Racemic but tropos (chirally flexible) BIPHEP ligands for Rh(I)-complexes: highly enantioselective ene-type cyclization of 1,6-enynes

[reaction: see text] The tropos (chirally flexible) or atropos (chirally rigid) nature of BIPHEP-Rh complexes at room temperature critically depends on the amines complexed. The aliphatic DPEN complex is atropos, whereas the aromatic DABN complex is tropos. BIPHEP-Rh chirality can thus be controlled by DABN at room temperature. The amine-free BIPHEP-Rh complex is tropos. At 5 degrees C, even amine-free BIPHEP-Rh complexes are atropos and hence can be used as enantiopure catalysts to give high enantioselectivity in ene-type cyclization of 1,6-enynes.     

Search for CP violation in the decay B0-->D*+/-D-/+

We report a search for CP-violating asymmetry in B0-->D(*+/-)D-/+ decays. The analysis employs two methods of B0 reconstruction: full and partial. In the full reconstruction method all daughter particles of the B0 are required to be detected; the partial reconstruction technique requires a fully reconstructed D- and only a slow pion from the D(*+)-->D0pi(+)(slow) decay. From a fit to the distribution of the time interval corresponding to the distance between two B meson decay points we calculate the CP-violating parameters and find the significance of nonzero CP asymmetry to be 2.7 standard deviations.     

Supramolecular nanocarrier of siRNA from PEG-based block catiomer carrying diamine side chain with distinctive pKa directed to enhance intracellular gene silencing

An siRNA nanocarrier formed through self-assembly of PEG-based block catiomer possessing two distinct amino groups with different pKa values in a side chain was developed. This design provided the carrier with a sufficient siRNA complexation and an assumed buffering capacity in the endosomes, allowing it to exhibit remarkable gene knockdown abilities as well as sufficient serum tolerability.     

Ni-catalyzed, ZnCl(2)-assisted domino coupling of enones, alkynes, and alkenes

A Ni(0)/ZnCl(2) system effectively promotes the coupling of enones and alkene-tethered alkynes. In the reaction with 1,6-enynes, the oxidative cyclization of Ni(0) species on enones across the alkyne part followed by ZnCl(2)-promoted cleavage generates alkenylnickel intermediates. Subsequent migratory insertion of the tethered alkene occurs with 5-exo-cyclization. When the resulting sigma-alkylnickel intermediates have beta-hydrogen atoms, the reaction terminates by beta-hydrogen elimination to provide cyclopentane derivatives. On the other hand, a sigma-alkylnickel intermediate that does not have beta-hydrogen atoms undergoes the insertion of a second alkene unit to cause a domino effect via a three-fold C-C bond formation process with and without the cleavage of one C-C bond.     

Selective cross-catenation of Pd(II) and Pt(II) coordination rings

The reversible cross-catenation of two different coordination rings (Pd(II)- and Pt(II)-linked rings) has been achieved by using the labile nature of the Pd-N interaction and efficient hydrophobic contact between the rings.     

Chiral Ru-based complexes for asymmetric olefin metathesis: enhancement of catalyst activity through steric and electronic modifications

Design, synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity of six enantiomerically pure Ru-based metathesis catalysts are disclosed (3a-3f). The new chiral catalysts were prepared through steric and electronic alterations of the parent catalyst system (3). The present studies indicate that the effect of structural modifications of chiral complex 3 does not always correspond to those of the related achiral complexes. The present findings illustrate that modified Ru complexes (3e and 3f) deliver reactivity levels that are more than 2 orders of magnitude higher than 3. Reactivity and physical data are provided that shed light on the origin of activity differences. Some members of the new generation of chiral Ru catalysts promote asymmetric ring-opening (AROM) and ring-closing (ARCM) metatheses that cannot be effected by the first generation chiral catalyst (3).     

Switching by pulse electric field of the elevated enzymatic reaction in the core of polyion complex micelles

Polyion complex micelles entrapping enzyme molecules in the core provide a unique reaction field inducing a remarkable elevation of enzymatic reactivity through a drastic change in the binding specificity between the enzyme and substrate. On-off switching of this enhanced effect was achieved through the destabilization of the core domain by applying a pulse electric field.     

Proton-sensitive fluorescent organogels

A 1,10-phenanthroline-appended cholesterol-based gelator (1) and its nongelling reference compound (2) were synthesized. Among 19 solvents tested herein, gelator 1 could gelate 11 solvents including alcohols, dipolar aprotic solvents, organic acids and a base (triethylamine), indicating that 1 acts as a versatile gelator. The TEM observation gave a visual image showing that fibrillar aggregates are entangled in the three-dimensional network structure. In the fluorescence measurements, most gels afforded an emission maximum at 394 nm (purple emission), whereas only the acetic acid gel afforded an emission maximum at 522 nm (yellow emission). Thus, the influence of protonation of the 1,10-phenanthroline nitrogens (by trifluoroacetic acid) on the fluorescence properties in the gel phase was investigated in detail. The results have established that the fluorescence intensity of 1 x H+ becomes particularly strong in the gel phase, presumably because of the energy transfer from neutral 1* to protonated 1 x H+ and the restriction of the 1 x H+ molecular motion. The finding suggests the possibility that the gel system would be useful not only as a new proton-sensitive fluorescence system but also as a new medium for designing efficient energy transfer systems.     

FS-property for -algebras

A -algebra is said to have the FS-property if the set of all self-adjoint elements in has a dense subset of elements with finite spectrum. We shall show that this property is not stable under taking the minimal -tensor products even in case of separable nuclear -algebras.