Cyclization of Zincated α‐N‐Homoallylamino Nitriles: A New Entry to Enantiopure 2,3‐Methanopyrrolidines

Stereoselective cyclization of zincated α‐N‐homoallylamino nitriles has been developed. Following treatment with lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) and transmetalation with zinc bromide, α‐N‐(1‐phenylethyl)‐N‐homoallylamino nitriles lead to 2,3‐methanopyrrolidines in moderate to good yields (up to 66 %) and excellent selectivities (up to >98:2). With substrates derived from α‐branched homoallylic amines, a stereospecific inversion of the homoallylic stereogenic center was observed. To account for this, a mechanistic rationale involving the formation of zincioiminium ions from zincated α‐amino nitriles is put forward. 2,3‐Methanopyrrolidines should then arise from a sequence involving an aza‐Cope rearrangement providing a configurationally stable (2‐azoniaallyl)zinc species that then undergoes a [3+2] cycloaddition reaction.     

Interactions of a fungistatic antibiotic, griseofulvin, with phospholipid monolayers used as models of biological membranes

Griseofulvin (GF) is an oral antibiotic for widely occurring superficial mycosis in man and animals caused by dermaphyte fungi; it is also used in agriculture as a fungicide. The mechanism of the biological activity of GF is poorly understood. Here, the interactions of griseofulvin with lipid membranes were studied using 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DLPC), and 1,2-myristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DMPE) monolayers spread at the air/water interface. Surface pressure (Pi), electric surface potential (Delta V), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), and Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) were used for studying pure phospholipid monolayers spread on GF aqueous solutions, as well as mixed phospholipid/GF monolayers spread on pure water subphase. Moreover, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity toward DLPC monolayers and molecular modeling of the GF surface and lipophilic properties were used to get more insight into the mechanisms of GF-membrane interactions. The results obtained show that GF has a meaningful impact on the film properties; we propose that nonpolar interactions are by and large responsible for GF retention in the monolayers. The modification of membrane properties can be detected using both physicochemical and enzymatic methods. The results obtained may be relevant for elaborating GF preparations with increased bioavailability.     

Implementing tandem mass spectrometry as a routine tool for characterizing the complete purine and pyrimidine metabolic profile in urine samples

Purines and pyrimidines are the basic constituents of DNA and RNA and constitute the basis of at least 50 other important compounds that serve equally vital but separate roles as integral components of intracellular mononucleotide pools. They maintain the supply of these basic components to the different nucleotide pools through an extremely efficient mechanism involving the degradation and recycling of the daily waste products of normal cell turnover. We have developed an LC-MS/MS diagnostic and routine monitoring method for known defects due to both purine and pyrimidine metabolism in a single analysis. Precision tests were made by spiking several urine samples with different creatinine concentrations. For nonspiked low-creatinine urine, intraday precision was in the range of 0.1-9.8% and interday precision was between 1.6 and 14.1%. For nonspiked high-creatinine urine, intraday precision was in the range 0.5-17.2% and interday precision was between 1.5 and 29%. Limit-of-detection (LOD) was in the range 0.1-10 micromol/l and limit-of-quantification (LOQ) in the range of 0.2-15 micromol/l. The current 'dilute and shoot' approach monitors many metabolites, and utilizes a reverse phase chromatographic analysis with a detection requiring 17 min of analysis time. Tandem mass spectrometry and isotope dilution technique enable the accurate quantitation of more than 30 metabolites in one analysis.     

Reductive carbodiazenylation of nonactivated olefins via aryl diazonium salts

[Structure: see text] The reduction of aryl diazonium salts in the presence of nonactivated olefins provides rapid entry to carbodiazenylation products. The regioselective functionalization of double bonds is achieved in a one-pot process starting from aniline derivatives. Carboamination of olefins is possible via a two-step carbodiazenylation-hydrogenation sequence in which one aniline equivalent is recovered.     

Hybrid UV-cured organic–inorganic IPNs

Hybrid organic–inorganic UV-cured coatings based on interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN) were prepared starting by an equimolar methacrylate-epoxy UV-curable mixture (bisphenol-A-diglycidyl dimethacrylate/bisphenol-A-diglycidyl ether, abbreviated as BisGMA/BADGE), in the presence of tetrafunctional silane monomer tetrakis(methacryloyloxy-ethoxy)silane (TetMESi) as inorganic precursor. The photocuring kinetics of the BisGMA/BADGE IPN monomer mixture were strongly affected by the order of the cure of the individual components. Addition of TetMESi resulted in higher degrees of reaction. DMTA of the BisGMA/BADGE IPN suggest a two phase structure. The rubbery modulus of the hydrolysed BisGMA/BADGE/TetMESi systems increased as the level of TetMESi was raised in the formulation due primarily to the significant reinforcing effect of the nano-silica particles. TGA of the BisGMA/BADGE IPN showed three degradation stages with no residual char but the hydrolysed BisGMA/BADGE/TetMESi systems formed a carbonaceous silica char which increased in mass as the level of TetMESi was raised. The two phase morphology of the BisGMA/BADGE IPN was confirmed by FE-SEM analysis. For IPNs prepared with TetMESi, SiO₂ particles are evident in the FE-SEM image and have diameters in the nanometric size range.     

Excitonic luminescence of hemiporphyrazines

Metal-free hemiporphyrazine (HpH(2)) is a notoriously insoluble material possessing interesting photophysical properties. Here we report the synthesis, structure, and photophysical properties of an octahedral zinc trans-ditriflate hemiporphyrazine complex "HpH(2)Zn(OTf)(2)" that contains a neutral hemiporphyrazine ligand. The photophysical properties of hemiporphyrazine are largely unaffected by introduction of zinc(II) triflate, but a dramatic increase in solubility is observed. HpH(2)Zn(OTf)(2) therefore provides a convenient model system to evaluate the impact of aggregation on the photophysical properties of hemiporphyrazine. Soluble aggregates and crystalline materials containing planar hemiporphyrazines exhibit relatively strong absorbance of visible light (450-600 nm) and red luminescence (600-700 nm). Hemiporphyrazine monohydrate (HpH(2)·H(2)O), in contrast, has a nonplanar "saddle-shaped" conformation that exhibits very little absorbance of visible light in solution or in the solid state. Upon photoexcitation at 380 nm, HpH(2)Zn(OTf)(2) and HpH(2) exhibit multiwavelength emissions centered at 450 and 650 nm. Emissions at 450 nm are highly anisotropic, while emissions at 650 nm are fully depolarized with respect to a plane-polarized excitation source. Taken together, our results suggest that excitonic coupling of aggregated and crystalline hemiporphyrazines results in increased absorbance and emission of visible light from S(0) ? S(1) transitions that are usually symmetry forbidden in isolated species. In contrast to previously proposed theories involving excited-state intramolecular proton transfer, we propose that the multiple-wavelength luminescent emissions of HpH(2)Zn(OTf)(2) and HpH(2) are due to emissive S(1) and S(2) states in aggregated and crystalline hemiporphyrazines. These results may provide a better understanding of the nonlinear optical properties of these materials in solution and in the solid state.     

Intramolecular 1,8-hydrogen atom transfer reactions in disaccharide systems containing furanose units

A previously developed 1,8-hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reaction promoted by 6-O-yl alkoxyl radicals between the two pyranose units in Hexp-(1→4)-Hexp disaccharides has been extended to other systems containing at least a furanose ring in their structures. In Penf-(1→3)-Penf (A) and Hexp-(1→3)-Penf (B) disaccharides, the 1,8-HAT reaction and concomitant cyclization to a 1,3,5-trioxocane ring are in competition with radical β-scission of the C4-C5 bond and formation of dehomologated products. The influence of the stereoelectronic β-oxygen effect on the β-scission and consequently on the 1,8-HAT reaction has been studied using the four possible isomeric d-furanoses. d-xylo- and d-lyxo-derivatives afforded preferentially 1,8-HAT products, whereas d-arabino- and d-ribo-derivatives gave exclusively direct β-scission of the alkoxyl radical. When the 6-O-yl radical is on a pyranose ring, as occurs in Penf-(1→4)-Hexp (C), it has been shown to provide the cyclized products exclusively.     

Minkowski content and local Minkowski content for a class of self-conformal sets

We investigate (local) Minkowski measurability of ${\mathcal {C}^{1+\alpha}}$ images of self-similar sets. We show that (local) Minkowski measurability of a self-similar set K implies (local) Minkowski measurability of its image F and provide an explicit formula for the (local) Minkowski content of F in this case. A counterexample is presented which shows that the converse is not necessarily true. That is, F can be Minkowski measurable although K is not. However, we obtain that an average version of the (local) Minkowski content of both K and F always exists and also provide an explicit formula for the relation between the (local) average Minkowski contents of K and F.     

Synthesis of New Heterocyclic Ring Systems via [1,3,5]Triazino[1,2‐a]benzimidazole Derivatives

Three new heterocyclic ring systems were synthesized from [1,3,5]triazino[l,2‐a]benzimidazole derivatives, which in turn were obtained by condensation of 2‐guanidinobenzimidazole with o‐substituted ben‐zaldehydes.     

Understanding electron transfer across negatively-charged Aib oligopeptides

The physicochemical effects modulating the conformational behavior and the rate of intramolecular dissociative electron transfer in phthalimide-Aibn-peroxide peptides (n = 0-3) have been studied by an integrated density functional/continuum solvent model. We found that three different orientations of the phthalimide ring are possible, labeled Phihel, PhiC7, and PhipII. In the condensed phase, they are very close in energy when the system is neutral and short. When the peptide chain length increases and the system is negatively charged, Phihel becomes instead the most stable conformer. Our calculations confirm that the 3(10)-helix is the most stable secondary structure for the peptide bridge. However, upon charge injection in the phthalimide end of the phthalimide-Aib3-peroxide, the peptide bridge can adopt an alpha-helix conformation as well. The study of the dependence of the frontier orbitals on the length and on the conformation of the peptide bridge (in agreement with experimental indications) suggests that for n = 3 the process could be influenced by a 3(10) --> alpha-helix conformational transition of the peptide chain.