Detection of homocysteine and cysteine

At elevated levels, homocysteine (Hcy, 1) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, neural tube defects, and osteoporosis. Both 1 and cysteine (Cys, 3) are linked to neurotoxicity. The biochemical mechanisms by which 1 and 3 are involved in disease states are relatively unclear. Herein, we describe simple methods for detecting either Hcy or Cys in the visible spectral region with the highest selectivity reported to date without using biochemical techniques or preparative separations. Simple methods and readily available reagents allow for the detection of Cys and Hcy in the range of their physiologically relevant levels. New HPLC postcolumn detection methods for biological thiols are reported. The potential biomedical relevance of the chemical mechanisms involved in the detection of 1 is described.     

Solvent effects on optically detected magnetic resonance in triplet spin labels

We have calculated solvent effects on the zero-field splitting (ZFS) constants induced by electron spin–spin coupling (SSC) in the low-lying triplet states of azaaromatic molecules in solutions using multiconfiguration self-consistent-field wave functions and the polarizable continuum model. The second-order spin–orbit coupling (SOC) contribution to the splitting of the ^3* states is found to be almost negligible, and the calculations therefore provide a good estimate of the ZFS parameters and their solvent dependence based only on the electron spin–spin coupling expectation values. The correlation between the shift in the ZFS and the phosphorescence frequency that has been observed in optically detected magnetic resonance experiments in low-temperature glasses is supported by our direct SSC calculations without taking SOC into account. This makes it possible to distinguish between the two theories that earlier were proposed to explain the inhomogeneous broadening of triplet state spectra, and discard the one that is exclusively based on the SOC-induced mixing of the singlet and triplet states.Contribution to the Jacopo Tomasi Honorary IssueAcknowledgments. This work was supported (B. M.) by the Swedish Royal Academy of Science (KVA). This work was also supported by the Norwegian Research Council through a grant of computer time from the Program for Supercomputing. We are grateful to B. Schimmelpfenning for his valuable assistance in the computations.     

Pontryagin’s maximum principle for dynamic systems on time scales

In this work, an analogue of Pontryagin’s maximum principle for dynamic equations on time scales is given, combining the continuous and the discrete Pontryagin maximum principles and extending them to other cases ‘in between’. We generalize known results to the case when a certain set of admissible values of the control is not necessarily closed (but convex) and the attainable set is not necessarily convex. At the same time, we impose an additional condition on the graininess of the time scale. For linear systems, sufficient conditions in the form of the maximum principle are obtained.     

Chiral Catalysts for Pd0-Catalyzed Enantioselective C−H Activation

In the past few decades, processes that involve transition-metal catalysis have represented a major part of the synthetic chemist′s toolbox. Recently, the interest has shifted from the well-established cross-coupling reactions to C−H bond functionalization, thus making it a current frontier of transition-metal-catalyzed reactions. Constant progress in this field has led to the discovery of enantioselective methods to generate and control various types of stereogenic elements, thereby demonstrating its high value to generate scalemic chiral molecules. The present review is dedicated to enantioselective Pd⁰-catalyzed C−H activation, which may be considered as an evolution of Pd⁰-catalyzed cross-couplings, with a focus on the different chiral ligands and catalysts that enable these transformations.     

Synthesis of substituted 4-oxo-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinazolines and 4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazoline-2-thioles

We have developed a liquid-phase synthesis of combinatorial libraries of new disubstituted 4-oxo-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinazolines and trisubstituted 4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazoline-2-thioles. The former were prepared using two general procedures: (i) cyclization of substituted methyl anthranilates with isothiocyanates, or (ii) cyclization of substituted 2-(methylcarboxy)benzeneisothiocyanates with primary amines or hydrazines. 4-Oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazoline-2-thioles were prepared by S-alkylation of disubstituted 4-oxo-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinazolines with alkyl or aryl halides. The hydrolysis of methyl benzimidazo[1,2-c]quinazoline-6(5H)-thione-3-carboxylate led to the corresponding acid. This acid was utilized in the synthesis of new benzimidazo[1,2-c]quinazoline-6(5H)-thione-3-carboxamide and S-substituted 6-mecaptobenzimidazo[1,2-c]quinazoline-3-carboxamide libraries.     

Squeezing,Then Stacking: From Breathing Pores to Three‐Dimensional Ionic Self‐Assembly under Electrochemical Control

We demonstrate the spontaneous and reversible transition between the two‐ and three‐dimensional self‐assembly of a supramolecular system at the solid–liquid interface under electrochemical conditions, using in situ scanning tunneling microscopy. By tuning the interfacial potential, we can selectively organize our target molecules in an open porous pattern, fill these pores to form an auto‐host–guest structure, or stack the building blocks in a stratified bilayer. Using a simple electrostatic model, we rationalize which charge density is required to enable bilayer formation, and conversely, which molecular size/charge ratio is necessary in the design of new building blocks. Our results may lead to a new class of electrochemically controlled dynamic host–guest systems, artificial receptors, and smart materials.     

Recent advances in (hetero)cyclizations of N-vinylazoles (microreview)

Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds - Recent advances in chemistry of N-vinylazoles are surveyed in this microreview, including results published in the last decade. In particular, reactions...