Effect of core size on the partition of organic solutes in the monolayer of water-soluble nanoparticles: an ESR investigation

ESR spectroscopy has been used to study the interaction of para-pentylbenzyl hydroxyalkyl nitroxide with the monolayer of water-soluble protected gold clusters having a core diameter ranging from 1.6 to 5.3 nm. The solubilization of the nitroxide probe in the more hydrophobic environment of the monolayer strongly depends on the size of the gold core. In particular, the partition equilibrium constant increases as the nanoparticle diameter decreases. These results have been attributed to the different packing of the chains in the monolayer resulting from the different radius of curvature of the investigated nanoparticles. This represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first report demonstrating that the core size of metallic nanoparticles affects the solvating properties of the protective organic monolayer.     

Effect of the addition of a nonionic surfactant on the complex poly(asparagine)--cationic surfactant

Poly(asparagine) (pAsn) at 0.1wt % in the presence of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and pentaoxyethylene octyl ether (C(8)E(5)) at 1:1 molar ratio leads to the formation of mixed DTAB/C(8)E(5) micelle-like aggregates onto the polypeptide as a total surfactant critical association concentration (cac) is reached, as revealed by surface tension measurements and NMR chemical shifts. Two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (NOESY) capable of revealing spatial relationships among proximal protons has been performed on the pAsn-DTAB-C(8)E(5)-water system to study structural details of the surfactant-polypeptide aggregates. NOESY cross-peaks at sample temperature of 298.15 K indicate that the polypeptide interacts with the DTAB/C(8)E(5) micelle-like aggregates. The NOE intermolecular effects also show direct interactions between surfactant and polypeptide in the pAsn-DTAB-water system, whereas no interaction has been revealed in the pAsn-C(8)E(5)-water system. Furthermore, the experimental evidence suggest that the DTAB-polypeptide complex is mainly driven by the polar attraction between the two molecules.     

A Formal Total Synthesis of (+)-Methyl Trachyloban-18-oate and (+)-Methyl 16-Oxo-17-norkauran-18-oate: Regio- and Diastereoselective Preparation of Methyl (13S)-13-Hydroxyisoatisiren-18-oate from (−)-Abietic Acid

A novel preparation of methyl (13S)-13-hydroxyisoatisiren-18-oate ( 4 ), a key-intermediate in a synthesis of (+)-methyl trachyloban-18-oate ((+)- 1 ), from (?)-abietic acid, is described. Since (?)- 1 has been previously converted into (?)-methyl 16-oxo-17-norkauran-18-oate ((?)- 16 ), our preparation of 4 constitutes also a formal total synthesis, from (?)-abietic acid, of (+)- 16 . Key steps in this approach were the allene photoaddition to podocarp-8(14)-en-13-one ( 5 ) and the conversion of the endo-toluene-4-sulfonate 11 into the exo-benzoate 12b .     

Proton magnetic shielding and susceptibility effects in single crystals of ferrocene

The proton NMR in single crystals of ferrocene has been studied by multiple pulse techniques at room temperature. In crystals of natural shape with plane faces the angular dependence of the resonance frequency due to the anisotropy of the shielding and due to the bulk susceptibility was found to be of about equal size, making analysis of the data practically impossible. By using a single crystal sphere the shape dependent part of the susceptibility contribution could be eliminated. In addition, the resolution obtained by the multiple pulse technique is considerably higher for spheres than for non-spherical crystals. As the ferrocene molecules rotate rapidly about their fivefold axes at room temperature, the shielding tensor σ must be axially symmetric. Having this in mind, the data could be analyzed to yield both the shielding tensor with Δσ = σ₆ - σ_⊥ = ?6.5 ± 0.1 ppm, σ_iso = ?4.2 ± 0.5 ppm from a spherical sample of TMS and the anisotropy of the susceptibility Δ _x = 30 × 10^?6 cgs units.     

Über ESR-spektroskopische untersuchungen am radikaldianion des lophins und seine cyclisierung zu 2-phenyl-phenanthroimidazol

Treating lophine with potassium at ?50° in an inert solvent yields the radical dianion 6 of this compound. The solution being warmed to room temperature, the radical rearranges to a red diamagnetic intermediate 7. In presence of potassium then the radical dianion 3 of 2-phenyl-4,5,(9′,10′)-phenanthrimidazole is formed which has been described earlier.ESR-spectroscopical investigations show, that the spin density in the 2-phenyl ring of radical 6 vanishes. According to spin density calculations 2-phenyl residue and heterocycle are strongly distorted.     

NMR and stereochemical studies of non aromatic heterocyclic compounds—II : 13C and 31P NMR of 2-methoxy-1,3,2-dioxaphosphorinanes

¹³C and ³¹P chemical shift data for eight 2-methoxy-1,3,2-dioxaphosphorinanes are reported. Examination of pairs of geometrical isomers, which differ only in the orientation of the OMe substituent on P^III, have shown that both the ³¹P and the ¹³C signals of C_4,6 atoms appear 3–4 ppm at higher field when the OMe is axial compared with the equatorial isomer. This observation can be associated with the 1–3 syn diaxial interaction between the phosphorus axial substituent and the axial hydrogens on C_4,6 and should thus constitute, in the future, a supplementary tool for the structural analysis of this kind of compound. Important long range δ effects were observed both on ¹³C and especially on ³¹P chemical shifts. It is suggested that the high field δ_e effects could reflect a direct stereoelectronic interaction between the P atom and the cyclic C-5 atom. This interpretation is supported by a study of the ³¹P…¹³C coupling constants and their stereochemical dependence.     

Präparative chromatographische Enantiomerentrennung von synthetisch nützlichen cyclischen Acetalen

Preparative Chromatographic Resolution of Synthetically Useful Cyclic Acetals Racemic cyclic acetals derived from aldehydes and glycine, glycolic acid, thioglycolic acid, formylacetic acid, and acetoacetic acid (oxazolidinones 4 – 13 , dioxolanones 14 , 15 , oxathiolanone 16 , dioxinones 17 – 23 ) are resolved by preparative high-pressure liquid chromatography on silica gel coated with the polymer from N-acryloylphenylalanine ethyl ester (Chiraspher®). The separation factors α range from1,1 to 2,4. Use of a Prepbar®-chromatography system allows injection of several grams at a time. The enantiomeric acetals thus obtained are fully characterized. First application to amino-acid synthesis are mentioned.     

Structure-based optimization of a non-beta-lactam lead results in inhibitors that do not up-regulate beta-lactamase expression in cell culture

Bacterial expression of beta-lactamases is the most widespread resistance mechanism to beta-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillins and cephalosporins. There is a pressing need for novel, non-beta-lactam inhibitors of these enzymes. One previously discovered novel inhibitor of the beta-lactamase AmpC, compound 1, has several favorable properties: it is chemically dissimilar to beta-lactams and is a noncovalent, competitive inhibitor of the enzyme. However, at 26 microM its activity is modest. Using the X-ray structure of the AmpC/1 complex as a template, 14 analogues were designed and synthesized. The most active of these, compound 10, had a K(i) of 1 microM, 26-fold better than the lead. To understand the origins of this improved activity, the structures of AmpC in complex with compound 10 and an analogue, compound 11, were determined by X-ray crystallography to 1.97 and 1.96 A, respectively. Compound 10 was active in cell culture, reversing resistance to the third generation cephalosporin ceftazidime in bacterial pathogens expressing AmpC. In contrast to beta-lactam-based inhibitors clavulanate and cefoxitin, compound 10 did not up-regulate beta-lactamase expression in cell culture but simply inhibited the enzyme expressed by the resistant bacteria. Its escape from this resistance mechanism derives from its dissimilarity to beta-lactam antibiotics.     

Palladium-arene interactions in catalytic intermediates: an experimental and theoretical investigation of the soft rearrangement between eta1 and eta2 coordination modes

A series of dichloro-bridged arylbicycloheptylpalladium complexes have been synthesized and characterized by means of NMR spectroscopy. The compound [(C16H19)PdCl]2*CH2Cl2 with ortho and para methyl substituents at the arene has been characterized by means of X-ray diffraction techniques. The C(ipso) atom of the arene lies almost at the fourth planar coordination site of the metal [Pd-C(ipso) = 2.22(1) A (average)], and due to the arene's tilting, the substituted C(ortho) atom is relatively close to the metal atom [2.54(1) A (average)]. The coordinated C(ipso)-C(ortho) linkage, in a seemingly dihapto coordination, is anti with respect to the CH2 bridge of the bicycloheptyl unit. Variable-temperature NMR experiments for the para-substituted dimer 9 reveal restricted rotation of the two aryl groups about the corresponding C-C(ipso) bonds (DeltaE < or =17 kcal x mol(-1)). DFT-B3LYP calculations have been carried out on the known and similar monomer (phenylbicycloheptenyl)Pd(PPh3)I (4) and its related substituted derivatives. The essential results are as follows: (i) The potential energy surface for twisting the phenyl ring away from the symmetric eta(1) coordination in 4 is very flat (DeltaE < or = 1 kcal x mol(-1)) whereas an Atoms in Molecules analysis excludes the existence of an actual Pd-C(ortho) bond in the seemingly eta2-type conformer. (ii) Complete rotation of the unsubstituted phenyl ring is not facile but feasible. A significant strain affects the transition-state structure featuring a Pd-HC(aryl) agostic-type bond. The calculated destabilization of 10.3 kcal x mol(-1), with respect to the ground state, can be compared to the experimental barrier of the dimer 9. (iii) Various methyl-substituted derivatives of 4 have been optimized, and their structural and energetic trends are discussed. An almost ideal eta1 coordination is shown by the anti conformer of the C(ortho)-substituted complex due steric effects. For all of the other cases, a slipped eta2 coordination may be described. As a general conclusion, the unsaturated metal center receives pi electron density of the arene mainly through its C(ipso) atom. The effect may be slightly improved if the C(ortho) atom also gets closer to the metal, but in no case, does the slipped eta2 coordination seem to be crucial for the stability of the system.     

Electrokinetic phenomena at grafted polyelectrolyte layers

During the last decades the electrokinetic theory of Smoluchowski (Z. Phys. Chem. 92 (1918) 129) was extended to be applicable for soft surfaces (grafted polyelectrolyte layers (PL), biological and artificial membranes, etc.) by either using the Debye approximation or numerical solutions. In the theory of Ohshima (Colloids Surf. A 103 (1995) 249) the nonlinearized Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation for thick and uniform PL is solved analytically and a general hydrodynamic equation is derived in an integral form. These advantages in the theory of Ohshima provided a base for the further development of a generalized electrokinetic theory for soft surfaces. In his theory the final equation for the electroosmotic (electrophoretic) velocity is specified for the case of the complete dissociation of ionic sites within PL. Accordingly, the equation may be used only if the difference between pK and pH is very large. However, it turned out that an analytical solution of the nonlinearized PB equation for thick PL is possible for any degree of dissociation. This was achieved using the approximation of excluded coions if the absolute value of the reduced Donnan potential is larger than 2 and due to the simplification in the case of weak dissociation, when the absolute value of the reduced Donnan potential is less than 2. Combining this generalized double layer (DL) theory for PL and the theory of Ohshima enables to obtain an analytical equation for electroosmosis for the general case of any degree of dissociation. This equation creates for the first time a theoretical base for the interpretation of electrokinetic fingerprinting (EF) for the characterization of soft surfaces.