Supramolecular Recognition: Use of Cofacially Disposed Bis‐terpyridyl Square‐Planar Complexes in Self‐Assembly and Molecular Recognition

A molecular receptor consisting of a molecular spacer that constrains two terpyridyl‐palladium(II) complexes to be disposed in a parallel cofacial geometry has been prepared. The separation between the two terpyridyl‐palladium units is enforced to be ca. 7 Å, a distance sufficient to incarcerate aromatic molecules and square‐planar complexes. A number of molecules are shown to associate with this spacer‐chelator complex. In particular, 9‐methylanthracene (9‐MA) is found to form a 1 : 2 host‐guest complex. A crystal structure of this complex shows one 9‐MA in the molecular cleft formed by the two terpyridyl‐palladium units and the other 9‐MA molecule to lie above one of the terpyridyl‐palladium units. Nuclear Overhauser effects on analogous molecules that contain two anthracene guests tethered intramolecularly indicate that the structure found in the solid is similar to that in solution. Low‐temperature ¹H‐NMR studies indicate rapid exchange between the two binding sites. The spacer‐chelator complexes, when combined with appropriate molecular linkers, readily form molecular rectangles, trigonal prisms, and tetragonal prisms. One molecular rectangle is shown to associate with up to five 9‐MA molecules.     

New Natural Oxygenated Sesquiterpenes and Chemical Composition of Leaf Essential Oil from Ivoirian Isolona dewevrei (De Wild. & T. Durand) Engl. & Diels

This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition of the leaf essential oil from Ivoirian Isolona dewevrei. A combination of chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques (GC(RI), GC-MS and ¹³C-NMR) was used to analyze two oil samples (S1 and S2). Detailed analysis by repetitive column chromatography (CC) of essential oil sample S2 was performed, leading to the isolation of four compounds. Their structures were elucidated by QTOF-MS, 1D and 2D-NMR as (10βH)-1β,8β-oxido-cadin-4-ene (38), 4-methylene-(7αH)-germacra-1(10),5-dien-8β-ol (cis-germacrene D-8-ol) (52), 4-methylene-(7αH)-germacra-1(10),5-dien-8α-ol (trans-germacrene D-8-ol) (53) and cadina-1(10),4-dien-8β-ol (56). Compounds 38, 52 and 53 are new, whereas NMR data of 56 are reported for the first time. Lastly, 57 constituents accounting for 95.5% (S1) and 97.1% (S2) of the whole compositions were identified. Samples S1 and S2 were dominated by germacrene D (23.6 and 20.5%, respectively), followed by germacrene D-8-one (8.9 and 8.7%), (10βH)-1β,8β-oxido-cadin-4-ene (7.3 and 8.7), 4-methylene-(7αH)-germacra-1(10),5-dien-8β-ol (7.8 and 7.4%) and cadina-1(10),4-dien-8β-ol (7.6 and 7.2%). Leaves from I. dewevrei produced sesquiterpene-rich essential oil with an original chemical composition, involving various compounds reported for the first time among the main components. Integrated analysis by GC(RI), GC-MS and ¹³C-NMR appeared fruitful for the knowledge of such a complex essential oil.     

Electrochemical Synthesis and Characterisation of Alternating Tripyridyl–Dipyrrole Molecular Strands with Multiple Nitrogen‐Based Donor–Acceptor Binding Sites

Synthesis of alternating pyridine–pyrrole molecular strands composed of two electron‐rich pyrrole units (donors) sandwiched between three pyridinic cores (acceptors) is described. The envisioned strategy was a smooth electrosynthesis process involving ring contraction of corresponding tripyridyl–dipyridazine precursors. 2,6‐Bis[6‐(pyridazin‐3‐yl)]pyridine ligands 2 a – c bearing pyridine residues at the terminal positions were prepared in suitable quantities by a Negishi metal cross‐coupling procedure. The yields of heterocyclic coupling between 2‐pyridyl zinc bromide reagents 12 a – c and 2,6‐bis(6‐trifluoromethanesulfonylpyridazin‐3‐yl)pyridine increased from 68 to 95 % following introduction of electron‐donating methyl groups on the metallated halogenopyridine units. Favorable conditions for preparative electrochemical reduction of tripyridyl–dipyridazines 2 b , c were established in THF/acetate buffer (pH 4.6)/acetonitrile to give the targeted 2,6‐bis[5‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)pyrrol‐2‐yl]pyridines 1 b and 1 c in good yields. The absorption behavior of the donor–acceptor tripyridyl–dipyrrole ligands was evaluated and compared to theoretical calculations. Highly fluorescent properties of these chromophores were found (ν_em≈2×10⁴ cm^?1 in MeOH and CH₂Cl₂), and both pyrrolic ligands exhibit a remarkable quantum yield in CH₂Cl₂ (?_f=0.10). Structural studies in the solid state established the preferred cis conformation of the dipyrrolic ligands, which adopting a planar arrangement with an embedded molecule of water having a complexation energy exceeding 10 kcal mol^?1. The ability of the tripyridyl–dipyrrole to complex two copper(II) ions in a pentacoordinate square was investigated.     

Determination of hydroxylated metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in human hair by gas chromatography–negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry

The study describes the determination of mono-hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs), metabolites of PAHs, in human hair. Twelve selected OH-PAHs from two to four rings, generally determined in urine analysis, were investigated as markers of human exposure to PAHs. Following hydrolysis of hair specimens of 50–300 mg with 1 M NaOH, OH-PAHs were extracted using dichloromethane and submitted to an optimized derivatization with (2S,4R)-N-heptafluorobutyryl-4-heptafluorobutoyloxy-prolyl chloride. Compounds were then analyzed using gas chromatography–negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC–NCIMS). The average inter-day and intra-day variability was 12% and 17%, respectively. The average recovery was 52% and the limits of detection and quantification ranged from 20 and 66 pmol/g for 1-OH-phenanthrene (i.e., 3.9 and 12.8 pg/mg) to 311 and 1030 pmol/g for 2-OH-benzo(c)phenanthrene (i.e., 75.9 and 251 pg/mg). The influence of hair washing with water as decontamination step, and enzymatic treatment (β-glucuronidase) to hydrolyze conjugated derivatives were also tested. The application of the developed method to the analysis of 30 hair specimens (17 from non-smoker and 13 from smoker volunteers) demonstrated inter-individual qualitative and quantitative variations. According to the easiness of hair sampling and based on the extended detection windows provided by hair analysis, this method is proposed as a new promising tool for the assessment of human chronic exposure to PAHs.     

Isosteric Substitutions of Urea to Thiourea and Selenourea in Aliphatic Oligourea Foldamers: Site‐Specific Perturbation of the Helix Geometry

Nearly isosteric oxo to thioxo substitution was employed to interrogate the structure of foldamers with a urea backbone and explore the relationship between helical folding and hydrogen‐bonding interactions. A series of oligomers with urea bonds substituted by thiourea bonds at discrete or all positions in the sequence have been prepared and their folding propensity was studied by using a combination of spectroscopic methods and X‐ray diffraction. The outcome of oxo to thioxo replacements on the helical folding was found to depend on whether central or terminal ureas were modified. The canonical helix geometry was not affected upon insertion of thioureas close to the negative end of the helix dipole, whereas thioureas close to the positive pole were found to increase the terminal flexibility and cause helix fraying. Perturbation was amplified when a selenourea was incorporated instead, leading to a structure that is only partly folded.     

A new method of stirring for LPE growth

This paper describes a method of stirring a liquid during crystal growth in which each point on the growth face moves round a circle of radius b. If the face has a radius a and completes n revolutions per second, then the stirring is roughly equivalent to rotating the disc about a single axis at a rate $\text{2πc}{}^2\text{b}{}^2\text{n}\text{a}{}^2$ where c is a constant (c ∽ 2) but the system behaves as if only the liquid up to a distance $\text{(}\text{2v}\text{n}\text{)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ from the face is stirred. Uniform stirring occurs over the whole face except for an annulus of width 2b at the periphery. The necessary design criteria are discussed and a simple dynamically balanced apparatus and the results obtained with it whilst growing iron garnet films are described.     

Mild copper-catalyzed vinylation reactions of azoles and phenols with vinyl bromides

An efficient and straightforward copper-catalyzed method allowing vinylation of N- or O-nucleophiles with di- or trisubstituted vinyl bromides is reported. The procedure is applicable to a broad range of substrates since N-vinylation of mono-, di-, and triazoles as well as O-vinylation of phenol derivatives can be performed with catalytic amounts of copper iodide and inexpensive nitrogen ligands 3 or 8. In the case of more hindered vinyl bromides, the use of the original bidentate chelator 8 was shown to be more efficient to promote the coupling reactions than our key tetradentate ligand 3. The corresponding N-(1-alkenyl)azoles and alkenyl aryl ethers are obtained in high yields and selectivities under very mild temperature conditions (35-110 degrees C for N-vinylation reactions and 50-80 degrees C for O-vinylation reactions). Moreover, to our knowledge, this method is the first example of a copper-catalyzed vinylation of various azoles. Finally, this protocol, practical on a laboratory scale and easily adaptable to an industrial scale, is very competitive compared to the existing methods that allow the synthesis of such compounds.     

High stereocontrol in aldol reaction with ketones: enantioselective synthesis of beta-hydroxy gamma-ketoesters by ester enolate aldol reactions with 2-acyl-2-alkyl-1,3-dithiane 1-oxides

The asymmetric aldol reaction of 1,2-diketones, masked as nonracemic 2-acyl dithiane oxides, with lithium enolates derived from several esters and lactones, proceeds with a high degree of stereocontrol at both carbonyl and enolate prochiral centers, the stereocontrol mainly determined by the configuration of the sulfoxide sulfur atom. The sense of induced stereochemistry observed for ester enolates is different from that seen for lactone enolates. Hydrolysis of the dithiane oxide units of the major diastereoisomerically pure aldol products affords enantiomerically pure tertiary alpha-substituted beta-hydroxy-gamma-ketoesters.     

Selective Dynamic Assembly of Disulfide Macrocyclic Helical Foldamers with Remote Communication of Handedness

Disulfide bridge formation was investigated in helical aromatic oligoamide foldamers. Depending on the position of thiol‐bearing side chains, exclusive intramolecular or intermolecular disulfide bridging may occur. The two processes are capable of self‐sorting, presumably by dynamic exchange. Quantitative assessment of helix handedness inversion rates showed that bridging stabilizes the folded structures. Intermolecular disulfide bridging serendipitously yielded a well‐defined, C₂‐symmetrical, two‐helix bundle‐like macrocyclic structure in which complete control over relative handedness, that is, helix–helix handedness communication, is mediated remotely by the disulfide bridged side chains in the absence of contacts between helices. MM calculations suggest that this phenomenon is specific to a given side chain length and requires disulfide functions