Absorption Spectra and Termination Kinetics of Transient Free Radicals in Solution Observed by UV./VIS. Spectroscopy with modulated excitation

Free radicals are generated in liquid solutions by harmonically modulated photolysis of suitable substrates. Harmonic analysis of the absorbance as functions of wavelength and modulation frequency yields the optical spectra and the decay kinetics of the transient species. The experimental technique and the analysis are described in detail. Results on t-butyl, 2-propyl and benzyl radicals generated by photolysis of the corresponding dialkyl resp. dibenzyl ketones are reported. They confirm previous spectral assignments and show that the termination reactions are diffusion controlled.     

Stable gaseous aziridinium ions

Gaseous protonated aziridine ions are produced at the threshold from β-phenoxyethylamine molecular ions. The evidence for this is collisional activation spectra, using various precursors (including labelled analogues) under electron impact and field ionization conditions. Partial conversion to the acyclic \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ {\rm CH}_{\rm 3} {\rm CH = }\mathop {\rm N}\limits^ + {\rm H}_{\rm 2} $\end{document} isomer occurs at higher electron energies and is rationalized by means of a potential energy surface constructed from energetic data.     

Interpolation of diabatic potential energy surfaces

A method is presented for constructing diabatic potential energy matrices from ab initio quantum chemistry data. The method is similar to that reported previously for single adiabatic potential energy surfaces, but correctly accounts for the nuclear permutation symmetry of diabatic potential energy matrices and other complications that arise from the derivative coupling of electronic states. The method is tested by comparison with an analytic model for the two lowest energy states of H(3).     

Asymmetric Synthesis of (S)-5,5,5,5′,5′,5′,5′-Hexafluoroleucine

(S)-5,5,5,5′,5′,5′-Hexafluoroleucine ((S)- 13 ) of 81 % ee is prepared from hexafluoroacetone ( l ) and ethyl bromopyruvate (= ethyl 2-oxopropanoate) in 7 steps with an overall yield of 18% (Schemes 1 and 2). Key step in this sequence is the highly enantioselective reduction of the carbonyl group in α-keto ester 4 either by bakers' yeast (91 % ee) or by ‘catecholborane’ 6 utilizing an oxazaborolidine catalyst, yielding hydroxy ester (R)- 5 with 99% ee. The absolute configuration was determined by X-ray analysis of the HCl adduct (S,R)- 9b of (2S)-N-[(R)- l-phenylethyl]-5,5,5,5′,5′,5′-hexafluoroleucine ethyl ester.     

Comparing Intrinsic Reactivities of the First‐ and Second‐Generation Ruthenium Metathesis Catalysts in the Gas Phase

An experimental comparison of the gas‐phase reactivity of the 14‐electron reactive intermediates produced by phosphine dissociation from the first‐ and second‐generation ruthenium metathesis catalysts, (L)Cl₂Ru?CHR (L=PCy₃ or NHC), supports Grubbs's contention that the second‐generation catalysts show hundred‐fold higher phenomenological activity despite a slower phosphine dissociation because of a much more‐favorable partitioning of the 14‐electron active species towards product‐forming steps. The gas‐phase study finds, in ring‐opening metathesis of norbornene as well as acyclic metathesis of ethyl vinyl ether, that the first‐generation systems display evidence for a higher barrier above that for phosphine dissociation; the second‐generation systems, on the other hand, behave as if there is no significantly higher barrier.     

The Electronic Structure of Azuleno[1,2,3-cd]phenalene and Azuleno[5,6,7-cd]phenalene,a Comparison

The photoelectron (PE.) spectra of azuleno[l, 2, 3-cd]phenalene ( 1 ) and azuleno- [5,6,7-cd]phenalene( 2 ) have been recorded. The first five bands of both compounds could be assigned to transitions corresponding to removal of electrons from 4a₂, 6b₁, 5b₁, 3a₂ and 4b_l orbitals. This assignment is based mainly on a comparison between the observed ionization potentials and orbital energies calculated in a HMO and a PPP model. The UV./VIS. polarized absorption spectrum of 1 in the region 10000–45000 cm^?1 has been measured by means of the stretched film technique. The measurements were performed in polyethylene sheets at 77°K. Several bands could be assigned to π* ← π transitions calculated by a PPP-CI method. A comparison between the electronic structures of 1 and 2 is made by means of a simple HMO diagram.     

The correlation of NMR chemical shifts with EHT calculated electron densities for 3-pyridinols

The NMR spectra of a series of five 3-pyridinols in dioxane and dimethyl sulfoxide have been correlated with electron densities calculated by the Extended Hückel MO method. The data were found to fit a straight line of the form y=ax+b. The effects of hydrogen-bonding between pyridinol molecules on the correlation have been considered, and they have been estimated quantitatively for 6-methyl-3-pyridinol via Extended Hückel Calculations on a hydrogen-bonded model.

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Zusammenfassung Die Kernresonanzspektren von fünf 3-Pyridinolen in Dioxan und Dimethylsulfoxyd wurden mit den Elektronendichten aus dem erweiterten Hückelverfahren korreliert, und zwar ergibt sich eine lineare Beziehung. Der Einfluß von intermolekularen Wasserstoffbrücken ist für einen Fall (die 6-Methyl-Verbindung) durch EHT-Rechnungen festgestellt und in den übrigen Fällen geschätzt worden.

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Résumé Les spectres NMR d'une série de cinq 3-pyridinols dans le dioxane et le diméthyle-sulfoxyde ont été corrélés avec les densités électroniques calculées par la méthode de Hückel Etendue. Les données se placent correctement sur une droite y=ax+b. Les effets de la liaison hydrogène entre les molécules de pyridinol ont été envisagés et estimés quantitativement pour le 6-méthyl-3-pyridinol par des calculs EHT sur un modèle à liaison hydrogène.

     

Steric buttressing in the Pauson-Khand reactions of aryl enynes

A variety of aryl enynes have been constructed from o-iodophenol derivatives containing ortho-tert-butyl groups via O-alkylation and a Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction. These substrates undergo efficient thermal and oxidative intramolecular Pauson-Khand reactions leading to the formation of sterically congested cyclopentenones, as well as the formation of medium-sized rings, although in the latter case with unusual regioselectivity. Incorporation of a TMS moiety on the alkyne group in a higher homolog led to cyclization via the normal mode, albeit in relatively low yield.     

Structure activity relationship by NMR and by computer: a comparative study

There has recently been considerable interest in using NMR spectroscopy to identify ligand binding sites of macromolecules. In particular, a modular approach has been put forward by Fesik et al. (Shuker, S. B.; Hajduk, P. J.; Meadows, R. P.; Fesik, S. W. Science 1996, 274, 1531-1534) in which small ligands that bind to a particular target are identified in a first round of screening and subsequently linked together to form ligands of higher affinity. Similar strategies have also been proposed for in silico drug design, where the binding sites of small chemical groups are identified, and complete ligands are subsequently assembled from different groups that have favorable interactions with the macromolecular target. In this paper, we compare experimental and computational results on a selected target (FKBP12). The binding sites of three small ligands ((2S)1-acetylprolinemethylester, 1-formylpiperidine, 1-piperidinecarboxamide) in FKBP12 were identified independently by NMR and by computational methods. The subsequent comparison of the experimental and computational data showed that the computational method identified and ranked favorably ligand positions that satisfy the experimental NOE constraints.