N-Methyl-C-(trichlortitanio)formimidoylchlorid. Ein effizientes Reagenz zur Homologisierung von Aldehyden und Ketonen zu α-Hydroxy-carbonsäureamiden

N-Methyl-C-(trichlorotitanio)formimidoyl Chloride, a Highly Efficient Reagent for Homologations of Aldehydes and Ketones to α-Hydroxycarboxamides The known title compound 6 formed by addition of titanium tetrachloride to methyl isocyanide in methylene chloride adds to the carbonyl group of aldehydes and ketones. The adducts 7 are hydrolized to N-methyl-α-hydroxycarboxamides 8 which are (from ketones) or are not branched (from aldehydes) in the α-position. The yields in this new modification of the Passerini reaction are near 90%, also with readily enolized ketones such as acetone and acetophenone. In contrast to the previously used organotitanium reagents of the type RTiX₃, the preparation of the reagent 6 does not require any Li-, Mg- or Zn-derivative as a precusor.     

Reaction of Tetracopper(I)-Phosphonitocavitand with PhSeSiMe3: Synthesis and Structure of a Polyanionic Cluster [pyH]6[(CuCl)9(μ3-SePh)5(μ4-SePh)]

Treatment of tetracopper(I)-phosphonitocavitand [1·Cu₄(μ-Cl)₄(μ₄-Cl)] (2) (1 = tetraphosphonitocavitand [rccc-2,8,14,20-tetrakis-(iso-butyl)-phosphonitocavitand (C₄₄H₄₈O₈P₄Ph₄)]) with PhSeSiMe₃ in THF at low temperature afforded a novel polyanionic cluster [pyH]₆[(CuCl)₉(μ₃-SePh)₅(μ₄-SePh)] (4) as a major product along with a new tetracopper(I)-phosphonitocavitand (3) with a centered μ₃-Cl. Molecular structure of anionic cluster in 4 consists of six PhSe⁻ bridging ligands containing five μ₃-SePh and one exceptional μ₄-SePh bridging nine copper atoms, of which eight copper atoms have trigonal coordination geometry and the other has distorted tetrahedral geometry. Dedicated to Professor Han-Qin Liu on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

Electronic energy transfer and collection in luminescent molecular rods containing ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) 2,2':6',2"-terpyridine complexes linked by thiophene-2,5-diyl spacers

The electronic absorption spectra, luminescence spectra and lifetimes (in MeCN at room temperature and in frozen n-C3H7CN at 77 K), and electrochemical potentials (in MeCN) of the novel dinuclear [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(tpy)]4+ and trinuclear [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(3)Ru(tpy)]6- complexes (3 = 2,5-bis(2,2':6',2'-terpyridin-4-yl)thiophene) have been obtained and are compared with those of model mononuclear complexes and homometallic [(tpy)Ru(3)Ru(tpy)]4+, [(tpy)Os(3)Os(tpy)]4+ and [(tpy)Ru(3)Ru(3)Ru(tpy)]6+ Complexes. The bridging ligand 3 is nearly planar in the complexes, as seen from a preliminary X-ray determination of [(tpy)Ru(3)Ru(tpy)][PF6]4, and confers a high degree of rigidity upon the polynuclear species. The trinuclear species are rod-shaped with a distance of about 3 nm between the terminal metal centres. For the polynuclear complexes, the spectroscopic and electrochemical data are in accord with a significant intermetal interaction. All of the complexes are luminescent (phi in the range 10(-4)-10(-2) and tau in the range 6-340 ns, at room temperature), and ruthenium- or osmium-based luminescence properties can be identified. Due to the excited state properties of the various components and to the geometric and electronic properties of the bridge, Ru --> Os directional transfer of excitation energy takes place in the complexes [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(tpy)]4+ (end-to-end) and [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(3)Ru(tpy)]6+ (periphery-to-centre). With respect to the homometallic case, for [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(3)Ru(tpy)]6+ excitation trapping at the central position is accompanied by a fivefold enhancement of luminescence intensity.     

Synthesis and supramolecular properties of molecular clips with anthracene sidewalls

Novel molecular clips with anthracene sidewalls (1 a-c) were synthesized; they form stable host-guest complexes with a variety of electron-deficient aromatic and quinoid molecules. According to single-crystal structure analyses of clip 1 c and 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene (TCNB) complex 14@1 b, the clips' anthracene sidewalls have to be compressed substantially during the complex formation to provide attractive pi-pi interactions between the aromatic guest molecule and the two anthracene sidewalls in the complex. The compression and expansion of aromatic sidewalls are calculated by molecular mechanics to be low-energy processes, so the energy required for compression of the anthracene sidewalls during complex formation is apparently overcompensated by the gain in energy resulting from the attractive pi-pi interactions. The finding that complexes of the clips 1 a-c are more stable than those of the corresponding clips 2 a-c can be explained in terms of the larger van der Waals contact surfaces of the anthracene sidewalls in 1 a-c (relative to the naphthalene sidewalls in 2 a-c). Color changes resulting from charge-transfer (CT) bands are observed in complex formation by 1 a-c: from colorless to red or purple with TCNB (14), and from yellow to green with 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone TNF (17). Independently, the host 1 b and guest 14 fluoresce from their respective excited singlet states, whilst in the complex 14@1 b the charge-transfer state quenches the higher-energy singlet states of the two components, and as a result luminescence is only observed from this new CT state. To the best of our knowledge, complex 14@1 b is the first example of CT luminescence from a host-guest complex. The binding constant determined for the formation of the TCNB complex 14@1 b from a UV/Vis titration experiment (Ka = 12 400 m(-1)) agrees well with the value (K(a) = 12 800 m(-1)) obtained by 1H NMR titration.     

Strukturen von Bis(trifluormethyl)halogeno‐ und ‐thiocyanato‐mercuraten, [Hg(CF3)2X]— (X = Br,I, SCN), und ein Vergleich der Strukturparameter der CF3‐Gruppen

Structures of Bis(trifluoromethyl)halogeno and thiocyanato Mercurates, [Hg(CF₃)₂X]^— (X = Br, I, SCN), and a Comparison of the Structural Parameters of the CF₃ Groups [(18‐C‐6)K]₂[Hg(CF₃)₂SCN]₂ (1) and [P(CH₃)(C₆H₅)₃]₂[Hg(CF₃)₂X]₂ (X = Br (2) , I (3) ) are prepared and their crystal structures are determined. [(18‐C‐6)K]₂[Hg(CF₃)₂SCN]₂ (1) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with Z = 2, [P(CH₃)(C₆H₅)₃]₂[Hg(CF₃)₂Br]₂ (2) in the monoclinic space group P2₁/n with Z = 2 and [P(CH₃)(C₆H₅)₃]₂[Hg(CF₃)₂I]₂ (3) in the triclinic space group P1¯ with Z = 1. In the solid state the three compounds form dimeric anions with planar Hg₂X₂ rings. The structural parameters of the Hg(CF₃)₂ units in the till now known bis(trifluoromethyl)halogeno mercurates are compared. In all compounds one nearly symmetric and one distorted CF₃ group exist. The largest differences of the C—F bond lengths is found for [(18‐C‐6)K][Hg(CF₃)₂I]. This can be regarded as the experimental evidence for the properties of trifluoromethyl mercury compounds to act as excellent difluorocarbene sources in the presence of alkali iodides.     

The neomycin biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces fradiae NCIMB 8233: characterisation of an aminotransferase involved in the formation of 2-deoxystreptamine

The biosynthetic gene cluster of the 2-deoxystreptamine (DOS)-containing aminoglycoside antibiotic neomycin has been cloned for the first time by screening of a cosmid library of Streptomyces fradiae NCIMB 8233. Sequence analysis has identified 21 putative open reading frames (ORFs) in the neomycin gene cluster (neo) with significant protein sequence similarity to gene products involved in the biosynthesis of other DOS-containing aminoglycosides, namely butirosin (btr), gentamycin (gnt), tobramycin (tbm) and kanamycin (kan). Located at the 5'-end of the neo gene cluster is the previously-characterised neomycin phosphotransferase gene (apH). Three genes unique to the neo and btr clusters have been revealed by comparison of the neo cluster to btr, gnt, tbm and kan clusters. This suggests that these three genes may be involved in the transfer of a ribose moiety to the DOS ring during the antibiotic biosynthesis. The product of the neo-6 gene is characterised here as the L-glutamine : 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose aminotransferase responsible for the first transamination in DOS biosynthesis, which supports the assignment of the gene cluster.     

Stereoselective hydroxylation of an achiral cyclopentanecarboxylic acid derivative using engineered P450s BM-3

Substrate engineered, achiral carboxylic acid derivative was biohydroxylated with various mutants of cytochrome P450 BM-3 to give two out of the four possible diastereoisomers in high de and ee. The BM-3 mutants exhibit up to 9200 total turnovers for hydroxylation of the engineered substrate, which without the protecting group is not transformed by this enzyme.     

MS/MS in structural analysis of an oviposition-deterring pheromone

A recently characterized oviposition-deterring pheromone (ODP, structure 1) of the European cherry fruit fly was used as a test case for probing the potential of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in structure elucidation as a stand-alone technique. The glycolipid-taurinate 1 was subjected to MS/MS analyses under a variety of conditions with and without preceding chemical degradation. Acidic methanolysis of 1 and subsequent in-batch derivatization (trideuterioacetylation) yielded methyl 2,3,4,6-tetrakis-O-trideuterioacetyl-glucopyranoside (2), methyl 8,15-bis-trideuterioacetoxy-palmitate (3), and taurine (4) as suitable target compounds for direct mixture analysis.Low energy collision induced dissociation (CID) on selected precursor ions (MS/MS on [M + H – CH₃OH]⁺ and [M + H]⁺ produced by fast atom bombardment (FAB)) allowed direct identification of 2 and 4, respectively, by comparison with appropriate reference ions. In the case of 3, low energy CID (desorption chemical ionization (DCI) instead of FAB, MS/MS on [M + H]⁺) permitted deduction of gross molecular structure, but failed to provide positional detail. In sharp contrast,high energy CID of trideuterioacetylated intact 1 (FAB-MS/MS on [M – H]^– ions of la) clearly revealed a linear 8,15-hydroxylated palmitic acid backbone. Less certain was assignment of 15-O-glucosylation by this approach.     

Unsaturated dodecahedranes—Synthesis of the highly pyramidalized,highly reactive C20H18 and C20H16 olefins

Methodological alternatives for the preparation of highly strained, highly pyramidalized dodecahedrene 2 (E_str=87.3 kcal mol^?1; ?=43.5°, MM2) and 1,16-dodecahedradiene 3 (E_str=105.3 kcal mol^?1; ?=42.9°, MM2) have been explored, protection/deprotection strategies have been tested—with the eye on their utilization for the generation of higher unsaturated dodecahedranes (e.g. 1,4, 16-triene 4, 1,4,10 (14),16-tetraene 5). For the acquisition of preparative quantities of monoene 2 the “P₂F” catalyzed cis-β-elimination in bromododecahedrane, of diene 3 the FVP fragmentation of a “twofold protected” precursor (bis-furan adduct) have become the protocols of choice, which both profit from the recent synthetic advances along the pagodane → dodecahedrane scheme. Because of unusually effective steric protection the highly tilted C=C double bonds of 2 (λ_max (CH₃CN) = 254 nm, ν _C=C = 1658 cm^?1, δ_C=C = 164.4) and 3 (δ_C=C = 170.5) enter into thermal stabilization pathways (dimerization, oligomerization) only at higher temperatures (for 2 ca. 50% consumption after 5 h at 100°C in a 3·10^?3 molar toluene solution); extreme sensitivity to oxygen is primarily attributed to kinetically and thermodynamically promoted allylic hydrogen abstraction.