Total synthesis of (+)-4,5-deoxyneodolabelline

The first total synthesis of the marine dolabellane diterpene (+)-4,5-deoxyneodolabelline (1) has been accomplished. The highly efficient approach is characterized by the convergent assembly of dihydropyrans 2ab and cyclopentylsilanes 3ab. Allylic silane 3a was prepared from 2-methyl-2-cyclopentenone via a copper-catalyzed 1,4-addition followed by diastereoselective alkylation of the resulting enolate. A chemical resolution of racemic cyclopentanone 8 was effected by (S)-CBS-catalyzed borohydride reduction. Direct hydroxymethylation of the enantioenriched ketone 8 to form allylic alcohol 14 was achieved by a Stille palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling from the cyclopentenyl triflate 13. Treatment of the corresponding allylic phosphate 15 with trimethylsilylcopper reagent provided for displacement with allylic transposition yielding the exocyclic allylsilane 3a with excellent diastereoselectivity. Dihydropyrans 2a and 2b were prepared from optically pure acyclic acetals via ring-closing metathesis. Coupling of 3a and 2a or 2b via the carbon-Ferrier protocol gave trans-2,6-disubstituted dihydropyrans 30 and 35 with complete stereoselectivity. Vanadium-based pinacol coupling reactions were explored for closure of the medium-sized carbocycle to yield syn-diol 33. X-ray diffraction studies of the monobenzoate 34 have provided unambiguous stereochemical assignments. Substantial ring strain accounted for the lack of alkene products typical of reductive elimination using TiCl(3) and zinc-copper couple (McMurry) conditions leading to 37. Finally, the natural product 1 was obtained via Swern oxidation of the diol 37.     

Application of Molecular Weight and Particle Growth Measurements in Continuously Uniform Latices to Kinetic Studies of Styrene Emulsion Polymerization

It is possible to generate, in specially formulated styrene emulsion polymerizations, latices in which the monomer—polymer particles are uniform through all stages of growth. These latices are kinetically similar to their polydispersed counterparts and can therefore be used as model systems in generalized kinetic studies of emulsion polymerization. The most important feature of these systems is the fact that the particles are uniform throughout the reaction with regard to all intrinsic properties and rate processes, and the particles can be characterized by this complete, continuous uniformity. Certain remarkably simple, but precise, relationships exist between the overall, measurable kinetic parameters and the individual particle kinetic parameters, thereby resulting in a heretofore unrealized analytic accessibility. Molecular weight kinetic analyses are an order of magnitude more accurate than in non-uniform systems. Application of these continuously uniform systems in actual kinetic studies indicates an inconsistency in the current concepts of emulsion polymerization, i.e., the generation of polymer at a constant molecular weight is predicted while an increase of several fold is observed. Before the situation can be clarified, further studies with continuously uniform systems are needed to evaluate molecular weight development, molecular weight distribution, and molecular structure and also to re-evaluate the rate and diffusion processes which control these structural features.     

Structural characterization of lipopeptide biomarkers isolated from Bacillus globigii

Spectra obtained using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry of Bacillus globigii (Bacillus subtilis niger) spores, vegetative cells and the culture supernatant show a cluster of biomarkers centered at a molecular mass of 1478 Da. Three biomarkers were isolated from the cell-free culture supernatant by solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and characterized using various kinds of mass spectrometry. A Fourier transform mass spectrometer with a MALDI source was used to determine the monoisotopic protonated masses at 1463.8, 1477.8, and 1505.8 Da in order of elution. The mass differences of 14 and 28 Da suggest that they are homologous molecules. Alkaline hydrolysis of each species showed that it contained a lactone linkage. Strong acid hydrolysis released a fatty acid from an amide bond, consistent with a lipopeptide. A quadrupole time-of-flight instrument with a nanospray source was used to sequence the hydrolyzed forms of the three biomarkers. The cyclic lipopeptides were found to have amino acid sequences identical with those in fengycins and plipastatins, antimicrobial compounds with phospholipase inhibitor activity, previously identified in related species of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus.     

On-line storage and retrieval of chemical information. II. Substructure and biological activity searching

An improved interactive system for searching substructure and biological activity data has been developed. Features of the system include a two-level substructure search (fragment screen and atom by atom) and an expanded biological activity data base. The system operates on a file of about 150 000 compounds.     

Convenient Asymmetric Syntheses of anti-beta-Amino Alcohols

Condensation of allylborane reagents 9 and 12 with aldehydes gave anti-3-[(diphenylmethylene)amino]-1-alken-4-ols 10 and 13 with high relative and absolute stereocontrol. Subsequent deprotection gave the corresponding free anti-3-amino-1-alken-4-ols 11 and 14. Alternatively, reaction of imines 13a, 13f, and 13g with trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride and acidic methanol gave, via rearrangement, double inversion, and hydrolysis, the isomeric anti-4-amino-1-alken-3-ols 22, 38a, and 38b in good yield. The stereochemistry of the rearrangement products has been established by a single crystal X-ray study of compound 37 and by chemical correlation.     

A New Generation of "Cholaphanes": Steroid-Derived Macrocyclic Hosts with Enhanced Solubility and Controlled Flexibility

The macrocyclic "cholaphanes" 3a-c were synthesized from the inexpensive steroid cholic acid. Like earlier relatives they feature substantial cavities with inward-directed hydroxyl groups, suitable for binding polar molecules such as carbohydrates in nonpolar media. New features are the externally directed alkyl chains, promoting solubility in organic solvents, and (in the case of 3b/c) reduced conformational freedom resulting from truncation of the steroidal side-chain. In particular, modeling shows that the smallest macrocycle 3c possesses very little flexibility, preferring an open conformation which is also revealed in the X-ray crystal structure of its pentahydrate. NMR studies indicated that all three cholaphanes form 1:1 complexes with octyl beta-D-glucoside in CDCl(3), with K(a) = 600-1560 M(-)(1). Cholaphanes 3b/c proved able to extract methyl beta-D-glucoside from aqueous solutions into CHCl(3). The transport of methyl beta-D-glucoside across a chloroform barrier was also demonstrated for 3c.     

Pyridine-substituted oligopeptides as scaffolds for the assembly of multimetallic complexes: variation of chain length

This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of pyridine-substituted artificial oligopeptides with an aminoethylglycine backbone of varying length, which are designed to act as scaffolds for the self-assembly of multimetallic structures. The identities and purities of the oligopeptides are confirmed with mass spectrometry, (1)H NMR, HPLC, and pH titrations. The acid dissociation constants for the oligopeptides were determined and were found to decrease with increasing pyridine units. Titrations of the oligopeptides with Cu(II) and Pt(II) complexes containing the tridentate ligands 2,2':6',2'-terpyridine and pyridine 2,6-dicarboxylic acid were monitored using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and showed stoichiometric binding based on the number of pyridines on the peptide strand. Metal titrations performed using an analogous oligopeptide with methyl substituents (in place of the pyridine ligands) showed very weak or no binding. In the case of the oligopeptides containing bound Pt(terpyridine)(2+) complexes, cyclic voltammetry reveals two sequential one-electron reductions at formal potentials that do not vary as a function of oligopeptide length. The measured diffusion coefficients were measured with chronoamperometry and were found to decrease with increasing oliopeptide length.     

A public-key cryptosystem utilizing cyclotomic fields

While it is well-known that the RSA public-key cryptosystem can be broken if its modulusN can be factored, it is not known whether there are other ways of breaking RSA. This paper presents a public-key scheme which necessarily requires knowledge of the factorization of its modulus in order to be broken. Rabin introduced the first system whose security is equivalent to the difficulty of factoring the modulus. His scheme is based on squaring (cubing) for encryption and extracting square (cube) roots for decryption. This introduces a 14 (19) ambiguity in the decryption. Various schemes which overcome this problem have been introduced for both the quadratic and cubic case. We generalize the ideas of Williams' cubic system to larger prime exponents. The cases of higher prime order introduce a number of problems not encountered in the quadratic and cubic cases, namely the existence of fundamental units in the underlying cyclotomic field, the evaluation of higher power residue symbols, and the increased difficulty of Euclidean division in the field.