Heterocalixarene Inclusion Chemistry. Structure of a Crystalline Host-Guest Complex Including endo-Calix Ethyl Acetate and exo-Calix Clustering of Water

The X-ray crystal structure of the solvent inclusion compound formed between heterocalix[8]arene 1, ethyl acetate and water (1 : 1 : 4.5) has been studied. The compound crystallized in tetragonal space group I4₁/a, a = b = 21.278(3), c = 31.290(4) Å, V = 14167(4) ų, Z = 8. The host molecule, incorporating benzimidazol-2-one and 2,5-dimethoxy-1,3-phenylene subunits in an alternate cyclic arrangement, forms an almost perfectly closed cavity which encapsulates one solvent ethyl acetate guest molecule. Water molecules being entrapped in the lattice cages in the form of cyclic and linear clusters bind the bulky inclusion complexes via H-bonds in infinite layers. Two symmetry center related benzimidazole-2-one moieties of two hosts from neighbouring layers in the crystal lattice are arranged such that they partially overlap exhibiting stacking interaction.     

A Characterization of Association Schemes from Affine Spaces

We characterize theassociation schemes from affine spaces as the association schemesin which all relations are equivalence relations (when unitedwith the identity relation). The schemes from affine spaces ofdimension at least three are counterexamples of a conjectureof A. V. Ivanov [Problem 1.3]I on amorphic schemes.     

BOPHY-Fullerene C60 Dyad as a Photosensitizer for Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy

A novel BOPHY–fullerene C₆₀ dyad ( BP-C₆₀ ) was designed as a heavy-atom-free photosensitizer (PS) with potential uses in photodynamic treatment and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated applications. BP-C₆₀ consists of a BOPHY fluorophore covalently attached to a C₆₀ moiety through a pyrrolidine ring. The BOPHY core works as a visible-light-harvesting antenna, while the fullerene C₆₀ subunit elicits the photodynamic action. This fluorophore–fullerene cycloadduct, obtained by a straightforward synthetic route, was fully characterized and compared with its individual counterparts. The restricted rotation around the single bond connecting the BOPHY and pyrrolidine moieties led to the formation of two atropisomers. Spectroscopic, electrochemical, and computational studies disclose an efficient photoinduced energy/electron transfer process from BOPHY to fullerene C₆₀. Photodynamic studies indicate that BP-C₆₀ produces ROS by both photomechanisms (type I and type II). Moreover, the dyad exhibits higher ROS production efficiency than its individual constitutional components. Preliminary screening of photodynamic inactivation on bacteria models (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) demonstrated the ability of this dyad to be used as a heavy-atom-free PS. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that not only a BOPHY–fullerene C₆₀ dyad is reported, but also that a BOPHY derivative is applied to photoinactivate microorganisms. This study lays the foundations for the development of new BOPHY-based PSs with plausible applications in the medical field.     

Nitroxide‐mediated radical copolymerization of methyl methacrylate controlled with a minimal amount of 9‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐9H‐carbazole

The controlled nitroxide‐mediated homopolymerization of 9‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐9H‐carbazole (VBK) and the copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with varying amounts of VBK were accomplished by using 10 mol % {tert‐butyl[1‐(diethoxyphosphoryl)‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl]amino} nitroxide relative to 2‐({tert‐butyl[1‐(diethoxyphosphoryl)‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl]amino}oxy)‐2‐methylpropionic acid (BlocBuilder?) in dimethylformamide at temperatures from 80 to 125 °C. As little as 1 mol % of VBK in the feed was required to obtain a controlled copolymerization of an MMA/VBK mixture, resulting in a linear increase in molecular weight versus conversion with a narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w /M_n ≈ 1.3). Preferential incorporation of VBK into the copolymer was indicated by the MMA/VBK reactivity ratios determined: r_VBK = 2.7 ± 1.5 and r_MMA = 0.24 ± 0.14. The copolymers were found significantly “living” by performing subsequent chain extensions with a fresh batch of VBK and by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy analysis. VBK was found to be an effective controlling comonomer for NMP of MMA, and such low levels of VBK comonomer ensured transparency in the final copolymer. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

X-ray crystal structures of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-halogenated 6,6-diphenylfulvenes

Crystal structures of a series of p-halogenated 6,6-diphenylfulvenes 2–5 are reported and comparatively discussed including the known structure of the non-halogenate parent compound 1. The molecular structures show twisted conformations of the plane aryl and fulvene subunits against each other, rather unaffected by the different halogen substituents. The packing structures exclusively involve C–H···X (X = F, Cl, π) contacts while Hal···Hal and π-stacking interactions do not occur.