Stereospecific polymerization of benzyl vinyl ether by BF3·OEt2

Polymerization of benzyl vinyl ether was carried out by BF₃·OEt₂, and the effects of polymerization conditions on the stereoregularity of the polymer were studied by NMR analysis. The polymerization at ?78°C in toluene gave a highly isotactic polymer. The isotacticity of the polymer was independent of the catalyst concentration but increased with a decrease in the initial monomer concentration and decreased slightly on raising the reaction temperature. When the polymerizations were carried out in toluene—nitroethane mixtures, a gradual decrease in the isotacticity and a rapid decrease in the molecular weight of the polymer were observed with increasing nitroethane in the solvent. The molecular weight of the polymer was almost constant, regardless of the catalyst concentration, and increased with increasing initial monomer concentration and decreasing polymerization temperature. When the polymerization was performed in toluene at ?78°C with a small amount of water or benzyl alcohol, a linear relationship was found between the reciprocal DP of the polymer and water or benzylalcohol concentration. The mechanisms of the initiation reaction and the stereoregulation in the polymerization were also discussed.     

Preparation and properties of biocomposites composed of bio‐based epoxy resin,tannic acid,and microfibrillated cellulose

As new bio‐based epoxy resin systems, glycerol polyglycidyl ether (GPE) and sorbitol polyglycidyl ether (SPE) were cured with tannic acid (TA) at various conditions. When the curing conditions were optimized for the improvement of thermal and mechanical properties, the most balanced properties were obtained for the GPE/TA and SPE/TA cured at 160 °C for 2–3 h at the epoxy/hydroxyl ratio of 1/1. The cured SPE/TA had a higher glass transition temperature (T_g) and tensile strength than the cured GPE/TA. Next, biocomposites of GPE/TA and SPE/TA with microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) were prepared by mixing aqueous solution of the epoxy/curing reagent with MFC, and subsequent drying and curing at the optimized condition. For both the GPE/TA/MFC and SPE/TA/MFC biocomposites, T_g and the storage modulus at rubbery plateau region increased with increasing MFC content over the studied range of 3–15 wt %. The tensile strength at 25 °C for GPE/TA/MFC biocomposite with MFC content 10 wt % was 76% higher than that of control GPE/TA, while the tensile modulus was little improved. On the other hand, the tensile strength and modulus of SPE/TA/MFC biocomposite with MFC content 10 wt % were 30 and 55% higher than those of control SPE/TA, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 425–433, 2010     

Two new glycosides from the whole plants of Glechoma hederacea L

Two new glycosides, 7S,7'S,8R,8'R-icariol A(2)-9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 4-allyl-2-hydroxyphenyl 1-O-beta-D-apiosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), were isolated from the dried whole plants of Glechoma hederacea L. (Labiatae) together with four known compounds, cistanoside E (3), dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), apigenin 7-O-beta-D-glucuronopyranoside (5) and luteolin 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (6). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectral analysis.     

Synthesis of immunoregulatory Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide partial structures

The synthesis of immunoregulatory glycoconjugates, namely the active entity of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Helicobacter pylori was achieved. The results of biological activities of the LPS partial structures provide the structural basis for the immunobiological activity, especially for the immune inhibitory activity of H. pylori LPS.     

Algorithm for advanced canonical coding of planar chemical structures that considers stereochemical and symmetric information

We describe a rigorous and fast algorithm for advanced canonical coding of planar chemical structures based on the algorithm of Faulon et al. (J. Chem. Inf. Comput. Sci. 2004, 44, 427-436). Our algorithm works well even for highly symmetric structures; moreover, an advantage of our algorithm includes providing a rigorous canonical numbering of atoms with a consideration of stereochemistry and recognizing symmetric moieties. The planar structural line notation with the canonical numbering is also fit for use with stereochemical line notation. These capabilities are usable for general purposes in chemical structural coding and are particularly essential for detecting equivalent atoms in NMR studies. This algorithm was implemented on a 13C NMR chemical shift prediction system CAST/CNMR. Applications of the algorithm to several organic compounds demonstrate the practical efficiency of the rigorous coding.     

Computational SN2‐Type Mechanism for the Difluoromethylation of Lithium Enolate with Fluoroform through Bimetallic C−F Bond Dual Activation

The reaction mechanism for difluoromethylation of lithium enolates with fluoroform was analyzed computationally (DFT calculations with the artificial force induced reaction (AFIR) method and solvation model based on density (SMD) solvation model (THF)), showing an S_N2‐type carbon–carbon bond formation; the “bimetallic” lithium enolate and lithium trifluoromethyl carbenoid exert the C?F bond “dual” activation, in contrast to the monometallic butterfly‐shaped carbenoid in the Simmons–Smith reaction. Lithium enolates, generated by the reaction of 2 equiv. of lithium hexamethyldisilazide (rather than 1 or 3 equiv.) with the cheap difluoromethylating species fluoroform, are the most useful alkali metal intermediates for the synthesis of pharmaceutically important α‐difluoromethylated carbonyl products.     

Exhaustively methylated azacalix[4]arene: preparation, conformation, and crystal structure with exclusively CH/pi-controlled crystal architecture

[structure: see text]. Described are the preparation, conformation, and crystal structure of exhaustively methylated azacalix[4]arene involving nitrogen atoms as bridging units. NMR and X-ray crystallographic analysis have demonstrated that this novel azacalix[4]arene adopts a 1,3-alternate conformation both in solution and in the solid state. The crystal structure has been characterized solely by intermolecular CH/pi interactions, by which the azacalix[4]arenes mutually interact with each other outside the cavity to furnish a two-dimensional network structure.     

Analysis of neutral oligosaccharides for structural characterization by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry

We have acquired multi-stage mass spectra (MSn) of four branched N-glycans derived from human serum IgG by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-QIT-TOF-MS) in order to demonstrate high sensitivity structural analysis. [M+H]+ and [M+Na]+ ions were detected in the positive mode. The detection limit of [M+Na]+ in MS/MS and MS3 measurements for structural analysis was found to be 100 fmol, better than that for [M+H]+. The [M+H]+ ions subsequently fragmented to produce predominantly a Y series of fragments, whereas [M+Na]+ ions fragmented to give a complex mixture of B and Y ions together with some cross-ring fragments. Three features of MALDI-QIT-CID fragmentation of [M+Na]+ were cleared by the analysis of MS/MS, MS3 and MS4 spectra: (1) the fragment ions resulting from the breaking of a bond are more easily generated than that from multi-bond dissociation; (2) the trimannosyl-chitobiose core is either hardly dissociated, easily ionized or it is easy to break a bond between N-acetylglucosamine and mannose; (3) the fragmentation by loss of only galactose from the non-reducing terminus is not observed. We could determine the existence ratios of candidates for each fragment ion in the MS/MS spectrum of [M+Na]+ by considering these features. These results indicate that MSn analysis of [M+Na]+ ions is more useful for the analysis of complicated oligosaccharide structures than MS/MS analysis of [M+H]+, owing to the higher sensitivity and enhanced structural information. Furthermore, two kinds of glycans, with differing branch structures, could be distinguished by comparing the relative fragment ion abundances in the MS3 spectrum of [M+Na]+. These analyses demonstrate that the MSn technology incorporated in MALDI-QIT-TOF-MS can facilitate the elucidation of structure of complex branched oligosaccharides.     

Spontaneous Enantiomeric Resolution in a Fluid Smectic Phase of a Racemate

Right- and left-handed homochiral domains segregate in a fluid smectic phase of the racemic (R*,S*)-β-Me-TFMHPOBC analogue shown. This CF₃-containing liquid crystalline compound exhibits an electrooptic response in a homogeneous cell, although no macroscopic dipole is expected to exist. Moreover, the homeotropic cells of this material exhibit striped domains, which are associated with fine stripes having two opposite tilt senses with respect to the predominant stripes.