Controlling cis/trans-selectivity in intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions of benzo-tethered, ester linked 1,3,9-decatrienes

Predictions from DFT (B3LYP/6-31 G(d))-computed stereoisomer product distributions for intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) reactions have been successfully replicated in the laboratory. Benzo-tethered hexadienyl acrylates generally undergo moderately trans-selective IMDA reactions which, as suggested by DFT calculation, arise from two opposing transition structure (TS) features: stabilising secondary orbital interactions, which are stronger in the cis-TSs, and stabilising pi-conjugative interactions between the benzo moiety and the 1,3-diene component - which are stronger in trans-TSs. Substrates carrying a removable substituent (i.e. Br or TMS) at C3 of the diene or C12 of the aromatic ring are predicted to undergo highly cis-selective thermal IMDA reactions by steric destabilisation of the trans-TS. A substrate carrying a two atom tether between C3 and C12 is predicted to undergo a highly trans-selective intramolecular cycloaddition by destabilisation of the cis-TS. These calculations are borne out experimentally.     

Molecular fibers and wires in solid-state and solution self-assemblies of cyclodextrin [2]rotaxanes

Cyclodextrin [2]rotaxanes have been prepared by coupling dimethylanilines with dicarboxylic acids using DMT-MM, in aqueous solutions of alpha-cyclodextrin, and the example illustrated shows unusual fluorescence emission and other spectroscopic behavior characteristic of the formation of molecular wires in solution, similar to the fibers observed in the solid state.     

A voltage trade study for the design of capillary electrophoresis instruments for spaceflight

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) systems have undergone extensive development for spaceflight applications. A flight-compatible high voltage power supply and the necessary voltage isolation for other energized components can be large contributors to both the volume and mass of a CE system, especially if typical high voltage levels of 25–30 kV are used. Here, we took advantage of our custom CE hardware to perform a trade study for simultaneous optimization of capillary length, high voltage level, and separation time, without sacrificing method performance. A capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C⁴D) method recently developed by our group to target inorganic cations and amino acids relevant to astrobiology was used as a test case. The results indicate that a 50 cm long capillary with 15 kV applied voltage (half of that used in the original method) can be used to achieve measurement goals while minimizing instrument size.     

Effects of calcination temperature on the pore size and wall crystalline structure of mesoporous alumina

In this paper, mesoporous alumina with different pore sizes and wall crystalline structures was synthesized at calcination temperatures over 550 degrees C. The characterization of the samples calcined at 550, 800, 1100, and 1300 degrees C, respectively, was performed using TEM, XRD, FTIR, TG/DTA, and N2 adsorption/desorption techniques. The correlation between pore size and wall crystalline structure on calcination temperature was systematically investigated.     

Total synthesis of norbadione A

A short, convergent synthesis of the mushroom pigment norbadione A is described. The construction of an appropriately substituted naphtholactone intermediate involved a regioselective Diels-Alder reaction between a bis(triisopropylsilyloxy)diene and 2,6-dichlorobenzo-1,4-quinone. A double Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling between a diboronate and two identical enol triflates was another key feature of the synthesis.     

Synthesis, structure, and electrochemistry of di- and zerovalent nickel, palladium, and platinum monomers and dimers derived from an enantiopure (S,S)-tetra(tertiary phosphine)

The ligand (S,S)-1,1,4,7,10,10-hexaphenyl-1,4,7,10-tetraphosphadecane, (S,S)-tetraphos, reacts with hexa(aqua)nickel(II) chloride in the presence of trimethylsilyl triflate (TMSOTf) in dichloromethane to give the yellow square-planar complex [Ni{(R,R)-tetraphos}](OTf)2, which has been crystallographically characterized as the square-pyramidal, acetonitrile adduct [Ni(NCMe){(R,R)-tetraphos}]OTf. Cyclic voltammograms of the nickel(II) complex in dichloromethane and acetonitrile at 20 degrees C showed two reduction processes at negative potentials with oxidative (E(p)(ox)) and reductive (E(p)(red)) peak separations similar to those observed for ferrocene/ferrocenium under identical conditions, suggesting two one-electron steps. The cyclic voltammetric data for the divalent nickel complex in acetonitrile at temperatures below -20 degrees C were interpreted according to reversible coordination of acetonitrile to the nickel(I) and nickel(0) complexes. The divalent palladium and platinum complexes [M{(R,R)-tetraphos}](PF6)2 and [M2{(R,R)-tetraphos}2](OTf)4 have been prepared. The reduction potentials for the complexes [M{(R,R)-tetraphos}](PF6)2 increase in the order nickel(II) < palladium(II) < platinum(II). The reaction of (S,S)-tetraphos with bis(cycloocta-1,5-diene)nickel(0) in benzene affords orange [Ni{(R,R)-tetraphos}], which slowly rearranges into the thermodynamically more stable, yellow, double-stranded helicate [Ni2{(R,R)-tetraphos}2]; the crystal structures of both complexes have been determined. The reactions of (S,S)-tetraphos with [M(PPh3)4] in toluene (M = Pd) or benzene (M = Pt) furnish the double-stranded helicates [M2{(R,R)-tetraphos}2]; the palladium complex crystallizes from hot benzene as the 2-benzene solvate and was structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. In each of the three zerovalent complexes, the coordinated (R,R)-tetraphos stereospecifically generates tetrahedral M(PP)2 stereocenters of M configuration.     

ortho-Metallated complexes of platinum(II) and diplatinum(I) containing the carbanions (2-diphenylphosphino)phenyl and (2-diphenylphosphino)-n-tolyl (n = 5, 6)

When the ortho-metallated complexes cis-[Pt(kappa(2)-C6H3-5-R-2-PPh2)2] (R = H 1, Me 2) are either heated in toluene or treated with CO at room temperature, one of the four-membered chelate rings is opened irreversibly to give dinuclear isomers [Pt2(kappa(2)-C6H3-5-R-2-PPh2)2(mu-C6H3-5-R-2-PPh2)2] (R = H 10, Me 11). A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study shows the Pt...Pt separation in 10 to be 3.3875(4) A. By-products of the reactions of 1 and 2 with CO are polymeric isomers (R = H 13, Me 14) in which one of the P-C ligands is believed to bridge adjacent platinum atoms intermolecularly. In contrast to the behaviour of 1 and 2, when cis-[Pt(kappa(2)-C6H3-6-Me-2-PPh2)2] (cis-3) is heated in toluene, the main product is trans-3, and reaction of cis-3 with CO gives a carbonyl complex [Pt(CO)(kappa(1)-C-C6H3-6-Me-2-PPh2)(2-C6H3-6-Me-2-PPh2)] 15, in which one of the carbanions is coordinated only through the carbon. Formation of a dimer analogous to 10 or 11 is sterically hindered by the 6-methyl substituent. Comproportionation of 1 or 2 with [Pt(PPh3)2L] (L = PPh3, C2H4) gives diplatinum(I) complexes [Pt2(mu-C6H3-5-R-2-PPh2)2(PPh3)2] (R = H 16, Me 17). An X-ray diffraction study shows that 17 contains a pair of planar-coordinated metal atoms separated by 2.61762(16) A. There is no evidence for the formation of an analogue containing mu-C6H3-6-Me-2-PPh2. The axial PPh3 ligands of 16 are readily replaced by ButNC giving [Pt2(mu-2-C6H4PPh2)2(CNBut)2] 18, which is protonated by HBF4 to form a mu-hydridodiplatinum(II) salt [Pt2(mu-H)(mu-2-C6H4PPh2)2(CNBut)2]BF4 [21]BF4. The J(PtPt) values in [21]BF4 and 18, 2700 Hz and 4421 Hz, respectively, reflect the weakening of the Pt-Pt interaction caused by protonation. Similarly, 16 and 17 react with the electrophiles iodine and strong acids to give salts of general formula [Pt2(mu-Z)(mu-C6H3-5-R-2-PPh2)2(PPh3)2]Y (Y = Z = I, R = H 19+, Me 20+; Z = H, Y = BF4, PF6, OTf, R = H 22+; Z = H, Y = PF6, R = Me 23+). A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of [23]PF6 shows that the cation has an approximately A-frame geometry, with a Pt-Pt separation of 2.7888(3) A and a Pt-H bond length of 1.62(1) A, and that the 5-methyl substituents have undergone partial exchange with the 4-hydrogen atoms of the PPh2 groups of the bridging carbanion. The latter observation indicates that the added proton of [23]+ undergoes a reversible reductive elimination-oxidative addition sequence with the Pt-C(aryl) bonds.     

Chemoenzymatic approaches to lycorine-type Amaryllidaceae alkaloids: total syntheses of ent-lycoricidine, 3-epi-ent-lycoricidine, and 4-deoxy-3-epi-ent-lycoricidine

The readily available and enzymatically derived cis-1,2-dihydrocatechol 4 has been elaborated, over 11 steps including an Overman rearrangement, into the non-natural enantiomer, (-)-1, of the alkaloid lycoricidine [(+)-1]. Related chemistries have provided analogues 18, 19, and 26.     

Bis(acetylacetonato)ruthenium(II) complexes containing alkynyldiphenylphosphines. Formation and redox behaviour of [Ru(acac)2(Ph2PC triple bond CR)2] (R=H, Me, Ph) complexes and the binuclear complex cis-[{Ru(acac)2}2(micro-Ph2PC triple bond CPPh2)}2

Two equivalents of Ph(2)PC triple bond CR (R=H, Me, Ph) react with thf solutions of cis-[Ru(acac)(2)(eta(2)-alkene)(2)] (acac=acetylacetonato; alkene=C(2)H(4), 1; C(8)H(14), 2) at room temperature to yield the orange, air-stable compounds trans-[Ru(acac)(2)(Ph(2)PC triple bond CR)(2)] (R=H, trans-3; Me=trans-4; Ph, trans-5) in isolated yields of 60-98%. In refluxing chlorobenzene, trans-4 and trans-5 are converted into the yellow, air-stable compounds cis-[Ru(acac)(2)(Ph(2)PC triple bond CR)(2)] (R=Me, cis-4; Ph, cis-5), isolated in yields of ca. 65%. From the reaction of two equivalents of Ph(2)PC triple bond CPPh(2) with a thf solution of 2 an almost insoluble orange solid is formed, which is believed to be trans-[Ru(acac)(2)(micro-Ph(2)PC triple bond CPPh(2))](n) (trans-6). In refluxing chlorobenzene, the latter forms the air-stable, yellow, binuclear compound cis-[{Ru(acac)(2)(micro-Ph(2)PC triple bond CPPh(2))}(2)] (cis-6). Electrochemical studies indicate that cis-4 and cis-5 are harder to oxidise by ca. 300 mV than the corresponding trans-isomers and harder to oxidise by 80-120 mV than cis-[Ru(acac)(2)L(2)] (L=PPh(3), PPh(2)Me). Electrochemical studies of cis-6 show two reversible Ru(II/III) oxidation processes separated by 300 mV, the estimated comproportionation constant (K(c)) for the equilibrium cis-6(2+) + cis6 <=> 2(cis-6(+)) being ca. 10(5). However, UV-Vis spectra of cis-6(+) and cis-6(2+), generated electrochemically at -50 degrees C, indicate that cis-6(+) is a Robin-Day Class II mixed-valence system. Addition of one equivalent of AgPF(6) to trans-3 and trans-4 forms the green air-stable complexes trans-3 x PF(6) and trans-4 x PF(6), respectively, almost quantitatively. The structures of trans-4, cis-4, trans-4 x PF(6) and cis-6 have been confirmed by X-ray crystallography.