Oxygenase‐Catalyzed Desymmetrization of N,N‐Dialkyl‐piperidine‐4‐carboxylic Acids

γ‐Butyrobetaine hydroxylase (BBOX) is a 2‐oxoglutarate dependent oxygenase that catalyzes the final hydroxylation step in the biosynthesis of carnitine. BBOX was shown to catalyze the oxidative desymmetrization of achiral N,N‐dialkyl piperidine‐4‐carboxylates to give products with two or three stereogenic centers.     

σ‐Hole Bond Versus Hydrogen Bond: From Tetravalent to Pentavalent N,P, and As Atoms

Ab initio calculations were performed on complexes of ZH₄⁺ (Z=N, P, As) and their fluoro derivatives, ZFH₃⁺ and ZF₄⁺, with a HCN (or LiCN) molecule acting as the Lewis base through the nitrogen electronegative center. It was found that the complexes are linked by the Z? H???N hydrogen bond or another type of noncovalent interaction in which the tetravalent heavy atom of the cation acts as the Lewis acid center, that is, when the Z???N link exists, which may be classified as the σ‐hole bond. The formation of the latter interaction is usually preferable to the formation of the corresponding hydrogen bond. The Z???N interaction may be also considered as the preliminary stage of the S_N2 reaction. This is supported by the observation that for a short Z???N contact, the corresponding complex geometry coincides with the trigonal‐bipyramidal geometry typical for the transition state of the S_N2 reaction. The Z???N interaction for some of complexes analyzed here possesses characteristics typical for covalent bonds. Numerous interrelations between geometrical, topological and energetic parameters are discussed. The natural bond orbital method as well as the Quantum Theory of “Atoms in Molecules” is applied to characterize interactions in the analyzed complexes. The experimental evidences of the existence of these interactions, based on the Cambridge Structure Database search, are also presented. In addition, it is justified that mechanisms of the formation of the Z???N interactions are similar to the processes occurring for the other noncovalent links. The formation of Z???N interaction as well as of other interactions may be explained with the use of the σ‐hole concept.     

Solvent Effect and Reactivity Trend in the Aerobic Oxidation of 1,3‐Propanediols over Gold Supported on Titania: NMR Diffusion and Relaxation Studies

In recent work, it was reported that changes in solvent composition, precisely the addition of water, significantly inhibits the catalytic activity of Au/TiO₂ catalyst in the aerobic oxidation of 1,4‐butanediol in methanol due to changes in diffusion and adsorption properties of the reactant. In order to understand whether the inhibition mechanism of water on diol oxidation in methanol is generally valid, the solvent effect on the aerobic catalytic oxidation of 1,3‐propanediol and its two methyl‐substituted homologues, 2‐methyl‐1,3‐propanediol and 2,2‐dimethyl‐1,3‐propanediol, over a Au/TiO₂ catalyst has been studied here using conventional catalytic reaction monitoring in combination with pulsed‐field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG‐NMR) diffusion and NMR relaxation time measurements. Diol conversion is significantly lower when water is present in the initial diol/methanol mixture. A reactivity trend within the group of diols was also observed. Combined NMR diffusion and relaxation time measurements suggest that molecular diffusion and, in particular, the relative strength of diol adsorption, are important factors in determining the conversion. These results highlight NMR diffusion and relaxation techniques as novel, non‐invasive characterisation tools for catalytic materials, which complement conventional reaction data.     

Engineering a Small HOMO–LUMO Gap and Intramolecular C−H Borylation by Diborene/Anthracene Orbital Intercalation

The diborene 1 was synthesized by reduction of a mixture of 1,2-di-9-anthryl-1,2-dibromodiborane(4) ( 6 ) and trimethylphosphine with potassium graphite. The X-ray structure of 1 shows the two anthryl rings to be parallel and their π(C₁₄) systems perpendicular to the diborene π(B=B) system. This twisted conformation allows for intercalation of the relatively high-lying π(B=B) orbital and the low-lying π* orbital of the anthryl moiety with no significant conjugation, resulting in a small HOMO–LUMO gap (HLG) and ultimately a C−H borylation of the anthryl unit. The HLG of 1 was estimated to be 1.57 eV from the onset of the long wavelength band in its UV/Vis absorption spectrum (THF, λ_onset=788 nm). The oxidation of 1 with elemental selenium afforded diboraselenirane 8 in quantitative yield. By oxidative abstraction of one phosphine ligand by another equivalent of elemental selenium, the B−B and C¹−H bonds of 8 were cleaved to give the cyclic 1,9-diborylanthracene 9 .     

Fluorine in Shark Teeth: Its Direct Atomic‐Resolution Imaging and Strengthening Function

Atomic‐resolution imaging of beam‐sensitive biominerals is extremely challenging, owing to their fairly complex structures and the damage caused by electron irradiation. Herein, we overcome these difficulties by performing aberration‐corrected electron microscopy with low‐dose imaging techniques, and report the successful direct atomic‐resolution imaging of every individual atomic column in the complex fluorapatite structure of shark tooth enameloid, which can be of paramount importance for teeth in general. We demonstrate that every individual atomic column in shark tooth enameloid can be spatially resolved, and has a complex fluorapatite structure. Furthermore, ab initio calculations show that fluorine atoms can be covalently bound to the surrounding calcium atoms, which improves understanding of their caries‐reducing effects in shark teeth.