Stereoselective synthesis of cis-p-menth-8-ene-1,7-diol, cis-p-menthane-1,7-diol, and cis-p-menthane-1,7,8-triol

The natural products cis-p-menthane-1,7-diol (cis-IV), cis-p-menth-8-ene-1,7-diol (cis-I) and cis-p-menthane-1,7,8-triol (cis-II) are obtained starting from the corresponding cis-cyanohydrins, cis-2 and cis-7, respectively, by chemical transformation of the cyano into the hydroxymethyl group. The key step of the synthesis is the very high cis-selectivity (> or = 96 %) of the MeHNL-catalyzed HCN addition to 4-alkylcyclohexanones. From 4-isopropylcyclohexanone (1) the cyanohydrin cis-2 and from 4-(1-methylvinyl)cyclohexanone (6) the cyanohydrin cis-7 result almost quantitatively. Regioselective hydroxylation of cis-I affords the triol cis-II. X-ray crystal structure determinations of the final products confirm their cis-configuration.     

The CeO(2)(+) Cation: Gas-Phase Reactivity and Electronic Structure

"Bare" CeO(2)(+) ions can be prepared in the gas phase by consecutive oxidation of Ce(+) with O(2) and NO(2). The ability to activate saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons is investigated by use of Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. In the reactions of CeO(2)(+) with linear and branched alkanes C-H bond activation is observed almost exclusively. In contrast, both oxygen-atom transfer and C-H bond activation processes occur when thermalized CeO(2)(+) cations react with simple alkenes and aromatic compounds. C-C bond activation is not observed at all. Insight into the structural and electronic properties of neutral CeO(2) and cationic CeO(2)(+) is provided by means of quasirelativistic density-functional and ab initio pseudopotential calculations. They reveal a (2)Sigma(u)(+) ground state for CeO(2)(+) which is best described as a linear cerium dioxide with a resonating pi bond. Finally, we discuss the influence of oxo ligands on the chemistry of the cationic CeO(n)()(+) (n = 0-2) species toward hydrocarbons.     

Insight into the Behaviour of a Lithium Enolate in Solution

(2S,4S)-2-(tert-Butyl)-5-oxo-1,3-dioxolan-4-acetic acid ( 1 ) was dilithiated to the enolate 2 in toluene and THF with lithium diisopropylamide (LiN(i-Pr)₂) under various conditions. Deuteration experiments with 2 showed that two different stable forms of the enolate could be produced, depending on whether the deprotonation of 1 had been carried out in toluene or THF. The generated (i-Pr)₂NH was coordinated to the enolate and, hence, served as a strong lipophilic solvating agent. LiN(i-Pr)₂ could substitute the amine ligands of the two species to a different extent. THF was partially able to displace (i-Pr)₂NH that solvated the species produced in toluene, but the coordination of the amine to the one produced in THF was quantitive. Correlations with given explanations are made.     

Determination of (R)- and (S)-phenprocoumon in human plasma by enantioselective liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry

Phenprocoumon is a commonly used oral anticoagulant of the coumarin type, and has found extensive clinical use in the treatment of thrombophlebitis, pulmonary embolism and atrial fibrillation. In the course of a clinical study to investigate the influence of genetic polymorphisms of the CYP2C9 enzyme on phenprocoumon metabolism, we developed a new enantioselective liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method to quantify (R)- and (S)-phenprocoumon in human plasma. HPLC separation of the enantiomers was achieved on a Chira-Grom-2 column under isocratic conditions using a water/acetonitrile/formic acid eluent. For detection and quantification a triple-quadrupole MS system was used in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. As an internal standard the structurally homologous compound warfarin was chosen. The detector response was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.988-0.999 for (R)-phenprocoumon and 0.989-0.999 for (S)-phenprocoumon in the investigated concentration range between 62.5 and 1000 ng/mL (per enantiomer). The limit of detection (LOD) was 12.5 ng/mL.     

Protein-Loop Mimetics: A Diketopiperazine-Based Template to Stabilize Loop Conformations in Cyclic Peptides Containing the NPNA and RGD Motifs

We explore here an approach to mimic the structures and biological functions of protein loops in small synthetic molecules, by grafting the loop of interest onto an organic template comprising a bicyclic diketopiperazine, prepared by the formal coupling of (2S,4S)-4-aminoproline (Pro(NH₂)) and aspartic acid (Asp). The Fmoc-protected template 4 is used to prepare cyclo(-Ala¹-Asn²-Pro³-Asn⁴-Ala⁵- Ala⁶-Temp-) ( 5 ) and cyclo(-Ala¹-Arg²-Gly³-Asp⁴-Temp-) ( 6 ) (where Temp = template derived from 4 ), containing the Asn-Pro-Asn-Ala (NPNA) and Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motifs. The conformational properties of these molecules are studied in aqueous solution by NMR and simulated-annealing methods. The NPNA motif, an immunodominant epitope on the circumsporozoite surface protein of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, is shown to adopt a stable type-I β-turn in 5 . The template in 5 adopts a preferred conformation with Pro(NH₂)χ₁ ≈? ?35° and the Asp moiety χ₁ ≈? 70°. A different template conformation is inferred for 6 , with Pro(NH₂)χ₁ ≈? 0°, but the ARGD loop appears by NMR to undergo rapid conformational averaging. Solid-phase binding assays reveal that 6 displays modest antagonist activity towards both the integrin α_IIbβ₃ and α_vβ₃ receptors.     

Substituenteneffekte auf die C–C-Bindungsstärke, 8. Standardbildungsenthalpien und Spannungsenthalpien von 1,1,2,2-Tetraethylethylenglykol-dimethylether und D,L-1,2-Dimethyl-1,2-diphenylethylenglykol-dimethylether

Effects of Substituents on the Strength of C - C Bonds, 8¹. - Heats of Formation and Strain of 1,1,2,2-Tetraethylethylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether and D,L .-1,2-Dimethyl-l,2-diphenylethylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether The heats of combustion of the title compounds 1 and 2 were measured calorimetrically with the result (kcal mol ^-1, s. d. in parentheses) ΔH°_c = − 1880.1 (± 0.6) and − 2373.3 (± 1.4). The heat of vaporisation of 1 ΔH^v = 14.3 (± 0.3) and the heat of sublimation of 2 ΔH^sub = 27.2 (± 0.5) were derived from their temperature dependance of the vapor pressure. The latter were determined between 30 and 80°C using a flow method. The resulting standard heats of formation ΔH°_t(g) = −122.4 (± 0.7) and −43.8 (±1.5) for 1 and 2 correspond to a strain enthalpy (_s) of 15.9 and 8.0 kcal mol^-1, respectively. The steric strain of the dimethoxyethanes 1 and 2 is about one fourth lower than the strain of the corresponding dimethylethanes 3 and 4 bearing the same substituents. Thus, a methoxy group causes less steric stress than a methyl group.