Simple preparation and catalytic activity of Pd particles dispersed mesoporous carbons from poly(VDC/MA) containing Pd and Y compounds

We report a simple preparation of Pd particles dispersed mesoporous carbons. The carbons were prepared by steam activation of carbonized vinylidene chloride/methyl acrylate copolymer (poly(VDC/MA)) containing yttrium acetylacetonate (Y(acac)(3)) and palladium acetylacetonate (Pd(acac)(2)). The resulting carbons consist of high contents of mesopore and uniformly dispersed fine Pd particles. We measured the catalytic activities of the carbons obtained for hydrogenation of methyl linoleate. The Pd particles dispersed in mesoporous activated carbons obtained from poly(VDC/MA) containing both Y(acac)(3) and Pd(acac)(2) showed high catalytic activities, compared with the microporous activated carbon obtained from poly(VDC/MA) containing only Pd(acac)(2). Especially Pd particles dispersed in mesoporous carbons exhibited excellent selectivity for hydrogenation of diene (methyl linoleate) to monoene (methyl oleate).     

Role of the special pair in the charge-separating event in photosynthesis

We synthesized special-pair/electron-acceptor systems consisting of a complementary slipped cofacial dimer of imidazolyl-substituted zinc porphyrin, bearing pyromellitdiimide as the electron acceptor. In the case of the dimer, the first and second oxidation potentials were split into a total of four peaks in the differential pulse voltammetry measurement. Furthermore, the shift values of the first oxidation potentials obtained by changing the solvent polarity for the dimer were almost half of those observed for the monomer. These results indicate that the radical cation is delocalized over the whole pi system of the dimer. Time-resolved transient absorption measurements revealed that, relative to the corresponding monomer, the dimer accelerated the charge separation rate, but decelerated the charge recombination rate. The smaller reorganization energy of the slipped cofacial dimer relative to that of the monomeric system demonstrates the significance of the special-pair arrangement for efficient charge separation in photosynthesis.     

A new method of constructing dearomatized compounds using triazene

We are reporting on a new method of constructing dearomatized compounds from α-substituted aryltriazenes. Deprotonation occurs at C atom α to N3. Nucleophilic attack of generated anion at the ortho-position of aryl group forms a new carbon-carbon bond. A stereoselective reaction was observed when the substituents on the C α to N3 are tied together in either a pyrrolidine or a piperidine. The product of this reaction possessed an interesting dearomatized tetrahydrobenzotriazine framework.     

Novel rearrangement of twisted 2,4-di-alkyl 2-trans-4-trans pentadienals: An approach to cyclopentenones based on molecular mechanical consideration

Rearrangement of 2,4-di-$\text{trans}$-pentadienals $\text{IVa-d}$ was described as a consequence of the successive alkyl substitutions on the C-2 and C-4 positions. ¹H-FT nmr spectroscopy suggested that the reaction involves ketene $\text{VIII}$ as an intermediate.     

Effects of ligands on the “living” radical polymerization initiated by the aged Cr2+ plus benzoyl peroxide system

The “living” radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate with the aged Cr²⁺ plus benzoyl peroxide (BPO) system in the presence of various amines as ligand has been studied in N,N′-dimethylformamide. Aliphatic amines such as ethylenediamine diminished the rate of polymerization, while dipyridyl (dipy) and o-phenanthroline (phen) accelerated the polymerization rate as follows: phen > dipy > pyridine ? none. Specifically, the rate of polymerization in the presence of phen had a maximum value at [phen]/[Cr²⁺] = 0.5. The retardation of polymerization by aliphatic amines was explained by the interaction of BPO with free and coordinated amines. The latter result may support the mechanism involving the complexed radical proposed for the living radical polymerization with the aged Cr²⁺ + BPO system. In the presence of phen the effects of aging period and aging temperature as well as polymerization temperature were studied and the nature of complexed radicals is discussed.     

Real-time measurement of nitric oxide using a bio-imaging and an electrochemical technique

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important mediator responsible for numerous physiological phenomena. Transient levels of NO in biological systems usually range from nanomolar to micromolar concentrations, with a rapid return to basal levels normally seen following these increases. Because NO can diffuse only over a local area in limited time due to such low levels of production and due to its short life-time prior to degradation, high spatial and temporal resolutions are required for direct and continuous NO measurement if the physiological role of NO is to be investigated in any system. For such purposes, analytical methods based on bio-imaging and electrochemical techniques for the measurement of NO are useful. In this paper, we describe the successful application of these methods to a number of biological systems. Specifically, complementary application of these methods demonstrate that it is possible to detect real-time NO production from nervous tissue with high spatial and temporal resolutions.     

Hypotensive effects on spontaneously hypertensive rats and antifungal activity on various species of Fusarium oxysporum of diethylstilbestrol-related compounds

The diethylstilbestrol-related compounds 3,3'-dihydroxy-alpha, beta-diethyldiphenylethane (I), diethylstilbestrol (II) and hexestrol (III) showed hypotensive effects on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and antifungal activities against all Fusarium oxysporum sp. tested. As previously reported, I had strong hypotensive action on normotensive rats at the dose of 10 mg/kg, while II and III showed weak hypotensive effects on these rats at the same dose. In this work, all three compounds also had hypotensive actions on SHR at the same dose. I showed the strongest hypotensive effect (-80.0 +/- 5.0 mmHg, 10 mg/kg, i.v.) on both SHR and normotensive rats. The three compounds also had antifungal activities against five kinds of Fusarium oxysporum sp. tested. Especially, II strongly inhibited the growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. raphani IFO-9972 (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC): 1.0 micrograms/ml).     

Emission of 2-phenylethanol from its β-d-glucopyranoside and the biogenesis of these compounds from [H8] l-phenylalanine in rose flowers

The hydrolysis of 2-phenylethyl β-d-glucopyranoside (3) was found to be partially inhibited by feeding with 2-phenyl-N-glucosyl-acetamidiumbromide (8), a β-glucosidase inhibitor, resulting in a decrease in the diurnal emission of 2-phenylethanol (2) from Rosa damascena Mill. flowers. Detection of [1,1,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₈]-2 and [1,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₇]-2 from R. ‘Hoh-Jun’ flowers fed with [1,1,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₈]-3 suggested that β-glucosidase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and reductase might be involved in scent emission. Comprehensive GC-SIM analyses revealed that [1,2,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₈]-2 and [1,2,2,2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-²H₈]-3 must be biosynthesized from [1,2,2,2′,3′,4′,5′6′-²H₈] l-phenylalanine ([²H₈]-1) with a retention of the deuterium atom at α-position of [²H₈]-1.     

Photoinduced Molecular Transformations. Part 142. One-step syntheses of 1H-benz[f]indole-4,9-diones and 1H-indole-4,7-diones by a new regioselective photoaddition of 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinones and 2-amino-1,4-benzoquinones with alkenes

The 2,3-dihydro-1H-benz[f]indole-4,9-diones 3a–d , h were formed in a one-step reaction in 13–82% yield by an unprecedented [3 + 2] regioselective photoaddition of 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinone ( 1 ) with various electronrich alkenes 2 (Scheme 1, Table). The [3 + 2] photoadducts derived from 1 with vinyl ethers and vinyl acetate gave 1H-benz[f]indole-4,9-diones 4e , f , i , in 33–72% yield, by spontaneous loss of the corresponding alcohol or AcOH from the resulting adducts; 4i has a kinamycin skeleton. The [3 + 2] photoaddition also took place on irradiation of the differently substituted amino-1,4-benzoquinones 6 , 7 , and 12 and excess alkenes 2 in benzene, giving 1H-indole-4,7-dione derivatives 13 and 14 (Scheme 3), 15a and 16 (Scheme 4), and 18 (Scheme 4), respectively. The initial products in these photoadditions were proved to be hydroquinones, the air oxidation of which yielded the heterocyclic quinones; 2,3-dihydro-2-methoxy-2-methyl-5-phenyl-1H-indole-1,4,7-triyl triacetate ( 19 ) was isolated after treatment of the crude photoaddition mixture obtained from 2-amino-5-phenyl-1,4-benzoquinone ( 7 ) and 2-methoxyprop-1-ene ( 2f ) with Ac₂O and pyridine under N₂. A pathway leading to the annelated hydroquinones involving ionic intermediates arising from an electron transfer in these photoadditions is proposed (Scheme 5).     

Isolation of heptadepsin, a novel bacterial cyclic depsipeptide that inhibits lipopolysaccharide activity

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is considered to cause various inflammatory reactions. We searched among microbial secondary metabolites for compounds that could inhibit LPS-stimulated adhesion between human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human myelocytic cell line HL-60 cells. In the course of our screening, we isolated a novel cyclic depsipeptide, which we named heptadepsin, from the whole culture broth of Paenibacillus sp. The addition of heptadepsin prior to LPS stimulation decreased HL-60 cell-HUVEC adhesion without showing any cytotoxicity. It also inhibited the cellular adhesion induced by lipid A, the active component of LPS, but it did not inhibit TNF-alpha or IL-1beta-induced cell adhesion. The result of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis revealed that heptadepsin interacted with lipid A directly. Thus, heptadepsin, a novel naturally occurring cyclic heptadepsipeptide, was shown to inactivate LPS by direct interaction with LPS.