Metal Nanoparticles on Stainless Steel Surfaces as Novel Heterogeneous Catalysts

The goal of this work was the development of a novel type of heterogeneous catalyst, consisting of bare metal nanoparticles on stainless steel foils, which can be shaped to any kind of architecture and, if necessary, heated electrically. Solutions of pre-prepared, ligand protected and monodispersed gold, palladium, platinum and rhodium nanoparticles were sprayed onto stainless steel foils, followed by the careful removal of the ligand molecules by an oxygen plasma treatment. Due to this, bare particles become irreversibly fixed on the steel support. It could be shown that the original particle sizes do not change during the plasma treatment. Foils, densely coated with the nanoparticles, were used for gas phase catalyses in a self-made reactor at room temperature or at 60 °C. Hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene at 15 nm Pd and 2 nm Pt, CO oxidation at 16 nm, 8 nm and 1.4 nm gold and NO reduction with NH₃ at 2 nm Rh particles were performed, indicating that the novel catalysts might in principle be applicable in technical processes if the experimental conditions like form and temperature would be optimized. Dedicated to Professor Dieter Fenske on the occassion of his 65th birthday.     

The separation of hypericin's enantiomers and their photophysics in chiral environments

We report the first separation of the enantiomers of hypericin. Their steady-state optical spectra and ultrafast primary photoprocesses are investigated in chiral environments. Within experimental error, there is no difference between the two enantiomers in any of the systems considered. This is consistent with the emerging picture that the rich and extended absorption spectrum of hypericin is not a result of ground-state heterogeneity. It is also consistent with the observation that the spectra and photophysics of hypericin are generally insensitive to environments in which it does not aggregate.     

3-(Dimethylamino)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirin als α-Aminoisobuttersäure(Aib)-Äquivalent: Cyclische Depsipeptide durch direkte Amid-Cyclisierung

3-(Dimethylamino)-2,2-dimethyl-2H,-azirine as an α-Aminoisobutyric-Acid (Aib) Equivalent: Cyclic Depsipeptides via Direct Amid Cyclization In MeCN at room temperature, 3-(dimethylamino)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirine ( 1 ) and α-hydroxycarboxylic acids react to give diamides of type 8 (Scheme 3). Selective cleavage of the terminal N,N-dimethylcarboxamide group in MeCN/H₂O leads to the corresponding carboxylic acids 13 (Scheme 4). In toluene/Ph SH , phenyl thioesters of type 11 are formed (see also Scheme 5). Starting with diamides 8 , the formation of morpholin-2,5- diones 10 has been achieved either by direct amide cyclization via intermediate 1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-ones 9 or via base-catalyzed cyclization of the phenyl thioesters 11 (Scheme 3). Reaction of carboxylic acids with 1 , followed by selective amide hydrolysis, has been used for the construction of peptides from α-hydroxy carboxylic acids and repetitive α-aminoisobutyric-acid (Aib) units (Scheme 4). Cyclization of 14a, 17a , and 20a with HCI in toluene at 100° gave the 9-, 12-, and 15-membered cyclic depsipeptides 15, 18 , and 21 , respectively.     

A reinvestigation of asymmetric induction in diels-alder reactions to chiral acrylates.

The chiral induction in the Diels-Alder addition $\text{1}$ → $\text{2}$, assessed reliably by ¹⁹F-NMR-spectroscopy of the endo-esters $\text{4}$, varied between 47 - 93% in favor of the 2-(R)-adducts $\text{2}$ depending on the auxiliary chiral group and the Lewis-acid catalyst.     

1,6-dithia-spiro[4.4]nonadiene aus 2-thiazolin-5-thionen

4,4-Dimethyl-2-phenyl-2-thiazolin-5-thione ($\text{4}$) reacts with 2,3-diphenylcyclopropenone ($\text{2a}$) at 145°C and with benzonitrilio-2-propanide ($\text{6}$) at room temperature to yield the 1,6-dithia-spiro[4.4]nonadienes $\text{5}$ and $\text{7}$, respectively.     

Hexaruthenium carbonyl cluster complexes with basal edge-bridged square pyramidal metallic skeleton: efficient synthesis of 2-imidopyridine derivatives and determination of their reactive sites in carbonyl substitution reactions

The reactions of [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] with half equivalent of 2-amino-6-methylpyridine (H(2)ampy) or 2-aminopyridine (H(2)apy) in refluxing xylene give the hexanuclear products [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-L)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(14)] (L = ampy, 1; apy, 2). These reactions represent the first high-yield syntheses of hexanuclear complexes with a basal edge-bridged square pyramidal metallic skeleton. Five metal atoms of these complexes are bridged by the N-donor ligand in such a way that the edge-bridging metal atom is attached to the pyridine nitrogen, while the basal atoms of the square pyramid are capped by an imido fragment that arises from the activation of both N-H bonds of the NH(2) group. The reactive sites of these complexes in CO substitution reactions have been determined by studying the reactivity of 1 with triphenylphosphine. Two kinetically controlled monosubstitutions take place on the edge-bridging metal atom in positions cis to the pyridine nitrogen, leading to a mixture of two isomers of formula [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-ampy)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(13)(PPh(3))] (3 and 4). On heating at 80 degrees C, these monosubstituted isomers are transformed, via a dissociative pathway, into the product of thermodynamic control (5), which has the PPh(3) ligand on the apical Ru atom. The di- and trisubstituted derivatives [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-ampy)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(12)(PPh(3))(2)] (6) and [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-ampy)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(11)(PPh(3))(3)] (7) are stepwise formed from 3-5 and PPh(3). Compound 6 has the PPh(3) ligands on the edge-bridging and apical Ru atoms, and compound 7 has an additional PPh(3) ligand on an unbridged basal Ru atom. The compound [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-ampy)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(12)(mu-dppm)] (8), in which a basal and the apical Ru atoms are spanned by the dppm ligand, has been isolated from the reaction of 1 with bis(diphenylphosphino)methane.     

A novel synthetic route to 2-alkylpropane-1,3-sultones and its application to the synthesis of 2-alkyl derivatives of tramiprosate

A practical synthetic route to various 2-alkylpropane-1,3-sultones, the key intermediates for the preparation of 2-substituted homotaurines as analogs of tramiprosate, was developed.     

Carnitine in Pregnancy

Summary. By the 12^th week of gestation, mean whole blood and plasma carnitine levels are already significantly (p<0.01) lower than those of controls, with a further significant (p<0.01) decrease up to parturition. Diminished carnitine levels may cause a downregulation of carnitine palmitoyltransferase1 (CPT1), both the liver isoform (CPT1A) and muscle isoform (CPT1B), carnitine palmitoyltransferase2 (CPT2), and carnitine acetyltransferase (CRAT) in white blood cells of pregnant women, as determined by real time PCR using the LightCyclerSYBR Green technology.L-Carnitine-L-tartrate supplementation of 2 g/d resulted in an up to 10-fold increase of the relative mRNA abundances of CPT1B, CPT2, and OCTN2 and a 5-fold increase of CPT1A, and CRAT.There is a relationship between the relative mRNA levels of CPT1A and CPT1B and the FFA plasma levels. The substitution of 2 g L-carnitine-L-tartrate/d resulted in significant (p<0.001) lower FFA levels compared to untreated controls and the groups substituted with 0.5 and 1 g L-carnitine/d although plasma carnitine levels were not significantly increased. The most substantial effect was the reduced portion of acylcarnitines on total carnitine in those women receiving 2 g L-carnitine-L-tartrate.Carnitine substitution resulted in an enhanced excretion of both, free carnitine and acylcarnitines, whereas acetylcarnitine accounts for 50–65% of total acylcarnitines.The results of the present study provide evidence that L-carnitine supplementation in pregnancy in sufficient doses avoids a striking increase of plasma FFAs, which are thought to be the main cause of insulin resistance and consequently gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).     

Time-resolved intraband electronic relaxation dynamics of Hg(n) (-) clusters (n=7-13,15,18) excited at 1.0 eV

Time-resolved photoelectron imaging has been used to study the relaxation dynamics of small Hg(n) (-) clusters (n=7-13,15,18) following intraband electronic excitation at 1250 nm (1.0 eV). This study furthers our previous investigation of single electron, intraband relaxation dynamics in Hg(n) (-) clusters at 790 nm by exploring the dynamics of smaller clusters (n=7-10), as well as those of larger clusters (n=11-13,15,18) at a lower excitation energy. We measure relaxation time scales of 2-9 ps, two to three times faster than seen previously after 790 nm excitation of Hg(n) (-), n=11-18. These results, along with size-dependent trends in the absorption cross-section and photoelectron angular distribution anisotropy, suggest significant evolution of the cluster anion electronic structure in the size range studied here. Furthermore, the smallest clusters studied here exhibit 35-45 cm(-1) oscillations in pump-probe signal at earliest temporal delays that are interpreted as early coherent nuclear motion on the excited potential energy surfaces of these clusters. Evidence for evaporation of one or two Hg atoms is seen on a time scale of tens of picoseconds.