Synthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of Fluorophore‐Labeled Oligospiroketal Rods

Fluorescence probes consisting of well‐established fluorophores in combination with rigid molecular rods based on spirane‐type structures were investigated with respect to their fluorescence properties under different solvent conditions. The attachment of the dyes was accomplished by 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition between alkynes and azides (‘click’ reaction) and is a prime example for a novel class of sensor constructs. Especially, the attachment of two (different) fluorophores on opposite sides of the molecular rods paves the way to new sensor systems with less bulky (compared to the conventional DNA‐ or protein‐based concepts), nevertheless rigid spacer constructs, e.g., for FRET‐based sensing applications. A detailed photophysical characterization was performed in MeOH (and in basic H₂O/MeOH mixtures) for i) rod constructs containing carboxyfluorescein, ii) rod constructs containing carboxyrhodamine, iii) rod constructs containing both carboxyfluorescein and carboxyrhodamine, and iv) rod constructs containing both pyrene and perylene parts. For each dye (pair), two rod lengths with different numbers of spirane units were synthesized and investigated. The rod constructs were characterized in ensemble as well as single‐molecule fluorescence experiments with respect to i) specific rod? dye and ii) dye? dye interactions. In addition to MeOH and MeOH/NaOH, the rod constructs were also investigated in micellar systems, which were chosen as a simplified model for membranes.     

A Novel Synthesis of 5-Aryltropoxe Derivatives

The reaction of substituted arylboronic acids with 5-bromo-2-methoxytropone catalyzed by palladium(0) complex furnished 5-arylated tropone derivatives in good yield.     

Three‐Dimensional Architectures Incorporating Stereoregular Donor–Acceptor Stacks

We report the synthesis of two [2]catenane‐containing struts that are composed of a tetracationic cyclophane (TC⁴⁺) encircling a 1,5‐dioxynaphthalene (DNP)‐based crown ether, which bears two terphenylene arms. The TC⁴⁺ rings comprise either 1) two bipyridinium (BIPY²⁺) units or 2) a BIPY²⁺ and a diazapyrenium (DAP²⁺) unit. These degenerate and nondegenerate catenanes were reacted in the presence of Cu(NO₃)₂?2.5 H₂O to yield Cu‐paddlewheel‐based MOF‐1050 and MOF‐1051. The solid‐state structures of these MOFs reveal that the metal clusters serve to join the heptaphenylene struts into grid‐like 2D networks. These 2D sheets are then held together by infinite donor–acceptor stacks involving the [2]catenanes to produce interpenetrated 3D architectures. As a consequence of the planar chirality associated with both the DNP and hydroquinone (HQ) units present in the crown ether, each catenane can exist as four stereoisomers. In the case of the nondegenerate (bistable) catenane, the situation is further complicated by the presence of translational isomers. Upon crystallization, however, only two of the four possible stereoisomers—namely, the enantiomeric RR and SS forms—are observed in the crystals. An additional element of co‐conformational selectivity is present in MOF‐1051 as a consequence of the substitution of one of the BIPY²⁺ units by a DAP²⁺ unit: only the translational isomer in which the DAP²⁺ unit is encircled by the crown ether is observed. The overall topologies of MOF‐1050 and MOF‐1051, and the selective formation of stereoisomers and translational isomers during the kinetically driven crystallization, provide evidence that weak noncovalent bonding interactions play a significant role in the assembly of these extended (super)structures.     

A Convenient Synthesis of Methyl (Z)-1-Carbamoyl-2-ethenylcyclopropanecarboxylate and (Z)-1-Carbamoyl-2-ethenylcyclopropanecarboxylic Acid

A simple method for the preparation of the title compounds via the reaction of dimethyl 2-ethenylcyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylate with 6M ammonia in methanol is described.     

THE ISOMERIZATION OF 3-PHOSPHOLENS IN DEUTERIOCHLOROFORM

Abstract

Cis-1-alkyl (or aryl)-2,5-dimethyl-3-phospholens isomerize to the trans-isomers in deuteriochloroform and the isomerization is probably due to small quantities of phosgene in the solvent.     

Semiglobal simplex optimization and its application to determining the preferred solvation sites of proteins

The classical simplex method is extended into the Semiglobal Simplex (SGS) algorithm. Although SGS does not guarantee finding the global minimum, it affords a much more thorough exploration of the local minima than any traditional minimization method. The basic idea of SGS is to perform a local minimization in each step of the simplex algorithm, and thus, similarly to the Convex Global Underestimator (CGU) method, the search is carried out on a surface spanned by local minima. The SGS and CGU methods are compared by minimizing a set of test functions of increasing complexity, each with a known global minimum and many local minima. Although CGU delivers substantially better success rates in simple problems, the two methods become comparable as the complexity of the problems increases. Because SGS is generally faster than CGU, it is the method of choice for solving optimization problems in which function evaluation is computationally inexpensive and the search region is large. The extreme simplicity of the method is also a factor. The SGS method is applied here to the problem of finding the most preferred (i.e., minimum free energy) solvation sites on a streptavidin monomer. It is shown that the SGS method locates the same lowest free energy positions as an exhaustive multistart Simplex search of the protein surface, with less than one-tenth the number of minizations. The combination of the two methods, i.e.. multistart simplex and SGS, provides a reliable procedure for predicting all potential solvation sites of a protein.     

A perturbed pK(a) at the binding site of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor: implications for nicotine binding

A series of tethered quaternary ammonium derivatives of Tyr have been incorporated into the binding site of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) using the in vivo nonsense suppression method, producing constitutively active (self-gating) receptors. We have incorporated primary, secondary, and tertiary amine tethered agonists to give receptors whose constitutive activity can be modulated by pH. Lowering the pH protonates the tethered amine, giving it a positive charge and allowing it to reversibly activate the receptor. Tertiary and secondary tethered amines, TyrO3T and TyrO3S, have been successfully incorporated at alpha149 in the nAChR. Constitutive currents at pH 5.5 are 6 times those at pH 9.0. The pKa of TyrO3T in the binding site appears to be 6 or lower, differing substantially from its pKa in solution ( approximately 9.3). This local pKa perturbation has substantial implications for pharmacological research on the nAChR: of the tertiary agonists considered, noracetylcholine experiences this pKa perturbation, while nicotine does not.     

The Os/Cu-Al-hydrotalcite catalysed hydroxylation of alkenes

A new Os/Cu-Al-hydrotalcite-like catalyst is described which, with N-methylmorpholine oxide as co-oxidant, heterogeneously catalyses the hydroxylation of olefins to give diols selectively and in high yield.     

High-throughput manual parallel synthesis using SynPhase crowns and lanterns

The high-throughput manual solid-phase parallel synthesis of libraries comprising thousands of discrete samples using pellicular supports (i.e. SynPhase crowns and lanterns) and a suite of novel tools and techniques is described. Key aspects of this approach include the combination of a split-split-split synthesis strategy with spatial encoding to differentiate thousands of crowns, the rapid washing and filtration of up to 48 reaction vessels in parallel, the application of an inexpensive and environmentally friendly technique to remove trifluoroacetic acid from sixteen 96-well plates in parallel, and a high-throughput method for removing cleaved crowns from reusable pin racks. Tens of thousands of discrete samples have been produced in-house using this conceptually and operationally straightforward strategy.     

Platinum and palladium imido and oxo complexes with small natural bite angle diphosphine ligands

Treatment of L(2)MCl(2) (M = Pt, Pd; L(2) = Ph(2)PCMe(2)PPh(2) (dppip), Ph(2)PNMePPh(2) (dppma)) with AgX (X = OTf, BF(4), NO(3)) in wet CH(2)Cl(2) yields the dinuclear dihydroxo complexes [L(2)M(mu-OH)](2)(X)(2), the mononuclear aqua complexes [L(2)M(OH(2))(2)](X)(2), the mononuclear anion complexes L(2)MX(2), or mixtures of complexes. Addition of aromatic amines to these complexes or mixtures gives the dinuclear diamido complexes [L(2)Pt(mu-NHAr)](2)(BF(4))(2), the mononuclear amine complexes [L(2)M(NH(2)Ar)(2)](X)(2), or the dinuclear amido-hydroxo complex [Pt(2)(mu-OH)(mu-NHAr)(dppip)(2)](BF(4))(2). Deprotonation of the Pd and Pt amine or diamido complexes with M'N(SiMe(3))(2) (M' = Li, Na, K) gives the diimido complexes [L(2)M(mu-NAr)](2) associated with M' salts. Structural studies of the Li derivatives indicate association through coordination of the imido nitrogen atoms to Li(+). Deprotonation of the amido-hydroxo complex gives the imido-oxo complex [Pt(2)(mu-O)(mu-NAr)(dppip)(2)].LiBF(4).LiN(SiMe(3))(2), and deprotonation of the dppip Pt hydroxo complex gives the dioxo complex [Pt(mu-O)(dppip)](2).LiN(SiMe(3))(2).2LiBF(4).