Formation, isolation and characterization of an AB-biaryl atropisomer of oritavancin

Oritavancin is a semi-synthetic glycopeptide antibiotic which is structurally related to vancomycin. When oritavancin bisphosphate is dried in vacuo with heat, a new compound forms. This new compound is stable only in the solid state and reverts to oritavancin in solution. Highly enriched samples of this compound were obtained by preparative HPLC and the structure of this compound was elucidated by using one and two-dimensional (¹H and ¹³C) NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with computer-assisted molecular modeling. It has been determined that oritavancin adopts a conformation similar to that of vancomycin in solution, while the new compound is the unnatural R-AB-biaryl atropisomer of oritavancin. This is the first observation and isolation of an AB-biaryl atropisomer in an intact member of the vancomycin family of glycopeptide antibiotics.     

INCENTIVE COMPATIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS

This paper addresses the problem of designing environmental regulations when firms possess better information about the cost of pollution abatement than regulators. In the regulatory equilibrium derived in the paper, firms are induced to reveal the information they have concerning abatement costs through the judicious use of abatement standard-subsidy combinations. Offering firms a menu of regulatory contracts, each one specifying a required level of pollution abatement as well as a lump sum subsidy to be paid by the regulatory agency to the firm, is shown to be superior to optimal uniform standard-subsidy schemes. By appealing to the revelation principle and employing a second policy instrument (subsidies), albeit a costly one, in conjunction with an abatement standard, the incentive compatible approach to environmental regulation presented in the paper minimizes the economic inefficiency customarily attributable to a lack of initial information regarding pollution abatement costs.     

Asymptotic formula for a partition function of reversible coagulation-fragmentation processes

We construct a probability model seemingly unrelated to the considered stochastic process of coagulation and fragmentation. By proving for this model the local limit theorem, we establish the asymptotic formula for the partition function of the equilibrium measure for a wide class of parameter functions of the process. This formula proves the conjecture stated in [5] for the above class of processes. The method used goes back to A. Khintchine.     

Flexural rigidity of a liquid surface

The energy of a mass of liquid is evaluated asymptotically in powers of the range of the intermolecular potential divided by a typical dimension of the liquid. The leading term is the internal energy, proportional to the liquid volume. The second term is the energy of surface tension, proportional to the area of the liquid surface. The third term is proportional to an integral over this surface of the square of the mean curvature of the surface minus one-third of its Gaussian curvature. This new term has exactly the form of the bending energy of a thin elastic plate. Comparing it with the bending energy yields expressions for the flexural rigidity and the Poisson ratio of the liquid surface. This flexural rigidity of the surface leads to new terms in the equation of equilibrium of the liquid surface, in addition to the usual surface tension terms.     

On the topology of black holes

We establish from local hypotheses some results concerning the final state topology of black holes. We show that the surface of a black hole must have 2-sphere topology and that the topology of space in its vicinity is simple.Dedicated to Ted FrankelThis work has been partially supported by NSF grants DMS-8802877 and DMS-9006678     

Synthesis and molecular structure of [Al(CH3)2]2[C10H22N4] [Al(CH3)3]2: Condensation product of trimethylaluminum and a multidentate open-chain amine

The crystalline condensation product [Al(CH₃)₂]₂[C₁₀H₂₂N₄][Al(CH₃)₃]₂ is prepared from reaction of the multidentate open-chain amine 1,4-bis(3-aminopropyl)piperazine with trimethylaluminum in methylene chloride. The compound crystallized in the monoclinic space groupC2/c with unit cell parametersa=25.166(12),b=7.268(4),c=17.316(4) Å,=115.3(4)°, andD _c =1.06 g cm^–3 forZ=4. Least-squares refinement based on 1054 observed reflections with intensitiesI 3(I) in the range 2<2<45° led to a finalR factor of 0.053 (R _w =0.064). The title compound resides on a crystallographic center of symmetry with independent Al-N distances of 1.889(5), 2.058(5), and 2.030(5) Å.     

Polyfunctional pyridines from nitroacetamidine and β-diketones. A useful synthesis of substituted imidazo [4,5-b] pyridines and related compounds

Nitroacetamidine undergoes a useful cyclocondensation with β-diketones to produce substituted 2-amino-3-nitropyridines. Use of an acylpyruvate generates hitherto unreported 2-amino-3-nitropyridine-4-carboxylates. These may be converted easily to functionalized imidazo[4,5-b]pyridines and oxazolo-[5,4-b]pyridines.     

C-H Activation and C-C coupling of arenes by cationic Pt(II) complexes

The synthesis and characterization of cationic platinum complexes of the type [(R(2)PC(2)H(4)PR(2))PtMe(OEt(2))]BAr(F) (R = Cy, Et) are reported. These electrophilic platinum cations are found to react quantitatively with arenes (benzene, toluene) at room temperature by undergoing intermolecular C-H activation with concomitant C-C coupling to generate complexes of the type [[Pt(R(2)PC(2)H(4)PR(2))](2)(mu-eta(3):eta(3)-biaryl)][BAr(F)](2). The dianionic biaryl ligands in these compounds exhibit a rare mu-eta(3):eta(3)-bis-allyl bonding mode and can be removed from the complex with stoichiometric oxidants to generate the free biaryl and [(R(2)PC(2)H(4)PR(2))Pt(mu-X)](2)[BAr(F)](2) (R = Cy, Et; X = Cl, I). The cationic platinum complexes [(R(2)PC(2)H(4)PR(2))PtMe(OEt(2))]BAr(F) (R = Cy, Et) are also quite reactive with water, forming the bridging hydroxide complexes [(R(2)PC(2)H(4)PR(2))Pt(mu-OH)](2)[BAr(F)](2) (R = Cy, Et). A possible mechanism is proposed for the C-C coupling reaction based upon the structures of these bridging biphenyl complexes, which provides a new perspective for the related palladium-catalyzed oxidative coupling of arenes to form biaryls.