Potent Inhibitors of Malarial Aspartic Proteases,the Plasmepsins,by Hydroformylation of Substituted 7‐Azanorbornenes

The increasing prevalence of multidrug‐resistant strains of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum requires the urgent development of new therapeutic agents with novel modes of action. The vacuolar malarial aspartic proteases plasmepsin (PM) I, II, and IV are involved in hemoglobin degradation and play a central role in the growth and maturation of the parasite in the human host. We report the structure‐based design, synthesis, and in vitro evaluation of a new generation of PM inhibitors featuring a highly decorated 7‐azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane core. While this protonated central core addresses the catalytic Asp dyad, three substituents bind to the flap, the S1/S3, and the S1′ pockets of the enzymes. A hydroformylation reaction is the key synthetic step for the introduction of the new vector reaching into the S1′ pocket. The configuration of the racemic ligands was confirmed by extensive NMR and X‐ray crystallographic analysis. In vitro biological assays revealed high potency of the new inhibitors against the three plasmepsins (IC₅₀ values down to 6 nM ) and good selectivity towards the closely related human cathepsins D and E. The occupancy of the S1′ pocket makes an essential contribution to the gain in binding affinity and selectivity, which is particularly large in the case of the PM IV enzyme. Designing non‐peptidic ligands for PM II is a valid route to generate compounds that inhibit the entire family of vacuolar plasmepsins.     

A convenient synthetic route to 2,4,6-tris(chlorosulfonyl)- and 2,4,6-tris(fluorosulfonyl)phenol, aniline and chlorobenzene

Convenient and preparative synthetic procedures of 2,4,6-tris(chlorosulfonyl)- and 2,4,6-tris(fluorosulfonyl)phenol, -chlorobenzene and -aniline have been elaborated. Chlorine exchange for fluorine by KF interaction on 2,4,6-tris(chlorosulfonyl)aniline and especially 2,4,6-tris(chlorosulfonyl)phenol proceeds easily and selectively under anhydrous conditions in dioxane. Unlike, 2,4,6-tris(chlorosulfonyl)chlorobenzene transformation requires the presence of water. On the basis of 2,4,6-tris(fluorosulfonyl)phenol and some of its salts, XRD measurements demonstrated the structural similarity to picric acid and its derivatives in the solid state.     

Spin-alignment and g-factor measurement of the I^{\pi} = 12+ isomer in 192Pb produced in the relativistic-energy fragmentation of a 238U beam

Reactions of a 16.8 MeV ⁶He beam with a ⁹Be target have been investigated using highly segmented detector setup covering a large solid angle. Data on elastic and quasi-free scattering, as well as two-neutron transfer, are reported. The results for elastic scattering are fairly well reproduced by a CDCC calculation, in agreement with the interpretation of a breakup effect already observed for the scattering of ⁶He on other light targets. Exotic quasi-free scattering of ⁶He on $ \alpha$ -cluster in ⁹Be is clearly observed. Inclusive and coincident events were used to extract information on the two-neutron transfer reaction ⁹Be(⁶He, $ \alpha$ )¹¹Be . Sequential decay of the ¹¹Be state at the excitation energy $\ensuremath E_x = 10.6$ MeV through different channels is discussed.     

The anionic ring-opening polymerization and copolymerization of cyclic carbonates

Cyclic carbonates are eligible to ring-opening polymerization using a wide variety of initiators such as carbanionic or alcoholate species as well as initiators known to be effective for the ring-opening polymerization of lactones and for the group transfer polymerization of vinyl monomers. Depending on the catalyst, high molecular weight polymers may be obtained in high yields (kinetically controlled regime) or a ring-chain equilibrium is observed upon end-biting, back-biting and transesterification reactions (thermodynamically controlled regime). The polymerizability of the cyclic carbonates is strongly dependent on their structure. Five-membered cycles generally cannot be polymerized, whereas six-membered cycles can be polymerized and copolymerized in an ideal manner. The polymerizability of higher cyclics, in particular when containing aromatic ring systems, is highly dependent on the substitution pattern of the aromatics. Since the active species in the polymerization of aliphatic cyclic carbonates was disclosed to be of alcoholate type, a copolymerization with ϵ-caprolactone is easily achieved, the reactivity of the cyclic carbonate, however, being by far larger than that of the lactone. On the other hand, the copolymerization with pivalolactone exerts a different behaviour, since the active species of the growing pivalolactone chain after a few steps assumes the character of a carboxylate anion which is unable to promote the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic carbonates. Since carbanionic species may be used as initiators for the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic carbonates, polystyryl, polybutadienyl, and polyisoprenyl anions may be used as initiators to achieve the corresponding block copolymers. To obtain block copolymers with poly(methyl methacrylate) blocks a group transfer polymerization of the respective acrylate has to be performed, followed by the polymerization of the cyclic carbonate. The latter, however, rather proceeds by a metal- free anionic process than by a group transfer process. The ring-opening polymerization and copolymerization of cyclic carbonates allows the preparation of a broad variety of new polymers with remarkable properties.