Synthesis of Some Novel γ-Spirolactones

Summary. We report on the addition of dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylate to 1-alkylisatins or tryptanthrine in the presence of triphenylphosphine which leads to highly functionalised novel unsaturated -spirolactones.     

Pd-poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)/KIT-6 nanocomposite: Preparation,structural study,and catalytic activity

The Pd-poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)/KIT-6 nanocomposite was prepared by an in situ polymerization method and used as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for C–C bond formation through the Heck coupling reaction of aryl iodides, bromides and chlorides with styrene. The physical and chemical properties of the catalyst were characterized by XRD, BET, FT-IR, TGA, UV-Vis and TEM techniques. The reactions were performed in methanol-water as solvent and the products were obtained in high yield and purity after a simple work-up. The stability of the nanocomposite catalyst was excellent and could be reused 8 times without much loss of activity in the Heck coupling reaction.     

Composition and in vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils from four Satureja species growing in Iran

The composition and in?vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils from four Satureja species (S. bachtiarica, S. khuzistanica, S. mutica and S. rechingeri) growing in Iran were determined. According to the results of GC-FID and GC-MS analysis, all oil samples were principally composed of phenolic constituents (carvacrol and/or thymol) with the percentages ranging from 41.2% (S. bachtiarica) to 77.7% (S. rechingeri). Determining antibacterial activities by the disc diffusion method against two Gram-positive and two Gram-negative bacteria revealed the maximum activity against Bacillus cereus with a range of minimum inhibitory concentration values from 0.25 to 1?mg?mL(-1) and minimum bactericidal concentration values from 0.5 to 1?mg?mL(-1). The oils of S. khuzistanica and S. rechingeri appeared to be more active in general than those of other species. In conclusion, the essential oils of studied Satureja species have the potential to be considered as alternatives for synthetic food preservatives.     

Substituted six-membered ring carbenes: the effects of amino and cyclopropyl groups through DFT calculations

DFT calculations are employed to compare and contrast six-membered ring carbenes including 1,3-dimethyltetrahydropyrimidin-2-ylidene (1a), 1-methyl-3-cyclopropyltetrahydropyridine-2-ylidene (2a), and 1,3-dicyclopropylcyclohexane-2-ylidene (3a) as well as their unsaturated analogues 1b, 2b, 3b, and 2c. The amino groups exert singlet-triplet energy separation (?E_s−t) of 60.9 kcal/mol to 1a while cyclopropyls induce a ?E_s−t of 14.8 kcal/mol to 3a. The simultaneous presence of amino and cyclopropyl in 2a leads to a ?E_s−t of 43.3 kcal/mol. Unsaturation slightly increases the ?E_s−t of 1a and 3a but not that of 2a. Our thermodynamic, kinetic, and reactivity results are compared with those of synthetic five-membered ring N-heterocyclic carbenes.     

Novel four-component route to the synthesis of spiro[indoline-3,4′-pyridine]-3′-carboxylate derivatives

An effective route to spiro[indoline-3,4′-pyridine]-3′-carboxylate derivatives is described. This involves reaction of isatin, 1-phenyl-2-(1,1,1-triphenyl-λ⁵-phosphanylidene)-1-ethanone, and benzylamine derivatives or aliphatic amines in the presence of alkyl acetoacetate (1,3-dicarbonyl compounds) in dry methanol under reflux conditions. The reactive 1:1 enaminone, which is obtained from the addition of the amine to 1,3-dicarbonyl compound, adds to the α,β-unsaturated ketone, which is formed from the reaction of isatin and 1-phenyl-2-(1,1,1-triphenyl-λ⁵-phosphanylidene)-1-ethanone, to produce the alkyl 1′-benzyl-2′-methyl-2-oxo-6′-phenyl-1′H-spiro[indoline-3,4′-pyridine]-3′-carboxylate derivatives in excellent yields.     

Chemisorption of NH3 at the open ends of boron nitride nanotubes: a DFT study

Considering the thermodynamic aspects and reaction pathways of chemical adsorption of NH₃ molecule at the open ends of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), theoretically, it was found that the open-ended BNNTs are able to cleave the N–H bond of NH₃ via a one- or two-stepwise mechanism. The N-enriched and B-enriched open-ended BNNTs show a nucleophilic and electrophilic behavior toward the NH₃, respectively. Besides, some effects of this chemical adsorption on the electronic properties of BNNTs were explored.     

Decoration of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with NiO nanoparticles and investigation on their catalytic activity to synthesize pyrimidinone heterocycles

A supported carbon material is shown to be a highly efficient, eco-friendly and recyclable solid acid catalyst for the Biginelli reaction of aldehyde, β-ketoester and urea or thiourea under microwave irradiation in the absence of solvent. This method offers significant advantages such as efficiency, the excellent yield, avoidance of the organic solvents, mild reaction conditions, easy separation and simple operation. In addition, because of employing microwave as heating source and reducing use of organic solvents, this novel method emerges as a green-approach leading to less harmful residues. Furthermore, a mechanism was proposed to rationalize the reaction and the role of NiO–MWCNTs was also investigated in these transformations.     

C-20 ketone reduction of hydrocortisone by rice field microalga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlorella vulgaris</Emphasis> MCCS 013

A unicellular microalga, Chlorella vulgaris, was isolated from rice field and applied in the biotransformation experiment of hydrocortisone (1). This strain has not been previously tested for hydrocortisone bioconversion. Fermentation was carried out in BG-11 medium supplemented with 0.05% substrate at 25°C for 14 days incubation. The products obtained were chromatographically purified followed by their characterization using spectroscopic methods. 11β,17α,20β,21-Tetrahydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (2), 11β,17β-dihydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one (3), and 11β-hydroxyandrost-4-ene-3,17-dione (4) were the main bioproducts in the hydrocortisone bioconversion. Bioreaction characteristics observed were 20-ketone reduction for accumulation of compound 2 and side chain degradation of the substrate to prepare compounds 3 and 4. Time course study showed the accumulation of the product 2 from the second day of the fermentation and 3 as well as 4 from the third day. All the metabolites reached their maximum concentration in seven days. Microalgal 18S rRNA gene was also amplified by PCR. PCR products were sequenced to confirm their authenticity as 18S rRNA gene of microalgae. The result of PCR blasted with other sequenced microalgae in NCBI showed 100% homology to the 18S small subunit rRNA of six strains of Chlorella vulgaris.     

KAl(SO4)2 · 12H2O (alum) a reusable catalyst for the synthesis of some 4-substituted coumarins via Pechmann reaction under solvent-free conditions

A simple, efficient, and practical procedure for the Pechmann condensation using KAl(SO₄)₂ · 12H₂O (alum) as a non-toxic, reusable, inexpensive, and easily available catalyst is described under solvent-free condition at 65°C. These improved reaction conditions allow the preparation of a wide variety of some new substituted coumarins in high yields (86–96%) and purity under mild reaction conditions. Compared to the classical Pechmann condensation, this new method consistently has the advantage of high yields. Correspondence: Ali A. Mohammadi, Department of Chemistry, Shahid Beheshti University, P.O. Box 19839-4716, Tehran, Iran.