Two New Retigerane‐Type Sesterterpenoids from the Lichen Leprocaulon microscopicum

Two new sesterterpenes, 1 and 2 , have been isolated from the lichen Leprocaulon microscopicum. In addition to classic chromatographic methods, a liquid‐liquid chromatography technique, namely centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) was applied for the purification of compound 2 . The structures were determined by analyses of mass spectrometry and 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR data. The relative configuration of the isolated compounds was assigned on the basis of 2D‐NOESY experiments. The two compounds possess a rare pentacyclic carbon skeleton typical for lichen metabolism, and quite unusual in the vegetal kingdom.     

A study of morphological,thermal, rheological and barrier properties of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-Co-3-Hydroxyvalerate)/polylactide blends prepared by melt mixing

The paper aims to study blend properties of biodegradable polymers of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and polylactide (PLA) prepared by melt mixing. Blend compositions based on PHBV/PLA were investigated according to the following weight ratios, i.e. 100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 and 0/100 wt%. The study showed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that blends of PHBV/PLA are not miscible. This is consistent with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data which indicate the presence of two distinct glass transition temperatures (T_g) and melting temperatures (T_m), attributed to the neat polymers, over all the range of blend compositions. Water and oxygen barrier properties of PHBV/PLA blends are significantly improved with increasing the PHBV content in the blend. Further, morphological analyzes indicated that increasing the PHBV content in the polymer blends results in increasing the PLA crystallinity due to the finely dispersed PHBV crystals acting as a filler and a nucleating agent for PLA. On the other hand, the addition of PLA to the blend results in a very impressive increase in the complex viscosity of PHBV. Moreover, the rheological data showed that, excluding the specific behavior of the neat polymers at low frequencies, i.e. less than 0.1 Hz, the complex viscosity of PHBV/PLA blends fits the mixing law well.     

One-dimensional quantum description of the bending vibrations of HCN/CNH for high values of the total angular momentum

For high values of the quantum number of the total angular momentum J (up to J = 20), quantum mechanical eigenstates (eigenvalues and eigenfunctions) are calculated by the method of Gatti et al. (J. Mol. Spectrosc. 181 (1997) 403) for the bending deformations of HCN and CNH. In particular, we have examined the l-type resonances in highly excited rovibrational states within the framework of a one-dimensional model, i.e. along the reaction pathway for the isomerization reaction HCN/CNH. The potential energy surface used is that of Bowman et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 99 (1993) 308).     

Insight into the reactivity of olefins in the Pauson-Khand reaction

The reactivity of different Co(2)(CO)(6)-acetylene complexes in the Pauson-Khand reaction is strongly dependent on the nature of the olefin. Theoretical calculations at both the DFT and ONIOM levels are concordant with experimental observations and suggest how the olefin-cobalt interactions in the complex could have a major effect on the relative reactivity of the olefins. This study rationalizes for the first time the experimentally observed reactivity differences of cyclohexene, cyclopentene, and norbornene.     

Development and validation of a sensitive and selective method using GC/MS-MS for quantification of 5-fluorouracil in hospital wastewater

Pollution of the environment by pharmaceuticals is a subject of growing scientific and societal concern. However, few quantitative data have been reported concerning hospital wastewater contamination. Among the different molecules used at hospital, antineoplastic drugs appear to be of special interest, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) can be considered as a key compound of this therapeutic class. To monitor this pharmaceutical in hospital wastewater, a highly specific and selective method was developed using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry after solid-phase extraction. This sensitive method (limit of quantification = 40 ng L⁻¹) was then applied to assess sewage contamination of a middle-size hospital with oncology service located in Paris, France. Native 5-FU was detectable in 12 of the 14 analysed samples. In positive samples, concentration range was measured from 0.09 to 4.0 μg L⁻¹. Finally, a predicting model for the hospital wastewater concentrations is presented, and results of this model are discussed.     

Rearrangement of 4-(1-haloalkyl)- and 4-(2-haloalkyl)-2-azetidinones into methyl omega-alkylaminopentenoates via transient aziridines and azetidines

The synthesis of 4-(1-haloalkyl)-2-azetidinones and 4-(2-haloalkyl)-2-azetidinones was investigated with use of the Staudinger reaction between in situ generated ketenes and alpha-haloimines or beta-haloimines. This new class of functionalized 2-azetidinones was further evaluated for its potential use as intermediates in the synthesis of highly functionalized compounds. The reaction of 4-(1-haloalkyl)-2-azetidinones and 4-(2-haloalkyl)-2-azetidinones with sodium methoxide in methanol yielded ring-opened products, i.e., methyl 2-alkoxy-4-(alkylamino)pentenoate and methyl 5-(alkylamino)pentenoate, respectively. Further attention was paid in detail to the reaction mechanism involved in this peculiar transformation. It was proven that these reactions proceeded via intermediate aziridines or azetidines.     

Surface and Structural Investigation of a MnOx Birnessite‐Type Water Oxidation Catalyst Formed under Photocatalytic Conditions

Catalytically active MnO_x species have been reported to form in situ from various Mn‐complexes during electrocatalytic and solution‐based water oxidation when employing cerium(IV) ammonium ammonium nitrate (CAN) oxidant as a sacrificial reagent. The full structural characterization of these oxides may be complicated by the presence of support material and lack of a pure bulk phase. For the first time, we show that highly active MnO_x catalysts form without supports in situ under photocatalytic conditions. Our most active ⁴MnO_x catalyst (～0.84 mmol O₂ mol Mn^?1 s^?1) forms from a Mn₄O₄ bearing a metal–organic framework. ⁴MnO_x is characterized by pair distribution function analysis (PDF), Raman spectroscopy, and HR‐TEM as a disordered, layered Mn‐oxide with high surface area (216 m²g^?1) and small regions of crystallinity and layer flexibility. In contrast, the ^SMnO_x formed from Mn²⁺ salt gives an amorphous species of lower surface area (80 m²g^?1) and lower activity (～0.15 mmol O₂ mol Mn^?1 s^?1). We compare these catalysts to crystalline hexagonal birnessite, which activates under the same conditions. Full deconvolution of the XPS Mn2p_3/2 core levels detects enriched Mn³⁺ and Mn²⁺ content on the surfaces, which indicates possible disproportionation/comproportionation surface equilibria.     

Approaches to open fullerenes: synthesis and thermal stability of cis-1 bis(isobenzofuran) Diels-Alder adducts of C60

In a quest to form wider openings within the cage of the fullerene C60 through controlled bond-breaking reactions, we have examined the double saturation of adjacent C=C bonds within a six-membered ring of C60. We have investigated the double Diels-Alder cycloaddition of two tethered isobenzofurans to the fullerene C60. We obtained cis-1 adducts in good yields after reacting the methylene- or quinoxaline-tethered bis(isobenzofuran) precursors 2a-k with parent 3,6-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (3b). The X-ray structure of the methylene-tethered bis(isobenzofuran)-C60 adduct 4b has been obtained; four-eclipsed substituents are held rigidly by the bicyclic addends. The cis-1 bis(isobenzofuran) bisadducts 4b and 4e-j are kinetically far more stable toward thermal retro-Diels-Alder fragmentation than are mono(isobenzofuran) adducts of C60, in solution and in the solid state as determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy or thermogravimetric analysis. A methodology for the reversible solubilization of other fullerene derivatives based on this work is also presented.     

Molecular-programmed self-assembly of homo- and heterometallic penta- and hexanuclear coordination compounds: synthesis, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of ladder-type CuII2MIIx (M=Cu, Ni; x=3, 4) oxamato complexes with CuII2 metallacyclophane cores

New homo- and heterometallic, hexa- and pentanuclear complexes of formula {[Cu2(mpba)2(H2O)F][Cu(Me5dien)]4}(PF6)(3).5H2O (1), {[Cu2(Me3mpba)2(H2O)2][Cu(Me5dien)]4}(ClO4)(4).12H2O (2), {[Cu2(ppba)2][Cu(Me5dien)]4}(ClO4)4 (3), and [Ni(cyclam)]{[Cu2(mpba)2][Ni(cyclam)]3}(ClO4)(4).6H2O (4) [mpba=1,3-phenylenebis(oxamate), Me3mpba=2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3-phenylenebis(oxamate), ppba=1,4-phenylenebis(oxamate), Me5dien=N,N,N'N' ',N' '-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, and cyclam=1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane] have been synthesized through the use of the "complex-as-ligand/complex-as-metal" strategy. The structures of 1-3 consist of cationic CuII6 entities with an overall [2x2] ladder-type architecture which is made up of two oxamato-bridged CuII3 linear units connected through two m- or p-phenylenediamidate bridges between the two central copper atoms to give a binuclear metallacyclic core of the cyclophane-type. Complex 4 consists of cationic CuII2NiII3 entities with an incomplete [2x2] ladder-type architecture which is made up of oxamato-bridged CuIINiII and CuIINiII2 linear units connected through two m-phenylenediamidate bridges between the two copper atoms to give a binuclear metallacyclophane core. The magnetic properties of 1-3 and 4 have been interpreted according to their distinct "dimer-of-trimers" and "dimer-plus-trimer" structures, respectively, (H=-J(S1A.S3A+S1A.S4A+S2B.S5B+S2B.S6B)-J'S1A.S2B). Complexes 1-4 exhibit moderate to strong antiferromagnetic coupling through the oxamate bridges (-JCu-Cu=81.3-105.9 cm-1; -JCu-Ni=111.6 cm-1) in the trinuclear and/or binuclear units. Within the binuclear metallacyclophane core, a weak to moderate ferromagnetic coupling (J'Cu-Cu=1.7-9.0 cm-1) operates through the double m-phenylenediamidate bridge, while a strong antiferromagnetic coupling (J'Cu-Cu=-120.6 cm-1) is mediated by the double p-phenylenediamidate bridge.