Synthesis and structures of cadmium(II) complexes of a series of multinucleating N/S donor ligands

The coordination chemistry of a series of bis-bidentate ligands with cadmium(II) ions has been investigated. The ligands, containing two N,S-donor chelating (pyrazolyl/thioether) fragments, have afforded complexes of a variety of structural types (dinuclear M₂L₂ ‘mesocate’ complexes, a one-dimensional chain coordination polymer and a simple mononuclear complex) according to whether the bis-bidentate ligands act as bridges spanning two metal ions, or a tetradentate chelate to a single metal ion. The p-phenylene and m-biphenyl spaced ligands L¹ and L³ form dinuclear M₂L₂ complexes where the ligands are arranged in a ‘side-by-side’ fashion. In contrast the m-phenylene spaced ligand L² forms a one-dimensional coordination polymer where the ligands adopt a highly folded conformation. The 1,8-naphthalene spaced ligand L⁴ adopts a tetradendate chelating mode and affords a simple mononuclear complex.     

Synthesis and structural characterisation of a novel phosphine-borane-stabilised dicarbanion and an unusual bis(phosphine-borane)

The reaction between the phosphine-borane-substituted alkene [Pr(n)(2)P(BH(3))](Me(3)Si)C[double bond]CH(2) and elemental lithium in THF yields the complex [(pmdeta)Li[Pr(n)(2)P(BH(3))](Me(3)Si)CCH(2)](2)(2b) after recrystallisation; an X-ray crystallographic study of 2b reveals that the lithium is bound to the BH(3) hydrogens of the ligand, with no Li-C(carbanion) contact.     

Direct detection of dimethylstannylene and tetramethyldistannene in solution and the gas phase by laser flash photolysis of 1,1-dimethylstannacyclopent-3-enes

The photochemistry of 1,1-dimethyl- and 1,1,3,4-tetramethylstannacyclopent-3-ene (4a and 4b, respectively) has been studied in the gas phase and in hexane solution by steady-state and 193-nm laser flash photolysis methods. Photolysis of the two compounds results in the formation of 1,3-butadiene (from 4a) and 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene (from 4b) as the major products, suggesting that cycloreversion to yield dimethylstannylene (SnMe2) is the main photodecomposition pathway of these molecules. Indeed, the stannylene has been trapped as the Sn-H insertion product upon photolysis of 4a in hexane containing trimethylstannane. Flash photolysis of 4a in the gas phase affords a transient absorbing in the 450-520-nm range that is assigned to SnMe2 by comparison of its spectrum and reactivity to those previously reported from other precursors. Flash photolysis of 4b in hexane solution affords results consistent with the initial formation of SnMe2 (lambda(max) approximately 500 nm), which decays over approximately 10 micros to form tetramethyldistannene (5b; lambda(max) approximately 470 nm). The distannene decays over the next ca. 50 micros to form at least two other longer-lived species, which are assigned to higher SnMe2 oligomers. Time-dependent DFT calculations support the spectral assignments for SnMe2 and Sn2Me4, and calculations examining the variation in bond dissociation energy with substituent (H, Me, and Ph) in disilenes, digermenes, and distannenes rule out the possibility that dimerization of SnMe2 proceeds reversibly. Addition of methanol leads to reversible reaction with SnMe2 to form a transient absorbing at lambda(max) approximately 360 nm, which is assigned to the Lewis acid-base complex between SnMe2 and the alcohol.     

Use of Dacron as an alternative carrier for evaluating oxidizing sterilants in the AOAC sporicidal test

The AOAC sporicidal method (966.04) recommends the use of porcelain penicylinders and black waxed silk sutures as carriers for demonstrating the sporicidal activity of sterilants. However, the silk carriers are not suitable for evaluating the sporicidal efficacy of oxidizing agents, and an inert polyester material (Dacron) is recommended as an alternative. Dacron provides an equivalent microbial and physical challenge to silk. Microbiologically, both materials demonstrated similar HCI resistance, which is required by the AOAC test, as well as equivalent spore loading and spore wash-off. Electron microscopy showed that both materials present the same braided microstructure, providing an equivalent physical challenge to the test sterilant. Dacron was more consistent than silk, and did not require extraction prior to spore loading. The extraction method for black waxed silk was variable and incomplete, which may compromise the activity of oxidizing sterilants and add to method variability. Silk was also structurally altered in the presence of oxidizing sterilants and increased sterilant degradation. Dacron did not affect the sterilant and was inert in the presence of oxidizing agents. Dacron sutures are proposed as inert alternatives to silk for evaluating the sporicidal efficacy of oxidizing agents.     

Enantioselective and diastereoselective syntheses of cyanohydrin carbonates

A new and general synthesis of alkyl cyanoformates is presented starting from the appropriate alcohol and oxalyl chloride. This is used to prepare enantiomerically pure cyanoformates from enantiomerically pure primary and secondary alcohols. Optimal conditions for the addition of various achiral cyanoformates to aldehydes catalysed by an enantiomerically pure titanium(salen) catalyst in the presence of potassium cyanide as a cocatalyst are developed. Under these conditions, two chiral cyanoformates also reacted with aldehydes to give cyanohydrin carbonates. The stereochemistry of this process is predominantly determined by the stereochemistry of the titanium(salen) catalyst and the stereochemistry of two of the cyanohydrin carbonates was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. In a further extension of the chemistry, a homogeneous system in which the potassium cyanide/18-crown-6 complex is used as the cyanide cocatalyst has been developed and the kinetics of this reaction show that it displays first order kinetics, provided at least 2 mol % of the potassium cyanide complex are employed.     

Polyhydroxy and polyethyleneglycol (meth)acrylate polymers: physical properties and general studies for their use as electrophoresis matrices.

A new series of materials have been tested for their suitability as electrophoresis matrices. The mechanical and optical properties of gels composed of polyethyleneglycol (meth)acrylate esters or polyhydroxy (meth)acrylate esters in water and in various concentrations of organic solvents are described. Several crosslinkers including polyethyleneglycol and polyhydroxy di(meth)acrylates, piperazine diacrylate, and bisacrylamide were used in these studies. Electrophoretic migration and separation of a series of protein standards through polyethyleneglycol methacrylate (PEGM) 200, PEGM 400, and glyceryl methacrylate is demonstrated. Further, copolymerization of all of the monomers with acrylamide was performed and the distribution of monomer incorporation into the polymer network calculated. All monomers and copolymers that were examined by IR spectroscopy showed greater than 99% polymerization. These results justify their further study for biomolecule separations.     

The Paul A M Dirac papers at Florida State University: a search for informal mathematical investigations

The research discussed in this article is an archival study of pages of mathematical work produced by the physicist Paul A M Dirac. The pages, referred to as the ‘shoebox papers’, are thought to date back at least to Dirac's time as a student at the University of Cambridge in the 1920s. Florida State University, where the research was conducted and where Dirac worked for the last fourteen years of his life, received the entirety of his papers after his death in 1984. The research so far has identified major themes that recur throughout the collection of papers, including an interest in combinatorics and their relation to algebra problems. Due to Dirac's importance as a physicist and a possible relation to combinatorics work by Leibniz, the collection may have significant implications for the history of mathematics.     

Alkali metal complexes of a naphthylamine-substituted phosphanide

The reaction between {(Me3Si)2CH}PCl2 and one equivalent of [C10H6-8-NMe2]Li, followed by in situ reduction with LiAlH4, gives the secondary phosphane {(Me3Si)2CH}(C10H6-8-NMe2)PH(1) in good yield as a colourless crystalline solid. Metalation of 1 with Bu(n)Li in diethyl ether gives the lithium phosphanide [{[{(Me3Si)2CH}(C10H6-8-NMe2)P]Li}2(OEt2)](2), which undergoes metathesis with either NaOBu(t) or KOBu(t) to give the heavier alkali metal derivatives [[{(Me3Si)2CH}(C10H6-8-NMe2)P]-Na(tmeda)](3) and [[{(Me3Si)2CH}(C10H6-8-NMe2)P]K(pmdeta)](4), after recrystallisation in the presence of the corresponding amine co-ligand [tmeda = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine, pmdeta = N,N,N',N",N"-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine]. Compounds 2-4 have been characterised by 1H, 13C{1H} and 31P{1H} NMR spectroscopy, elemental analyses and X-ray crystallography. Dinuclear 2 crystallises with the phosphanide ligands arranged in a head-to-head fashion and is subject to dynamic exchange in toluene solution; in contrast, compounds 3 and 4 crystallise as discrete monomers which exhibit no dynamic behaviour in solution. DFT calculations on the model compound [{[(Me)(C10H6-8-NMe2)P]Li},(OMe2)] (2a) indicate that the most stable head-to-head form is favoured by 15.0 kcal mol(-1) over the corresponding head-to-tail form.     

Isotopic labelling of peptides and isotope ratio analysis using LC–ICP–MS: a preliminary study

Bradykinin and substance P have been derivatised with cyclic diethylenetriaminepentaacetic anhydride (cDTPA) and subsequently labelled with natural and isotopically enriched Eu³⁺. This enabled the detection and relative quantitation of the peptides using element-selective detection by high-performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC–ICP–MS). Relative quantitation was achieved by differentially labelling two peptide sources, after derivatisation with cDTPA, using natural and enriched ¹⁵¹Eu respectively. The ¹⁵¹Eu:¹⁵³Eu isotope ratio was measured and used to calculate the original peptide ratio. The measured ratios came within 5.2% of the known ratio. Derivatisation and chelation reactions were additionally confirmed using LC–ESI–MS.