Efficient approach to 1,2-diazepines via formal diazomethylene insertion into the C-C bond of cyclobutenones

Efficient monocyclic 1,2-diazepine formation via a tandem electrocyclization reaction of cyclobutenones with lithiodiazoacetate is demonstrated. The reaction proceeds through an oxy anion-accelerated 4π-ring opening of cyclobutene followed by an 8π-ring closure of the resultant oxy anion-substituted diazo-diene under mild conditions to furnish a 1,2-diazepine via formal diazomethylene insertion into the C-C bond of cyclobutenone.     

Probing the semi-macroscopic vacuum by higher-harmonic generation under focused intense laser fields

The invention of the laser immediately enabled the detection of nonlinear photon–matter interactions, as manifested for example by Franken et al.’s detection of second-harmonic generation.     

Synthesis of Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimer with a Diphenyl Diselenide Core

Abstract

We succeeded in the synthesis of a novel poly(amidoamine) dendrimer having diphenyl diselenide at the core. Modification of the dendrimer diselenide by the reaction with glucono-δ-lactone in methanol gave a water-soluble dendrimer diselenide having chiral terminal groups. The structures of dendrimers were satisfactorily confirmed by MAIDI-TOF MS spectrometry, elemental analysis, and NMR spectroscopy. Interestingly, induced circular dichroism (ICD) of the interaction between the diphenyl diselenide core and D-gluconamide periphery of the dendrimer was observed at 300 nm.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT     

Synthesis and application of head-to-head-type styrene dimers bearing two fluoroalkyl end-groups

Head-to-head-type styrene and substituted styrene dimers bearing two fluoroalkyl end-groups have been efficiently synthesized by a simple reaction of perfluoroalkyl iodide with styrene under radical conditions as a mixture of meso and racemic forms. The meso form obtained from the mixture by recrystallization gave a crystal suitable for X-ray diffraction study and the crystal structure was found to be based on π-stacking of benzene rings and aggregation of fluoroalkyl chains. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed that meso-styrene dimers bearing two fluoroalkyl end-groups can form the nanometer size-controlled self-assemblies through the intermolecular π-stacking of benzene rings and aggregation of end-capped fluoroalkyl groups in methanol.

Syntheses of Methyl 2,3-di-O-Glycyl-α-D-glucopyranoside and 4,6-di-O-Glycyl-2,3-di-O-methyl-α-D-glucopyranoside,and Removal of Aminoacyl Groups from Sugar Moieties

Abstract

To confirm the potential usefulness of amino acid residues as protecting groups for sugar hydroxyls, methyl 2,3-di-O-glycyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (5) and methyl 4,6-di-O-glycyl-2,3-di-O-methyl-α-D-gluco-pyranoside (7) were synthesized as reference compounds. Conditions were then established for the removal of these aminoacyl groups from the sugar molecules. The reference compounds were easily prepared by condensation of methyl α-D-glucopyranoside derivatives with N-protected glycine in the presence of dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide (DCC). The aminoacyl groups were removed by alkaline treatment, as were conventional acyl groups and also with ease by enzymatic hydrolysis using Pronase E. Conventional ester and ether protecting groups are not removed by such enzymatic treatment. Removal of aminoacyl group from sugar moieties on a practical scale is also described.     

The ASACUSA CUSP: an antihydrogen experiment

In order to test CPT symmetry between antihydrogen and its counterpart hydrogen, the ASACUSA collaboration plans to perform high precision microwave spectroscopy of ground-state hyperfine splitting of antihydrogen atom in-flight. We have developed an apparatus (“cusp trap”) which consists of a superconducting anti-Helmholtz coil and multiple ring electrodes. For the preparation of slow antiprotons and positrons, Penning-Malmberg type traps were utilized. The spectrometer line was positioned downstream of the cusp trap. At the end of the beamline, an antihydrogen beam detector was located, which comprises an inorganic Bismuth Germanium Oxide (BGO) single-crystal scintillator housed in a vacuum duct and surrounding plastic scintillators. A significant fraction of antihydrogen atoms flowing out the cusp trap were detected.     

High-Affinity Ratiometric Fluorescence Probe Based on 6-Amino-2,2′-Bipyridine Scaffold for Endogenous Zn2+ and Its Application to Living Cells

Zinc is an essential trace element involved in many biological activities; however, its functions are not fully understood. To elucidate the role of endogenous labile Zn²⁺, we developed a novel ratiometric fluorescence probe, 5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-(methylsulfanyl)-[2,2′-bipyridin]-6-amine (6 (rBpyZ)) based on the 6-amino-2,2′-bipyridine scaffold, which acts as both the chelating agent for Zn²⁺ and the fluorescent moiety. The methoxy group acted as an electron donor, enabling the intramolecular charge transfer state of 6 (rBpyZ), and a ratiometric fluorescence response consisting of a decrease at the emission wavelength of 438 nm and a corresponding increase at the emission wavelength of 465 nm was observed. The ratiometric probe 6 (rBpyZ) exhibited a nanomolar-level dissociation constant (K_d = 0.77 nM), a large Stokes shift (139 nm), and an excellent detection limit (0.10 nM) under physiological conditions. Moreover, fluorescence imaging using A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells revealed that 6 (rBpyZ) had good cell membrane permeability and could clearly visualize endogenous labile Zn²⁺. These results suggest that the ratiometric fluorescence probe 6 (rBpyZ) has considerable potential as a valuable tool for understanding the role of Zn²⁺ in living systems.