Separation of dansylated 17β-estradiol, 17α-estradiol, and estrone on a single HPLC column for simultaneous quantitation by LC–MS/MS

We show here that baseline separation of dansylated estrone, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-estradiol can be done, contrary to previous reports, within a short run time on a single RP-LC analytical column packed with particles bonded with phenyl-hexyl stationary phase. The chromatographic method coupled with isotope dilution tandem MS offers a simple assay enabling the simultaneous analysis of these analytes. The method employs ¹³C-labeled estrogens as internal standards to eliminate potential matrix effects arising from the use of deuterated estrogens. The assay also offers adequate accuracy and sensitivity to be useful for biological samples. The practical applicability of the validated method is demonstrated by the quantitative analyses of in vivo samples obtained from rats treated with Premarin®.

Practical synthesis and elaboration of methyl 7-chloroindole-4-carboxylate

A synthesis of a previously unknown indole derivative is presented. The route reported herein allows for the preparation of multihundred gram quantities of material without any chromatographic purification. Conditions are presented for the Pd-catalyzed elaboration of one of the "diversity generating elements" of this important pharmacophore.     

Chemistry of constrained dioxocyclam ligands with Co(III): unusual examples of C-H and C-N bond cleavage

The reactions between H(2)dc3 and Co(acac)(3) have been studied in the presence and absence of base. In the presence of base, a complex with an intramolecular Co-C bond, Co(dc3-C-(8))(H(2)O), 1, is formed, presumably through heterolytic C-H bond activation. An X-ray crystallographic study demonstrates the presence of a Co-C bond and shows that the diazacyclooctane (daco) subunit adopts the chair-boat conformation with respect to the metal. The cobalt-carbon bond induces strain in the macrocycle as demonstrated by bond angles significantly deviating from tetrahedral. The (13)C NMR resonance of the carbon atom bound to cobalt (-10.5 ppm) suggests significant ionic character in the cobalt-carbon bond. However, we were unable to cleave this bond in the presence of strong acid. In the absence of base, the reaction of Co(acac)(3) with H(2)dc3 resulted in C-N cleavage of the ligand and the formation of a complex of dioxocyclam, Co(dc)(acac), 2. This complex has subsequently been prepared in high yield by the reaction of Co(acac)(3) with dioxocyclam. An X-ray crystallographic study demonstrates that dioxocyclam adopts the heretofore unreported cis configuration, having folded along a N-Co-N axis that is perpendicular to the Co-acac plane.     

Synthesis and Application of Epoxidized Natural Rubber

Abstract

North Vietnamese NR latexes were successfully epoxidized using peracetic acid at moderate temperature and pH range. The epoxide contents of pure epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) are from 5 to 70 mol%. The ENR products were characterized and determined by spectral and thermal analysis besides the chemical titration. Conditions of longlasting or excessive temperature, or high acidic pH led to side ring opened products, proved easily by IR, ¹H-NMR, and DSC analysis. The ENR were vulcanized using a semiefficient system. The epoxidation increased the adhesion between rubber and tire cord and metal. This effect becomes stronger beyond 25 mol% and tends to be limited at over 60 mol%. The ENRs were used to formulate special-purpose adhesives. The shear strength of the adhesive ranges from 32 to 45 kg/cm² for bonding rubber to nylon and rubber to metal, respectively.     

Deprotonative metalation of chloro- and bromopyridines using amido-based bimetallic species and regioselectivity-computed CH acidity relationships

A series of chloro- and bromopyridines have been deprotometalated by using a range of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidino-based mixed lithium-metal combinations. Whereas lithium-zinc and lithium-cadmium bases afforded different mono- and diiodides after subsequent interception with iodine, complete regioselectivities were observed with the corresponding lithium-copper combination, as demonstrated by subsequent trapping with benzoyl chlorides. The obtained selectivities have been discussed in light of the CH acidities of the substrates, determined both in the gas phase and as a solution in THF by using the DFT B3LYP method.     

Control of Metal–Organic Framework Crystallization by Metastable Intermediate Pre‐equilibrium Species

There is an increasing amount of interest in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for a variety of applications, from gas sensing and separations to electronics and catalysis. However, the mechanisms by which they crystallize remain poorly understood. Herein, an important new insight into MOF formation is reported. It is shown that, prior to network assembly, crystallization intermediates in the canonical ZIF‐8 system exist in a dynamic pre‐equilibrium, which depends on the reactant concentrations and the progress of reaction. Concentration can, therefore, be used as a synthetic handle to directly control particle size, with potential implications for industrial scale‐up and gas sorption applications. These findings enable the rationalization of apparent contradictions between previous studies of ZIF‐8 and opens up new opportunities for the control of crystallization in network solids more generally.     

N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed (5+1) Annulations Exploiting a Vinyl Dianion Synthon Strategy

Direct polarity inversion of conjugate acceptors provides a valuable entry to homoenolates. N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed reactions, in which β‐unsubstituted conjugate acceptors undergo homoenolate formation and C?C bond formation twice, have been developed. Specifically, the all‐carbon (5+1) annulations give a range of mono‐ and bicyclic cyclohexanones (31 examples). In the first family of annulations, β‐unsubstituted acrylates tethered to a divinyl ketone undergo cycloisomerization, providing hexahydroindenes and tetralins. In the second, partially untethered substrates undergo an intermolecular (5+1) annulation involving dimerization followed by cycloisomerization. While enantioselectivity was not possible with the former, the latter proved viable, allowing cyclohexanones to be produced with high levels of enantiopurity (most >95:5 e.r.) and exclusive diastereoselectivity (>20:1 d.r.). Derivatizations and mechanistic studies are also reported.     

A Simplified Method for the Measurement of Insoluble Solids in Pretreated Biomass Slurries

The biochemical conversion of cellulosic biomass to liquid transportation fuels includes the breakdown of biomass into its soluble, fermentable components. Pretreatment, the initial step in the conversion process, results in heterogeneous slurry comprised of both soluble and insoluble biomass components. For the purpose of tracking the progress of the conversion process, it is important to be able to accurately measure the fraction of insoluble biomass solids in the slurry. The current standard method involves separating the solids from the free liquor and then repeatedly washing the solids to remove the soluble fraction, a laborious and tedious process susceptible to operator variations. In this paper, we propose an alternative method for calculating the fraction of insoluble solids which does not require a washing step. The proposed method involves measuring the dry matter content of the whole slurry as well as the dry matter content in the isolated liquor fraction. We compared the two methods using three different pretreated biomass slurry samples and two oven-drying techniques for determining dry matter content, an important measurement for both methods. We also evaluated a large set of fraction insoluble solids data collected from previously analyzed pretreated samples. The proposed new method provided statistically equivalent results to the standard washing method when an infrared balance was used for determining dry matter content in the controlled measurement experiment. Similarly, in the large historical data set, there was no statistical difference shown between the wash and no-wash methods. The new method is offered as an alternative method for determining the fraction of insoluble solids.