A catalytic route to ampakines and their derivatives

A catalytic domino reaction that efficiently provides access to an important class of heterocycles, the ampakines, is reported. Our approach is based on the cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation of dihydrooxazines and allows for the facile synthesis of the pharmaceutically interesting compound CX-614 and related substances.     

Origin of the unusual ultraviolet absorption of Arsenicin A

This paper presents a combined experimental and theoretical study of the electronic spectrum of the natural adamantane-type polyarsenical Arsenicin A. Experiments reveal that this molecule strongly absorbs UV light in the absence of an obvious chromophore. The observed absorbance is supported by the time-dependent density functional (TD-DFT) calculations with B3LYP, M06-L, and M06-2X functionals combined with the 6-311+G(3df,2pd) basis set, as well as by symmetry-adapted cluster/configuration interaction (SAC-CI) theory. The theoretical investigations reveal that the absorption is facilitated by through-space and through-bond interactions, between the lone pairs on the arsenic and oxygen atoms and the σ-bonding framework of the molecule, that destabilize occupied and stabilize unoccupied molecular orbitals.     

Stereocomplexed Poly(Limonene Carbonate): A Unique Example of the Cocrystallization of Amorphous Enantiomeric Polymers

We report the cocrystallization of the regio‐ and stereoregular chiral copolymer poly(limonene carbonate). To the best of our knowledge, this marks the first example of an amorphous, enantiomerically pure polymer that becomes crystalline upon stereocomplexation with its complementary enantiomer. By analyzing X‐ray powder diffraction data, we propose a packing model in which sheets of enantiopure chains interdigitate with layers of the opposite enantiomer, forming a “steric zipper”.