Novel one-dimensional tubelike and two-dimensional polycatenated metal-organic frameworks

Two novel metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) [Zn(TITMB)(OAc)](OH).8.5H(2)O (1) and [Ag(TITMB)N(3)].H(2)O (2) [TITMB = 1,3,5-tris(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene, OAc = acetate anion] were synthesized and their structures were determined by X-ray crystallography. Complex 1 crystallizes in tetragonal space group P(-)4 with a = 23.2664(7) and c = 11.9890(3) A and Z = 8. 1 has a one-dimensional tubelike structure with large inner pore size of approximately 17 A. Complex 2 crystallizes in monoclinic space group C2 with a = 20.7193(10), b = 11.5677(8), and c = 12.2944(6) A, beta = 125.5770(10) degrees, and Z = 4. 2 consists of two-dimensional honeycomb networks that interpenetrate each other to generate a polycatenated structure. In these two complexes, both zinc(II) and silver(I) atoms are four-coordinated with the same tetrahedral coordination geometry. The topologies of 1 and 2 are predominated by the conformations of TITMB, which are cis, trans, trans in 1 and cis, cis, cis in 2, respectively.     

Synthesis of a novel 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid derivative

A novel compound, biotinylated 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (BGA), was synthesized. It is a compound of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid linked with biotin. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 266–267, May–June, 2006. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Electronic effects steer the mechanism of asymmetric hydrogenations of unfunctionalized aryl-substituted alkenes

Density functional theory (PBE and B3LYP) was used to study asymmetric hydrogenations of alkenes catalyzed by an iridium imidazolylidine oxazoline complex. The calculation predicts that the alkene preferentially coordinates to the site trans to the carbene. The coordinated alkene then reacts first with the H2 ligand, then with the hydride to form alkane. Finally, the alkane is released by equilibrating with extrinsic H2 and alkene. Enantioface selectivities for hydrogenations of trisubstituted alkenes seem to be driven primarily by steric interactions with the adamantyl part of the ligand; only the smallest substituents can adopt a site close to it. Application of this theoretical model leads to correct predictions regarding the experimentally observed sense and magnitude of the enantioselectivities.     

Synthesis of substituted carbazoles by a vinylic to aryl palladium migration involving domino C-H activation processes

Substituted carbazoles are readily prepared in good yields by the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of alkynes and N-(3-iodophenyl)anilines. This process proceeds by carbopalladation of the alkyne, heteroatom-directed vinylic to aryl palladium migration, and ring closure involving two consecutive C-H activation processes. The process has also been expanded to the synthesis of an indole. [Structure: see text]     

Diels-Alder reactions of quinol lactones: a change of regioselectivity with stannic chloride catalysis

Lewis acid-mediated Diels-Alder reactions of quinol lactone 2 gave regioselectivity opposite to that of the uncatalyzed reaction. Compound 12 is proposed as the reactive intermediate generated by the reaction of 2 with stannic chloride.     

Immunosuppressive ent‐Kaurene Diterpenoids from Isodon serra

Three new enmein‐type ent‐kaurenoids, i.e., the two pairs 1 and 2 of 20‐epimers and the (20R)‐isomer 3 , besides the seven known diterpenoids 4 – 10 , were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon serra. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques and X‐ray diffraction. The immunosuppressive effect for T‐lymphocytes proliferation induced by Con A in BALB/c mouse was evaluated for the isolates 1 – 10 . They all displayed a remarkable inhibitory effect, with multi‐glycosides of Tripterygium wilfordii as positive reference substance (Table 3).     

Synthesis of 2‐Dihydrooxadiazolinyl Chromones

Reactions of the substituted 2‐formyl chromones with aroylhydrazines gave corresponding 2‐(aroylhydrazonomethylidyne) chromones. Then 2‐(3′‐acetyl‐5′‐aryl‐2′,3′‐dihydro‐1′,3′,4′‐oxadiazol‐2′‐yl) chromones were prepared by these 2‐(aroylhydrazonomethylidyne) chromones under refluxing with Ac₂O. All target compounds were characterized through elemental analysis and IR, ¹H NMR, MS.     

pKa calculations in solution and proteins with QM/MM free energy perturbation simulations: a quantitative test of QM/MM protocols

The accuracy of biological simulations depends, in large part, on the treatment of electrostatics. Due to the availability of accurate experimental values, calculation of pKa provides stringent evaluation of computational methods. The generalized solvent boundary potential (GSBP) and Ewald summation electrostatic treatments were recently implemented for combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations by our group. These approaches were tested by calculating pKa shifts due to differences in electronic structure and electrostatic environment; the shifts were determined for a series of small molecules in solution, using various electrostatic treatments, and two residues (His 31, Lys 102) in the M102K T4-lysozyme mutant with large pKa shifts, using the GSBP approach. The calculations utilized a free energy perturbation scheme with the QM/MM potential function involving the self-consistent charge density functional tight binding (SCC-DFTB) and CHARMM as the QM and MM methods, respectively. The study of small molecules demonstrated that inconsistent electrostatic models produced results that were difficult to correct in a robust manner; by contrast, extended electrostatics, GSBP, and Ewald simulations produced consistent results once a bulk solvation contribution was carefully chosen. In addition to the electrostatic treatment, the pKa shifts were also sensitive to the level of the QM method and the scheme of treating QM/MM Coulombic interactions; however, simple perturbative corrections based on SCC-DFTB/CHARMM trajectories and higher level single point energy calculations were found to give satisfactory results. Combining all factors gave a root-mean-square difference of 0.7 pKa units for the relative pKa values of the small molecules compared to experiment. For the residues in the lysozyme, an accurate pKa shift was obtained for His 31 with multiple nanosecond simulations. For Lys 102, however, the pKa shift was estimated to be too large, even after more than 10 nanosecond simulations for each lambda window; the difficulty was due to the significant, but slow, reorganization of the protein and water structure when Lys 102 was protonated. The simulations support that Lys 102 is deprotonated in the X-ray structure and the protein is highly destabilized when this residue is protonated.     

Studies of the g factors and zero-field splitting for the trigonal Ti(2+)(Ga)-S(p) defect center in GaP crystal

The EPR g factors g(parallel), g(perpendicular) and zero-field splitting D suggested to be caused by a donor-acceptor nearest-neighbour pair defect [Ti(Ga)(2+)-Sp] in GaP:Ti(2+) co-doped with sulphur are calculated from the high-order perturbation formulas based on a two spin-orbit coupling parameter model for the EPR parameters of 3d(2) ion in trigonal symmetry. The calculated results are close to the observed values. The suggestion of [Ti(Ga)(2+)-Sp] pair defect in GaP:Ti co-doped with sulphur is also confirmed from this calculation.