Synthetic studies on the taxane skeleton: construction of eight-membered carbocyclic rings by the intramolecular B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction

Construction of eight-membered carbocyclic rings via the intramolecular B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction has been studied. This protocol proved its potency through the formation of the eight-membered ring possessing a quaternary carbon on its ring in high yield, affording promise of a new access to the eight-membered ring of Taxol. [reaction: see text]     

Synthesis of all stereoisomers of sulfinylcalix[4]arenes

All four stereoisomers of p-tert-butylsulfinylcalix[4]arene [4(rccc), 4(rcct), 4(rctt), and 4(rtct)], arising from the disposition of the four sulfinyl groups with respect to the mean plane of the four bridging sulfur atoms, have been prepared via oxidation of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene (2) or its tetra-O-benzyl ethers 5 of defined conformations. Thus, treatment of 2 with 4.4 molar equiv of NaBO(3).4H(2)O gave the rtct and rctt isomers in 27% and 17% yields, respectively, while oxidation of cone 5 (5(C)) and partial cone 5 (5(PC)) proceeded stereoselectively to give, after debenzylation of the resulting tetrasulfoxides 12 and 15, the rccc and rcct isomers in 56% and 28% yields, respectively, based on 5. The sulfinylcalix[4]arenes 4 were treated with iodomethane in the presence of a base to give the corresponding tetramethyl ethers 16, the structures of which in regard to the disposition of the sulfinyl groups and the conformation of the phenol units were determined by X-ray crystallography. Also reported is the synthesis of all four conformational isomers of tetra-O-benzyl ether of 2 (5(C), 5(PC), 5(1,2-A), and 5(1,3-A)).     

Efficient heterogeneous catalytic intramolecular Tishchenko reaction of o-phthalaldehyde to phthalide with alkaline earth oxides

The heterogeneous catalytic systems realized by alkaline earth oxides are successfully applicable to the highly efficient intramolecular Tishchenko lactonization of o-phthalaldehyde to phthalide.     

Relaxation behavior of laser-polarized (129)Xe gas: size dependency and wall effect of the T(1) relaxation time in glass and gelatin bulbs

Size dependency of the relaxation time T(1) was measured for laser-polarized (129)Xe gas encapsulated in different sized cavities made by glass bulbs or gelatin capsules. The use of laser-polarized gas enhances the sensitivity a great deal, making it possible to measure the longer (129)Xe relaxation time in quite a short time. The size dependency is analyzed on the basis of the kinetic theory of gases and a relationship is derived in which the relaxation rate is connected with the square inverse of the diameter of the cavity. Such an analysis provides a novel parameter which denotes the wall effect on the relaxation rate when a gas molecule collides with the surface once in a second. The relaxation time of (129)Xe gas is also dependent on the material which forms the cavity. This dependency is large and the relaxation study using polarized (129)Xe gas is expected to offer important information about the state of the matter of the cavity wall.     

Raman spectroscopy of SWNTs produced by a XeCl excimer laser ablation at high temperatures

Synthesis of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was carried out by an ablation method using a XeCl excimer laser. It was irradiated onto a graphite target containing Co and Ni at the temperatures of 1073, 1173, 1273, 1373, 1473, 1523 and 1623 K under the atmosphere (0.1 MPa) of Ar gas with the flow rate of 12 ml/min. The measurement by a scanning/transmission electron microscope and Raman spectroscopy found the formation of SWNTs with the diameter of about 1.3 nm and the length of about 2 μm in ablated carbonaceous soot. The ratio of peak intensity of 1590 cm⁻¹ (G band) to that of 1335 cm⁻¹ (D band) in the high frequency Raman spectra increased with increasing the ambient temperature. The radial breathing mode (RBM) in the low frequency Raman spectra shows that the mean diameter of SWNTs increased with increasing the ambient temperature.     

Structure, thermal and transport properties of PVAc-LiClO4 solid polymer electrolytes

The lithium ion conducting solid polymer electrolytes (SPE) based on PVAc-LiClO₄ of various compositions were prepared by solution casting technique. Structure and surface morphology characterization were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements, respectively. Thermal and conductivity behavior of polymer-salt complexes were studied by employing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and ac impedance measurements, respectively. XRD and SEM analyses indicate the amorphous nature of the polymer-salt complexes. DSC measurements show decrease in T_g with the increase in LiClO₄ concentrations. The bulk conductivity of the PVAc:LiClO₄ polymer electrolytes was found to vary between 7.6×10⁻⁷ and 6.2×10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ at 303 K with the increase in salt concentration. The temperature dependence of the polymer electrolyte complexes appear to obey Arrhenius law.     

NIR spectroscopic study of the dissolution process in pharmaceutical tablets

In this study, water penetration and the interaction between water and a pharmaceutical excipient in a tablet were investigated using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and perturbation-correlation moving-window two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (PCMW-2DCS). The penetration rate of water into a tablet was mainly dependent on the porosity of the tablet and was less dependent on the type of excipient. This behavior was well described by the Lucas–Washburn theory. The PCMW-2DCS technique revealed that there are two-staged interaction changes in NIR spectra of the water–powder interactions. The first and second changes corresponded to the water–solid interaction and the dissolution of the solid, respectively. The diffusion-controlled dissolution model by Nernst well explained these results.     

On dimensional properties of the generalized Smirnov's spaces

We show that the transfinite inductive dimensions modulo PP-trind and P-trInd introduced in M.G. Charalambous (1997) [2] differ by simple spaces, where P is the absolutely additive Borel class A(α) or the absolutely multiplicative Borel class M(α), 0?α<ω₁.     

Effect of tea polyphenols on glucan synthesis by glucosyltransferase from Streptococcus mutans

In the course of our studies on the development of anti-plaque agents for prevention of dental caries, we investigated effects of some of tea preparations and their individual components on the glucan synthesis catalyzed by glucosyltransferase (GTF) from Streptococcus mutans. Extracts of green tea and black tea, and polyphenol mixtures showed appreciable inhibition in the synthesis of insoluble glucan. Among the components isolated from tea infusions, theaflavin and its mono- and digallates had potent inhibitory activities at concentrations of 1-10 mM against GTF. (+)-Catechin, (-)-epicatechin and their enantiomers had moderate inhibitory activities at these concentrations, while galloyl esters of (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin and (-)-gallocatechin had increased inhibitory activities.