Synthesis of 4-acetylisocoumarin: first total syntheses of AGI-7 and sescandelin

A practical synthetic route to 4-acetylisocoumarins and the first total synthesis of AGI-7 (5) and sescandelin (4) are described. The readily available homophthalate 8 was transformed to the vinylogous amide ester 13 in high overall yield. Upon treatment of 13 with refluxing aqueous formic acid, the desired 4-acetylisocoumarin (5) and its regioisomer 3-methyl-4-formylisocoumarin (17) were produced in a 3:1 ratio. After separation of the desired product (5) from the unwanted minor isomer, the enantioselective reduction of AGI-7 by borane in the presence of Corey's (S)-oxazaborolidine reagent afforded (+)-sescandelin (4) with a 93% ee.     

Syntheses of polyurethanes derived from oximes and their photodegradation

Polyoxime-urethanes have been synthesized from dioximes and diisocyanates, and their structures have been ascertained by elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy. They can be represented by the general formula: These polymer films were photolyzed by using a high-pressure 100-W mercury lamp, and the rate of decomposition of the N? O bond was determined by use of ultraviolet and infrared spectra, or comparing the photochemical behavior with that of corresponding model compounds. Upon irradiating these polymers in the presence or absence of sensitizers or a hydrogen donor, there were obtained photolyzed polymers of low molecular weight, of which the molecular weights were estimated by observing the viscosity changes. To deduce the mechanism of photodegradation of polyoxime-urethane, photolysis of benzophenone oxime-phenyl urethane was investigated as a model compound.     

Isolation of essential oils from tobacco by gas co-distillation/solvent extraction

Summary The essential oils have been isolated from tobacco leaves using a simple gas co-distillation apparatus. The method involves co-distillation with water under the continuous stream of an inert gas with subsequent single solvent extraction of the distillate. The extract is analysed on GC and GC/MS in splitless injection mode without further concentration. The method was evaluated for reproducibility using n-octadecane as an internal standard. The distillation-extraction procedure was reporducible with an average deviation of ±3% for the major constituents. The present method was applied to the analyses of the essential oils of other agricultural products.Dedicated to Dr. L. S. Ettre on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Through-space delocalized water-soluble paracyclophane bichromophores: new fluorescent optical reporters

Conjugated polymers and oligomers can serve as highly responsive fluorescent reporters for biosensor applications. However, their optical properties in aqueous media are highly dependent upon environmental conditions. The structure of the paracyclophane framework provides a platform for designing optical reporters that show little sensitivity to surfactants, and thus is well-suited for fluorescent assays. The permanent intramolecular delocalization through the paracyclophane core dominates intermolecular perturbations in spontaneously formed aggregates.     

A Ca2+-phospholipid-dependent protein kinase from cottonplant shoots

The Ca²⁺-phospholipid-dependent protein kinase from cottonplant shoots was purified by chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, and then on phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B. According to electrophoresis in PAAG, the enzyme was practically homogeneous and had a molecular mass of 57 kDa. In the presence of Ca²⁺ alone, the enzyme was activated to only a slight degree. Under the combined action of Ca²⁺ and a phospholipid the action of the enzyme rose severalfold. A determination of amino acid specificity showed that the protein kinase isolated was a serine- and threonine-specific protein kinase.A. S. Sadykov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, fax 627071. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 100–105, January–February, 1994.     

Site-directed exchange studies with combinatorial libraries of nanostructures

We describe a new combinatorial method for studying the exchange between solution adsorbates and nanoscale features within libraries generated via dip-pen nanolithography. Four different compounds, 1-octadecanethiol, 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid, ferrocene (11-mercaptoundecyl), and ferrocene (11-mercapto-1-oxoundecyl), are studied on amorphous and single-crystal gold substrates. This series of adsorbates allows us to compare the exchange properties of patterns of nanoscale features as a function of composition, feature size, and type of underlying substrate. Moreover, these properties can be compared and contrasted with bulk SAM properties. The novel strategy provides not only a method for initiating site-specific exchange processes but also a way of extracting kinetic information about the rate of such processes in situ.     

Phytochemicals from Echinacea and Hypericum: A Direct Synthesis of Isoligularone

Reaction of trienes with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes produces bicyclic products via a tandem Diels-Alder/ene reaction. The adduct from tiglic aldehyde was converted into isoligularone by conversion to a furan followed by benzylic oxidation.