A one-pot process for the enantioselective preparation of saturated secondary alcohols from propargyl ketones under hydrogen transfer conditions

Propargyl ketones can be directly transformed to enantio-enriched saturated secondary alcohols in a one-pot reaction using chiral RuCl[N-(tosyl)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine)(p-cymene) and Pd/BaSO₄ as catalysts, under transfer hydrogenation conditions.     

Lanthanide complexes for second order nonlinear optics: evidence for the direct contribution of f electrons to the quadratic hyperpolarizability

This study descibes for the first time the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of multipolar lanthanide complexes, Na3[Ln(dipic)3]. The "metal-induced" NLO activity enhancement is confirmed as a general property of f-block elements, and the direct participation of f electrons to the hyperpolarizability beta is strongly supported by experimental data.     

Headspace single-drop microextraction for the analysis of chlorobenzenes in water samples

Exposing a microlitre organic solvent drop to the headspace of an aqueous sample contaminated with ten chlorobenzene compounds proved to be an excellent preconcentration method for headspace analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The proposed headspace single-drop microextraction (SDME) method was initially optimised and the optimum experimental conditions found were: 2.5 microl toluene microdrop exposed for 5 min to the headspace of a 10 ml aqueous sample containing 30% (w/v) NaCl placed in 15 ml vial and stirred at 1000 rpm. The calculated calibration curves gave a high level of linearity for all target analytes with correlation coefficients ranging between 0.9901 and 0.9971, except for hexachlorobenzene where the correlation coefficient was found to be 0.9886. The repeatability of the proposed method, expressed as relative standard deviation varied between 2.1 and 13.2% (n = 5). The limits of detection ranged between 0.003 and 0.031 microg/l using GC-MS with selective ion monitoring. Analysis of spiked tap and well water samples revealed that matrix had little effect on extraction. A comparative study was performed between the proposed method, headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME), solid-phase extraction (SPE) and EPA method 8121. Overall, headspace SDME proved to be a rapid, simple and sensitive technique for the analysis of chlorobenzenes in water samples, representing an excellent alternative to traditional and other, recently introduced, methods.     

Dissection of human tropoelastin: solution structure, dynamics and self-assembly of the exon 5 peptide

The elastic properties of elastin have essentially been discussed in terms of dominant entropic components, with questions still remaining about whether the basic mechanism is compatible with the classical theory of rubber elasticity. A better understanding of the structure-function relationships in terms of the protein's elastic properties remains an important goal in elastin science. Recently, we succeeded in the exon-by-exon synthesis of all polypeptide sequences encoded by the so-called hydrophobic exons and almost all of the cross-linking exons of human tropoelastin. Among these, the peptide encoded by exon 5 (PGGLAGAGLGA) has been extensively studied by classical spectroscopic methods, such as CD and NMR spectroscopy, and by molecular dynamics simulations. The results obtained clearly evidenced a large flexibility of the polypeptide chain, which oscillates between rather extended conformations, such as PPII, and folded ones, such as beta turns. At the supramolecular level, we obtained evidence by TEM that shows that the peptide encoded by exon 5 is able to self-assemble in fibrillar structures, a result indicating that the "information" for self-assembly is also contained within a small domain of tropoelastin.     

Short- and long-range order in the positive electrode material, Li(NiMn)0.5O2: a joint X-ray and neutron diffraction, pair distribution function analysis and NMR study

The local environments and short-range ordering of LiNi(0.5)Mn(0.5)O(2), a potential Li-ion battery positive electrode material, were investigated by using a combination of X-ray and neutron diffraction and isotopic substitution (NDIS) techniques, (6)Li Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy, and for the first time, X-ray and neutron Pair Distribution Function (PDF) analysis, associated with Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) calculations. Three samples were studied: (6)Li(NiMn)(0.5)O(2), (7)Li(NiMn)(0.5)O(2), and (7)Li(NiMn)(0.5)O(2) enriched with (62)Ni (denoted as (7)Li(ZERO)Ni(0.5)Mn(0.5)O(2)), so that the resulting scattering length of Ni atoms is null. LiNi(0.5)Mn(0.5)O(2) adopts the LiCoO(2) structure (space group Rm) and comprises separate lithium layers, transition metal layers (Ni, Mn), and oxygen layers. NMR experiments and Rietveld refinements show that there is approximately 10% of Ni/Li site exchange between the Li and transition metal layers. PDF analysis of the neutron data revealed considerable local distortions in the layers that were not captured in the Rietveld refinements performed using the Bragg diffraction data and the LiCoO(2) structure, resulting in different M-O bond lengths of 1.93 and 2.07 Angstroms for Mn-O and Ni/Li-O, respectively. Large clusters of 2400-3456 atoms were built to investigate cation ordering. The RMC method was then used to improve the fit between the calculated model and experimental PDF data. Both NMR and RMC results were consistent with a nonrandom distribution of Ni, Mn, and Li cations in the transition metal layers; both the Ni and Li atoms are, on average, close to more Mn ions than predicted based on a random distribution of these ions in the transition metal layers. Constraints from both experimental methods showed the presence of short-range order in the transition metal layers comprising LiMn(6) and LiMn(5)Ni clusters combined with Ni and Mn contacts resembling those found in the so-called "flower structure" or structures derived from ordered honeycomb arrays.     

Synthesis of oligothiophene-bridged bisporphyrins and study of the linkage dependence of the electronic coupling

A set of twelve porphyrin dimers has been prepared to give information on how the type of connectivity between a porphyrin core and a bridge can influence the interporphyrin electronic interaction. The new porphyrin systems are substituted directly at the meso position with an oligothiophene chain tethered either with a single C-C sigma bond, a trans ethylenyl group, or a acetylenyl group. The compounds are easily obtained by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions (Stille, Heck, and Sonogashira) between 5-iodo-10,15,20-(3,5-ditert-butylphenyl)porphyrin and the appropriate oligothiophene derivative. This synthetic approach is straightforward and very effective for preparing oligothiophene-based prophyrin systems. The absorption spectra and the fluorescence properties of the dimers demonstrated the crucial importance of the characteristics of the chemical bond used to connect the bridge to the porphyrin unit. The magnitude of the electronic communication can thus be significantly modulated by altering the type of bond connectivity used to link the chromophore to the bridge. The present work shows that an oligothiophene spacer is a viable class of linker for connecting porphyrins, and that a quaterthiophene appended with ethynyl linkages affords a high electronic interaction over a distance as large as 28 A. A detailed computational study of these dimers has clarified the conditions needed for a conjugated system to behave as a molecular wire. These conditions are full planarity of the molecule and proper energy matching between the frontier orbitals of the bridge and the porphyrin. Intermolecular energy transfer in asymmetrical dyads composed of a zinc porphyrin and a freebase porphyrin has been studied by fluorescence spectroscopy. In all systems, this process is more than 98% efficient, and its rate constant decreases steadily in the order 4ZH > 1ZH > 3ZH approximately 2ZH. Thus, the largest rate (kEnT = 1.2 x 10(11) s-1) was found in the dyad linked with bisethynyl quaterthiophene, which represents the longest bridge within the series. These results clearly demonstrate that strong communication and also efficient photoinduced processes can be promoted over a large distance if the electronic structure of the molecular connector is appropriately chosen.     

Azetidinic amino acids: stereocontrolled synthesis and pharmacological characterization as ligands for glutamate receptors and transporters

A set of ten azetidinic amino acids, that can be envisioned as C-4 alkyl substituted analogues of trans-2-carboxyazetidine-3-acetic acid (t-CAA) and/or conformationally constrained analogues of (R)- or (S)-glutamic acid (Glu) have been synthesized in a diastereo- and enantiomerically pure form from beta-amino alcohols through a straightforward five step sequence. The key step of this synthesis is an original anionic 4-exo-tet ring closure that forms the azetidine ring upon an intramolecular Michael addition. This reaction was proven to be reversible and to lead to a thermodynamic distribution of two diastereoisomers that were easily separated and converted in two steps into azetidinic amino acids. Azetidines 35-44 were characterized in binding studies on native ionotropic Glu receptors and in functional assays at cloned metabotropic receptors mGluR1, 2 and 4, representing group I, II and III mGlu receptors, respectively. Furthermore, azetidine analogues 35, 36, and 40 were also characterized as potential ligands at the glutamate transporter subtypes EAAT1-3 in the FLIPR Membrane Potential (FMP) assay. The (2R)-azetidines 35, 37, 39, 41 and 43 were inactive in iGlu, mGlu and EAAT assays, whereas a marked change in the pharmacological profile at the iGlu receptors was observed when a methyl group was introduced in the C-4 position, compound 36 versus t-CAA. At EAAT1-3, compound 35 was inactive, whereas azetidines 36 and 40 were both identified as inhibitors and showed selectivity for the EAAT2 subtype.     

Kinetic measurements on methylidyne radical reactions with several hydrocarbons at low temperatures

The temperature dependences of the methylidyne radical reactions with methane, allene, methylacetylene and propene were studied. This work was carried out in a supersonic flow reactor coupled with pulsed laser photolysis (PLP) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) techniques. Three Laval nozzles were designed to provide uniform supersonic expansions of nitrogen at Mach 2 and of argon at Mach 2 and 3 to reach low temperatures, e.g. 170, 128 and 77 K, respectively. CH radicals were produced by PLP of CHBr3 at 266 nm and probed by LIF. The exponential decays of the CH fluorescence were acquired, hydrocarbons being introduced in excess. The rate constants for the CH+CH4 reaction are in good agreement with the temperature dependence proposed by Canosa et al. (A. Canosa, I. R. Sims, D. Travers, I. W. M. Smith and B. R. Rowe, Astron. Astrophys., 1997, 323, 644-651, ) i.e. 3.96x10(-8)(T/K)(-1.04) exp(-36.1 K/T) in the range 23-298 K. The rate constants of the CH+C3H4(allene), CH+C3H4(methylacetylene) and CH+C3H6(propene) reactions exhibit a small temperature dependence between 77 and 170 K, with a maximum rate around 100 K close to (4.3-4.6)x10(-10) cm3 molecule-1 s-1.     

Novel fused D-A dyad and A-D-A triad incorporating tetrathiafulvalene and p-benzoquinone

Novel fused donor-acceptor dyad (TTF-Q or D-A) and acceptor-donor-acceptor triad (Q-TTF-Q or A-D-A) incorporating the donor tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and the acceptor p-benzoquinone (Q) have been synthesized. The solution UV-vis spectra of these molecules display a low-energy absorption band that is attributed to an intramolecular charge transfer between both antagonistic units. The presence of reversible oxidation and reduction waves for the donor and acceptor moieties was shown by cyclic voltammetry, in agreement with the ratio TTF/quinone(s) units. The successive generation from these compounds of the cation radical and anion radical obtained upon (electro)chemical oxidation and reduction, respectively, was monitored by optical and ESR spectroscopies. The anion radical Q-TTF-Q(-.) triad was demonstrated to be a class II mixed-valence system with the existence of a temperature-dependent intramolecular electron transfer. The crystallographic tendency of these fused systems to overlap in mixed stacks of alternating A-D-A units is also discussed.     

Supported cationic complexes: selective preparation and characterization of the well-defined electrophilic metallocenium cation [[triple bond]SiO-B(C6F5)3]- [Cp*ZrMe2(Et2NPh)]+ supported on silica

The reaction of Cp*ZrMe3, 1, with the heterogeneous activator [[triple bond]SiO-B(C6F5)3]- [HNEt2Ph]+, 2, has been investigated to generate, by an irreversible process of methane elimination, the well-defined cationic silica-supported metallocenium species [[triple bond]SiO-B(C6F5)3]- [Cp*ZrMe2(NEt2Ph)]+, 3, as an active olefin polymerisation catalyst.