The fragmentation of 1-phenyl-2-propen-1-ol under electron impact

The electron impact mass spectra of 1-phenyl-2-propen-1-ol and its specifically deuterated analogues have been investigated. Most of the decomposition pathways involve skeletal rearrangements or hydrogen atom transfers, such that a rearrangement of the excited molecular ions of 1-phenyl-2-propen-1-ol to molecular ions of cinnamic alcohol and/or cinnamaldehyde can be anticipated.     

Le spectre d'absorption infrarouge de l'acétate de méthyle perdeutéré

Résumé Les spectres d'absorption infrarouge de l'acétate de méthyle et de l'acétate de méthyle perdeutéré ont été étudiés de 300 à 4000 cm^–1. La comparaison des spectres a permis l'attribution certaine des bandes de l'acétate de méthyle, en particulier de la bande observée vers 1245 cm^–1 qui correspond à une vibration concernant la liaison C-O.

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Summary The infrared absorption spectra of methyl acetate and the perdeuterated methyl acetate have been studied from 300 to 4000 cm^–1. The comparison of the spectra has made it possible to attribute certain of the bands of methyl acetate, in particular the band observed around 1245 cm^–1, which corresponds to a vibration involving the C-O bond.

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Zusammenfassung Die Absorptionsspektren von Methylacetat der Zusammensetzung CH₃COOCH₃ und CD₃COOCD₃ im Infrarot wurden zwischen 300 und 4000 cm^–1 untersucht. Der Vergleich dieser Spektren führte zur sicheren Zuordnung der Banden des Methylacetats, insbesondere der bei 1245 cm^–1 gelegenen Bande, die der C-O-Bindung zugehört.

     

Stereoselective synthesis of four stereoisomers of beta-methoxytyrosine, a component of callipeltin A

Callipeltin A is a novel cyclic depsipeptide that selectively inhibits the cardiac sodium/calcium exchanger and is therefore of interest as a regulator of myocardial contractility. The stereochemistry of beta-methoxytyrosine, one of the amino acids contained within the marine natural product, could not be determined. In an effort to elucidate the stereochemistry of this moiety, a stereoselective synthesis of four stereoisomers of beta-methoxytyrosine from (S)- and (R)-serine was accomplished.     

Determination of the stereochemistry of anhydroerythromycin A, the principal degradation product of the antibiotic erythromycin A

Anhydroerythromycin A arises from the acid-catalysed degradation of erythromycin A both in vitro and in vivo. It has negligible antibacterial activity, but inhibits drug oxidation in the liver, and is responsible for unwanted drug-drug interactions. Its structure has 18 chiral centres common with erythromycin A, but C-9 (the spiro carbon) is also chiral in anhydroerythromycin and its stereochemistry has not previously been reported; both 9R- and 9S-anhydroerythromycin A are plausible structures. An understanding of the chirality at C-9 was expected to throw light on the mechanism of acid-catalysed degradation of erythromycin A, a subject that has been debated in the literature over several decades.We now report a determination of the three-dimensional structure of anhydroerythromycin A, including the stereochemistry at C-9, by NMR and molecular modelling. In parallel, the relative stereochemistry of anhydroerythromycin A 2'-acetate was determined by X-ray crystallography. Both compounds were shown to have 9R stereochemistry, and anhydroerythromycin A exhibited considerable conformational flexibility in solution.     

Conformational arm-wrestling: battles for stereochemical control in benzamides bearing matched and mismatched chiral 2- and 6-substituents

The orientation of a tertiary amide group adjacent to an aromatic ring may be governed by the stereochemistry of an adjacent chiral substituent. With a chiral substituent in both ortho positions, matched/mismatched pairs of isomers result. Evidence for matched stereochemistry is provided by the clean NMR spectra of single conformers, while mismatching gives poor or unexpected selectivities in the formation of chiral substituents, or mixtures of amide conformers. Attempts to use the match-mismatch effect to select for racemic pairs of enantiomeric substituents, and hence develop a "racemate-sequestering" reagent, are described, along with the use of "matching" to scavenge a single enantiomer of a diamine from material of incomplete enantiomeric purity.