Sequential protocol for C(sp3)-H carboxylation with CO2: transition-metal-catalyzed benzylic C-H silylation and fluoride-mediated carboxylation

One of the most challenging transformations in current organic chemistry is the catalytic carboxylation of a C(sp(3))-H bond using CO(2) gas, an inexpensive and ubiquitous C1 source. A sequential protocol for C(sp(3))-H carboxylation by employing a nitrogen-directed, metal-assisted, C-H activation/catalytic silylation reaction in conjunction with fluoride-mediated carboxylation with CO(2) was established. The carboxylation proceeded only at the benzylic C(sp(3))-Si bond, not at the aromatic C(sp(2))-Si, which is advantageous for further manipulations of the products.     

One‐Pot/Sequential Native Chemical Ligation Using N‐Sulfanylethylanilide Peptide

N‐Sulfanylethylanilide (SEAlide) peptides were developed with the aim of achieving facile synthesis of peptide thioesters by 9‐fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc)‐based solid‐phase peptide synthesis (Fmoc SPPS). Initially, SEAlide peptides were found to be converted to the corresponding peptide thioesters under acidic conditions. However, the SEAlide moiety was proved to function as a thioester in the presence of phosphate salts and to participate in native chemical ligation (NCL) with N‐terminal cysteinyl peptides, and this has served as a powerful protein synthesis methodology. The reactivity of a SEAlide peptide (anilide vs. thioester) can be easily tuned with or without the use of phosphate salts. This interesting property of SEAlide peptides allows sequential three‐fragment or unprecedented four‐fragment ligation for efficient one‐pot peptide/protein synthesis. Furthermore, dual‐kinetically controlled ligation, which enables three peptide fragments simultaneously present in the reaction to be ligated in the correct order, was first achieved using a SEAlide peptide. Beyond our initial expectations, SEAlide peptides have served in protein chemistry fields as very useful crypto‐peptide thioesters. DOI 10.1002/tcr.201200007     

Strong and selective binding of amiloride to an abasic site in RNA duplexes: thermodynamic characterization and microRNA detection

Firmly tied: The binding affinity of amiloride for an abasic (AP) site-containing RNA duplex is two orders of magnitude superior to the affinity of the corresponding AP site-containing DNA duplex. The observed high binding affinity for the RNA duplex arises from a favorable enthalpy gain. The binding-induced fluorescence response of amiloride is applicable to microRNA detection.     

Can a meso-type dinuclear complex be chiral?: dinuclear β-diketonato Ru(III) complexes

Dinuclear Ru(III) complexes, [Ru(III)(acac)(2)(dabe)Ru(III)(acac)(2)] (acacH = acetylacetone; dabeH(2) = 1, 2-diacetyl-1,2-dibenzoylethane) and [Ru(III)(acac)(2)(tbet)Ru(III)(acac)(2)] (tbetH(2) = 1,1,2,2-tetrabenzoylethane) were synthesized by reacting [Ru(acac)(2)(CH(3)CN)(2)]PF(6) with dabeH(2) and tbetH(2) respectively, in toluene. The X-ray structural analysis of a meso-type dinuclear Ru(III) complex, ΔΛ-[Ru(III)(acac)(2)(dabe)Ru(III)(acac)(2)], showed that the bridging part became chiral due to the orthogonal twisting of two non-symmetrical β-diketonato moieties. To confirm this conclusion, the complex was resolved chromatographically to provide a pair of optical antipodes. Such chirality in the bridging part was not generated for [Ru(III)(acac)(2)(tbet)Ru(III)(acac)(2)], because the β-diketonato moieties in tbet(2-) are symmetrical.     

Terpyridine platinum(ii) complexes containing triazine di- or tri-thiolate bridges: structures, luminescence, electrochemistry, and aggregation

Dinuclear complexes [{Pt(trpy)}(2)(L)](PF(6))(2) (trpy = 2,2':6',2'-terpyridine, L = 2-octylthio-1,3,5-triazine-4,6-dithiolate ion (1), L = 2-octadecylthio-1,3,5-triazine-4,6-dithiolate ion (2), L = 2-di-n-butylamino-1,3,5-triazine-4,6-dithiolate ion (3)) and a trinuclear complex [{Pt(trpy)}(3)(L)](PF(6))(3) (L = 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trithiolate ion (4)) have been synthesized and characterized. The single crystal X-ray analysis revealed that the two {Pt(trpy)}(2+) fragments in 1 and 3 adopt a syn-configuration. The PtPt distances are around 4.3 ?, suggesting no intramolecular PtPt interactions. Complexes 1-4 in acetonitrile show broad absorption bands at around 470 nm, assigned to mainly the ligand-to-ligand charge transfer ((1)LLCT) from triazine thiolates to trpy based on the comparison to the related complexes and the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The red luminescence of 1-4 in acetonitrile is attributable to emission predominantly from (3)LLCT. Cyclic voltammograms of 1-3 exhibit four redox couples from -2.0 V to 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The two consecutive processes at around -0.70 V are assigned to the sequential reduction of two trpy ligands. This assignment was further supported by the observation of the anion radical of trpy in spectroelectrochemical experiments. The splitting of the redox potentials of two trpy ligands evidences the moderate electronic coupling interactions mediated by the triazine dithiolate bridges. Complex 2 formed a transparent red gel in CH(3)CN, whereas 4 produced a gel-like solid in the mixtures of CH(3)CN and other solvents. The interactions dominating the aggregative behaviours have been discussed based on the results of electronic absorption and emission spectroscopy.