Oligothiophene isocyanides for platinum-based molecular electronic applications

Understanding molecular orientation on a metal surface is key to designing molecular electronic device junctions. Though platinum device electrodes are of particular interest as a more stable alternative to the often used gold electrodes, the chemisorption of conducting molecules onto platinum surfaces has not been thoroughly studied. We present herein the first detailed study of the ability and manner in which soluble oligothiophene isocyanides, of lengths ranging from 2 to 7 nm, chemisorb onto platinum surfaces and nanoparticles. It was found that these oligothiophene isocyanides stand at a 41 degrees angle from the platinum surface normal, suggesting their applicability in molecule-bridged platinum electrode devices.     

Catalytic Cyclophanes. Part VIII. Cytochrome P-450 activity of a porphyrin-bridged cyclophane

Following a known synthetic procedure, the porphyrin-cyclophane 1 having a porphyrin attached by two straps to an apolar cyclophane binding site was prepared. Upon metallation, the Zn^II and Fe^III derivatives 2 and 3 , respectively, were obtained in good yields. Treatment of 3 with base yielded the μ-oxo dimer 4 in which the two oxo-bridged porphyrins moieties are both capped by cyclophane binding sites. All compounds 1–4 are freely soluble in protic solvents such as MeOH and CF₃CH₂OH, and the Fe^III derivatives 3 and 4 are active cytochrome P-450 mimics in these protic environments. Strong inclusion complexation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by 1 and 3 in alcoholic solvents was observed and quantified by ¹H-NMR and UV/VIS titrations. Acenaphthylene binds in an ‘equatorial’ orientation which locates its reactive 1,2-double bond near the porphyrin center, whereas phenanthrene binds ‘axially’ with the reactive 9,10-double bond oriented away from the porphyrin. The reduction potential of 3 was not significantly altered by substrate binding. In the unbound form, the Fe^III center in porphyrin 3 was found by ESR and ¹H-NMR to prefer a high-spin state (S = 5.2). In CF₃CH₂OH, using iodosylbenzene as O-transfer agent, the Fe^III derivative 3 catalyzed the oxidation of acenaphthylene to acenaphthen-1-one ( 14 ). Phenanthrene inhibited the reaction, possibly as a result of strong but nonproductive binding. Under similar conditions, isotetralin ( 18 ) was aromatized with high turnover to 1,4-dihydronaphthalene. The μ-oxo dimer 4 also showed high activity in the oxidation of acenaphthylen in MeOH, a result which provides strong evidence for efficent supramolecular catalysis. Due to as yet unknown reaction channels leading to polymeric products, poor mass balances were generally obtained in the oxidations effected in MeOH and CF₃CH₂OH in the presence of PhIO.     

Covering with blocks in the non-symmetric case

Considering an infinite string of i.i.d. random letters drawn from a finite alphabet we define the cover timeW _n as the number of random letters needed until each pattern of lenghtn appears at least once as a substring. Sharp weak and a.s. limit results onW _n are known in the symmetric case, i.e., when the random letters are uniformly distributed over the alphabet. In this paper we determine the limit distribution ofW _n in the nonsymmetric case asn. Generalizations in terms of point processes are also proved.Dedicated to Endre Csáki on his 60th birthday.     

A convenient synthesis of chiral succinic acid-d2 by catalytic asymmetric reduction using a ruthenium BINAP catalyst

The synthesis of (2R,3R) and (2S,3S) dideuteriosuccinic acid in 63 ± 10% enantiomeric excess by reduction of the half acid ester of ethyl fumarate from (R) and (S) BINAP ruthenium (II) diacetate complex, respectively, is reported. (2R,3R) and (2S,3S)-Dideuteriosuccinic acid has also been prepared from (R)-BINAP ruthenium (II) dicarboxylate complex directly in similar optical purity by reversing the sequence of introduction of the isotopic label.     

Photoelectron and penning ionization electron spectroscopic investigation of trimethylsilyl- and t-butyl-thiophenes

Penning ionization electron spectroscopy and CNDO/S calculations have been successfully applied to the analyses of the UV photoelectron spectra of 2- and 2,5-bistrimethylsilylthiophene and 2-t-butylthiophene. The relative intensities of the π type bands are greatly enhanced in the Penning spectra compared with those of the UV photoelectron spectra.     

Dioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes containing 1-alkyl-2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyridin-4(1H)-ones

Dioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes derived from ethyl maltol (2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyrone) and 1-alkyl-2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyridin-4(1H)-ones have been prepared and characterized using physical methods including ¹H- and ¹³C-n.m.r. spectroscopy, i.r., elemental analysis, and X-ray diffraction for the pyrone and 3-methylpyridine pyridinone derivatives. The octahedral complexes have the general formula cis-MoO₂L₂ where L = the deprotonated pyrone or pyridinone ligand.     

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of the Multidrug Resistance-Reversing Agent Hapalosin and Its Non-N-methyl Analog

Hapalosin was initially synthesized by macrolactonization, and a second synthesis was achieved by cycloamidation. In both syntheses, three of the five stereocenters in hapalosin were established by two Brown allylboration reactions. The synthesis of the non-N-Me analog of hapalosin involved chelation-controlled reduction of a gamma-amino-beta-keto ester and cycloamidation. In CDCl(3) at 25 degrees C, synthetic hapalosin exists as a 2.3:1 mixture of conformers, while its non-N-Me analog exists only as a single conformer. (1)H,(1)H-NOESY and computation reveal that the configuration of the amide bond is responsible for the conformations of the two compounds. The major conformer of hapalosin is found to be an s-cis amide, the minor conformer an s-trans amide, and the non-N-Me analog an s-trans amide. Applying distance constraints to protons that exhibit NOESY correlations, computation shows that the major conformer of hapalosin and the non-N-Me analog have very different conformations. By contrast, the minor conformer of hapalosin and the non-N-Me analog have very similar conformations.     

N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylideneiminato) and N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylaminato): synthesis, characterization, potentiometric, spectroscopic, and DFT studies of their vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) complexes

The Schiff base N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylideneiminato) (H(2)pyr(2)en, 1) was synthesized by reaction of pyridoxal with ethylenediamine; reduction of H(2)pyr(2)en with NaBH(4) yielded the reduced Schiff base N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylaminato) (H(2)Rpyr(2)en, 2); their crystal structures were determined by X-ray diffraction. The totally protonated forms of 1 and 2 correspond to H(6)L(4+), and all protonation constants were determined by pH-potentiometric and (1)H NMR titrations. Several vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) complexes of these and other related ligands were prepared and characterized in solution and in the solid state. The X-ray crystal structure of [V(V)O(2)(HRpyr(2)en)] shows the metal in a distorted octahedral geometry, with the ligand coordinated through the N-amine and O-phenolato moieties, with one of the pyridine-N atoms protonated. Crystals of [(V(V)O(2))(2)(pyren)(2)].2 H(2)O were obtained from solutions containing H(2)pyr(2)en and oxovanadium(IV), where Hpyren is the "half" Schiff base of pyridoxal and ethylenediamine. The complexation of V(IV)O(2+) and V(V)O(2) (+) with H(2)pyr(2)en, H(2)Rpyr(2)en and pyridoxamine in aqueous solution were studied by pH-potentiometry, UV/Vis absorption spectrophotometry, as well as by EPR spectroscopy for the V(IV)O systems and (1)H and (51)V NMR spectroscopy for the V(V)O(2) systems. Very significant differences in the metal-binding abilities of the ligands were found. Both 1 and 2 act as tetradentate ligands. H(2)Rpyr(2)en is stable to hydrolysis and several isomers form in solution, namely cis-trans type complexes with V(IV)O, and alpha-cis- and beta-cis-type complexes with V(V)O(2). The pyridinium-N atoms of the pyridoxal rings do not take part in the coordination but are involved in acid-base reactions that affect the number, type, and relative amount of the isomers of the V(IV)O-H(2)Rpyr(2)en and V(V)O(2)-H(2)Rpyr(2)en complexes present in solution. DFT calculations were carried out and support the formation and identification of the isomers detected by EPR or NMR spectroscopy, and the strong equatorial and axial binding of the O-phenolato in V(IV)O and V(V)O(2) complexes. Moreover, the DFT calculations done for the [V(IV)O(H(2)Rpyr(2)en)] system indicate that for almost all complexes the presence of a sixth equatorial or axial H(2)O ligand leads to much more stable compounds.