Synthesis of Optically Active Vasicinone Based on Intramolecular Aza-Wittig Reaction and Asymmetric Oxidation(1)

Both optical isomers of a quinazoline alkaloid, vasicinone, were synthesized by two different methods. The first method used (3S)-3-hydroxy-gamma-lactam as a chiral synthon, which was, after O-TBDMS protection, o-azidobenzoylated followed by treatment with tri-n-butylphosphine to afford (S)-(-)-vasicinone via the tandem Staudinger/intramolecualr aza-Wittig reaction. The second method utilized asymmetric oxygenation of deoxyvasicinone with (1S)-(+)- or (1R)-(-)-(10-camphorsulfonyl)oxaziridine (the Davis reagent), respectively. The aza-enolate anion of deoxyvasicinone was treated with (S)-(+)-reagent to afford (R)-(+)-vasicinone in 71% ee, while the reaction with (R)-(-)-reagent gave (S)-(-)-vasicinone in 62% ee. The optical purity was analyzed by HPLC on specially modified cellulose as a stationary phase. These results provided a facile method to prepare both optical isomers of vasicinone and confirmed the recently reversed stereochemistry of natural (-)-vasicinone.     

Synthesis of pyrimidino[4,5-b][1,5]benzodiazepin-2-ones and pyrimidino[1,6-a]benzimidazol-1-ones from 4-ethoxycarbonylamino-1H-1,5-benzodiazpine-3-carbonitrile via 4-(2-aminoanilino)pyrimidin-2(1H)-one-5-carbonitriles

Reactions of 4-ethoxycarbonylamino-1H-1,5-benzodiazepine-3-carbonitrile (2) with aliphatic primary amines gave 1-substituted 4-(2-aminoanilino)pyrimidin-2(1H)-one-5-carbonitriles 3. Analogous reactions of 2 with aromatic primary amines afforded 2-(2′-anilino-1′-cyanovinyl)benzimidazoles 5 and 6. Upon treatment with triethylamine, 3 underwent intramolecular cyclization to give 3-substituted 5-aminopyrimidino[4,5-b]-[1,5]benzodiazepin-2(3H,11H)-ones 8 . Heating of 3 with p-toluenesulfonic acid in ethanol gave 2-substituted pyrimidino[1,6-a]benzimidazol-1(2H)one-4-carbonitriles 9 . Reactions of 2 with hydrazines were also described. Mechanistic pathways are proposed to account for the products.     

Synthesis of isoxazolo[2,3-a]quinoxalines and pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction

The isoxazolo[2,3-a]quinoxalines 11a,b and pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines 12a,b were selectively synthesized from the 2-substituted 6-chloroquinoxaline 4-oxides 10a,b . The pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines 12a,b were clarified to be produced by the ring transformation of the isoxazolo[2,3-a]quinoxalines 11a,b . The pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines 14a,b were obtained from both 2,6-dichloroquinoxaline 4-oxide 9 and compounds 12a,b .     

NMR and quantum chemical study on the OH...pi and CH...O interactions between trehalose and unsaturated fatty acids: implication for the mechanism of antioxidant function of trehalose

Trehalose is a disaccharide that attracts much attention as a stress protectant. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of the antioxidant function of trehalose. The spin-lattice relaxation times (T(1)) of (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra were measured to investigate the interaction between trehalose and unsaturated fatty acid (UFA). We selected several kinds of UFA that differ in the number of double bonds and in their configurations (cis or trans). Several other disaccharides (sucrose, maltose, neotrehalose, maltitol, and sorbitol) were also analyzed by NMR. The T(1) values for the (1)H and (13)C signals assigned to the olefin double bonds in UFA decrease with increasing concentration of trehalose and the changes reaches plateaus at integer ratios of trehalose to UFA. The characteristic T(1) change is observed only for the combination of trehalose and UFA with cis double bond(s). On the other hand, from the (13)C-T(1) measurements for trehalose, the T(1) values of the C-3 (C-3') and C-6' (C-6) are found to change remarkably by addition of UFA. (1)H[bond](1)H NOESY measurements provide direct evidence for complexation of trehalose with linoleic acid. These results indicate that one trehalose molecule stoichiometrically interacts with one cis-olefin double bond of UFA. Computer modeling study indicates that trehalose forms a stable complex with an olefin double bond through OH...pi and CH...O types of hydrogen bonding. Furthermore, a significant increase in the activation energy is found for hydrogen abstraction reaction from the methylene group located between the double bonds that are both interacting with the trehalose molecules. Therefore, trehalose has a significant depression effect on the oxidation of UFA through the weak interaction with the double bond(s). This is the first study to elucidate the antioxidant function of trehalose.     

The effect of fluorination: a crystallographic and computational study of mesogenic alkyl 4-[2-(perfluorooctyl)ethoxy]benzoates

The series of alkyl 4-[2-(perfluorooctyl)ethoxy]benzoates (F8-n) shows a systematic change of crystal structures depending on the length of the alkyl chain: separate packing of perfluorooctyl (Rf) and alkyl (Rh) chains from each other for shorter (n=2) and longer (n=11) members, alternate packing of Rf and Rh chains for middle (n=6,7) members, and an intermediate type of packing for n=4. Semiempirical MO calculations show slightly repulsive interactions between the Rf chains, and attractive ones between Rf and Rh chains and between Rh and the core of a molecular pair. It is concluded that fluorination determines the molecular shape of the crystal structures by making the chain rigid. It is confirmed that the interactions between Rf chains are small compared with those between other moieties and that they are forced to aggregate owing to the exclusion from other moieties. Thus, the effect is dependent on the geometries and intermolecular interactions of the other moieties.     

Radiation-induced addition reaction of carbon tetrachloride onto 1,2-polybutadiene

The γ-ray-induced addition reaction of carbon tetrachloride onto syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene film and liquid 1,2-polybutadiene was carried out at room temperature. In the film gelation was pronounced and the rate of addition increased as the crystallinity of the polymer decreased. In the liquid gelation, which makes the polymer insoluble in carbon tetrachloride, did not take place, although a definite crosslinking reaction was noticed. In this case the appearance of the product changed from a viscous liquid to a white powder as the reaction proceeded. Its structure was compared with that of chlorinated 1,2-polybutadiene. The addition of carbon tetrachloride to the vinyl group in liquid 1,2-polybutadiene caused an anti-Markownikoff-type reaction and was accompanied by an unexpectedly large vinyl depletion in the polymer. The total decrease in the vinyl group was found to be much larger than that brought about by the addition of carbon tetrachloride. This discrepancy was attributed to a cyclization and crosslinking reaction ascribed to the vinyl group bound by the main chain. Cyclization and crosslinking were less noticeable in the chlorination than in the carbon tetrachloride.     

A new route to 2'-O-alkyl-2-thiouridine derivatives via 4-O-protection of the uracil base and hybridization properties of oligonucleotides incorporating these modified nucleoside derivatives

Oligonucleotides containing 2-thiouridine (s2U) in place of uridine form stable RNA duplexes with complementary RNAs. Particularly, this modified nucleoside has proved to recognize highly selectively adenosine, the genuine partner, without formation of a mismatched base pair with the guanosine counterpart. In this paper, we describe new methods for the synthesis of 2-thiouridine and various 2'-O-alkyl-2-thiouridine derivatives. Oligoribonucleotides having these modified nucleoside derivatives were synthesized, and their hybridization and structural properties were studied in detail by the 1H NMR analysis of these modified nucleosides and Tm experiments of RNA duplexes with their complementary RNA strands.     

Asymmetric selective polymerization of racemic methacrylates with the cyclohexylmagnesium bromide-(−)-sparteine system

Asymmetric selective (or stereoelective) polymerization of various racemic methacrylates with cyclohexylmagnesium bromide (c-HexMgBr)-(-)sparteine (1/1.2) catalyst was studied in toluene at ?78°C. The methacrylates of α-ethylbenzyl (EBMA), α-isopropylbenzyl (i-PBMA), α-tert-butylbenzyl (t-BBMA), sec-butyl (s-BuMA), 1-methylallyl (1-MAMA), 2,3-epoxypropyl (2,3-EPMA), 2-phenylpropyl (2-PPMA), and menthyl (MentMA) alcohols were used as racemic monomers. In the polymerization of EBMA and i-PBMA (S) enantiomers were consumed preferentially and the optical purity of initially polymerized i-PBMA was as high as 97%. Optically pure (R) monomers were recovered at about 60% conversion for i-PBMA and 80% for EBMA. In t-BBMA, however, the (R) monomer was consumed preferentially over the (S) isomer. In the polymerization of s-BuMA and 1-MAMA (S) monomers were consumed in excess and the optical purity of the polymers formed in the early stage was about 30%. In 2,3-EPMA and 2-PPMA, which have asymmetric centers at the β position from the ester oxygen, (R) antipodes were more reactive. MentMA did not polymerize at ?78°C. Enantiomer selectivity ratios r_S and r_R were determined in the polymerization of EBMA, i-PBMA, and 1-MAMA. All polymers except poly(t-BBMA) were highly isotactic, but the tacticity of poly(t-BBMA) could not be estimated. Circular dichroism spectra of optically active polymers of α-substituted benzyl esters were measured.     

Synthesis of ion-exchange membranes by radiation-induced multiple grafting of methyl α,β,β-trifluoroacrylate

Methyl α,β,β-trifluoroacrylate (MTFA) was grafted onto polymer films with the multiple grafting technique initiated by α-rays: the yields were similar to those of the single-step grafting procedure with any irradiation dose. Grafted polymer obtained in the single-step experiments were distributed mainly near the film surface, whereas graft polymer from the multiple grafting experiments were distributed uniformly in the film at graft yields greater than 20%. The electric resistance of the hydrolyzed multiple graft polymer film in a 2N NaOH solution was much lower than that of one-step graft film at the same graft yield.     

Parathyroid hormone and bone mineral content in male and female patients receiving hemodialysis

Relative bone mineral content in the lumbar spine was measured by phantom B-MAs with the apparatus of computerized tomography in order to study the relationships between bone mineral content with age and parathyroid hormone in sera of randomized out- and in-patients and the hemodialysis patients. There exists a significant difference between male and female in the loss of bone mineral content of three groups.