A furan ring expansion approach to the synthesis of novel pyridazino-psoralen derivatives

A convenient preparation of the parent tetrahydrobenzodifuran 2 was developed from resorcinol. The oxidation of one or both furan rings of this key intermediate was accomplished with DDQ and the resulting benzodifuran was subsequently reacted with 3,6-dimethoxycarbonyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazine to afford the expected pyridazino-psoralen derivative in good yield. This simple method allowed the efficient preparation of a pyridazino-psoralen derivative with a formyl group at C-7, which was introduced by directed ortho-lithiation in the intermediate 2. An aminoalkyl side-chain was also introduced to the tetracyclic skeleton through the aldehyde functionality in a reductive amination process, which was accompanied by an unprecedented reduction of the pyridazine ring.     

Analysis and toxicity of methomyl and ametryn after biodegradation

The controlled biodegradation of ametryn and methomyl has been performed, in accordance with the OECD Zahn-Wellens/EMPA procedure, by use of an enriched mixture of activated sludge collected from three domestic waste-water-treatment plants (WWTP). During the process concentrations of ametryn and methomyl in the water samples were isolated by solid-phase extraction (SPE); recovery rates were 98.9 and 93.2 for methomyl and ametryn, respectively. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to determine final pesticide concentrations and for metabolite identification.The efficiency of aerobic biodegradation of ametryn and methomyl was evaluated by measuring both the decrease in the concentration of the pesticides and global properties such as the chemical oxygen demand (COD). The acute toxicity of ametryn and methomyl was evaluated by use of the ToxAlert100 biological test, which is based on inhibition of the bioluminescence of Vibrio fischeri. There was significant correlation between results from primary and ultimate biodegradation and those from determination of toxicity. Pesticide concentrations were always reduced to below the limit of detection in less than 17 days. High COD removal (90-96%) was achieved in 28 and 18 days for methomyl and ametryn, respectively.     

Core/valence partition and relativistic effects in effective potentials for transition metals

Two different versions, relativistic and nonrelativistic, of the “shape-consistent” effective potential (EP ) formalism are analyzed in ab initio calculations for transition metals. The influence of alternative core/valence partitions on the reliability of the procedure is discussed. The accuracy of EP results for transition metals is shown to depend on adequate choices of the valence subspace and proper inclusion of relativistic effects.     

Crosslinking of vinyl‐terminated biphenyl and naphthalene side‐chain liquid‐crystalline poly(epichlorohydrin) derivatives

We performed the crosslinking of vinyl‐terminated biphenyl and naphthalene side‐chain liquid‐crystalline polyethers using peroxide‐type initiators with and without the addition of tertiary amine promoters. The crosslinking temperatures were chosen in the range of mesophase stability to allow the mesophase order to be frozen. The biphenyl derivatives, with a high isotropization temperature, were crosslinked to a large extent. This led to anisotropic thermosets. To crosslink naphthalene derivatives, amine promoters were needed, but degrees of crosslinking were lower, and anisotropic elastomers were obtained. Crosslinking processes were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The nature of the frozen mesophase was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction studies on mechanically oriented samples. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2237–2244, 2002     

A spot test for the detection of periodate

Perrhenate is quantitatively extracted into methyl isobutyl ketone from aqueous solutions containing copper(II), azide and an excess of 2,2'-bipyridine. Measurement of the extracted copper either by spectrophotometry or by atomic absorption spectrometry, allows the determination of perrhenate in the ranges 16–40 μg ml⁻¹ or 3–16 μg ml⁻¹ in the final dilution, respectively. The procedure is highly selective, being applicable in the presence of a large concentration of molybdate and a considerable number of foreign ions. The extracted species corresponds to the formula CuN₃(bipy)₂ ReO₄.