1-AMINO-1-ARYL- AND 1-AMINO-1-HETEROARYL-METHANEPHOSPHONIC ACIDS AND THEIR N-BENZHYDRYL–PROTECTED DIETHYL ESTERS: PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION

n-Benzhydryl-protected diethyl[3.3pc] esters of 1-amino-1-aryl- (phenyl, cumyl, p-dimethylaminophenyl, piperonyl, 1′-naphthyl, 9′-anthryl, 1′-pyrenyl) and 1-amino-1-heteroaryl- (furyl, 2′-thienyl, 3′-thienyl, 2′-pyrrolyl)-methanephosphonic acids, prepared by the addition of diethyl phosphite to the corresponding benzhydryl imines, have been isolated, purified, and characterized. The presence of chiral α -carbon and prochiral phosphorus in these esters gives rise to complicated features in their NMR spectra, which are discussed. Hydrolysis of the crude 1-aryl compounds in situ gave modest yields of the corresponding aminophosphonic acids (except for 1′-pyrenyl). Of the 1-heteroaryl derivatives, only the 2′-thienyl compound gave the expected aminophosphonic acid; in other cases, alternative[-18pc] modes of decomposition may occur under hydrolytic conditions. NMR and mass spectral data are given for all products.     

Synthesis of Carbonyl Compounds from Alcohols Using Electrochemically Generated Superoxide Ions in RTILs

Abstract

We show that the superoxide ion (O₂ ^??) generated electrochemically from oxygen dissolved in room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) reacts with primary and secondary alcohols to form the corresponding ketones and carboxylic acids, respectively. Specifically, we study the conversion of benzhydrol to benzophenone and benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde/benzoic acid. The kinetics (e.g., rate, selectivity, and yield) for these reactions are also determined as functions of the variations in the structure of the ionic liquids. The RTILs used here are imidazolium-based cations where the functional groups on the imidazolium ring are modified. Specifically, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [bmim][PF₆], 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [bdmim][PF₆], and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [hmim][PF₆] are used as the reaction medium. These results are compared to an ammonium-based RTIL (N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide). The results show that the nucleophilic attack by the O₂ ^?? of both the RTIL and the alcohol, especially that of the H atom at the R2 position of the [bmim][PF₆] and [hmim][PF₆], greatly affects the yields. No RTIL degradation products were detected for the reactions in [bdmim][PF₆] and N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquids. For the benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction in the RTIL, N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, benzaldehyde formed did not undergo further oxidation to form benzoic acid, which may be due to the greater hydrophobicity of this RTIL. The competitive reaction kinetics between the alcohol and RTIL component must be considered in the selection of the RTIL solvent system.     

Model Development in Thermal Styrene Polymerization

Summary: The thermal polymerization of styrene is usually modeled by relying on a reaction scheme and a set of equations that were developed more than three decades ago by Hui and Hamielec. Many detailed models of styrene polymerization are available in the open literature and they are mostly based on the work of Hui and Hamielec, which nearly makes this the standard to follow in explaining the behavior of polystyrene reactors. The model of Hui and Hamielec does a very nice job of describing monomer conversion data but discrepancies are seen between observed and predicted values of number and weight average molecular weights, M_n and M_w. Discrepancies in number average molecular weight seem to be the result of random noise. Discrepancies in weight average molecular weight grow as the polymerization temperature decreases and some of the trends observed in the residuals over the entire temperature range cannot be attributed to random noise. Hui and Hamielec attributed the observed deficiencies to a standard deviation of ±10% in their GPC measurements. A new data set with an experimental error of 2% for average molecular weights is presented. The set contains measured values of M_n, M_w and M_z, so the polymerization scheme has been extended to include third order moments. The data set also includes the effect of ethylbenzene as a chain transfer agent. We present the results of comparing model predictions to our measurements and the adjustments made in the original set of kinetic parameters published by Hui and Hamielec.     

Separation and quantification of N-acetyl-l-cysteine and N-acetyl-cysteine-amide by HPLC with fluorescence detection

N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) is a well-known antioxidant that is capable of facilitating glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis and replenishing intracellular GSH under oxidatively challenging circumstances. N-acetyl-cysteine-amide (NACA), the amide form of NAC, is a newly designed and synthesized thiol-containing compound which is believed to be more lipophilic and permeable through cell membranes than NAC. The metabolic and antioxidant effects of these compounds in vitro and in vivo are under investigation. However, an analytical method that can separate and quantify both compounds simultaneously is not yet available, to the best of our knowledge. Because of their structural similarities, the two compounds are difficult to separate using earlier HPLC methods which were designed for NAC quantification. Therefore, the goal of this work was to develop an HPLC method with fluorescence detection for simultaneous quantification of NAC and NACA in biological blood and tissue samples. A gradient HPLC program with fluorescence detection (lambda(ex) = 330 nm, lambda(em) = 376 nm) using N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide (NPM) as the derivatizing agent was developed. The calibration curves were linear over a concentration range of 25-5000 nm (r(2) > 0.997). The coefficients of variation for within-run precision and between-run precision ranged from 0.67 to 5.23% and for accuracy ranged from 0.98 to 10.54%; the percentage relative recovery ranged from 94.5 to 102.8%. This new method provides satisfactory separation of NAC and NACA, along with other biological thiols, in 20 min with a 5 nm limit of detection (LOD) per 5 microL injection volume.     

Photochemical generation of dihydrogen complexes of chromium and tungsten

Photolysis of solutions of M(CO)(6) (M = Cr, W) at low temperature in the presence of hydrogen gas affords Cr(CO)(5)(H(2)) (1) and W(CO)(5)(H(2)) (2). Complexes 1 and 2 are characterized as dihydrogen complexes based on short T(1) values for the hydride resonances and the observation of a large HD coupling in the HD derivatives. Irradiation of a phosphine-substituted derivative (PMe(3))Cr(CO)(5) in the presence of hydrogen gas gave similar results. Thus cis-(PMe(3))Cr(CO)(4)(H(2)) (3) and trans-(PMe(3))Cr(CO)(4)(H(2)) (4) were prepared and characterized by (1)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy. When the photolysis reactions were carried out in methylene chloride, solvent binding competitive with hydrogen binding was observed. This was not observed in less coordinating solvents such as alkanes. Subsequent displacement of solvent by H(2) leads to the dihydrogen complexes. Complexes 1 and 2 are moderately acidic, with deprotonation effected by mild bases.     

State-resolved unimolecular dissociation of cis-cis HOONO: Product state distributions and action spectrum in the 2nuOH band region

Nascent OH fragment product state distributions arising from unimolecular dissociation of room temperature HOONO, initiated by excitation in the region of the 2nu(OH) band, are probed using laser-induced fluorescence at sub-Doppler resolution. Phase-space simulations of the measured OH rotational distributions are consistent with the dissociation dynamics being statistical and confirm that all major features in the room temperature action spectrum belong to the cis-cis conformer. The phase-space simulations also allow us to estimate the HO-ONO bond dissociation energy of cis-cis HOONO to be D(0)=19.9+/-0.5 kcal/mol, which when combined with the known heat-of-formation data for the OH and NO(2) fragments gives DeltaH(f) (0)(cis-cis HOONO)=-2.5 kcal/mol. In addition to fragment energy release, spectral features in the cis-cis HOONO action spectrum are examined with respect to their shifts upon (15)N isotope substitution and through ab initio spectral simulation using a two-dimensional dipole surface that takes into account the influence of HOON torsional motion on the OH stretching overtone. The two-dimensional spectral simulations, using CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ dipole surface, qualitatively reproduces features appearing in the action spectrum and suggest that the strong broad feature occurring approximately 570 cm(-1) to the blue of the cis-cis HOONO 2nu(OH) peak, likely involve excitation of HOON-torsion/OH-stretch combination bands originating from thermally populated excited torsional states. A closer examination of the predictions of the two-dimensional model with experiments also reveals its limitations and suggests that a more elaborate treatment, one which includes several additional modes, will likely be required in order to fully explain the room temperature action spectrum. Ab initio calculations of the HOON torsional potential at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level of theory are also presented and confirm that cis-perp configuration does not correspond to a bound localized minimum on the HOONO potential energy surface.     

Identification of marker proteins for Bacillus anthracis using MALDI-TOF MS and ion trap MS/MS after direct extraction or electrophoretic separation

Direct extraction of bacterial vegetative cells or spores followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS) has become popular for bacterial identification, since it is simple to perform and mass spectra are readily interpreted. However, only high-abundance proteins that are of low mass and ionize readily are observed. In the case of B. anthracis spores, small acid-soluble spore proteins (SASPs) have been the most widely studied. Additional information can be obtained using tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) to confirm the identity of proteins by sequencing. This is most readily accomplished using ion trap (IT) MS-MS. However, enzymatic digestion of these proteins is needed to generate peptides that are within the mass range of the ion trap. The use of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), or other forms of electrophoresis, allows one to focus on specific proteins of interest (e.g. the high mass exosporium glycoproteins BcIA and BcIB) that provide additional species- and strain-specific discrimination.     

Analysis of ochres from Clearwell Caves: the role of particle size in determining colour

Three ochre samples (A (orange-red in colour), B (red) and C (purple)) from Clearwell Caves, (Gloucestershire, UK) have been examined using an integrated analytical methodology based on the techniques of IR and diffuse reflectance UV-visible-NIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis by ICP-AES and particle size analysis. It is shown that the chromophore in each case is haematite. The differences in colour may be accounted for by (i) different mineralogical and chemical composition in the case of the orange ochre, where higher levels of dolomite and copper are seen and (ii) an unusual particle size distribution in the case of the purple ochre. When the purple ochre was ground to give the same particle size distribution as the red ochre then the colours of the two samples became indistinguishable. An analysis has now been completed of a range of ochre samples with colours from yellow to purple from the important site of Clearwell Caves.