Synthesis of l,l-puromycin

l,l-Puromycin, a diastereomer of the natural peptidyl nucleoside antibiotic puromycin, has been synthesized from l-xylose in 13 steps.     

Combined phenyl silane and immunoaffinity column cleanup with liquid chromatography for determination of ochratoxin A in roasted coffee: collaborative study

A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate a liquid chromatography (LC) method for ochratoxin A using sequential phenyl silane and immunoaffinity column cleanup. The method was tested at 3 different levels of ochratoxin A in roasted coffee, which spanned the range of possible future European regulatory limits. The test portion was extracted with methanol and sodium bicarbonate by shaking for 30 min. The extract was filtered, centrifuged, and then cleaned up on a phenyl silane column before being eluted from the washed column with methanol-water. The eluate was diluted with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and applied to an ochratoxin A immunoaffinity column, which was washed with water. The ochratoxin A was eluted with methanol, the solvent was evaporated, and the residue was redissolved in injection solvent. After injection of this solution onto a reversed-phase LC apparatus, ochratoxin A was measured by fluorescence detection. Eight laboratory samples of low-level naturally contaminated roasted coffee and 2 laboratory samples of blank coffee (< 0.2 ng/g ochratoxin A at the signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1), along with ampules of ochratoxin A calibrant and spiking solutions, were sent to 15 laboratories in 13 different European countries. Test portions of the laboratory samples were spiked at levels of 4 ng/g ochratoxin A, and recoveries ranged from 65 to 97%. Based on results for spiked blank material (blind duplicates) and naturally contaminated material (blind duplicates at 3 levels), the relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) ranged from 2 to 22% and the relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) ranged from 14 to 26%. The method showed acceptable within- and between-laboratory precision, as evidenced by HORRAT values, at the low level of determination for ochratoxin A in roasted coffee.     

Facial selectivity of the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement of allylic esters of 2-methyl and 2-methoxycyclopentanecarboxylic acids

Ketene silylacetals derived from prenyl and (Z)- and (E)-crotyl 2-methylcyclopentanecarboxylates (9) were subjected to the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement. All three substrates rearranged with complete facial selectivity, but the (Z)- and (E)-crotyl systems gave a mixture comprised of the same diastereomers of 1-(1-methyl-2-propenyl)-2-methylcyclopentanecarboxylic acid (14) in ratios of 2:1 and 1:2, respectively. In contrast, the ketene silylacetals prepared from allyl and prenyl 2-methoxycyclopentanecarboxylates (22) underwent rearrangements with both facial stereochemistries.     

A Cutting Planes Algorithm for the <Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis>-Salesmen Problem

The existence of reliable and flexible FORTRAN programs for integer linear programming has recently enabled the development of very efficient algorithms for the travelling salesman problem. The main characteristic of these algorithms is the relaxation of most of the constraints of the problem during its solution. The same approach can be used for the solution of the m-salesmen problem in which m salesmen starting from the same city must visit only once n cities at minimum cost. The number of salesmen can be fixed in advance or allowed to vary, upper and lower bounds set on the number of salesmen and even fixed costs associated with the salesmen. The results obtained so far are very encouraging. Problems of up to 100 cities have been solved optimally for the m-travelling salesmen case and other more complex problems are currently under study.     

Highly substituted azulene dyes as multifunctional NLO and electron-transfer compounds

Two highly substituted azulene derivatives were synthesised by Pd-mediated dimerisation from the corresponding tolan species. One azulene derivative (2) has donor functionalities (dianisylaminophenyl and dianisylamino) in the 1-, 2-, 3- and 6-positions, while the other (1) has donors (dianisylaminophenyl) in the 2- and 6-positions and acceptors (nitrophenyl) in the 1- and 3-positions. Each azulene derivative shows strong bond length alternation in the solid state, determined by X-ray crystal analysis, and an intense CT band around 450-500 nm in its UV/Vis spectrum. The first-order hyperpolarisability of 1 and of 2 was measured by hyper-Rayleigh scattering and is about that of disperse red DR1. Both azulene derivatives show multiple oxidation processes. The intramolecular adiabatic ET behaviour of the mixed valence radical cations of 1 and of 2 was investigated by UV/Vis/NIR spectroelectrochemistry. The intervalence-CT band of 1(+) could be analysed by the Generalised Mulliken-Hush theory, which yields an electronic coupling V=1140 cm(-1) for the optically induced adiabatic hole transfer.     

Oxidation of isobutane catalyzed by vanadyl, copper and cesium substituted H3PMo12O40

Effects of Cs⁺, H⁺ and Cu²⁺ counterions in the vanadium containing heteropoly compounds Cs_xH_1-xVO[PMo₁₂O₄₀] and Cs_yH_0.5-yCu_0.25VO[PMo₁₂O₄₀] on the catalytic oxidation of isobutane and characterization by TGA, IR and ESR spectroscopies are reported. A high selectivity of 76% for methacrylic acid and methacrolein together has been obtained with Cs_0.75H_0.25VO[PMo₁₂O₄₀] catalysts at a reactivity of 5.3x10^-1 mmol/h cm³.     

Surfactant control of gas uptake: effect of butanol films on HCl and HBr entry into supercooled sulfuric acid

The entry of HCl into 60-68 wt % D(2)SO(4) and HBr into 68 wt % acid containing 0-0.18 M 1-butanol was monitored by measuring the fractions of impinging HCl and HBr molecules that desorb as DCl and DBr after undergoing H --> D exchange within the deuterated acid. The addition of 0.18 M butanol to the acid creates butyl films that reach approximately 80% surface coverage at 213 K. Surprisingly, this butyl film does not impede exchange but instead enhances it: the HCl --> DCl exchange fractions increase from 0.52 to 0.74 for 60 wt % D(2)SO(4) and from 0.14 to 0.27 for 68 wt % D(2)SO(4). HBr --> DBr exchange increases even more sharply, rising from 0.22 to 0.65 for 68 wt % D(2)SO(4). We demonstrate that this enhanced exchange corresponds to enhanced uptake into the butyl-coated acid for HBr and infer this equivalence for HCl. In contrast, the entry probability of the basic molecule CF(3)CH(2)OH exceeds 0.85 at all acid concentrations and is only slightly diminished by the butyl film. The OD groups of surface butanol molecules may assist entry by providing extra interfacial protonation sites for HCl and HBr dissociation. The experiments suggest that short-chain surfactants in sulfuric acid aerosols do not hinder heterogeneous reactions of HCl or HBr with other solute species.     

Synthesis and stereodynamics of highly constrained 1,8-bis(2,2'-dialkyl-4,4'-diquinolyl)naphthalenes

The syn and anti isomers of axially chiral 1,8-diquinolylnaphthalenes have been synthesized via Pd-catalyzed Stille coupling of 1,8-dibromonaphthalene and 2-alkyl-4-trimethylstannylquinolines. Optimization of the cross-coupling reaction allowed the preparation of highly constrained 1,8-bis(2,2'-dimethyl-4,4'-diquinolyl)naphthalene, 2, and 1,8-bis(2,2'-diisopropyl-4,4'-diquinolyl)naphthalene, 3, in 42% and 41% yield, respectively. Employing Pd(PPh(3))(4) and CuO as the cocatalysts in the coupling reaction of 1,8-dibromonaphthalene and 2-alkyl-4-trimethylstannylquinolines proved to be superior over other catalysts such as PdCl(2)(dppf), Pd(2)(dba)(3)/P(t-Bu)(3), and POPd. The C(2)-symmetric anti isomers of 2 and 3 were found to be more stable than the corresponding meso syn isomer. The ratio of the two enantiomeric anti conformers to the syn conformer was determined as 7.9:1 for 2 and 8.6:1 for 3 by NMR and HPLC analysis. The atropisomers of 2 and 3 were found to be stable to rotation about the chiral axis at room temperature and all three stereoisomers of 2 were isolated by semipreparative HPLC on a Chiralpak AD column. The diastereoisomers of 3 were separated via preferential crystallization of the anti isomers from diethyl ether. Slow syn/anti interconversion was observed for both atropisomers at enhanced temperature, and the diastereomerization and enantiomerization processes were monitored by NMR and HPLC. The Gibbs activation energy, DeltaG++, for the isomerization of 2 was determined as 116.0 (112.1) kJ/mol for the conversion of the anti (syn) to the syn (anti) isomer at 71.0 degrees C. The rotational energy barrier of 3 was determined as 115.2 (111.1) kJ/mol for the conversion of the anti (syn) to the syn (anti) isomer at 66.2 degrees C.     

Structure and Thermodynamics of NaF-AlF(3) Melts with Addition of CaF(2) and MgF(2)

The NaF-AlF(3) system with additions of CaF(2) and MgF(2) has been studied with Raman and vapor pressure measurements for 3 >/= CR (NaF/AlF(3) molar ratio) >/= 1 and up to 50 mol % additive. The results show that the binary melt can be described using the two equilibria AlF(6)(3)(-) = AlF(6)(2)(-) + F(-) and AlF(5)(2)(-) = AlF(4)(-) + F(-) with equilibrium constants 0.25 and 0.05, respectively, at 1293 K. Both reactions have positive reaction enthalpies. The first equilibrium is strongly shifted to the right resulting in a melt mixture with very low AlF(6)(3)(-) concentrations even at the Na(3)AlF(6) composition. Evidence for nonideal mixing of anions was found. For the ternaries, models based on Raman data are presented and compared with vapor pressure measurements. Good agreement is observed when association between the additives, CaF(2) or MgF(2), with the AlF(5)(2)(-) ions in the melt was considered. This association could be experimentally observed through a band broadening and a slight shift in the AlF(5)(2)(-) band frequency. Our vapor pressures and Raman data both indicate that MgF(2) clearly acts as an acid when added to NaF-AlF(3) melts of any composition. When CaF(2) is added, a slight decrease of vapor pressure occurs. Raman data indicate a decrease of AlF(4)(-) concentration, corresponding to a dissociation of CaF(2) with liberation of F(-) ions. All these results are, however, very much dependent on the initial melt composition. These data are explained in terms of acid-base, dilution, and association reactions of the solute with the solvent.     

Maximal flow through a domain

It is proved that, if the DFP or BFGS algorithm with step-lengths of one is applied to a functionF(x) that has a Lipschitz continuous second derivative, and if the calculated vectors of variables converge to a point at which ?F is zero and ?² F is positive definite, then the sequence of variable metric matrices also converges. The limit of this sequence is identified in the case whenF(x) is a strictly convex quadratic function.