Marked effect of aromatic solvent on unfolding rate of helical ethynylhelicene oligomer

Optically active acyclic ethynylhelicene oligomers were synthesized in high yields by a two-directional method involving Sonogashira coupling and deprotection. Their CD spectra in chloroform exhibited large differences between the oligomers with less than seven helicenes and their higher homologues, which indicated the formation of helical structures for the latter and random coil structures for the former. The helical heptamer gradually unfolded to a random coil structure in chloroform at room temperature. The unfolding rate was examined by CD in several aromatic solvents as well, and the rate constant k was found to be highly dependent on the type of aromatic substituent: k differed by seven orders of magnitude between iodobenzene and trifluoromethylbenzene. Several features of the rates are notable: The reaction rates in halobenzenes were in the order of iodobenzene > bromobenzene > chlorobenzene > benzene > fluorobenzene > m-difluorobenzene, those in alkylbenzenes were styrene > phenylacetylene > ethylbenzene > toluene > benzene, and those in heteroatom-substituted arenes were thioanisole > benzonitrile > anisole > ethyl benzoate > benzene > trifluoromethylbenzene. The log k values exhibited good correlation with the absolute hardness, eta, of the arenes, and higher unfolding rates were observed in the soft arenes. Vapor pressure osmometry studies indicated that the helical structure of the heptamer is dimeric in benzene, fluorobenzene, and trifluoromethylbenzene, while the random coil structure of the heptamer is monomeric in chloroform and toluene. When a chloroform solution of the random coil structure was concentrated to a small volume, the helical structure could be regenerated.     

New synthetic equivalent of nitromalonaldehyde treatable in organic media

beta-Nitroenamines having a formyl group at the beta-position behave as the synthetic equivalent of unstable nitromalonaldehyde, which is a useful synthon for syntheses of versatile nitro compounds. High solubility of the nitroenamines into general organic solvents enables us to conduct reactions in the organic media accompanied by easy experimental manipulations and considerable safety. When nitroenamines are treated with 1,2-bifunctional nucleophiles such as hydrazines, hydroxylamine and glycine ester, nitrated pyrazoles, isoxazole and pyrrole-2-carboxylate were readily prepared. This methodology was also applicable to guanidines and 1,2-diamines, leading to pyrimidines and 1,4-diazepines, respectively.     

Synthesis and properties of a pyrrole-imidazole polyamide having a ferrocene dicarboxylic amide linker

A new minor groove binder 1 having a redox active ferrocene dicarboxamide linker was synthesized. The affinity of the newly synthesized compound to the target DNA was confirmed by CD titration experiments. Moreover, the redox property of 1 was also demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry. These results suggest the potential of 1 as a new tool for electrochemical gene detection technology.     

A new entry to Amaryllidaceae alkaloids from carbohydrates: total synthesis of (+)-vittatine

The stereoselective and chiral synthesis of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid, (+)-vittatine 1, is described; the quaternary carbon in 1 was generated by Claisen rearrangement of a cyclohexenol derived from D-glucose by way of a Ferrier's carbocyclisation reaction and a hexahydroindole skeleton was effectively constructed by intramolecular aminomercuration-demercuration, followed by Chugaev reaction.     

Palladium-catalysed cascade ring expansion reaction of cyclobutanols that have a propargylic moiety with nucleophiles

Cascade ring rearrangement of four-membered ring systems containing various propargylic components by a palladium catalyst is described. The reactions of cyclobutanols that have a propargylic carbonate moiety with phenols as nucleophiles produce phenoxy-induced cyclopentanones in high yields. The reactions proceed in a regio- and diastereoselective manner to afford the substituted cyclopentanones with high selectivities. Imides also act as nucleophiles to produce the imidyl-induced products. Propargylic bromide successfully reacts with sodium alkoxides to produce the corresponding products in good yields.     

Rhodium-catalyzed addition/ring-opening reaction of arylboronic acids with cyclobutanones

Cyclobutanones react with arylboronic acids in the presence of a catalytic amount of Rh(I) complex to afford butyrophenone derivatives through the addition of an arylrhodium(I) species to the carbonyl group, followed by ring-opening of the resulting rhodium(I) cyclobutanolate. [reaction: see text]