Modulation of the Lifetime of Water Bound to Lanthanide Metal Ions in Complexes with Ligands Derived from 1,4,7,10‐Tetraazacyclododecane Tetraacetate (DOTA)

A series of di‐ and tetraamide derivatives of DOTA were synthesized, and their lanthanide(III) complexes were examined by multinuclear ¹H‐, ¹³C‐, and ¹⁷O‐NMR spectroscopy, and compared with literature data of similar, known complexes (Table). All ligands formed structures similar to the parent [Ln^III(DOTA)]^? complexes, with four N‐atoms and four O‐atoms from DOTA and one O‐atom from the inner‐sphere water molecules. Interestingly, the lifetimes τ_M of the inner‐sphere, metal‐bound water molecules vary widely, ranging from nano‐ to milliseconds, depending on the identity of the pendent amide side chains. In general, positively charged [Ln^III(DOTA‐tetraamide)]³⁺ complexes display the longest residence times (high τ_M values), while complexes with additional charged functional groups on the extended amides display much smaller τ_M values, even when the side groups are not directly coordinated to the central Ln³⁺ ions. The design of novel [Ln^III(DOTA‐tetraamide)]³⁺ complexes with a wide, tunable range of τ_M values is of prime importance for the application of fast‐responding, paramagnetic chemical‐exchange‐saturation‐transfer (PARACEST) imaging agents used for the study of physiological and metabolic processes.     

Design criteria for molecular mimics of fragments of the β-turn. 1. Cα atom analysis

Peptides represent an extensive class of biologically active molecules. They may be used as leads in the development of novel therapeutic agents provided the pharmacophoric information present within them can be translated into non-peptide analogs that lack the peptide backbone and are stable to proteolysis. This is the rationale for peptidomimetic drug design. Frequently, the -turn has been implicated as a conformation important for biological recognition of peptides. Empirical evidence from known peptidomimetics, coupled with a theoretical model of peptide binding and the observation that glycine and proline residues are common within the -turn, has suggested the design of molecules to mimic placement of between two and four of the side-chains. The moderate number of different -turn conformations, combined with the combinatoric nature of side-chain selection complicates the procedure. In this paper, cluster analysis has been used to classify the arrangement of C_{_} atoms about the various fragments of the -turn. Recombination of the observed patterns provides a general model for the -turn which may be used as an effective screen for potential peptidomimetic scaffolds in chemical databases.     

Synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ones with aliphatic groups at N-3

A series of 3-substituted-5-methoxy-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ones were prepared from aldehydes, ketones, phenylacetic acids, and 1,2- and 1,3-diketones. Conditions for the formation of these oxadiazolones from the precursor N-carbamoyl chlorides depended on the structure, and varied from spontaneous ring closure to those requiring bases. Variation in the N-3 substituents sometimes produced mixtures of isomers which were separated and identified. These molecules were prepared in order to study the effect of the N-3 substituent variation on the biological properties of oxadiazolones.     

The solid state structure of arene-mercury(II) complexes from magic-angle spinning carbon-13 NMR and the solution carbon-13 NMR of some complexes of mercury(II) with arenes having bulky aliphatic substituents

The cross-polarization magic angle spinning ¹³C NMR spectra of Hg(SbF₆)₂ - 2 Arene (Arene = C₆HMe₅, 1,2,4,5-C₆H₂Me₄, 1,2,3,4-C₆H₂Me₄, or C₆H₆) have been measured. The spectra of the complexes of C₆HMe₅ and 1,2,4,5-C₆H₂Me₄ are consistent with static η¹-bonding of the mercury to the arene at an unsubstituted carbon atom, while the spectra of the 1,2,3,4-C₆H₂Me₄ and C₆H₆ complexes show the arene to have time-averaged C_s or C₂, and C₆ symmetry respectively, at the temperature of measurement (300 K).The reduced temperature ¹³C NMR spectra of Hg(Arene)_n²⁺ (n = 1 or 2; Arene = 1,3,5-C₆H₃R₃ (R = Me, i-Pr, or t-Bu)) in SO₂ solution are also reported and affirm that in these intramolecularly mobile species the mercury bonds in an η¹-manner, with unsubstituted aryl carbon atoms being the strongly preferred point of mercury attachment. This site preference is further demonstrated by the solution ¹³C NMR spectra of Hg(Arene)_n²⁺ (Arene = 1,2,3,4-C₆H₂-Me₄, n = 1 or 2; Arene = 1,4-C₆H₄R₂, R = Me or t-Bu, n = 1). The spectra of the 1,4-C₆H₄R₂ complexes and Hg(p-C₆H₄-t-BuMe)²⁺ provide clear evidence for steric influence of the binding site.Like Hg(C₆Me₆)₂²⁺, but unlike most of the complexes of substituted benzenes which have been studied, Hg(1,3,5-C₆H₃-i-Pr₃)₂²⁺ exchanges only slowly with excess free ligand.     

Total synthesis of dysiherbaine

A convergent total synthesis of the marine natural product dysiherbaine was accomplished. The key steps of the synthesis are an alkylation at the gamma-carbon of a protected glutamate with a highly substituted pyran derived from mannose, which was followed by a ring-contraction cascade reaction, which simultaneously gave the tetrasubstituted carbon and the hexahydrofuro[3,2-b]pyran ring system of the natural product.     

Efforts to expand the genetic alphabet: identification of a replicable unnatural DNA self-pair

Six unnatural nucleotides featuring fluorine-substituted phenyl nucleobase analogues have been synthesized, incorporated into DNA, and characterized in terms of the structure and replication properties of the self-pairs they form. Each unnatural self-pair is accommodated in B-form DNA without detectable structural perturbation, and all are thermally stable and selective to roughly the same degree. Furthermore, the efficiency of polymerase-mediated mispair synthesis is similar for each unnatural nucleotide in the template. In contrast, the efficiency of polymerase-mediated self-pair extension is highly dependent on the specific fluorine substitution pattern. The most promising unnatural base pair candidate of this series is the 3-fluorobenzene self-pair, which is replicated with reasonable efficiency and selectivity.     

New cytotoxic bufadienolides from the biotransformation of resibufogenin by Mucor polymorphosporus

Resibufogenin is a cytotoxic steroid isolated from the Chinese drug ChanSu. The biotransformation of resibufogenin by Mucor polymorphosporus afforded 22 products, and 15 of them were new. The transformation reactions involved hydroxylations at C-1β, C-5, C-7α, C-7β, C-12α, C-12β and C-16α, as well as epimerization or dehydrogenation of 3-OH. Hydroxylations at C-12α, C-12β and C-16α were the major reactions, each giving products in >5% yields, whereas the other products were obtained in fairly low yields. Some of the products showed decreased but still potent cytotoxicities. This investigation provided a useful approach to prepare new bufadienolides and most of them were difficult to obtain by chemical means.     

The direct photo-oxidative decarboxylation of α-oxo-carboxylic acids

α-Oxo-carboxylic acids undergo photo-oxidative decarboxylation from both C-1 and C-2 positions, and reaction does not involve singlet oxygen: a mechanism involving an electron transfer reaction is postulated.     

Redetermination of the lanthanum iron sulfide La52Fe12S90

A redetermination of the structure of `La_32.66Fe₁₁S₆₀' in the trigonal space group Rm led to the new formula La₅₂Fe₁₂S₉₀ and to a redefinition of the structure type. In the structure, the Fe²⁺ cations occur in Fe₂S₉ dimers of face‐sharing octa­hedra (with 3m symmetry). The dimers are linked by face‐ and vertex‐sharing bi‐ and tricapped LaS₆ trigonal prisms (with m symmetry) to form a three‐dimensional network containing two types of cubocta­hedral cavities. The larger cavities remain empty, while the smaller ones accommodate alternative sites for disordered La³⁺ cations.