A novel synthetic method for γ-acetoxy-(E)-α,β-unsaturated esters by the palladium catalyzed regio- and stereoselective acetoxylation of β,γ-unsaturated esters

A new synthetic method for γ-acetoxy-α,β-unsaturated esters by the acetoxylation of β,γ-unsaturated esters catalyzed by PdCl₂ in the presence of KOAc and pentyl nitrite in acetic acid is presented. The reaction takes place at γ-position of the esters regioselectively with double bond migration to α,β-position. The E configuration of the double bond was confirmed by NMR analysis. Preliminary investigation to synthesize pyrenophorin and pyrenophorol using this reaction is described.     

Influence of functional sulfonic acid groups on styrene–divinylbenzene copolymer pyrolysis

The decomposition ratio of cation exchange resin (sulfonated ST-DVB copolymer) after pyrolysis is only 50 wt%, while that of ST-DVB copolymer is 90 wt%. Fundamental experiments were performed to investigate the reason for the low decomposition ratio of the former. The cation resin consists of base polymer (ST-DVB copolymer) and functional sulfonic acid groups. Chemical analyses of the pyrolysis products showed that most of the functional groups decomposed at about 300°C and generated SO₂ gas. However, only a small amount of the base polymer was pyrolyzed even at 600°C and the total decomposition ratio was only 50 wt%. The XPS studies on the residue showed that 35% of the functional sulfonic acid groups was converted to sulfonyl and sulfur bridges between the base polymers during pyrolysis. These bridges made the base polymers, namely ST-DVB copolymer, thermally stable.     

RhI‐Catalyzed Intramolecular Carbonylative C−H/C−I Coupling of 2‐Iodobiphenyls Using Furfural as a Carbonyl Source

Synthesis of fluoren‐9‐ones by a Rh‐catalyzed intramolecular C?H/C?I carbonylative coupling of 2‐iodobiphenyls using furfural as a carbonyl source is presented. The findings indicate that the rate‐determining step is not a C?H bond cleavage but, rather, the oxidative addition of the C?I bond to a Rh^I center.     

Kolbe carbon-carbon coupling electrosynthesis using solid-supported bases

We have developed a novel electrolytic system for Kolbe carbon-carbon coupling electrosynthesis based on the acid-base reaction between carboxylic acids as a substrate and solid-supported bases. On the basis of the electrolytic system, Kolbe electrolysis of various carboxylic acids was successfully carried out to provide the corresponding homocoupling products in moderate to excellent yields.     

Synthesis of spherical silica particles by sol‐gel method and application

Spherical silica particles were synthesized using the sol‐gel method by hydrolyzing tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with an alkali catalyst, and it was investigated how the experimental conditions (the reaction temperature, the concentration and dropping rate of the hydrolysis catalyst solution) affected the size and morphology of silica particles. Furthermore, the silica particles were doped with sodium fluoride to measure their ion release ability. The mean diameters of the silica particles changed according to the reaction temperature and the dropping rate of the hydrolysis catalyst, namely the higher the reaction temperature or the slower the dropping rate the smaller are the mean diameters. The surface area of the silica particles was significantly different depending on the dropping rate of the hydrolysis catalyst, namely the slower the dropping rate the larger the specific surface area. The specific heat capacity and thermal reduction (TG) of the silica particles were significantly different according to the reaction temperature, namely the higher the reaction temperature the lower the specific heat capacity and the TG. It was found that the fluoride‐retaining ability was proportional to the surface area of silica particles. The fluoride ion release was equilibrated on elapsing 5 min. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecular-orbital structure in Be isotopes

The structure of ¹²Be is investigated using a microscopic α+α+4n model based on the molecular-orbit (MO) model. It is shown that the remark-able α-clustering and the contribution of the spin-orbit interaction make the binding of the state with the (3/2^?)²(1/2⁺)² configuration for the valence neutrons properly stronger in comparison with the closed p-shell (3/2^?)²(1/2^?)² configuration. The molecular-like structure of the C isotopes is also investigated using a microscopic α+α+α+n+n+... model.     

Diastereodifferentiating the [2+2] Photocycloaddition of Ethylene to Arylmenthyl Cyclohexenonecarboxylates: Stacking‐Driven Enhancement of the Product Diastereoselectivity That Is Correlated with the Reactant Ellipticity

Upon diastereodifferentiating the [2+2] photocycloaddition of ethylene to a series of p‐substituted (?)‐8‐phenylmenthyl cyclohexenonecarboxylates, the diastereoselectivity was critically controlled by the nature of the substituent introduced to the chiral auxiliary, and the p‐nitro‐substituted substrate afforded the cycloadducts in 90 % diastereomeric excess (de) and with 97 % isolated yield. Detailed experimental and theoretical conformation analyses revealed that the stacking interaction of the aromatic auxiliary with the cyclohexenone moiety plays the decisive role in determining the substrate conformation and is, therefore, responsible for the dramatic enhancement of the de. Of particular interest, the product de was directly related to the ellipticity of the substrate, enabling us to “predict” the de prior to photoirradiation.     

Surface functionalization chemistries on highly sensitive silica-based sensor chips

The surfaces of silica-based sensor chips, designed for evanescent-field-coupled waveguide-mode sensors, were functionalized using various surface chemistries. The immobilization of molecular entities on the functionalized silica surfaces was monitored using various microscopic techniques (scanning electron, fluorescence, and atomic force microscopies). Further, gold nanoparticle-based signal enhancement analyses were performed with protein conjugation on different functionalized surfaces using a waveguide-mode sensor. Based on these analyses, the sensor surfaces modified with glutaraldehyde (Glu) and carbonyldiimidazole were found to be good for molecules of different sizes. In addition, it can be inferred that the Glu-modified surface may be suitable for small molecules with diameters around 5 nm owing to its surface roughness. The modified surface with carbonyldiimidazole is suitable for the direct immobilization of larger molecules especially for biomolecular assemblies without intermediate chemical modifications.     

Synthesis and anticancer activity of polyhydroxylated 18-membered analogue of antimycin A3

A novel polyhydroxylated 18-membered analogue of antimycin A₃ was synthesized. Our synthesis commenced with Boc-l-threonine and was achieved by way of one-pot homocoupling/ring-closing olefin metathesis reaction cascade and Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation. The analogue exhibited a greater anticancer activity against HeLa cells, breast MDA-MB-231 cells, and prostate PC-3 cells compared to the original antimycin A₃.     

Design, construction, and characterization of high-performance membrane fusion devices with target-selectivity

Membrane fusion proteins such as the hemagglutinin glycoprotein have target recognition and fusion accelerative domains, where some synergistically working elements are essential for target-selective and highly effective native membrane fusion systems. In this work, novel membrane fusion devices bearing such domains were designed and constructed. We selected a phenylboronic acid derivative as a recognition domain for a sugar-like target and a transmembrane-peptide (Leu-Ala sequence) domain interacting with the target membrane, forming a stable hydrophobic α-helix and accelerating the fusion process. Artificial membrane fusion behavior between the synthetic devices in which pilot and target liposomes were incorporated was characterized by lipid-mixing and inner-leaflet lipid-mixing assays. Consequently, the devices bearing both the recognition and transmembrane domains brought about a remarkable increase in the initial rate for the membrane fusion compared with the devices containing the recognition domain alone. In addition, a weakly acidic pH-responsive device was also constructed by replacing three Leu residues in the transmembrane-peptide domain by Glu residues. The presence of Glu residues made the acidic pH-dependent hydrophobic α-helix formation possible as expected. The target-selective liposome-liposome fusion was accelerated in a weakly acidic pH range when the Glu-substituted device was incorporated in pilot liposomes. The use of this pH-responsive device seems to be a potential strategy for novel applications in a liposome-based delivery system.