THE PHOTOPHYSICS OF p-AMINOBENZOIC ACID

Abstract— The lowest-lying allowed UV transition in p -aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is assigned Γ→¹L_a based on quantitative absorption and fluorescence studies, as well as semiempirical PM3 multielec-tron configuration interaction calculations. The oscillator strengths, fluorescence quantum efficiencies and lifetimes are reported for PABA in several polar, nonpolar, protic and aprotic solvents (aerated) at 296 K. Reasonable agreement is found between the observed radiative rate constant and that calculated from the absorption and fluorescence spectra. Shifts in the absorption and fluorescence spectra in aprotic solvents are analyzed in terms of the Onsager reaction field model; results are consistent with an increase in dipole moment of ca 4 D between the relaxed S₀ and S₁, states. No evidence is found for the emission from the amino-twisted form of PABA in all solvents studied although calculations show that the amino-twisted S, state is highly polar, but higher in energy by ca 35 kJ/mol ( in vacuo ). The fluorescence efficiency is excitation wavelength independent in both methylcyclohexane and water. The temperature dependence of the nonradiative rate constant (from S₁) was studied in several solvents. Nonradiative decay may be due to intersystem crossing, which would be fast enough to compete with thermally activated intramolecular NH₂ twisting. The phosphorescence spectrum and lifetime obtained in an EPA glass at 77 K are reported, and the triplet energy of PABA is estimated.     

Copper(II)-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes in ionic liquid [bmpy]PF6

A room-temperature aerobic oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes catalyzed by the three-component system acetamido-TEMPO/Cu(ClO(4))(2)/DMAP in the ionic liquid [bmpy]PF(6) has been developed, and the catalysts can be recycled and reused for five runs without any significant loss of catalytic activity. [reaction: see text]     

Ring closure reaction of 4-(2-hydroxyanilino)-2-phenyl-5-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid with acetic anhydride. Synthesis of pyrimido[5,4-c] [1,5]benzoxazepin-5(11H)ones

Syntheses of 11-acety1-2-phenylpyrimido[5,4-c][1,5]benzoxazepin-5(11H)one ( 16a ) and analogs ( 16b,c, 22 ) were described. The reaction of 4-chloro-2-phenyl-5-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 7 ) with 2-aminophenol afforded 4-(2-hydroxyanilino)-2-phenyl-5-pyrimidine-carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 8a ). The latter was also prepared by catalytic reduction of 4-(2-nitrophenoxy)-2-phenyl-5-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 9 ), which was obtained from 7 and 2-nitrophenol. Involvement of 4-(2-aminophenoxy)-2-phenyl-5-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 12a ) in this reduction as an intermediate was demonstrated by an independent synthesis of 12a and its subsequent rearrangement to 8a. Hydrolysis of 8a or 12a gave 4-(2-hydroxyanilino)-2-phenyl-5-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid ( 15a ). Reaction of 15a with acetic anhydride afforded 16a , the first member of a novel ring system, the pyrimido[5,4- c ][1,5]-benzoxazepin. Additional examples ( 16b,c ) were prepared similarly. The corresponding 11-ethyl derivative ( 22 ) was prepared in similar fashion, starting with 7 and 2-ethylaminophenol. A possible reaction mechanism for the formation of 16a-c from 15a-c and acetic anhydride was discussed.     

Synthesis of 1,2,4-oxadiazines and their rearrangement to pyrimidines

Several amide oximes underwent condensation reactions with dimethyl acetylene dicarboxylate to afford 1:1 adducts. Under basic conditions, these adducts underwent ring closure to afford several methyl [3-(substituted)-4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-6H-1,2,4-oxadiazin-6-ylidene]acetates. The reactions of these compounds with a variety of amines resulted in addition-rearrangement reactions with the formation of the corresponding methyl 2-substituted-5-substituted amino-1,6-dihydro-6-oxo-4-pyrimidine carboxylates.     

Terephthalic Acid Copolyesters Containing Tetramethylcyclobutanediol for High-Performance Plastics

There is a need for high-performance applications for terephthalic acid (TPA) polyesters with high heat resistance, impact toughness, and optical clarity. Bisphenol A (BPA) based polycarbonates and polyarylates have such properties, but BPA is an endocrine disruptor. Therefore, new TPA polyesters that are less hazardous to health and the environment are becoming popular. Tetramethylcyclobutanediol (TMCD) is a difunctional monomer that can be polymerized with TPA and other diols to yield copolyesters with superior properties to conventional TPA polyesters. It has a cyclobutyl ring that makes it more rigid than cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) and EG. Thus, TMCD containing TPA copolyesters can have high heat resistance and impact strength. TPA can be made from abundantly available upcycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Therefore, this review discusses the synthesis of monomers and copolyesters, the impact of diol composition on material properties, molecular weight, effects of photodegradation, health safety, and substitution of cyclobutane diols for future polyesters.     

Synthesis of Carbapenems Containing Peptidoglycan Mimetics and Inhibition of the Cross-Linking Activity of a Transpeptidase of l,d Specificity

The carbapenem class of β-lactams has been optimized against Gram-negative bacteria producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases by introducing substituents at position C2. Carbapenems are currently investigated for the treatment of tuberculosis as these drugs are potent covalent inhibitors of l,d -transpeptidases involved in mycobacterial cell wall assembly. The optimization of carbapenems for inactivation of these unusual targets is sought herein by exploiting the nucleophilicity of the C8 hydroxyl group to introduce chemical diversity. As β-lactams are structure analogs of peptidoglycan precursors, the substituents were chosen to increase similarity between the drug and the substrate. Fourteen peptido-carbapenems were efficiently synthesized. They were more effective than the reference drug, meropenem, owing to the positive impact of a phenethylthio substituent introduced at position C2 but the peptidomimetics added at position C8 did not further improve the activity. Thus, position C8 can be modified to modulate the pharmacokinetic properties of highly efficient carbapenems.     

Time-resolved intraband electronic relaxation dynamics of Hg(n) (-) clusters (n=7-13,15,18) excited at 1.0 eV

Time-resolved photoelectron imaging has been used to study the relaxation dynamics of small Hg(n) (-) clusters (n=7-13,15,18) following intraband electronic excitation at 1250 nm (1.0 eV). This study furthers our previous investigation of single electron, intraband relaxation dynamics in Hg(n) (-) clusters at 790 nm by exploring the dynamics of smaller clusters (n=7-10), as well as those of larger clusters (n=11-13,15,18) at a lower excitation energy. We measure relaxation time scales of 2-9 ps, two to three times faster than seen previously after 790 nm excitation of Hg(n) (-), n=11-18. These results, along with size-dependent trends in the absorption cross-section and photoelectron angular distribution anisotropy, suggest significant evolution of the cluster anion electronic structure in the size range studied here. Furthermore, the smallest clusters studied here exhibit 35-45 cm(-1) oscillations in pump-probe signal at earliest temporal delays that are interpreted as early coherent nuclear motion on the excited potential energy surfaces of these clusters. Evidence for evaporation of one or two Hg atoms is seen on a time scale of tens of picoseconds.     

Blind prediction of HIV integrase binding from the SAMPL4 challenge

Here, we give an overview of the protein-ligand binding portion of the Statistical Assessment of Modeling of Proteins and Ligands 4 (SAMPL4) challenge, which focused on predicting binding of HIV integrase inhibitors in the catalytic core domain. The challenge encompassed three components—a small “virtual screening” challenge, a binding mode prediction component, and a small affinity prediction component. Here, we give summary results and statistics concerning the performance of all submissions at each of these challenges. Virtual screening was particularly challenging here in part because, in contrast to more typical virtual screening test sets, the inactive compounds were tested because they were thought to be likely binders, so only the very top predictions performed significantly better than random. Pose prediction was also quite challenging, in part because inhibitors in the set bind to three different sites, so even identifying the correct binding site was challenging. Still, the best methods managed low root mean squared deviation predictions in many cases. Here, we give an overview of results, highlight some features of methods which worked particularly well, and refer the interested reader to papers in this issue which describe specific submissions for additional details.