Reversible O-ylide formation in carbene/ether reactions

p-Nitrophenylchlorocarbene reacted reversibly with diethyl ether, di-n-propyl ether, or tetrahydrofuran (THF) to form O-ylides, which were visualized by their UV-visible spectroscopic signatures. Equilibrium constants (K(eq)) were determined spectroscopically and ranged from 0.10 M(-1) (di-n-propyl ether) to 7.5 M(-1) (THF) at 295 K. Studies of K(eq) as a function of temperature afforded ΔH(o), ΔS(o), and ΔG(o) for the di-n-propyl ether and THF/O-ylide equilibria. ΔH(o) was favorable for ylide formation, but ΔS(o) was quite negative, so that ΔG(o)s for the equilibria were small. Electronic structure calculations based on density functional theory provided structures, spectroscopic signatures, and energetics for the carbene/ether O-ylides.     

Combined SPR and SERS microscopy in the Kretschmann configuration

A novel hybrid spectroscopic technique is proposed, combining surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) microscopy. A standard Raman microscope is modified to accommodate the excitation of surface plasmon-polaritons (SPPs) on flat metallic surfaces in the Kretschmann configuration, while retaining the capabilities of Raman microscopy. The excitation of SPPs is performed as in standard SPR-microscopy; namely, a beam with TM-polarization traverses off-axis a high numerical aperture oil immersion objective, illuminating at an angle the metallic film from the (glass) substrate side. The same objective is used to collect the full Kretschmann cone containing the SERS emission on the substrate side. The angular dispersion of the plasmon resonance is measured in reflectivity for different coupling conditions and, simultaneously, SERS spectra are recorded from Nile Blue (NB) molecules adsorbed onto the surface. A trade-off is identified between the conditions of optimum coupling to SPPs and the spot size (which is related to the spatial resolution). This technique opens new horizons for SERS microscopy with uniform enhancement on flat surfaces.     

Strong metallophilic interactions in the palladium arylation by gold aryls

It's the second step that counts: arylation of Pd by Au takes place through transition states and intermediates featuring strong Au???Pd metallophilic interactions. However, the aryl transfer from [AuArL] to [PdArClL(2)] is thermodynamically disfavored and will not occur unless an irreversible Ar-Ar coupling from [PdAr(2)L(2)] follows.     

Conversion of methanol to hydrocarbons: how zeolite cavity and pore size controls product selectivity

Liquid hydrocarbon fuels play an essential part in the global energy chain, owing to their high energy density and easy transportability. Olefins play a similar role in the production of consumer goods. In a post-oil society, fuel and olefin production will rely on alternative carbon sources, such as biomass, coal, natural gas, and CO(2). The methanol-to-hydrocarbons (MTH) process is a key step in such routes, and can be tuned into production of gasoline-rich (methanol to gasoline; MTG) or olefin-rich (methanol to olefins; MTO) product mixtures by proper choice of catalyst and reaction conditions. This Review presents several commercial MTH projects that have recently been realized, and also fundamental research into the synthesis of microporous materials for the targeted variation of selectivity and lifetime of the catalysts.     

Normal mode analysis of molecular motions in curvilinear coordinates on a non-Eckart body-frame: an application to protein torsion dynamics

Normal mode analysis (NMA) was introduced in 1930s as a framework to understand the structure of the observed vibration-rotation spectrum of several small molecules. During the past three decades NMA has also become a popular alternative to figuring out the large-scale motion of proteins and other macromolecules. However, the “standard” NMA is based on approximations, which sometimes are unphysical. Especially problematic is the assumption that atoms move only “infinitesimally”, which, of course, is an oxymoron when large amplitude motions are concerned. The “infinitesimal” approximation has the further unfortunate side effect of masking the physical importance of the coupling between vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom. Here, we present a novel formulation of the NMA, which is applied for finite motions in non-Eckart body-frame. Contrary to standard normal mode theory, our approach starts by assuming a harmonic potential in generalized coordinates, and tries to avoid the linearization of the coordinates. It also takes explicitly into account the Coriolis terms, which couple vibrations and rotations, and the terms involving Christoffel symbols, which are ignored by default in the standard NMA. We also computationally explore the effect of various terms to the solutions of the NMA equation of motions.     

Studies on the Michael addition of naphthoquinones to sugar nitro olefins: first synthesis of polyhydroxylated hexahydro-11H-benzo[a]carbazole-5,6-diones and hexahydro-11bH-benzo[b]carbazole-6,11-diones

A strategy for the synthesis of the novel (6bR,7R,8S,9S,10S,10aR)-8-(benzyloxy)-7,9,10-trihydroxy-6b,7,8,9,10,10a-hexahydro-11H-benzo[a]carbazole-5,6-dione is reported. The key steps were the Michael addition of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone to 1-nitrocyclohexene or 3-O-benzyl-5,6-dideoxy-1,2-O-isopropylidene-6-nitro-α-d-xylo-hex-5-enefuranose and the diastereoselective intramolecular Henry reaction of 3-O-benzyl-5,6-dideoxy-5-C-(3′-hydroxy-1′,4′-naphthoquinon-2′-yl)-1,2-O-isopropylidene-6-nitro-α-d-glucofuranose to give the key (1S,2S,3S,4R,5R,6R)-3-(benzyloxy)-1,2,4-trihydroxy-5-(3′-hydroxy-1′,4′-naphthoquinon-2′-yl)-6-nitrocyclohexane. When 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone was replaced by (1,4-dimethoxynaphthalen-2-yl)lithium, the novel (1R,2S,3S,4R,4aS,11bS)-2-(benzyloxy)-1,3,4-trihydroxy-1,2,3,4,4a,5-hexahydro-11bH-benzo[b]carbazole-6,11-dione was obtained.     

Synthesis of mixed tin-ruthenium and tin-germanium-ruthenium carbonyl clusters from [Ru3(CO)12] and diaminometalenes (M = Sn, Ge)

Diaminostannylenes react with [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] without cluster fragmentation to give carbonyl substitution products regardless of the steric demand of the diaminostannylene reagent. Thus, the Sn(3)Ru(3) clusters [Ru(3){μ-Sn(NCH(2)(t)Bu)(2)C(6)H(4)}(3)(CO)(9)] (4) and [Ru(3){μ-Sn(HMDS)(2)}(3)(CO)(9)] (6) [HMDS = N(SiMe(3))(2)] have been prepared in good yields by treating [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] with an excess of the cyclic 1,3-bis(neo-pentyl)-2-stannabenzimidazol-2-ylidene and the acyclic and bulkier Sn(HMDS)(2), respectively, in toluene at 110 °C. The use of smaller amounts of Sn(HMDS)(2) (Sn/Ru(3) ratio = 2.5) in toluene at 80 °C afforded the Sn(2)Ru(3) derivative [Ru(3){μ-Sn(HMDS)(2)}(2)(μ-CO)(CO)(9)] (5). Compounds 5 and 6 represent the first structurally characterized diaminostannylene-ruthenium complexes. While a further treatment of 5 with Ge(HMDS)(2) led to a mixture of uncharacterized compounds, a similar treatment with the sterically alleviated diaminogermylene Ge(NCH(2)(t)Bu)(2)C(6)H(4) provided [Ru(3){μ-Sn(HMDS)(2)}(2){μ-Ge(NCH(2)(t)Bu)(2)C(6)H(4)}(CO)(9)] (7), which is a unique example of Sn(2)GeRu(3) cluster. All these reactions, coupled to a previous observation that [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] reacts with excess of Ge(HMDS)(2) to give the mononuclear complex [Ru{Ge(HMDS)(2)}(2)(CO)(3)] but triruthenium products with less bulky diaminogermylenes, indicate that, for reactions of [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] with diaminometalenes, both the volume of the diaminometalene and the size of its donor atom (Ge or Sn) are of key importance in determining the nuclearity of the final products.     

Diaminogermylene and diaminostannylene derivatives of gold(I): novel AuM and AuM2 (M = Ge, Sn) complexes

The reactions of [AuCl(THT)] (THT = tetrahydrothiophene) with 1 equiv of the group 14 diaminometalenes M(HMDS)(2) [M = Ge, Sn; HMDS = N(SiMe(3))(2)] lead to [Au{MCl(HMDS)(2)}(THT)] [M = Ge (1), Sn (2)], which contain a metalate(II) ligand that arises from insertion of the corresponding M(HMDS)(2) reagent into the Au-Cl bond of the gold(I) reagent. While compound 1 reacts with more Ge(HMDS)(2) to give the germanate-germylene derivative [Au{GeCl(HMDS)(2)}{Ge(HMDS)(2)}] (3), which results from substitution of Ge(HMDS)(2) for the THT ligand of 1, an analogous treatment of compound 2 with Sn(HMDS)(2) gives the stannate-stannylene derivative [Au{SnCl(HMDS)(2)}{Sn(HMDS)(2)(THT)}] (4), which has a THT ligand attached to the stannylene tin atom and which, in solution at room temperature, participates in a dynamic process that makes its two Sn(HMDS)(2) fragments equivalent (on the NMR time scale). A similar dynamic process has not been observed for the AuGe(2) compound 3 or for the AuSn(2) derivatives [Au{SnR(HMDS)(2)}{Sn(HMDS)(2)(THT)}] [R = Bu (5), HMDS (6)], which have been prepared by treating complex 4 with LiR. The structures of compounds 1 and 3-6 have been determined by X-ray diffraction.     

Expanding the Applications of the Ionic Liquids as GC Stationary Phases: Plasticizers and Synthetic Musks Fragrances

The exceptional properties of the ILs make them ideal for gas chromatography stationary phases. New stationary phases exhibiting good separation selectivity, high efficiency, and high thermal stability are in high demand. Recently, several gas chromatographic capillary columns containing IL stationary phases of various polarities have been introduced on the market. The aim of this work is to extend the applications of the ILs as GC column coatings. The effectiveness of five different commercial IL columns (SLB™-IL59, SLB™-IL76, SLB™-IL82, SLB™-IL100 and SLB™-IL111) for the analysis of two different families of emerging contaminants of environmental concern (plasticizers and synthetic musk fragrances) has been explored. The results obtained for these two families of compounds are compared with the ones obtained when using a (5 %-phenyl)-methylpolysiloxane column. For three of these IL columns, applications have not yet been described. Good resolution for the most of the studied emerging pollutants belonging to five different analytical groups (adipates, phthalates, macrocyclic musks, nitromusks and polycyclic musks) was achieved in all the IL columns.