Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of spirooxindoles by a mannich-type reaction of isothiocyanato oxindoles

Easy access: a strontium/Schiff base complex as catalyst for the title reaction provided straightforward access to enantiomerically enriched spiro[imidazolidine-4,3'-oxindole] compounds, as well as a spiro[imidazoline-4,3'-oxindole] through a two-step conversion from the Mannich adduct.     

Replica theory of the rigidity of structural glasses

We present a first principle scheme to compute the rigidity, i.e., the shear-modulus of structural glasses at finite temperatures using the cloned liquid theory, which combines the replica theory and the liquid theory. With the aid of the replica method which enables disentanglement of thermal fluctuations in liquids into intra-state and inter-state fluctuations, we extract the rigidity of metastable amorphous solid states in the supercooled liquid and glass phases. The result can be understood intuitively without replicas. As a test case, we apply the scheme to the supercooled and glassy state of a binary mixture of soft-spheres. The result compares well with the shear-modulus obtained by a previous molecular dynamic simulation. The rigidity of metastable states is significantly reduced with respect to the instantaneous rigidity, namely, the Born term, due to non-affine responses caused by displacements of particles inside cages at all temperatures down to T = 0. It becomes nearly independent of temperature below the Kauzmann temperature T(K). At higher temperatures in the supercooled liquid state, the non-affine correction to the rigidity becomes stronger suggesting melting of the metastable solid state. Inter-state part of the static response implies jerky, intermittent stress-strain curves with static analogue of yielding at mesoscopic scales.     

A new type of deoxygenation of quinoxaline N-oxides

The reaction of 6-chloro-2-[2-(p-chlorobenzylidene)-1-methylhydrazino]quinoxaline 4-oxide 3a or 2-[2-(p-bromobenzylidene)-1-methylhydrazino]-6-chloroquinoxaline 4-oxide 3b with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate under reflux in N,N-dimethylformamide resulted in deoxygenation to give 6-chloro-2-[2-(p-chlorobenzylidene)-1-methylhydrazino]quinoxaline 4a or 2-[2-(p-bromobenzilidene)-1-methylhydrazino]-6-chloroquinoxaline 4b , respectively, while the reaction of compound 3a or 3b with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate under reflux in dioxane precipitated dimethyl 8-chloro-4-[2-(p-chlorobenzyli-dene)-1-methylhydrazino]-3aH-isoxazolo[2,3-a]quinoxaline-2,3-dicarboxylate 6a or dimethyl 4-[2-(p-bromobenzylidene)-1-methylhydrazino]-8-chloro-3aH-isoxazolo[2,3-a]quinoxaline-2,3-dicarboxylate 6b , respectively. Further refluxing of compound 6a or 6b in N,N-dimethylformamide provided compound 4a or 4b , respectively.     

A facile synthesis of enol type acyl cyanides via a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction and a cyano group migration

The reaction of 7-chlorotetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline 5-oxide 4a or 7-chloro-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline 5-oxide 4b with 2-chloroacrylonitrile gave 7-chloro-4-(2-cyano-2-hydroxyvinyl)tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline 5a or 7-chloro-4-(2-cyano-2-hydroxyvinyl)-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline 5b , respectively. Alcoholysis of compound 5a or 5b afforded 7-chloro-4-ethoxycarbonylmethylene-4,5-dihydrotetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline 6a or 7-chloro-4-ethoxycarbonylmethylene-4,5-dihydro-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline 6b , respectively. Compounds 5a,b were found to exist as a syn and anti mixture of the enol form, while compounds 6a,b occurred as the enamine and methylene imine forms. The tautoraeric character and/or D-H exchange of the vinyl protons are described for compounds 5a,b and 6a,b .     

Pyrolysis mechanism of urazole by evolved gas analysis

In order to obtain a better understanding of thermal substituent effects in 1,2,4-triazole-3-one (TO), the thermal behavior of 1,2,4-triazole, TO, as well as urazole and the decomposition mechanism of TO were investigated. Thermal substituent effects were considered using thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis, sealed cell differential scanning calorimetry, and molecular orbital calculations. The onset temperature of 1,2,4-triazole was higher than that of TO and urazole. Analyses of evolved decomposition gases were carried out using thermogravimetry–infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetry–mass spectrometry. The gases evolved from TO were determined as HNCO, HCN, N₂, NH₃, CO₂, and N₂O.     

Liquid crystal properties of new ionic liquid crystal compounds having a 1,3-dioxane ring

New pyridinium type chiral ionic liquid crystal materials having a 1,3-dioxane ring in the central core, (+)- N -2-methylbutyl-4-(5-alkyl-1,3-dioxan-2-yl)pyridinium bromides (6), were synthesized. Mixture A was made by adding 5.9 wt % of compound 6?3 to the ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture Merck 4655-100; its phase transitions and some liquid crystal properties were measured. In spite of a large decrease of P_s for mixture A, its response time A was the same as that of Merck 4655-100. The dielectric constants perpendicular to the molecular axis for the smectic C* and smectic A phases were measured for the mixture and Merck 4655?100: in the smectic C phase, these dielectric constants were almost the same (4.5～5.5), but in the smectic A phase, the perpendicular dielectric constant of the mixture was 47.0 and that of Merck 4655?100 was 4.5.     

Catalytic Performance of Ruthenium‐Supported Ionic‐Liquid Catalysts in Sustainable Synthesis of Macrocyclic Lactones

Thirteen‐ to eighteen‐membered lactones were synthesized by ring‐closing olefin‐metathesis reactions of bis‐olefins with heterogeneous Grubbs‐supported ionic‐liquid catalysts (SILCs), in which homogeneous Grubbs catalysts were confined in pores of alumina with the aid of an ionic liquid. The Grubbs‐SILCs exhibited higher catalytic performance than their homogeneous counterparts and could be repeatedly recovered by simple filtration and re‐used several times.     

Elucidation of Metal‐Ion Accumulation Induced by Hydrogen Bonds on Protein Surfaces by Using Porous Lysozyme Crystals Containing RhIII Ions as the Model Surfaces

Metal‐ion accumulation on protein surfaces is a crucial step in the initiation of small‐metal clusters and the formation of inorganic materials in nature. This event is expected to control the nucleation, growth, and position of the materials. There remain many unknowns, as to how proteins affect the initial process at the atomic level, although multistep assembly processes of the materials formation by both native and model systems have been clarified at the macroscopic level. Herein the cooperative effects of amino acids and hydrogen bonds promoting metal accumulation reactions are clarified by using porous hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) crystals containing Rh^III ions, as model protein surfaces for the reactions. The experimental results reveal noteworthy implications for initiation of metal accumulation, which involve highly cooperative dynamics of amino acids and hydrogen bonds: i) Disruption of hydrogen bonds can induce conformational changes of amino‐acid residues to capture Rh^III ions. ii) Water molecules pre‐organized by hydrogen bonds can stabilize Rh^III coordination as aqua ligands. iii) Water molecules participating in hydrogen bonds with amino‐acid residues can be replaced by Rh^III ions to form polynuclear structures with the residues. iv) Rh^III aqua complexes are retained on amino‐acid residues through stabilizing hydrogen bonds even at low pH (≈2). These metal–protein interactions including hydrogen bonds may promote native metal accumulation reactions and also may be useful in the preparation of new inorganic materials that incorporate proteins.     

Dehydrative Direct CH Allylation with Allylic Alcohols under [Cp*CoIII] Catalysis

The unique reactivity of [Cp*Co^III] over [Cp*Rh^III] was demonstrated. A cationic [Cp*Co^III] catalyst promoted direct dehydrative C? H allylation with non‐activated allyl alcohols, thus giving C2‐allylated indoles, pyrrole, and phenyl‐pyrazole in good yields, while analogous [Cp*Rh^III] catalysts were not effective. The high γ‐selectivity and C2‐selectivity indicated that the reaction proceeded by directing‐group‐assisted C? H metalation. DFT calculations suggested that the γ‐selective substitution reaction proceeded by C? H metalation and insertion of a C? C double bond, with subsequent β‐hydroxide elimination. The [Cp*Co^III] catalyst favored β‐hydroxide elimination over β‐hydride elimination.     

Cp*CoIII Catalyzed Site‐Selective C?H Activation of Unsymmetrical O‐Acyl Oximes: Synthesis of Multisubstituted Isoquinolines from Terminal and Internal Alkynes

The synthesis of isoquinolines by site‐selective C H activation of O‐acyl oximes with a Cp*Co^III catalyst is described. In the presence of this catalyst, the C H activation of various unsymmetrically substituted O‐acyl oximes selectively occurred at the sterically less hindered site, and reactions with terminal as well as internal alkynes afforded the corresponding products in up to 98 % yield. Whereas the reactions catalyzed by the Cp*Co^III system proceeded with high site selectivity (15:1 to 20:1), use of the corresponding Cp*Rh^III catalysts led to low selectivities and/or yields when unsymmetrical O‐acyl oximes and terminal alkynes were used. Deuterium labeling studies indicate a clear difference in the site selectivity of the C H activation step under Cp*Co^III and Cp*Rh^III catalysis.