Synthesis of 7H-indolo[2,3-c]quinolines: study of the Pd-catalyzed intramolecular arylation of 3-(2-bromophenylamino)quinolines under microwave irradiation

D-ring substituted 5-methyl-5H-indolo[2,3-c]quinolines (4) have been synthesized in three steps starting from commercially available 3-bromoquinoline (5) and 2-bromoanilines (6). The methodology consists of two consecutive palladium-catalyzed reactions: a selective Buchwald-Hartwig amination followed by a regioselective intramolecular Heck-type reaction. The latter step has been investigated under microwave irradiation. Heating at 180 °C allows to seriously reduce the catalyst loading and get a full conversion to reaction product in 10 min. In addition, the former simplifies the purification.     

Automated method for measuring globin adducts of acrylamide and glycidamide at optimized Edman reaction conditions

The general population is exposed to acrylamide, a potential human carcinogen, through food and cigarette smoke. The assessment of human exposure to acrylamide is important in the evaluation of health risks associated with this chemical. Hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide (AA-Hb) and its primary metabolite glycidamide (GA-Hb) are established biomarkers of acrylamide exposure and methods to measure these biomarkers using modified Edman reaction are described. Only limited information about the optimal Edman reaction conditions such as pH or temperature is available for these adducts and the existing methods do not allow automation needed in biomonitoring studies. In this study, the yield of Edman products of AA-Hb and GA-Hb between pH 3-10 and at 35-55 degrees C at different time intervals, and the applicability of liquid-liquid extraction on diatomaceous earth for analyte extraction, were assessed and results were used in a new optimized method. The applicability of our optimized method was assessed by comparing results obtained with a convenience sample from 96 individuals with a conventional method. Maximum yield of Edman products was obtained between pH 6-7, heating the reaction solution at 55 degrees C for 2 h resulted in the same yields as with conventional conditions, and use of diatomaceous earth was found suitable for automated analyte extraction. Using these conditions, no difference was observed between our optimized and a conventional method. The median globin adduct values in the convenience sample are 129 pmol/g globin (range: 27-453 pmol/g globin) and 97 pmol/g globin (range: 27-240 pmol/g globin) for AA-Hb and GA-Hb, respectively. The GA-Hb/AA-Hb ratio decreases significantly with increasing AA-Hb values indicating that measurement of AA-Hb as well as GA-Hb are needed to appropriately assess human exposure to acrylamide.     

Enhancing early bladder cancer detection with fluorescence-guided endoscopic optical coherence tomography

We report an experimental study of the possibility of enhancing early bladder cancer diagnosis with fluorescence-image-guided endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT). After the intravesical instillation of a 10% solution of 5-aminolevulinic acid, simultaneous fluorescence imaging (excitation of 380-420 nm, emission of 620-700 nm) and OCT are performed on rat bladders to identify the photochemical and morphological changes associated with uroepithelial tumorigenesis. The preliminary results of our ex vivo study reveal that both fluorescence and OCT can identify early uroepithelial cancers, and OCT can detect precancerous lesions (e.g., hyperplasia) that fluorescence may miss. This suggests that a cystoscope combining 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence and OCT imaging has the potential to enhance the efficiency and sensitivity of early bladder cancer diagnosis.     

9‐(1‐Acetoxy­ethyl­idene)­fluorene (`diacetyl­fluorene'), a by‐product from the acetyl­ation of 9‐fluorenyl­lithium

Treatment of 9‐fluorenyl­lithium with acetyl chloride produces 9‐acetyl­fluorene, (I), and several by‐products, among which is `di­acetyl­fluorene', now characterized definitively as 9‐(1‐acetoxy­ethyl­idene)­fluorene [IUPAC name: (1‐fluoren‐9‐yl­idene­)ethyl acetate], (II), C₁₇H₁₄O₂, derived from acetyl­ation of initially formed (I). Various parameters disclose substantial structural distortion within (II) emanating from A^(1,3) strain associated with the 9‐(acetoxy­ethyl­idenyl)­fluorene system.     

Drying of Large Monolithic Aerogels between Atmospheric and Supercritical Pressures

The objectives of this investigation are to show the feasibility of producing large monoliths with minimal shrinkage at subcritical conditions, and to understand the drying behavior. Crack-free SiO2 monoliths (5.6 cm in diameter and 25 cm in length) were repeatedly dried with little shrinkage (<2%). Some gels showed increasing shrinkage with decreasing pressure. However, this shrinkage was reduced to negligible levels at conditions considerably less than supercritical pressure by increasing both the pore size and the gel strength. This moderate pressure drying (MPD) process may make aerogel fabrication economically more feasible due to reduced pressure chamber costs.     

Preparation and crystal structures of a series of titanium(III) 9-BBN hydroborate complexes containing Ti...H agostic interactions

9-BBN hydroborate complexes Ti{(mu-H)2BC8H14}3(THF)2 (1), Ti{(mu-H)2BC8H14}3(OEt2) (2), and [K(OEt2)4]-[Ti{(mu-H)2BC8H14}4] (4) were formed from the reaction of TiCl4 with K[H2BC8H14] in diethyl ether or THF. Ti{(mu-H)2BC8H14}3(PhNH2) (3) was isolated from the reaction of 2 with aniline in diethyl ether. In the formation of these complexes, Ti(IV) is reduced to Ti(III). The coordinated diethyl ether in 2 can be displaced by the stronger bases THF and aniline, to form 1 and 3, respectively. All of the compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In complex 1, which contains two coordinated THF ligands, the titanium possesses a 17 electron configuration and there is no evidence for agostic interaction. Complexes 2 and 3 contain only one coordinated ether or aniline ligand, and the titanium possesses a 15 electron configuration. In these compounds, a C-H hydrogen on an alpha carbon on the BC8H14 unit of a 9-BBN hydroborate ligand forms an agostic interaction with the titanium. Criteria for assessing the existence of agostic interactions are discussed. As the potassium salt, the anion of complex 4 is more stable than the complexes 1-3. Organometallic anions of the type [ML4]- for titanium(III) are rare.     

The Asymmetric Synthesis of Fused Cyclopentenone Ring Systems: A formal asymmetric total synthesis of (−)-isocomene

Optically active tricyclic oxazolidine lactams 10 have been prepared using two different routes (Scheme 1). They can be obtained by acid-mediated intramolecular cyclization of bicyclic lactams 13 via their acyliminium intermediates producing appended five-, six-, and seven-membered tricyclic systems. Alternatively, 10 can be prepared by cyclocondensation of chiral amino alcohols with cyclopentane-1,2-dicarboxylic acids 12 to give the imide which is reduced or alkylated to the amino alcohols and cyclized to a diastereoisomer mixture of 10 . Alkylation of 10 (R″ = H) via its enolate gives stereospecifically α-quaternary products 10 ( R ″ = alkyl). Degradation of the latter with MeLi or Red-Al® followed by mild acid hydrolysis and aldol cyclization produces the bicyclic ketones 14 and 15 as 1:1 mixtures, readily separated and isolated in > 99% ee. This sequence produced a known non-racemic intermediate 69 for the synthesis of (?)-isocomene.