Dynamic percolation transition induced by phase separation: A Monte Carlo analysis

The percolation transition of geometric clusters in the three-dimensional, simple cubic, nearest neighbor Ising lattice gas model is investigated in the temperature and concentration region inside the coexistence curve. We consider quenching experiments, where the system starts from an initially completely random configuration (corresponding to equilibrium at infinite temperature), letting the system evolve at the considered temperature according to the Kawasaki spinexchange dynamics. Analyzing the distributionn _l(t) of clusters of sizel at timet, we find that after a time of the order of about 100 Monte Carlo steps per site a percolation transition occurs at a concentration distinctly lower than the percolation concentration of the initial random state. This dynamic percolation transition is analyzed with finite-size scaling methods. While at zero temperature, where the system settles down at a frozen-in cluster distribution and further phase separation stops, the critical exponents associated with this percolation transition are consistent with the universality class of random percolation, the critical behavior of the transient time-dependent percolation occurring at nonzero temperature possibly belongs to a different, new universality class.     

Fluorinated tellurium(IV) azides and their precursors

The perfluoroaryl tellurolates C₆F₅TeLi (1) and 4-CF₃C₆F₄TeLi (2) were prepared. These intermediates were identified by NMR spectroscopy and may form, depending on the reaction conditions, either the corresponding ditellanes C₆F₅TeTeC₆F₅ (3) and CF₃C₆F₄TeTeC₆F₄CF₃ (4) by subsequent oxidation, or in the case of 1, a telluranthrene (C₆F₄Te)₂ (5) by reaction with itself. The halogenation products of 5, ( C₆F₄Te)₂F₄ (6), (C₆F₄Te)₂Cl₄ (7), (C₆F₄Te)₂Br₄ (8), as well as the azidation product (C₆F₄Te)₂(N₃)₄ (9) were synthesized. Furthermore, in pursuit of our recent work on tellurium azides, the syntheses and properties of R₂Te(N₃)₂ (R=CF₃ (10), C₆F₂H₃ (11)) and RTe(N₃)₃ (R=CF₃ (12) and C₆F₅ (13)) are reported. The crystal structures of CF₃C₆F₄TeTeC₆F₄CF₃ (4), (C₆F₄Te)₂Br₄ (8), and (C₆F₂H₃)₂Te(N₃)₂ (11) were determined.     

A vanadium-51 NMR study of the binding of vanadate and peroxovanadate to proteins

51V quadrupolar central transition NMR spectra of buffered (pH 7.6-8.0) solutions of bovine apo-transferrin (Tf) and bovine prostatic acid phosphatase (Pp) treated with vanadate show normal features (chemical shifts between -515 and -542 ppm) corresponding to the complexation of VO2+ to the Tf binding site and the Pp active centre, respectively. Addition of H2O2 leads to the temporary formation of complexed VO(O2)+ (delta approximately -595). Vanadate-dependent bromoperoxidase from the alga Ascophyllum nodosum exhibits an unusually high shielding both for the native (delta = -931) and the peroxo form (delta = -1135) of the enzyme. A resonance at -471 ppm is traced back to an inactive form with oxovanadium(V) in a trigonal-bipyramidal array.     

Convenient synthesis of N-methylamino acids compatible with Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis

N(alpha)-Methylamino acid containing peptides exhibit interesting therapeutic profiles and are increasingly recognized as potentially useful therapeutics. Unfortunately, their synthesis is hampered by the high price and unavaibility of many N(alpha)-methylamino acids. An efficient and practical preparation of N(alpha)-methyl-N(alpha)-(o-nitrobenzenesulfonyl)-alpha-amino acids without extensive purification is described. The procedure is based on the well-known N-alkylation of N(alpha)-arylsulfonylamino esters which was improved by using dimethyl sulfate and DBU as base. Ester cleavage is efficiently achieved by using an S(N)2-type saponification with lithium iodide, avoiding racemization observed with lithium hydroxide hydrolysis. Compatibility of the synthesized N(alpha)-methylamino acids with Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis is demonstrated by using normal coupling conditions to efficiently prepare N-methyl dipeptides. The described procedure allows the preparation of N(alpha)-methylamino acids in a very short period of time and a rapid synthesis of N-methyl peptides using Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis.     

Syntheses and Structures of Heterometallic Fe–Ta Chalcogenido Clusters

Two Fe–Ta containing sulfido complexes were prepared by the reaction of the metal halide salts with bis-trimethylsilylsulfide in the presence of PMe₃. The complexes demonstrate that coordination chemistry with iron sulfides can give access to a range of heterometallic complexes. In [Cl(Me₃P)Ta( ₂-S)₂( ₃-S)Fe(PMe₃)₂]₂ the two [Cl(Me₃P)Ta] units are arranged around one central Fe₂( ₂-S)₂ unit. In [(Me₃P)₄(MeCN)₂Fe^II]²⁺[(Me₃P)₂Ta^IVFe^II ₃( ₃-S)₄Br₄]^2– a [TaFe₃S₄]²⁺ cuboidal arrangement was observed. The complex salt forms a polymeric structure in the solid-state with weak H-bonds between the ions. The [(Me₃P)₂Ta^IVFe^II ₃( ₃-S)₄Br₄]^2– ion was characterised by magnetic measurements showing strong antiferromagnetic interactions between the metal centres.     

Ab Initio High Pressure Investigations of InI

The high pressure behaviour of InI is studied by DFT‐calculations and compared with experimental data. The existence of a 5s² electron pair in In⁺ represents an unfavourable bonding situation for high symmetry structures because of effective closed shell repulsion. Since cations with a ns² electron pair are highly polarizable and the electronic situation is more favourable in the low symmetry structure InI prefers a TlI‐type structure at ambient pressure. A pressure induced transition to the more densely packed high symmetry CsCl‐type structure takes place at about 19 GPa according to our calculations. At ambient pressure the interactions are predominantly ionic. However with increasing pressure the distances between In⁺ cations in the TlI‐type structure diminish drastically, mainly due to the changing space requirement of the lone electron pair. Apart from ionic interactions further bonding interactions between the In⁺ cations occur. At elevated pressure the electron localization function (ELF) as well as the band structure diagrams suggest metallic bonding between the In⁺ within the zigzag chain, i. e. increasing bonding interactions between the In⁺ cations due to the electron pair and its s‐p‐mixing. At ambient pressure In‐In interactions are rather weak and the space requirement of the lone electron pair mainly determines the characteristic arrangement of the ions. At elevated pressure the In‐In interactions become stronger and stabilise themselves additionally the specific structural arrangement.     

Structure and Reactivity of Lithium Enolates. From Pinacolone to Selective C-Alkylations of Peptides. Difficulties and Opportunities Afforded by Complex Structures

The chemistry of lithium enolates is used to demonstrate that complex structures held together by noncovalent bonds (“supramolecules”) may dramatically influence the result of seemingly simple standard reactions of organic synthesis. Detailed structural data have been obtained by crystallographic investigations of numerous Li enolates and analogous derivatives. The most remarkable features of these structures are aggregation to give dimers, tetramers, and higher oligomers, complexation of the metal centers by solvent molecules and chelating ligands, and hydrogen-bond formation of weak acids such as secondary amines with the anionoid part of the enolates. The presence in nonpolar solvents of the same supramolecules has been established by NMR-spectroscopic, by osmometric, and by calorimetric measurements. The structures and the order of magnitude of the interactions have also been reproduced by ab-initio calculations. Most importantly, supramolecules may be product-forming species in synthetic reactions of Li enolates. A knowledge of the complex structures of Li enolates also improves our understanding of their reactivity. Thus, simple procedures have been developed to avoid complications caused by secondary amines, formed concomitantly with Li enolates by the common methods. Mixtures of achiral Li enolates and chiral Li amides can give rise to enantioselective reactions. Solubilization by LiX is observed, especially of multiply lithiated compounds. This effect is exploited for alkylations of N-methylglycine (sarcosine) CH₂ groups in open-chain oligopeptides. Thus, the cyclic undecapeptide cyclosporine, a potent immunosuppressant, is converted into a THF-soluble hexalithio derivative (without epimerization of stereogenic centers) and alkylated by a variety of electrophiles in the presence of either excess lithiumdiisopropyl amide or of up to 30 equivalents of lithium chloride. Depending on the nature of the LiX additive, a new stereogenic center of (R) or (S) configuration is created in the peptide chain by this process. A structure-activity correlation in the series of cyclosporine derivatives thus available is discussed.     

Transition metal nitrosyls as nitrosylation agents : II.Photo-nitrosylation of η5-C5H5V(CO)3L(L = CO,Pz3) by [Co(NO)2Br]2

η⁵-C₅H₅V(NO)₂CO is prepared in 40% yield by the photo-reaction between η⁵-C₅H₅V(CO)₄ and [Co(NO)₂Br]₂.η⁵-C₅H₅V(NO)₂CO reacts by an S_N1 mechanism with various phosphines PZ₃ to yield η⁵-C₅-H₅V(NO)₂PZ₃. The phosphine complexes are also obtained by photo-induced ligand interchange between η⁵-C₅H₅V(CO)₃PZ₃ and [Co(NO)₂Br]₂, or η⁵-C₅H₅V(CO)₄ and Co(NO)₂Br(PZ₃). In all cases, the main cobalt species formed is Co(NO)(CO)₃. While the one-bond vanadiumphosphorus coupling constants of most of the phosphine complexes are virtually the same (ca 410 Hz),the chemical shift values δ(⁵¹V) (?1328 to ?973 ppm rel. VOCl₃) decrease in the order PF₃ > CO > P(OR)₃ > P(alkyl)₃ > PPh₃ > PPh(NEt₂)₂, reflecting the decreasing π-acceptor ability of the ligands. δ(⁵¹V) also decreases in the series of alkylphosphines PR₃ (R = Me, Et, Prⁿ, Buⁱ, Prⁱ, BU^t) as the cone angle of PR₃increases.     

Methods of Reactivity Umpolung

The past decade of organic chemistry may be charcterized as a period of violent development of new synthetic methods. This was accompained by a systematization of the analysis of synthetic problems (synthetic strategy). The planning of the synthesis of an organic target molecule is greatly facilitated by distinguishing between reagents X(C)_n … with normal reactivity (acceptor properties at C^1,3,5…, donor properties at X, C^2,4…) and with reactivity umpolung (acceptor properties at X, C^2,4…, donor properties at C^1,3,5…). In this context, reactivity umpolung turned out to be useful as a heuristic principle, as a classification scheme, and as an aid for locating so-called strategic bonds (synthon, transform, and antithesis according to E. J. Corey). There are six principal methods of umpolung: 1 2n-oxidation, heteroatom exchange and modification, homologation and its reversal, the cyclopropane “trick”, use of acetylenes, and redox reactions; under certain circumstances none of these techniques is necessary in cases where direct umpolung is possible. Throughout the article, normal reactivity is indicated by green print; reactivity umpolung by red print.