Absolute Rate Constants for the Addition of the 1‐(tert‐Butoxy)carbonylethyl Radical onto Cyclic Alkenes in Solution

Absolute rate constants are reported for the addition of the 1‐[(tert‐butoxy)carbonyl]ethyl (= 2‐(1,1‐dimethylethoxy)‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoethyl) radical ^.CHMeCO₂(t‐Bu) to several cyclic and monosubstituted alkenes in MeCN as obtained by time‐resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The activation energies for the addition of this alkyl radical are mainly governed by the addition enthalpy but are also substantially lowered by the ambiphilic effect and by relief of cyclic strain.     

Study of the O-glycidylation of natural phenolic compounds. The relationship between the phenolic structure and the reaction mechanism

The O-alkylation reaction by epichlorohydrin of some natural phenolic compounds such as 4-methylcatechol, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, pyrogallol and resorcinol was investigated. Phenolic compounds reacted first with epichlorohydrin in the presence of benzyltriethylammonium chloride as phase transfer catalyst. Then, an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide was added.It was demonstrated that the two competitive mechanisms involved in the O-alkylation reaction were highly dependent of the starting material. The O-alkylated products obtained in this reaction could be further used as bisphenol A substitutes in the synthesis of epoxy resins pre-polymers.     

α‐Halogenoacetanilides as Hydrogen‐Bonding Organocatalysts that Activate Carbonyl Bonds: Fluorine versus Chlorine and Bromine

α‐Halogenoacetanilides (X=F, Cl, Br) were examined as H‐bonding organocatalysts designed for the double activation of C?O bonds through NH and CH donor groups. Depending on the halide substituents, the double H‐bond involved a nonconventional C?H???O interaction with either a H?CX_n (n=1–2, X=Cl, Br) or a H?C_Ar bond (X=F), as shown in the solid‐state crystal structures and by molecular modeling. In addition, the catalytic properties of α‐halogenoacetanilides were evaluated in the ring‐opening polymerization of lactide, in the presence of a tertiary amine as cocatalyst. The α‐dichloro‐ and α‐dibromoacetanilides containing electron‐deficient aromatic groups afforded the most attractive double H‐bonding properties towards C?O bonds, with a N?H???O???H?CX₂ interaction.     

Dendron‐Functionalized Core–Shell Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles: Magnetically Recoverable and Reusable Catalysts for Suzuki C?C Cross‐Coupling Reactions

A metallodendron functionalized with dicyclohexyldiphosphino palladium complex was synthesized. The metallodendron was grafted onto core–shell superparamagnetic nanoparticles (γ‐Fe₂O₃/polymer, 200–500 nm) to give optimal catalytic reactivity in cross‐coupling reactions. The grafted nanoparticles were used as recoverable and reusable catalysts for Suzuki C? C cross‐coupling reactions. They showed remarkable reactivity towards iodo‐ and bromoarenes under mild conditions, and unprecedented reactivity towards chloroarenes. On completion of the catalytic reaction, the catalysts were readily recovered by using a simple magnet to attract the superparamagnetic grafted nanoparticles. Catalysts were recovered more than 25 times with almost no discernable loss of reactivity.     

Efficient and simple synthesis of 6-aryl-1,4-dimethyl-9H-carbazoles

A synthetic method for the preparation of 6-aryl-1,4-dimethyl-9H-carbazoles involving a palladium catalyzed coupling reaction of 1,4-dimethyl-9H-carbazole-6-boronic acids and (hetero)aryl halides is described.     

Homophymine A, an anti-HIV cyclodepsipeptide from the sponge Homophymia sp

A new anti-HIV cyclodepsipeptide, homophymine A, was isolated from a New Caledonian collection of the marine sponge Homophymia sp. The structure of homophymine A was determined by interpretation of spectroscopic data, acid hydrolysis, and LC-MS analysis. Homophymine A contains 11 amino acid residues and an amide-linked 3-hydroxy-2,4,6-trimethyloctanoic acid moiety. Along with four D-, two L-, and one N-methyl amino acids, it also contains four unusual amino acid residues: (2S,3S,4R)-3,4-diMe-Gln, (2R,3R,4S)-4-amino-2,3-dihydroxy-1,7-heptandioic acid, L-ThrOMe, and (2R,3R,4R)-2-amino-3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethylhexanoic acid. In a cell-based XTT assay, homophymine A exhibited cytoprotective activity against HIV-1 infection with a IC50 of 75 nM.     

Spectral signatures and molecular origin of acid dissociation intermediates

The existence of a broad, mid-infrared absorption ranging from 1000 to 3000 cm(-1) is usually interpreted as a signature for the existence of protonated water networks. Herein, we use cryogenic mixtures of water and hydrogen fluoride (HF) and show experimental and computational evidence that similarly wide absorptions can be generated by a broad distribution of proton-shared and ion pair complexes. In the present case, we demonstrate that the broadening is mainly inhomogeneous, reflecting the fact that the topology of the first solvation shell determines the local degree of ionization and the shared-proton asymmetric stretching frequency within H2O x HF complexes. The extreme sensitivity of the proton transfer potential energy hypersurface to local hydrogen bonding topologies modulates its vibrational frequency from 2800 down to approximately 1300 cm(-1), the latter value being characteristic of solvation geometries that yield similar condensed-phase proton affinities for H2O and fluoride. By linking the local degree of ionization to the solvation pattern, we are able to propose a mechanism of ionization for HF in aqueous solutions and to explain some of their unusual properties at large concentrations. However, an important conclusion of broad scientific interest is our prediction that spectral signatures that are normally attributed to protonated water networks could also reveal the presence of strong hydrogen bonds between un-ionized acids and water molecules, with important consequences to spectroscopic investigations of biologically relevant proton channels and pumps.     

Evidence of different stoichiometries for the limiting carbonate complexes across the lanthanide(III) series: a capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry study

The electrophoretic mobilities (mu ep,Ln) of twelve lanthanides (not Ce, Pr and Yb) were measured by CE-ICP-MS in 0.15 and 0.5 mol L(-1) Alk2 CO3 aqueous solutions for Alk+ = Li+, Na+, K+ and Cs+. In 0.5 mol L(-1) solutions, two different mu ep,Ln values were found for the light (La to Nd) and the heavy (Dy to Tm) lanthanides, which suggests two different stoichiometries for the carbonate limiting complexes. These results are consistent with a solubility study that attests the Ln(CO3)3(3-) and Ln(CO3)4(5-) stoichiometries for the heavy (small) and the light (big) lanthanides, respectively. The Alk+ counterions influence the mu ep,Ln Alk2 CO3 values, but not the overall shape of the mu ep,Ln Alk2 CO3 plots as a function of the lanthanide atomic numbers: the counterions do not modify the stoichiometries of the inner sphere complexes. The influence of the Alk+ counterions decreases in the Li+ > Na+ > K+ > Cs+ series. The K3,Ln stepwise formation constants of the Ln(CO3)3(3-) complexes slightly increase with the atomic numbers of the lanthanides while K4,Ln, the stepwise formation constants of Ln(CO3)4(5-) complexes, slightly decrease from La to Tb, and is no longer measurable for heavier lanthanides.     

Recent synthetic approaches toward non-anomeric spiroketals in natural products

Many natural products of biological interest contain [6,5]- and [6,6]-spiroketal moieties that can adopt various configurations, benefiting or not from anomeric conformation stabilizing effects. The spiroketal fragments are often important for the biological activity of the compounds containing them. Most stable spiroketal stereoisomers, including those benefiting from conformational anomeric effects (gauche conformers can be more stable than anti conformers because of a contra-steric stabilizing effect), are obtained easily under acidic conditions that permit acetal heterolysis (formation of tertiary oxycarbenium ion intermediates). The synthesis of less stable stereoisomers requires stereoselective acetal forming reactions that do not permit their equilibration with their most stable stereoisomers or, in the case of suitably substituted derivatives, concomitant reactions generating tricyclic products that quench the less stable spiroketal conformers. Ingenuous approaches have been recently developed for the synthesis of naturally occurring [6,6]- and [5,6]-nonanomeric spiroketals and analogues. The identification of several parameters that can influence the stereochemical outcome of spirocyclization processes has led to seminal improvements in the selective preparation of the non-anomeric isomers that are discussed herein. This review also gives an up-dated view of conformational anomeric effect which represents a small fraction of the enthalpic anomeric effect that makes gem-dioxy substituted compounds much more stable that their 1,n-dioxy substituted isomers (n > 1). Although models assuming sp3-hybridized oxygen atoms have been very popular (rabbit ears for the two non-bonding electron pairs of oxygen atom), sp2-hybridized oxygen atoms are used to describe the conformational anomeric effect.