Chlorido­bis[(2‐oxoazocan‐1‐yl)methyl]­germanium(IV) trifluoro­methane­sulfonate

In the title compound, [Ge(C₈H₁₄NO)₂Cl]CF₃SO₃, which is the first complex containing an eight‐membered lactam (enantho­lactam) as ligand, the coordination polyhedron of the Ge^IV atom is inter­mediate between trigonal–bipyramidal and square‐pyramidal. Quantum chemical calculations of the crystal structure indicate the absence of additional coordination bonding between the Ge^IV atom and the trifluoro­methane­sulfonate anion.     

Directed evolution of the dioxygenase complex for the synthesis of furanone flavor compounds

Herein we report a new preparation of 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrofuran-3-one, the flavor compound strawberry furanone, based on a ‘green’ approach with a minimum number of steps. The first step is an enzymatic dioxygenation of p-xylene to form cyclohexadiene-cis-diol, followed by ring opening via ozonolysis, and ring closure to form the furanone. In efforts to improve the efficiency of the enzymatic step, a directed evolution approach was taken to increase the substrate specificity and selectivity of the toluene dioxygenase enzyme system.     

Overtone spectroscopy of H2O clusters in the V(OH) = 2 manifold: infrared-ultraviolet vibrationally mediated dissociation studies

Spectroscopy and predissociation dynamics of (H2O)2 and Ar-H2O are investigated with vibrationally mediated dissociation (VMD) techniques, wherein upsilon(OH) = 2 overtones of the complexes are selectively prepared with direct infrared pumping, followed by 193 nm photolysis of the excited H2O molecules. As a function of relative laser timing, the photolysis breaks H2O into OH and H fragments either (i) directly inside the complex or (ii) after the complex undergoes vibrational predissociation, with the nascent quantum state distribution of the OH photofragment probed via laser-induced fluorescence. This capability provides the first rotationally resolved spectroscopic analysis of (H2O)2 in the first overtone region and vibrational predissociation dynamics of water dimer and Ar-water clusters. The sensitivity of the VMD approach permits several upsilon(OH) = 2 overtone bands to be observed, the spectroscopic assignment of which is discussed in the context of recent anharmonic theoretical calculations.     

Temperature dependence of density, thermal expansion coefficient and shear viscosity of supercooled glycerol as a reflection of its structure

The relationship of the microstructure of supercooled, highly viscous glycerol to the temperature dependence of its density, thermal expansion coefficient, and shear viscosity are discussed. The character of this temperature dependence at the transition from low viscosity state to the solid amorphous state (solidified state without nuclei) is described with help of function psi, which can be interpreted as the effective number of degrees of freedom responsible for the change of viscosity of glycerol over a broad range; these degrees of freedom are those related to the alpha-relaxation process. It is shown that the change in effective activation energy of the viscosity is completely determined by the parameter psi. The change in the shear viscosity of glycerol due to the influence of the solid-phase nuclei is considered. It is shown that the introduction of the parameter phi, equal to the specific volume occupied by the nuclei of the solid phase, together with psi provides a natural explanation of the temperature dependence of density and thermal expansion coefficients of glycerol in its liquid, solid amorphous, glassy, and crystal states. The peculiarities of the temperature dependence of phi(T) and psi(T) for glycerol and o-terphenyl are compared.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of two novel heterometallic clusters: [Rh4Pt2(CO)11(dppm)2] and [Ru2Rh2Pt2(CO)12(dppm)2

Two novel heterometallic octahedral clusters [Rh(4)Pt(2)(CO)(11)(dppm)(2)](1) and [Ru(2)Rh(2)Pt(2)(CO)(12)(dppm)(2)](2) were synthesized by the reaction of [Rh(2)Pt(2)(CO)(6)(dppm)(2)] with [Rh(6)(CO)(14)(NCMe)(2)] and Ru(3)(CO)(12), respectively. Solid state structures of 1 and 2 have been established by a single crystal X-ray diffraction study. Two dppm ligands in 1 are bonded to one platinum and three rhodium atoms, which form an equatorial plane of the Rh(4)Pt(2) octahedron. Two rhodium and two platinum atoms bound to the diphosphine ligands in 2 are nonplanar to give an octahedral C2 symmetric Ru(2)Rh(2)Pt(2)(dppm)2 framework. The (31)P NMR investigation of and (1D, (31)P COSY, (31)P-[(103)Rh] HMQC) and simulation of 1D spectral patterns showed that in both clusters the structures of the M(6)(PP)(2) fragments found in the solid state are maintained in solution.     

An efficient approach towards the convergent synthesis of "fully-carbohydrate" mannodendrimers

Glycosylation of sugar trityl ethers with sugar 1,2-O-(1-cyano)ethylidene derivatives (the trityl-cyanoethylidene condensation) has been applied to the synthesis of highly branched (dendritic) mannooligosaccharides incorporating a Manalpha1-->3(Manalpha1-->6)Man structural motif. The convergent synthetic strategy used to assemble these oligosaccharides was based on the use of glycosyl acceptors and/or a glycosyl donor already bearing this structural motif. The former were represented by mono- and ditrityl ethers of ManalphaOMe, Manalpha1-->3ManalphaOMe, and Manalpha1-->3(Manalpha1-->6)ManalphaX, where X=OMe or SEt. The pivotal glycosyl donor was the peracetylated 1,2-O-(1-cyano)ethylidene-3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-beta-D-mannopyranose (1), prepared by orthogonal Helferich glycosylation of the known 1,2-O-(1-cyano)ethylidene-beta-D-mannopyranose with tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl bromide followed by O-acetylation. Glycosylation of acetates of methyl 6-O-trityl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside and methyl 3,6-di-O-trityl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside with one equivalent of the donor 1 gave rise to the isomeric tetrasaccharide derivatives, Manalpha1-->3(Manalpha1-->6)Manalpha1-->6ManalphaOMe and Manalpha1-->3(Manalpha1-->6)Manalpha1-->3ManalphaOMe, respectively. The latter derivative was further mannosylated at the remaining 6-O-trityl acceptor site to give the protected pentasaccharide Manalpha1-->3(Manalpha1-->6)Manalpha1-->3(Manalpha1-->6)ManalphaOMe. The isomeric pentasaccharide, Manalpha1-->3(Manalpha1-->6)Manalpha1-->6(Manalpha1-->3)ManalphaOMe, was prepared by reaction of 1 with the 6-O-trityl derivative of (Manalpha1-->3)ManalphaOMe. In a similar fashion, 6'- and 6"-O-trityl derivatives of the branched trisaccharide Manalpha1-->3(Manalpha1-->6)ManalphaOMe served as precursors for two isomeric mannohexaosides. The 3,6-di-O-trityl ether of ManalphaOMe and the 6',6"-di-O-trityl ether of Manalpha1-->3(Manalpha1-->6)ManalphaX (X=OMe or SEt) were efficiently bis-glycosylated with the donor 1 to give the corresponding protected mannoheptaoside and mannononaoside. The yields of these glycosylations with the donor 1 ranged from 50 to 66 %. Final deprotection of all the oligosaccharides was straightforward and afforded the target products in high yields. Both the acylated and deprotected products were characterized, and the intersaccharide connectivities were elucidated by extensive one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The described blockwise convergent approach allows assembly of a variety of 3,6-branched mannooligosaccharides.     

Searching for precursors to metal-metal bonded dipalladium species: a study of Pd2(4+) complexes

Reactions of Pd3(OAc)6 with lithium salts of mononegative bidentate N,N-ligands, L, of various types, such as formamidinates, benzamidinates, triazinates, and guanidinates, were investigated in a search for ways to obtain Pd2(4+) compounds that could serve as precursors to paddlewheel complexes with a metal-metal bond and a Pd2(5+) core. It was found that the reactions are complex and that either square planar mononuclear or dinuclear species may be formed depending on the reaction conditions or the method of isolation. For Pd2L4 compounds, alpha and beta isomers were sometimes obtainable. In the alpha isomer, all N,N-ligands serve as bridges, whereas in the beta isomer, two ligands bridge the Pd2(4+) unit and each of the other two chelate to a metal atom. Electrochemistry shows that the paddlewheel compounds Pd2(TolNC(H)NTol)4, Pd2(PhNC(Ph)NPh)4, and Pd2(PhNC(Ph)NPh)3(OAc) and the orthometalated complex cis-Pd2[eta2-C6H4NC(Ph)N(H)Ph]2(mu-OAc)2 have reversible oxidation waves between 0.70 and 0.92 V vs Ag/AgCl, which makes them good candidates for chemical oxidation.     

A New Strategy for the Synthesis of alpha-Difluoromethyl-Substituted alpha-Hydroxy and alpha-Amino Acids

A new method for the preparation of alpha-chlorodifluoromethyl-, alpha-bromodifluoromethyl-, and alpha-difluoromethyl-substituted alpha-hydroxy and alpha-amino acid esters 11, 19-21 is described. The key step of the synthesis is the regioselective alkylation of ketones 5, 7-9 and imines 16-18 with C-nucleophiles. The ketones 7-9 are readily available from 3,3,3-trifluorolactate 1 by a five-step procedure. Subsequent removal of the protecting groups from 19-21 provides the corresponding free amino acids 25, 26, 28.     

Gene expression analysis for high throughput screening applications

To meet growing needs for high throughput gene expression profiling, we established a new automated high throughput TaqMan RT-PCR method for quantitative mRNA expression analysis. In this method, the Allegro( trade mark ) (Zymark) system conducts all sample tracking and liquid handling steps, and ABI PRISM 7900 HT (Applied Biosystems) is used to conduct real-time determination of the C(t) value when amplification of PCR products is first detected and accumulation of inhibitory PCR products is unlikely to occur. The ABI PRISM 7900 HT Sequence Detection System features a real-time PCR instrument with 384-well-plate compatibility and robotic loading, and continuous wavelength detection, which enables the use of multiple fluorophores in a single reaction. The Allegro System offers an assembly line approach with a modular design that allows reconfiguration of the components to accommodate variations in the assay flow. In the present study, we have established and validated a new automated High Throughput (HT) TaqMan RT-PCR- based method for quantitative mRNA expression analysis. The data demonstrate that HT-Taqman PCR is a powerful tool that can be used for measuring low concentrations of mRNA, and is highly accurate, reproducible, and amenable to high throughput analysis. Results suggest that HT-TaqMan is a reliable method for the quantification of low-expression genes and a powerful tool with HT capability for target identification/validation, structure-activity relationship (SAR) study, compound selection for efficacy studies, and biomarker identification in drug discovery and development.     

Mechanistic studies on the formation and reactivity of dioxygen adducts of diiron complexes supported by sterically hindered carboxylates

Dioxygen activation by enzymes such as methane monooxygenase, ribonucleotide reductase, and fatty acid desaturases occurs at a nonheme diiron active site supported by two histidines and four carboxylates, typically involving a (peroxo)diiron(III,III) intermediate in an early step of the catalytic cycle. Biomimetic tetracarboxylatodiiron(II,II) complexes with the familiar "paddlewheel" topology comprising sterically bulky o-dixylylbenzoate ligands with pyridine, 1-methylimidazole, or THF at apical sites readily react with O(2) to afford thermally labile peroxo intermediates that can be trapped and characterized spectroscopically at low temperatures (193 K). Cryogenic stopped-flow kinetic analysis of O(2) adduct formation carried out for the three complexes reveals that dioxygen binds to the diiron(II,II) center with concentration dependences and activation parameters indicative of a direct associative pathway. The pyridine and 1-methylimidazole intermediates decay by self-decomposition. However, the THF intermediate decays much faster by oxygen transfer to added PPh(3), the kinetics of which has been studied with double mixing experiments in a cryogenic stopped-flow apparatus. The results show that the decay of the THF intermediate is kinetically controlled by the dissociation of a THF ligand, a conclusion supported by the observation of saturation kinetic behavior with respect to PPh(3), inhibition by added THF, and invariant saturation rate constants for the oxidation of various phosphines. It is proposed that the proximity of the reducing substrate to the peroxide ligand on the diiron coordination sphere facilitates the oxygen-atom transfer. This unique investigation of the reaction of an O(2) adduct of a biomimetic tetracarboxylatodiiron(II,II) complex provides a synthetic precedent for understanding the electrophilic reactivity of like adducts in the active sties of nonheme diiron enzymes.