Chemical release control: Carbamates of 3-vinylphenyl and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl isocyanates and perfume and herbicide alcohols

Polymerizable carbamates were synthesized from 3-vinylphenyl and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl isocyanates and perfume and herbicide alcohols, such as 2-phenethyl alcohol, citronellol, geraniol, 1-menthol, borneol, and 2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)- and 2-(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)ethyl alcohols. Copolymerization of these carbamate monomers and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone with AIBN in dioxane gave respective copolymers. Hydrolyses of both monomers and copolymers, however, required severe acid conditions, although different chemical structures gave different hydrolytic behaviors.     

Molecular modeling study of species-selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha agonist; possible mechanism(s) of human PPARalpha selectivity of an alpha-substituted phenylpropanoic acid derivative (KCL)

In order to investigate the reason why phenylpropanoic acid derivative (KCL), a potent, human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha-selective agonist, shows this selectivity, we analyzed the binding modes of KCL and a related compound to the ligand-binding domain of human PPARalpha and rat PPARalpha by means of computer-aided molecular modeling. We concluded that the characteristic specificity of KCL is due to a specific hydrophobic contact between the hydrophobic tail part (the 4-trifluoromethyl group) and the key amino acid Ile272 located on the helix three region of the human PPARalpha ligand binding domain. We propose a possible binding mode of KCL with the ligand-binding domain of human PPARalpha. This binding model should offer important insights for further structural design of subtype-selective PPARalpha agonists for the treatment of altered metabolic homeostasis, such as dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes.     

The structure of enopeptins A and B, novel depsipeptide antibiotics

The structures of enopeptins A and B, novel depsipeptide antibiotics with 1,3,5,7,9-decapentaene-1,10-dicarboxylic acid and 2-amino-3-hydroxycyclopent-2-enone in a side chain, were determined by chemical and spectroscopic means.     

Rotational correlation times of adenosine 5′-monophosphate in solution as deduced from 1H and 13C spin-lattice relaxation times

Rotational correlation times (τ_T) of the 5′-AMP molecule deduced from spin-lattice relaxation times (T₁) of different protons in the molecule agree fairly well with each other in the temperature range of 3.5–74°C. The same is true with τ_T values deduced from ¹³CT₁ values. These results indicate that the internal motions are slow as compared to the overall rotation of the 5′-AMP molecule.     

High-Spin Polyphenoxyls Attached to Star-Shaped Poly(phenylenevinylene)s

Star-shaped poly(1,2-phenylenevinylene)s 4-substituted with multiple pendant phenoxyls (2 and 3) were synthesized by polymerizing 2-bromo-4-(acetoxyphenyl)styrene in the presence of 1,3,5-triiodobenzene or 1,3,5-tris(3',5'-diiodophenyl)benzene as the core via a simple one-pot Heck reaction and subsequent hydrolysis, phenolate formation, and heterogeneous oxidation. ESR spectra indicated a delocalized spin distribution into the core parts of the star-shaped molecules. The polyradicals, 2 and 3, were in a high-spin state at low temperature, and the ferromagnetic behavior was enhanced for the polyradical with a higher molecular weight. Although an average S of 3 remained at 3/2 to 4/2, the polyradical 2 even with a spin concentration of 0.8 spin/unit revealed an average S of 7/2 to 8/2. The 1,3,5-benzene core acted as an effective magnetic coupler to align the spins of the pendant phenoxyls through the star-shaped pi-conjugated backbone.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of silanethiolato complexes having tert-butyldimethylsilyl and trimethylsilyl groups

Treatment of cyclotrisilathiane (Me2SiS)3 with 3 equiv. of RLi (R = Me, But) in hexane-Et2O afforded the lithium silanethiolates LiSSiMe2R, and the tmeda adduct [(tmeda)LiSSiMe2But]2 1 (tmeda =N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine) was isolated in the case of R = But. Reaction of Fe(CH3CN)2(CF3SO3)2, CoCl2, and [Cu(CH3CN)4](PF6) with 1 gave rise to the silanethiolato complexes M(SSiMe2But)2(tmeda)(M = Fe 2, Co 3), and [Cu(SSiMe2But)]4 4, respectively. Complexes (C5H5)2Ti(SSiMe2R)2(R = Me 5, But 6) and Ni(SSiMe2R)2(dppe)[R = Me 7, But 8; dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane] were prepared from treatments of (C5H5)2TiCl2 and NiCl2(dppe) with the corresponding lithium silanethiolates. Complex 7 readily reacted with (C5H5)TiCl3 to produce the Ti-Ni heterobimetallic compound (C5H5)TiCl(mu-S)2Ni(dppe) 9, in which silicon-sulfur bond cleavage took place. Characterization of all compounds through spectroscopic techniques and elemental analyses are also described. X-Ray structural data for compounds 1 and 3-9 are reported.     

Epoxyquinol A, a highly functionalized pentaketide dimer with antiangiogenic activity isolated from fungal metabolites

A unique pentaketide dimer structure of a novel fungal metabolite with antiangiogenic activity, designated as epoxyquinol A (1), was determined on the basis of NMR spectral data as well as the X-ray crystallographic analysis. 1 inhibits the endothelial migration induced by vascular endothelial growth factor (ED100 = 3 mug/mL).     

Pre-fibrillation of pulps to manufacture cellulose nanofiber-reinforced high-density polyethylene using the dry pulp direct kneading method

The dry pulp direct kneading method is an industrially viable, low-energy process for manufacturing cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-reinforced polymer composites, where the chemically modified pulps are nanofibrillated and uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix during melt compounding. In the present study, cellulose fibers of various sizes ranging from surface-fibrillated pulps (20 μm in width) to fine CNFs (20 nm in width) were prepared from softwood bleached kraft pulps using a refiner and a high-pressure homogenizer. These cellulose fibers were modified with alkenyl succinic anhydride and dried. The dried fibers were used as a feed material for melt compounding in the dry pulp direct kneading method to fabricate CNF-reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE). When surface-fibrillated pulps were employed as a feed material, the pulps were nanofibrillated and dispersed uniformly in the HDPE matrix during melt compounding. The resulting composites had much better properties—i.e., much higher tensile modulus and strength values, and much lower coefficient of thermal expansion values—than the composites produced using pulps without pre-fibrillation. However, when CNFs were used as a feed material, they were shortened and agglomerated during melt compounding, and the properties of the composites consequently deteriorated. The study concludes that surface-fibrillated pulp, which can be produced cost-effectively using a refiner on an industrial scale, is more suitable as a feed material than CNFs for melt compounding in the dry pulp direct kneading method. This finding enables the elimination of a preliminary step in the preparation of CNFs from pulps, which is a time-consuming and energy-intensive process.

Graphical abstract

     

NMR study on the photoresponsive DNA tethering an azobenzene. Assignment of the absolute configuration of two diastereomers and structure determination of their duplexes in the trans-form

Two diastereomers of a photoresponsive oligodeoxyribonucleotide tethering a trans-azobenzene, based on the chirality of the central carbon of a diol linker, were separated by reversed-phase HPLC. On the basis of 2D NMR analysis, absolute configurations of the diastereomers alpha and beta (tentatively designated from differences in their retention time) were determined as R- and S-forms, respectively. For both diastereomers, their NMR-determined duplex structure showed that trans-azobenzene intercalates between base pairs, because distinct NOEs were observed between the protons of azobenzene and those of the adjacent base pairs, such as with the imino protons and methyl protons of thymine. The melting temperatures of both duplexes were higher than that of the corresponding native duplex, which contained no azobenzene residue, due to the intercalated trans-azobenzene stabilizing the duplex by a stacking interaction. Between these two diastereomers, differences in T(m) were also found: the melting temperature of the R-form duplex (alpha-isomer) was higher than that of the S-form (beta-isomer). On the basis of the NMR-determined structure, this difference was attributed to the fact that the S-form (beta isomer) causes more stress forming the duplex than does the R-form (alpha isomer) due to disturbances of the right-hand helix.     

Metal-assisted stabilization and probing of collagenous triple helices

Collagen model peptides that contain 2,2'-bipyridyl (bpy) ligands were designed and synthesized. The thermal stability of the collagenous triple helix was increased by forming an Fe(II)(bpy-peptide)(3) complex. The chirality of the metal center was shifted to form right-handed Delta-isomers induced by the supercoiling of the peptide moiety. Moreover, the refolding rate of the triple helix was increased in the presence of Fe(II). This metal-coordinating system possesses potential to be used to stabilize the triple-helical conformation as well as to probe the folding status of collagen model peptides.