Total Synthesis of the Protected Aglycon of Fidaxomicin (Tiacumicin B,Lipiarmycin A3)

Fidaxomicin, also known as tiacumicin B or lipiarmycin A3, is a novel macrocyclic antibiotic that is used in hospitals for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infections. This natural product has also been shown to have excellent bactericidal activity against multidrug‐resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In spite of its attractive biological activity, no total synthesis has been reported to date. The enantioselective synthesis of the central 18‐membered macrolactone is reported herein. The key reactions include ring‐closing metathesis between a terminal olefin and a dienoate moiety for macrocyclization, a vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction, and a Stille coupling reaction of sterically demanding substrates. The retrosynthesis involves three medium‐sized fragments, thus leading to a flexible yet convergent synthetic route.     

Submicrometer tomographic resolution examined using a micro-fabricated test object

To estimate the spatial resolution of microtomographs, a test object on the submicrometer scale was prepared by focused ion beam milling and subjected to microtomographic analysis. Since human tissues are composed of cells and extracellular matrices with micrometer and submicrometer structures, it is important to investigate the three-dimensional spatial resolution of microtomographs used to visualize microstructures of human tissues. The resolutions along the direction within the tomographic slice plane (in-plane resolution) and perpendicular to it (through-plane resolution) were determined from the modulation transfer function of square-wave patterns. The in-plane resolution was estimated to be 1.2 μm from the modulation transfer function of the non-zoom image. In contrast, the zoom image gave the in-plane resolution of 0.8 μm. This in-plane resolution is comparable to the through-plane resolution, which was estimated to be 0.8 μm. Although the two-dimensional radiographs were taken with the pixel width of half the X-ray optics resolution, these three-dimensional resolution analyses indicated that the zoom reconstruction should be performed to achieve the in-plane resolution comparable to the X-ray optics resolution. The submicrometer three-dimensional analysis was applied in the structural study of human cerebral tissue stained with high-Z elements and the obtained tomograms revealed that the microtomographic analysis allows visualization of the subcellular structures of the cerebral tissue.     

Molecular Transformation to Pyrroles,Pentafulvenes, and Pyrrolopyridines by [2+2] Cycloaddition of Propargylamines with Tetracyanoethylene

In this paper, we describe an efficient and atom-economical synthesis of highly functionalized pyrroles, pentafulvenes, and pyrrolopyridines by [2+2] cycloaddition–retroelectrocyclization of N-substituted propargylamines with tetracyanoethylene, followed by the treatment of the resulting tetracyanobutadiene derivatives with silica gel. In this reaction, silica gel plays an important role to promote the intramolecular cyclization to afford the heterocyclic products from the tetracyanobutadiene intermediates. The products were obtained selectively depending on the substituent on the nitrogen atom of the starting propargylamines.     

Elastic scattering for the system 11Be + 209Bi at Coulomb barrier energies

The elastic scattering process for ¹¹Be ions impinging on a ²⁰⁹Bi target was studied in the energy range around the Coulomb barrier. The angular distributions of the ¹¹Be scattered particles were analyzed within the optical model framework in order to evaluate the reaction cross section, which turned out to be much larger than the fusion one, especially in the sub-barrier region. The comparison with the system ⁹Be + ²⁰⁹Bi showed that the reaction cross section is larger for the reaction ¹¹Be + ²⁰⁹Bi in the energy range around the Coulomb barrier, while they are rather similar at higher bombarding energies. This result suggests that direct processes related to the ¹¹Be halo structure and lower binding energy are more relevant at near-barrier energies.     

Asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-Linderol A

The first asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-Linderol A, a potent inhibitor of melanin biosynthesis of cultured B-16 melanoma cells, has been achieved via two key reactions: a diastereoselective [2+2] photocycloaddition of a coumarin-3-carboxylate bearing a chiral auxiliary with 3-methyl-1-butene and a subsequent stereoconvergent transformation of the photoadducts with use of dimethylsulfoxonium methylide to afford a tetrahydrodibenzofuran derivative.     

Photo-initiated post-polymerization in micellar system of amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide) macromonomers

Aqueous micellar polymerization of amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide) macromonomers carrying p-vinylphenylheptyl end-group has been found to persist to proceed after turning-off of the UV-irradiation. Simulation of the kinetics revealed a high propagation rate constant coupled with a low termination constant, supporting a living-like polymerization at the initial stage. Micellar copolymerization with equimolar styrene also proceeded after UV-irradiation. Polymer molecular weights in MALLS-SEC were also found to evolve with time after irradiation.     

Ligand effects on ESR and optical properties of gold atoms in gamma irradiated organic solid solutions at 77 K

Ligand effects on ESR and optical properties of Au0 atoms produced at 77 K in gamma irradiated solid solutions of AuCl/MTHF and AuCl/EtOH with and without HCl were investigated. Four groups of ESR lines were observed at 73 K more clearly around the magnetic fields at about 250, 280, 340, and 400 mT for both gamma irradiated MTHF and EtOH solid solutions with HCl than those without HCl. The values of a and g(J) calculated by Breit-Rabi analysis showed a remarkable dependence on the solvent polarity. It was confirmed that the signals were the hyperfine quartet corresponding to the transitions between the Zeeman levels of Au0 atoms with nuclear spin of 3/2 in the ground state, 2S(1/2). It was also confirmed that Au0 atoms produced after gamma irradiation were located in the nuclear environment of isotropic interaction with surrounding ligand molecules. Delocalization of the unpaired spin density of Au0 onto ligands is found to be as large as one in the case of Cu0 atoms. Our previous hypothesis of the occurrence of configuration mixing of d valence orbital into the wave function of the atom in its 2S(1/2) was strongly supported. The dependence of the ESR, optical absorption, and the steady-state emission and excitation characteristics on solvent polarity was cleared in this study. We observed two kinds of emissions i.e., a band at 385 nm and a set of emission bands at 456, 482, 484, and 520 nm. These correspond to two bands out of the six kinds of emissions observed previously. The bands were attributed to exciplex (Au0 x Ln...Au+)* and the excited Au0 atoms trapped in a large cavity, respectively. The negative counterion of Au+ of the gold compound plays an important role for the formation of the exciplexes.     

Artificial Light-Harvesting Antennae: Singlet Excitation Energy Transfer from Zinc Chlorin Aggregate to Bacteriochlorin in Homogeneous Hexane Solution

Abstract— Zinc chlorins possessing 3¹-hydroxyl and 13¹-carbonyl groups self-assemble in nonpolar solvents, such as hexane, in a manner similar to bacteriochlorophyll c in the chlorosomes of green photosynthetic bacteria. Visible absorption and steady-state fluorescence measurements of zinc chlorin aggregates containing a small amount of the bacteriochlorin-zinc chlorin dyad molecules showed that singlet excitation energy transfer from the zinc chlorin aggregate to the bacteriochlorin moiety of the coaggre-gated dyad occurs in the homogeneous solution. In the coaggregated dyad, the bacteriochlorin moiety plays the role of an efficient energy trap and the chlorin moiety the role of an anchor to the donor aggregate. The artificial assembly thus mimics the structure and function of natural chlorosomes and can be considered as the first in vitro supramolecular light-harvesting antenna.     

Synthesis and properties of polyimides bearing acid groups on long pendant aliphatic chains

A series of novel polyimide electrolytes having long pendant sulfo‐ or phosphoalkoxy groups were synthesized for fuel‐cell applications. Sulfodecyloxy‐, phosphodecyloxy‐, and sulfophenoxydodecyloxy‐substituted benzidine monomers were synthesized from dihydroxybenzidine. These monomers were copolymerized with naphthalene tetracarboxylic dianhydride and fluorenylidene dianiline to give the corresponding polyimides. A flexible, ductile, and self‐standing membrane was obtained via casting from the polyimide solution. Because the acid groups were on long pendant side chains and away from the main chains, the polyimide membrane showed improved oxidative and hydrolytic stability in comparison with the polyimides with sulfonic acid groups on the main chains or on the short side chains. High thermal stability (no glass‐transition temperature and a decomposition temperature > 200 °C) was also obtained. The polyimide membrane displayed high proton conductivity of 10^?1 S cm^?1 at 120 °C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3995–4005, 2006     

Influences of steric bulkiness in hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate ligands on ethylene polymerization reaction

Manganese(II) complex catalysts with hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate ligands have been examined on their catalytic performance in ethylene polymerization and ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization. The activities of [Mn(L6)(Cl)(NCMe)] ( 1 ) and [Mn(L10)(Cl)] ( 2 ) activated by Al(i‐Bu)₃/[Ph₃C][B(C₆F₅)₄] for ethylene polymerization go up to 326 and 11 kg mol (cat^?1) h^?1, respectively, (L6^? = hydrotris(3‐phenyl‐5‐methyl‐1‐pyrazolyl)borate anion, L10^? = hydrotris(3‐adamantyl‐5‐isopropyl‐1‐pyrazolyl)borate anion). In particular, for ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization, complex 1 gives high‐molecular‐weight poly(ethylene‐co‐1‐hexene)s with the highest M_w of 439,000 in manganese olefin polymerization catalyst systems. Moreover, the 1‐hexene incorporation by complex 1 seems more efficient than that by [Mn(L3)(Cl)] ( 4 ) (L3^? = hydrotris(3‐tertiary butyl‐5‐isopropyl‐1‐pyrazolyl)borate anion). In this work, we demonstrated that the coordination geometry and coordination number are also important factors for ethylene polymerization reaction as well as steric hindrances and ligand frameworks in our manganese(II) catalysts. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5720–5727, 2009