On Bicategories of Relations and Pullback Spans

In this paper, we study relations in general categories. Our approach requires that these must have finite products and factorization systems. Klein [5] has obtained a condition for composition of relations to be strictly associative. Here we consider the possibility that associativity only holds up to a coherent isomorphism, in other words that the relations are the morphisms of a bicategory in the sense of Bénabou [2].     

Heteroannulated-9,10-anthracenediones. The synthesis of substituted 5- and 7-chloroanthra[1,9-cd]pyrazol-6(2H)-ones,precursors to anticancer anthrapyrazoles

Synthetic methodologies to a number of 5- and 7-chloroanthra[1,9-cd|pyrazol-6(2H)-ones, 4 and 37 respectively, optionally substituted with side chains at N-2 and dioxy substituents in the A ring, are reported. Reported also are detailed uv, ir and ¹H-nmr spectroscopy for representative compounds.     

Rationally designed pincer-type heck catalysts bearing aminophosphine substituents: Pd IV intermediates and palladium nanoparticles

The aminophosphine-based pincer complexes [C6H3-2,6-(XP(piperidinyl)2)2Pd(Cl)] (X=NH 1; X=O 2) are readily prepared from cheap starting materials by sequential addition of 1,1',1'-phosphinetriyltripiperidine and 1,3-diaminobenzene or resorcinol to solutions of [Pd(cod)(Cl)2] (cod=cyclooctadiene) in toluene under N2 in "one pot". Compounds 1 and 2 proved to be excellent Heck catalysts and allow the quantitative coupling of several electronically deactivated and sterically hindered aryl bromides with various olefins as coupling partners at 140 degrees C within very short reaction times and low catalyst loadings. Increased reaction temperatures also enable the efficient coupling of olefins with electronically deactivated and sterically hindered aryl chlorides in the presence of only 0.01 mol % of catalyst. The mechanistic studies performed rule out that homogeneous Pd 0 complexes are the catalytically active forms of 1 and 2. On the other hand, the involvement of palladium nanoparticles in the catalytic cycle received strong experimental support. Even though pincer-type Pd IV intermediates derived from 1 (and 2) are not involved in the catalytic cycle of the Heck reaction, their general existence as reactive intermediates (for example, in other reactions) cannot be excluded. On the contrary, they were shown to be thermally accessible. Compounds 1 and 2 show a smooth halide exchange with bromobenzene to yield their bromo derivatives in DMF at 100 degrees C. Experimental observations revealed that the halide exchange most probably proceeded via pincer-type Pd IV intermediates. DFT calculations support this hypothesis and indicated that aminophosphine-based pincer-type Pd IV intermediates are generally to be considered as reactive intermediates in reactions with aryl halides performed at elevated temperatures.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of pharmaceutical adulterants in products labeled as botanical dietary supplements or herbal remedies: a review

The increased availability and use of botanical dietary supplements and herbal remedies among consumers has been accompanied by an increased frequency of adulteration of these products with synthetic pharmaceuticals. Unscrupulous producers may add drugs and analogues of various classes, such as phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, weight loss, hypoglycemic, antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory agents, or anabolic steroids, to develop or intensify biological effects of dietary supplements or herbal remedies. The presence of such adulterated products in the marketplace is a worldwide problem and their consumption poses health risks to consumers. Analytical methods that allow rapid and reliable testing of dietary supplements for the presence of synthetic drugs are needed to address such fraudulent practices. Mass spectrometry (MS) and hyphenated techniques such as liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) have become primary tools in this endeavor. The present review critically assesses the role and summarizes the applications of MS in the analysis of pharmaceutical adulterants in botanical dietary supplements and herbal remedies. The uses of MS techniques in detection, confirmation, and quantification of known pharmaceutical adulterants as well as in screening for and structure elucidation of unexpected adulterants and novel designer drugs are discussed.