Highly Fluorinated Tris(indazolyl)borate Silylamido Complexes of the Heavier Alkaline Earth Metals: Synthesis,Characterization, and Efficient Catalytic Intramolecular Hydroamination

Heteroleptic silylamido complexes of the heavier alkaline earth elements calcium and strontium containing the highly fluorinated 3‐phenyl hydrotris(indazolyl)borate {F₁₂‐Tp^{4Bo, 3Ph}}^? ligand have been synthesized by using salt metathesis reactions. The homoleptic precursors [Ae{N(SiMe₃)₂}₂] (Ae=Ca, Sr) were treated with [Tl(F₁₂‐Tp^{4Bo, 3Ph})] in pentane to form the corresponding heteroleptic complexes [(F₁₂‐Tp^{4Bo, 3Ph})Ae{N(SiMe₃)₂}] (Ae=Ca ( 1 ); Sr ( 3 )). Compounds 1 and 3 are inert towards intermolecular redistribution. The molecular structures of 1 and 3 have been determined by using X‐ray diffraction. Compound 3 exhibits a Sr ??? MeSi agostic distortion. The synthesis of the homoleptic THF‐free compound [Ca{N(SiMe₂H)₂}₂] ( 4 ) by transamination reaction between [Ca{N(SiMe₃)₂}₂] and HN(SiMe₂H)₂ is also reported. This precursor constitutes a convenient starting material for the subsequent preparation of the THF‐free complex [(F₁₂‐Tp^{4Bo, 3Ph})Ca{N(SiMe₂H)₂}] ( 5 ). Compound 5 is stabilized in the solid state by a Ca???β‐Si?H agostic interaction. Complexes 1 and 3 have been used as precatalysts for the intramolecular hydroamination of 2,2‐dimethylpent‐4‐en‐1‐amine. Compound 1 is highly active, converting completely 200 equivalents of aminoalkene in 16 min with 0.50 mol % catalyst loading at 25 °C.     

Indole-substituted 2,4-diamino-5,8-dihydropyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines from one-pot process and evaluation of their ability to bind dopamine receptors

A series of novel 7-indole substituted 2,4-diamino-5,8-dihydropyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine analogous to the 2,4-diaminopteridine core were synthesized by the three-component one-pot cyclocondensation between 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine, 3-(2-cyanoacetyl)indole and aromatic aldehydes. The reactions, which exhibited good performance, proceeded in EtOH using indium (III) chloride as catalyst under microwave irradiation, in short reaction times. On the basis of certain structural similarity of these compounds with known ligands of the D2 dopamine receptors (D2DR), the study of these compounds as possible ligands of dopamine D2 and D1 receptors was carried out. Three of them showed moderate affinity to D2-DR since the Ki D1/D2 ratio reached values of 40, 65 and 31 for compounds 4c, 4k and 4j, respectively. Finally, molecular modeling studies revealed stronger molecular interactions of such derivatives with the D2DR than with D1DR, what agrees with the experimental data, and gives an additional support to the observed selectivity to the D2DR.     

Tris(dimethylamino)-cyclopropenium radical dication

Tris(dimethylamino)-cyclopropenium cation (I^⊕) undergoes a facile oxidation to the radical dication (I^2⊕). The E.S.R. spectrum of I^2⊕, which covers a range of almost 200 gauss, has been analysed in terms of the coupling constants a _N =7·51 (three ¹⁴N nuclei) and a _H ^CH₃ =8·16 gauss (eighteen protons). The line-width can be expressed as

where M _I(N) is the magnetic quantum number for the set of three equivalent ¹⁴N nuclei. A simple molecular orbital model of the trisamino-cyclopropenium system satisfactorily accounts for some physico-chemical properties of I^⊕. The E.S.R. results for I^2⊕ are compared with those for the iso-π-electronic hexamethyl[3]radialene radical anion (II^?).     

Nonisothermal Conductivity of Poly(N-vinylcarbazole)-based Na13-2,9,16,23-Tetramethylamine,Tetracyclohexane Tetrazaporphyrin Composites

Nonisothermal conductivity of poly(N-vinylcarbazole)(PVK)-based Na₁₃-2,9,16,23-tetramethylamine, tetracyclohexane, tetrazaporphyrin composites, varying their additive composition from 50 up to 100 percent (w/w), have been studied. The additive has an ionic character in water solution and a thermal induced paramagnetic state at temperatures higher than 70°C, which improves conductivity in the solid state with respect to its diamagnetic state at lower temperatures. A conductivity peak between 30 and 60°C was detected. It was due to additive-PVK interactions. A sigmoid curve on a plot of lnσ vs. 1/T indicates that an electrical conductivity transition in which a restructurization of ions assisted by the field and temperature took place. Before and after this transition the linearity of the curves is indicative of a thermally activated process for the mechanism of conductivity. The average activation energy, Ea, was in the interval 1.05–1.14 eV.     

A new approach to 3-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxylic acid

Quinoline-2-carboxylic acid derivatives cap the N-terminal of several natural cyclic peptides with antitumoral activity. A new and convenient route for the preparation of 3-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxylic acid is discussed. The preparation of the title compound is accomplished by a four-step procedure from 3-hydroxyquinoline via MOM protection of the hydroxyl group, followed by a 1,2-addition of methyllithium to the quinoline ring with concomitant oxidation, and, finally, a two-step oxidation procedure for the transformation of the methyl group to the carboxylic acid along with removal of the MOM group. Furthermore, different attempts to its preparation led to other interesting quinolines, such as 2-chloro-3-hydroxyquinoline-4-carboxylic acid and a protected 3,3′-dihydroxy-2,2′-biquinoline.     

Computational study of pH-dependent oligomerization and ligand binding in Alt a 1, a highly allergenic protein with a unique fold

Alt a 1 is a highly allergenic protein from Alternaria fungi responsible for several respiratory diseases. Its crystal structure revealed a unique β-barrel fold that defines a new family exclusive to fungi and forms a symmetrical dimer in a butterfly-like shape as well as tetramers. Its biological function is as yet unknown but its localization in cell wall of Alternaria spores and its interactions in the onset of allergy reactions point to a function to transport ligands. However, at odds with binding features in β-barrel proteins, monomeric Alt a 1 seems unable to harbor ligands because the barrel is too narrow. Tetrameric Alt a 1 is able to bind the flavonoid quercetin, yet the stability of the aggregate and the own ligand binding are pH-dependent. At pH 6.5, which Alt a 1 would meet when secreted by spores in bronchial epithelium, tetramer-quercetin complex is stable. At pH 5.5, which Alt a 1 would meet in apoplast when infecting plants, the complex breaks down. By means of a combined computational study that includes docking calculations, empirical pKa estimates, Poisson–Boltzmann electrostatic potentials, and Molecular Dynamics simulations, we identified a putative binding site at the dimeric interface between subunits in tetramer. We propose an explanation on the pH-dependence of both oligomerization states and protein–ligand affinity of Alt a 1 in terms of electrostatic variations associated to distinct protonation states at different pHs. The uniqueness of this singular protein can thus be tracked in the combination of all these features.     

On–off switch of charge-separated states of pyridine-vinylene-linked porphyrin–C60 conjugates detected by EPR

The design, synthesis, and electronic properties of a new series of D–π–A conjugates consisting of free base (H₂P) and zinc porphyrins (ZnP) as electron donors and a fullerene (C₆₀) as electron acceptor, in which the two electroactive entities are covalently linked through pyridine-vinylene spacers of different lengths, are described. Electronic interactions in the ground state were characterized by electrochemical and absorption measurements, which were further supported with theoretical calculations. Most importantly, charge-transfer bands were observed in the absorption spectra, indicating a strong push–pull behavior. In the excited states, electronic interactions were detected by selective photoexcitation under steady-state conditions, by time-resolved fluorescence investigations, and by pump probe experiments on the femto-, pico-, and nanosecond time scales. Porphyrin fluorescence is quenched for the different D–π–A conjugates, from which we conclude that the deactivation mechanisms of the excited singlet states are based on photoinduced energy- and/or electron transfer processes between H₂P/ZnP and C₆₀, mediated through the molecular spacers. The fluorescence intensity decreases and the fluorescence lifetimes shorten as the spacer length decreases and as the spacer substitution changes. With the help of transient absorption spectroscopy, the formation of charge-separated states involving oxidized H₂P/ZnP and reduced C₆₀ was confirmed. Lifetimes of the corresponding charge-separated states, which ranged from ∼400 picoseconds to 165 nanoseconds, depend on the spacer length, the spacer substitution, and the solvent polarity. Interestingly, D–π–A conjugates containing the longest linkers did not necessarily exhibit the longest charge-separated state lifetimes. The distances between the electron donors and the acceptors were calculated by molecular modelling. The longest charge-separated state lifetime corresponded to the D–π–A conjugate with the longest electron donor–acceptor distance. Likewise, EPR measurements in frozen media revealed charge separated states in all the D–π–A conjugates investigated. A sharp peak with g values ∼2.000 was assigned to reduced C₆₀, while a broader, less intense signal (g ∼ 2.003) was assigned to oxidized H₂P/ZnP. On–off switching of the formation and decay of the charge-separated states was detected by EPR at 77 K by repeatedly turning the irradiation source on and off.