Synthesis of chromogenic crown ethers and liquid—liquid extraction of alkaline earth metal ions

New crown ether dyes carrying two pendent anionic side-arms were synthesized for the extraction-spectrophotometry of alkaline earth metal ions. In the extraction of alkaline earth metal ions by these dianionic reagents, size recognition by the crown ether ring was more remarkable than in the case of alkali metal ion extraction by a similar type of monoanionic reagents. Dramatic changes in metal selectivity were observed when the nature of the anionic side-arm was changed while the crown ether skeleton was kept the same. The structure/selectivity relationship is discussed in terms of “chelate” and “intramolecular ion-pair” formation. Typically, when the basicity of the pendent anions was relatively high and a six-membered chelate was structurally possible for the pendent anions and the crown-bound metal, the extraction of calcium was favored by up to a factor of 3000 in the ratio of the Ca/Ba extraction constants for reagents of the diaza-18-crown-6 type. In contrast, the reagents which had pendent anions with only poor coordination ability for metal ions seemed to form complexes of the ion-pair type, and calcium ion was 10⁵ times less extractable than barium ion for the same diaza-18-crown-6-skeleton. Strontium ion seemed to be extracted most effectively when the extracted complex assumed properties intermediate between the chelate and intramolecular ion-pair.     

Electronic and Conformational Effects on the Lipophilicity of Isomers and Analogs of the Neurotoxin 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)

A number of isomers and analogs of the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺) were examined for their lipophilic behavior. Their partition coefficients in the 1-octanol/H₂O system were measured by centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC), which, being much faster and markedly more precise than the classical shake-flask method, proved a very promising alternative for assessing lipophilicity. A smaller-than-expected lipophilicity was shown by the ortho-isomer of MPP⁺ (M2PP⁺) and is explained in terms of electronic effects and rigidity, as revealed by UV and NMR spectroscopy, and conformational analysis. Implications of lipophilicity in modulating the in vivo dopaminergic neurotoxicity of the examined compounds are also discussed.     

A total synthesis of xestodecalactone a and proof of its absolute stereochemistry: interesting observations on dienophilic control with 1,3-disubstituted nonequivalent allenes

A concise total synthesis of xestodecalactone A, utilizing a Diels-Alder strategy is described. The focal Diels-Alder reaction relied on an "ynoate" dienophile to rapidly assemble the required resorcylinic acid scaffold. During this study, Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions involving 1,3-disubstituted nonequivalent allene dienophiles were studied, and some surprising results were encountered.     

Formation of molecular glasses and the aggregation in solutions for lanthanum(III), calcium(II), and yttrium(III) complexes of octanoyl-DL-alaninate

Octanoylalaninato-metal (metal = calcium(II), yttrium(III), lanthanum(III), and zinc(II)) complexes were prepared and the first three metal complexes were found to readily form transparent and stable molecular glasses from methanol and chloroform solutions. The process of glass formation from solution was studied in detail. The effect of the central metal ions on the formation of glassy states was remarkable: the lanthanum and calcium complexes assumed glassy or crystalline states depending on the isolation method and the yttrium complex had a large tendency to assume an amorphous state, whereas the zinc complex did not assume a pure and stable glassy-state. The glass transition temperatures were 50 degrees C for the yttrium complex and 70-75 degrees C for the lanthanum and calcium complexes when these complexes are monohydrates prepared by a solvent-cast method, whereas they increase by 10-30 degrees for the hemihydrates which were obtained by an annealing treatment at 110 degrees C. The coordinated water was eliminated from the solid above the glass transition temperature. The glassy state was regarded as a result of the self-aggregation of the metal complex in solution by an entanglement of the methylene chains with one another. SAXS showed the presence of two disordered bilayer structures with 2.2 nm and 4.5 nm periods in the glassy states. The structures of the molecular assemblies in the solid states and solutions were compared by SAXS and NMR studies. EXAFS studies confirmed the coordination numbers of oxygen atoms around the yttrium and lanthanum atoms in the glassy states for the yttrium and lanthanum complexes to be about 7.     

Hierarchical organization of photoresponsive hydrogen-bonded rosettes

Hydrogen-bonded disk-shaped aggregates (rosettes) composed of azobenzene-appended melamine and barbiturate or cyanurate are investigated in view of their hierarchical organization and photoresponsive behavior by (1)H NMR and UV/vis spectroscopies, dynamic light scattering, and gelation behavior in aliphatic solvents and liquid crystalline behavior in bulk state. In the bulk state the rosette possessing a sterically bulky tridodecyloxyphenyl substituent in the barbiturate component stacks in an offset arrangement to form a rectangular columnar mesophase, whereas in aliphatic solvents it does not hierarchically organize into higher-order columnar aggregates. This drawback is improved by exchanging the barbiturate component into a more sterically nondemanding N-dodecylcyanurate component. The resulting new rosette stacks in a face-to-face arrangement to form a hexagonal columnar mesophase in the bulk state and hierarchically organizes into elongated fibrous aggregates in cyclohexane, which eventually leads to the formation of organogel. Dynamic light scattering and UV-vis experiments upon UV-irradiation of the columnar aggregates in cyclohexane revealed that the dissociation and the reformation of columnar aggregates can be controlled by the trans-cis isomerization of the azobenzene moiety. Molecular modeling indicates that the rosette possessing cis-azobenzene side chains loses its planarity. Using this photoinduced morphological change of the rosette, photoresponsive organogel is created by the use of a disk-shaped supramolecule the first time.     

Gomadalactones A, B, and C: novel 3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octane compounds in the contact sex pheromone of the white-spotted longicorn beetle, Anoplophora malasiaca

The ether extract of the females of white-spotted longicorn beetle Anoplophora malasiaca showed activity as contact sex pheromone to males. The extract was fractionated, and a pheromonal activity was revealed only when three fractions; n-hexane, n-hexane/EtOAc 9:1, and EtOAc were blended. The relative structures of gomadalactone A, B, and C, three active components isolated from the EtOAc fraction, were determined by spectroscopic studies to be (1S^∗,4R^∗,5S^∗)-5-hydroxy-4-[(E)-7-hydroxy-4-methylhept-3-enyl]-4,8-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-7-en-2,6-dione, (1R^∗,4R^∗,5R^∗)-5-hydroxy-4-[(E)-7-hydroxy-4-methylhept-3-enyl]-4,8-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-7-en-2,6-dione, and (1S^∗,4R^∗,5S^∗,8S^∗)-5-hydroxy-4-[(E)-7-hydroxy-4-methylhept-3-enyl]-4,8-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-2,6-dione, respectively.     

Structural study of (Li2S)50(GeS2)50 glass by X-ray and neutron diffraction

(Li₂S)₅₀(GeS₂)₅₀ glass was characterized by high-energy X-ray diffraction. The results were compared with previous neutron diffraction data. Moreover, Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modeling was performed using the X-ray and neutron data in order to obtain a three-dimensional structural model. The RMC model showed that the Ge–S framework structure was formed mainly by the connection of corner-sharing GeS₄ tetrahedra. Furthermore, many lithium ions were coordinated by three non-bridging sulfurs and one bridging sulfur.     

Theoretical analysis of crosstalk between oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin in focal brain-activation measurements by near-infrared topography

The crosstalk between concentration changes in oxygenated haemoglobin and deoxygenated haemoglobin calculated by the modified Lambert-Beer law in near-infrared topography is theoretically investigated. The changes in intensity detected with probe pairs on the scalp caused by the concentration change in either oxygenated or deoxygenated haemoglobin induced by the focal brain activation is predicted by Monte Carlo simulation. The topographic images of the changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin are obtained from the changes in the intensity of light at two wavelengths detected by probe pairs to evaluate the crosstalk. The crosstalk slightly depends on the positional relationship between the probe arrangement and the focal brain activation and is minimised when the focal brain activation is located below a measurement point that is the midpoint between a probe pair. The 690-/830-nm wavelength pair is practically effective for reducing the crosstalk, especially the crosstalk from oxygenated haemoglobin to deoxygenated haemoglobin, in the NIR topography.     

Systematic approach to cutoff frequency selection in continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance imaging

This article describes a systematic method for determining the cutoff frequency of the low-pass window function that is used for deconvolution in two-dimensional continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) imaging. An evaluation function for the criterion used to select the cutoff frequency is proposed, and is the product of the effective width of the point spread function for a localized point signal and the noise amplitude of a resultant EPR image. The present method was applied to EPR imaging for a phantom, and the result of cutoff frequency selection was compared with that based on a previously reported method for the same projection data set. The evaluation function has a global minimum point that gives the appropriate cutoff frequency. Images with reasonably good resolution and noise suppression can be obtained from projections with an automatically selected cutoff frequency based on the present method.