AuCl(3)-catalyzed benzannulation: synthesis of naphthyl ketone derivatives from o-alkynylbenzaldehydes with alkynes

The reaction of o-alkynylbenzaldehydes 1 and alkynes 2 in the presence of a catalytic amount of AuCl3 in (CH2Cl)2 at 80 degrees C gave naphthyl ketone products in high yields. The AuCl3-catalyzed formal [4 + 2] benzannulation proceeds most probably through the coordination of the triple bond of 1 to AuCl3, the formation of benzo[c]pyrylium auric ate complex via the nucleophilic addition of the carbonyl oxygen atom, the Diels-Alder addition of alkynes 2 to the auric ate complex, and subsequent bond rearrangement. Similarly, the AuCl3-catalyzed reactions of o-alkynylacetophenone and o-alkynylbenzophenone with phenylacetylene afforded the corresponding naphthyl ketone products in good yields.     

Preparation of new nitrogen-bridged heterocycles. 56. Syntheses and reactions of 1-[2,2-bis(alkylthio)-1-(ethoxycarbonylacetyl)vinyl]pyridinium salts

The title compounds, readily available from the S-alkylation of pyridinium 1-[alkylthio(thiocarbonyl)](ethoxycarbonylacetyl)methylides with alkyl halides or alkyl bromoacetates, were treated with a base and then a dehydrogenating agent to provide some unique products such as 3-[bis(alkylthio)methylene]-2(3H)-indolizinones and dialkyl 7-methyl-4-oxo-1,4,8,8a-tetrahydro-1,4-thiazino[3,4,5-cd]indolizine-1,5-dicarboxylates. On the other hand, similar reaction of these pyridinium salts in the absence of the dehydrogenating agent afforded alkyl 2-hydroxyindlizine-3-carboxythiolates, whose yields were increased by adding trifluoroacetic acid to the reaction mixture. The structures of some products were confirmed by the X-ray analyses.     

Steady-state and nanosecond spectroscopic studies of triplet sensitized reaction of K-region arene oxides

Photorearrangement reactions of K-region arene oxides, 9,10-epoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (1a), 3-acetyl-9,10-epoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (1b), and 3,4-epoxy-3,4-dihydropyrene (1c) in dichloroethane (DCE) solution were investigated by steady irradiation and nanosecond transient spectroscopy. Photorearrangements producing substituted oxepins, 2 occur via the singlet excited state of these compounds, while the phenolic products, 9-hydroxyphenanthrene (3a), 3-acetyl-9-hydroxyphenanthrene (3b), and 4-hydroxypyrene (3c) are formed via the triplet state. Phenol 3 formation from the triplet 1 sensitized by the triplet 3 (i.e. product sensitization) is proposed for the photorearrangement reactions of 1a and 1c, and this process is the only way phenol (3a) is formed because of the negligible intersystem crossing probability of 1a. No product sensitization occurs in the photorearrangement reaction of 1b.     

Study of adsorption of methylene blue and new methylene blue in liquid-solid interface by slab optical waveguide spectroscopy

A slab optical waveguide (SOWG) has been used for study of adsorption of both methylene blue (MB) and new methylene blue (NMB) in liquid–solid interface. Adsorption characteristics of MB and NMB on both bare SOWG and silanized SOWG by octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODS) were compared. Effect of pH on adsorption on MB and NMB was investigated. Binding rate constant analysis showed that both MB and NMB on bare SOWG demonstrates larger association constants than those on ODS-SOWG. Interactions of MB and NMB on bare SOWG and ODS-SOWG were analyzed by molecular mechanics calculation method. The binding energy change was in the following order: E_NMB–bare > E_MB–bare > E_NMB–ODS > E_MB–ODS.     

Preparation of new nitrogen-bridged heterocycles. 54.increased arene-arene interactions of 3-(bicyclic and tricyclic arylmethylthio)thieno[3,4-b]indolizine derivatives

Some thieno[3,4-b]indolizine derivatives having a 1-naphthylmethylthio, 2-methyl-1-naphthylmethylthio, 2-naphthylmethylthio, or 9-anthrylmethylthio group at the 3-position were prepared and their intramolecular arene-arene interactions were investigated. In comparison with 3-(methylthio)thieno[3,4-b]indolizines which have no such interactions, the (1)H-NMR spectra of title compounds showed large high-field shifts (delta 0.06-0.89 ppm) for the protons of the pyridine ring in the thieno[3,4-b]indolizine, and these values were considerably larger than those (delta <0.3 ppm) in 3-(benzylthio)thieno[3,4-b]indolizines. The UV spectra also exhibited a characteristic absorption band near 425 nm attributable to the arene-arene interaction. In the X-ray analyses of some compounds, however, the presence of both the gauche and the anti conformers at the sulfide spacer were confirmed.     

Use of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate room temperature ionic liquids as chelate extraction solvent with 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(2-thienyl)-1,3-butanedione

Possible use of room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) as chelate extraction solvent was evaluated by using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF₆]), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([hmim][PF₆]) and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([omim][PF₆]). These RTILs showed high extraction performance for divalent metal cations with 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(2-thienyl)-1,3-butanedione (Htta). The extracted metals were back-extracted into 1 mol dm⁻³ nitric acid quantitatively. Furthermore, the extracted species were estimated as neutral hydrated complexes M(tta)₂(H₂O)_n (n= 1 or 2) for M = Ni, Cu and Pb and anionic complexes M(tta)₃⁻ for M = Mn, Co, Zn and Cd.     

Unique oxidation reaction of amides with pyridine-N-oxide catalyzed by ruthenium porphyrin: direct oxidative conversion of N-acyl-L-proline to N-acyl-L-glutamate

Oxidations of alkanes, alkenes, and aromatic rings with pyridine N-oxides are efficiently catalyzed by ruthenium porphyrins under mild conditions. We show here that the oxidation of N-acyl cyclic amines with RuIVtetraarylporphyrin dichloride-2,6-substituted pyridine N-oxides directly gives N-acyl amino acids in modest to good yield via oxidative C-N bond cleavage. N-Acylpyrrolidines and N-acylpiperidines were converted to N-acyl-gamma-aminobutyric acids and N-acyl-delta-aminovaleric acids, respectively. This type of reaction is a novel one in which the C-N bond is cleaved selectively at the less substituted carbon. Notably, the proline residue in proline-containing peptides was selectively converted to glutamate. A large intramolecular kinetic isotope effect (kH/kD = 9.8) was observed in the oxidation of N-benzoyl[2,2,-d2]pyrrolidine, indicating that the reaction should involve an alpha-hydrogen atom abstraction process as the rate-determining step. N-Acylcarbaldehyde, the putative intermediate ring-opened form of alpha-hydroxylated N-acyl cyclic amine, was readily oxidized with the oxidizing system to afford the corresponding N-acylamino acid in good yield. Further, lactams (1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and 1-methyl- 2-piperidone) were also oxidized to give the corresponding imides (1-methylsuccinimide and 1-methylpiperidine-2,6-dione).     

Kunzeanones A, B, and C: novel alkylated phloroglucinol metabolites from Kunzea ambigua

Three new metabolites, kunzeanones A (1), B (2), and C (3), along with three known compounds, cryptostrobin (4), (+)-spathulenol (5), and (−)-globulol (6), were isolated from the non-polar fraction of the dried leaves of Kunzea ambigua (Myrtaceae), which shows ichthyotoxicity toward a small fish, medaka. The structures of these new compounds were elucidated as condensates of alkylated phloroglucinol with methylflavanone and germacrane-type sesquiterpene, respectively, on the basis of spectral analyses including 1-D and 2-D NMR spectra. The stereochemistries of kunzeanones A and B were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. A sesquiterpene, (+)-spathulenol (5), among the isolates was characterized as the ichthyotoxic principle of the extract.     

KINETICS AND MECHANISM OF PHOTOCYCLOADDITION OF DEOXYURIDINES TO 2,3-DIMETHYL-2-BUTENE

The mechanism of photocycloaddition of 2′-deoxyuridine (1a) and thymidine (1b) to 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene (Bu) in acetonitrile by UV irradiation has been studied. The reciprocal quantum yield for the cycloaddition increased linearly with reciprocal concentrations of Bu in acetonitrile to give limiting quantum yields at infinite concentration of Bu as 0.030 and 0.0096 for 1a and 1b , respectively. This shows that the cycloaddition proceeds in a two-step mechanism between the triplet state of 1 and Bu through biradical intermediates. Addition of cis-1,3-pentadiene quenched the reaction obeying the Stern–Volmer equation. The above quenching experiments and laser transient spectroscopy revealed that the triplet state of 1a reacts with Bu with much larger rate constant (1.3–1.6 × 10⁹ M^?1 s^?1) than that of 1b (4–5 × 10⁷ M^?1 s^?1) reflecting larger steric hindrance exerted in the reaction of 1b than that of 1a .     

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of ethynylstibanes with organic halides

The reaction of ethynylstibanes (1a-g) with vinyl halides or triflate in the presence of a palladium catalyst led to the formation of cross-coupling products (5a-g, 10-12) in good to moderate yield, along with homo-coupling products (6a-g). A similar reaction of ethynyldiphenylstibane (1a) with aryl iodides (13a-i) also gave cross-coupling products (14a-i), although the yields were relatively low. The yields of the cross-coupling products were highly dependent on the nature of the solvent employed, and good results were obtained when the reaction was carried out in HMPA or amines such as diethylamine and morpholine. The results imply that HMPA and amine used as solvents facilitate transmetallation of the ethynyl group on 1 to the palladium by intermolecular coordination between antimony and oxygen (for HMPA) or nitrogen (for amine).