Asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis using heterobimetallic catalysts obtained from titanium and vanadium complexes of chiral and achiral salen ligands

Titanium(IV)(salen) and vanadium(V)(salen) complexes are both known to form catalysts for asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis. When a mixture of titanium and vanadium complexes derived from the same or different salen ligands is used for the asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to benzaldehyde, the absolute configuration of the product and level of asymmetric induction can only be explained by in situ formation of a catalytically active heterobimetallic complex, and is not consistent with two monometallic species acting cooperatively. Combined use of complexes containing chiral and achiral salen ligands demonstrates that during the asymmetry inducing step of the mechanism, the aldehyde is coordinated to the vanadium rather than the titanium ion. The titanium complexes also catalyse the asymmetric addition of ethyl cyanoformate to aldehydes, a reaction in which vanadium(V)(salen) complexes are not active. For this reaction, use of a mixture of titanium and vanadium(salen) complexes results in a complete loss of catalytic activity, a result which again can only be explained by in situ formation of a heterometallic complex. Both the titanium and vanadium based catalysts also induce the asymmetric addition of potassium cyanide/acetic anhydride to aldehydes. For this reaction, combined use of chiral and achiral complexes indicates that during the asymmetry inducing step of the mechanism, the aldehyde is coordinated to titanium rather than vanadium, a result which contrasts with the observed results when trimethylsilyl cyanide is used as the cyanide source.     

Bis[N,N′‐(2‐chlorobenzylidene)ethylenediamine‐κ2N,N′]copper(I) dichloridocuprate(I) acetonitrile solvate

The 1:1 adduct of N,N′‐bis(2‐chlorobenzylidene)ethylenediamine (cb₂en) with copper(I) chloride proves to be an ionic compound with Cu^I‐centred cations and anions, [Cu(C₁₆H₁₄Cl₂N₂)₂][CuCl₂]·CH₃CN. In the cation, the Cu^I atom has a flattened tetrahedral coordination geometry, with a small bite angle for the chelating ligands, which form a double‐helical arrangement around the metal centre. The anion is almost linear, as expected. The packing of the cations involves intermolecular π–π interactions, which lead to columns of translationally related cations along the shortest unit‐cell axis, with anions and solvent molecules in channels between them.     

Proton transfer to nickel-thiolate complexes. 1. Protonation of [Ni(SC(6)H(4)R-4)(2)(Ph(2)PCH(2)CH(2)PPh(2))] (R = Me, MeO, H, Cl, or NO(2))

The kinetics of the equilibrium reaction between [Ni(SC(6)H(4)R-4)(2)(dppe)] (R= MeO, Me, H, Cl, or NO(2); dppe = Ph(2)PCH(2)CH(2)PPh(2)) and mixtures of [lutH](+) and lut (lut = 2,6-dimethylpyridine) in MeCN to form [Ni(SHC(6)H(4)R-4)(SC(6)H(4)R-4)(dppe)](+) have been studied using stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The kinetics for the reactions with R = MeO, Me, H, or Cl are consistent with a single-step equilibrium reaction. Investigation of the temperature dependence of the reactions shows that DeltaG = 13.6 +/- 0.3 kcal mol(-)(1) for all the derivatives but the values of DeltaH and DeltaS vary with R (R = MeO, DeltaH() = 8.5 kcal mol(-)(1), DeltaS = -16 cal K(-)(1) mol(-)(1); R = Me, DeltaH() = 10.8 kcal mol(-)(1), DeltaS = -9.5 cal K(-)(1) mol(-)(1); R = Cl, DeltaH = 23.7 kcal mol(-)(1), DeltaS = +33 cal K(-)(1) mol(-)(1)). With [Ni(SC(6)H(4)NO(2)-4)(2)(dppe)] a more complicated rate law is observed consistent with a mechanism in which initial hydrogen-bonding of [lutH](+) to the complex precedes intramolecular proton transfer. It seems likely that all the derivatives operate by this mechanism, but only with R = NO(2) (the most electron-withdrawing substituent) does the intramolecular proton transfer step become sufficiently slow to result in the change in kinetics. Studies with [lutD](+) show that the rates of proton transfer to [Ni(SC(6)H(4)R-4)(2)(dppe)] (R = Me or Cl) are associated with negligible kinetic isotope effect. The possible reasons for this are discussed. The rates of proton transfer to [Ni(SC(6)H(4)R-4)(2)(dppe)] vary with the 4-R-substituent, and the Hammett plot is markedly nonlinear. This unusual behavior is attributable to the electronic influence of R which affects the electron density at the sulfur.     

The small‐scale preparation and NMR characterization of isotopically enriched organotin compounds

Synthetic methods for the small‐scale laboratory preparation of isotopically enriched dibutyltin dichloride, dibutyltin di‐iodide, tributyltin chloride, tributyltin iodide, diphenyltin dichloride, triphenyltin chloride and triphenyltin iodide have been successfully established. Organotin iodides were prepared from redistribution reactions between tin(IV) iodide and the corresponding tetraorganotin, with the exception of dibutyltin di‐iodide, which was prepared directly from the reaction between tin metal and iodobutane. The development of novel procedures for the dealkylation/dearylation of tetraorganotins by acid hydrolysis produced superior yields of tributyltin chloride and diphenyltin dichloride in comparison with redistribution reactions. Organotin iodide redistribution reaction products were converted to their chloride analogues via the fluoride salts using an aqueous ethanolic solution of potassium fluoride. The insolubility of organotin fluoride salts was exploited to isolate and purify the isotopically enriched compounds, and to prevent losses during the purification procedure. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic study of ‘natural abundance’ and isotopically enriched organotin compounds gave proton (¹H) and carbon‐13 (¹³C) spectra for butyltins, Bu_4−nSnX_n, and phenyltins, Ph_4−nSnX_n (X = I, Cl), allowing the assignment of ­¹H and ¹³C chemical shifts, and ¹¹⁹Sn–¹³C and ¹¹⁷Sn–¹³C coupling constants. The ¹³C NMR spectroscopic analysis of ¹¹⁷Sn‐enriched organotin compounds has allowed the assignment of certain resonances and tin–carbon coupling constants which were previously unobservable. The spectral patterns show that Δ(¹H) and Δ(¹³C) values are sensitive to structural changes, and that ¹³C shielding decreases with an increase in the electronegativity of the substituent. The tin–carbon coupling constants are also sensitive to structural changes, and for alkyl and aryl compounds the couplings decrease in the order ¹J > ³J > ²J > ⁴J. The ¹³C chemical shift values and the magnitude of tin–carbon coupling constants are shown to be solvent‐dependent. The ¹³C spectra of the isotopically enriched compounds show that the degree of isotopic enrichment and the nature of the isotope used (magnetic or non‐magnetic) are reflected in the spectral pattern obtained. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An ethnopharmacological study of medicinal plants in New South Wales

The Australian Aboriginal people have used plants as medicine and food for thousands of years, however, this traditional knowledge is documented only to a limited extent, and is in danger of being lost. The Indigenous Bioresources Research Group (IBRG) aims to help Australian Aboriginal communities to preserve their customary medicinal knowledge, and to provide information that can be used for their cultural or educational purposes, as well as for scientific advancement. This work is undertaken in close collaboration with Australian Aboriginal communities in New South Wales. The project is multidisciplinary, combining an ethnobotanical and an ethnopharmacological approach, which includes biological and chemical investigations, as well as developing best practices for protecting traditional knowledge. This paper describes the general strategy of the project as well as methods used in the ethnopharmacological study. Ethnobotanical databases are set up for each participating community. Plant material is collected, extracted, and active compounds are isolated using a bioassay-guided fractionation approach. All extracts and compounds are tested for biological activity in antimicrobial assays (disc diffusion, resazurin, fluorescein diacetate), neurological assays or anti-inflammatory assays, depending on their traditional use.     

Synthesis of functionalized cannabinoids

An effective synthesis of tricyclic, nonclassical cannabinoids has been developed on the basis of a cation-olefin cyclization that forms the two nonaromatic rings with the desired stereochemistry in a single step.     

Alteration of the ground state by external magnetic fields: The Abelian Higgs model

By fully exploiting the mathematical and physical analogy to the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity, we present a complete discussion of the ground state behavior of the four-dimensional Abelian Higgs model in the static tree level approximation. We show that a sufficiently strong external magnetic field can alter the ground state of the theory by restoring a spontaneously broken symmetry, or by creating a qualitatively different “vortex” state. The energetically favored ground state is explicitly determined as a function of the external field and the ratio between coupling constants of the theory.     

Euclidean solutions and finite temperature gauge theory

It is shown that solutions of Euclidean gauge theory may have a direct physical interpretation at finite temperature. The existence of topologically distinct finite temperature solutions is proved.