Intramolecular [2+2] Photocycloaddition of 3‐ and 4‐(But‐3‐enyl)oxyquinolones: Influence of the Alkene Substitution Pattern,Photophysical Studies,and Enantioselective Catalysis by a Chiral Sensitizer

The intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition of four 4‐(but‐3‐enyl)oxyquinolones (substitution pattern at the terminal alkene carbon atom: CH₂, Z‐CHEt, E‐CHEt, CMe₂) and two 3‐(but‐3‐enyl)oxyquinolones (substitution pattern: CH₂, CMe₂) was studied. Upon direct irradiation at λ=300 nm, the respective cyclobutane products were formed in high yields (83–95 %) and for symmetrically substituted substrates with complete diastereoselectivity. Substrates with a Z‐ or E‐substituted terminal double bond showed a stereoconvergent reaction course leading to mixtures of regio‐ and diastereomers with almost identical composition. The mechanistic course of the photocycloaddition was elucidated by transient absorption spectroscopy. A triplet intermediate was detected for the title compounds, which–in contrast to simple alkoxyquinolones such as 3‐butyloxyquinolone and 4‐methoxyquinolone–decayed rapidly (τ≈1 ns) through cyclization to a triplet 1,4‐diradical. The diradical can evolve through two reaction channels, one leading to the photoproduct and the other leading back to the starting material. When the photocycloaddition was performed in the presence of a chiral sensitizer (10 mol %) upon irradiation at λ=366 nm in trifluorotoluene as the solvent, moderate to high enantioselectivities were achieved. The two 3‐(but‐3‐enyl)oxyquinolones gave enantiomeric excesses (ees) of 60 and 64 % at ?25 °C, presumably because a significant racemic background reaction occurred. The 4‐substituted quinolones showed higher enantioselectivities (92–96 % ee at ?25 °C) and, for the terminally Z‐ and E‐substituted substrates, an improved regio‐ and diastereoselectivity.     

A Chiral Thioxanthone as an Organocatalyst for Enantioselective [2+2] Photocycloaddition Reactions Induced by Visible Light

Thioxanthone 1 , which was synthesized in a concise fashion from methyl thiosalicylate, exhibits a significant absorption in the visible light region. It allows for an efficient enantioselective catalysis of intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reactions presumably by triplet energy transfer.     

Far‐ and Mid‐Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis of the Substrate‐Induced Structural Dynamics of Respiratory Complex I

The catalytic activity of the respiratory NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) is based on conformational reorganizations. Herein we probe the effect of substrates on the conformational flexibility of complex I by means of ¹H/²H exchange kinetics at the level of the amide proton in the mid‐infrared spectral range (1700–1500 cm^?1). Slow, medium, and fast exchanging domains are distinguished that reveal different accessibilities to the solvent. Whereas amide hydrogens undergo rapid exchange with the solvent in an open structure, hydrogens experience much slower exchange when they are involved in H‐bonded structures or when they are sterically inaccessible for the solvent. The results indicate a structure that is more open in the presence of both NADH and quinon. Complementary information on the overall internal hydrogen bonding of the protein was probed in the far infrared (300–30 cm^?1), a spectral range that includes a continuum mode of the hydrogen bonding signature.     

Systematic Study of the Interaction Between VIV Centres and LnIII Ions in Well Defined {V 2 IV LnIII}{AsIIIW9O33}2 Sandwich-Type Clusters: Part 2

The gadolinium (Gd) member of a new type of heteropolytungstates that contain one lanthanide and two transition metal ions in a triangular arrangement is reported. The compound NaK₆Gd_0.33 [((VO)₂Gd(H₂O)₄K₂(H₂O)₂(Na)(H₂O)₂)(α-B-AsW₉O₃₃)₂]·24H₂O (1) was prepared from acidified aqueous solutions of Na₂WO₄·2H₂O, As₂O₃ and VOSO₄·5H₂O to which Gd³⁺ ions were added. The single crystal X-ray structure analysis (monoclinic, space group P2₁/m) shows that the anion consists of two [α-B-As^IIIW₉O₃₃]^9? trilacunary Keggin-type units linked by two VO²⁺, one Gd³⁺ as well as weakly by two K⁺ and one Na⁺ ions, resulting in a sandwich-type structure with idealized C _2v symmetry. The problem of positioning crystal lattice and special polyoxometalate sites with different cations is discussed also in connection with supramolecular chemistry aspects and as an option for further research. A fit of the magnetic susceptibility yielded exchange coupling constants of J _VV = ?2.55 cm^?1 (anti-ferromagnetic) between the vanadium ions and J _GdV = 0.6 cm^?1 (ferromagnetic) between the Gd and each of the two vanadium ions. The complete magnetochemical analysis also revealed a partial occupancy of the Na⁺ sites in the counter-cation–water system by Gd³⁺ ions (0.33 Gd³⁺ ions in total).     

Batch tautomer generation with MolTPC

Besides all their conformational degrees of freedom, drug‐like molecules and natural products often also undergo tautomeric interconversions. Compared to the huge efforts made in experimental investigation of tautomerism, open and free algorithmic solutions for prototropic tautomer generation are surprisingly rare. The few freely available software packages limit their output to a subset of the possible configurational space by sometimes unwanted prior assumptions and complete neglection of ring‐chain tautomerism. Here, we describe an adjustable fully automatic tautomer enumeration approach, which is freely available and also incorporates the detection of ring‐chain variants. The algorithm is implemented in the MolTPC framework and accessible on SourceForge. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.