CHEMISTRY OF SINGLET OXYGEN—XXV. PHOTOOXYGENATION OF METHIONINE*

Abstract— Methionine (Met) photooxidation sensitized by rose bengal has been studied as a function of pH and other variables. At pH ≤ 6, the reaction is a simple one, 2 Met + O₂→ 2 Methionine sulfoxide (MetO). At pH 6–10, another mechanism becomes important, leading to dehydromethionine; the structure of this compound was correctly assigned by Lavine (1945) as the heterocyclic N-S compound 2. One mole of H₂O₂ is also produced in this process. Dehydromethionine hydrolyzes slowly to MetO. Above pH9, a process leading directly to MetO + H₂O₂ becomes important. The stoichiometry of the latter two processes are Met + O₂+ H₂O → MetO + H₂O₂; competition among these three processes accounts for the puzzling variations in O₂ uptake. N-Formylated derivatives of methionine undergo only the first and third processes. Substantial catalytic effects of buffers complicate the picture. All the reactions appear to involve singlet oxygen, since there is the predicted effect of D₂O vs H₂O on the rate of reaction, although the situation is complicated by apparent aggregation of Met above 5 mM.     

Study of feed temperature control of chromatography using computional fluid dynamics simulation

Recently preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been used more and more frequently to separate drugs and natural substances. However, large-scale HPLC easily tends to reduce the yield and purity of the product. Hydrodynamic and heat factors play an important roles. Generally, in a large-scale HPLC column, the tracer profile inside column will take on a parabolic shape because of the distributor, which will impact the separation performance of the column. With the inlet temperature suitably lower than the wall temperature, this situation could be improved to some extent. In this work, some experiments were conducted using HPLC, with a column 10 cm in diameter to determine the optimal temperature difference between wall and inlet temperatures. The wall temperature was fixed at about 30 degrees C and the inlet temperature varied from 15 to 30 degrees C. The flow-rate of the eluent, methanol, was 300 ml/min. The experimental result was simulated using CFD software FLUENT 4.4.4. The simulated temperature field fitted the experimental one very well and the simulated flow, temperature and tracer distribution inside column could provide good explanation of separation performance under different conditions. In addition, the simulation could at least approximately predict the optimal temperature difference.     

Anomalous Nitration Reactions of Halotropones and Tribromotropolone

Nitration of 2-bromo or 2-chlorotropone gave a new compound, 2,7-dinitrotropone: The halegen atom on the 2-position was displaced by the nitro group through an electrophilic substitution reaction. Nitration of 3,5,7-tribromotropolone gave 3,7-dibromo-5-nitropolone: the nitro group again displaced the bromine atom at position 5.     

Synthesis of a novel spiro bisphosphinamidite ligand for highly enantioselective hydrogenation

A novel chiral bisphosphinamidite ligand SpiroNP has been synthesized. The rhodium complex of this ligand has been found to be highly active and enantioselective in the asymmetric hydrogenation of (Z)-2-acetamidoacrylic acid derivatives and α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives.     

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate by ion pairs

The reactions of the polymethylmethacrylate anion have been investigated at 200 K and 250 K in both THF and 9/1 toluene/THF. Sodium-α methyl styrene tetramer and fluorenyl sodium were used as initiators. Only ion pair reactions were investigated. The rate constant of monomer addition to the ion pair at 200 K was determined to be 80 ± 6 M^?1 sec^?1. At 250 K in the presence of excess monomer, the poly MMA anion reacts with the monomer vinyl function and the monomer ester function at comparable rates. Once fully reacted, the poly MMA anion terminates very slowly in THF at 250 K by an intermolecular mechanism. This rate of termination is enhanced in the toluene/THF system. No evidence was found for different reaction mechanisms for the two initiators.     

New Clerodane Diterpenoids from Casearia membranacea

Bioassay‐guided fractionation of an AcOEt extract of Casearia membranacea resulted in the isolation of six new clerodane diterpenes, caseamembrins G–L ( 1 – 6 ). The structures of the new compounds, including their relative configurations, were established by an extensive study of their spectral data, especially 2D NMR. The cytotoxic activities of the isolated diterpenes against human oral epidermoid (KB), cervical epitheloid (Hela), and liver (Hep59T/VGH) carcinoma cell lines were investigated.     

Synthesis and Molecular Recognition of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer with Ibuprofen as Template

Ibuprofen and ketoprofen are chemically similar non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs widely used in the treatment of arthritis. Using a molecular imprinting technique, a simple and rapid method was developed for the simultaneous separation and determination of ibuprofen and ketoprofen. Molecular imprinting introduces artificial binding sites into a synthetic polymer matrix, allowing it to exhibit selective rebinding of template molecules. Imprinted polymers can be regarded as an HPLC stationary phase, important for pharmaceutical analysis. Most molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthesized by free radical polymerization of functional monomers, resulting in an excess of crosslinking monomers. In this study, MIPs have been prepared with a ibuprofen template, which can form intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) were used as the functional monomer and cross‐linker, respectively. Bulk polymerization was carried out at 4 °C under UV radiation. The resulting MIP was ground into 25?44 μm particles, which were slurry‐packed into analytical columns. Template molecules were removed by methanol‐acetic acid (9:1, v/v). We evaluated the template binding performance of the MIP using HPLC, with ultraviolet (UV) detection at 234 nm. Chromatographic resolution of ibuprofen and ketoprofen on the MIPs were appraised using buffer/acetonitrile (45/55, v/v) as the mobile phase. Results show that the MIPs prepared using ibuprofen as the template had a significant molecular imprinting effect. The method was successfully applied to the separation and analysis of ibuprofen and ketoprofen in pharmaceuticals.     

Analysis of Petroleum Distillates from Fire Debris Using Supercritical Fluid Extraction with a Two‐Level Orthogonal Array Experimental Design

A supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) method was developed in the present study as an effective sample pretreatment technique of petroleum distillates from fire debris. Three petroleum distillates were used as target analytes, including 95 unleaded gasoline, kerosene, and premium diesel. An orthogonal array (L16) experimental design was adopted to separately evaluate primary SFE experimental factors. The SFE efficiencies of petroleum distillates at various extraction conditions were examined and the optimized SFE conditions were identified. Experimental results demonstrated that the optimized SFE method not only provided an effective extraction method for the spiked sample, but also successfully recovered residues of petroleum distillates from fire debris.     

Four‐ and Five‐Coordinate Gallium Complexes Stabilized by Bidentate 2‐(Dimethylaminomethyl)Pyrrole Ligand: Molecular Structures of Ga[NC4H3(CH2NMe2)‐2]3 and GaMe2[NC4H3(CH2NMe2)‐2]

Treatment of GaCl₃ with one equiv of Li[NC₄H₃(CH₂NMe₂)‐2] (n = 1, 2, 3) in diethyl ether at ?78 °C yields GaCl_3‐n[NC₄H₃(CH₂NMe₂)‐2]_n (n = 1, 1 ; n = 2, 2 ; n = 3, 3 ). Compound 1 reacts with two equiv of RLi to afford GaR₂[NC₄H₃(CH₂NMe₂)‐2] ( 4a, R=Me; 4b, R=Bu ) via transmetallation. Reacting 2 with one equiv of RLi in diethyl ether, 3 and 4 are formed via ligand redistribution. Variable temperature ¹H NMR spectroscopic experiments reveal that the five‐coordinate gallium compound 3 is fluxional and results in a coalescence temperature at 5 °C, at which ΔG^≠ is calculated at ca. 10.4 Kcal/mole. All the new compounds have been characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and the structures of compounds 3 and 4a have also been determined by X‐ray crystallography.     

Synthesis of Functionalized o‐, m‐, and p‐Terphenyl Derivatives by Consecutive Cross‐Coupling Reactions of Triazene‐Substituted Arylboronic Esters

Triazene‐substituted arylboronic esters were prepared readily from the corresponding aryl magnesium derivatives and shown to function as a new class of donor–acceptor‐substituted coupling reagents. The selective functionalization of these aromatic derivatives led to a wide variety of terphenyl derivatives in which the original bifunctional unit (often further substituted with another functional group) formed the central aromatic ring. The functionalized terphenyl derivatives were formed in two efficient cross‐coupling steps from the triazene‐substituted boronic esters: Suzuki cross‐coupling with an aryl halide was followed by BF₃?OEt₂‐induced palladium‐catalyzed coupling of the diazonium salt generated in situ from the triazene with an arylboronic acid.