Enzyme activity electrophoresis and rocket immunoelectrophoresis for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of Geotrichum candidum lipase activity

The development and application of a rocket immunoelectrophoretic and an enzyme activity electrophoretic assay for the qualitative analysis of Geotrichum candidum lipase activity is presented. The sensitivities of the four assays were (in arbitrary units): enzyme activity electrophoresis, 1-0.5; rocket immunoelectrophoresis, 0.5-0.2; radial diffusion, 1; titrimetry, 1. The electrophoretic methods made it possible to distinguish between high and low molecular weight forms of the G. candidum lipases. The enzyme activity electrophoretic methods can be combined with other electrophoretic techniques, as demonstrated here with isoelectric focusing, and produce useful information on physico-chemical differences between different molecular forms of the lipase, e.g. forms with different pI.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Oxidative γ‐Coupling of α,β‐Unsaturated Aldehydes with Air as the Terminal Oxidant

A novel concept for catalytic asymmetric coupling reactions is presented. Merging organocatalysis with single‐electron oxidation by using a catalytic amount of a copper(II) salt and air as the terminal oxidant, we have developed a highly stereoselective carbon–carbon oxidative coupling reaction of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes. The concept relies on the generation of a dienamine intermediate, which is oxidized to an open‐shell activated species that undergoes highly selective γ‐homo‐ and γ‐heterocoupling reactions. In the majority of examples presented, only a single stereoisomer was formed.     

A Neutral η5‐Aminoborole Complex of Germanium(II)

The synthesis of two η⁵‐aminoborole complexes of germanium(II) from the reaction of a germole dianion with aminoboron dichlorides is reported. This reaction constitutes a remarkable example of a germole‐to‐borole transformation. The two aminoborole complexes of germanium(II) were fully characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, HRMS, and, in one case, by X‐ray crystallography. The results of quantum‐mechanical calculations favor the electronic structure of a half‐sandwich complex of Ge^II over an ionic representation with a germanium dication stabilized by an aromatic aminoborole dianion.     

A versatile catalyst for asymmetric reactions of carbonyl groups working purely by activation through hydrogen bonding: Mukaiyama-aldol, hetero Diels-Alder and Friedel-Crafts reactions

Bis-sulfonamides are demonstrated to be promising candidates for the efficient activation of carbonyl compounds through hydrogen bonding. Exemplified by three carbonyl addition reactions: Mukaiyama-aldol, hetero Diels-Alder and Friedel-Crafts reactions we show that bis-triflamides or bis-nonaflamides of commercially available chiral diamines act as chiral Br?nsted-acid catalysts, leading to the optically active products in moderate to excellent yields and with enantioselectivities up to 73% ee.     

Porous 3-D honeycomb architecture by self-assembly of helical H-bonded molecular tapes

Enantiopure dipeptide-derived 1,3,5-triazepan-2,6-diones and form H-bonded 3(1) helical molecular tapes with P chirality in the solid state; in the case of , these columnar tapes self-assemble through aromatic-aromatic interactions to give hollow tubular structures.     

Direct dynamics study of ultrafast vibrational energy relaxation in ice Ih

Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) and a previously developed wave packet model are used to study ultrafast relaxation in water clusters. Water clusters of 15 water molecules are used to represent ice Ih. The relaxation is studied by exciting a symmetric or an asymmetric stretch mode of the central water molecule. The CPMD results suggest that relaxation occurs within 100 fs. This is in agreement with experimental work by Woutersen and Bakker and the earlier wave packet calculations. The CPMD results further indicate that the excitation energy is transferred both intramolecularly and intermolecularly on roughly the same time scale. The intramolecular energy transfer occurs predominantly between the symmetric and asymmetric modes while the bend mode is largely left unexcited on the short time scale studied here.     

Organocatalytic asymmetric direct alpha-alkynylation of cyclic beta-ketoesters

The first organocatalytic enantioselective direct alpha-alkynylation of beta-ketoesters and 3-acyl oxindoles is described. It is demonstrated that activated beta-halo-alkynes undergo nucleophilic acetylenic substitution catalyzed by chiral phase-transfer compounds to afford the alkynylated products in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. The potential of the reaction is first demonstrated for various alkynylating reagents having chloride and bromide as the leaving groups and substituents such as allyl and alkyl esters, amides, ketones, and sulfones. These reactions proceed with 74-99% yield and 88-97% ee. Then the scope in nucleophile is demonstrated for a large number of cyclic beta-ketoesters with various ring-sizes and for oxindoles as well. The corresponding optically active products are formed in high yields and with enantioselectivities up to 98% ee. The procedure allows for the stereocontrolled attachment of an ethynyl unit in the alpha-position to the carbonyl compound by facile removal of the activating group, and this has been demonstrated for a number of the optically active allyl esters. Furthermore, the synthesis of optically active 1,4-enynes is also shown. The isolation and characterization by X-ray analysis of the catalyst with p-nitrophenolate as the counterion allowed us to propose a model of the catalyst-substrate intermediate which might account for the observed enantioselectivity of the organocatalytic enantioselective alpha-alkynylation reaction. Furthermore, it is suggested that this intermediate is also the reactive species for a number of other electrophiles adding to beta-ketoesters giving enantioselectivities in the range of 90-98% ee.