Salts of methylated 5-aminotetrazoles with energetic anions

1-methyl-5-aminotetrazole (4, MAT) can easily be protonated by strong acids, yielding known but largely uninvestigated 1-methyl-5-aminotetrazolium nitrate (4a) and perchlorate (4b). Methylation, rather than protonation, of 4 with iodomethane followed by the exchange of the iodide (5a) for nitrate (5b), perchlorate (5c), azide (5d), and dinitramide (5e) yields a new family of energetic methylated aminotetrazole salts. In all cases, stable salts were obtained and fully characterized by vibrational (IR, Raman) spectroscopy, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and X-ray structure determination. Compounds 4a, 4b, and 5c crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n, whereas compounds 5b and 5e crystallize in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and 5d in the orthorhombic Fddd. Initial safety testing (impact, friction, and electrostatic sensitivity) and thermal stability measurements (DSC) were also carried out. The MAT salts all exhibit good thermal stabilities (decomposition above 150 degrees C). The constant volume energies of combustion (DeltacU) of 4a, 5b, 5d, and 5e were determined to be -2510(10) cal/g, -3190(30) cal/g, -4500(100) cal/g, and -2570(70) cal/g, respectively, experimentally using oxygen bomb calorimetry. From the experimentally determined density, chemical composition and energies of formation (back calculated from the heats of combustion), the detonation pressures and velocities of 4a (8100 m/s, 25.6 GPa), 5b (7500 m/s, 20.2 GPa), 5d (8200 m/s, 21.7 GPa), and 5e (7500 m/s, 21.2 GPa) were predicted using the EXPLO5 code.     

Efficient preparation of N-phenylsulfenyl ketimines from oximes or nitro compounds without racemization of alpha-stereocenters

As N-sulfenyl imines (e.g., RR'C=N-SAr) can be readily transformed to their N-sulfinyl imines (RR'C=N-SOAr), N-sulfonyl imines (RR'C=N-SO2Ar), and N-sulfonyl oxaziridines, the very mild procedure developed to convert ketoximes and secondary nitro derivatives to N-arenesulfenyl ketimines constitutes a new and efficient route to all these series of compounds. The configuration of the alpha-stereocenters is retained.     

Combined theoretical and experimental analysis of the bonding in the heterobimetallic cubane-type Mo(3)NiS(4) and Mo(3)CuS(4) core clusters

X-ray structural data for the cubane-type clusters [Mo3CuS4(dmpe)3Cl4](+) and Mo3NiS4(dmpe)3Cl4 (dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane) with 16 metal electrons have been compared with optimized structural parameters calculated using "ab initio" methodologies. Compound Mo3NiS4(dmpe)3Cl4 crystallizes in the cubic noncentrosymmetric space group P213 with a Mo-Ni distance of 2.647 Angstrom, that is 0.2 Angstrom shorter than the Mo-Cu bond length in the isoelectronic copper cluster. The best agreement between theory and experiments has been obtained using the B3P86 method. In order to validate the B3P86 results, accurate infrared and Raman spectra have been acquired and the vibrational modes associated to the cubane-type Mo3M'S4 (M' = Cu or Ni) unit have been assigned theoretically. The electronic changes taking place when incorporating the M' into the Mo3S4 unit have been analyzed from a theoretical and experimental perspective. The bond dissociation energies between M'-Cl and Mo3S4 fragments show that formation of [Mo3CuS4(dmpe)3Cl4](+) is 135 kcal/mol energetically less favorable than the Ni incorporation. The more robust nature of the Mo3NiS4 fragment has been confirmed by mass spectrometry. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of the trimetallic and tetrametallic complexes have been measured and the obtained binding energies compared with the computed electronic populations based on topological approaches of the electron localization function (ELF). The energies and shapes of the Cu 2p and Ni 2p lines indicate formal oxidation states of Cu(I) and Ni(II). However, the reductive addition of nickel into [Mo3S4(dmpe)3Cl3](+) causes a small decrease in the Mo 3d binding energies. This fact prevents an unambiguous assignment of an oxidation state in a conventional way, a circumstance that has been analyzed through the covariance of the electronic populations associated to the C(M') core and V(Mo3Ni) and V(S(2)') valence basins where Mo3NiS4 is a particularly electronically delocalized chemical entity.     

Electron and ion reactions with hexamethyldisiloxane and pentamethyldisiloxane

The dissociative recombination of electrons with the hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) cation ((CH(3))(3)Si-O-Si(CH(3))(3))(+) and the pentamethyldisiloxane cation ((CH(3))(3)Si-O-Si(CH(2))(2))(+) as well as the ion-molecule reaction between Ar(+) and HMDSO have been studied at 300 K using a flowing afterglow Langmuir probe-mass spectrometer apparatus. The rate constants for these reactions, measured directly for the first time, are, respectively, alpha(1)=1.8 x 10(-6), alpha(2)=3.6 x 10(-6) cm(3)s, and k=2.0 x 10(-9) cm(3)s with uncertainties of +/-30%. In addition, the electronic attachment to neutral HMDSO was also studied and an upper limit value of the rate constant was determined to be beta=3.3 x 10(-11) cm(3)s.     

Methoxycarbonylation of olefins catalyzed by palladium complexes bearing P,N-donor ligands

The methoxycarbonylation of alkenes catalyzed by palladium(II) complexes with P,N-donor ligands, 2-(diphenylphosphinoamino)pyridine (Ph2PNHpy), 2-[(diphenylphosphino)methyl]pyridine (Ph2PCH2py), and 2-(diphenylphosphino)quinoline (Ph2Pqn) has been investigated. The results show that the complex [PdCl(PPh3)(Ph2PNHpy)]Cl or an equimolar mixture of [PdCl2(Ph2PNHpy)] and PPh3, in the presence of p-toluensulfonic acid (TsOH), is an efficient catalyst for this reaction. This catalytic system promotes the conversion of styrene into methyl 2-phenylpropanoate and methyl 3-phenylpropanoate with nearly complete chemoselectivity, 98% regioselectivity in the branched isomer, and high turnover frequency, even at alkene/Pd molar ratios of 1000. Best results were obtained in toluene-MeOH (3 : 1) solvent. The Pd/Ph2PNHpy catalyst is also efficient in the methoxycarbonylation of cyclohexene and 1-hexene, although with lower rates than with styrene. Related palladium complexes [PdCl(PPh3)L]Cl (L = Ph2PCH2py and Ph2Pqn) show lower activity in the methoxycarbonylation of styrene than that of the 2-(diphenylphosphinoamino)pyridine ligand. Replacement of the last ligand by (diphenylphosphino)phenylamine (Ph2PNHPh) or 2-(diphenylphosphinoaminomethyl)pyridine (Ph2PNMepy) also reduces significantly the activity of the catalyst, indicating that both the presence of the pyridine fragment as well as the NH group, are required to achieve a high performing catalyst. Isotopic labeling experiments using MeOD are consistent with a hydride mechanism for the [PdCl(PPh3)(Ph2PNHpy)]Cl catalyst.     

Towards a molecular scale interpretation of excitation energy transfer in solvated bichromophoric systems. II. The through-bond contribution

In this paper we present a quantum-mechanical investigation on the mechanisms which promote intramolecular EET coupling. This investigation is done by using a new computational strategy in which we combine a configuration-interaction and a linear response approach. The combined use of these two methods allows a direct identification and a quantification of both "direct" (coulomb and exchange) and through-bond (superexchange and charge-transfer) contributions. In addition, solvent effects are introduced using the polarizable continuum model. The method is applied to a family of naphthalene-bridge-naphthalene and naphthalene-bridge-anthracene systems, and the results obtained are compared with experiments. The results found suggest that the through-bond charge-transfer effects are not significant when the EET goes through permitted excitations on distant chromophores (see DN4 and DN6) while they become as important as (or even more important than) the covalent terms for EETs involving weakly allowed excitations (see A6N). By contrast, the presence of a very short bridge (in DN2) allows a very efficient delocalization of the excitation energy which is also largely modified by the presence of a solvent.     

Efficient three-step sequence for the deamination of α-aminoesters. Application to the synthesis of CysLT1 antagonists

A practical and efficient three-step sequence for the deamination of α-aminoesters is reported. This method is based on the NaBH₄-mediated selective reduction of α-diazoesters to α-hydrazonoesters and has been successfully applied to the deamination of several representative α-aminoesters including some l-cysteine ethyl ester derivatives, key intermediates in the synthesis of a series of CysLT1 antagonists.     

Local Łojasiewicz exponents,Milnor numbers and mixed multiplicities of ideals

Let be a finite analytic map. We give an expression for the local Łojasiewicz exponent and for the multiplicity of g when the component functions of g satisfy certain condition with respect to a set of n monomial ideals I ₁,..., I _n . We give an effective method to compute Łojasiewicz exponents based on the computation of mixed multiplicities. As a consequence of our study, we give a numerical characterization of a class of functions that includes semi-weighted homogenous functions and Newton non-degenerate functions. Work supported by DGICYT Grant MTM2006-06027.     

Multi-pumping flow system for the determination of dissolved orthophosphate and dissolved organic phosphorus in wastewater samples

A multi-pumping flow system (MPFS) for the spectrophotometric determination of dissolved orthophosphate and dissolved organic phosphorus in wastewater samples is proposed. The determination of orthophosphate is based on the vanadomolybdate method. In-line ultraviolet photo-oxidation is employed to mineralise organic phosphorus to orthophosphate prior to detection. A solenoid valve allows the deviation of the flow towards the UV-lamp to carry out the determination of organic phosphorus.Calibration was found to be linear up to 20 mg P L⁻¹, with a detection limit (3s_b/S) of 0.08 mg P L⁻¹, an injection throughput of 75 injections h⁻¹ and a repeatability (R.S.D.) of 0.6% for the direct determination of orthophosphate. On the other hand, calibration graphs were linear up to 40 mg P L⁻¹, with a detection limit (3s_b/S) of 0.5 mg P L⁻¹, an injection throughput of 11 injections h⁻¹ and a repeatability (R.S.D.) inferior to 2.3% for the procedures involving UV photo-oxidation.