CrCl2-promoted stereospecific and stereoselective alkyl- and silylcyclopropanation of alpha,beta-unsaturated amides

An efficient chromium-promoted alkyl- or silylcyclopropanation of alpha,beta-unsaturated amides is described. These reactions can be carried out on (E)- or (Z)-alpha,beta-enamides in which the C-C double bond is di-, or trisubstituted. This process takes place with total stereospecificity and the new stereogenic center is generated with high or total stereoselectivity. Some synthetic applications of the obtained silylcyclopropyl amides are also reported. Two mechanisms based on the generation of carbenoid or carbene complexes have been proposed to explain this cyclopropanation reaction.     

An ab initio study of 15N-11B spin-spin coupling constants for borazine and selected derivatives

Ab initio equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) calculations have been performed to investigate substituent effects on coupling constants for borazine and selected substituted borazines. For molecules in which F atoms are not bonded to adjacent atoms in the ring, F substitution increases the one-bond (11)B-(15)N coupling constants involving the atom at which substitution occurs but leaves the remaining one-bond B-N coupling constants essentially unchanged. For these molecules, the magnitudes of one-bond B-N coupling constants are only slightly dependent on the number of F atoms present. Fluorine substitution at adjacent B and N atoms in the borazine ring further increases the one-bond B-N coupling constant involving the substituted atoms and has the same effect on the other one-bond coupling constants as observed for corresponding molecules in which substitution occurs at alternate sites. In contrast to the effect of F substitution, substitution of Li at either N or B decreases one-bond B-N coupling constants relative to borazine. The effects of F and Li substitution on one-bond B-N coupling constants for borazine are similar to F and Li substitution effects on (13)C-(13)C coupling constants for benzene.     

Ionic solid-state dimers and polymers derived from imidazolium dicarboxylic acids

A series of imidazolium dicarboxylic acids have been prepared from the reaction of the 1,3‐bis(carboxymethyl)imidazolium zwitterion with the Brønsted acids HX (X=F, Br, Cl, ClO₄). The structures of these acids have been established in the solid state by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, which revealed that the cations and anions form strong hydrogen bonds through O? H???X interactions, leading to the formation of dimeric and polymeric networks. These acids react with elemental zinc and cobalt to form stable polymeric coordination complexes, some of which have also been characterised by X‐ray diffraction.     

Organocatalytic conjugate addition of formaldehyde N,N-dialkylhydrazones to beta,gamma-unsaturated alpha-keto esters

(1S,2R)-1-Aminoindan-2-ol-derived thioureas behave as efficient H-bonding organocatalysts for the nucleophilic conjugate addition of formaldehyde hydrazones to beta,gamma-unsaturated alpha-keto esters as enoate surrogates, affording the corresponding adducts in good yields and enantioselectivities.     

Acid-induced degradation of phosphorescent dopants for OLEDs and its application to the synthesis of tris-heteroleptic iridium(III) bis-cyclometalated complexes

Investigations of blue phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on [Ir(2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine)(2)(picolinate)] (FIrPic) have pointed to the cleavage of the picolinate as a possible reason for device instability. We reproduced the loss of picolinate and acetylacetonate ancillary ligands in solution by the addition of Br?nsted or Lewis acids. When hydrochloric acid is added to a solution of a [Ir(C^N)(2)(X^O)] complex (C^N = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy) or 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine (diFppy) and X^O = picolinate (pic) or acetylacetonate (acac)), the cleavage of the ancillary ligand results in the direct formation of the chloro-bridged iridium(III) dimer [{Ir(C^N)(2)(μ-Cl)}(2)]. When triflic acid or boron trifluoride are used, a source of chloride (here tetrabutylammonium chloride) is added to obtain the same chloro-bridged iridium(III) dimer. Then, we advantageously used this degradation reaction for the efficient synthesis of tris-heteroleptic cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes [Ir(C^N(1))(C^N(2))(L)], a family of cyclometalated complexes otherwise challenging to prepare. We used an iridium(I) complex, [{Ir(COD)(μ-Cl)}(2)], and a stoichiometric amount of two different C^N ligands (C^N(1) = ppy; C^N(2) = diFppy) as starting materials for the swift preparation of the chloro-bridged iridium(III) dimers. After reacting the mixture with acetylacetonate and subsequent purification, the tris-heteroleptic complex [Ir(ppy)(diFppy)(acac)] could be isolated with good yield from the crude containing as well the bis-heteroleptic complexes [Ir(ppy)(2)(acac)] and [Ir(diFppy)(2)(acac)]. Reaction of the tris-heteroleptic acac complex with hydrochloric acid gives pure heteroleptic chloro-bridged iridium dimer [{Ir(ppy)(diFppy)(μ-Cl)}(2)], which can be used as starting material for the preparation of a new tris-heteroleptic iridium(III) complex based on these two C^N ligands. Finally, we use DFT/LR-TDDFT to rationalize the impact of the two different C^N ligands on the observed photophysical and electrochemical properties.     

FTIR study of the ethanol electrooxidation on Pt(100) modified by osmium nanodeposits

In the present work, ethanol electrooxidation on a Pt(100) electrode modified by different coverage degrees of osmium nanoislands obtained by spontaneous depositions, was extensively studied employing in situ FTIR spectroscopy. A collection of spectra of the ethanol adsorption and oxidation processes was acquired during the first series of a positive potential step, to determine the intermediate species, as well as the main products formed. The spectroscopic results obtained were correlated with conventional electrochemical results obtained by cyclic voltammetry. It was shown that the catalytic activity of Pt(100) for ethanol oxidation increases significantly after osmium deposition and that the mechanistic pathway for this reaction depends directly on the osmium coverage degree. Thus, for low osmium coverage (theta;( Os) up to 0.15) the formation of CO as an intermediate was favored and hence the full oxidation of adsorbed ethanol to CO(2) was increased. For higher osmium coverages (theta;(Os) up to 0.33), the higher the coverage is, the more the direct ethanol oxidation to acetaldehyde and acetic acid is favored. For osmium coverage degree of 0.40, the catalytic activity of the electrode for ethanol oxidation decreased. On an almost complete osmium layer (theta;(Os) = 0.92) obtained by electrodeposition at 50 mV vs reversible hydrogen electrode, the catalytic activity for ethanol oxidation shows a much lower value.     

Influence of inorganic mobile phase additives on the retention, efficiency and peak symmetry of protonated basic compounds in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Inorganic eluent additives affect the retention of protonated basic analytes in reversed-phase HPLC. This influence is attributed to the disruption of the analyte solvation-desolvation equilibria in the mobile phase, also known as "chaotropic effect". With an increase of counteranion concentration analyte retention increases with concomitant decrease in the tailing factor. Different inorganic counteranions at equimolar concentrations affect protonated basic analyte retention and peak symmetry to varying degrees. The effect of the concentrations of four different inorganic mobile phase additives (KPF6, NaClO4, NaBF4, NaH2PO4) on the analyte retention, peak symmetry, and efficiency on a C8-bonded silica column has been studied. The analytes used in this study included phenols, toluene, benzyl amines, beta-blockers and ophthalmic drugs. The following trend in increase of basic analyte retention factor and decrease of tailing factor was found: PF6- > ClO4- approximately BF4- > H2PO4-. With the increase of the counteranion concentration greater analyte loading could be achieved and consequently an increase in the apparent efficiency was observed until the maximum plate number for the column was achieved. At the highest concentration of counteranions, the peak efficiency for most of the basic compounds studied was similar to that of the neutral markers. In contrast, the neutral markers, such as phenols, showed no significant changes in retention, efficiency or loading capacity as counteranion concentration was increased.     

Improved In vitro and In vivo Cutaneous Delivery of Protoporphyrin IX from PLGA‐based Nanoparticles

We report the development of d , l lactic co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA)‐based nanoparticles (NPs) for topical delivery of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), a photosensitizer (PS), in treatments like photodynamic therapy (PDT) of skin cancers. PpIX‐NPs were obtained in ~75.0% yield, encapsulation efficiency of 67.7%, drug content of 50.3 μg mg^?1, average diameter of 290 nm maintained up to 30 days and a zeta potential of 32.3 mV. Sustained in vitro release of PpIX through artificial membranes following Higuchi kinetics was kept up to 10 days. In vitro retentions of PpIX both in stratum corneum (SC) and epidermis + dermis ([EP + D]) were higher from NPs (23.0 and 10.0 times, respectively) compared to control solutions at all times. Quantification of PpIX by extraction, after in vivo skin application of NPs‐PpIX on hairless mice, showed higher retention of the PS both in SC and in [EP + D] (3.0 and 2.0 times, respectively) compared to control solutions. Taken together, the results indicate that NPs are suitable for PpIX encapsulation showing minimal permeation through the skin and a localized effect, characteristics of a potential and promising delivery system for PDT‐associated treatments of skin cancers, photodiagnosis and their off‐label uses.     

All-solid-state potentiometric sensors sensitive to nonionic surfactants based on ionophores containing ethoxylate units

Earlier work of potentiometric Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) sensitive to nonionic surfactants of the polyethoxylate type is further extended. The ISEs constructed were all-solid-state sensors with plasticized PVC membranes. The sensing material was a tetraphenylborate salt of the barium complex with a polyethoxylate nonionic surfactant. As membrane component, the combinations of two polyethoxylates of the nonylphenoxy type, which differed in the number of oxyethylene units (5 or 12), and two different plasticizers, (o-nitrophenyloctyl ether and o-nitrophenylphenyl ether), were tested. The response of these electrodes to different nonionic surfactants and the interference effect of several species has been evaluated. For all the types of tested electrodes, the sensitivities shown were ca. 30.0 mV dec(-1) and the limit of detection, ca. 10(-5) M, when a nonylphenoxyde with 12 oxyethylene units was used as standard. The membrane with the best response characteristics was then applied in potentiometric titrations of this kind of surfactants in the presence of Ba(2+) ion and using tetraphenylborate as the titrant.