Formal [(2+2)+2] and [(2+2)+(2+2)] nonconjugated dienediyne cascade cycloadditions

[reaction: see text] Fluoranthene 2 and heptacycle 3 are easily accessible from the reaction of diyne 1 and norbornadiene (NBD) in the presence of the rhodium catalyst. The unusual [(2+2)+(2+2)] adduct 3 was confirmed by the X-ray crystal structure analysis.     

Vibrational relaxation of N2(A3Σu+,υ = 1, 2,3) by CH4 and CF4

N₂(A, υ = 0-3) produced by the Ar(³P_0,2) + N₂ reaction and detected by laser-induced fluorescence undergoes rapid, stepwise vibrational relaxation but slow electronic quenching with added CH₄ or CF₄. Rate constants, k_Q^υ, of 1.5, 3.1, and 5.0 × 10^?12 cm³ s^?1 are measured for Q = CH₄, υ = 1-3, and 0.47, 1.8, and 5.5 × 10^?12 cm³ s^?1 for Q = CF₄, υ = 1-3, with ≈±20% accuracy (1σ). Information is also obtained for the unrelaxed, relative υ populations.     

Ion solvation thermodynamics from simulation with a polarizable force field

Thermodynamic measurements of the solvation of salts and electrolytes are relatively straightforward, but it is not possible to separate total solvation free energies into distinct cation and anion contributions without reference to an additional extrathermodynamic assumption. The present work attempts to resolve this difficulty using molecular dynamics simulations with the AMOEBA polarizable force field and perturbation techniques to directly compute absolute solvation free energies for potassium, sodium, and chloride ions in liquid water and formamide. Corresponding calculations are also performed with two widely used nonpolarizable force fields. The simulations with the polarizable force field accurately reproduce in vacuo quantum mechanical results, experimental ion-cluster solvation enthalpies, and experimental solvation free energies for whole salts, while the other force fields do not. The results indicate that calculations with a polarizable force field can capture the thermodynamics of ion solvation and that the solvation free energies of the individual ions differ by several kilocalories from commonly cited values.     

Practical synthesis of an open geodesic polyarene with a fullerene-type 6:6-double bond at the center: diindeno[1,2,3,4-defg;1',2',3',4'-mnop]chrysene

Diindeno[1,2,3,4-defg;1',2',3',4'-mnop]chrysene (1), the smallest possible alkene-centered C60 substructure with a curved pi-system, is obtained in 25-35% yield by flash vacuum pyrolysis of the twisted 1,1'-dibromobifluorenylidene (2) on a 100 mg scale at 1050 degrees C. At 1200 degrees C, the bowl-shaped hydrocarbon 1 rearranges to the planar isomer diindeno[5,6,7,1-defg;5',6',7',1'-lmnop]chrysene (14) by a double 5/6 ring-expansion/ring-contraction. X-ray crystallography establishes that the central carbon atoms of 1 are nearly 80% as pyramidalized as the carbon atoms of C60 (POAV angles = 9.0 degrees and 11.6 degrees for 1 and C60, respectively). A four-step synthesis has been developed to prepare the pyrolysis precursor (2) as a mixture of (E)- and (Z)-isomers in 39% overall yield from commercially available 9-fluorenone-1-carboxylic acid (10).     

Synthesis and X-ray crystal structure determination of the first Copper(II) complexes of tetraazamacrocycle-glyoxal condensates

Novel Cu(II) complexes CuLCl(2) (L = 1-4) have been synthesized containing the metal bound to a well-known type of tetracyclic bisaminal formed from the condensation of glyoxal and tetraazamacrocycles (1 = cyclam-glyoxal condensate, 2 = [13]aneN4-glyoxal condensate, 3 = cyclen-glyoxal condensate, 4 = isocyclam-glyoxal condensate). The four-coordinate complexes were characterized by X-ray crystallography, electronic spectroscopy, solid-state magnetic moments, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The tetracyclic bisaminals, although having four potential donor atoms, are bound in a cis-bidentate fashion to Cu(II) with two additional cis-chloride donors. The ligands take up folded conformations, and with the exception of ligand 4, only nonadjacent nitrogen atoms coordinate. As expected, ligand 2 in Cu(2)Cl(2) has a folded structure similar to those of the previously characterized 1 and 3. The conformation of 4 in the complex Cu(4)Cl(2) differs from 1-3 in that three nitrogens direct their lone pairs to one side of the folded tetracycle, with adjacent nitrogen atoms coordinated to Cu(II). This difference is probably caused by the presence of the more flexible seven-membered ring rather than the five- to six-membered rings in 1-3. Air oxidation of Cu(I) in the presence of 1 or 3 results in bis(mu-hydroxo) dimers as characterized by X-ray crystal structures, suggesting dioxygen binding, followed by O-O bond splitting to give the Cu(2)O(2) diamond core.     

A Novel Potassium-Binding Hydrolysis Product of Ascidiacyclamide: A Cyclic Octapeptide Isolated from the Ascidian Lissoclinum patella

A new octapeptide has been isolated and characterized as its potassium complex from acidic aqueous methanol solutions of ascidiacyclamide, a cyclic peptide isolated from the ascidian Lissoclinum patella. Crystals suitable for X-ray structure determination were orthorhombic, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with a = 15.442(3) ?, b = 36.167(1) ?, c = 9.567(3) ?, V = 5343(2) ?(3), Z = 4, and R = 0.069. The structure consists of the macrocyclic cation, three perchlorate anions, and two water molecules. The macrocyclic ring of ascidiacyclamide remains intact, but two oxazoline rings have been opened to form two amino lactones, with the amine protonated. A potassium ion is bound to the N atoms of the thiazole rings (K(1).N(1), 2.47(2) ?; K(1).N(5), 2.50(2) ?) and to the adjacent O (amide) atoms (K(1).O(1), 2.34(1) ?; K(1).O(5), 2.34(1) ?). Two perchlorate anions, located on either side of the plane of the macrocyclic ring, are weakly associated with the potassium cation (K(1).O(10), 2.72(3) ?; K(1).O(16), 2.48(3) ?). This cyclic octapeptide reacts with copper(II) to give a purple solution (lambda(max) 590 nm).     

Synthesis and characterisation of water soluble ferrocenes: Molecular tuning of redox potentials

A range of novel water-soluble alkylated ferrocene sulfonate compounds are reported. Mono- and di-sulfonation on a series of alkyl ferrocenes produced 1,1′-dimethyl ferrocene sulfonate, 1,1′-dimethyl ferrocene disulfonate, 1,1′-diethyl ferrocene sulfonate, 1,1′-diethyl ferrocene disulfonate, t-butyl ferrocene sulfonate, t-butyl ferrocene disulfonate, ethyl ferrocene sulfonate, ethyl ferrocene disulfonate, n-butyl ferrocene sulfonate and n-butyl ferrocene disulfonate. All compounds were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy and electrochemical analysis. ¹H and ¹³C NMR studies have revealed the formation of several isomers with sulfonation occurring on positions α and β to the alkyl substituent or on the unsubstituted cyclopentadienyl ring. Variation of the alkyl group allowed the isomeric pattern to be tuned such that the final products followed either electronic or steric control. Cyclic voltammetry of the resulting products showed that the redox potential of the iron centre can be easily manipulated by changing the substituents on the cyclopentadienyl rings. This result has significant implications in the future development of homogenous redox mediators for sensing applications.     

Catalytic asymmetric diazoacetate cyclopropanation of 1-tosyl-3-vinylindoles. A route to conformationally restricted homotryptamines

[reaction: see text] Substituted 1-tosyl-3-vinylindoles undergo catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation with ethyl- and tert-butyldiazoacetate to afford N-protected trans-2-(indol-3-yl)-1-cyclopropanecarboxylic esters in good yield and high enantiomeric excess (81-88% ee). The resulting cycloadducts are demonstrated to be useful intermediates for the synthesis of conformationally restricted, homotryptamine-like analogues such as BMS-505130.     

Synthesis and polymerization of 1,3-bis-(2,3-epoxypropylphenyl)tetramethyldisiloxanes and related compounds

1,3-Bis[p-(2,3-epoxypropyl)phenyl]tetramethyldisiloxane and its meta isomer were synthesized and subsequently cured with m-phenylenediamine. Dielectric properties of the cured resin derived from the para isomer were measured between 25 and 100°C. The ambient temperature dielectric constant of the resin at 1 kc./sec. was 3.4, its dissipation factor was 0.01, and its volume resistivity was 10¹⁴ ohm-cm. at 500 v. d.c. Several allylphenylsiloxanes were also prepared by the cohydrolysis of allylphenyldimethylethoxysilane with dimethyldiethoxysilane, bis(dimethylethoxysilyl)benzene, and methyltriethoxysilane. Preliminary epoxidation studies on these latter materials were also carried out.     

Elucidating the Origin of Conformational Energy Differences in Substituted 1,3-Dioxanes: A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Study

13C NMR spectroscopy, ab initio quantum mechanics, and molecular mechanics have been used to investigate the trans-4-(trifluoromethyl)-2,2,6-trimethyl-1,3-dioxane chair/twist-boat equilibrium. The molecular mechanics calculations were based upon the MM3 and AMBER force fields. A 6-31G basis set was used for the ab initio calculations, and MP2 correlation corrections were applied. Both the ab initio and AMBER molecular mechanics calculations are consistent with the (13)C NMR chemical shift differences for the trans-4-(trifluoromethyl)-2,2,6-trimethyl-1,3-dioxane conformers. The predicted chair to twist-boat equilibrium suggested by the MM3 calculations is not consistent with the experimental data. These results support the suggestion by Howard et al. (Howard, A. E.; Cieplak, P.; Kollman, P. A. J. Comput.Chem. 1995, 16, 243-261) on the critical role of electrostatic interactions in determining the chair/twist-boat equilibrium.