Cascade Rearrangement of 5-Cyclopentylidenecyclooctanones

Acid-catalyzed rearrangement of 5-cyclopentylidenecyclooctanone derivatives 9a-c was examined to obtain polyspiropolyquinanes 11a-c, considered to have a unique helical structure, through cascade rearrangement pathways consisting of continuous transannular cyclization followed by successive 1,2-alkyl shifts. The substrates were prepared easily by use of the Wittig or McMurry reaction. Reaction of the 5-cyclopentylidenecyclooctanone (9a) with acid gave the expected dispirotriquinane ketone 11a in high yield. The precise mechanism was elucidated by a deuterium-labeling experiment. In the case of the ketone 9b, having another spiroannulated cyclopentane ring attached on 9a, the trispirotetraquiane 11b was not obtained but the bis-propellane-type tetrahydrofuran 25 was produced exclusively. The 5-(5'-cyclopentylidenecyclooctylidene)cyclooctanone (9c) afforded the polycyclic compounds 27-31, depending on the acid used, instead of the desired tetraspiropentaquinane 11c. The structures of the products were determined by NMR spectral data including 2D (13)C INADEQUATE spectra and X-ray crystallographic analyses. The unexpected rearrangement pathways are also discussed.     

Alkane Oxidation with Molecular Oxygen Using a New Efficient Catalytic System: N-Hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) Combined with Co(acac)(n)() (n = 2 or 3)

A novel class of catalysts for alkane oxidation with molecular oxygen was examined. N-Hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) combined with Co(acac)(n)() (n = 2 or 3) was found to be an efficient catalytic system for the aerobic oxidation of cycloalkanes and alkylbenzenes under mild conditions. Cycloalkanes were successfully oxidized with molecular oxygen in the presence of a catalytic amount of NHPI and Co(acac)(2) in acetic acid at 100 degrees C to give the corresponding cycloalkanones and dicarboxylic acids. Alkylbenzenes were also oxidized with dioxygen using this catalytic system. For example, toluene was converted into benzoic acid in excellent yield under these conditions. Ethyl- and butylbenzenes were selectively oxidized at their alpha-positions to form the corresponding ketones, acetophenone, and 1-phenyl-1-butanone, respectively, in good yields. A key intermediate in this oxidation is believed to be the phthalimide N-oxyl radical generated from NHPI and molecular oxygen using a Co(II) species. The isotope effect (k(H)/k(D)) in the oxidation of ethylbenzene and ethylbenzene-d(10) with dioxygen using NHPI/Co(acac)(2) was 3.8.     

A new strategy for alkane oxidation with O2 using N‐hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) as a radical catalyst

A practical catalytic method to convert alkanes into the corresponding oxygen‐containing compounds with O₂ under mild conditions using N‐hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) in the presence or absence of a transition metal was developed. Thus, cyclohexane was successfully converted into adipic acid in good conversion and selectivity by a combined catalytic system consisting of NHPI and Mn(acac)₂. Lower alkane such as isobutane was converted into t‐butyl alcohol (83%) under 10 atm of air by NHPI‐Co(OAc)₂ system. Alkylbenzene such as toluene was oxidized to benzoic acid in high yield (81%) under normal temperature and pressure of dioxygen in the presence of a catalytic amount of NHPI and Co(OAc)₂. ESR measurements showed that phthalimide‐N‐oxyl generated from NHPI under dioxygen atmosphere is a key species in this oxidation and functions as a radical catalyst.     

On a certain move generating link-homology

Dedicated to Professor Kunio Murasugi on his sixtieth birthday     

The ring-opening reactions of propylene oxide with chloroacetic acids

The association constants, k_d, of dichloroacetic acid (DCA) with ethers (tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydropyran, dibutyl ether, 1,4-dioxane) were measured in CCl₄ from 20°–40° using near IR spectra. A linear relationship between log₁₀K_D and log₁₀K_p was found, where K_p was the association constant of phenol with ethers. On the basis of their relationship the association constants of DCA with propylene oxide (PO) were estimated from those of phenol with PO. Furthermore, the ring-openings of PO with chloroacetic acids (trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or DCA) were studied kinetically in toluene. It was found that the PO-TCA reactions obeyed the second-order kinetics dependent on the first order both in the PO concn and in the TCA concn, and that the PO-DCA reactions obeyed the third-order kinetics on the first order in the PO concn and on the second order in the DCA concn. The elementary reaction rate constants were estimated on the basis of measured rate constants and estimated equilibrium constants and activation enthalpies were obtained from their temp dependence to be 13.5 $\text{kcal}\text{mol}$ in the PO-TCA reaction and 19.7 $\text{kcal}\text{mol}$ in the PO-DCA reaction. The mechanism was based on the activation enthalpy of elementary reaction and it was concluded that the main factor governing the reaction was the extent of activation of the protonated oxirane (the extent of polarization of the C-O bond in the oxirane ring).     

Interaction between the end groups and the main chain of conjugated polymers by time-resolved EPR and fluorescence spectroscopy

ABSTRACT

Interaction between a zinc porphyrin (ZnPor) as the end-group and poly(9,9-di-n-octylfluorene-2,7-vinylene) (PFV) as the main chain in a porphyrin end-modified fluorescent conjugated polymer, ZnPFV, was studied by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and fluorescence spectroscopy. While fluorescence from the PFV part of ZnPFV showed a spectral profile almost identical to that of a PFV oligomer without end-modification, the emission spectrum of the ZnPor part exhibited a much broader profile compared to that of the reference zinc porphyrin monomer. Based on the analysis of lifetimes and quantum yields, it was found that radiative rate constant of the ZnPor part was enhanced by nearly three times. The observed unusual enhancement in the radiative rate constant was rationalised in terms of a partial π-conjugation between the end group and the main chain, as a result of co-planarisation in fluid solution. On the other hand, the time-resolved EPR spectrum of ZnPFV at 100?K basically showed a similar spectral pattern to that of the reference zinc porphyrin, but with significant differences in zero-field spitting parameters and initial population ratios. The π-system of the excited triplet state is deduced to deviate from D_4h symmetry in the end zinc porphyrin groups. The obtained results show that interaction of the porphyrin end group with the main chain of the polymer significantly influences the excited singlet state properties of the porphyrin, while its triplet state properties were affected to a lesser extent.     

Ideal nonideality in adsorption of 2-aminoethanethiol and 2-mercaptoethane sulfonic acid to form electrostatically stabilized binary self-assembled monolayers on Au(111)

In formation of binary self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) composed of 2-aminoethanethiol (AET) and 2-mercaptoethane sulfonic acid (MES) by adsorption from an ethanol solution on Au(111), the adsorption shows nearly ideal nonideality in that the surface ratio of MES to AET in the SAM is unity and does not depend on the mixing ratio of MES to AET in the bathing ethanol solution used for preparing SAMs, chi(soln)MES, over the wide range of chi(soln)MES between 0.01 and 0.95. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms that at least 80% of AET molecules adsorbed are protonated in this range of chi(soln)MES, indicating that the electrostatic interaction between positively charged AET and negatively charged MES is responsible to the observed nonideality. Correspondingly, there appears only one cathodic peak in a linear-sweep voltammogram of the reductive desorption of the SAM, having a narrow full width at half-maximum of about 20 mV. This suggests the presence of strong lateral attractive interaction between the adsorbed thiolates.     

Unique inclusion properties of crystalline powder p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene toward alcohols and carboxylic acids

Powdery crystals of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene (2) selectively include EtOH from 1:1 mixtures of MeOH-EtOH and EtOH-PrOH, and EtCO(2)H from HCO(2)H-EtCO(2)H. On the other hand, no acid is included from HCO(2)H-MeCO(2)H, even though MeCO(2)H is included from the neat acid. The origins of these phenomena are discussed based on X-ray analysis of inclusion crystals prepared separately by crystallization.