A facile retro-ene reaction of 5-(methoxyamino)-3-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-ones

5-(N-Methoxy-N-methyl)amino-3-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-ones 3 undergo a heteroretro-ene reaction in refluxing methanol in which the leaving enophile is formaldehyde. The resulting 5-(methylimino)-3-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazolidin-2-one 4 may be viewed as a kinetic product which tautomerizes to the more stable 5-(methylamino)-3-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one 5 as the thermodynamic product. Comparison of calculated reaction energies reveals that the presence of the heterocyclic ring facilitates the retro-ene reaction, but the expulsion of formaldehyde is predicted to be highly exothermic even in its absence.     

Coordination compounds of disulphur dinitride

Summary Coordination compounds of the S₂N₂ molecule including methods for their preparation, reactivities, i.r. data, structures, and aspects of chemical bonding are reviewed. Methods of synthesis include reactions of S₂N₂, S₄N₄ or (NSCl)₃ with metal halides, metal complexes such as carbonyls, or even metals themselves. In all cases, the planar S₂N₂ ring is coordinated, usuallyvia both, of its nitrogen atoms so that S₂N₂ acts as a bridging ligand between two metal centres; short contact distances imply that halogen atoms linked to the metal atoms show some interaction with the sulphur atoms. The stability of S₂N₂ is greatly enhanced by coordination. In the i.r. spectra, two characteristic S₂N₂ vibrations assist identification of the S₂N₂ species, a ring stretching mode being observable atca. 850 cm^–1 and the out-of-plane deformation at 450–490 cm^–1.     

FLUORESCENCE QUANTUM YIELDS OF 124-kDa PHYTOCHROME FROM OAT UPON EXCITATION WITHIN DIFFERENT ABSORPTION BANDS

Abstract— A fluorescence quantum yield (emission at650–850 nm) of π= (2.3 ± 0.3)10⁻³ was measured for the red-absorbing form (Pr) of 124-kDa phytochrome from etiolated oat seedlings ( Avena sativa ) upon excitation in the Soret band at Λ^exc= 380 nm. The small difference between this value and the previously determined quantum yield with Λ^exc= 640 nm, π= (3.5 ± 0.4)10⁻³is attributed to a blue-absorbing emitter responsible for the "anomalous" or "blue" emission of the chromoprotein in the region from ca. 400 to 550 nm. The absorption of Pr at 380 nm is consequently somewhat lower than that measured directly from the spectrum. Processes from upper excited states of the Pr phytochromobilin-derived chromophore other than rapid relaxation to the emitting state are not important. A quantum yield of Φ ' 1.2 times 10⁻³ is estimated for the blue fluorescence. The proportion of the blue emitters relative to Pr appears to be relatively high.     

Development of an ethanol-selective optode membrane based on a reversible chemical recognition process

Lipophilic trifluoroacetophenone derivatives incorporated in plasticized PVC membranes are able to selectively extract water and alcohols from the sample solution into the organic membrane phase, reversibly forming hydrates and hemi-acetals, respectively. Since this is accompanied by a change in the absorption spectrum of the acetophenone isologue, the chemical recognition process can directly be translated into an optical signal. With N-acetyl-N-dodecyl-4-trifluoroacetylaniline (ETH 6022) as the electrically neutral, lipophilized carrier ethanol can be determined from 0.5 to 35% (v/v) in aqueous solutions. The calibration curve for different ethanol-water mixtures shows a good correlation with the mathematically derived formalism and thus confirms the theoretically expected behavior. Besides high reproducibility of the optical signals, very short response times of less than 30 s were realized. The optode membrane presented exhibits a preference for ethanol compared to water by a factor greater than 11. The selectivities for several primary alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol and 1-n-butanol, are comparable, but isopropanol and tert.-butanol are rejected by a factor of about 10. The alcohol concentration in different beverages was determined to evaluate the reliability of the system. The values obtained for wine, beer and different spirits show an excellent correlation with those obtained by a conventional approach involving distillation and density measurements. A residual standard deviation of ± 0.27% (v/v) over the 0.7–40% (v/v) range was found.     

Controlling chiral organization of molecular rods on Au(111) by molecular design

Chiral self-assembled structures formed from organic molecules adsorbed on surfaces have been the subject of intense investigation in the recent decade, owing both to relevance in applications such as enantiospecific heterogeneous catalysis or chiral separation as well as to fundamental interest, for example, in relation to the origin of biomolecular homochirality. A central target is rational design of molecular building blocks allowing transfer of chirality from the molecular to the supramolecular level. We previously studied the surface self-assembly of a class of linear compounds based on an oligo(phenylene ethynylene) backbone, which were shown to form a characteristic windmill adsorption pattern on the Au(111) surface. However, since these prochiral compounds were intrinsically achiral, domains with oppositely oriented windmill motifs and related conformational surface enantiomers were always realized in equal proportion. Here we report on the enantioselective, high yield chemical synthesis of a structurally related but intrinsically chiral compound in which two peripheral tert-butyl substituents are replaced by sec-butyl groups, each containing an (S) chiral center. Using scanning tunneling microscopy under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, we characterize the adsorption structures formed from this compound on the Au(111) surface. The perturbation introduced by the modified molecular design is found to be sufficiently small so structures form that are closely analogous to those observed for the original tert-butyl substituted compound. However, as demonstrated from careful statistical analysis of high-resolution STM images, the introduction of the two chiral (S)-sec-butyl substituents leads to a strong preference for windmill motifs with one orientation, demonstrating control of the chiral organization of the molecular backbones through rational molecular design.     

Chiral induction by seeding surface assemblies of chiral switches

It is demonstrated by scanning tunneling microscopy that coadsorption of a molecular chiral switch with a complementary, intrinsically chiral induction seed on the Au(111) surface leads to the formation of globally homochiral molecular assemblies.     

Determination of arsenic at a gold-plated carbon paste electrode using constant current stripping analysis

A new stripping method for the determination of arsenic in water samples with a gold film-plated carbon paste electrode has been developed for the use in constant current stripping analysis (CCSA). In the novelized procedure, differentiation between As(III) and chemically pre-reduced As(V), the effect of Cu(II) on the response of arsenic, and the stability of sample solutions were studied in detail. Compared to the voltammetric approach, the method utilizing CCSA offers a more rapid procedure with improved analytical characteristics such as reproducibility, selectivity over the Cu(II) ions, or lower detection limit (3 ppb for As(III) and 0.5 ppb for As(V), respectively). The possibilities of the optimized method are demonstrated by determinations of As(III), As(V), and total arsenic in samples of polluted river water.     

Phosphaniminate von Alkalimetallen: Die Kristallstrukturen von [KNPCy3]4, [KNPCy3]4·2OPCy3, [CsNPCy3]4·4OPCy3 und [Li4(NPPh3)(OSiMe2NPPh3)3(DME)]

The alkalimetal phosphoraneiminates [KNPCy₃]₄, ( 1 ) [KNPCy₃]₄·2OPCy₃ ( 2 ) and [CsNPCy₃]₄·4OPCy₃ ( 3 ) (Cy = cyclohexyl) which are obtainable by the reaction of pottassium amide or cesium amide with Cy₃PI₂ or Cy₃PBr₂ in liquid ammonia, as well as the lithium derivative [Li₄(NPPh₃)(OSiMe₂NPPh₃)₃(DME)] ( 4 ) have been characterized by crystal structure determinations. 4 has been formed by the insertion reaction of silicon greaze (‐OSiMe₂)n into the LiN bonds of [LiNPPh₃]₆ in DME solution (DME = 1, 2‐dimethoxyethane). 1 : Space group P&1macr;, Z = 2, lattice dimensions at 193 K: a = 1389.8(1); b = 1408.1(1); c = 2205.2(2) pm; α = 78.952(10)?; β = 81.215(10)?; γ = 66.232(8)?; R1 = 0.0418. 2 : Space group Pbcn, Z = 4, lattice constants at 193 K: a = 2943.6(2); b = 2048.2(1); c = 1893.8(1) pm; R1 = 0.0428. 3 : Space group Cmc2₁, Z = 4, lattice dimensions at 193 K: a = 2881.6(2); b = 2990.2(2); c = 1883.7(2) pm; R1 = 0.0586. 4 ·1/2DME: Space group R&3macr;c, Z = 12, lattice dimensions at 193 K: a = b = 1583.5(1); c = 11755.3(5) pm; R1 = 0.0495. All complexes have heterocubane structures. In 1‐3 they are formed by four alkali metal atoms and by the nitrogen atoms of the (μ₃‐NPCy₃^‐) groups, whereas 4 forms a "heteroleptic" Li₄NO₃ heterocubane.     

Protein Protection by Antioxidants: Development of a Convenient Assay and Structure‐Activity Relationships of Natural Polyphenols

In this work, a convenient test of antioxidant activity was developed, with BChE‐contaminated HSA as the target of AAPH‐induced oxidation and its esterase activity as the marker of protein integrity or degradation. The method is relatively simple, of low cost, and convenient to use. Its application to natural polyphenols showed that quercetin ( 1 ), verbascoside ( 2 ), chlorogenic acid ( 3 ), caffeic acid ( 4 ), 1,3,6,7‐tetrahydroxyxanthone ( 5 ), and mangiferin ( 6 ), are good antioxidants (IC₅₀<9 μM ). 1,5‐Dihydroxy‐3‐methoxyxanthone ( 7 ), flemichin D ( 8 ), and cordigone ( 9 ) showed modest activities (ca. 50 μM <IC₅₀<350 μM ), whereas danthrone ( 10 ) was inactive. Complementary experiments with two of the more active antioxidants, namely quercetin ( 1 ) and chlorogenic acid ( 3 ) showed that both antioxidants were better radical scavengers than chain‐breaking antioxidants. The relative adiabatic oxidation potential (ΔH_ox), the relative H‐bond dissociation energy (ΔH_abs), and the first oxidation potential measured by cyclic voltammetry were found to be related to the radical‐scavenging activity of these antioxidants.