Efficient Access to Deuterated and Tritiated Nucleobase Pharmaceuticals and Oligonucleotides using Hydrogen‐Isotope Exchange

A general approach for the efficient hydrogen‐isotope exchange of nucleobase derivatives is described. Catalyzed by ruthenium nanoparticles, using mild reaction conditions, and involving either D₂ or T₂ as isotopic sources, this reaction possesses a wide substrate scope and a high solvent tolerability. This novel method facilitates the access to essential diagnostic tools in drug discovery and development: tritiated pharmaceuticals with high specific activities and deuterated oligonucleotides suitable for use as internal standards during LC‐MS quantification.     

DNA Interaction with 17α‐Ethinylestradiol Studied Using Electrochemical Biosensors and Biosensing in Solution

The synthetic estrogen 17α‐ethinylestradiol (EE2) is an active component of oral contraceptives. It is considered as an endocrine disrupting compound that, once incorporated into an organism, affects the hormonal balance of animals and humans. In this study we characterized the DNA‐EE2 interaction using an electrochemical biosensor and biosensing in solution phase with the double stranded DNA from salmon sperm and deoxyguanosine monophosphate (dGMP). Differential pulse voltammetry method has been applied based on voltammetric anodic responses of the deoxyguanine (dGuo) and deoxyadenine (dAdo) as well as EE2 in the medium of phosphate buffer solution pH 7.0. Binding of EE2 to the nucleobases leads to a decrease of their anodic signals. Association constant for DNA‐EE2 interaction has been estimated to be about 1.1 ? 10³ L mol^?1 and 1.4 ? 10³ L mol^?1 for dGuo and dAdo responses, respectively. The association is reversible as indicated by decrease of the EE2 response in pure buffer solution due to leaching of EE2 from the surface attached DNA. The DNA‐EE2 association has been confirmed also by UV‐vis spectrometric experiments.     

A Convenient Approach to 4,7‐Dihydrotetrazolo [5,1‐c][1,2,4]triazine Synthesis

Azo coupling of 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds with tetrazolyl‐5‐diazonium chloride is used to develop a convenient one‐step procedure for the synthesis of 4,7‐dihydrotetrazolo[5,1‐c][1,2,4]triazines. In contrast to nonfluorinated analogs, 7‐hydroxy‐7‐polyfluoroalkyl‐4,7‐dihydrotetrazolo[5,1‐c][1,2,4]triazines undergo a ring‐chain isomerism resulting from the cleavage at the C7―N7a bond. A distinctive feature of nonfluorinated 4,7‐dihydrotetrazolo[5,1‐c][1,2,4]triazines is the possibility to dehydration, which is accompanied by an azide rearrangement due to the tetrazole ring cleavage with the formation of tetrazolo[1,5‐b][1,2,4]triazines.     

Catalytic, asymmetric synthesis of α,α-disubstituted amino acids

Copper(salen) complex 1 has been found to catalyse the asymmetric alkylation of enolates derived from a variety of amino acids. There is a clear relationship between the size of the side chain in the substrate and the enantioselectivity of the process, so that the enantioselectivity decreases in the order alanine>aminobutyric acid>allylglycine>leucine>phenylalanine>valine. A transition state model which accounts for the influence of the size of the side chain on the enantioselectivity of the reactions is presented.     

Experimental and quantum chemical study of pyrrole self-association through N-H?π hydrogen bonding

An FT-IR study of pyrrole self-association in CCl₄ solutions was carried out. According to the IR measurements, pyrrole forms self-associated dimeric species via N-H?π hydrogen bonding. This was also confirmed by quantum chemical calculations for pyrrole monomer and dimer at B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory. A T-shaped minimum was located on B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) PES of pyrrole dimer characterized with a hydrogen bond of an N-H?π type, with centers-of-mass separation of monomeric units of 4.520 Å, H?π distance of 2.475 Å, the interplanar angle between the two monomeric units being 72.9°. The anharmonic vibrational frequency shift upon dimer formation calculated on the basis of 1D DFT vibrational potentials is in excellent agreement with the experimental data (84 vs. 87 cm⁻¹). Harmonic vibrational analysis predicts somewhat smaller shift (68 cm⁻¹). On the basis of NIR spectroscopic data, anharmonicity constants for the 2ν(N-H) and 2ν(N-H?π) vibrational transitions were calculated. The orientational dynamics of monomeric and self-associated pyrrole species was studied within the framework of the transition dipole moment time correlation function formalism. The period of essentially free rotation in the condensed phase reduces from 0.05 ps for the monomeric pyrrole to 0.02 ps for the proton-donor molecule within the dimer.     

Spectroscopic and thermodynamic studies on solvatochromic nickel(II) complexes

Summary The solvatochromic and thermochromic behaviour of a series of mixed Ni(II) complexes with unsubstituted and substituted -diketones and diamines in the solvents 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE), acetonitrile (An), acetone (AC),n-butanol (n-BuOH), formamide (FA), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and pyridine (PY) has been studied and characterized on the basis of electronic spectra. Spectrophotometric methods have been used to evaluate equilibrium constants and their enthalpic and entropic terms for the formation of Ni(-dik)(diam)L ⁺ and Ni(-dik)(diam)L ₂ ⁺ . Increasing donor strength of the donor-solvents (L) and (or) increasing electronwithdrawing parameters of the substituents at the -diketone and the diamine ligands lead to increasing formation constants, paralleled by relative increase in the stability of the five-coordinated species Ni(-dik)(diam)L ⁺. The results are discussed in terms of the extended donor-acceptor concept.On leave of absence from the Faculty of Education, Ain Schams University, Roxy, Cairo, Egypt