Antimalarial activity of n(6)-substituted adenosine derivatives (part 2)

We have investigated the in vitro antimalarial activity of a new series of adenosine derivatives. The results show that N(6)-(1-naphthylmethyl)-5'-deoxy-5'-(amido)adenosines as well as N(6)-(4-phenylbenzyl)-5'-deoxy-5'-(amido)adenosines display significant activity against the malaria-causing parasites, with the sterically demanding bisubstituted species reported being active in most cases in the low-micromolar range. The novel compounds with unusual substitution pattern were obtained applying an efficient convergent polymer-assisted solution-phase (cPASP) synthesis protocol. Thus, we were able to prepare a series of substituted derivatives in parallel that would have been difficult to synthesize by standard techniques. The scope and limitations of the synthetic methodology are discussed.     

A New Generation of "Cholaphanes": Steroid-Derived Macrocyclic Hosts with Enhanced Solubility and Controlled Flexibility

The macrocyclic "cholaphanes" 3a-c were synthesized from the inexpensive steroid cholic acid. Like earlier relatives they feature substantial cavities with inward-directed hydroxyl groups, suitable for binding polar molecules such as carbohydrates in nonpolar media. New features are the externally directed alkyl chains, promoting solubility in organic solvents, and (in the case of 3b/c) reduced conformational freedom resulting from truncation of the steroidal side-chain. In particular, modeling shows that the smallest macrocycle 3c possesses very little flexibility, preferring an open conformation which is also revealed in the X-ray crystal structure of its pentahydrate. NMR studies indicated that all three cholaphanes form 1:1 complexes with octyl beta-D-glucoside in CDCl(3), with K(a) = 600-1560 M(-)(1). Cholaphanes 3b/c proved able to extract methyl beta-D-glucoside from aqueous solutions into CHCl(3). The transport of methyl beta-D-glucoside across a chloroform barrier was also demonstrated for 3c.     

Chemistry of polyfunctional molecules-123. Reactions of BiBr3, SbI3 and AsI3 with LiN(PPh2)2; X-ray structure of a cyclophosphazene salt containing arsenic(I)

BiBr₃ or SbI₃ react at 20°C with LiN(PPh₂)₂ (1) to give elementary Bi or Sb and the P---P coupled phosphazene ligand Ph₂P---N=PPh₂---PPh₂=N---PPh₂ (2). The reaction of AsI₃ with 1 at room temperature formed yellow needles of the eight-membered heterocycle (3), whereas AsI₃ interacted at 80°C with 1 in the molar ratio of 1:3 to give elementary arsenic and 2. Treatment of AsI₃ and 1 at 20°C in a 1:2 stoichiometry yielded the seven-membered, cyclic arsenium(I) salt

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I·4THF (5·4THF), which was characterized by elemental analysis, conductivity, mass, IR and NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray structural analysis.     

Alkylidenverbrückte, symmetrische, zweikernige Metallocenkomplexe als Katalysatoren für die Propylenpolymerisation

The synthesis is described of symmetric alkylidene bridged dinuclear zirconocene complexes. The influence of structural parameters and different cocatalysts such as methylaluminoxane (MAO), triphenyl tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate- or tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane has been investigated for homogeneous propylene polymerization. The dinuclear catalysts show highest polymerization activities by activation with MAO. Activation with triphenyl tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate results in polypropylenes with the highest degree of isotacticity. Compared to the mononuclear reference catalyst the dinuclear MAO activated complex achieved higher propylene polymerization activity and the polypropylene obtained from the dinuclear complex has a higher molecular weight than that one that was produced with the mononuclear complex.     

Probing the water coordination of protein-targeted MRI contrast agents by pulsed ENDOR spectroscopy.

A novel methodology based on electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy is used for the direct determination of the water coordination number (q) of gadolinium-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. Proton ENDOR spectra can be obtained at approximately physiological concentrations for metal complexes in frozen aqueous solutions either in the presence or absence of protein targets. It is shown that, depending on the structure of the co-ligand, the water hydration number of a complex in aqueous solution can be significantly different to when the complex is noncovalently bound to a protein. From the ENDOR spectra of the exchangeable protons, precise information on the metal-proton distance can be derived as well. These essential parameters directly correlate with the efficacy of MRI contrast agents and should therefore aid the development of novel, highly efficient compounds targeted to various proteins.     

Vitamin-B12-katalysierte C,C-Bindungsverknüpfung: Synthese von Jasmonaten via sequentielle Radikal-Reaktion

Vitamin-B₁₂-Catalyzed C, C-Bond Formation: Synthesis of Jasmonates via Sequential Radical Reaction The Cbl-catalyzed electroreduction of 3-(2′-bromo-1′-ethoxyethoxy)cyclopenten ( 1a ) in presence of 1-cyanovinyl-acetate ( 8 ) gave, in a sequential radical reaction (5-exo-trig-cyclization of 1a followed by addition to 8 ), 1-cyano-2-(2′-ethoxy-hexahydro-2′H-cyclopenta[b] furan-4′-yl)ethyl acetate ( 10a ). This intermediate was transformed to methyl jasmonate ( 7 ; four steps) and epituberolide ( 9 ; three steps) in 20 and 31% yield, respectively, from cyclopent-2-en-l-ol.     

Solvation largely accounts for the effect of N-alkylation on the properties of nickel(II/I) and chromium(III/II) cyclam complexes

The source of the effect of N-alkylation on the redox properties of Ni(II/I) and Cr(III/II) cyclam complexes has been investigated using DFT calculations. The structures of the anhydrous and hydrated complexes were optimized in the gas phase, and single point calculations were performed in a polarized continuum. The main results are the following: the decrease in outer sphere solvation upon N-alkylation is the major source of the relative stabilization of the lower oxidation state complexes by the tertiary amine ligands; tertiary amine nitrogen donors are stronger sigma-donors than the secondary amines, as predicted from the inductive effect of alkyls; steric strain elongates the metal-nitrogen bonds in the tertiary complexes and decreases the ligand strain energies; and the site of water binding to the complexes differs because of their different electronic structures (i.e., in the Ni complexes, the water molecules bind to the M[bond]N[bond]H sites, whereas in the Cr complexes they bind to the central metal cation). Outer sphere hydrogen bonding of water to the ligands in the coordination sphere lowers the ionization potentials by charge delocalization.