Bioactive clerodane diterpenes from roots of Carex distachya

Two new clerodane diterpenes were isolated from roots of Carex distachya Desf., a perennial plant widely distributed in the coastal area of the Mediterranean basin. Chemical characterization of the metabolites was carried out mainly by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The isolated compounds influenced either positively or negatively the plant growth (root and shoot elongation) of three coexisting herbaceous species.     

The Hydrolysis of Protactinium(V) Studied by Capillary Diffusion

The mean diffusion coefficient of ²³³Pa has been measured simultaneously with those of ²²Na and ¹⁵²Eu in 0.5 M (Na, H)ClO₄ solutions with the pH ranging from 0.3 to 13, by the open-end capillary method optimized in order to obtain reproducible and reliable D values at T = 25°C. In the case of Eu(III), the results tend to give higher ₁₃ and ₁₄ hydrolysis constants than the values generally acccepted, but these data are probably affected by the formation of polynuclear or colloidal species as soon as the hydrolysis process is involved. For Pa(V), results are in agreement with the existence of the following two equilibria (I = 0.5 M, T = 25°C):

Investigation of Dienophile-TiCl(4) Complexation by Means of X-ray Absorption and (13)C-NMR Spectroscopies

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) techniques, in combination with (13)C-NMR spectroscopy, have been used to study the complexation of methyl acrylate (1), N-acryloylbenzylamine (2), O-acryloyl-(R)-pantolactone (3), methyl N-acryloyl-(S)-prolinate (4), and methyl N-acryloyl-(S)-phenylalaninate (5) with excess TiCl(4) in solution. The results obtained show that TiCl(4) has a great tendency to coordinate with two ester ligands, but this tendency is not so marked with amides, which is related to the greater basicity of the latter. Complexation increases the Ti-Cl bond distance, in comparison with TiCl(4), which is clearly shown by the EXAFS spectra. Chelate complexes are formed with bidentate ligands, but comparison between the EXAFS spectra, obtained with different TiCl(4)/dienophile ratios, shows that chelation is more difficult with methyl N-acryloyl-(S)-phenylalaninate (5).     

New entry to pyrrolidine homoazasugars: conversion of d-arabinose into 2,5-anhydro-2,5-imino-d-glucitol via aminohomologation

The title homoazasugar, also referred as (2R,5S)-bis(hydroxymethyl)-(3R,4R)-dihydroxypyrrolidine, has been synthesized by addition of 2-lithiothiazole to the 2,3,5-tri-O-benzyl-d-arabinofuranose-derived nitrone---hydroxylamine mixture followed by reductive N-dehydroxylation and conversion of the thiazole ring into the hydroxymethyl group.     

Anion reaction of 1,3-benzoxathiole-3-oxide with several electrophilic compounds

The reaction of benzoxathiole-3-oxide with LDA in THF or THF/hexane or THF/HMPA gave a carbanion which was reacted with methyl iodide, aromatic aldehydes or carbon dioxide. The conformational stability (-diastereoselectivity) of the carbanion and the asymmetric induction due to the prochiral electrophiles (β-diastereoselectivity) was studied. The temperature and the solvent effects on the - and β-diastereoselectivity are discussed.     

Homogeneity on three-dimensional contact metric manifolds

We study ball-homogeneity, curvature homogeneity, natural reductivity, conformal flatness and ϕ-symmetry for three-dimensional contact metric manifolds. Several classification results are given. Member of G.N.S.A.G.A. Supported by funds of the M.U.R.S.T.     

Beam width measurements of asymmetric multi-mode laser beams

Beam width measurements of multi-mode asymmetric laser beams delivered by a XeCl laser, have been carried out in the focal plane of a lens, by the knife-edge and the variable rectangular aperture technique, respectively to determine beam divergence. It is shown that both methods provide beam width measurements in satisfactory agreement within experimental errors by properly choosing the clip levels. The analytical treatment for the clip level selection is also reported.