Preparation and crystal structure ofexo-2,exo-6-dihydroxy-2,6-dimethyl-9-oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane

In a further exploration of the structural factors causing alicyclic diols such asexo-2,exo-6-dihydroxy-2,6-dimethylbicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (1) to adopt the helical tubuland inclusion host structure, the title compound (8) has been synthesized and its crystal structure determined. This 9-oxa analogue of (1) has a totally different structure [C₁₀H₁₈O₃; orthorhombic;P2₁2₁2;a 18.989(4),b 19.064(3),c 14.256(3) Å;Z 20; with finalR 0.065] due to involvement of the ether oxygen atom in the hydrogen bonding network. The structure of the diol (8) approximatesP¯42₁ c symmetry, and 16 of the 20 molecules per cell create a hostlike structure of this symmetry, which consists of tightly bound hydrogen bonded pillars parallel toc. The remaining guestlike molecules occupy inequivalent pseudo ¯4 sites separated byc/2 to form weakly bound columns parallel toc. Hydrogen bonds also occur between the pillars and columns. An ordered structure with sensible intermolecular contacts can be formed inP2₁2₁2₁ with thec axis doubled. A difference betweena andb axial lengths correlates with a difference in occupancies of pseudo-¯4-related sites for the guest-like component of the structure.     

Diborane (4) derivatives via coupling of amine monobromocyanoboranes: Study of the bromination of amine cyanoborane and molecular structures of the amine dibromocyanoboranes

The first examples of diborane (4) compounds derived from amine cyanoboranes are described. A series of monobromo derivatives of amine cyanoboranes (A:BHBrCN), and dibromo derivatives (A:BBr₂CN), 1-7, were prepared. Lithiation of the monobromo derivative of trimethylamine cyanoborane, using n-BuLi, did not produce the C-lithiated intermediate Li⁺ [CH₂NMe₂BHBrCN]⁻, but instead the B-lithiated intermediate Li⁺ [Me₃NBHCN]⁻, was obtained. This intermediate, when allowed to react for 16 h, coupled with the un-lithiated trimethylamine monobromocyanoborane (Me₃NBHBrCN) and resulted in diborane (4) derivative formation as the 2LiBr complex. The same result was obtained when one equiv of the trimethylamine monobromocyanoborane was added to the reaction mixture 1 h after lithiation. Following the same procedure, novel diborane (4) derivatives of amine cyanoboranes were successfully obtained, 8-11, as their 2LiBr complexes from the monobromo derivatives of the corresponding amine cyanoboranes. Molecular structures of the trimethylamine dibromocyanoborane, 6, and the triethylamine dibromocyanoborane, 7, were determined using X-ray crystallography.     

Asymmetric enamide hydrogenation in the synthesis of N-acetylcolchinol: a key intermediate for ZD6126

A synthesis of N-acetylcolchinol, a key intermediate in the synthesis of ZD6126, was developed. The enantiodifferentiating step required the catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of an enamide. After screening a range of metal and ligand combinations it was found that (S,S)-ⁱPr-FerroTANE Ru(methallyl)₂ and [(S,S)-^tBuFerroTANE Rh(COD)]BF₄ gave both high enantioselectivity (>90% ee) and high catalyst utility (molar S/C = 1000).     

Chiral discrimination within disordered adlayers on metal surfaces

Using a novel non-linear optical technique enantiomeric excess within a translationally disordered overlayer on a metal surface has been monitored for the first time.     

High-throughput protein crystallography and drug discovery

Single crystal X-ray diffraction is the technique of choice for studying the interactions of small organic molecules with proteins by determining their three-dimensional structures; however the requirement for highly purified protein and lack of process automation have traditionally limited its use in this field. Despite these shortcomings, the use of crystal structures of therapeutically relevant drug targets in pharmaceutical research has increased significantly over the last decade. The application of structure-based drug design has resulted in several marketed drugs and is now an established discipline in most pharmaceutical companies. Furthermore, the recently published full genome sequences of Homo sapiens and a number of micro-organisms have provided a plethora of new potential drug targets that could be utilised in structure-based drug design programs. In order to take maximum advantage of this explosion of information, techniques have been developed to automate and speed up the various procedures required to obtain protein crystals of suitable quality, to collect and process the raw X-ray diffraction data into usable structural information, and to use three-dimensional protein structure as a basis for drug discovery and lead optimisation.This tutorial review covers the various technologies involved in the process pipeline for high-throughput protein crystallography as it is currently being applied to drug discovery. It is aimed at synthetic and computational chemists, as well as structural biologists, in both academia and industry, who are interested in structure-based drug design.     

Helical tubulate inclusion compounds of ferrocene and squalene

The inclusion compounds of 2,8-dimethyltricyclo[5.3.1.1^3,9]dodecane-syn-2,syn-8-diol,3, with ferrocene and with squalene have been prepared. The crystal structures of these helical tubulate compounds: (3)₃·(ferrocene)_0.75 [P3₁21,a=b=13.7480(6),c=7.0312(5) Å,Z=1,R=0.038] and (3)₃·(squalene)_0.23 [P3₁21,a=b=13.677(1),c=7.0533(9) Å,Z=1,R=0.042] are described. Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as supplementary publication No. SUP 82151 (16 pages).     

Separation of closely related structural isomers by inclusion complexation with tailor-made host compounds. Crystal structures of 2,2-di (p-hydroxyphenyl) propane and Its 1:1 complex withp-cresol

The crystal structures of the 2,2-di(p-hydroxyphenyl)propane host and its 1:1 adducts withm-andp-cresol guests have been studied. The preferential complexation of this host withp-cresol overm-cresol is related to the opposite trend exhibited by 1,1-di(p-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexane; both hosts can separate effectively the two cresols from their liquid mixture by crystalline inclusion. A plausible explanation of the different inclusion features is provided by examining the intermolecular association in the corresponding solids. The analysed structures are stabilized by strong and continuous H-bonding between the constituent entities along two dimensions, and by weak van der Waals forces along the third axis. The p-cresol complex of the title host reveals a unique arrangement within and a more efficient packing of the layered structure, and thus represents a more stable and less soluble crystal lattice than itsm-cresol analog. Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as Supplementary Publication No. SUP 82099 (8 pages).     

A novel catalytic heme cofactor in SfmD with a single thioether bond and a bis-His ligand set revealed by a de novo crystal structural and spectroscopic study

SfmD is a heme-dependent enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of saframycin A. Here, we present a 1.78 Å resolution de novo crystal structure of SfmD, which unveils a novel heme cofactor attached to the protein with an unusual Hx_nHxxxC motif (n ∼ 38). This heme cofactor is unique in two respects. It contains a single thioether bond in a cysteine–vinyl link with Cys317, and the ferric heme has two axial protein ligands, i.e., His274 and His313. We demonstrated that SfmD heme is catalytically active and can utilize dioxygen and ascorbate for a single-oxygen insertion into 3-methyl-l-tyrosine. Catalytic assays using ascorbate derivatives revealed the functional groups of ascorbate essential to its function as a cosubstrate. Abolishing the thioether linkage through mutation of Cys317 resulted in catalytically inactive SfmD variants. EPR and optical data revealed that the heme center undergoes a substantial conformational change with one axial histidine ligand dissociating from the iron ion in response to substrate 3-methyl-l-tyrosine binding or chemical reduction by a reducing agent, such as the cosubstrate ascorbate. The labile axial ligand was identified as His274 through redox-linked structural determinations. Together, identifying an unusual heme cofactor with a previously unknown heme-binding motif for a monooxygenase activity and the structural similarity of SfmD to the members of the heme-based tryptophan dioxygenase superfamily will broaden understanding of heme chemistry.

The de novo crystal structure of SfmD reveals a novel c-type heme cofactor for promoting a monooxygenation reaction in the biosynthetic pathway of saframycin A.     

The cohomology of invariant variational bicomplexes

Let: E M be a fiber bundle and let be an infinitesimal Lie transformation group acting onE. We announce various new results concerning the cohomology of the invariant variational bicomplex ( ^*,* (J(E)), d_H, d_V) and the associated invariant Euler-Lagrange complex. As one application of our general theory, we completely solve the local invariant inverse problem of the calculus of variations for finite-dimensional infinitesimal Lie transformation groups.