Nitrosation of Phenolic Compounds: Effects of Alkyl Substituents and Solvent

Summary.  Nitrosation reactions of phenol, o-cresol, 2,6-dimethylphenol, o-tert-butylphenol, 2-hydroxyacetophenone, and 2-allylphenol in water and water/acetonitrile were studied. Kinetic monitoring of the reactions was accomplished by spectrophotometric analysis of the nitrosated products at 345 nm. The dominant reaction was C-nitrosation via a mechanism consisting of an attack on the nitrosatable substrate by NO⁺/NO₂H₂ ⁺ followed by a slow proton transfer. The values of the rate constants of phenolic C-nitrosation were increased by electron donating substituents, and a good Hammett correlation was observed with ρ = −6.1. The results also revealed the strong effect of pH and the permitivity of the reaction medium on the rate constant, whose maximum values were observed for pH ≈ 3, decreasing strongly for higher pH values. The study in water/acetonitrile with up to 25% acetonitrile showed that it is possible to inhibit the reaction strongly by increasing the percentage of the organic component. The conclusions drawn show that (i) it is possible to predict the rate of nitrosation of phenolics as a function of the meta-substituents on the phenol ring and (ii) the nitrosation of phenolics can be strongly inhibited by increasing the pH of the reaction medium as well as by lowering its dielectric constant. Received July 13, 2001. Accepted (revised) September 18, 2001     

Barreleneiridium(I) complexes. Crystal structures of [Ir(Me3TFB)(η6-C6H4Me2)]ClO4 and [Ir(TFB)(η5-PhNPh2)]BF4·CH2Cl2 (TFB = tetrafluorobenzobarrelene)

A new series of cationic areneiridium(I) complexes of formula [Ir(barrelene)(arene)]⁺ or [Ir(barrelene)(PhNRPh)]⁺ (R= Ph or H) have been synthesized from neutral iridium complexes of the type [IrY(barrelene)]_x (barrelene = Me₃TFB, Y = Cl or OMe (x = 2), Y = acac (x = 1); barrelene = TFB, Y = OMe (x = 2), Y = acac (x = 1)). The crystal structures of [Ir(Me₃TFB)(1,4-C₆H₄Me₂)]ClO₄ and [Ir(TFB)(PhNPh₂)]BF₄·CH₂Cl₂ have been determined by X-ray diffraction. They crystallize in the space groups Pbca and Pna2₁ respectively with lattice constants of 17.6947(11), 15.8072(10), 16.0019(11) Å and 9.8059(2), 20.8097(9), 14.3367(4) Å. Final R factors were 0.063 and 0.042 for the observed data. Both complexes show a staggered arrangement between the arene and the TFB moieties and deviation from planarity of the coordinated arene ligands. In the second complex the IrC and NC distances, the CNC angle, the type of arene puckering, and the spectroscopic data indicate a distortion of the coordinated arene towards a η⁵-coordinated iminocyclohexadienyl form.     

Analysis of99Tc atmospheric samples

The analysis of⁹⁹Tc was carried out in filter, peat and rainwater samples. A solvent extraction technique was used to separate Tc from them, where tributylphosphate was the extracting agent. Radiochemical yield was obtained by using^99mTc as an internal tracer. A typical value of 60% was found for it. However, problems encountered in its determination are discussed in the text. Additionally, rainwater samples were analyzed for¹³⁷Cs. This was adsorbed in ammonium phosphomolibdate. Radiochemical yield was obtained by using¹³⁴Cs as an internal tracer.Work partially supported under Contract CAICYT No. 2849/83.     

Extraction-spectrophotometric determination of iron with 2-(2′-benzothiazolylazo)-4,6-dimethylphenol

An extraction-spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of iron based on its extraction into chloroform with 2-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-4,6-dimethylphenol (BTADMP) from a pH 6.5 medium has been developed. The extracted 12 FeBTADMP complex species allow the determination of 4–30gmg of iron (=3.92×10⁴1·mol^–1·cm^–1 at 790 nm). The method is highly selective and has been applied to the determination of iron in polymineral-polyvitamin pharmaceutical products.     

Characterisation of pitch by HPLC

Summary A new high performance liquid chromatography method for the characterisation of toluene-soluble fractions of pitches has been developed. Although a chromatographic system typical of size exclusion chromatography was used, results indicate that, for these structurally complex samples, separation does not follow the usual discrimination by molecular size. A differentiation between several classes of polyaromatic hydrocarbons is achieved instead. Data are reported on the analysis of individual standard polyaromatic hydrocarbons, showing that four different elution ranges can be observed: three ofcata-condensed compounds (Cata1, Cata2 and Cata3) and one ofperi-condensed compounds (Peri). Results are reported proving the capacity of this high performance liquid chromatography method to distinguish between pitches of different origin and nature. It is also effective for the study of the chemical reactions occurring during heat treatment.     

A very sensitive flow system for the direct determination of copper in natural waters based on spectrophotometric detection

A very sensitive flow injection method with spectrophotometric detection has been developed for the on-line determination of copper in natural waters. The method exhibits a limit of detection three times lower than the most sensitive direct spectrophotometric method previously described and then allows the direct and simple in situ determination of copper in most natural waters.The method was based on the measurement of the absorbance of the coloured complex formed by copper with the chromogenic reagent di-2-pyridyl ketone benzoylhydrazone (dPKBH) in an alkaline medium. This complex presents stoichiometry 1:2 (Cu:dPKBH), and exhibits maximum absorbance at 370 nm. The manifold used was very simple, and consisted of two channels. The first one contained the sample while the second one contained the colorimetric reagent (3.3×10⁻⁴ M dPKBH in 10% ethanol), in a 1.6×10⁻² M phosphate buffer solution at pH 8. The performance of the system was optimised by using both univariate and modified simplex methodologies. When modified simplex was used, the best signal was obtained for a sample injection volume of 529 μl, a reaction coil length of 1.29 m, and a reagent flow rate of 4.8 ml min⁻¹. Under optimum conditions, the response was linear up to 3 mg l⁻¹ copper, the equation of the straight line being y=0.314x+5.2×10⁻⁴ (r²=0.998). The method allowed a sampling frequency of 40 samples per hour and exhibited a precision of 2.11% (as R.S.D., n=11). The limit of detection was 4.6 μg l⁻¹ (calculated as 3s_b/m, where s_b is the standard deviation of the y-intercept and m represents the slope of the straight line), and was therefore more sensitive than all the direct continuous methods reported previously.The method was successfully applied to the analysis of real water samples, with an average relative error of 5.32%.     

Determination of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and its hydrolysis and chlorohydroxy derivatives by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

European Legislation establishes that the sum of the migration levels of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE), its hydrolysis (BADGE.H2O and BADGE.2H2O) and chlorohydroxy (BADGE.HCl, BADGE.2HCl and BADGE.H2O.HCl) derivatives shall not exceed the limit of 1 mg/kg in foodstuffs or food simulants. A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method combined with mass spectrometry detection using atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) is developed for the separation, quantification and identification of the interesting compounds. Quantification of the analytes was carried out in the single ion recording mode, once their characteristic masses were selected from their full spectra, by using an external calibration. The optimised method was suitable for the migration evaluation of these compounds in different samples.     

Stereoselective syntheses of 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-octitols and novel tetrahydroxyindolizidines

A new route for the preparation of four new indolizidines, (1R,2S,6S,7S,8aS)- and (1R,2S,6R,7R,8aS)-1,2,6,7-tetrahydroxyindolizidine (30 and 32) and (1S,2R,7S,8S,8aR)- and (1S,2R,7R,8R,8aR)-1,2,7,8-tetrahydroxyindolizidine (44 and 46), is reported. The synthesis is based on Knoevenagel homologation of the readily available enantiomerically pure pyrrolidin-carbaldehydes 13 and 37followed by asymmetric dihydroxylation of the subsequent alkenyl pyrrolidines and cyclization of the corresponding imino-octitols. The new indolizidines and their precursors (imino-octitols 20, 25, 26) and indolizidinones 28a and 28b have been tested for inhibitory activities toward 26 glycosidases. The enzymatic inhibition of trans-7-hydroxy-d-(-)-swainsonine (44) toward alpha-mannosidases is similar to that described for trans-7-hydroxy-l-(+)-swainsonine (11b) toward naringinase (alpha-l-rhamnosidase from Penicillium decumbens).     

Unexpected ferromagnetic interaction in a new tetranuclear copper(II) complex: synthesis, crystal structure, magnetic properties, and theoretical studies

The new tetranuclear carbonate complex [Cu2L)2(CO3)] x 8H2O (1 x 8H2O) (H3L = (2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3-bis[4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-azabut-3-enyl]-1,3-imidazolidine) has been obtained by two different synthetic routes and fully characterized. Recrystallization of 1 x 8H2O in methanol yields single crystals of {[(Cu2L)2(CO3)]}2 x 12H2O (1 x 6H2O), suitable for X-ray diffraction studies. The crystal structure of 1 x 6H2O shows two crystallographically different tetranuclear molecules in the asymmetric unit, 1a and 1b. Both molecules can be understood as self-assembled from two dinuclear [Cu2L]+ cations, joined by a mu4-eta(2):eta(1):eta(1) carbonate ligand. The copper atoms of each crystallographically different [(Cu2L)2(CO3)] molecule present miscellaneous coordination polyhedra: in both 1a and 1b, two metal centers are in square pyramidal environments, one displays a square planar chromophore and the other one has a geometry that can be considered as an intermediate between square pyramid and trigonal bipyramid. Magnetic studies reveal net intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling between the metal atoms. Density functional calculations allow the assignment of the different magnetic coupling constants and explain the unexpected ferromagnetic behavior, because of the presence of an unusual NCN bridging moiety and countercomplementarity of the phenoxo (or carbonate) and NCN bridges.