Co‐crystals of 3‐deoxy‐3‐fluoro‐α‐d‐glucopyranose and 3‐deoxy‐3‐fluoro‐β‐d‐glucopyranose

3‐Deoxy‐3‐fluoro‐d ‐glucopyranose crystallizes from acetone to give a unit cell containing two crystallographically independent molecules. One of these molecules (at site A) is structurally homogeneous and corresponds to 3‐deoxy‐3‐fluoro‐β‐d ‐glucopyranose, C₆H₁₁FO₅, (I). The second molecule (at site B) is structurally heterogeneous and corresponds to a mixture of (I) and 3‐deoxy‐3‐fluoro‐α‐d ‐glucopyranose, (II); treatment of the diffraction data using partial‐occupancy oxygen at the anomeric center gave a high‐quality packing model with an occupancy ratio of 0.84:0.16 for (II):(I) at site B. The mixture of α‐ and β‐anomers at site B appears to be accommodated in the lattice because hydrogen‐bonding partners are present to hydrogen bond to the anomeric OH group in either an axial or equatorial orientation. Cremer–Pople analysis of (I) and (II) shows the pyranosyl ring of (II) to be slightly more distorted than that of (I) [θ_(I) = 3.85 (15)° and θ_(II) = 6.35 (16)°], but the general direction of distortion is similar in both structures [ϕ_(I) = 67 (2)° (B_C1,C4) and ϕ_(II) = 26.0 (15)° (^C3TB_C1); B = boat conformation and TB = twist‐boat conformation]. The exocyclic hydroxymethyl (–CH₂OH) conformation is gg (gauche–gauche) (H5 anti to O6) in both (I) and (II). Structural comparisons of (I) and (II) to related unsubstituted, deoxy and fluorine‐substituted monosaccharides show that the gluco ring can assume a wide range of distorted chair structures in the crystalline state depending on ring substitution patterns.     

The role of the bridging group in exchange coupling in dinuclear homo- and heterometallic Ni(ii) and Co(ii) complexes with oxalate, oxamidate and dithiooxamidate bridges

Six homodinuclear and two heteronuclear complexes Tp(Np)Co-C(2)O(4)-CoTp(Np) (1), Tp(Np)Co-C(2)O(4)-NiTp(Cy) (2), Tp(Cy)Ni-C(2)O(4)-NiTp(Cy) (3), Tp(Np)Co-C(2)O(2)(NH)(2)-CoTp(Np) (4), Tp(Cy)Ni-C(2)O(2)(NH)(2)-NiTp(Cy) (5), Tp(Np)Co-C(2)S(2)(NH)(2)-CoTp(Np) (6), Tp(Np)Co-C(2)S(2)(NH)(2)-NiTp(Cy) (7), Tp(Cy)Ni-C(2)S(2)(NH)(2)-NiTp(Cy) (8) (Tp(Np) = tris(3-neopentylpyrazolyl)borate, Tp(Cy) = tris(3-cyclohexylpyrazolyl)borate), were synthesized and characterized by mass spectrometry, electronic spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. These compounds possess similar molecular structures, with the metal ions linked by bridging oxalate (1-3), oxamidate (4 and 5) or dithiooxamidate (6-8) ions. The heteronuclear nature of compounds 2 and 7 was additionally confirmed by high-resolution mass spectrometry. The magnetic properties of the Co(2+) complexes were modelled taking into account zero-field splitting of this ion, yielding D-values for Co(2+) in the range -17(1) to -50(1) cm(-1). All the metal ion pairs in compounds 1-8 are antiferromagnetically-coupled, with J values between -10.0(1) and -45.0(2) cm(-1) (via the exchange Hamiltonian ?(ex.) = -2J?(1)?(2)) and |J| increasing in the order oxalate < oxamidate < dithiooxamidate. This tendency can be attributed to greater M-S bond covalency compared to M-N or M-O bonds (M = Co(2+) and Ni(2+)). It was found that this antiferromagnetic coupling of Co(2+) and Ni(2+) ions through oxalate is more efficient for these tris(pyrazolyl)borate complexes than for similar oxalate-bridged systems with neutral aliphatic amine ligands.     

Dimerization and anion binding of a fluorescent phospholipid analogue

A diarylacetylene fluorophore featuring spatially separated urea and phosphocholine (PC) groups forms a macrocyclic "head-to-tail" dimer stabilized by NH(urea)···OP(PC) hydrogen bonds. At concentrations above ～2 × 10(-5) M in CH(2)Cl(2), the emission intensity of the dimer is quenched by HCO(3)(-) and H(2)PO(4)(-) but not by Cl(-) and NO(3)(-). Under more dilute conditions, all four anions are bound unselectively with association constants on the order of 10(5) M(-1).     

DNA analysis by application of Pt nanoparticle electrochemical amplification with single label response

This study demonstrates a highly sensitive sensing scheme for the detection of low concentrations of DNA, in principle down to the single biomolecule level. The previously developed technique of electrochemical current amplification for detection of single nanoparticle (NP) collisions at an ultramicroelectrode (UME) has been employed to determine DNA. The Pt NP/Au UME/hydrazine oxidation reaction was employed, and individual NP collision events were monitored. The Pt NP was modified with a 20-base oligonucleotide with a C6 spacer thiol (detection probe), and the Au UME was modified with a 16-base oligonucleotide with a C6 spacer thiol (capture probe). The presence of a target oligonucleotide (31 base) that hybridized with both capture and detection probes brought a Pt NP on the electrode surface, where the resulting electrochemical oxidation of hydrazine resulted in a current response.     

Organophosphazenes. 26. Factors controlling the pathways observed in the reactions of ethynyl lithium reagents with hexafluorocyclotriphosphazene

In contrast to previously studied reactions of ethynyl lithium reagents, the reactions of propynyl and hexynyl lithium with N(3)P(3)F(6) lead to predominantly nongeminal isomers. A modest cis stereo selectivity was observed. The sequential addition of a lithio acetylene reagent which follows a predominately geminal pathway (lithiophenylacetylene) and an aryl lithium reagent (p-propenylphenyl lithium) which follows a predominantly nongeminal pathway were examined. The relative order of addition of the two reagents was interchanged, resulting in a change of reaction pathway demonstrating ring substituent control of the regio and stereo chemical pathways. Hydrogenation of the ethynyl unit in the phosphazene derivatives provides a facile pathway to the difficult to prepare alkylphosphazenes. The chemical shift of the organosubstituted phosphorus center undergoes a remarkably large change (46-47 ppm) on going from the ethynyl to the alkyl derivatives, which reduces the complex (31)P and (19)F NMR spectra of the ethynyl derivatives to easily interpretable first-order spectra, thus allowing for structure assignment. The (13)C NMR data shows that nongeminal regio selectivity increases with the amount of s character on the ethynyl carbon atom attached to the phosphorus center. These observations allow for an understanding of the factors controlling regio and stereo chemical control in the reactions of carbanionic nucleophiles with N(3)P(3)F(6).     

Rearrangement of epoxynitriles: a convenient homologation of acyclic and cyclic ketones to carboxylic acids

A convenient two-step homologation of both aliphatic and aromatic ketones to the corresponding carboxylic acid has been developed. First ketones were converted to epoxynitriles with the Darzens reaction. Second, a Lewis acid mediated rearrangement of these epoxynitriles with lithium bromide was achieved to give homologated secondary alkanoic acids (as well as aryl-alkanoic) in good yields. The mechanism and the scope of the rearrangement reaction were investigated. This strategy constitutes a two-step homologation of ketones to secondary carboxylic acids.     

The absolute sign of J coupling constants determined using the order matrix calculation

A novel methodology using the order matrix calculation to determine the absolute sign of spin-spin couplings based on the structure of organic compounds is presented. The sign of the residual dipolar coupling (RDC) depends on the sign of corresponding scalar spin-spin coupling constant and the sign of the RDC has a dramatic influence on the order matrix calculation. Therefore, the sign of the spin-spin coupling constant can be obtained by an order matrix calculation through the corresponding RDC. Six types of spin-spin coupling constants, including 2J(H,H), 1J(C,F), 2J(C,F), 3J(C,F), 2J(F,H) and 3J(F,H), were obtained simultaneously. Except for 3J(C,F) where the measured RDCs have very small magnitudes, the signs were determined unambiguously.     

Research applications of the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD)

Crystal structure data are of fundamental importance in a wide spectrum of scientific activities. This tutorial review summarises the principal application areas, so far, for the data from more than 300,000 crystal structures of small organic and metal-organic compounds that are stored in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). Direct use of the accumulated data is valuable in establishing standard molecular dimensions, determining conformational preferences and in the study of intermolecular interactions, all of which are crucial in structural chemistry and rational drug design. More recently, information derived from the CSD has been used to construct two dynamic libraries of structural knowledge: Mogul, which stores intramolecular information, and IsoStar, which stores information about intermolecular interactions. These electronic libraries provide information "at the touch of a button". In their turn, the libraries also serve as sources of structural knowledge for applications software that address specific problems in small-molecule and biological chemistry.     

The observation of a large gauche preference when 2-fluoroethylamine and 2-fluoroethanol become protonated

The energies of the gauche and anti conformers of 2-fluoroethylamine, 2-fluoroethanol and their protonated analogues are calculated using density functional theory. Unlike the non protonated systems, the protonated systems show a strong gauche effect where the C-F and the C-(+)NH(3) or C-F and C-(+)OH(2) bonds are gauche rather than anti to each other. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies of 2-fluoroethylammonium compounds identify the same conformational preference.