Highly chemoselective hydrogenation with retention of the epoxide function using a heterogeneous Pd/C-ethylenediamine catalyst and THF

In general, palladium-carbon (Pd/C) catalyzed hydrogenation of epoxides affords the corresponding primary and secondary alcohols as a mixture. It has been found that the catalytic activity of a Pd/C -ethylenediamine complex catalyst [Pd/C(en)] in the hydrogenolysis of epoxide functions is drastically reduced. Herein we describe a mild and chemoselective method for the hydrogenation of olefin, nitro, and azide functions with retention of the epoxide function. The chemoselectivity was accomplished by using a combination of 5% Pd/C(en) and THF as solvent. A significant drop in the chemoselectivity of the hydrogenation is observed with 5% Pd/C(en) in MeOH. These results reinforce the utility of epoxides as important precursors of alcohols in synthetic chemistry.     

Wavelength effect on the photoinduced reaction of polymethylmethacrylate

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) containing benzophenone (BP) was photo-irradiated with monochromatic radiation of wavelength 260–360 nm using the Okazaki Large Spec-trograph (OLS). On irradiation of PMMA films containing BP in air, the sensitized main-chain scission and photocrosslinking of PMMA took place simultaneously. These reactions are dependent on irradiation wavelength. The threshold wavelength for both reactions is found to be ca. 380 nm. The number of main-chain scission and amount of gel increased with the increase of BP concentration in PMMA. Photosensitized main-chain scission favors the irradiation of radiation at ca. 280 nm and photocrosslinking takes place efficiently with the exposure of 340 nm radiation. A possible mechanism for photosensitized reaction is proposed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Characterization of molecular transport in poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchannels for electrophoresis fabricated with synchrotron radiation-lithography and UV-photolithography

In the present paper, a study was undertaken of molecular transport in ploy(dimethylsiloxane) microchannels that were fabricated by ultraviolet (UV)-photolithography and synchrotron radiation (SR)-lithography characterized and compared for microchip capillary electrophoresis by evaluating in-channel molecular dispersion. A fluorescent tag, sulforhodamine B was used as the probing molecule. It was found that microchannels made by SR-lithography fabrication were superior to those made by UV-photolithography fabrication in terms of molecular transport performance. A deep insight into surface conditions characterized by scanning electron microscopy suggested it was related to the difference in surface roughness. Chromatographic retention in electropherograms further supported such a conclusion, which depended on the phase ratio of the channel surface. The results revealed for PDMS microchannels in this work were in good agreement with the phenomenon found for glass microchannels in the literature.     

Total synthesis of cis-solamin

[structure: see text] A convergent total synthesis of cis-solamin and its diastereomer was accomplished using VO(acac)2-catalyzed diastereoselective epoxidation followed by cyclization of bis-homoallylic alcohol as the key step. By comparison of the optical rotation of two possible diastereomers, it is suggested that the absolute configuration of natural cis-solamin is 1a.     

Determination of nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing pesticide residues in vegetables by gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus and flame photometric detection after gel permeation chromatography and a two-step minicolumn cleanup

An efficient and reliable multiresidue method for determining pesticide residues in a large number of vegetable samples was studied. First, the important target compounds for monitoring, 52 nitrogen- and/or phosphorus-containing pesticides, were selected. The sample was extracted with acetonitrile, and the separated acetonitrile layer was cleaned up by a salting-out step. The acetonitrile extract was purified by gel permeation chromatography that divided the pesticide eluate into 2 fractions; the pesticide fractions were respectively purified by a 2-step minicolumn cleanup in which the second pesticide fraction was loaded on a silica-gel minicolumn. After a Florisil minicolumn was inserted on the silica-gel minicolumn, the first pesticide fraction was loaded on the tandem minicolumn, which was eluted with acetone-petroleum ether (3 + 7). The combined eluate was subjected to dual-column gas chromatography (GC) with nitrogen-phosphorus and flame photometric detection. By application of the optimum cleanup conditions to the 52 pesticides selected, good resolution and low breakdown levels of the pesticides during GC were maintained. Recoveries of the 52 pesticides from fortified cabbage, lettuce, spring onion, and spinach ranged from 72 to 108% with relative standard deviations of 2-17%, except for the recoveries of methamidophos and chlorothalonil. The detection limits of the pesticides were satisfactory (0.001-0.009 mg/kg) for monitoring pesticide residues in vegetables.     

On the electronic character of localized singlet 2,2-dimethoxycyclopentane-1,3-diyl diradicals: substituent effects on the lifetime

Photodenitrogenation of the diazenes 4 affords exclusively the housanes 5 through intramolecular cyclization of the spectrally detected and characterized singlet diradicals 3. The lifetime of singlet diradical 3, determined by transient absorption measurements, depends on the Y and Z substituents at the para position of the phenyl ring and has the following order: Y, Z = OMe, OMe > OMe, CN > CN, CN > OMe, H > Cl, Cl approximately CN, H approximately Me, Me > H, H. This unprecedented substituent effect reveals stabilization of the singlet 2,2-dimethoxycyclopentane-1,3-diyl diradicals 3 through radical, zwitterionic, pi-bonding, and hyperconjugative structures.     

Saccharide-branched Cyclodextrins as Targeting Drug Carriers

A synthetic series of heptakis-galactose-branched cyclodextrins (termed CDs) having a longer spacer arm using two amino-caproic acids as an enlarging unit were prepared. Starting with heptakis-amino-β-CD or heptakis-amino-caproic-amide-β-CD, treated with galactosyl-glucono-amide-caproic acid, the new compounds heptakis (Gal-cap1)-CD (4) or heptakis (Gal-cap2)-CD (5) were obtained. The longer galactose spacer arm extremely favors the PNA association. The effect of branch length on K with PNA was enhanced up to 138-fold 3 as well as with DXR enhanced up to 81-fold. Hexakis (Gal-cap2)-CD (6) was prepared and the association constants with rat liver cells were observed to be 2.5 × 10¹⁰ M⁻¹. A multi-high mannose type oligosaccharide branched CD (7) showed a large association constant with DXR up to 1.1 × 10⁹ M⁻¹. The two-dimensional map for the association constants of newly synthesized oligosaccharide-branched CDs toward lectin or liver cells versus the association constants toward a drug (doxorubicin) suggested a method of finding a better targeting drug carrier. The structural effect of the oligosaccharide-CDs showed that the number and length of the branch were dominant factors in designing for enhanced dual recognition.     

Effects of Hydrogen and Hydrogen Sulfide on Cumene Cracking Catalyzed by Pt/WO3-ZrO2. Control of Acidic and Metallic Functions

Synthesis of alumina aerogels was carried out by hydrolysis of aluminium isopropanolate and butanolate in benzene, methanol and isopropanol solutions as components of support precursors followed by gelation, drying under supercritical conditions and calcination. The influence of the type of precursor and solvent, synthesis temperature as well as drying and calcination temperature on bulk density, specific surface area and total pore volume was investigated.