

Phonons,Diffusons, and the Boson Peak in Two-Dimensional Lattices with Random Bonds

Within the model of stable random matrices possessing translational invariance, a two-dimensional (on a square lattice) disordered oscillatory system with random strongly fluctuating bonds is considered. By a numerical analysis of the dynamic structure factor S(q, ω), it is shown that vibrations with frequencies below the Ioffe-Regel frequency ω_IR are ordinary phonons with a linear dispersion law ω(q) ∝ q and a reciprocal lifetime б ~ q³. Vibrations with frequencies above ω_IR, although being delocalized, cannot be described by plane waves with a definite dispersion law ω(q). They are characterized by a diffusion structure factor with a reciprocal lifetime б ~ q², which is typical of a diffusion process. In the literature, they are often referred to as diffusons. It is shown that, as in the three-dimensional model, the boson peak at the frequency ωb in the reduced density of vibrational states g(ω)/ω is on the order of the frequency ω_IR. It is located in the transition region between phonons and diffusons and is proportional to the Young’s modulus of the lattice, ω _b ≃E.

     

Picosecond X-ray radiography of superdense high-temperature laser plasma

The layout of an X-ray source for diagnostics of the compressed state of laser plasma is proposed, and its optimal parameters are calculated under the conditions required for nuclear fusion. Such a source operating in a pulsed regime is intended to be used for determining the spatial distribution of laser-plasma density with high temporal resolution by means of multiframe (pulses follow with a specified time interval) backlight imaging of the main target by X-ray pulses obtained by irradiation of a secondary target by picosecond laser pulses.