Drug Oxidation by Cytochrome P450BM3: Metabolite Synthesis and Discovering New P450 Reaction Types

There is intense interest in late‐stage catalytic C?H bond functionalization as an integral part of synthesis. Effective catalysts must have a broad substrate range and tolerate diverse functional groups. Drug molecules provide a good test of these attributes of a catalyst. A library of P450_BM3 mutants developed from four base mutants with high activity for hydrocarbon oxidation produced human metabolites of a panel of drugs that included neutral (chlorzoxazone, testosterone), cationic (amitriptyline, lidocaine) and anionic (diclofenac, naproxen) compounds. No single mutant was active for all the tested drugs but multiple variants in the library showed high activity with each compound. The high conversions enabled full product characterization that led to the discovery of the new P450 reaction type of oxidative decarboxylation of an α‐hydroxy carboxylic acid and the formation a protected imine from an amine, offering a novel route to α‐functionalization of amines. The substrate range and varied product profiles suggest that this library of enzymes is a good basis for developing late‐stage C?H activation catalysts.     

Non-labeling multiplex surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

In this paper, we report multiplex SERS based VOCs detection with a leaning nano-pillar substrate. The VOCs analyte molecules adsorbed at the tips of the nano-pillars produced SERS signal due to the field enhancement occurring at the localized surface plasmon hot spots between adjacent leaning nano-pillars. In this experiment, detections of acetone and ethanol vapor at different concentrations were demonstrated. The detection limits were found to be 0.0017 ng and 0.0037 ng for ethanol and acetone vapor molecules respectively. Our approach is a non-labeling method such that it does not require the incorporation of any chemical sensing layer for the enrichment of gas molecules on sensor surface. The leaning nano-pillar substrate also showed highly reproducible SERS signal in cyclic VOCs detection, which can reduce the detection cost in practical applications. Further, multiplex SERS detection on different combination of acetone and ethanol vapor was also successfully demonstrated. The vibrational fingerprints of molecular structures provide specific Raman peaks for different VOCs contents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first multiplex VOCs detection using SERS. We believe that this work may lead to a portable device for multiplex, specific and highly sensitive detection of complex VOCs samples that can find potential applications in exhaled breath analysis, hazardous gas analysis, homeland security and environmental monitoring.     

Synthesis, structures and catalytic properties of iron(III) complexes with asymmetric N-capped tripodal NO3 ligands and a pentadentate N2O3 ligand

A new family of N-capped tripodal NO(3) proligands N,N-bis(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylbenzyl)-N-(2'-hydroxy-5'-R-phenyl)amine [H(3)(L(n))] [when R= Me, n = 1; R= (t)Bu, n = 2; R = Cl, n = 3] with different substituents in one of the aryl rings and N,N-bis(2-hydroxy-3-tert-butylbenzyl)-N-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl)amine [H(3)(L(4))] were synthesised. The preparation of a new pentadentate proligand N-methyl-N,N',N'-tris(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylbenzyl)ethane-1,2-diamine [H(3)(L(5))] with an N(2)O(3) donor set is also reported. Reaction of the proligands [H(3)(L(n))] (n = 1-4) with iron(iii) chloride in the presence of base (triethylamine) and 1-methylimidazole (1-Meim) as co-ligand led to the formation of iron complexes of the type [Fe(L(n))(1-Meim)] (n = 1-4) () respectively, while treatment of the trilithium salt of [H(3)(L(5))] with iron(iii) chloride afforded [Fe(L(5))] (). All complexes were structurally characterised by X-ray crystallography. In complexes , the ligands form five- and six-membered chelate rings with the iron centres which have distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry with an N(2)O(3) coordination environment. Complex adopts a similar distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry also with N(2)O(3) coordination around the iron centre. The catalytic activity of these iron complexes towards epoxidation of styrene was examined.     

Phase behavior of diglycerol fatty acid esters-nonpolar oil systems

Phase behavior of diglycerol fatty acid esters (Qn-D, where n represents the carbon number in the alkyl chain length of amphiphile, n = 10-16) were investigated in different nonpolar oils, liquid paraffin (LP70), squalane, and squalene. There is surfactant solid at lower temperature, and the surfactant solid does not swell in oil, and the melting temperature is almost constant in a wide range of compositions. In all of the systems, a lamellar liquid crystal (L(alpha)) is formed in a concentrated region at a temperature between the solid melting temperature and the isotropic two- or single-phase regions. In the dilute regions, reverse vesicles are formed in L(alpha) + O regions. There are two liquid-phase regions above the L(alpha) present region. This two-phase boundary corresponds to the cloud-point curve of nonionic surfactant aqueous solutions. However, instead of being less soluble in water at high temperature for the cloud point, the surfactant becomes more soluble in the organic solvents at high temperature. Namely, the effect of temperature on the solubility is opposite to the clouding phenomenon. When the hydrocarbon chain of the diglycerol surfactant decreases, the two-phase region becomes wider. In the case of a fixed surfactant, the surfactant is most miscible with squalene (narrowest two-phase regions) and the order of dissolutions tendency is squalene > LP70 > squalane. These results show that the hydrophilic moiety (diglycerol group) is more insoluble in oil compared with that of a conventional poly(oxyethylene)-type nonionic surfactant. Formation of reversed rodlike micelles was confirmed by SAXS scattering curve. When the hydrocarbon chain of surfactant is short, the micellar size becomes larger. In a fixed surfactant system, the reverse micellar size increases by changing oil from squalene to LP70. A small amount of water induces a dramatic elongation of reverse micelles.     

Wormlike micelles in mixed amino acid-based anionic/nonionic surfactant systems

We present the formation of viscoelastic wormlike micelles in mixed amino acid-based anionic and nonionic surfactants in aqueous systems in the absence of salt. N-Dodecylglutamic acid (designated as LAD) has a higher Krafft temperature; however, on neutralization with alkaline amino acid l-lysine, it forms micelles and the solution behaves like a Newtonian fluid at 25 degrees C. Addition of tri(oxyethylene) monododecyl ether (C(12)EO(3)) and tri(oxyethylene) monotetradecyl ether (C(14)EO(3)) to the dilute aqueous solution of the LAD-lysine induces one-dimensional micellar growth. With increasing C(12)EO(3) or C(14)EO(3) concentration, the solution viscosity increases gradually, but after a certain concentration, the elongated micelles entangle forming a rigid network of wormlike micelles and the solution viscosity increases tremendously. Thus formed wormlike micelles show a viscoelastic character and follow the Maxwell model. Tri(oxyethylene) monohexadecyl ether (C(16)EO(3)), on the other hand, could not form wormlike micelles, although the solution viscosity increases too. The micelles become elongated; however, they do not appear to form a rigid network of wormlike micelles in the case of C(16)EO(3). Rheological measurements have shown that zero shear viscosity (eta(0)) increases with the C(12)EO(3) concentration gradually at first and then sharply, and finally decreases before phase separation. However, no such maximum in the eta(0) plot is observed with the C(14)EO(3). The eta(0) increases monotonously with the C(14)EO(3) concentration till phase separation. In studies of the effect of temperature on the wormlike micellar behavior it has been found that the eta(0) decays exponentially with temperature, following an Arrehenius behavior and at sufficiently higher temperatures the solutions follow a Newtonian behavior. The flow activation energy calculated from the slope of log eta(0) versus 1/T plot is very close to the value reported for typical wormlike micelles. Finally, we also present the effect of neutralization degree of lysine on the rheology and phase behavior. The formation of wormlike micelles is confirmed by the Maxwell model fit to the experimental rheological data and by Cole-Cole plots.     

Rheological behavior of viscoelastic wormlike micelles in mixed sodium dodecyl trioxyethylene sulfate–monolaurin aqueous system

Rheological behavior of viscoelastic wormlike micelles in an aqueous system of mixed sodium dodecyl trioxyethylene sulfate (SDES)–monolaurin (ML) is presented. Dilute aqueous solution of SDES has a high fluidity and follows Newtonian liquid-like behavior due to formation of small globular type of micellar structure. Addition of lipophilic nonionic cosurfactant ML to dilute or semidilute solution of SDES decreases the interfacial curvature of the aggregates favoring one dimensional micellar growth, and hence, viscosity increases. After a certain concentration of ML, the elongated micelles get entangled with each other leading to the formation of viscoelastic wormlike micelles. The viscoelastic solution follows Maxwell model of a single stress relaxation mode at low-frequency region. Further addition of ML decreases the viscosity of the solution due to formation of micellar joints in the network structure. The viscosity of the viscoelastic wormlike micelles decreases upon heating, and the system with poor viscoelastic character is observed at higher temperatures.     

An expeditious asymmetric synthesis of the pentacyclic core of the cortistatins by an intramolecular (4+3) cycloaddition

A concise, asymmetric synthesis of the pentacyclic framework of the cortistatins has been accomplished in 12 steps from commercially available starting materials, employing a highly diastereoselective intramolecular (4+3) cycloaddition of epoxy enolsilanes as the key step.     

Pentasubstituted ferrocene and dirhodium(II) tetracarboxylate as building blocks for discrete fullerene-like and extended supramolecular structures

The synthesis of a penta(1-methylpyrazole)ferrocenyl phosphine oxide ligand (1) [Fe(C(5)(C(3)H(2)N(2)CH(3))(5))(C(5)H(4)PO(t-C(4)H(9))(2))] is reported together with its X-ray crystal structure. Its self-assembly behavior with a dirhodium(II) tetraoctanoate linker (2) [Rh(2)(O(2)CC(7)H(15))(4)] was investigated for construction of fullerene-like assemblies of composition [(ligand)(12)(linker)(30)]. Reaction between 1 and 2 in acetonitrile resulted in the formation of a light purple precipitate (3). Evidence for the ligand-to-linker ratio of 1:2.5 expected for a fullerene-like structure [Fe(C(5)(C(3)H(2)N(2)CH(3))(5))(C(5)H(4)PO(t-C(4)H(9))(2))](12)[Rh(2)(O(2)CC(7)H(15))(4)](30) was obtained from (1)H NMR and elemental analysis. IR and Raman studies confirmed the diaxially bound coordination environment of the dirhodium linker by comparing the stretching frequencies of the carboxylate group and the rhodium-rhodium bond with those in model compound (5), [Rh(2)(O(2)CC(7)H(15))(4)](C(3)H(3)N(2)CH(3))(2), the bis-adduct of linker 2 with 1-methylpyrazole. X-ray powder diffraction and molecular modeling studies provide additional support for the formation of a spherical molecule topologically identical to fullerene with a diameter of approximately 38 ? and a molecular formula of [(1)(12)(2)(30)]. Dissolution of 3 in tetrahydrofuran (THF) followed by layering with acetonitrile afforded purple crystals of [(1)(2)(2)](∞) (6) [Fe(C(5)(C(3)H(2)N(2)CH(3))(5))(C(5)H(4)PO(t-C(4)H(9))(2))][Rh(2)(O(2)CC(7)H(15))(4)](2) with a two-dimensional polymeric structure determined by X-ray crystallography. The dirhodium linkers link ferrocenyl units by coordination to the pyrazoles but only four of the five pyrazole moieties of the pentapyrazole ligand are coordinated. The ligand-to-linker ratio of 1:2 in 6 was confirmed by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, while results from IR and Raman are in agreement with the diaxially coordinated environment of the linker observed in the solid state.     

Self-Assembled Structures of Diglycerol Monolaurate- and Monomyristate in Olive Oil

We have investigated the phase behavior and self-assembled structures of diglycerol monolaurate-and monomyristate (abbreviated as C₁₂G₂ and C₁₄G₂, respectivley) in olive oil over a wide range of temperatures and compositions. At lower temperatures, both the surfactants appear in solid state (α-solid), which does not swell with olive oil. The α-solid transforms into lamellar liquid crystal (L_α) phase upon heating and the solid melting temperature is practically constant at all surfactant/oil compositions, but the C₁₂G₂ melts earlier than the C₁₄G₂. There appear the dispersions of L_α phase and α-solid in the dilute regions of the C₁₂G₂/olive oil and the C₁₄G₂/olive oil systems, respectively, at 25°C. The L_α phase can solubilize some amount of olive oil, but as the oil concentration increases the excess oil separates out from the L_α phase, and there appears L_α dispersion in the dilute surfactant concentration region. The L_α phase eventually transforms into isotropic solutions (reverse micelles) with further heating. The structures (shape and size) of the reverse micelles have been characterized by small-angle x-ray scattering technique. It has found that the C₁₂G₂ and C₁₄G₂ surfactants form reverse rod-like micelles in olive oil above the L_α melting temperature and the micellar size increases with surfactant concentration, but decreases with temperatures.     

Regioselective Synthesis of Ellipticine

An eight‐step synthesis of the tetracyclic pyridocarbazole alkaloid ellipticine (= 5,11‐dimethyl‐6H‐pyrido[4,3‐b]carbazole; 1a ) in an overall yield of 13% is reported, starting from 4,7‐dimethyl‐1H‐indene. Key steps were iodination, Suzuki coupling, reductive cyclization, DDQ oxidation, and heterocyclization under loss of H₂O.