Hydrogenation of olefins in supercritical CO(2) catalyzed by palladium nanoparticles in a water-in-CO(2) microemulsion

Nanometer-sized metallic palladium particles can be synthesized by hydrogen reduction of Pd2+ ions dissolved in the water core of a water-in-CO2 microemulsion. The Pd nanoparticles, stabilized by the micromeulsion and uniformly dispersed in the supercritical fluid phase, are effective catalysts for hydrogenation of olefins. Examples of rapid and efficient hydrogenation of water-soluble and CO2-soluble olefins catalyzed by the Pd nanoparticles in supercritical CO2 are given.     

Oxidations of 4- and 3-Aminopyridinepentaammineruthenium(ii) Complexes by Ethylenediaminetetraacetatocobaltate(III)

Redox reactions of Co(edta)^? with Ru(NH₃)₅L²⁺ (L = 3- and 4-aminopyridine (AmPy)) were found to follow an outer-sphere electron transfer mechanism. The specific rate constants are (3.26 ± 0.03) × 10² and (3.07 ± 0.04) × 10₃ M^?1S^?1, for L = 3- and 4-AmPy, respectively, at μ, = 0.10 M LiClO₄, pH = 8.0 (tris) and T = 25 °C. The rate constants of oxidations for a series of Ru(NH₃)₅L²⁺ complexes are higher than those of the corresponding Fe(CN)₅L_3- complexes by factors of 4 to 15 even after corrections for differences in reduction potentials and in charges of the complexes. Nonadiabaticity in the reactions of Fe(CN)₅L3 complexes may account for the difference in the relative reactivities.     

Asymmetric Diels-Alder Reactions of Chiral Menthyl α-Sulfinylacrylates

Introducing two chiral auxiliaries, sulfoxide and menthol, into an acrylate would have either matched or mismatched pair systems. The presence of chiral menthol in α-sulfinylacrylates can change the diastereoselectivity from 24% d.e. to a single diastereomer by manipulation of the double asymmetric strategy.     

Separation and quantitation of fatty acids by high-performance liquid chromatography

To facilitate the determination of the fatty acid composition of tissues and the investigation of fatty acid metabolism, we developed a method for the rapid separation by high-performance liquid chromatography and quantitation (by ultraviolet light absorption) of p-bromophenyl esters of fatty acids which vary in chain length from 10 to 22 carbon atoms. The utility of the method was demonstrated by evaluating the fatty acid composition of human uterine decidua vera tissue and human endometrial stromal cells that are maintained in monolayer culture.     

Heptane-soluble homogeneous zirconocene catalyst: Synthesis of a single diastereomer,polymerization catalysis,and effect of silica supports

Bis(1-indenyl)-di[1′S, 2′R, 5′S)-methoxy]silane ( 1 ) was converted into a mixture of corresponding ansa-diastereomeric zirconocenes. Further purification afforded a single dia-stereomer, di[(1′S, 2′R, 5′S)-methoxy] silylene-bis[η⁵-1(R, R)-(+)-indenyl] dichlorozirconium ( 2 ), which is optically active and hydrocarbon soluble. Extremely rapid ethylene, propylene, and ethylene-hexene polymerizations were observed both in toluene and n-heptane solutions; for instance, at 50°C, activity for ethylene polymerization reaches ～ 1.5×10¹⁰ (g of PE/((mol of Zr) · [C₂H₄] · h). The “bare” zirconocenium ion generated from 2/TIBA/Ph₃CB(C₆F₅)₄ exhibits unusual polymerization behaviors; the polymerization activity increases monotonically with temperature of polymerization (T_p) up to a conventional polymerization condition (50–70°C), and the ¹³C NMR study shows that the isotactic poly-propylene obtained has fairly high [mmmm] methyl pentad distributions at high T_p (?25°C with [mmmm] ～ 0.93–0.75) and a perfect stereoregularity at low T_p (?0°C with [mmmm] > 0.99). The catalyst precursors 2 and Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂ ( 3 ) supported on silica by different approaches produced poly(olefins) of different molecular weights and stereoregularities, and a methylaluminokane and Ph₃CB(C₆F₅)₄ free silica-supported zirconocene system was found to be activated by triisobutylaluminum. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Molecular mechanics study of zirconocenium catalyzed isospecific polymerization of propylene

Stereocontrol energy (ΔE⁰) is investigated as a measure of enantioselectivity of ansa-zircoocenium catalyst in propylene polymerization; it was calculated with MM2 (molecular mechanics) force field using π complex (°C) and transition state (TS) geometries obtained by ab initio molecular orbital methods. Both rac-ethylenebis (1-η⁵-indenyl) - ( 1 ) and rac-ethylenebis (1-η⁵-4,5,7,8-tetrahydroindenyl) ( 2 ) zirconocenium species are isospecific in either the π-complexes or the transition states. The stereoselectivity is greater if there is α-agostic interaction; it is lowered in the cases of β and γ agostic interactions. The ¹³C-NMR steric pentad distribution indicates the poly(propylene) to be much less stereoregular than that predicted by ΔE⁰. Following the occurrence of a regiochemical insertion error, the addition of another monomer via any mode is prohibitively unfavorable. The catalyst suffers loss of stereospecificity as temperature of polymerization increases. Insertion via transition states involving different agostic interactions could be one explanation for the observed loss. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Criteria for diffusion limitation in coordination polymerization

The following criteria are proposed to judge whether a coordination polymerization may be diffusion controlled or not: (1) If the number-average molecular weight and polydispersity of the polymer calculated from kinetic rate constants as a function of time agree with the experimental values, the polymerization is not diffusion controlled. (2) The polymerization may be diffusion controlled if the Thiele modulus, the ratio of the characteristic diffusion time to the characteristic reaction time, is much greater than unity; if it is much smaller than unity, the polymerization is reaction controlled. (3) If an initial linear dependence of rate of polymerization on catalyst concentration changes over to a square-root dependence, the polymerization may be diffusion limited. (4) The polymerization is likely to be diffusion limited if the instantaneous rate of polymerization is proportional to the rate of particle growth when the proportionality coefficient is the surface area of the particle. Criterion (1) is a necessary and sufficient condition as stated, as its converse is not true. All the other criteria are merely necessary but not sufficient conditions. The established Ziegler–Natta catalysts have activities too low to cause diffusion limitation; the Phillips catalyst system is likely to be diffusion limited. The polydispersity of polyolefins produced with Ziegler–Natta catalysts are not the consequence of diffusion control but are the characteristics of the catalysts in their kinetics of initiation, propagation, chain transfer, and termination.     

Tasumatrols P – T,Five New Taxoids from Taxus sumatrana

The phytochemical investigation of the more polar fractions from the leaves and twigs of Taxus sumatrana (Taxaceae) afforded five new taxane diterpene esters, tasumatrols P–T ( 1 – 5 ) possessing an 11(15→1),11(10→9)‐diabeotaxane skeleton. Compounds 1, 4 , and 5 contain an α‐hydroxy group at C(14), while 3 has no OH group at either C(13) or C(14). Compound 2 is a natural 4,5‐acetonide derivative, while 4 has an unusual spiro‐connected 2‐hydroxy‐2‐phenyl‐1,3‐dioxolane ring. Ten known taxoids, were also isolated in the course of the chromatographic fractionation. Five additional new O‐acetyl derivatives 3a, 4a, 4b, 5a , and 5b were prepared from the taxanes 3 – 5 . The structures of all new compounds were established on the basis of their spectroscopic analyses. Compound 1 showed mild cytotoxic activity against human Hela and Daoy tumor cells.