Self-assembly of flexible supramolecular metallacyclic ensembles: structures and adsorption properties of their nanoporous crystalline frameworks

The syntheses, structures, and N2 adsorption properties of six new supramolecular metallacycles are reported. Flexible ditopic linkers, 1-4, with systematically varied lengths and conformational degrees of freedom were synthesized utilizing ester linkages. They were used in combination with (dppp)M(OTf)2, where M = Pt(II) and Pd(II), and cis-(Me3P)2Pt(OTf)2 to form flexible supramolecular metallacycles 5-10 in 88-98% isolated yields. Their structures were characterized via multinuclear NMR and X-ray crystallography. The metallacycles stack to form porous structures in the crystalline state. The pore dimensions depend on both the phosphorus ligands attached to the metals and the flexible linkers. Adsorption studies on the porous materials show that 5a, 6, 8, and 9 held 11.7, 16.5, 5.7, and 6.8 cm3/g STP of N2 at 77 K, respectively. A guest-exchange study with nitromethane and toluene reveals that the nanopore in 5 is flexible, a property which was transferred from the linker to the supramolecular structure in the solid state.     

Studies on the preparation and exchange reactions of 5-deuterated uracils

The mechanism of base catalyzed proton exchange at the 5-position of uracil and its N-methylated derivatives has been studied. These reactions proceed by addition — elimination across the 5,6-double bond when the 1-nitrogen is substituted with a methyl group, or with anchimeric assistance of the N-1 anion if the 1-position is unsubstituted. The base catalyzed hydrolyses of 1,3-dimethyluracil and 3-methyluracil also appear to proceed through hydrated intermediates. A facile method for an acid catalyzed preparation of 5-deuterated uracils is described as well as a simple and accurate method for analysis of deuterium content.     

Very general formation of tetrahydropterin cation radicals during reaction of iron porphyrins with tetrahydropterins: model for the corresponding NO-synthase reaction

Electron transfer from tetrahydropterins to iron porphyrins, with formation of intermediate tetrahydropterin cation radicals, is a very general reaction that was shown to occur not only with tetrahydrobiopterin, as originally found in NO-synthases, but also with another important biological cofactor, tetrahydrofolate, and various iron porphyrins, either in their ferric state, or in the Fe(II)O(2) state, as in the first model of the corresponding NO-synthase reaction described in this paper.     

Mechanism of the aromatic hydroxylation of thiophene by acid-catalyzed peracid oxidation

The oxidation of thiophene (1) with peracids in a strongly acidic environment yielded thiophen-2-one (4) as the product of an apparent direct hydroxylation of the thiophene aromatic ring together with the anticipated thiophene-S-oxide dimers, 2a,b, as the main products. Formation of the latter dimers can be rationalized in a straightforward manner by initial oxidation at the sulfur atom of thiophene (1) to yield thiophene-S-oxide followed by subsequent dimerization in a Diels-Alder type reaction. Trapping experiments in the presence of a competing dienophile indicated that thiophen-2-one (4) did not originate from the monomeric thiophene-S-oxide but was the product of an independent reaction pathway. The extent of thiophen-2-one (4) formation correlated with the acidity of the reaction medium and was suppressed in the presence of water, the latter presumably acting as a competing base. As evidenced by the use of 2,5-dideuterated thiophene (1-D), its mechanism of formation involved a 1,2-hydride shift, a feature commonly described in the peracid-mediated epoxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons and indicative for the occurrence of cationic intermediates. In agreement with all these observations we propose a mechanism involving initial protonation of thiophene followed by nucleophilic attack of the peracid in position 2 of the thiophene ring. Intramolecular epoxidation may lead to the formation of thiophene 2,3-epoxide as a highly reactive intermediate that then undergoes heterolytic ring opening and a 1,2-hydride shift to yield thiophen-2-one (4) after a final, acid-catalyzed, isomerization of the double bond.     

Enzyme promiscuity: first protein-catalyzed Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction

The Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of cyclohexenone and p-nitro benzaldehyde is catalyzed by carrier proteins such as serum albumins or enzymes such as certain lipases, conversion of up to 35% and enantioselectivities of up to 19% being observed.     

Determination of zinc,cadmium, lead and copper in sea water by means of computerized potentiometric stripping analysis

Water samples from the Arctic Sea were analyzed by the potentiometric stripping technique. Lead(II) and cadmium(II) were determined after pre-electrolysis for 32 min at—1.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl, the detection limits being 0.06 and 0.04 nM, respectively. Zinc(II) was determined after the addition of gallium(III) by pre-electrolysis for 16 min at —1.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl, the detection limit being 0.25 nM. Problems in the determination of copper(II) at the very low concentrations found in oceanic waters are outlined. The average zinc(II), cadmium(II) and lead(II) concentrations in eight different samples were 2.5, 0.16 and 0.10 nM as determined by potentiometric stripping analysis and 1.9, 0.16 and 0.09 nM as determined by solvent extraction/atomic absorption spectrometry. The advantages of this computerized technique for the analysis of sea water are discussed.     

Iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. A scalable synthesis of the immunosuppressive agent FTY720

A chemo- and regioselective cross-coupling reaction of the functionalized aryl triflate 5 with octylmagnesium bromide catalyzed by cheap, nontoxic, and environmentally benign Fe(acac)(3) sets the basis for a practical and scaleable synthesis of the octylbenzene derivative 6, which serves as a key building block for the preparation of FTY720 (1). This 2-amino-1,3-propanediol derivative shows highly promising immunosuppressive properties and is currently in human clinical phase III trials.     

Atomic beam scattering from single crystal surfaces

Application of atom-scattering to a variety of surface problems is expanding rapidly, owing in large part to the extreme surface- sensitivity of this probe. Helium is particularly useful because of its low mass and chemical inertness. Beams with velocity spreads of less than one percent and wavelength of the order of one Angstrom can be formed by nozzle expansion.

The scattered flux from a clean, well-ordered crystal surface contains elastic and inelastic, coherent and incoherent, components. The coherent elastic component (i.e., the specular and diffracted beams) contains information about the crystallographic structure of the outer- most atomic layer of the crystal and about the interaction potential between the crystal and the scattered particle. The latter manifests itself in the form of resonances between the incoming free-particle state, and the two-dimensional Bloch states bound in the potential well at the surface. Elastic scattering theory has reached the point where the resonance signatures in the various diffracted beams can be predicted accurately.

Crystallographic information resides in the diffracted beam intensities. Theoretical interpretation is less well advanced, though some progress has been made with “hard-wall” models. Experimental studies of reconstructed surfaces and chemisorbed overlayers appear very promising.

In inelastic scattering, energy resolution has been achieved by both time-of-flight and diffraction methods. High-resolution studies on alkali halide surfaces have led to experimental determination of Rayleighwave dispersion relations over the full Brillouin zone. Preliminary results have also been obtained on some metals.     

Multicomponent coupling approach to (+/-)-frondosin B and a ring-expanded analogue

[reaction: see text] A recently discovered multicomponent coupling reaction is used to give direct access to a late intermediate in the synthesis of frondosin B. This intermediate can also be efficiently converted to a ring-expanded analogue of frondosin B by sustained heating of the reaction mixture. An unprecedented tandem 1,7-hydrogen shift, 8pi-electrocyclization is proposed to explain the formation of this ring-expanded species.