Determination of relative response factors of impurities in paclitaxel with high performance liquid chromatography equipped with ultraviolet and charged aerosol detectors

A case study was conducted to determine the relative response factors (RRFs) of paclitaxel-related impurities by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with an ultraviolet (UV) detector and charged aerosol detector (CAD) in tandem. The peak response using CAD was independent of analyte structure in an isocratic analysis for this application. After a sample containing known and unknown impurities was analyzed with HPLC-UV-CAD, an empirical approach was developed to calculate the RRFs for all impurities. The RRFs of known impurities were also determined by linear calibration curves. For known impurities, the RRFs values determined with two approaches are comparable. The new approach is effective yet simpler to determine the RRFs for unknown impurities or degradation products since the need for obtaining authentic pure materials was eliminated.     

2-nitrophenyl isocyanide as a versatile convertible isocyanide: rapid access to a fused gamma-lactam beta-lactone bicycle

2-Nitrophenyl isocyanide is introduced as a convertible isocyanide with demonstration of its feasibility and applicability in an efficient synthesis of the fused gamma-lactam beta-lactone bicycle of proteasome inhibitor omuralide. Starting from a linear keto acid precursor, the fused gamma-lactam beta-lactone bicycle was prepared in four steps by a sequential biscyclization strategy; a stereocontrolled Ugi reaction and the concomitant direct beta-lactonization following the formation of an N-acylbenzotriazole intermediate. The N-acylbenzotriazole is amenable to intra- or intermolecular attack from a variety of nucleophiles with a catalytic amount of base to form the pyroglutamic acid derivatives.     

Synthesis of 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[3.2.2]nonane, 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, and 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane, a class of potent nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-ligands

In an attempt to generate nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) ligands selective for the alpha4beta2 and alpha7 subtype receptors we designed and synthesized constrained versions of anabasine, a naturally occurring nAChR ligand. 2-(Pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[3.2.2]nonane, and several of their derivatives have been synthesized in both an enantioselective and a racemic manner utilizing the same basic synthetic approach. For the racemic synthesis, alkylation of N-(diphenylmethylene)-1-(pyridin-3-yl)methanamine with the appropriate bromoalkyltetrahydropyran gave intermediates which were readily elaborated into 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane and 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[3.2.2]nonane via a ring opening/aminocyclization sequence. An alternate synthesis of 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[3.2.2]nonane via the alkylation of N-(1-(pyridin-3-ylethylidene)propan-2-amine has also been achieved. The enantioselective syntheses followed the same general scheme, but utilized imines derived from (+)- and (-)-2-hydroxy-3-pinanone. Chiral HPLC shows that the desired compounds were synthesized in >99.5% ee. X-ray crystallography was subsequently used to unambiguously characterize these stereochemically pure nAChR ligands. All compounds synthesized exhibited high affinity for the alpha4beta2 nAChR subtype ( K i < or = 0.5-15 nM), a subset bound with high affinity for the alpha7 receptor subtype ( K i < or = 110 nM), selectivity over the alpha3beta4 (ganglion) receptor subtype was seen within the 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane series and for the muscle (alpha1betagammadelta) subtype in the 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1-azabicyclo[3.2.2]nonane series.     

An isoform-selective, small-molecule inhibitor targets the autoregulatory mechanism of p21-activated kinase

Autoregulatory domains found within kinases may provide more unique targets for chemical inhibitors than the conserved ATP-binding pocket targeted by most inhibitors. The kinase Pak1 contains an autoinhibitory domain that suppresses the catalytic activity of its kinase domain. Pak1 activators relieve this autoinhibition and initiate conformational rearrangements and autophosphorylation events leading to kinase activation. We developed a screen for allosteric inhibitors targeting Pak1 activation and identified the inhibitor IPA-3. Remarkably, preactivated Pak1 is resistant to IPA-3. IPA-3 also inhibits activation of related Pak isoforms regulated by autoinhibition, but not more distantly related Paks, nor >200 other kinases tested. Pak1 inhibition by IPA-3 in live cells supports a critical role for Pak in PDGF-stimulated Erk activation. These studies illustrate an alternative strategy for kinase inhibition and introduce a highly selective, cell-permeable chemical inhibitor of Pak.     

Unraveling molecular transformations on surfaces: a critical comparison of oxidation reactions on coinage metals

The coinage metals, copper, silver, and gold, have unique characteristics for selective oxidation catalysis, particularly for partial oxidation of alcohols and olefins. A basic understanding of surface chemistry at the molecular level can help facilitate the improvement of current catalytic processes and the designing of new catalytic systems. In this critical review, the current state of knowledge of these reactions is reviewed. First, both the experimental and theoretical methods necessary for understanding surface reactivity are discussed with a specific set of examples directly related to these reactions. Next the state of understanding of the surface chemistry of the oxidation reactions of alcohols and olefins on these three coinage metals is reviewed and the reaction pathways are compared. Clear relationships between the low pressure surface science studies and more practical catalytic conditions are illustrated. Finally, recent theoretical advances in this area are discussed as well as possible future directions in this field (132 references).     

Prediction of Henry's constants of xenon in cyclo-alkanes from molecular dynamics simulations

Using the molecular dynamics (MD) method, we demonstrate that intermolecular nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts can be used to evaluate and develop intermolecular potentials for cross-interactions for use in solubility studies. The calculation of chemical shifts in MD is an order of magnitude more efficient than solubilities, which makes it an attractive tool for fine-tuning potential models. We examine the average Xe chemical shifts in cyclo-alkanes over a range of temperatures to develop a suitable potential model for the cross-interactions between Xe and a series of cyclo-alkanes. Our results clearly demonstrate that potential models that show better agreement with experiments for chemical shift, invariably lead to better agreement with experiment for Henry's constant and solubility of gases in solvents.     

Potassium ion mediated collagen microfibril assembly on mica

Potassium ion can critically effect the interaction between collagen microfibrils and mica leading to different ordered structures that vary dramatically with changing ion concentration. AFM images of the structures formed at different ion concentrations appear to be intermediate stages in the progression from disordered to ordered film. At 200 mM potassium ion concentration, a nanometer-thick array of aligned and bundled microfibrils covering large areas can be created easily and reproducibly on mica.