Crucial role of three-center hydrogen bonding in a challenging chiral molecular recognition

The enantio-discrimination of beta-chiral primary ammonium ions is achieved by a rational approach that utilizes three-center (bifurcated) hydrogen bonding. The extraction experiments on various selected guests reveal that the bifurcated H-bonding plays a crucial role for the chiral discrimination. The X-ray data obtained for an inclusion complex substantiate such interactions. Using the bifurcated H-bonding, the chiral molecular recognition with our C(3)-symmetric tripodal oxazoline receptors is extended generally toward ammonium ions of alpha-, beta-, and alpha,beta-chiral amines. Simple molecular models, evoking the bifurcated H-bonding, explain the chiral discrimination modes.     

Syntheses of 1beta-methylcarbapenems bearing 5-methyl-4-hydroxypyrrolidinone

A new series of 1beta-methylcarbapenems 1a-d bearing 5-methyl-4-mercaptopyrrolidinone rings has been prepared and evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity and pharmacokinetic parameters. Most compounds showed excellent antibacterial activity and high stability to dehydropeptidase-1. We have synthesized optically active 5-methyl-4-hydroxypyrrolidinones from enantiomerically pure aziridine esters.     

Preparation of Silver Nanoparticles through Alcohol Reduction with Organoalkoxysilanes

Silver nanoparticles of narrow size distribution were prepared through the chemical reduction in an alcohol solution with several organoalkoxysilanes. In this system, organoalkoxysilanes served as a stabilizer, protecting silver nanoparticles from aggregation. The changes in size and morphology of colloidal silver nanoparticles were investigated with the addition of organoalkoxysilanes such as 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS), methyltriethoxysilane (MTS), phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTS), vinyltriethoxysilane (VTS), and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPS) as stabilizers. The organic functional groups of organoalkoxysilanes interact with silver ions and clusters, which stabilize silver nanoparticles in the system. The silver nanoparticles obtained were characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy, etc.     

Computer-assisted optimization of reversed-phase HPLC isocratic separation of neutral compounds

An appropriate optimization strategy should be used to find a desired resolution or selectivity with a minimum number of experiments in a limited time, which could assure the baseline separation of all target compounds. It was usually realized by means of a specialized computer program. In this paper, mapping optimization method and overlapping resolution mapping were compared for the optimization of a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) isocratic separation of neutral compounds. The calculated resolutions and separation time of 7 to 10 experiments are fitted by different equations, which were used to build a contour plot with a minimum effective resolution and maximum retention time as a function of a mobile phase composition. The balance between resolution and analysis time could be easily realized by the overlapping of the final overlapping resolution mapping and analysis time mapping. The validity of the two methods was confirmed by some typical experiments. The models are simple, visual, and common without theoretical arithmetic.     

Trends in metal-biradical exchange interaction for first-row M(II)(nitronyl nitroxide-semiquinone) complexes

We report molecular structures and temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility data for several new metal complexes of heterospin triplet ground-state biradical ligands. The ligands are comprised of both nitronyl-nitroxide (NN) and semiquinone (SQ) spin carriers. Five compounds are five-coordinate M(II) complexes (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn), and one is a six-coordinate Ni(II) complex. Five compounds were structurally characterized. During copper complex formation a reaction with methanol occurs to form a unique methoxy-substituted SQ ring. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility studies are consistent with strong intraligand (NN-SQ and NN-PhSQ) ferromagnetic exchange coupling. For the five-coordinate Mn, Co, and Ni complexes, the S = 1 ligand is antiferromagnetically coupled to the metal. For both the five-coordinate Cu complex and the six-coordinate Ni complex, the ligand is ferromagnetically coupled to the metal spins in accordance with orbital symmetry arguments. Despite the low molecular symmetries, the predicted trend in metal-ligand exchange interactions is supported by spin dimer analysis based on extended Hückel calculations. For (NN-SQ)NiTp(Cum,Me)() (Tp(Cum,Me)() = hydro-tris(3-cumenyl-5-methylpyrazolyl)borate), an antisymmetric exchange term was required for the best fit of the magnetic susceptibility data. Antisymmetric exchange was less important for the other complexes due to inherently smaller Deltag. Finally, it is shown that intraligand exchange coupling is of paramount importance in stabilizing high-spin states of mixed metal-biradical complexes.     

Conformational dependence of the intrinsic acidity of the aspartic acid residue sidechain in N-acetyl- -aspartic acid-N′-methylamide

The sidechain conformational potential energy hypersurfaces (PEHS) for the γ_L, β_L, α_L, and α_D backbone conformations of N-acetyl- -aspartate-N′-methylamide were generated. Of the 81 possible conformers initially expected for the aspartate residue, only seven were found after geometric optimizations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. No stable conformers could be located in the δ_L, _L, γ_D, δ_D, and _D backbone conformations. The ‘adiabatic’ deprotonation energies for the endo and exo forms of N-acetyl- -aspartic acid-N′-methylamide were calculated by comparing their optimized relative energies against those found for the seven stable conformers of N-acetyl- -aspartate-N′-methylamide. Sidechain conformational PEHSs were also generated for the estimation of ‘vertical’ deprotonation energies for both endo and exo forms of N-acetyl- -aspartic acid-N′-methylamide. All backbone–sidechain (N–H⁻O–C) and backbone–backbone (N–HO=C) hydrogen bond interactions were analyzed. A total of two backbone–backbone and four backbone–sidechain interactions were found for N-acetyl- -aspartate-N′-methylamide. The deprotonated sidechain of N-acetyl- -aspartate-N′-methylamide may allow the aspartyl residue to form strong hydrogen bond interactions (since it is negatively charged) which may be significant in such processes as protein–ligand recognition and ligand binding. As a primary example, the molecular geometry of the aspartyl residue may be important in peptide folding, such as that in the RGD tripeptide.     

Reexamination of the magnetic properties of Cu(2)(dca)(4)(2,5-me(2)pyz) [dca = dicyanamide; me(2)pyz = dimethylpyrazine]: isolated spin-1/2 dimers versus long-range magnetic ordering

The magnetic properties of Cu(2)(dca)(4)(2,5-me(2)pyz) have been reexamined. The extended structure of Cu(2)(dca)(4)(2,5-me(2)pyz) can be viewed in terms of Cu(2)(2,5-me(2)pyz)(4+) dimer units interconnected via mu(1,5)-dca ligands. The bulk magnetic susceptibility chi(T) and the isothermal M(H) of Cu(2)(dca)(4)(2,5-me(2)pyz) are shown to be well described by an isolated dimer model. This finding was confirmed by carrying out a spin dimer analysis based on tight-binding calculations, which shows that the 2,5-me(2)pyz ligand provides a substantial spin exchange interaction between the Cu(2+) ions while the dca ligands do not.     

Effect of changing electrophilic center from C=O to C=S on rates and mechanism: pyridinolyses of O-2,4-dinitrophenyl thionobenzoate and its oxygen analogue

Second-order rate constants have been measured spectrophotometrically for the reactions of O-2,4-dinitrophenyl thionobenzoate (1) and 2,4-dinitrophenyl benzoate (2) with a series of substituted pyridines in 80 mol % H(2)O/20 mol % DMSO at 25.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C. The Br?nsted-type plots obtained are nonlinear with beta(1) = 0.26, beta(2) = 1.07, and pK(a) degrees = 7.5 for the reactions of 1 and beta(1) = 0.40, beta(2) = 0.90, and pK(a) degrees = 9.5 for the reactions of 2, suggesting that the pyridinolyses of 1 and 2 proceed through a zwiterionic tetrahedral intermediate T(+/-) with a change in the rate-determining step at pK(a) degrees = 7.5 and 9.5, respectively. The thiono ester 1 is more reactive than its oxygen analogue 2 except for the reaction with the strongest basic pyridine studied (pK(a) = 11.30). The k(1) value is larger for the reactions of 1 than for those of 2 in the low pK(a) region, but the difference in the k(1) value becomes negligible with increasing the basicity of pyridines. On the other hand, 1 exhibits slightly larger k(2)/k(-1) ratio than 2 in the low pK(a) region but the difference in the k(2)/k(-1) ratio becomes more significant with increasing the basicity of pyridines. Pyridines are more reactive than alicyclic secondary amines of similar basicity toward 2 in the pK(a) above ca. 7.2 but less reactive in the pK(a) below ca. 7.2. The k(1) value is slightly larger, but the k(2)/k(-1) ratio is much smaller for the reactions of 2 with pyridines than with isobasic secondary amines in the low pK(a) region, which is responsible for the fact that the weakly basic pyridines are less reactive than isobasic secondary amines.     

NBS-Promoted reactions of symmetrically hindered methylphenols via p-benzoquinone methide

Symmetrically hindered methylphenols 1 react smoothly with NBS to form transient intermediates, p-benzoquinone methides (BM), which can be further processed to give hydroxybenzaldehydes in the presence of DMSO. This reaction is initiated by the formation of the phenoxy radical, followed by disproportionation to afford BM. None of the side-chain-brominated product is observed. The existence of BM is supported by the following observations: the formation of BM in solution can be monitored by GC and GC-MS; the electrophilic methine part participates in electrophilic aromatic substitution with anisoles to give hydroxybenzylated products 15; and the double bond character of the exocyclic methine plays a role in [4 + 2] cycloaddition with diene to afford Diels-Alder adducts. In contrast, unsymmetrically hindered or simple methylphenol (p-cresol) with NBS gives the nuclear brominated products, as usual. The energies of symmetrically hindered BMs, unsymmetrically hindered BM, and simple BM were calculated using density functional theories. Relative stabilization energies calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G//B3LYP/6-31G level by an isodesmic equation are enhanced 3-6 kcal/mol for symmetrically hindered BMs.