Medicinal Flowers. XXXI. Acylated oleanane-type triterpene saponins, Sasanquasaponins I-V, with antiallergic activity from the flower buds of Camellia sasanqua

The methanolic extract and its 1-butanol-soluble fraction from the flower buds of Camellia sasanqua THUNB. were found to show inhibitory activities on the release of β-hexosaminidase from rat basophile leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. From the 1-butanol-soluble fraction, five new acylated oleanane-type triterpene saponins, sasanquasaponins I-V, were isolated together with a known saponin and their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. The principal saponin constituents, sasanquasaponins I-III, with an acyl group at the 22-position of the aglycon part showed the inhibitory effects on the release of β-hexosaminidase and some structure-activity relationships were reported.     

Toward Ultralow‐Bandgap Liquid Crystalline Semiconductors: Use of Triply Fused Metalloporphyrin Trimer–Pentamer as Extra‐large π‐Extended Mesogenic Motifs

In contrast with their dimeric homologue, triply fused zinc porphyrin trimer–pentamer, as extra‐large π‐extended mesogens, assemble into columnar liquid crystals (LCs) when combined with 3,4,5‐tri(dodecyloxy)phenyl side groups ( 3 P_Zn – 5 P_Zn , Figure 1 ). Their LC mesophases develop over a wide temperature range, namely, 41–280 °C (on heating) for 5 P_Zn , and all adopt an oblique columnar geometry, typically seen in columnar LC materials involving strong mesogenic interactions. These LC materials are characterized by their wide light‐absorption windows from the entire visible region up to a near infrared (NIR) region. Such ultralow‐bandgap LC materials are chemically stable and serve as hole transporters, in which 5 P_Zn gives the largest charge carrier mobility (2.4×10^?2 cm V^?1 s^?1) among the series. Despite a big dimensional difference, they coassemble without phase separation, in which the resultant LC materials display essentially no deterioration of the intrinsic conducting properties.     

Regulation of π‐Stacked Anthracene Arrangement for Fluorescence Modulation of Organic Solid from Monomer to Excited Oligomer Emission

The construction and precise control of the face‐to‐face π‐stacked arrangements of anthracene fluorophores in the crystalline state led to a remarkable red shift in the fluorescence spectrum due to unprecedented excited oligomer formation. The arrangements were regulated by using organic salts including anthracene‐1,5‐disulfonic acid (1,5‐ADS) and a variety of aliphatic amines. Because of the smaller number of hydrogen atoms at the edge positions and the steric effect of the sulfonate groups, 1,5‐ADS should prefer face‐to‐face π‐stacked arrangements over the usual edge‐to‐face herringbone arrangement. Indeed, as the alkyl substituents were lengthened, the organic salts altered their anthracene arrangement to give two‐dimensional (2D) edge‐to‐face and end‐to‐face herringbone arrangements, one‐dimensional (1D) face‐to‐face zigzag and slipped stacking arrangements, a lateral 1D face‐to‐face arrangement like part of a brick wall, and a discrete monomer arrangement. The monomer arrangement behaved as a dilute solution even in the close‐packed solid state to emit deep blue light. The 1D face‐to‐face zigzag and slipped stacking of the anthracene fluorophores caused a red shift of 30–40 nm in the fluorescence emission with respect to the discrete arrangement, probably owing to ground‐state associations. On the other hand, the 2D end‐to‐face stacking induced a larger red shift of 60 nm, which is attributed to the excimer fluorescence. Surprisingly, the brick‐like lateral face‐to‐face arrangement afforded a remarkable red shift of 150 nm to give yellow fluorescence. This anomalous red shift is probably due to excited oligomer formation in such a lateral 1D arrangement according to the long fluorescence lifetime and little shift in the excitation spectrum. The regulation of the π‐stacked arrangement of anthracene fluorophores enabled the wide modulation of the fluorescence and a detailed investigation of the relationships between the photophysical properties and the arrangements.     

V2O5/TiO2 Catalytic Xerogels Raman and EPR Studies

Raman spectroscopy and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) studies were performed on a series of V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalysts prepared by a modified sol-gel method in order to identify the vanadium species. Two species of surface vanadium were identified by Raman measurements, monomeric vanadyls and polymeric vanadates. Monomeric vanadyls are characterized by a narrow Raman band at 1030 cm^–1 and polymeric vanadates by two broad bands in the region from 900 to 960 cm^–1 and 770 to 850 cm^–1. The Raman spectra do not exhibit characteristic peaks of crystalline V₂O₅. These results are in agreement with those of X-ray Diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) previously reported (C.B. Rodella et al., J. Sol-Gel Sci. Techn., submitted). At least three families of V⁴⁺ ions were identified by EPR investigations. The analysis of the EPR spectra suggests that isolated V⁴⁺ ions are located in sites with octahedral symmetry substituting for Ti⁴⁺ ions in the rutile structure. Magnetically interacting V⁴⁺ ions are also present as pairs or clusters giving rise to a broad and structureless EPR line. At higher concentration of V₂O₅, a partial oxidation of V⁴⁺ to V⁵⁺ is apparent from the EPR results.     

Tumescenamide C,an antimicrobial cyclic lipodepsipeptide from Streptomyces sp.

Tumescenamide C, a new cyclic lipodepsipeptide, was isolated from a culture broth of an actinomycete Streptomyces sp. KUSC_F05. Tumescenamide C was a congener of tumescenamides A and B, representing a sixteen-membered ring system, consisting of two proteinogenic and three non-proteinogenic amino acids, to which a methyl-branched fatty acid was attached. The planar structure was determined by spectroscopic analysis, while its absolute stereochemistry was determined by chemical degradation and asymmetric synthesis. Tumescenamide C exhibited antimicrobial activity with high selectivity against Streptomyces species.     

A new synthesis of enantiomerically pure α- and β-amino acid derivatives using aziridinyl anions

Optically active sulfinylaziridines having a 4-methoxyphenyl group on their nitrogen atom were synthesized from optically active 1-chloroalkyl p-tolyl sulfoxide and an imine derived from benzaldehyde and p-anisidine stereoselectively in good overall yields. The sulfinylaziridines were treated with ethylmagnesium bromide or tert-butyllithium to afford aziridinylmagnesiums or aziridinyllithiums, respectively, in quantitative yields. Cross-coupling of the aziridinylmagnesiums with iodoalkanes in the presence of Cu(I) iodide gave tri-substituted aziridines in high yields from which enantiomerically pure β,β-disubstituted β-amino acid derivatives were synthesized. A β-amino acid derivative having deuterium at the stereogenic center was also realized by this method. On the other hand, from the aziridinyllithium, enantiomerically pure quaternary phenylalanine and quaternary aspartic acid derivatives were synthesized.     

Adsorption and photochemical behaviors of the novel cationic xanthene derivative on the clay surface

Novel tetra-cationic xanthene derivative (Flu) was synthesized. Its adsorption and photochemical behaviors on the clay surface were investigated. Fluorescence quantum yield (?_f) and fluorescence lifetime were 0.50 and 2.9 ns for Flu/clay complex. ?_f of Flu was enough high (>0.1) even at high density conditions (0.080 molecules nm⁻²). It is supposed that the strong interaction between clay and Flu by the ‘Size-Matching Effect’ realizes the highly emissive clay complexes at high density adsorption condition by a suppression of a molecular aggregation, which tends to decrease the photochemical activity.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Direct Thiolation of Aryl CH Bonds with Disulfides

A catalytic variant of the direct thiolation of arenes, bearing directing groups, with disulfides or thiols has been developed under palladium and copper co‐catalysis. Both sulfenyl moieties of the disulfide could be incorporated into the thiolated products, therefore, the reactions reached completion with only half an equivalent of disulfide, with respect to the starting arene. Experimental evidence suggested that the reaction proceeds through a Pd^II/Pd^IV mechanism.