An expedient one-pot entry to catecholestrogens and other catechol compounds via IBX-mediated phenolic oxygenation

A one-pot procedure for the preparation of catecholestrogens in over 90% yield is reported, involving oxygenation of 17β-estradiol or estrone with o-iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX) followed by reduction with methanolic NaBH₄. The procedure, which was extended to the o-hydroxylation of a number of representative phenols in good-to-high yields, expands significantly the scope of phenolic oxidation mediated by IBX.     

Selective determination of organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers in indoor air by gas chromatography, positive-ion chemical ionization and collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry

Gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry with in-source ionization and dissociation was used in positive-ion chemical ionization (PICI) mode for the determination of organophosphate triesters in indoor air. These compounds are widely used as additive flame retardants and plasticizers in different types of materials and have become ubiquitous pollutants in indoor environments. When using collision-induced dissociation in PICI mode the fragmentation of the organophosphate triesters can be performed in a more controllable way than in electron ionization (EI) mode. The developed selected-reaction monitoring method provided high selectivity for the investigated compounds. For 8-h air measurements (corresponding to 1.5 m3 of sampled air) the limit of detection of the method was determined to be in the range 0.1-1.4 ng m(-3), which is comparable with nitrogen-phosphorus detection and about 50-fold lower than when using EI in selected-ion monitoring mode. The presented method was applied to samples from three common indoor environments, in which a number of organophosphate triesters were identified and quantified. The dominating compound was found to be tris(2-chloropropyl) phosphate, which occurred at levels up to 0.8 microg m(-3).     

The EPR study of dialkyl nitroxides as probes to investigate the exchange of solutes between micellar and water phases

An EPR investigation of the kinetics of the exit, k ^-, and entrance, k ⁺, processes in micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and polyoxyethylene(6)decanol of a family of para-substituted benzyl tert -butyl nitroxides and para-substituted benzyl hydroxyalkyl nitroxides is reported. The inclusion of nitroxide probes in the hydrophobic environment of the micelle gives rise to a reduction of the value of both nitrogen and β-proton splittings, with the result that the resonance fields for the M_I(2H _β ) = ±1lines of the free and included species are significantly different. The rate constants were obtained by analyzing the EPR line shape variations as function of surfactant concentration and temperature. The experimental value of k ⁺ obtained from the study of benzyl tert-butyl nitroxide indicates that the association reaction is very close to being controlled by diffusion. The value of the exit rate, k ^-, instead, depends on the probe hydrocarbon chain length. A comparison of our results with those obtained by luminescence quenching techniques is also reported.     

Polymer-assisted laser desorption/ionization analysis of small molecular weight compounds

The use of non-polar, small polymers as matrices for the analysis of low molecular weight compounds in polymer-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (PALDI-MS) is demonstrated. The matrices evaluated were either based on an oligothiophene or a benzodioxin backbone. Metallocenes, polycyclic hydrocarbons, a fluorosurfactant, and a subset of small organic compounds with various functionalities, served as model analytes. The mechanism of ionization charge transfer is discussed and ionization potentials for the matrices in the study have been estimated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Some of the results are possibly contradictory to the generally accepted limiting conditions for gas-phase charge-transfer reactions. These results are interpreted in the light of energy pooling. Also a new mass calibration procedure for the low-mass region in positive ion mode is presented, and some aspects of the ionization/desorption process leading to radical cations are studied.     

A new pyridine-based 12-membered macrocycle functionalised with different fluorescent subunits; coordination chemistry towards Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), and Pb(II)

The coordination chemistry of the new pyridine-based, N2S2-donating 12-membered macrocycle 2,8-dithia-5-aza-2,6-pyridinophane (L1) towards Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), and Pb(II) has been investigated both in aqueous solution and in the solid state. The protonation constants for L1 and stability constants with the aforementioned metal ions have been determined potentiometrically and compared with those of ligand L2, which contains a N-aminopropyl side arm. The measured values show that Hg(II) in water has the highest affinity for both ligands followed by Cu(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II). For each metal ion considered, 1:1 complexes with L1 have also been isolated in the solid state, those of Cu(II) and Zn(II) having also been characterised by X-ray crystallography. In both complexes L1 adopts a folded conformation and the coordination environments around the two metal centres are very similar: four positions of a distorted octahedral coordination sphere are occupied by the donor atoms of the macrocyclic ligand, and the two mutually cis-positions unoccupied by L1 accommodate monodentate NO3- ligands. The macrocycle L1 has then been functionalised with different fluorogenic subunits. In particular, the N-dansylamidopropyl (L3), N-(9-anthracenyl)methyl (L4), and N-(8-hydroxy-2-quinolinyl)methyl (L5) pendant arm derivatives of L1 have been synthesised and their optical response to the above mentioned metal ions investigated in MeCN/H2O (4:1 v/v) solutions.     

Ratios between content of fatty acids as markers for mixture of cow and goat milk

The fat of mixture of goat and cow milk, extracted by di-ethylic ether, was gas chromatographically analysed in order to propose an analytical procedure suitable to reveal small additions of cow milk to goat milk. The obtained results show evident differences in the percentages of some fatty acids. An attempt to apply the peak area ratios, corresponding to the methyl esters of fatty acids, suggested by the literature for cow milk did not yield good results. Other ratios suitable to reveal even the presence of low percentages (up to 5 %) of cow milk in goat milk were found and proposed in this paper. Such ratios are sensitive and can be defined markers towards cow or goat milk and also towards extraneous fat like lard or colza seeds oil.     

Face Selectivity of the Diels-Alder Additions of 2-Substituted 5,6-bis((E)-chloromethylidene)bicyclo[2.2.2]octanes

The preparation of 5,6-bis((E)-chlorommethylidene)bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene ( 13 ), 2,3-bis((E)-chloromethyl idene)-5exo,6exo- and -5endo,6endo-epoxybicyclo[2.2.2] octane ( 14 and 15 ), 5,6-bis((E)-chloromethylidene)-2exo- and -2endo-bicyclo[2.2.2] octanol ( 16 and 17 ) and 5,6-bis((E)-chloromethylidene)-2-bicyclo[2.2.2]octanone ( 18 ) are described. The face selectivity (endo-face vs. exo-face attack onto the exo-cyclic diene) of their cycloadditions to tetracyanoethylene has been determined in benzene at 20°. It is 78/22, 80/20, 60/40, 68/32, 3/97 and 30/70 for 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 and 18 , respectively.     

Can simple enones be useful partners for the catalytic stereoselective alkylation of indoles?

A new catalytic system for the first example of enantioselective Friedel-Crafts-type (FC) addition of indoles to simple enones is described. The use of an equimolar amount of chiral [Al(salen)Cl] and 2,6-lutidine (10 mol %) was found to be effective in promoting the conjugate addition of indoles to (E)-arylcrotyl ketones, furnishing the corresponding beta-indolyl ketones in excellent yield and high enantioselectivity (ee up to 89%). The role of the base was investigated through spectroscopic as well as computational analyses, which suggested that in situ formation of a new chiral (base.[Al(salen)]) complex was operating under our reaction conditions. In particular, a stable cationic [Al(salen)] hexacoordinate trans complex with the additive base and the enone is suggested as being responsible for the stereocontrolled reaction. Finally, detailed monitoring of the reaction course was carried out showing that a conventional FC pathway induced by [Al(salen)Cl] acting as a Lewis acid is operating.     

Statistical experimental design-driven discovery of room-temperature conditions for palladium-catalyzed cyanation of aryl bromides

A combination of Pd₂(dba)₃·CHCl₃ (0.5 mol %) and commercially available, air-stable phosphonium salt [(t-Bu)₃PH]BF₄ (1.4 mol %) in a presence of Zn powder and Zn(CN)₂ as the cyanide source comprises an extremely efficient catalyst system for the cyanation of a diverse array of aryl bromides, at room temperature. This result emerged from an experimental strategy that combines the advantages of parallel, automated experimentation with the design of experiments (DOE) for the effective definition of an optimal set of reaction conditions.