Radical Mediated Aza‐Pauson‐Khand Reaction of Acetylenes,Imines, and CO Leading to Five‐Membered Unsaturated Lactams

Formal [2+2+1] cycloaddition reaction involving acetylenes, aromatic imines, and CO was achieved by radical chain reaction, which gave five‐membered unsaturated lactams in modest to good yields. When we used 5‐chloropentyne, sequential carbonylation took place accompanied with double annulation events to give a cyclohexanone‐fused lactam in excellent stereoselectivity.     

Chichibabin “isodesmopyridine” synthesis

2,3,5-Trisubstituted pyridine isodesmopyridine is one of the elastin crosslinking amino acid which was isolated from the acid hydrolysates of bovine ligamentum nuchae. Biosynthesis of isodesmopyridine is believed to undergo via Chichibabin pyridine synthesis starting from aldehydes and an ammonia. Herein, we report the first total synthesis of isodesmopyridine through Chichibabin pyridine synthesis from allysines with protecting groups and ammonium salts in the presence of 50?mol% Pr(OTf)₃ with the optimization of the reaction conditions.     

Imaging Doxorubicin Free Radical in Mice with Overhauser Enhanced MRI and its Tumor Suppression Effect in Mice

In the treatment with anticancer drugs, it is important to deliver an anticancer agent to target site of the tumor at an appropriate concentration. However, it is difficult to directly measure the distribution amount of the agent and effect of anticancer drug is evaluated using its tumor suppression effect. In this study, we report an approach to visualizing an anticancer agent distribution in tumor-bearing mouse model using Overhauser enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (OMRI). The agent, doxorubicin, is one of anthracycline anticancer drugs and can form a free radical at its quinone sites and could be visualized using OMRI. After direct injection into a tumor, doxorubicin free radical was successfully imaged in tumor-bearing mouse, demonstrating practical usefulness of OMRI in the study of pharmacodynamics of free radical compounds. Imaging of antitumor agent would be potentially useful as a guidance tool for image-guided-therapy of cancer local chemotherapy.     

Charge/Discharge Properties of Organometallic Batteries Fabricated with Ferrocene–Containing Polymers

A group of ferrocene‐containing polymers were synthesized from vinylferrocene, ethynylferrocene and 1,1′‐dibromoferrocene, and properties of the formed polymers were examined to clarify their potential as a new class of cathode‐active, charge‐storage materials for rechargeable batteries. Vinylferrocene polymerized with 2,2′‐azoisobutyronitrile (AIBN) to give a polymer with number‐average molecular weights of 2 200–5 100 g · mol⁻¹ in 12–41% yields, while ethynylferrocene and 1,1′‐dibromoferrocene polymerized with Rh catalysts and by step‐growth mechanism, respectively, to provide insoluble polymers in 71–96% yields. The capacities of organometallic rechargeable cells fabricated with poly(vinylferrocene), poly(ethynylferrocene), and poly(ferrocene) reached 105, 105, and 95 Ah · kg⁻¹, respectively. In particular, poly(vinylferrocene) displayed completely reversible charge/discharge processes featuring a constant voltage of around 3.5 V.

     

Photoluminescent coordination polymer bulk glasses and laser-induced crystallization

We synthesized luminescent coordination polymer glasses composed of d¹⁰ metal cyanides and triphenylphosphine through melt-quenching and mechanical milling protocols. Synchrotron X-ray total scattering measurements and solid-state NMR revealed their one-dimensional chain structures and high structural dynamics. Thermodynamic and photoluminescence properties were tunable by the combination of heterometallic ions (Ag⁺, Au⁺, and Cu⁺) in the structures. The glasses are moldable and thermally stable, and over centimeter-sized glass monoliths were fabricated by the hot-press technique. They showed high transparency over 80% from the visible to near-infrared region and strong green emission at room temperature. Furthermore, the glass-to-crystal transformation was demonstrated by laser irradiation through the photothermal effect of the glasses.

Over centimeter-sized luminescent coordination polymer glasses were fabricated. They showed high transparency (over 80%) and strong green emission at room temperature. The glass-to-crystal transformation by laser irradiation was demonstrated.     

The unique properties observed for the unsymmetrical macrocyclic compounds with the highly distorted structure

A new class of aza-macrocycles with the highly distorted structure was found to exhibit unique properties. These macrocycles react with various lithium salts to form lithium complexes and their lithium complexation reactions depend on a substituent on the macrocyclic ring; slower rates and larger equilibrium constants were observed for the macrocycle with a bulkier substituent. The irradiation of these macrocycles by UV light was found to lead to the isomerization, and the photoisomerization rate of macrocycle with the bulky substituent was much faster. The highly distorted structure of these macrocycles makes it much easier to change the conformation of macrocyclic skeleton and these macrocycles have a variety of conformations. The factors to govern this conformational change were therefore explored. The solvent effect was examined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, because these macrocycles have a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond in the ring. As a result, the solvent was found to have a big effect on the ¹H NMR spectra of macrocycles that could be explained in terms of the conformational change of macrocycle. This finding suggests the solvent to be an important way of controlling the conformation.     

Novel Cu(I) dinuclear complexes containing mu2-eta(2),eta(2)-type benzoquinone ligand

Novel Cu(I) complexes containing a mu2-eta2,eta2-type benzoquinone ligand have been synthesized and crystallographycally characterized. These complexes are synthesized by the redox reaction of a copper-quinonoid pair and may indicate a significant intermediate in the Cu-BQ catalytic system. Moreover, this study is regarded as one of the good examples in the Cu(I)-olefin family of enhanced pi-back-donation.     

Detection of C-Si covalent bond in CH3 adsorbate formed by chemical reaction of CH3MgBr and H:Si(111)

High-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) yielded evidence for the formation of single covalent bonds between Si(111) surface atoms and CH(3) groups from the reaction of CH(3)MgBr and hydrogen-terminated H:Si(111)(1 x 1). The vibration at 678 cm(-)(1), assigned to the C-Si bond, was isolated within the spectrum of CH(3) on deuterium-terminated D:Si(111)(1 x 1). The CH(3) groups were thermally stable at temperatures below 600 K. The C-Si bonds are essential for enhancing the usefulness of alkyl moieties, which will lead to a new prospective technology of nanoscale fabrication and biochemical application.     

Catalytic application of sulfonic acid functionalized mesoporous benzene–silica with crystal-like pore wall structure in esterification

The first catalytic applications of sulfonic acid-functionalized hydrophobic mesoporous benzene–silica with lamellar pore wall structure are reported. The mesoporous benzene–silica attached with propylsulfonic groups to the crystal-like periodic pore walls exhibited the catalytic activity in the esterification of acetic acid with ethanol. The catalytic results show the higher conversion compared to the commercial Nafion-H.     

Conformation and molecular dynamics of single polystyrene chain confined in coordination nanospace

Molecules confined in nanospaces will have distinctly different properties to those in the bulk state because of the formation of specific molecular assemblies and conformations. We studied the chain conformation and dynamics of single polystyrene (PSt) chains confined in highly regular one-dimensional nanochannels of a porous coordination polymer [Zn 2(bdc) 2ted] n ( 1; bdc = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate, ted = triethylenediamine). Characterization by two-dimensional (2D) heteronuclear (1)H- (13)C NMR gave a direct demonstration of the nanocomposite formation and the intimacy between the PSt and the pore surfaces of 1. Calorimetric analysis of the composite did not reveal any glass transition of PSt, which illustrates the different nature of the PSt encapsulated in the nanochannels compared with that of bulk PSt. From N 2 adsorption measurements, the apparent density of PSt in the nanochannel was estimated to be 0.55 g cm (-3), which is much lower than that of bulk PSt. Results of a solid-state (2)H NMR study of the composite showed the homogeneous mobility of phenyl flipping with significantly low activation energy, as a result of the encapsulation of single PSt chains in one-dimensional regular crystalline nanochannels. This is also supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.