Thermal decomposition of transition metal carboxylates

Dynamics of changes in microstresses during thermal decomposition of Cu(HCOO)₂ crystals and their effect on the thermal decomposition kinetics were studied by IR spectroscopy at 105 to 120 °C. The formation of solid intermediate HCOOCu was observed, and the dynamics of its accumulation was followed. Kinetic regularities of transformation of HCOO groups were compared with those for gas evolution.For Communication 1, see Ref. 1.Translated from Izvestiya va Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 350–354, February, 1996.     

Convenient Asymmetric Syntheses of anti-beta-Amino Alcohols

Condensation of allylborane reagents 9 and 12 with aldehydes gave anti-3-[(diphenylmethylene)amino]-1-alken-4-ols 10 and 13 with high relative and absolute stereocontrol. Subsequent deprotection gave the corresponding free anti-3-amino-1-alken-4-ols 11 and 14. Alternatively, reaction of imines 13a, 13f, and 13g with trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride and acidic methanol gave, via rearrangement, double inversion, and hydrolysis, the isomeric anti-4-amino-1-alken-3-ols 22, 38a, and 38b in good yield. The stereochemistry of the rearrangement products has been established by a single crystal X-ray study of compound 37 and by chemical correlation.     

Highly Efficient and Practical Syntheses of Lavendamycin Methyl Ester and Related Novel Quinolindiones

The novel 7-(N-formyl-, 7-(N-acetyl-, and 7-(N-isobutyrylamino)-2-methylquinoline-5,8-diones were synthesized in excellent overall yields in three steps via the nitration of the commercially available 8-hydroxy-2-methylquinoline followed by a reduction-acylation step and then oxidation. Acid hydrolysis of 7-(N-acetylamino)-2-methylquinoline-5,8-dione (14a) afforded the novel 7-aminoquinoline-5,8-dione 7 in excellent yields. Due to our efficient preparation of dione 14a, we now report a short and practical method for the total synthesis of the potent antitumor agent lavendamycin methyl ester (1b) with an excellent overall yield.     

Thermal analysis of polyaniline poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-stabilized dispersions

The polyaniline dispersions stabilized with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PANI/PVP) were synthesized by oxidative polymerization with different mass ratios of PANI and PVP and different molar concentrations of the components in the polymerization mixture. The composite powders prepared from colloidal PANI/PVP dispersions were characterized by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis. The change in the ratio of PANI and PVP as well as the starting molar concentrations of aniline hydrochloride and oxidant has influence on the resulting properties of the dispersions. Concerning the doping, the results show that PANI/PVP powders are stable up to approximately 160 °C. Degradation of polymer chains starts at temperatures above 250 °C. The PANI/PVP composite powders with lower content of PANI exhibit slightly higher thermal stability. Further, colloidal PANI/PVP dispersions were screen-printed on aluminum foil for infrared spectroscopic characterization and on poly(ethylene terephthalate) foil for electrical measurements. The sheet resistance of printed layers measured by two-point probe was of the order of tens to thousands of kΩ sq^?1. The influence of both the change in the composition and the drying temperature is discussed.     

Silica–gelatin hybrids for tissue regeneration: inter-relationships between the process variables

Owing to their diverse range of highly tailorable material properties, inorganic/organic hybrids have the potential to meet the needs of biodegradable porous scaffolds across a range of tissue engineering applications. One such hybrid platform, the silica–gelatin sol–gel system, was examined and developed in this study. These hybrid scaffolds exhibit covalently linked interpenetrating networks of organic and inorganic components, which allows for independent control over their mechanical and degradation properties. A combination of the sol–gel foaming process and freeze drying was used to create an interconnected pore network. The synthesis and processing of the scaffolds has many variables that affect their structure and properties. The focus of this study was to develop a matrix tool that shows the inter-relationship between process variables by correlating the key hybrid material properties with the synthesis parameters that govern them. This was achieved by investigating the effect of the organic (gelatin) molecular weight and collating previously reported data. Control of molecular weight of the polymer is as an avenue that allows the modification of hybrid material properties without changing the surface chemistry of the material, which is a factor that governs the cell and tissue interaction with the scaffold. This presents a significant step forward in understanding the complete potential of the silica–gelatin hybrid system as a medical device.     

Polymer-supported salen complexes for heterogeneous asymmetric synthesis: Stability and selectivity

This paper details the enantioselective performance of styrene/divinylbenzene-supported Mn- and Cr-based salen complexes for the epoxidation of olefins and the ring-opening of epoxides to azido-silyl ethers. The Mn catalyst produced the epoxides of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene, styrene, and cis-β-methylstyrene with enantiomeric excesses (ee's) of 46, 9, and 79%, respectively. For the Cr catalyst, the enantioselective ring-opening of epoxyhexane, propylene oxide, and cyclohexene oxide with trimethylsilyl azide proceeded with ee's of 34, 36, and 6%, respectively. Upon recycle of these heterogeneous catalysts, a degradation process was noted for the Mn-catalyst under the conditions for epoxidation that resulted in oxidation and decomposition of the ligand. This process also affects the homogeneous catalyst, thereby limiting the recyclability of both the homogeneous Mn catalyst and its heterogenized version for this reaction. The Cr-catalyzed reaction to ring-open epoxides employs milder conditions and allowed reuse of the heterogeneous catalyst without loss of activity or enantioselectivity through three runs with epoxyhexane. During reaction, the leaching of Cr from the heterogeneous catalyst is less than 0.1%, suggesting possible reuse of the catalyst over hundreds of cycles before reloading the polymer-supported salen ligand with metal would be necessary. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3888–3898, 1999     

Influence of redox potential on product distribution in Clostridium thermosuccinogenes

Clostridium thermosuccinogenes are the only known anaerobic thermophilic bacteria that ferment inulin to succinate and acetate as major products and formate, lactate, and ethanol as minor products. In this study, organic acid production in 2-L fermentations having an initially low (−300 to −330 mV) or high (−220 to −250 mV) redox potential was compared for two strains of C. thermosuccinogenes (DSM 5808 and DSM 5809). Although DSM 5809 consistently provided higher succinate yield, high variability in results was attributed to the absence of redox control during the fermentations, and, therefore, fermentations at three controlled redox potentials (−240, −275, and −310 mV) were conducted. At an intermediate redox potential (−275 mV), the succinate yield was the greatest (0.36 g of succinate/g of hexose unit), whereas ethanol yield was the least (0.02 g/g). Redox potential did not significantly affect acetate or lactate formation. At controlled redox potential of −275 mV, the growth of DSM 5809 on three substrates was also compared: inulin, fructose, and glucose. DSM 5809 had similar growth rates when inulin (0.20/h) or glucose (0.21/h) was the carbon source but grew more slowly when fructose (0.16/h) was the carbon source. Also, the specific rate of utilization of fructose by DSM 5809 was higher (0.89 g of fructose/[g of biomass·h]) compared to glucose (0.53 g/[g·h]) or inulin (0.55 g/[g·h]). Succinate was the major product formed by DSM 5809 fermenting inulin (0.50 g/[g·h]) or glucose (0.36 g/[g·h]), and ethanol was the principal product when DSM 5809 fermented fructose (0.54 g/[g·h]).     

Thermal decomposition of transition metal carboxylates

Thermal solid-phase decomposition of anhydrous copper(ii) formate has been studied at 120–180 ° The rate of gas evolution during the decomposition depends on the depth of conversion and can be presented as the sum of first-order reaction rates and the rate of the autocatalytic process (a second-order reaction). The evolution of the solid phase during thermolysis has been observed by optical microscopy. The decomposition of copper formate is a complex topochemical process, a combination of homogeneous and heterogeneous transformations and dispersion of large crystals.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. l, pp. 72–76, January, 1996.     

A structural and energetics analysis of the binding of a series of N-acetylneuraminic-acid-based inhibitors to influenza virus sialidase

Summary A molecular dynamics/energy-minimisation protocol has been used to analyse the structural and energetic effects of functional group substitution on the binding of a series of C4-modified 2-deoxy-2,3-didehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid inhibitors to influenza virus sialidase. Based on the crystal structure of sialidase, a conformational searching protocol, incorporating multiple randomisation steps in a molecular dynamics simulation was used to generate a range of minimum-energy structures. The calculations were useful for predicting the number, location, and orientation of structural water molecules within protein-ligand complexes. Relative binding energies were calculated for the series of complexes using several empirical molecular modelling approaches. Energies were computed using molecular-mechanics-derived interactions as the sum of pairwise atomic nonbonded energies, and in a more rigorous manner including solvation effects as the change in total electrostatic energy of complexation, using a continuum-electrostatics (CE) approach. The CE approach exhibited the superior correlation with observed affinities. Both methods showed definite trends in observed and calculated binding affinities; in both cases inhibitors with a positively charged C4 substituent formed the tightest binding to the enzyme, as observed experimentally.This paper is based on a presentation given at the 14th Molecular Graphics and Modelling Society Conference, held in Cairns, Australia, August 27–September 1, 1995.Presently on a visiting postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Biomolecular Structure, Glaxo Research & Development Ltd, Greenford, Middlesex UB6 OHE, U.K.     

Reaction of 2,6-dibenzylidenecyclohexanone with phosphorus pentachloride: Triple functionalization of the isosemiquinoid system

The reaction of 2,6-dibenzylidenecyclohexanone with PCl₅ occursvia the sequential stages of desoxychlorination and substitutional phosphorylation to form (after oxidation, methoxylation, and hydrolysis on the surface of the chromatographic SiO₂ adsorbent) organophosphorus products of the 1-(a-chloro-, a-hydroxy-, or -alkoxy)benzyl-2-chloro-3-(-(dimethylphosphoryl)benzylidene)cyclobex-1-ene series.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 441–443, February, 1996.