Preparation and separation of all possible rotamers of a stereochemical analog of meso-tartaric acid: optically inactive and optically active isomers of (R,S)-2,2′-bis(methoxycarbonyl)-6,6′-dimethyl-9,9′-bitriptycyl

All the three possible rotamers of the title compound were separated by chromatography, and unambiguously identified by NMR and X-ray analysis. One of the isomers was optically inactive C_i conformation. The other optical active forms were resolved to give a pair of enantiomers, which were characterized by optical rotation and CD spectra. Thus the optical inactivity of a compound such as meso-tartaric acid that can take C_i conformation in solution, is now ascribed to that the molecule has an optically inactive C_i conformer and equal amounts of optically active conformers, that are enantiomers, in solution.     

Evaluation of chiral bidentate ligand–metal complexes in asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrones with 3-alkenoyl-2-oxazolidinones

For evaluation of a chiral C₂-symmetric bis(oxazoline) ligand, its Lewis acid complexes-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones with electron-deficient dipolarophiles, 3-(2-alkenoyl)-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones, have been investigated and it was found that the cycloadditions using a Cu(II)-bis(oxazoline) complex under optimized reaction conditions induced extremely high enantioselectivity.     

Structure of aszonalenin,a new metabolite of aspergillus zonatus

Aszonalenin ($\text{1}$) has been isolated from $\text{Aspergillus zonatus}$ together with LL-S490β ($\text{2}$) and the structure of $\text{1}$ has been established by spectroscopic evidences and chemical transformation.     

New alkaline earth aluminum hydride with one-dimensional zigzag chains of [AlH6]: synthesis and crystal structure of BaAlH5

The title hydride and its deuteride were successfully synthesized. The crystal structure of the deuteride was determined by time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction. BaAlD(5) crystallizes with a new orthorhombic structure in space group Pna2(1) (No. 33), cell parameters a = 9.194(1) A, b = 7.0403(9) A, and c = 5.1061(6) A, Z = 4. BaAlH(5) is the first example that contains one-dimensional zigzag chains of [AlH(6)] along the crystallographic c axis.     

Structure and biosynthetic implication of (S)-NHAB, a novel shunt product, from a disruptant of the actVI-ORFA gene for actinorhodin biosynthesis in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

A novel shunt product was isolated from a disruptant of the actVI-ORFA gene involved in the biosynthesis of actinorhodin (ACT) in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). Its structure was elucidated as 1,4-naphthoquinone-8-hydroxy-3-[3(S)-acetoxy-butyric acid], (S)-NHAB, based on NMR, MS, and CD spectroscopic data as well as a single crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. The formation of (S)-NHAB involves a retro-Claisen type C-C bond cleavage of an ACT biosynthetic intermediate. Feeding experiments with [1-¹³C] and [2-¹³C] acetates indicated its biosynthetic origin as a single octaketide chain. The relevant gene product, Act-ORFA, which is a functionally unknown protein, is proposed to play a regulatory role related to the multi-enzymatic steps to ACT production, based on the metabolic profile of its disruptant and the wide distribution of actVI-ORFA homologues in the gene clusters for Streptomyces aromatic polyketides.     

Theoretical study of benzonitrile clusters in the gas phase and their adsorption onto a Au(111) surface

We made theoretical calculations for a benzonitrile molecule and its clusters in the gas phase and as adsorbed on the Au(111) surface, to explain the observation by scanning tunneling microscope, that is, the trimer formation of cyanophenyl porphyrins adsorbed onto the Au(111) surface. With regard to the gas-phase species, ab initio calculations showed that (1) the benzonitrile dimer has a single stable structure that is planar and antiparallel; (2) the trimer has two isoenergetic stable structures, that is, a planar and cyclic structure and an antiparallel and nonplanar one; (3) the clusters are more stable, at low temperatures, than the monomer. For the adsorbed species, we made quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations in which the interaction between the adsorbates and the surface is evaluated in a molecular-mechanical way by using analytical potential functions and an image charge model. Because the stable structures were found to be similar to those in the gas phase, the cluster formation of adsorbed cyanophenyl porphyrins was attributed to the interaction between cyanophenyl groups, which is barely affected by adsorbate-surface interaction. It was also found that the adsorbed cyclic benzonitrile trimer is more stable than the monomer and the dimer because the relative stability is dependent on enthalpy alone. We therefore concluded that the preferential formation of trimers by the adsorbed cyanophenyl porphyrins is due to the negligible contribution of entropy to the relative stability of the adsorbed species and that the adsorption hardly changes the situation found in the gas phase.     

Electron-phonon interactions in charged cubic fluorocarbon cluster, (CF)8

Electron-phonon interactions in the charged cubic fluorocarbon, (CF)8 are studied, and compared with those in charged (CH)8 and (CD)8. The A1g mode of 1470 cm(-1) much more strongly couples to the a1g lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) than the A1g mode of 554 cm(-1) in (CF)8. The T2g mode of 1030 cm(-1), the Eg mode of 980 cm(-1), and the A1g mode of 1470 cm(-1) strongly couple to the t2u highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) in (CF)8. The total electron-phonon coupling constants for the monoanion (l(-1)) and monocation (l(+1)) of (CF)8 are estimated to be 0.932 and 0.585 eV, respectively. The logarithmically averaged phonon frequencies for the monoanion (omega(ln,-1)) and monocation (omega(ln,+1)) of (CF)8 are estimated to be 1365 and 998 cm(-1), respectively. The l(-1) and omega(ln,-1) values increase much more significantly by H-F substitution than by H-D substitution in cubane. The larger displacements of carbon atoms in the high frequency vibronic active mode in (CF)8 than those in (CD)8 due to larger atomic mass of fluorine than that of deuterium, and the unchanged electron distributions in the LUMO somewhat localized on carbon atoms as a consequence of H-F and H-D substitution in cubane, are the main reason why the l(-1) and omega(ln,-1) values increase much more significantly by H-F substitution than by H-D substitution. The l(+1) and omega(ln,+1) values less significantly change than the l(-1) and omega(ln,-1) values by H-F substitution as well as by H-D substitution in cubane. This is because the t2u HOMO in (CF)8 and the t2g HOMO in (CH)8 are somewhat localized on fluorine atoms, and thus, the high frequency vibronic active modes in which the displacements of carbon atoms are large cannot necessarily very strongly couple to the HOMO somewhat localized on fluorine atoms in (CF)8.     

A Dodecalanthanide Wheel Supported by p‐tert‐Butylsulfonylcalix[4]arene

A dodecaholmium wheel of [Ho₁₂(L)₆(mal)₄(AcO)₄(H₂O)₁₄] ( 1 ; mal=malonate) was synthesized by using p‐tert‐butylsulfonylcalix[4]arene (H₄L) as a cluster‐forming ligand. The wheel consists of three fragments of mononuclear A^3? ([Ho(L)(mal)(H₂O)]^3?), trinuclear B^3? ([Ho(H₂O)₂(mal)(Ho(L)(AcO))₂]^3?), and C³⁺ ([Ho(H₂O)₂]³⁺), and an alternate arrangement of these fragments (A^3?? C³⁺? B^3?? C³⁺? A^3?? C³⁺? B^3?? C³⁺? ) results in a wheel structure. The longest and shortest diameters of the core were estimated to be 17.7562(16) and 13.6810(13) Å, respectively, and the saddle‐shaped molecule possesses a pocketlike cavity inside.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of silanethiolato complexes having tert-butyldimethylsilyl and trimethylsilyl groups

Treatment of cyclotrisilathiane (Me2SiS)3 with 3 equiv. of RLi (R = Me, But) in hexane-Et2O afforded the lithium silanethiolates LiSSiMe2R, and the tmeda adduct [(tmeda)LiSSiMe2But]2 1 (tmeda =N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine) was isolated in the case of R = But. Reaction of Fe(CH3CN)2(CF3SO3)2, CoCl2, and [Cu(CH3CN)4](PF6) with 1 gave rise to the silanethiolato complexes M(SSiMe2But)2(tmeda)(M = Fe 2, Co 3), and [Cu(SSiMe2But)]4 4, respectively. Complexes (C5H5)2Ti(SSiMe2R)2(R = Me 5, But 6) and Ni(SSiMe2R)2(dppe)[R = Me 7, But 8; dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane] were prepared from treatments of (C5H5)2TiCl2 and NiCl2(dppe) with the corresponding lithium silanethiolates. Complex 7 readily reacted with (C5H5)TiCl3 to produce the Ti-Ni heterobimetallic compound (C5H5)TiCl(mu-S)2Ni(dppe) 9, in which silicon-sulfur bond cleavage took place. Characterization of all compounds through spectroscopic techniques and elemental analyses are also described. X-Ray structural data for compounds 1 and 3-9 are reported.     

Molecular metamagnet [Ni(4ImNNH)(2)(NO(3))(2)] (4ImNNH = 4-imidazolyl nitronyl nitroxide) and the related compounds showing supramolecular H-bonding interactions

A new chelating radical ligand 4ImNNH (2-(4-imidazolyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazolin-1-oxyl 3-oxide) was prepared, and complexation with divalent transition metal salts gave complexes, [M(4ImNNH)(2)X(2)], which showed intermolecular ferromagnetic interaction in high probability (7 out of 10 paramagnetic compounds investigated here). The nitrate complexes (X = NO(3); M = Mn (1), Co (2), Ni (3), Cu (4)) crystallize isomorphously in monoclinic space group P2(1)/a. The equatorial positions are occupied with two 4ImNNH chelates and the nitrate oxygen atoms are located at the axial positions. Magnetic measurements revealed that the intramolecular exchange couplings in 1, 2, and 4 were antiferromagnetic, while that in 3 was ferromagnetic with 2J/k(B) = +85 K, where the spin Hamiltonian is defined as H = -2J(S(1).S(2) + S(2).S(3)) based on the molecular structures determined as the linear radical-metal-radical triads. The intramolecular ferromagnetic interaction in 3 is interpreted in terms of orthogonality between the radical pi and metal dsigma orbitals. Compounds 1-3 exhibited intermolecular ferromagnetic interaction ascribable to a two-dimensional hydrogen bond network parallel to the crystallographic ab plane. Complex 3 became an antiferromagnet below 3.4 K and exhibited a metamagnetic transition on applying a magnetic field of 5.5 kOe at 1.8 K. The complexes prepared from metal halides, [M(4ImNNH)(2)X(2)] (X = Cl, Br; M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu), showed intramolecular antiferromagnetic interactions, which are successfully analyzed based on the radical-metal-radical system. The crystal structures determined here on 1-4, [Mn(4ImNNH)(2)Cl(2)], and [Cu(4ImNNH)(2)Br(2)] always have intermolecular hydrogen bonds of H(imidazole).X(axial ligand)-M, where X = NO(3), Cl, Br. This interaction seems to play an important role in molecular packing and presumably also in magnetic coupling.