Regioselective silylation of sugars through palladium nanoparticle-catalyzed silane alcoholysis

Palladium(0)-catalyzed silane alcoholysis was applied to sugars for the first time using tert-butyldimethylsilane (TBDMS-H) and Ph(3)SiH as the silanes. The catalyst is a colloidal solution of Pd(0) generated in situ from PdX(2) (X = Cl(-), OAc(-)) and TBDMS-H in N,N-dimethylacetamide. The colloid has been characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy and consists of catalytically highly active nanoparticles of approximately 2 nm diameter. The silane alcoholysis reaction is an effective method for the regioselective silylation of methyl and phenyl glycosides and generates hydrogen gas as the only side product. For many of the sugar substrates investigated, the distribution of regioisomers obtained is complementary to that of the traditional R(3)SiCl/base (base = pyridine, imidazole) methodology and gives convenient access to the 3,6- rather than the 2,6-silylated pyranosides, obtained as the main product by the silyl chloride method. The method also allows a selective axial silylation of levoglucosan and 1,3,5-O-methylidene-myo-inositol. In an attempt to rationalize the observed regioselectivities, ab initio predictions (HF/3-21G) have been made on the relative energies of some of the silylated products. They suggest that the observed regioselectivities do not reflect a kinetic vs thermodynamic product distribution but are induced by the silylation agent employed. Models for the possible origin of the observed regioselectivity in both silylation methods (silane- and silyl chloride-based) are discussed.     

Uniqueness of reconstruction of multiphase morphologies from two-point correlation functions

The restoration of the spatial structure of heterogeneous media, such as composites, porous materials, microemulsions, ceramics, or polymer blends from two-point correlation functions, is a problem of relevance to several areas of science. In this contribution we revisit the question of the uniqueness of the restoration problem. We present numerical evidence that periodic, piecewise uniform structures with smooth boundaries are completely specified by their two-point correlation functions, up to a translation and, in some cases, inversion. We discuss the physical relevance of the results.     

A Minimax Principle for the Eigenvalues in Spectral Gaps

A minimax principle is derived for the eigenvalues in the spectralgap of a possibly non-semibounded self-adjoint operator. Itallows the nth eigenvalue of the Dirac operator with Coulombpotential from below to be bound by the nth eigenvalue of asemibounded Hamiltonian which is of interest in the contextof stability of matter. As a second application it is shownthat the Dirac operator with suitable non-positive potentialhas at least as many discrete eigenvalues as the Schrödingeroperator with the same potential.     

NMR studies of the chalcogen analogues of benzofuran. IV—Proton,carbon-13 and selenium-77 magnetic resonance in nitrobenzo[b]selenophenes

The ¹H, ¹³C and ⁷⁷Se chemical shifts have been measured for mononitrobenzo[ b ]selenophenes. For the homocyclic nuclei, the observed ¹H- and ¹³C-values calculated from the empirical increments of nitrobenzene. Anomalous effects are observed in the 2- and 3-substituted derivatives and the nature of the Se? NO₂ interactions in the former is discussed. ⁷⁷Se chemical shifts of the 4-, 5- and 7-nitro derivatives are approximately correlated with the CNDO calculated electron densities; they also compare well with those of selenoanisoles and other phenyl alkyl selenides. The chemical shifts are also compared with the corresponding values in other heterocycles containing a selenophene moiety.     

1H and 13C NMR studies of two monosubstituted [2.2]paracyclophanes

250 MHz ¹H NMR of two monosubstituted [2.2]paracyclophanes shows that whether the substituent is an electron releasing group, OMe, or a withdrawing group, CO₂Me, the transannular effect is deshielding. 62.86 MHz ¹³C NMR shows that among the six transannular effects, only one has a sign which changes with the nature of the substituent (–4.6 ppm for OMe but +3.3 ppm for CO₂Me).