Enantioselective reduction and deracemisation using the non-conventional yeast Pichia glucozyma in water/organic solvent biphasic systems: preparation of (S)-1,2-diaryl-2-hydroxyethanones (benzoins)

Water/organic solvent two-liquid-phase systems have been successfully applied in the synthesis of enantiomerically pure (S)-benzoin through two different methodologies catalysed by whole cells from the non-conventional yeast Pichia glucozyma: the stereoselective monoreduction of benzil and the deracemisation of benzoin. The presence of the organic solvent influences the redox systems implied in the reactions, avoiding the formation of the corresponding diols, increasing the enantioselectivity and allowing the easy isolation of the products in high yields and excellent enantiomeric excesses. The use of both strategies has been extended to the preparation of different chiral benzoin derivatives.     

Kinetics of the reactions of OH radicals with 2‐methoxy‐6‐(trifluoromethyl)pyridine,diethylamine, and 1,1,3,3,3‐pentamethyldisiloxan‐1‐ol at 298 ± 2 K

Rate constants for the reactions of 2‐methoxy‐6‐(trifluoromethyl)pyridine, diethylamine, and 1,1,3,3,3‐pentamethyldisiloxan‐1‐ol with OH radicals have been measured at 298 ± 2 K using a relative rate method. The measured rate constants (cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1) are (1.54 ± 0.21) × 10^?12 for 2‐methoxy‐6‐(trifluoromethyl)pyridine, (1.19 ± 0.25) × 10^?10 for diethylamine, and (1.76 ± 0.38) × 10^?12 for 1,1,3,3,3‐pentamethyldisiloxan‐1‐ol, where the indicated errors are the estimated overall uncertainties including those in the rate constants for the reference compounds. No reaction of 2‐methoxy‐6‐(trifluoromethyl)pyridine with gaseous nitric acid was observed, and an upper limit to the rate constant for the reaction of 1,1,3,3,3‐pentamethyldisiloxan‐1‐ol with O₃ of <7 × 10^{? 20} cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 was determined. Using a 12‐h average daytime OH radical concentration of 2 × 10⁶ molecule cm^?3, the lifetimes of the volatile organic compounds studied here with respect to reaction with OH radicals are 7.5 days for 2‐methoxy‐6‐(trifluoromethyl)pyridine, 1.2 h for diethylamine, and 6.6 days for 1,1,3,3,3‐pentamethyldisiloxan‐1‐ol. Likely reaction mechanisms are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 43: 631–638, 2011     

Locally Asplund Preduals of Spaces of Holomorphic Functions

Defant [5] introduced the local Radon–Nikodym property for duals of locally convex spaces. This is a generalization of Asplund spaces as defined in Banach space theory. In this paper we generalise Dunford"s Theorem [7] to Banach spaces with Schauder decompositions and apply this result to spaces of holomorphic functions on balanced domains in a Banach space. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On locally conformal almost Kähler manifolds

In the first section of this note, we discuss locally conformal symplectic manifolds, which are differentiable manifoldsV ²ⁿ endowed with a nondegenerate 2-form Ω such thatdΩ=θ ∧ Ω for some closed form θ. Examples and several geometric properties are obtained, especially for the case whendΩ ≠ 0 at every point. In the second section, we discuss the case when Ω above is the fundamental form of an (almost) Hermitian manifold, i.e. the case of the locally conformal (almost) Kähler manifolds. Characterizations of such manifolds are given. Particularly, the locally conformal Kähler manifolds are almost Hermitian manifolds for which some canonically associated connection (called the Weyl connection) is almost complex. Examples of locally conformal (almost) Kähler manifolds which are not globally conformal (almost) Kähler are given. One such example is provided by the well-known Hopf manifolds.     

Unprecedented eight-palladium(I) crown-cycle with metal-metal unsupported bonds

Tri(N-pyrrolyl)phosphine reacted with the sigma/pi complex [Pd(mu-Cl)(COD-MeO)]2 to give the octa-cycle [Pd(mu-Cl)[P(pyrl)3]]8 containing four Pd(I)-Pd(I) unbridged bonds.     

Naphthalene analogues of lignans

The methodology for the synthesis of podophyllotoxin and thuriferic acid-type lignans has been applied to derivatives carrying a naphthalene moiety. Starting from the 1,3-dithiane of 2-naphthaldehyde afforded the expected analogues in the 2,1-naphthalene series. The preferred conformations of these compounds are influenced by the bulky naphthalene system. By contrast, 1,8-bridged products were obtained from the 1,3-dithiane of 1-naphthaldehyde. In this series, polycyclic naphthalene lignan analogues were isolated after deprotection and/or desulfurization reactions. The cyclizations produced in this process are due to the proximity between the 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl moiety and the reacting C-2 of the 1,3-dithiane ring.     

Unexpected single-step formation of 1,2-anti-heterodisubstituted calix[4]arenes upon alkylation of a tribenzoyl precursor

The selective preparation and complete structural characterization of a small series of 1,2-anti-heterodisubstituted calix[4]arenes has been accomplished. These compounds were obtained in two steps from unsubstituted p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene by tribenzoylation and a subsequent one-pot, two-step sequence involving alkylation with simultaneous partial deacylation, resulting in heterodisubstituted calixarenes carrying an alkyl and an aroyl group. The monoalkyl-tribenzoyl intermediate, prior to in situ deprotection, could also be isolated.