Synthesis of amidocrownophanes with 27‐ and 28‐membered rings and their molecular recognition toward urea and its derivatives

Novel crownophanes with 27‐ and 28‐membered rings having two hydroxyl groups, two amide groups, and aromatic moieties such as naphthalene, pyridine, and phenyl rings were successfully synthesized by a one‐step reaction from the corresponding macrocyclic polyethers via “tandem Claisen rearrengement” in moderate yields. They can solubilize urea and its derivatives into chloroform solution, while the corresponding macrocyclic polyethers do not solubilize them. According to NMR studies, crownophanes 1 and 2 interact with urea and its derivatives forming 1:1 complexes.     

Quantitative estimation of interaction between carbohydrates and concanavalin A by surface plasmon resonance biosensor

We measured the affinity of more than 20 sugars with concanavalin A (ConA) by an optical biosensor (surface plasmon resonance sensor) using asialofetuin (ASF) as an immobilized binding partner of ConA. We determined kinetic parameters of the effects of sugars on the dissociation of ConA from ASF quantitatively, and the structural requirements of the functional groups of sugars for binding with ConA. We found that the affinity of ConA for sugars is dependent on its conformation induced by interaction with the binding partner. In addition, the results showed that optical biosensor system is well mimics the interaction of ConA with sugars in biomembrane.     

Progress toward the total synthesis of ciguatoxins: a convergent synthesis of the FGHIJKLM ring fragment

[structure: see text] A highly convergent synthetic route to the FGHIJKLM ring fragment of ciguatoxins has been developed, which relied on extensive use of the B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction.     

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SHISH-KEBAB TYPE LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLY（p-PHENYLENEVINYLENE）

Novel shish-kebab type liquid crystalline poly（p-phenylenevinylene） derivatives were synthesized by Stille coupling reaction from 2,5-bis[（4-n-alkoxyl）benzoyloxy]1,4-dibromobenzene （monomer l） and 1,2-bis（tributylstannyl） ethylene （monomer 2）. The polymers with alkoxy groups are soluble in common organic solvents and exhibit blue fluorescence. Both the cast film and the annealed film have large red-shifts in fluorescence spectra and show yellow fluorescence. The polymers with CN and NO2 groups show poor solubility and green fluorescence. All the polymers possess liquid crystalline smectic phases. The melting point （Tm） of the polymers decreases when the length of the alkoxy tails of the mesogenic units increases. The polymers are easily aligned under a magnetic field of 10 Tesla. It is found that the conjugated backbone and LC side chain are aligned perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field, respectively. The polymers show optical dichroism in fluorescence spectra, suggesting that they are available for advance materials with linear optical polarization.     

THE CONFORMATIONAL ANALYSIS AND PHOTOISOMERIZATION OF RETINOCHROME ANALOGS WITH POLYENALS

Abstract— 3, 7-Dimethyl-2, 4, 6, 8, 10-dodecapentaenal was synthesized for reconstitution of the retinochrome analog. Its opsin shift was 1000 cm ¹ smaller than that of native retinochrome, whose chromophore contains the same number of double bonds. The conformational change from 6-s-trans to 6-s-cis , as figured in a retinal molecule, plays an important role in the formation of the retinochrome analog, based on the estimation of opsin shifts for retinal analogs locked in the 6-s conformation. Thus the conformation of the 6–7 single bond in the native retinochrome was suggested to be 6 -cis . Analysis of the circular dichroic spectra of retinochrome analogs revealed that the 6-s conformation is independent of the appearance of the β-band. The stereoselectivity in the photoisomerization of the retinal analogs by a retinochrome template depends on the hydrophobic binding in the region of the β-ionone ring.     

17O NMR chemical shifts versus structure relationships in oxiranes

Natural-abundance ¹⁷O NMR spectra have been measured for twenty one oxiranes. Their chemical shifts covering a 100 ppm range were interpreted in terms of the paramagnetic β- and diamagnetic γ-effects. In addition, through-space orbital interaction between the ethylenic π and the Walsh orbitals of the oxirane ring was suggested by a lowfield shift in norbornadiene $\text{exo}$-oxide.     

Total synthesis of gambierol

[structure: see text] The first total synthesis of gambierol, a marine polycyclic ether toxin, has been achieved. The synthesis features the Pd(PPh3)4/CuCl/LiCl-promoted Stille coupling for the stereoselective construction of the sensitive triene side chain that includes a conjugated (Z,Z)-diene moiety.     

Multiplex amplified product-length polymorphism analysis of 36 mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms for haplogrouping of East Asian populations

We present a reliable, rapid, and economical multiplex amplified product-length polymorphism (APLP) method for analyzing the haplogroup-diagnostic mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms (mtSNPs) in East Asian populations. By examining only 36 haplogroup-specific mtSNPs in the coding region by using four 9-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequent electrophoresis, we could safely assign 1815 individuals from 8 populations of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Germans to 45 relevant haplogroups. This multiplex APLP analysis of coding-region mtSNPs for haplogrouping is especially useful not only for molecular phylogenetic studies but also for large-scale association studies due to its rapid and economical nature. This is the first panel of mtSNPs in the coding region to be used for haplogrouping of East Asian populations.     

Reverse aromatic cope rearrangement of 2-allyl-3-alkylideneindolines driven by olefination of 2-allylindolin-3-ones: synthesis of alpha-allyl-3-indole acetate derivatives

The reverse aromatic Cope rearrangement of 2-allyl-3-alkylideneindolines obtained by Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination of 2-allylindolin-3-ones was performed. When 2-allylindolin-3-ones were treated with phosphonium ylides in refluxing toluene, domino Wittig reaction and reverse aromatic Cope rearrangement took place to give alpha-allyl-3-indole acetate derivatives in good yields. The aromatization as a new driving force in the Cope rearrangement is preferable to the conjugation with the carbonyl and cyano groups and also to the alkyl substitution pattern, which are well-known driving forces.     

A new synthetic pathway of segmented tri-block copolyether

A new synthetic pathway of A–B–A tri-block copolyether which is composed of a hydrophilic poly(oxyethylene) unit as an A part and a hydrophobic poly(oxy-2-methyl-trimethylene) unit as a B part is proposed. Telechelic α-tosyl-ω-tosyloxypoly(oxy-2-methyl-trimethylene) derived from tosylation of poly(oxy-2-methyl-trimethylene glycol) (PMTG) was allowed to react with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in the presence of sodium hydroxide. T_g of the resulting A–B–A tri-block copolyether (PEMG) (M?_n = 1600) was ?72°C and its specific gravity [D₄¹⁵] was 1.055.