Graft and RAFT Reactive Macro Reagents: Bis-[copoly-(divinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride)]-trithiocarbonate

The alternating cyclocopolymer of maleic anhydride with divinyl ether (MADVE) hydrolyzate, as mimicker of furan related and anionic residues alternation in nucleic acids (NA) backbone, is immune stimulating agonist and competitive antagonist for viral genome NA interventions. The targeted pre-modification of MADVE by antiviral vectors via grafting to the MA anhydride residues before hydrolysis led to more potent and promising antiviral inhibitors. To develop the MADVE capacity for novel modifications we applied the reversible addition – fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) technique using dibenzyl trithiocarbonate as a RAFT agent. The insertion of trithiocarbonate unit in polymeric chain provided a pseudo living RAFT-polymerization, resulting in: 1) the effective control of polymerization degree (increased with time and conversion), and 2) the narrow dispersive (PDI = 1.1–1.2) products MADVE-S-CS-S-MADVE yield. These products can be used as novel polymeric RAFT-agents for synthesis of new block-copolymers MADVE-(block)-CS₃-(block)-MADVE, for instance with polystyrene blocks. Combined together the RAFT- and graft- reactivity allows both modify the polymer backbone (RAFT-synthesis) and regulate the side groups or branches (grafted to MADVE moieties) with final hydrolysis of unused anhydride units to acidic polyelectrolyte derivatives. This plural reactive capacity of the obtained macro reagents essentially enhances their potential as platform for purposed synthesis of novel (bio-) functional polymeric compounds.     

1-Bromo-2-trifluoroacetylcyclobutenes as novel building blocks for the construction of trifluoromethyl substituted heterocycles. Part 1: Synthesis of 5-(trifluoromethyl)-2(5H)-furanones condensed with substituted cyclobutenes

The regioselective reduction of substituted 1-bromo-2-trifluoroacetylcyclobutenes by lithium aluminium hydride affords corresponding brominated alcohols, which, under the treatment of two equivalents of butyllithium, give new lithiated cyclobutenes. Their carboxylation followed by lactonization induced by trifluoroacetic anhydride appeared to be an effective approach towards 5-trifluoromethylated furanones condensed with substituted cyclobutene rings.     

Structure and conformational dynamics of the dicyclopropyl ketone in the ground electronic state

Geometric parameters, harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequencies, conformer energy differences and barriers to internal rotation were obtained for dicyclopropyl ketone (DCPK) in the ground electronic state through MP2, DFT, CCSD and CCSD(T) calculations. VFPA was used to improve the estimations of conformer energy differences and heights of barriers to internal rotation. The ab initio calculations demonstrated that there are three stable conformations of DCPK: the cis–cis, the cis–trans and the gauche–gauche. The energy of the gauche–gauche conformer is noticeably higher than the energy of the two other conformers, so this conformer was not found experimentally. To study the conformational dynamics of the DCPK molecule, one- and two-dimensional sections of the potential energy surface corresponding to the rotations of the cyclopropyl groups were calculated. These sections were used to calculate torsion transition energies and vibrational wave functions in anharmonic approach. It was found that there is a strong coupling of large-amplitude torsion motions in the area of the cis–cis and gauche–gauche conformers.     

The first example of an intramolecular Diels-Alder furan (IMDAF) reaction of iminium salts and its application in a short and simple synthesis of the isoindolo[1,2-a]isoquinoline core of the jamtine and hirsutine alkaloids

1-(2-Furyl)-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines, easily prepared from readily available phenethylamines, undergo tandem alkylation/[4+2]-cycloaddition with allyl halides. The reaction proceeds via 2-allyl-1-furyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinolinium salt formation and subsequent intramolecular exo-Diels-Alder reaction of furan with the allyl fragment (IMDAF reaction). The adducts formed include the basic structural element of the isoindolo[1,2-a]isoquinoline alkaloids jamtine and hirsutine.     

Electronic properties of N(5)-ethyl flavinium ion

We investigated the electronic properties of N(5)-ethyl flavinium perchlorate (Et-Fl(+)) and compared them to those of its parent compound, 3-methyllumiflavin (Fl). Absorption and fluorescence spectra of Fl and Et-Fl(+) exhibit similar spectral features, but the absorption energy of Et-Fl(+) is substantially lower than that of Fl. We calculated the absorption signatures of Fl and Et-Fl(+) using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods and found that the main absorption bands of Fl and Et-Fl(+) are (π,π*) transitions for the S(1) and S(3) excited states. Furthermore, calculations predict that the S(2) state has (n,π*) character. Using cyclic voltammetry and a simplistic consideration of the orbital energies, we compared the HOMO/LUMO energies of Fl and Et-Fl(+). We found that both HOMO and LUMO orbitals of Et-Fl(+) are stabilized relative to those in Fl, although the stabilization of the LUMO level was more pronounced. Visible and mid-IR pump-probe experiments demonstrate that Et-Fl(+) exhibits a shorter excited-state lifetime (590 ps) relative to that of Fl (several nanoseconds), possibly due to faster thermal deactivation in Et-Fl(+), as dictated by the energy gap law. Furthermore, we observed a fast (23-30 ps) S(2) → S(0) internal conversion in transient absorption spectra of both Fl and Et-Fl(+) in experiments that utilized pump excitations with higher energy.     

Polyketides from the marine-derived fungus Ascochyta salicorniae and their potential to inhibit protein phosphatases

Chemical investigation of the marine fungus Ascochyta salicorniae led to the isolation of two new epimeric compounds, ascolactones A (1) and B (2), in addition to the structurally-related polyketides hyalopyrone (3), ascochitine (4), ascochital (5) and ascosalipyrone (6). The absolute configurations of the epimeric compounds 1 and 2 were assigned as (1R,9R) and (1S,9R), respectively, through simulation of the chiroptical properties using quantum-chemical CD calculations, and chiral GC-MS subsequent to oxidative cleavage (Baeyer-Villiger oxidation) of the side chain. In silico screening using the PASS software identified some of the A. salicorniae compounds (1-6) as potential inhibitors of protein phosphatases. Compound was found to inhibit the enzymatic activity of MPtpB with an IC(50) value of 11.5 microM.     

Spectroscopic studies of the interaction of ferrous bleomycin with DNA

Bleomycin is an antibiotic used in cancer chemotherapy for its ability to achieve both single- and double-strand cleavage of DNA through abstraction of the deoxyribose C4'-H. Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and X-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopies have been used to study the interaction of the biologically relevant FeIIBLM complex with DNA. Calf thymus DNA was used as the substrate as well as short oligonucleotides, including one with a preferred 5'-G-pyrimidine-3' cleavage site [d(GGAAGCTTCC)2] and one without [d(GGAAATTTCC)2]. DNA binding to FeIIBLM significantly perturbs the FeII active site, resulting in a change in intensity ratio of the d d transitions and a decrease in excited-state orbital splitting (5Eg). Although this effect is somewhat dependent on length and composition of the oligonucleotide, it is not correlated to the presence of a 5'-G-pyrimidine-3' cleavage site. No effect is observed on the charge-transfer transitions, indicating that the H-bonding recognition between the pyrimidine and guanine base does not perturb Fe-pyrimidine backbonding. Azide binding studies indicate that FeIIBLM bound to either oligomer has the same affinity for N3-. Parallel studies of BLM structural derivatives indicate that FeIIiso-PEPLM, in which the carbamoyl group is shifted on the mannose sugar, forms the same DNA-bound species as FeIIBLM. In contrast, FeIIDP-PEPLM, in which the -aminoalanine group is absent, forms a new species upon DNA binding. These data are consistent with a model in which the primary amine from the -aminoalanine is an FeII ligand and the mannose carbamoyl provides either a ligand to the FeII or significant second-sphere effects on the FeII site; intercalation of the bithiazole tail into the double helix likely brings the metal-bound complex close enough to the DNA to create steric interactions that remove the sugar groups from interaction with the FeII. The fact that the FeII active site is perturbed regardless of DNA sequence is consistent with the fact that cleavage is observed for both 5'-GC-3' and nonspecific oligomers and indicates that different reaction coordinates may be active, depending on orientation of the deoxyribose C4'-H.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of unprecedented oxo/hydroxo-bridged polynuclear gallium(III) aqua complexes

Two new polynuclear oxo/hydroxo-bridged polynuclear gallium(III) aqua complexes are obtained upon treatment of Ga(3+)(aq) with pyridine: the supramolecular compound of macrocyclic cavitand cucurbit[6]uril with gallium complex containing 32 metal atoms [Ga(32)(mu(4)-O)(12)(mu(3)-O)(8)(mu(2)-O)(7)(mu(2)-OH)(39)(H(2)O)(20)](PyH subsetC(36)H(36)N(24)O(12))(3)(NO(3))(6).53H(2)O (1) and the tridecanuclear complex [Ga(13)(mu(3)-OH)(6)(mu(2)-OH)(18)(H(2)O)(24)](NO(3))(15).12H(2)O (2). It follows that two modes of nucleation exist when Ga(3+)(aq) is hydrolyzed: one around the tetrahedral GaO(4) units (complex 1) and the other around the octahedral GaO(6) units (complex 2). This is the first time that polynuclear oxo/hydroxo-bridged aqua complexes of Ga(III) have been isolated without the use of other ligands to control or block olygomerization.     

A novel cadmium aminophosphonate: X-ray powder diffraction structure, solid-state IR and NMR spectroscopic determination of the fine structure of the organic moieties

A new divalent cadmium phosphonate, Cd2Cl2(H2O)4(H2L), has been synthesized from the ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(methylenephosphonic acid) (H4L). The obtained microcrystalline compound has been characterized by solid-state IR spectra and 13C, 31P, and 113Cd CP MAS NMR. The static 13P NMR spectra have been also recorded to give the delta11, delta22, and delta33 chemical shift parameters for both compounds. The spectral data, collected for Cd2Cl2(H2O)4(H2L), are in an agreement with its X-ray powder diffraction structure solved with the cell dimensions a = 16.6105(10), b = 7.1572(4), and c = 6.8171(4) A and beta = 98.327(4) degrees. The octahedral coordination sphere of the cadmium atoms consists of two phosphonate oxygen atoms, two water oxygen atoms, and the two chlorine atoms. Cadmium atoms are bridged by the chlorine atoms forming four-membered rings. The phosphorus atoms exhibit a tetrahedral coordination with two oxygen atoms bonded to the cadmium atoms with P-O distances of 1.503(10) and 1.504(10) A. The third oxygen atom, showing a longer P-O distance (1.546(9) A), is not bonded to the metal center, nor is it bonded to a proton. The combined IR and NMR proton-phosphorus cross-polarization kinetic data together with the X-ray data confirm that the cadmium phosphonate has the zwitterionic structure (NH2(+)CH2P(O2Cd2)O-) similar to the initial aminophosphonic acid H4L.