Exploiting the Hydrogen Bond Donor/Acceptor Properties of PN‐Heterocycles: Selective Anion Receptors for Hydrogen Sulfate

We describe two novel hybrid receptors combining a phosphorus‐/nitrogen‐containing (PN) phosphonamidate heterocycle with urea recognition units in an arylethynyl backbone. Structural, spectroscopic and computational studies reveal that the origin of superior binding for hydrogen sulfate (HSO₄^?) anion is correlated with the formation of strong hetero‐complementary hydrogen bonds with the phosphonamidate motif. We further demonstrate that the hybrid host system is capable of capturing/transporting the HSO₄^? anion from an aqueous, biphasic system.     

Oxidative synthesis of benzo[1,4]oxazines from α-branched primary amines and ortho-benzoquinones

The efficient oxidative construction of benzo[1,4]oxazines from simple α-branched amines and ortho-benzoquinones is reported. The procedure pivots on a triethylamine and iodine mediated oxidative ring closure from the ketimine intermediate formed upon their condensation. This reaction was shown to tolerate a variety of α-branched benzylamines and downstream derivatization to substituted benzomorpholine structures was also demonstrated.     

Neuroscience and accelerator mass spectrometry

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a mass spectrometric method for quantifying rare isotopes. It has had a great impact in geochronology and archaeology and is now being applied in biomedicine. AMS measures radioisotopes such as 3H, 14C, 26Al, 36Cl and 41Ca, with zepto- or attomole sensitivity and high precision and throughput, allowing safe human pharmacokinetic studies involving microgram doses, agents having low bioavailability or toxicology studies where administered doses must be kept low (<1 microg kg(-1)). It is used to study long-term pharmacokinetics, to identify biomolecular interactions, to determine chronic and low-dose effects or molecular targets of neurotoxic substances, to quantify transport across the blood-brain barrier and to resolve molecular turnover rates in the human brain on the time-scale of decades. We review here how AMS is applied in neurotoxicology and neuroscience.     

Elemental fluorine. Part 16. Versatile thin-film gas-liquid multi-channel microreactors for effective scale-out

Versatile and conveniently operated microreactor devices, suitable for long term chemical synthesis for both laboratory and industrial use, are described. Direct fluorination of ethyl acetoacetate by fluorine gas is used as a model reaction to illustrate the successful application of reactors having either 9, 18 or 30 microchannels, with all channels supplied from single reagent sources, to provide significant quantities of fluorinated products. Convenient reactor maintenance, simple design, versatility and the enhanced safety features of using such modular microreactor devices, make these systems appropriate for synthesis on the large scale.     

Chalcogen-rich lanthanide clusters: compounds with Te(2-), (TeTe)(2-), TePh, TeTePh, (TeTeTe(Ph)TeTe)(5-), and [(TeTe)(4)TePh](9-) ligands; single source precursors to solid-state lanthanide tellurides

Lanthanide metals react with PhTeTePh and elemental Te in pyridine to give (py)(y)Ln(4)(Te)(TeTe)(2)(TeTeTe(Ph)TeTe)(Te(x)TePh) (Ln = Sm (y = 9; x = 0); Tb, Ho (y = 8, x = 0.1)), and (py)(7)Tm(4)(Te)[(TeTe)(4)TePh](Te(0.6)TePh) clusters. The Sm, Tb, and Ho compounds contain a square array of Ln(III) ions all connected to a central Te(2-) ligand. Two adjacent edges of the square are bridged by ditelluride ligands, with the Ln ion that is eta(2) bound to both of these TeTe ligands also coordinating to a terminal TePh ligand. The other two edges of the square are spanned by ditellurides that both coordinate a TePh ligand that has been displaced from the Ln ion by pyridine, to give the pentaanion (mu-eta(2)-eta(2)-Te(2)Te(Ph)Te(2)).(5-) In the Tm compound, the displaced TePh interacts with all four TeTe units. The compounds are air-, light-, and temperature-sensitive. Upon thermolysis, they decompose to give solid-state TbTe(2-x), HoTe, or TmTe, with elimination of Te and TePh(2).     

Synthesis of high silicon content SAPO(4)-5 using anionic surfactants in a hexanol/aqueous two phase media

High silicon content SAPO(4)-5 (up to 0.511 atoms per unit cell) has been synthesised, using sodium 3-bromopropanesulfonate, sodium 1-butanesulfonate, sodium naphthalene-1-sulfonate or sodium n-decyl sulfate as surfactants; the SiO2 in the reaction gels ranged up to 3.0 (molar ratio), silicon incorporation was confirmed by XRD, XRF, TG-DTA, FT-IR and SEM techniques.     

Di-[1,10]-phenanthrolinyl diazines: a new family of bis-tridentate chelators

A series of three bis-tridentate bridging ligands has been prepared in which two 1,10-phenanthroline units have been symmetrically appended to a central pyridazine, pyrimidine, or pyrazine ring. These ligands have been treated with [Ru(tpy-d(11))Cl(3)] to afford both mono- and bimetallic complexes that show very self-consistent NMR properties. [structure: see text]     

A cryopreservation protocol for embryos of the endangered species Zizania texana

Seeds of the endangered species Zizania texana are recalcitrant, making it difficult to preserve the remaining genetic diversity of this species in genebanks. Excised embryos can be cryopreserved using solution-based cryoprotection protocols. Survival following cryoexposure increased from less than 5% to about 75% by preculturing embryos in high concentrations of sugars, bathing them in cryoprotectant solutions, and partially drying them to water contents of about 0.6 g H2O/g dry mass.     

The preparation of 4-substituted pyrylium salts and their use in dienal synthesis

The unsubstituted pyrylium nucleus is shown to undergo reaction with cuprate or secondary Grignard organometallic reagents to give intermediate 4-substituted pyrans which are converted into the corresponding 4-substituted pyrylium salts (7 examples) in fair to good overall yield. The synthetic utility of the 4-substituted pyrylium heterocycles is demonstrated by their reaction with organolithium reagents to give 3,5-disubstituted dienals in a highly stereospecific manner (7 examples) via electrocyclic ring opening of the intermediate 2-substituted pyrans.