A novel rearrangement reaction in doubly charged ion mass spectra of acetophenone derivatives

A novel rearrangement reaction for a methyl group is found in doubly charged ion mass spectra of p-substituted acetophenone derivatives. The driving force for the reaction is discussed.     

Synthesis of poly (ethylene oxide)-b-polysilane by anionic polymerization of masked disilenes using a macroinitiator method

Poly(ethylene oxide-)-poly(1, 1-dimethyl-2, 2-dihexyldisilene) block copolymers (PEO-b-PMHS) were synthesized by the anionic polymerization of masked disilenes initiated with the potassium alkoxide of poly(ethylene glycol). The block copolymer self-assembled into polymer micelles in water accompanied by a transition in the polysilane conformation.     

Beta-1,3-glucan polysaccharides as novel one-dimensional hosts for DNA/RNA, conjugated polymers and nanoparticles

Beta-1,3-glucan polysaccharides have triple-stranded helical structures whose sense and pitch are comparable to those of polynucleotides. We recently revealed that the beta-1,3-glucans could interact with certain polynucleotides to form triple-stranded and helical macromolecular complexes consisting of two polysaccharide-strands and one polynucleotide-strand. This unique property of the beta-1,3-glucans has made it possible to utilize these polysaccharides as potential carriers for various functional polynucleotides. In particular, cell-uptake efficiency of the resultant polysaccharide/polynucleotide complexes was remarkably enhanced when functional groups recognized in a biological system were introduced as pendent groups. The beta-1,3-glucans can also interact with various one-dimensional architectures, such as single-walled carbon nanotubes, to produce unique nanocomposites, in which the single-walled carbon nanotubes are entrapped within the helical superstructure of beta-1,3-glucans. Various conductive polymers and gold nanoparticles are also entrapped within the helical superstructure in a similar manner. In addition, diacetylene monomers entrapped within the helical superstructure can be photo-polymerized to afford the corresponding poly(diacetylene)-nanofibers with a uniform diameter. These findings indicate that the beta-1,3-glucans are very attractive and useful materials not only in biotechnology but also in nanotechnology. These unique properties of the beta-1,3-glucans undoubtedly originate from their inherent, very strong helix-forming character which has never been observed for other polysaccharides.     

Determination of fluorine in standard rocks by photon activation analysis

A highly sensitive determination of fluorine in standard rocks by photon activation using the¹⁹F(,n)¹⁸F reaction combined with pyrohydrolysis for the separation of¹⁸F has been reported. The irradiation energy was operated at 20 MeV to avoid the interference from Na, because Na is one of the major element in rocks and¹⁸F is also produced from Na via²³Na(,n)¹⁸F reaction above its threshold energy, 20.9 MeV. After irradiation, fluorine was extracted by pyrohydrolysis and separated as LaF₃ precipitate. It was ascertained that the average recovery of fluorine in standard rocks was about 90% and the precipitate was of high radiochemical purity. This method was applied to the analysis of ten GSJ rock reference samples and two USGS standard rocks issued by the Geological Survey of Japan and the United States Geological Survey, respectively. The detection limit of this method was 0.02 g/g, and the results obtained by this method were in good agreement with the recommended values. This method was easily applied to the determination of a few ppm level of fluorine in rock samples, such as ultrabasic rock and feldspar.     

Regiospecific allylation of acetals with allylsilanes catalyzed by iodotrimethylsilane. Synthesis of homoallylethers

Allylation of acetals with allylsilanes is catalyzed by iodotrimethylsilane to give the corresponding homoallyl ethers, with regiospecific transposition of the allyl group.     

A Dodecalanthanide Wheel Supported by p‐tert‐Butylsulfonylcalix[4]arene

A dodecaholmium wheel of [Ho₁₂(L)₆(mal)₄(AcO)₄(H₂O)₁₄] ( 1 ; mal=malonate) was synthesized by using p‐tert‐butylsulfonylcalix[4]arene (H₄L) as a cluster‐forming ligand. The wheel consists of three fragments of mononuclear A^3? ([Ho(L)(mal)(H₂O)]^3?), trinuclear B^3? ([Ho(H₂O)₂(mal)(Ho(L)(AcO))₂]^3?), and C³⁺ ([Ho(H₂O)₂]³⁺), and an alternate arrangement of these fragments (A^3?? C³⁺? B^3?? C³⁺? A^3?? C³⁺? B^3?? C³⁺? ) results in a wheel structure. The longest and shortest diameters of the core were estimated to be 17.7562(16) and 13.6810(13) Å, respectively, and the saddle‐shaped molecule possesses a pocketlike cavity inside.     

Proposed mechanism for the reaction catalyzed by a diterpene cyclase,aphidicolan-16beta-ol synthase: experimental results on biomimetic cyclization and examination of the cyclization pathway by ab initio calculations

To examine the mechanism of the cyclization reaction catalyzed by aphidicolan-16beta-ol synthase (ACS), which is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of diterpene aphidicolin, a specific inhibitor of DNA polymerase alpha, skeletal rearrangement of 2a and biomimetic cyclization of 4b were employed. The structures of the reaction products, which reflect penultimate cation intermediates, allowed us to propose a detailed reaction pathway for the Lewis acid-catalyzed cyclizations and rearrangements. Isolation of these products in an aphidicolin-producing fungus led us to speculate that the mechanism of the ACS-catalyzed cyclization reaction is the same as that of a nonenzymatic reaction. Ab initio calculations of the acid-catalyzed reaction intermediates and the transition states indicate that the overall reaction catalyzed by ACS is an exothermic process though the reaction proceeds via an energetically disfavored secondary cation-like transition state. In conjunction with the solvent effect in the acid-catalyzed reactions, this indicates that the actual role of ACS is to provide a template which enforces conformations of the intermediate cations leading to the productive cyclization although it has been believed that the cation-pi interaction between cation intermediates and aromatic amino acid residues in the active site is important for the enzymatic catalysis. This study provided important information on the role of various cationic species, especially secondary cation-like structures, in both nonenzymatic and enzymatic reactions.     

Synthesis of Optically Active P‐Chiral and Optically Inactive Oligophosphines

A series of optically active P‐chiral oligophosphines (S,R,R,S)‐ 2 , (S,R,S,S,R,S)‐ 3 , (S,R,S,R,R,S,R,S)‐ 4 , and (S,R,S,R,S,R,R,S,R,S,R,S)‐ 5 with four, six, eight, and 12 chiral phosphorus atoms, respectively, were successfully synthesized by a step‐by‐step oxidative‐coupling reaction from (S,S)‐ 1 . The corresponding optically inactive oligophosphines 1′ – 5′ were also prepared. Their properties were characterized by DSC, XRD, and optical‐rotation analyses. While optically active bisphosphine (S,S)‐ 1 and tetraphosphine (S,R,R,S)‐ 2 behaved as small molecules, octaphosphine (S,R,S,R,R,S,R,S)‐ 4 and dodecaphosphine (S,R,S,R,S,R,R,S,R,S,R,S)‐ 5 exhibited the features of a polymer. Furthermore, DSC and XRD analyses showed that hexaphosphine (S,R,S,S,R,S)‐ 3 is an intermediate between a small molecule and a polymer. Comparison of optically active oligophosphines 1 – 5 with the corresponding optically inactive oligophosphines 1′ – 5′ revealed that the optically active phosphines have higher crystallinity than the optically inactive counterparts. It is considered that the properties of oligophosphines depend on the enantiomeric purity as well as the oligomer chain length.     

Chemistry of organosilicon compounds 118. Novel ring contraction reaction of (η4-1,2-disilacyclohexadiene)iron tricarbonyls

1,1,2,2-Dimethyl-3,6-diphenyl-1,2-disilacyclohexadiene reacts with iron pentacarbonyl or diiron nonacarbonyl to give the corresponding (diene)iron tricarbonyl complex which undergoes novel ring contraction reaction to (η⁴-1,1-dimethyl-2,5-diphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene)iron tricarbonyl on thermolysis at 160°C. Similar results were observed with 1,1,2,2-tetramethyl-3,4,5,6-tetraphenyl-1,2-disilacyclohexadiene.