Efficient recycling of a chiral palladium catalytic system for asymmetric allylic substitutions in ionic liquid

Chiral carbohydrate-based diphosphites were used for Pd-catalysed asymmetric allylic substitution (alkylation, amination, phosphination) in neat ionic liquids (ILs). Pyrrolidinium-based IL led to the best activities, allowing an efficient catalyst immobilization. In the allylic amination (TOF > 3100 h(-1)), the catalyst could be recycled nine times preserving both activity and enantioselectivity.     

Lanthanide(III)/pyrimidine-4,6-dicarboxylate/oxalate extended frameworks: a detailed study based on the lanthanide contraction and temperature effects

Detailed structural, magnetic, and luminescence studies of six different crystalline phases obtained in the lanthanide/pyrimidine-4,6-dicarboxylate/oxalate system have been afforded: {[Ln(μ-pmdc)(μ-ox)(0.5)(H(2)O)(2)]·3H(2)O}(n) (1-Ln), {[Ln(μ-pmdc)(μ-ox)(0.5)(H(2)O)(3)]·2H(2)O}(n) (2-Ln), {[Ln(μ(3)-pmdc)(μ-ox)(0.5)(H(2)O)(2)]·~2.33H(2)O}(n) (3-Ln), {[Ln(2)(μ(3)-pmdc)(μ(4)-pmdc)(μ-ox)(H(2)O)(3)]·5H(2)O}(n) (4-Ln), {[Ln(μ(3)-pmdc)(μ-ox)(0.5)(H(2)O)(2)]·H(2)O}(n) (5-Ln), and [Ln(pmdc)(1.5)(H(2)O)(2.5)] (6-Ln). The slow generation of the oxalate (ox) anion, obtained from the in situ partial hydrothermal decomposition of the pyrimidine-4,6-dicarboxylate (pmdc) ligand, allows us to obtain good shaped single crystals, while direct addition of potassium oxalate provides the same compounds but as polycrystalline samples. The crystal structures of all compounds are based on the double chelation established by the pmdc and ox ligands to provide distorted 2D honeycomb layers that, in some cases, are fused together, leading to 3D systems, by replacing some of the coordinated water molecules that complete the coordination sphere of the lanthanide by uncoordinated carboxylate oxygen atoms of the pmdc. The presence of channels occupied by crystallization water molecules is also a common feature with the exception of compounds 5-Ln. It is worth noting that compounds 3-Ln present a commensurate crystal structure related to the partial occupancy of the crystallization water molecules placed within the channels. Topological analyses have been carried out, showing a previously nonregistered topology for compounds 4-Ln, named as jcr1. The crystal structures are strongly dependent on the lanthanide ion size and the temperature employed during the hydrothermal synthesis. The lanthanide contraction favors crystal structures involving sterically less hindranced coordination environments for the final members of the lanthanide series. Additionally, reinforcement of the entropic effects at high temperatures directs the crystallization process toward less hydrated crystal structures. The magnetic data of these compounds indicate that the exchange coupling between the lanthanide atoms is almost negligible, so the magnetic behavior is dominated by the spin-orbit coupling and the ligand field perturbation. The luminescence properties that exhibit the compounds containing Nd(III), Eu(III), and Tb(III) have been also characterized.     

Antiplasmodial Drugs in the Gas Phase: A CID and DFT Study of Quinolon-4(1H)-Imine Derivatives

The gas-phase behavior of 12 quinolon-4(1H)-imine derivatives with antiplasmodial activity was investigated using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry together with collision induced dissociation and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The most probable protonation site was predicted by calculating the proton affinity (PA) values for each possible protonation site and it was found to be the imine nitrogen for all compounds under study. Fragmentation pathways of the protonated molecules were proposed and the assignment of product ion structures was performed taking into account theoretical calculations. The nature of the quinoline substituent was found to influence the gas-phase behavior of the compounds under study. The data acquired allowed to bracket the proton affinity of the quinolin-4-imine scaffold, which can be a useful starting point to choose appropriate references for determining PA values of this scaffold. Figure

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Theoretical studies of a singlet oxygen-releasing dioxapaddlane (1,4-diicosa naphthalene-1,4-endoperoxide)

Theoretical calculations have been used to examine singlet oxygen release from a naphthalene endoperoxide which bears a flexible (CH₂)₂₂ polymethylene “lid”. Monte Carlo and ONIOM calculations that incorporated semi-empirical and density functional theory predicted the conformational influence of the polymethylene chain in the cycloreversion of dioxapaddlane, 1,4-diicosa naphthalene-1,4-endoperoxide, to ¹O₂ and 1,4-diicosa naphthalene. This study attempts to build a connection between ¹O₂ generation and “jump rope” dynamics of the dioxapaddlane. The polymethylene chain appears to function as a gatekeeper for the oxygen. Instead of coming full circle, a semi-circle rotation of the polymethylene bridge protected the peroxide group, limiting the dissociation of ¹O₂ from the naphthalene site. Dedicated to István Hargittai for his first twenty years at Structural Chemistry.     

An Efficient RuII–RhIII–RuII Polypyridyl Photocatalyst for Visible‐Light‐Driven Hydrogen Production in Aqueous Solution

The development of multicomponent molecular systems for the photocatalytic reduction of water to hydrogen has experienced considerable growth since the end of the 1970s. Recently, with the aim of improving the efficiency of the catalysis, single‐component photocatalysts have been developed in which the photosensitizer is chemically coupled to the hydrogen‐evolving catalyst in the same molecule through a bridging ligand. Until now, none of these photocatalysts has operated efficiently in pure aqueous solution: a highly desirable medium for energy‐conversion applications. Herein, we introduce a new ruthenium–rhodium polypyridyl complex as the first efficient homogeneous photocatalyst for H₂ production in water with turnover numbers of several hundred. This study also demonstrates unambiguously that the catalytic performance of such systems linked through a nonconjugated bridge is significantly improved as compared to that of a mixture of the separate components.     

Macrocyclic chiral receptors toward enantioselective recognition of naproxen

[structure: see text] A macrocyclic receptor based on a bischromenylurea and an alpha,alpha'-(o,o'-dialkyl)diphenyl-p-xylylenediamine spacer provides a C(2) chiral cavity to associate carboxylates by H-bonds. The extent of the selectivity obtained for the racemic receptor 2 and enantiomerically pure (S)-naproxen is 7.2:1. Steric repulsions close to the cavity are decisive for the chiral selectivity.     

Quantification of abscisic acid in grapevine leaf (Vitis vinifera) by isotope-dilution liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

A specific, sensitive, precise, and accurate method for the determination of abscisic acid (ABA) in grapevine leaf tissues is described. The method employs high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) in selected ion monitoring mode (SIM) to analyze ABA using a stable isotope-labeled ABA as an internal standard. Absolute recoveries ranged from 72% to 79% using methanol/water pH 5.5 (50:50 v/v) as an extraction solvent. The best efficiency was obtained when the chromatographic separation was carried out by using a porous graphitic carbon (PGC) column. The statistical evaluation of the method was satisfactory in the work range. A relative standard deviation (RDS) of < 5.5% and < 6.0% was obtained for intra-batch and inter-batch comparisons, respectively. As for accuracy, the relative error (%Er) was between −2.7 and 4.3%, and the relative recovery ranged from 95% to 107%.     

Extended weak bonding interactions in DNA: pi-stacking (base-base), base-backbone, and backbone-backbone interactions

We report on several weak interactions in nucleic acids, which, collectively, can make a nonnegligible contribution to the structure and stability of these molecules. Fragments of DNA were obtained from previously determined accurate experimental geometries and their electron density distributions calculated using density functional theory (DFT). The electron densities were analyzed topologically according to the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (AIM). A web of closed-shell bonding interactions is shown to connect neighboring base pairs in base-pair duplexes and in dinuleotide steps. This bonding underlies the well-known pi-stacking interaction between adjacent nucleic acid bases and is characterized topologically for the first time. Two less widely appreciated modes of weak closed-shell interactions in nucleic acids are also described: (i) interactions between atoms in the bases and atoms belonging to the backbone (base-backbone) and (ii) interactions among atoms within the backbone itself (backbone-backbone). These interactions include hydrogen bonding, dihydrogen bonding, hydrogen-hydrogen bonding, and several other weak closed-shell X-Y interactions (X, Y = O, N, C). While each individual interaction is very weak and typically accompanied by perhaps 0.5-3 kcal/mol, the sum total of these interactions is postulated to play a role in stabilizing the structure of nucleic acids. The Watson-and-Crick hydrogen bonding is also characterized in detail at the experimental geometries as a prelude to the discussion of the modes of interactions listed in the title.     

Seven 5‐benzylamino‐3‐tert‐butyl‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazoles: unexpected isomorphisms,and hydrogen‐bonded supramolecular structures in zero,one and two dimensions

5‐Benzylamino‐3‐tert‐butyl‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazole, C₂₀H₂₃N₃, (I), and its 5‐[4‐(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]‐, C₂₁H₂₂F₃N₃, (III), and 5‐(4‐bromobenzyl)‐, C₂₀H₂₂BrN₃, (V), analogues, are isomorphous in the space group C2/c, but not strictly isostructural; molecules of (I) form hydrogen‐bonded chains, while those of (III) and (V) form hydrogen‐bonded sheets, albeit with slightly different architectures. Molecules of 3‐tert‐butyl‐5‐(4‐methylbenzylamino)‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazole, C₂₁H₂₅N₃, (II), are linked into hydrogen‐bonded dimers by a combination of N—H...π(arene) and C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds, while those of 3‐tert‐butyl‐5‐(4‐chlorobenzylamino)‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazole, C₂₀H₂₂ClN₃, (IV), form hydrogen‐bonded chains of rings which are themselves linked into sheets by an aromatic π–π stacking interaction. Simple hydrogen‐bonded chains built from a single N—H...O hydrogen bond are formed in 3‐tert‐butyl‐5‐(4‐nitrobenzylamino)‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazole, C₂₀H₂₂N₄O₂, (VI), while in 3‐tert‐butyl‐5‐(3,4,5‐trimethoxybenzylamino)‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazole, C₂₃H₂₉N₃O₃, (VII), which crystallizes with Z′ = 2 in the space group P, pairs of molecules are linked into two independent centrosymmetric dimers, one generated by a three‐centre N—H...(O)₂ hydrogen bond and the other by a two‐centre N—H...O hydrogen bond.