A capping methodology for the synthesis of lower mu-oxo-phthalocyaninato silicon oligomers

A mixed condensation of a substituted and unsubstituted silicon phthalocyanine monomer, in which the former serves as a "cap" to a growing oligomeric chain, provides unprecedented access to a mixed dimer, trimers, and a tetramer. An important element of product control can be achieved by changing the ratio of the precursor monomers.     

Nanocrystalline iron oxide aerogels as mesoporous magnetic architectures

We have developed crystalline nanoarchitectures of iron oxide that exhibit superparamagnetic behavior while still retaining the desirable bicontinuous pore-solid networks and monolithic nature of an aerogel. Iron oxide aerogels are initially produced in an X-ray-amorphous, high-surface-area form, by adapting recently established sol-gel methods using Fe(III) salts and epoxide-based proton scavengers. Controlled temperature/atmosphere treatments convert the as-prepared iron oxide aerogels into nanocrystalline forms with the inverse spinel structure. As a function of the bathing gas, treatment temperature, and treatment history, these nanocrystalline forms can be reversibly tuned to predominantly exhibit either Fe(3)O(4) (magnetite) or gamma-Fe(2)O(3) (maghemite) phases, as verified by electron microscopy, X-ray and electron diffraction, microprobe Raman spectroscopy, and magnetic analysis. Peak deconvolution of the Raman-active Fe-O bands yields valuable information on the local structure and vacancy content of the various aerogel forms, and facilitates the differentiation of Fe(3)O(4) and gamma-Fe(2)O(3) components, which are difficult to assign using only diffraction methods. These nanocrystalline, magnetic forms retain the inherent characteristics of aerogels, including high surface area (>140 m(2) g(-1)), through-connected porosity concentrated in the mesopore size range (2-50 nm), and nanoscale particle sizes (7-18 nm). On the basis of this synthetic and processing protocol, we produce multifunctional nanostructured materials with effective control of the pore-solid architecture, the nanocrystalline phase, and subsequent magnetic properties.     

Total synthesis of (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S,2'S)-membrenone-A and (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S)- membrenone-B and structural assignment of membrenone-C

[reaction: see text] (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S,2'S)-Membrenone-A and (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S)-membrenone-B were prepared in 11 steps (3% and 2.4% overall yield, respectively). Key steps included a tin(II)-mediated aldol followed by a syn selective reduction, giving the C7-C9 stereocenters, a second chain extending aldol coupling, and a p-TsOH-promoted cyclization/dehydration giving the common gamma-dihydropyrone precursor. We have thus established that synthetic (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S,2'S)-membrenone-A, (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S)-membrenone-B, and (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S)-membrenone-C are the enantiomers of the natural products.     

Synthesis and structure of diamido ether uranium(IV) and thorium(IV) halide "ate" complexes and their conversion to salt-free bis(alkyl) complexes

The high-yield synthesis, spectroscopic and structural determination of three new uranium(IV) and thorium(IV)ate complexes supported by three different diamido ether ligands are reported. The reaction of Li2[2,6-iPr2PhN(CH2CH2)]2O (Li2[DIPPNCOCN]) with 1 equiv. of UCl4 in THF generates [DIPPNCOCN]UCl3Li(THF)2(1), while reaction in toluene/ether gives salt-free [DIPPNCOCN]UCl2.1/2C7H8(2), which was identified by paramagnetically shifted 1H NMR. Reaction of 0.5 equiv. of {[tBuNON]UCl2}2([tBuNON]=[(CH3)3CN(Si(CH3)2)]2O2-) with 3.5 equiv. LiI in toluene and a minimal amount of THF results in [tBuNON]UI3Li(THF)2(3) and is very similar in structure to 1. {[MesNON]ThCl3Li(THF)}2(4), a dimeric complex with a Th2Li2Cl6 core, is prepared by reaction of Li2[2,4,6-Me3PhN(Si(CH3)2)]2O (Li2[MesNON]) with ThCl4 in THF. The analogous reaction in toluene did not yield the salt-free complex but rather a sterically crowded diligated compound, [MesNON]2Th (5), which was also structurally characterized. Complex 5 was prepared rationally by reacting 2 equiv. Li2[MesNON] with ThCl4 in toluene. The reaction of 1 and 3 with 2 equiv. of LiCH2Si(CH3)3 generates the stable, salt-free organoactinides [DIPPNCOCN]U(CH2Si(CH3)3)2(6) and [tBuNON]U(CH2Si(CH3)3)2(7). Complex 6 was structurally characterized. These reactions illustrate the viability of ate complexes as useful synthetic precursors.     

A versatile toolbox for variable DNA functionalization at high density

To broaden the applicability of chemically modified DNAs in nano- and biotechnology, material science, sensor development, and molecular recognition, strategies are required for introducing a large variety of different modifications into the same nucleic acid sequence at once. Here, we investigate the scope and limits for obtaining functionalized dsDNA by primer extension and PCR, using a broad variety of chemically modified deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs), DNA polymerases, and templates. All natural nucleobases in each strand were substituted with up to four different base-modified analogues. We studied the sequence dependence of enzymatic amplification to yield high-density functionalized DNA (fDNA) from modified dNTPs, and of fDNA templates, and found that GC-rich sequences are amplified with decreased efficiency as compared to AT-rich ones. There is also a strong dependence on the polymerase used. While family A polymerases generally performed poorly on "demanding" templates containing consecutive stretches of a particular base, family B polymerases were better suited for this purpose, in particular Pwo and Vent (exo-) DNA polymerase. A systematic analysis of fDNAs modified at increasing densities by CD spectroscopy revealed that single modified bases do not alter the overall B-type DNA structure, regardless of their chemical nature. A density of three modified bases induces conformational changes in the double helix, reflected by an inversion of the CD spectra. Our study provides a basis for establishing a generally applicable toolbox of enzymes, templates, and monomers for generating high-density functionalized DNAs for a broad range of applications.     

One pot solid phase synthesis of 2-substituted 2,3-dihydropyridin-4(1H)-ones on Rinkamide-resin

A novel solid phase synthesis of 2-substituted 2,3-dihydropyridin-4(1H)-ones using Rinkamide-polystyrene-resin is described. The key step involves a hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of Danishefsky's diene with solid phase bound imines, which was carefully optimized. Using this method even ketones are transformed into 2,2-disubstituted dihydropyridones.     

An Efficient Strategy to Orthogonally Protected (R)- and (S)-alpha-Methyl(alkyl)serine-Containing Peptides via a Novel Azlactone/Oxazoline Interconversion Reaction

A novel strategy for the synthesis of (R)- and (S)-alpha-methyl(alkyl)serine-containing peptides is presented. Using (S)-phenylalanine cyclohexylamide 6 as chiral auxiliary, the optically pure azlactones (R)- and (S)-2 were synthesized via a novel azlactone/oxazoline interconversion reaction (Figures 3 and 6). These azlactones constitute fully protected and activated synthetic equivalents of (R)- and (S)-alpha-methylserine and can be directly incorporated into peptides without further protective group manipulations. Like other alpha,alpha-dialkylated glycines, optically pure alpha-alkylserines can be used to stabilize beta-turn and alpha-helical conformations in short peptides.     

A complete family of isostructural cluster compounds with cubane-like M(3)S(4)M' cores (M = Mo,W; M' = Ni,Pd, Pt): comparative crystallography and electrochemistry

By reaction of the geometrically incomplete cubane-like clusters [(eta(5)-Cp')(3)Mo(3)S(4))][pts] and [(eta(5)-Cp')(3)W(3)S(4)][pts] (Cp' = methylcyclopentadienyl; pts = p-toluenesulfonate) with group 10 alkene complexes, three new heterobimetallic clusters with cubane-like cluster cores were isolated: [(eta(5)-Cp')(3)W(3)S(4)M'(PPh(3))][pts] ([5][pts], M' = Pd; [6][pts], M' = Pt); [(eta(5)-Cp')(3)Mo(3)S(4)Ni(AsPh(3))][pts] ([7][pts]). The compounds [5][pts]-[7][pts] are completing the extensive series of clusters [(eta(5)-Cp')(3)M(3)S(4)M'(EPh(3))][pts] (M = Mo, W; M' = Ni, Pd, Pt; E = P, As) which allows the consequences of replacing a single type of atom on structural and NMR and UV/vis spectroscopic as well as electrochemical properties to be determined. Single-crystal X-ray structure determinations of [5][pts]-[7][pts] revealed that [5][pts] was not isomorphous to the other members of the series [(eta(5)-Cp')(3)M(3)S(4)M'(EPh(3))][pts] due to distinctly different cell parameters, which in the molecular structure of [5](+) is reflected in a slightly different orientation of the PPh(3) ligand. Electrochemical measurements on the series showed that the Mo-based clusters were more difficult to oxidize than their W-based analogues. The Pd-containing clusters underwent two-electron oxidation processes, whereas the Ni- and Pt-containing clusters underwent two separated one-electron oxidation processes.     

Redetermination of the lanthanum iron sulfide La52Fe12S90

A redetermination of the structure of `La_32.66Fe₁₁S₆₀' in the trigonal space group Rm led to the new formula La₅₂Fe₁₂S₉₀ and to a redefinition of the structure type. In the structure, the Fe²⁺ cations occur in Fe₂S₉ dimers of face‐sharing octa­hedra (with 3m symmetry). The dimers are linked by face‐ and vertex‐sharing bi‐ and tricapped LaS₆ trigonal prisms (with m symmetry) to form a three‐dimensional network containing two types of cubocta­hedral cavities. The larger cavities remain empty, while the smaller ones accommodate alternative sites for disordered La³⁺ cations.