An interpretation of the polarized crystal spectra of Mn(II) and Co(II) in D2h symmetry

Crystals of TMAM_xM′_1?xCl₃ · 2H₂O where TMA = (CH₃)₃NH⁺ and M = Mn²⁺, M′ = Co²⁺ are strikingly pleochroic. The polarized spectra of these highly colored orthorhombic salts are reported and transition assignments are made based on D_2h symmetry. Peaks in the Mn(II) spectra are explained as electric dipole transitions while peaks in the Co(II) spectra are explained as magnetic dipole transitions.     

A theoretical study of α-substituted cyclopropyl and isopropyl radicals

The structures of α-X-cyclopropyl and α-X-isopropyl radicals (X = H, CH₃, NH₂, OH, F, CN, and NC) are reported at the RHF 3-21G level of theory. The isopropyl radicals are pyramidal with out-of-plane angles varying from 12° (X = CN) to 39° (X = NH₂), and barriers to inversion ranging from 0.4 kcal/mol (X = H) to 4.0 kcal/mol (X = NH₂). The cyclopropyl radicals have larger out-of-plane angles, from 39.9° (X = CN) to 49.4° (X = NH₂), and their barriers to inversion, which increase with the inclusion of polarization functions, vary from 5.5 kcal/mol (X = H) to 16.7 kcal/mol (X = F). In both types of radicals the amino group is the most stabilizing substituent, while the α-fluoro has little effect. The β-fluoro group is weakly destabilizing in the cyclopropyl radical. The strain energies of the cyclopropyl radicals (36–43 kcal/mol) are compared with those of similarly substituted anions, cations, and cyclopropanes.     

Some acid—base and complexation properties of silica-bound ligands

Several aspects of the acid-base properties of aminopropyl, aminoethylaminopropyl-, and 8-quinolinol silica gel (APSG, EDSG, and QSG, respectively) are considered. Acid wash of APSG and EDSG reduces the metal-uptake capacity to nearly zero. Following a base wash, most of this capacity is restored. Effective basicity of each silica gel is found to be significantly less than that of the free base analog for APSG and EDSG, but only slightly less for QSG. Hydrogen bonding of the γ-amine group to residual silanols is postulated as at least one cause of lower base-strengths, although dependence of pK_b on the degree of neutralization is also a possibility. Solution equilibrium is reached very slowly in potentiometric pH titrations of the three modified silica gels, possibly because of diffusion or other kinetic phenomena. The bound amines possess 2:1 ligand-to-copper(II) stoichiometry. The bound 8-quinolinol exhibits a 1:1 ratio. A lower surface density and steric constraints of bound groups on QSG are possible reasons for the difference between 8-quinolinol and the amines.     

Proteomic analysis of transducin beta-subunit structural heterogeneity

Partially purified transducin was resolved using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Peptide mass fingerprinting of several different spots believed to correspond to the 37 kDa beta-subunit of transducin (T(beta)) was performed. Spots were excised and proteolyzed using modified trypsin. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) was performed on the peptide mixture resulting from each spot. As many as six spots with different pI, ranging from 5.2 to 6.1, were observed when separated using 2-DE. MALDI peptide mass fingerprinting determined with high probability that all of the spots were the same gene product, guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(I)/G(S)/G(T) beta-subunit 1 (GNB1; T(beta1)). This suggested that post-translational modification was responsible for the differences in pI. Phosphorylation experiments showed that at least one T(beta1) spot was phosphorylated in vitro with [gamma-(32)P]ATP by an endogenous kinase. Treatment of T(beta) with alkaline phosphatase caused a large change in the spot pattern of T(beta), suggesting that phosphorylated T(beta) is a substrate for alkaline phosphatase. We conclude that T(beta1) constitutes over 99% of the T(beta) expressed in bovine rod outer segments and displays structural heterogeneity that is due to post-translational modification. We also conclude that some, but not all, of the heterogeneity observed is due to phosphorylation of Tb1.     

A theoretical study of α-substituted isopropyl and cyclopropyl anions

Ab initio molecular orbital theory has been used to probe the effect of the substituent X on the structures, strain energies, stabilization energies, inversion barriers, and proton affinities of carbanions CH₃CX CH and cis-C₃H₄X^?, where X = H, F, CN, and NC. All geometries have been optimized with a 3-21G basis set, and the parent anions (X = H) were also optimized with the same basis set with a diffuse function added (i.e. the 3-21 + G basis set). The anions, with the exception of the α-cyanoisopropyl anion, are pyramidal. The out-of-plane angle, α, for the pyramidal anions decreases in the order F > H ≈ NC > CN, and the barriers to inversion follow the same order with the cyclopropyl anions consistently having higher barriers than the isopropyl anions. The substituents strongly stabilize the anions with the stabilization energy following the order CN > NC > F. The cyano group slightly reduces the strain energy of cyclopropane, but the isocyano and fluoro substituents are weakly and strongly destabilizing, respectively. The pyramidal cyclopropyl anions are less strained than the cyclopropanes except when the substituent is a cyano group where the strain energies are reversed but are very similar. The planar anions all have higher strain energies than the cyclopropanes.     

Revisiting a classic approach to the Aspidosperma alkaloids: an intramolecular Schmidt reaction mediated synthesis of (+)-aspidospermidine

[reaction: see text] A total synthesis of (+)-aspidospermidine (1) is described. The key reactions used in the synthesis of this pentacyclic Aspidosperma alkaloid were a deracemizing imine alkylation/Robinson annulation sequence, a selective "redox ketalization", and an intramolecular Schmidt reaction. A Fischer indolization step carried out on a tricyclic ketone mirrored the sequence reported by Stork and Dolfini in their classic aspidospermine synthesis.     

FTIR study of adsorption and surface reactions of N(CH3)3 on TiO2

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been employed to investigate the N(CH3)3 adsorption, thermal stability, and photochemical reactions on powdered TiO2. N(CH3)3 molecules are adsorbed on TiO2 without dissociation at 35 degrees C and are completely desorbed from the surface at 300 degrees C in a vacuum. The CH3 rocking frequencies of N(CH3)3 on TiO2 are affected via the interaction between N(CH3)3 and TiO2 surface OH groups. In the presence of O2, adsorbed N(CH3)3 decomposes thermally at 230 degrees C and photochemically under UV irradiation. In the latter case with comparative (16)O2 and (18)O2 studies, CO2(g), NCO(a), HCOO(a), and surface species containing C=N or NH(x) functional groups are identified to be the photoreaction products or intermediates. In the presence of (18)O2, the main formate species formed is HC(16)O(18)O(a). As H2O is added to the photoreaction system, a larger percentage of adsorbed N(CH3)3 is consumed. However, in the presence of (18)O2 and H2O, the amount of HC(16)O(18)O(a) becomes relatively small, compared to HC(16)O(16)O(a). A mechanism is invoked to explain these results. Furthermore, based on the comparison of isotopic oxygens in the formate products obtained from CH3O(a) photooxidation in (16)O2 and (18)O2, it is concluded that the N(CH3)3 photooxidation does not generate CH3O(a) in which the oxygen belongs to TiO2.     

Über die «aus dem Ring»-Claisen-Umlagerung von Naphthalinderivaten

When a mixture of (E)- and (Z)-1-propenylnaphth-2-yl-allylether ((E/Z)- 5 ) is heated to 182° only the (E)-isomer rearranges to give the ‘out-of-ring’ product (E/Z)- 16 , (Z)- 5 remains unchanged. At higher temperature (Z)- 5 yields 2-methyl-naphtho[2,1-b]furane ( 15 ) as the main product. The mixture of β-chloro-allyl derivatives (E/Z)- 6 behaves in a similar way. These findings led us to suspect that the ‘out-of-ring’ products 16 and 18 are formed by direct [1, 5s] allyl migration from the starting ethers (E)- 5 and (E)- 6 . Kinetic' measurements made on (E)- and (Z)- 5 and the independently synthesized (E)- and (Z)-1-allyl-1-propenyl-1 H-naphthalen-2-ones ((E)- and (Z)- 17 ) show however, that the ethers (E)- 5 and (E)- 6 undergo a double [3s, 3s] rearrangement (i.e. Claisen followed by Cope rearrangement) and hydrogen migration to yield the ‘out-of-ring’ products (E/Z)- 16 and (E/Z)- 18 (Scheme 9). In the (Z)-series steric factors prevent the intermediate naphthalenones (Z)- 17 and (Z)-19 from undergoing the Cope rearrangement and instead, at higher temperature, cleavage of the allyl group occurs (Scheme 11). The isopropenyl derivative 7 behaves in a similar way (Scheme 5). Rearrangement of (E/Z)-1-propenylnaphth-2-yl benzyl ether ( 8 ) requires a higher temperature (214°). The nature of the products obtained (Scheme 4) makes the occurrence of a direct sigmatropic [1,5s] shift of the benzyl group very unprobable. In the case of (E/Z)-2-propenylnaphth-1-yl allyl ether ( 10 ) both isomers rearrange to yield the ‘out-of-ring’ product 30 and the para-Claisen product 32 (Scheme 7). This experiment also provides evidence against a sigmatropic [1,5s] shift of the allyl group. The same conclusion can be drawn from the thermal behaviour of (E/Z)-2-propenylphenyl allyl ether (11) and 6-t-butyl-2-propenylphenyl allyl ether ( 12 ) where only 11 yields traces of the ‘out-of-ring’ product 35 (Scheme 8). Up to this date there is no evidence whatsoever for the existence of a sigmatropic [1,5s] migration of an allyl group from oxygen to carbon. Thermal rearrangement of (E/Z)-1-propenylnaphth-2-yl propargyl ether ( 9 ) yields only (E/Z)-1-propenyl-benz[e]indan-2-one ( 27 ) (and its secondary product 28 ). The mechanism for this reaction is given in Scheme 12. Treatment of a mixture of (E/Z)- 18 with base yields the (Z)-cyclisation product 2,4-dimethylnaphth[2,1-b]oxepine ( 43 ) (Scheme 13).     

Efficient route to 1,3-Di-N-imidazolylbenzene. A comparison of monodentate vs bidentate carbenes in Pd-catalyzed cross coupling

A new bis(carbene) ligand architecture has been developed and was evaluated in the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of various aryl halides with phenylboronic acid. Several new bis(carbene) ligands were tested in different carbene:Pd ratios. Pd(OAc)(2) and Pd(2)(dba)(3) were compared for efficiency as a Pd source. It was found that the Pd(OAc)(2)/bis(carbene) system formed a catalyst for the activation of chlorobenzene. [reaction: see text]     

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of new progesterone esters as 5alpha-reductase inhibitors

In this study we report the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of four new progesterone derivatives; 17alpha-hydroxy-16beta-methylpregna-4,6-diene-3,20-dione 12, 17alpha-cyclopropylcarbonyloxy-16beta-methylpregna-4,6-diene-3,20-dione 13, 17alpha-cyclobutylcarbonyloxy-16beta-methylpregna-4,6-diene-3,20-dione 14, 17alpha-acetoxy-16beta-methylpregna-4,6-diene-3,20-dione 15 and the pregnatriene compound 17alpha-cyclobutylcarbonyloxy-16beta-methylpregna-1,4,6-triene-3,20-dione 16. The pharmacological effect of these compounds was determined in vivo as well as in vitro. The evaluation in vivo was carried out on gonadectomized male hamsters that were injected subcutaneously daily with testosterone (T) and/or finasteride, or with the novel compounds. At the end of the treatments the animals were sacrificed and the prostates were weighed. It was observed that when testosterone (T) and finasteride or compounds 12-16 were injected together, the weight of the prostate decreased significantly as compared to that of the testosterone-treated animals. The 5alpha-reductase inhibitory activity was evaluated in vitro using human prostate homogenates. These experiments showed the following IC50 values: compound 12 (alcohol at C-17) 1.2 x 10(-6) M, 13 (cyclopropyl substituent at C-17) 7.9 x 10(-10) M, 14 (cyclobutyl substituent) 3.2 x 10(-8) M, 15 (acetoxy substituent) 6.3 x 10(-11) M and 16 (cyclobutyl substituent) 3.9 x 10(-6) M. It is evident from these data that when the size of the substituent at C-17 is decreased, the 5alpha-reductase inhibitory activity increases. Apparently, in this biological model, the 5alpha-reductase inhibitory activity depends upon the steric effect of the substituent at C-17. However, the free alcohol 12 showed much lower 5alpha-reductase inhibitory activity.