Stereoselective Diels–Alder reactions of 3-phosphonopropenoyl derivatives of 1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones

Dienophiles of the general structure (EtO)₂P(O)CHCHCOX have been prepared, where X represents an oxazolidinone chiral auxiliary. Use of the (S)-4-isopropyl-5,5-diphenyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one auxiliary gave Diels–Alder adducts with several cyclic and acyclic dienes. The crystal structures of the main cyclohexa-1,3-diene and 2,3-dimethylbutadiene adducts formed during reactions in the presence of dialkylaluminium halides are consistent with a reaction, which is stereoselectively endo with respect to the carbonyl group and occurs on the less hindered face of the dienophile when aluminium is chelated between the two carbonyl groups.     

Some new organotin(IV) complexes with kojic acid and maltol

Organotin(IV) complexes of kojic acid and maltol of the type R₃Sn(L) and R₂Sn(L)Cl [R=C₆H₅CH₂-,p-ClC₆H₄CH₂-; HL=kojic acid, maltol] have been synthesized in anhydrous THF. They were characterized by UV, IR,¹H NMR, and mass spectral studies. Their activityvs. E. coli, S. aureus and P. pyocyanea bacterial strains have been studied and the general order of activity is S. auresu>P. pyocyanea>E. coli. In all the complexes, the ligand acts as bidentate, forming a five membered chelate ring. All the complexes are 11 metal ligand complexes. Various thermodynamic parameters have been calculated for the first two decomposition steps using TG/DTA/DSC curves. (p-ClC₆H₄CH₂)₃Sn(L) complexes have the minimum and (C₆H₅CH₂)₂Sn(L)Cl complexes have the maximum activation energy.One of the authors (RJ) is grateful to CSIR, New Delhi, India for the award of a Senior Research Fellowship (S.R.F.).     

Synthesis,spectroscopic and biological studies of metal complexes of an ONO donor pyrazolylhydrazone – Crystal structure of ligand and Co(II) complex

A new pyrazolylhydrazone, 2-(2-(1,5-dimethy-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazolyl-4-yl)hydrazono)-5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione (HL) and its Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) complexes were synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic measurements and spectral (IR, ¹H NMR, UV–vis, HRMS) measurements. All complexes possess ML₂ stoichiometry with L behaving as monoanionic tridentate ONO donor. Single crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that HL and CoL₂ crystallize in orthorhombic system with Pbcn space group. Hydrogen bonding interactions between molecules of CoL₂ results in the formation of an infinite zig-zag chain extending along the ‘b’ axis. EPR spectrum of Cu(II) complex at 77 K suggests mononuclear and distorted octahedral geometry for [CuL₂]. Antimicrobial activity of HL and its complexes were investigated and minimum inhibitory concentrations identified. Bacterial and fungal organisms used were gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans.     

Phyto-Enrichment of Yogurt to Control Hypercholesterolemia: A Functional Approach

Cholesterol is essential for normal human health, but elevations in its serum levels have led to the development of various complications, including hypercholesterolemia (HC). Cholesterol accumulation in blood circulation formsplaques on artery walls and worsens the individuals’ health. To overcome this complication, different pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches are employed to reduce elevated blood cholesterol levels. Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin are the most commonly used drugs, but their prolonged use leads to several acute side effects. In recent decades, the potential benefit of ingesting yogurt on lipid profile has attracted the interest of researchers and medical professionals worldwide. This review aims to give an overview of the current knowledge about HC and the different therapeutic approaches. It also discusses the health benefits of yogurt consumption and highlights the overlooked phyto-enrichment option to enhance the yogurt’s quality. Finally, clinical studies using different phyto-enriched yogurts for HC management are also reviewed. Yogurt has a rich nutritional value, but its processing degrades the content of minerals, vitamins, and other vital constituents with beneficial health effects. The option of enriching yogurt with phytoconstituents has drawn a lot of attention. Different pre-clinical and clinical studies have provided new insights on their benefits on gut microbiota and human health. Thus, the yogurtphyto-enrichment with stanol and β-glucan have opened new paths in functional food industries and found healthy andeffective alternatives for HC all along with conventional treatment approaches.     

Local sum uncertainty relations for angular momentum operators of bipartite permutation symmetric systems

We show that violation of the variance based local sum uncertainty relation (LSUR) for angular momentum operators of a bipartite system, proposed by Hofmann and Takeuchi [Phys. Rev. A 68 032103 (2003)], reflects entanglement in the equal bipartitions of an N-qubit symmetric state with even qubits. We establish the one-to-one connection with the violation of LSUR with negativity of covariance matrix [Phys. Lett. A 364 203 (2007)] of the two-qubit reduced system of a permutation symmetric N-qubit state.     

Structural Characterization of a Series of N5-Ligated MnIV-Oxo Species

Analysis of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data for the Mn^IV-oxo complexes [Mn^IV(O)(^DMMN4py)]²⁺, [Mn^IV(O)(2pyN2B)]²⁺, and [Mn^IV(O)(2pyN2Q)]²⁺ (^DMMN4py=N,N-bis(4-methoxy-3,5-dimethyl-2-pyridylmethyl)-N-bis(2-pyridyl)methylamine; 2pyN2B=(N-bis(1-methyl-2-benzimidazolyl)methyl-N-(bis-2-pyridylmethyl)amine, and 2pyN2Q=N,N-bis(2-pyridyl)-N,N-bis(2-quinolylmethyl)methanamine) afforded Mn=O and Mn−N bond lengths. The Mn=O distances for [Mn^IV(O)(^DMMN4py)]²⁺ and [Mn^IV(O)(2pyN2B)]²⁺ are 1.72 and 1.70 Å, respectively. In contrast, the Mn=O distance for [Mn^IV(O)(2pyN2Q)]²⁺ was significantly longer (1.76 Å). We attribute this long distance to sample heterogeneity, which is reasonable given the reduced stability of [Mn^IV(O)(2pyN2Q)]²⁺. The Mn=O distances for [Mn^IV(O)(^DMMN4py)]²⁺ and [Mn^IV(O)(2pyN2B)]²⁺ could only be well-reproduced using DFT-derived models that included strong hydrogen-bonds between second-sphere solvent 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol molecules and the oxo ligand. These results suggest an important role for the 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol solvent in stabilizing Mn^IV-oxo adducts. The DFT methods were extended to investigate the structure of the putative [Mn^IV(O)(N4py)]²⁺⋅(HOTf)₂ adduct. These computations suggest that a Mn^IV-hydroxo species is most consistent with the available experimental data.     

Saccharonol B,a new cytotoxic methylated isocoumarin from Saccharomonospora azurea

From an antimicrobial gram-positive actinomycete strain of Saccharomonospora azurea (MTCC11714) isolated from high altitude soil of Kargil (J&K, India), a new isocoumarin saccharonol B (2) along with two known compounds viz. saccharonol A (1) and piericidin A₃ (3) was isolated and characterized. The structure of the new compound was established based on extensive 2D-NMR data. Saccharonol B (2) exhibited mild antimicrobial activity against a standard panel of microorganisms Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Candida albicans ATCC 90028, and Aspergillus fumigatus MTCC 1811 with MIC values in the range of 128–248 μg/mL. Saccharonol B (2) and piericidin A₃ (3) showed selective cytotoxic activity against human pancreatic carcinoma cell line (MIAPaCa-2) with IC₅₀ values of 9 and 8 μM, respectively. Mechanistic studies indicated that saccharonol B (2) arrests S-phase of the cell cycle and causes dose-dependent loss of mitochondrial potential in MIAPaCa-2 cells.     

Synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of nitrogen containing novel heterocyclic chalcones

Thirteen different novel heterocyclic chalcones were synthesized using cycloaddition and Claisen–Schmidt condensation reactions. These newly synthesized compounds were characterized by their spectral studies and structure of (E)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-(5-methyl-1-(pyridin-3-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)prop-2-en-1-one (4h) was also evidenced by single crystal X-ray studies. These compounds were evaluated for antibacterial activities against seven bacterial strains in vitro. Compounds 4b and 4c containing 4-fluoro and 4-chloro groups have shown remarkable inhibition as showed by the standard drug ciprofloxacin against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Another compound 4k containing 3,4,5-trimethoxy group also showed similar activity against both these strains. Beside these three potential compounds 4b, 4c, 4k, one more compound 4g containing 4-methyl group showed equivalent inhibition as that of standard drug against E. coli. These categories of compounds are therefore good candidates for developing new effective antibacterial in future.