Stereoselective synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1,3-diene

New synthetic methods for the preparation of 1,3-dienes are described.     

Determination of chemical form of antimony in contaminated soil around a smelter using X-ray absorption fine structure.

Only limited information is available about the behavior of antimony (Sb) in contaminated soils. However, understanding the behavior of Sb in contaminated soils is important, because the toxicity or solubility of this element depends on its chemical state. In this study, we investigated the levels of Sb and the chemical forms of Sb in the soil around a smelter using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra. The highest Sb concentration in the contaminated soil was 2900 mg/kg dry soil. According to Sb-K edge X-ray absorption near edge (XANE) spectra, the Sb in the soil was in the form of Sb(V) compounds. The similarity of extended XAFS (EXAFS) spectra suggests that Sb speciation was independent of the sampling site, which indicates that Sb or Sb2O3 emitted from the smelter was converted into Sb(V) compounds in the soil.     

Lewis acid promoted cyclization of enyne triesters and diesters

Reactions of enynes with three or two ester groups (1-4) in the presence of halogen-ligand Lewis acids gave cyclized products with halide incorporation (5-8) with high generality. The cyclization process was also analyzed in a theoretical study. Facile isomerization and dehydrohalogenation of five-membered products 5 and 8 by Al(2)O(3) or Et(3)N were also observed; this process introduces conjugated moieties into the products.     

Measurement of dioxygen by electrocatalytic reduction on microelectrodes modified with Nafion and methyl viologen

Nafion/methyl viologen (MV) has been chemically modified on a gold disk microelectrode (GDME). The electrochemistry of the Nafion/MV modified GDME is investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and differential pulse amperometry (DPA) show that the Nafion/MV modified GDME exhibits very high electrocatalytic activity toward dioxygen reduction with good reproducibility and high sensitivity. The electrocatalytic peak current is found to be linear with the dioxygen concentration in the range of 3.44x10(-7) to 2.59x10(-4) mol l(-1) (at 25 degrees C), with a correlation coefficient of 0.9978. The detection limit (signal/noise=3) is calculated to be 0.19 mumol l(-1). The response time of the microsensor for dioxygen measurement is less than 15 s. For ten parallel measurements for 8.50 mumol l(-1) dioxygen, the relative standard deviation (RSD) is found to be 2.7%. The sensitivity of the microsensor is 0.17 nA mumol(-1) l(-1). This microsensor has been successfully employed to measure the concentration of dioxygen in real samples. The quantity of dioxygen, released from the three kinds of chloroplasts of plant leaves under different illumination, is monitored by the Nafion/MV modified gold microsensor. In order to survey the dioxygen concentration in vivo, a Nafion/MV modified carbon fiber microelectrode (CFME) is fabricated by a modification procedure similar to that of the Nafion/MV GDME. As a preliminary test, the dioxygen levels in the different areas of rat brain are determined by the Nafion/MV modified carbon fiber microsensors. The mechanism of the catalytic reaction is also addressed.     

Synthesis of 1,2-dihydroisoquinolines via the reaction of ortho-alkynylarylimines with bis-π-allylpalladium

The reaction of the ortho-alkynylarylimines 1 with allyltributylstannane and allyl chloride in the presence of allylpalladium chloride dimer (5 mol %) and Cu(OAc)₂ (20 mol %) in CH₃CN at 50 °C gave the 1,4-diallyl-1,2-dihydroisoquinolines 2 in good yields. Most probably, the reaction proceeds through tandem bis-allylation of the imine-alkyne functional groups with bis-π-allylpalladium.     

Bicyclo[3.2.1]octane and 6-oxabicyclo[3.2.2]nonane type neolignans from Magnolia denudata

From the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of twigs of Magnolia denudata (Magnoliaceae), seven new neolignan derivatives, 1-7, were isolated along with eighteen known lignan and neolignan derivatives, 8-25. The structures of the new neolignans were elucidated by means of spectral methods, especially by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectra, and two dimensional NMR methods such as 1H-detected heteronuculear multiple bond connectivity1 (HMBC), 1H-detected multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) and 1H-1H-correlation spectroscopy (COSY). Compounds 1-4 have novel structures possessing a 6-oxabicyclo[3.2.2]nonane skeleton and compounds 5-8 also have novel structures possessing a bicyclo[3.2.1]octane skeleton. The anti-platelet-activating factor (PAF) activity of these compounds was tested by measurement of inhibition activity against acetyl transferase to lyso-PAF.     

Characterization and quantitation of clarithromycin polymorphs by powder X-ray diffractometry and solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Characterization of clarithromycin polymorph was performed by solid-state cross polarization and magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Two polymorphs, form II and form I, of clarithromycins indicated characteristic resonances of C1 carbonyl carbon at 176.2 and 175.2 ppm, respectively. Since each peak of C1 carbon was well separated in the spectrum of the two polymorphs, we performed quantitative analysis of the polymorphic fraction from the peak area of these peaks. The peak area of form I was found to linearly increase with an increase of its content, with a correlation coefficient of above 0.99. Solid-state NMR was found to be a useful technique to determine the characteristics of the polymorphic forms.     

Stepwise delivery of two methoxy groups of arylaldehyde acetals across the phenyl ring. Vacant site-controlled palladium catalysis

A new catalytic cyclization of o-alkynylbenzaldehyde acetals 1 to the functionalized indenes 2 was found to be strictly controlled by the number of triphenylphosphine ligands on the Pd catalyst. Only complexes with three available coordination sites on Pd catalyze this reaction. Mechanistic study suggests that pi-coordination of Pd to the benzene ring is a key step controlled by the number of vacant coordination sites.     

Palladium(0) complexes coordinated with substituted olefins and tertiary phosphine ligands

New palladium(0) complexes with a variety of coordinated olefins [Pd(olefin)(PMePh₂)₂] (II) (olefin = styrene, ethyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, methacrylonitrile, and dimethyl maleate), were prepared by the reactions of [PdEt₂(PMePh₂)₂] (I) with corresponding olefins in toluene. These complexes were characterized by means of elemental analysis, IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy and the chemical reactions. The dissociation of the coordinated olefin from complex II in solution was confirmed by spectroscopic studies of [Pd(mma)(PMePh₂)₂] (mma = methyl methacrylate). From the variable temperature NMR study, kinetic parameters for the dissociation process were determined as E_a = 7 kcal/mol, and ΔS³ (293 K) = -30 cal/deg · mol. Some new hydrido complexes, [Pd(H)ClL₂] (IV) (L = PMePh₂, PEtPh₂ and PEt₂Ph), were prepared by the reactions of [Pd(olefin)L₂] with dry HCl.     

ROLES OF URACIL-DNA GLYCOSYLASE AND APYRIMIDINIC ENDONUCLEASES IN THE MOLECULAR 5-BROMO-2'-DEOXYURIDINE PHOTOSENSITIZATION IN Escherichia coli K-12

The molecular mechanism for 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) photosensitization was studied in thymine-requiring wild-type and uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG)-deficient ung mutant cells of Escherichia coli K-12. Wild-type cells were more sensitive to BrdU photosensitiLation than ung mutant cells. IJV induced the identica/ numbers of alkaline sucrose single-strand breaks (SSB) in 5-bromouracil-DNA (BrU-DNA) of both the wild type and ung mutant. The ung mutant cells repaired SSB almost completely, whereas the wild-type cells with UDG produced more adverse SSB by 90 min after UV. Neutral agarose gel electrophoresis of minipreps indicated that UV induced (1) more smears of host BrU-DNA possibly by more double-strand breaks (DSB) and (2) a greater decline of pBR322 Form I BrU-DNA in the wild-type cells than the ung cells. These results indicated a greater induction of SSB by apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases in wild-type cells. The ung/ wild ratios (=1.7–1.9) for cellular and plasmid BrdU sensitizations aftcr growth in 50% BrdU were similar. The extents of UDG-dependent and UDG-independent sensitizations in wild-type cells were ∼40 and ∼60%, respectively. The xth nfo double mutant defective in both exonuclcase III and endonucleasc IV was more sensitive to BrdU photosensitization than the wild type, indicating that an excess of AP sites remaining after uracil excision in the xth nfo mutant causes a greater BrdU photosensitization than SSB by AP endonucleases in wild-type cells. Conversely, the xth rfo ung triple mutant was more resistant to BrdU photosensitization than the xth nfo double mutant, so that UV-induced uracil residues in the BrU-DNA are tolerated and do not appear to be directly responsible for BrdU photosensitization.