Synthesis and reactions of a stable 1,2-diaryl-1,2-dibromodisilene: a precursor for substituted disilenes and a 1,2-diaryldisilyne

Synthesis and isolation of the stable diaryldibromodisilene, Bbt(Br)SiSi(Br)Bbt, has been accomplished for the first time. The dibromodisilene underwent substitution reactions with organometallic reagents on the low-coordinated silicon atom to afford the corresponding substituted disilenes. Furthermore, the reaction of 1 with t-BuLi afforded the corresponding 1,2-diaryldisilyne, BbtSi[triple bond]SiBbt, the characters of which were revealed by spectroscopic and crystallographic analyses.     

Samarium(II)-mediated spirocyclization by intramolecular aryl radical addition onto an aromatic ring

Samarium(II)-mediated spirocyclization by intramolecular addition of aryl radicals onto an aromatic ring was achieved by the reaction of N-(2-iodophenyl)-N-alkylbenzamides with SmI2 in the presence of HMPA, yielding spirocyclic indolin-2-one derivatives. The ether congeners afford spirocyclic benzofuran derivatives in moderate yields by aryl radical addition onto a benzene ring without having an electron-withdrawing group. The reaction with other aryl groups such as naphthalene and indole rings is also described.     

Divalent Pb(0) compounds

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out on four novel dicoordinated lead compounds PbL₂ where L is an N-heterocyclic ylidene or a five-membered cyclic ylidene (1Pb, 2Pb, 4Pb, 5Pb) and for a plumbylene-coordinated carbone CL₂ (3Pb). The theoretically predicted equilibrium geometries and the first and second proton affinities of 1Pb?C5Pb are reported. Geometry optimizations have also been carried out for the complexes with one and two BH₃ ligands 1Pb(BH ₃ )?C5Pb(BH ₃ ) and 1Pb(BH ₃ ) ₂ ?C5Pb(BH ₃ ) ₂ , and for the transition metal complexes 1PbW(CO) ₅ ?C5PbW(CO) ₅ and 1PbNi(CO) ₃ ?C5PbNi(CO) ₃ . The results suggest that the molecules 1Pb, 2Pb and 4Pb possess properties which identify them as divalent Pb(0) compounds (plumbylones). This comes to the fore by the theoretically predicted second PAs which are very large for a lead compound and (for 1Pb and 4Pb) by the BDE of the second BH₃ ligand. Compound 3Pb should be considered as a plumbylene-coordinated divalent C(0) compound (carbone) which has a very high second PA of 195.1?kcal/mol. The geometry optimization of 5Pb gives an equilibrium structure which identifies the molecules as divalent Pb(II) compound, i.e., as a plumbylene.     

Two types of two-component gels formed from pseudoenantiomeric ethynylhelicene oligomers

Two-component gels formed from pseudoenantiomeric ethynylhelicene oligomers in toluene exhibited two different properties depending on difference in numbers of helicenes in the two components. The combinations (M)-5/(P)-4, (M)-6/(P)-4, and (M)-7/(P)-4, which contained oligomers with comparable numbers of helicenes, formed transparent gels (Type I gels). The combinations (M)-6/(P)-3, (M)-7/(P)-3, and (M)-8/(P)-3, which contained oligomers with considerably different numbers of helicenes, formed turbid gels (Type II gels). Negative Cotton effects were observed for the Type I gels in the region between 350 and 450 nm, and were positive for the Type II gels, despite the use of (M)-oligomers for the longer components. UV/vis exhibited absorption maxima at 350 nm for the Type I gels and at 338 nm for the Type II gels. Different behaviors in gel formation processes were observed by fluorescence studies. Atomic force microscopy analysis showed fiber structures of 25-50 nm diameter for Type I gels and bundles of 100-150 nm diameter for Type II gels. The stoichiometry in gel formation also differed: The Type I gels showed 1:1 stoichiometry of the two components; the Type II gels showed no 1:1 stoichiometry, likely 1:2 stoichiometry. Using the Type I and II gels, two-layer gel systems were constructed.     

Two‐Component Fibers/Gels and Vesicles Formed from Hetero‐Double‐Helices of Pseudoenantiomeric Ethynylhelicene Oligomers with Branched Side Chains

A methodology for the formation of fibers/gels and vesicles by molecular assembly and for controlling their properties is presented. Two‐component systems of pentamer (P)‐ 5 and tetramer (M)‐ 4 pseudoenantiomeric ethynylhelicenes with decyloxycarbonyl (D) and 4‐methyl‐2‐(2‐methylpropyl)‐1‐pentyloxycarbonyl (bD) side‐chains have been examined. Distinct aggregates were formed by changing the solvent for the three combinations of (P)‐bD‐ 5 /(M)‐bD‐ 4 , (P)‐D‐ 5 /(M)‐bD‐ 4 , and (P)‐D‐ 5 /(M)‐D‐ 4 . In toluene, (P)‐bD‐ 5 /(M)‐bD‐ 4 , (P)‐D‐ 5 /(M)‐bD‐ 4 , and (P)‐D‐ 5 /(M)‐D‐ 4 all formed gels and fibrous assemblies were observed by AFM. The minimum gel‐forming concentration (MGC) decreased in the order (P)‐bD‐ 5 /(M)‐bD‐ 4 >(P)‐D‐ 5 /(M)‐bD‐ 4 >(P)‐D‐ 5 /(M)‐D‐ 4 . In diethyl ether, vesicular formation was observed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), AFM, and TEM, and the size of the vesicles decreased in the order (P)‐bD‐ 5 /(M)‐bD‐ 4 >(P)‐D ‐ 5 /(M)‐bD‐ 4 >(P)‐D ‐ 5 /(M)‐D ‐ 4 . Both fiber/gel and vesicle formation were accompanied by enhanced CDs and redshifted UV/Vis absorption bands with a change in color to deep yellow. These are novel two‐component oligomeric systems that form assemblies of fibers/gels or vesicles depending on the solvent, and the structures and properties of the assemblies can be fine‐tuned by changing the combination of oligomers. In m‐difluorobenzene, a homogeneous solution was obtained with (P)‐D‐ 5 /(M)‐bD‐ 4 , which again exhibits enhanced CDs and redshifted UV/Vis absorptions. Vapor pressure osmometry analysis showed the formation of a bimolecular heteroaggregate. The study has indicated that pseudoenantiomeric oligomers form hetero‐double‐helices that hierarchically assemble to form fibers/gels and vesicles.     

In silico design, synthesis and evaluation of 3'-O-benzylated analogs of salacinol, a potent α-glucosidase inhibitor isolated from an Ayurvedic traditional medicine "Salacia"

With the aid of an in silico method, α-glucosidase inhibitors with far more potent activities than salacinol (1), a potent natural α-glucosidase inhibitor isolated from an Ayurvedic traditional medicine Salacia reticulata, have been developed.     

A theoretical study of an unusual Y-shaped three-coordinate Pt complex: Pt(0) σ-disilane complex or Pt(II) disilyl complex?

The unusual Y-shaped structure of the recently reported three-coordinate Pt complex Pt[NHC(Dip)(2)](SiMe(2)Ph)(2) (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene; Dip = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl) was considered a snapshot of the reductive elimination of disilane. A density functional theory study indicates that this structure arises from the strong trans influence of the extremely σ-donating carbene and silyl ligands. Though this complex can be understood to be a Pt(II) disilyl complex bearing a distorted geometry due to the Jahn-Teller effect, its (195)Pt NMR chemical shift is considerably different from those of Pt(II) complexes but close to those of typical Pt(0) complexes. Its Si···Si bonding interaction is ~50% of the usual energy of a Si-Si single bond. The interaction between the Pt center and the (SiMe(2)Ph)(2) moiety can be understood in terms of donation and back-donation interactions of the Si-Si σ-bonding and σ*-antibonding molecular orbitals with the Pt center. Thus, we conclude that this is likely a Pt(0) σ-disilane complex and thus a snapshot after a considerable amount of the charge transfer from disilane to the Pt center has occurred. Phenyl anion (Ph(-)) and [R-Ar](-) [R-Ar = 2,6-(2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3))(2)C(6)H(3)] as well as the divalent carbon(0) ligand C(NHC)(2) also provide similar unusual Y-shaped structures. Three-coordinate digermyl, diboryl, and silyl-boryl complexes of Pt and a disilyl complex of Pd are theoretically predicted to have similar unusual Y-shaped structures when a strongly donating ligand coordinates to the metal center. In a trigonal-bipyramidal Ir disilyl complex [Ir{NHC(Dip)(2)}(PH(3))(2)(SiMe(3))(2)](+), the equatorial plane has a similar unusual Y-shaped structure. These results suggest that various snapshots can be shown for the reductive eliminations of the Ge-Ge, B-B, and B-Si σ-bonds.     

Buffer-gas-assisted polarization spectroscopy of 6Li

We report on the demonstration of Doppler-free polarization spectroscopy of the D2 line of (6)Li atoms. Counterintuitively, the presence of an Ar buffer gas, in a certain pressure range, causes a drastic enhancement of the polarization rotation signal. The observed dependence of the signal amplitude on the Ar buffer pressure and the pump laser power is reproduced by calculations based on simple rate equations. We performed stable laser frequency locking using a dispersion signal obtained by polarization spectroscopy for laser cooling of (6)Li atoms.