Forward and backward pericyclic photochemical reactions have intermediates in common, yet cyclobutenes break the rules.

Photochemical pericyclic reactions are believed to proceed via a so-called pericyclic minimum on the lowest excited potential surface (S(1)), which is common to both the forward and backward reactions. Such a common intermediate has never been directly detected. The photointerconversion of 1,3-butadiene and cyclobutene is the prevailing prototype for such reactions, yet only diene ring closure proceeds with the stereospecificity that the Woodward-Hoffmann rules predict. This contrast seems to exclude a common intermediate. Using ultrafast spectroscopy, we show that the excited states of two cyclobutene/diene isomeric pairs are linked by not one, but by two common minima, p* and ct*. Starting from the diene side (cyclohepta-1,3-diene and cycloocta-1,3-diene), electrocyclic ring closure passes via the pericyclic minimum p*, whereas ct* is mainly responsible for cis-trans isomerization. Starting from the corresponding cyclobutenes (bicyclo[3.2.0]heptene-6 and bicyclo[4.2.0]octene-7), the forbidden isomer is formed from ct*. The path branches at the first (S(2)/S(1)) conical intersection towards p* and ct*. The fact that the energetically unfavorable ct* path can compete is ascribed to a dynamic effect: the momentum in C=C twist direction, acquired--such as in other olefins--in the Franck-Condon region of the cyclobutenes.     

Mechanism of host-guest complexation by cucurbituril

The factors affecting host-guest complexation between the molecular container compound cucurbit[6]uril (CB6) and various guests in aqueous solution are studied, and a detailed complexation mechanism in the presence of cations is derived. The formation of the supramolecular complex is studied in detail for cyclohexylmethylammonium ion as guest. The kinetics and thermodynamics of complexation is monitored by NMR as a function of temperature, salt concentration, and cation size. The binding constants and the ingression rate constants decrease with increasing salt concentration and cation-binding constant, in agreement with a competitive binding of the ammonium site of the guest and the metal cation with the ureido carbonyl portals of CB6. Studies as a function of guest size indicate that the effective container volume of the CB6 cavity is approximately 105 A(3). It is suggested that larger guests are excluded for two reasons: a high activation barrier for ingression imposed by the tight CB6 portals and a destabilization of the complex due to steric repulsion inside. For example, in the case of the nearly spherical azoalkane homologues 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene (DBH, volume ca. 96 A(3)) and 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (DBO, volume ca. 110 A(3)), the former forms the CB6 complex promptly with a sizable binding constant (1300 M(-1)), while the latter does not form a complex even after several months at optimized complexation conditions. Molecular mechanics calculations are performed for several CB6/guest complexes. A qualitative agreement is found between experimental and calculated activation energies for ingression as a function of both guest size and state of protonation. The potential role of constrictive binding by CB6 is discussed.     

Efficient search for all low energy conformations of polypeptides by Monte Carlo methods

The Metropolis Monte Carlo method has been added to the program FANTOM for energy refinement of polypeptides and proteins using a Newton–Raphson minimizer in torsion angle space. With this extension, different strategies for global minimization of the semiempirical energy function ECEPP/2 by various temperature schedules and restriction of conformational space were tested for locating local minimum conformations with low energy of the pentapeptide Met-enkephalin. In total, 1881 conformations below ?10 kcal/mol were found. These conformations could be represented by 77 nonidentical conformations which were analysed for their pattern of hydrogen bonds, types of tight turn, pairwise root-mean-square-deviation (rmsd), Zimmermann codes and side chain conformations. All low energy conformations below ?10.4 kcal/mol show strong similarity to the global minimum conformation in the backbone structure.     

α,ω-Diisocyanatocarbodiimides, -Polycarbodiimides,and Their Derivatives

Research in the field of low-molecular weight, oligomeric and polymeric α,ω-diisocyanatocarbodiimides and -polycarbodiimides has been fruitful, not only in connection with these compounds themselves, but also—as so often happens in chemistry—with quite different problems. Novel synthetic methods, discoveries concerning the properties of low-molecular weight carbodiimides and phosphane imide derivatives, as well as results on the fragmentation reactions of four-membered heterocyclic compounds containing oxygen, phosphorus, and nitrogen, and a better understanding of the diisocyanate polyaddition process are among the many by-products of this research. The “high- and low-temperature formation” of polycarbodiimides and the homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis of this process are described, and the fundamental importance of four-membered ring fragmentation mechanisms resulting in the formation of phosphane imide derivatives is outlined. Interesting building blocks for the diisocyanate polyaddition and polycondensation processes can be synthesized by many derivatization reactions of oligomeric and high-molecular weight polycarbodiimides and polyuretonimines. The in situ production of polycarbodiimides via matrix reactions in flexible polyurethane foams leads to a cellular arrangement of the material due to the pronounced symmetrical growth processes. Combination-foams with increased carbonation tendencies are formed in this way. Attention is drawn to several industrial applications of α,ω-diisocyanatopolycarbodiimides, of high-molecular weight cross-linked polyuretonimines, and of polycarbodiimide foams.     

Die gasförmigen Komplexe NiAl2Cl8 und NiAl3Cl11

Gaseous Complexes NiAl₂Cl₈ and NiAl₃Cl₁₁ Spectral photometric measurements of equilibria which are established by reaction of solid NiCl₂ with gaseous Al₂Cl₆ have been made. Results see ?Inhaltsübersicht”?.     

Cyclotetrasilazane als precursor für cyclotrisilazane und bis(cyclodisilazan-1-yl)silane

Di-lithiated octamethylcyclotetrasilazane (OMCTS, 1) reacts with halosilanes in different ways. Ring contraction with formation of the isomeric cyclodisilazanes 2, 3 occurs in the reaction with chloro- and fluorotrimethylsilanes. Substitution (6) and ring contraction with formation of the isomeric six-membered ring 7 occurs with chlorodimethylsilane. 2, 3, 6 and 7 are excellent precursors of silyl-bridged, SiH-functional, four-membered ring systems (4, 5, 9–11). The mechanism of the isomerization reactions are discussed.     

ROLE OF ENDOSYMBIOTIC ALGAE IN PHOTOKINESIS AND PHOTOPHOBIC RESPONSES OF CILIATES

Abstract— The photobehavior of the ciliates Climacostomuum virens, Euplotes daidaleos and Paramecium bursaria associated with endosymbiotic green algae ( Chlorella sp.) was compared with that of aposymbiotic ciliates (ciliates free of algae) and with the always aposymbiotic Paramecium arcticum . The aposymbiotic ciliates showed step-up photophobic responses. The responses were more frequent and occurred at lower light intensities when the organisms contained endosymbiotic algae. In contrast, step-down photophobic responses and photoaccumulations, as well as photokinesis, were never observed in aposymbiotic cells. These responses could be found only in ciliates when endosymbionts were present with the exception of C. virens , which showed none of these photoresponses.     

Borazin—metallkomplexe : VI. Über ligandenaustauschreaktionen an borazin—metallkomplexen: synthese von B-trimethylborazin-tricarbonylchrom

Me₃B₃N₃H₃Cr(CO)₃ has been obtained by ring-ligand exchange starting from Et₃B₃N₃Me₃Cr(CO)₃ and Me₃B₃N₃H₃. The new compound has been characterised by means of their IR, NMR, UV and mass spectroscopic data.     

Conditions for the existence of the “primitive function” in “exchange perturbation theory”

Necessary conditions are derived that a symmetry-adapted perturbation theory for intermolecular forces (exchange perturbation theory) has to satisfy and which is essentially a condition for the existence of the primitive function Φ. The concept of a “genuine primitive function” is introduced and it is shown that the Φ of the AM, EL-HAV AND MS-MA schemes is not a genuine primitive function whereas that of the HS scheme is.     

Open- and closed-shell states in few-particle quantum mechanics. II. Classification of atomic states

The system developed in the first paper of this series for the classification of states as open- or closed-shed type is applied to atomic states. These may be classified in the isoelectronic limit (Z → ∞) from knowledge of the true wave function in this limit. One-matrix occupation numbers are tabulated for a number of states of the first-row atoms in the limit Z → ∞ and the states classified. A classification for finite Z is possible in the framework of the Z-dependent perturbation theory by use of a thoerem for the stability of a closed-shed with respect to small perturbations. Such a stability does not hold in general for open-shel states.