Enantioselective approaches to potential MetAP-2 reversible inhibitors

[reaction: see text] Enantioselective deprotonation of 4-substituted cyclohexanones and highly stereoselective conjugate addition of higher order mixed cuprates were the key steps in a concise synthesis of fumagalone-related molecules. The origin of the (low) biological activity of the new compounds as compared to fumagalone is briefly discussed.     

Aquatic degradation of triclosan and formation of toxic chlorophenols in presence of low concentrations of free chlorine

The degradation of 2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-5-chlorophenol (triclosan) in chlorinated water samples was investigated. Sensitive determination of the parent compound and its transformation products was achieved by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection after sample concentration, using a solid-phase extraction sorbent and silylation of the target compounds. Experiments were accomplished using ultrapure water spiked with chlorine and triclosan concentrations in the low mg/l and ng/ml ranges respectively. Chlorination of the phenolic ring and cleavage of the ether bond were identified as the main triclosan degradation pathways. Both processes led to the production of two tetra- and a penta-chlorinated hydroxylated diphenyl ether, as well as 2,4-dichlorophenol. The formation of 2,3,4-trichlorophenol was not detected in any experiment; however, significant amounts of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol were noticed. All of these five compounds were also identified when triclosan was added to tap-water samples with free chlorine concentrations below 1 mg/l. Minor amounts of three di-hydroxylated phenols, containing from one to three atoms of chlorine in their structures, were also identified as unstable triclosan chlorination by-products. The analysis of several raw wastewater samples showed the co-existence of important concentrations of triclosan and its most stable by-products (2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol), reinforcing the potential occurrence of the described transformations when products containing triclosan are mixed with chlorinated tap water.     

Acid-promoted reactions of ethyl linoleate with nitrite ions: formation and structural characterization of isomeric nitroalkene, nitrohydroxy, and novel 3-nitro-1,5-hexadiene and 1,5-dinitro-1, 3-pentadiene products

The reaction of ethyl linoleate (1) with NO(2)(-) in different air-equilibrated acidic media resulted in the formation of complex patterns of products, some of which could be isolated by repeated TLC fractionation and were formulated as the nitroalkenes 2-5, the novel (1E, 5Z)-3-nitro-1,5-hexadienes 6/7, the novel (E,E)-1, 5-dinitro-1,3-pentadiene derivatives 8 and 9, and the nitro alcohols 10/11 and 12/13 by extensive GC-MS and 2D NMR analysis, as aided by 1D Hartmann-Hahn proton mapping experiments. Similar reaction of methyl oleate gave mainly nitroalkene (14/15) and allylic nitro derivatives (16/17). Formation of 2-13 may be envisaged in terms of HNO(2)-mediated nitration pathways in which regioisomeric beta-nitroalkyl radical intermediates derived from attack of NO(2) to the 1,4-pentadiene moiety of 1 evolve through competitive H-atom abstraction and free radical combination routes.     

Single molecule spectroscopy as a probe for dye-polymer interactions

Experimental (Single Molecule Spectroscopy) and theoretical (quantum-chemical calculations and Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations) techniques are combined to investigate the behavior and dynamics of a polymer-dye molecule system. It is shown that the dye molecule of interest (1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindo-dicarbocyanine) adopts two classes of conformations, namely planar and nonplanar ones, when embedded in a poly(styrene) matrix. From an in-depth analysis of the fluorescence lifetime trajectories, the planar conformers can be further classified according to the way their alkyl side chains interact with the surrounding poly(styrene) chains.     

Capillary electrophoresis determinative and GC-MS confirmatory method for water-soluble organic acids in airborne particulate matter and vehicle emission

Urban fine airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) and vehicle emission samples were studied for water-soluble low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids using CE with indirect UV detection. Further identification of these acids was achieved using GC-MS as their butyl esters (after derivatization with BF3/butanol). Several dicarboxylic acids in the range C2-C10 including straight-chain, branched-chain, cis- and trans-unsaturated, and aromatic acids were confirmed by GC-MS. In addition, aromatic acids such as benzoate, phthalate, terephthalate, isophthalate, and 4-methylphtalate were present in such samples, but some of these were not well resolved by the used CE method. Oxocarboxylic acids (Cn(w) with n > 4) were also identified by GC-MS but not determined by CE due to lack of standards. The rapidity and simplicity of the CE method were clearly demonstrated, and the method was observed to be advantageous for routine monitoring of water-soluble organic acids in airborne PM2.5 and vehicle emission at low microg/L levels.     

Dissociative recombination cross section and branching ratios of protonated dimethyl disulfide and N-methylacetamide

Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and N-methylacetamide are two first choice model systems that represent the disulfide bridge bonding and the peptide bonding in proteins. These molecules are therefore suitable for investigation of the mechanisms involved when proteins fragment under electron capture dissociation (ECD). The dissociative recombination cross sections for both protonated DMDS and protonated N-methylacetamide were determined at electron energies ranging from 0.001 to 0.3 eV. Also, the branching ratios at 0 eV center-of-mass collision energy were determined. The present results give support for the indirect mechanism of ECD, where free hydrogen atoms produced in the initial fragmentation step induce further decomposition. We suggest that both indirect and direct dissociations play a role in ECD.     

Factors affecting the electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties of diruthenium(III,II) complexes containing four identical unsymmetrical bridging ligands

Factors affecting the electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties of diruthenium(III,II) complexes containing four unsymmetrical bridging ligands are reported for seven related compounds which were isolated in one or two of the four possible isomeric forms. The investigated compounds are represented as Ru(2)(2-CH(3)ap)(4)Cl, Ru(2)(2,5-F(2)ap)(4)Cl, Ru(2)(2,6-F(2)ap)(4)Cl, and Ru(2)(2,4,6-F(3)ap)(4)Cl where 2-CH(3)ap, 2,5-F(2)ap, 2,6-F(2)ap, and 2,4,6-F(3)ap are, respectively, the 2-(2-methylanilino)pyridinate anion, the 2-(2,5-difluoroanilino)pyridinate anion, the 2-(2,6-difluoroanilino)pyridinate anion, and the 2-(2,4,6-trifluoroanilino)pyridinate anion. Ru(2)(2-CH(3)ap)(4)Cl and Ru(2)(2,5-F(2)ap)(4)Cl exist only in a (4,0) conformation while Ru(2)(2,4,6-F(3)ap)(4)Cl is present in both (3,1) and (4,0) isomeric forms. Ru(2)(2,6-F(2)ap)(4)Cl also exists in two isomeric forms, but only the (3,1) isomer was generated in sufficient quantities to be isolated and structurally characterized. This series of seven closely related metal-metal bonded complexes thus provides the first possibility to systematically examine how differences in position and number of the electron-donating or electron-withdrawing groups on the anionic bridging ligands might be related to the electronic properties and structural features of the compound as well as the type and number of geometric isomers which are formed. Each diruthenium derivative undergoes three one-electron transfers in CH(2)Cl(2) containing 0.1 M tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate (TBAP). The first reduction and first oxidation products were characterized by thin-layer UV-vis spectroelectrochemistry, and the spectroscopic data, along with E(1/2) values, were then related via linear free energy relationships to the type of isomer and/or position of the electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents on the anionic ap bridge. The electrogenerated Ru(2)(6+) and Ru(2)(4+) forms of the compounds were assigned on the basis of electrochemical and UV-vis spectroscopic data as having the electronic configuration sigma(2)pi(4)delta(2)pi(2) and sigma(2)pi(4)delta(2)pi(3)delta, respectively, and seemed to be independent of the isomer type ((3,1) or (4,0)). The spectral and electrochemical properties of the compounds both vary substantially as a function of the isomer type, but this is not reflected in the structural features of the compounds which are within the range of what is seen for other Ru(2)(5+) species described in the literature. The Ru-Ru bond lengths of the four structurally characterized (4,0) isomers of the ap complexes range from 2.275 to 2.296 A while those of the three structurally characterized (3,1) isomers of ap derivatives fall in the range 2.284-2.286 A and show no significant difference among the three compounds. The Ru-Cl bond lengths of the (3,1) isomers do not vary significantly with the bridging ligand and range from 2.458 to 2.471 A whereas those of the (4,0) isomers range from 2.437 to 2.487 A and show larger variations among the compounds. The Ru-Ru-Cl bond angle is virtually independent of the bridging ligand in the case of the (4,0) isomers but decreases with the electron-withdrawing effect of the substituent in the case of the (3,1) isomers.