A unique mechanism for base catalyzed hydrolysis of pentaaminecobalt(III) complexes containing picolyl residues

A novel [Co(pentaamine)Cl](2+) complex having all tertiary amine or pyridine donors has been synthesized (pentaamine = 1,4-bis(2'-pyridyl)-7-methyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane). This asym-[Co(dmpmetacn)Cl](2+) species has been completely characterized through 1D and 2D NMR studies, and through the X-ray structure for the ZnCl(4)(2)(-) salt. Despite the lack of an activating NH center, remarkably its hydrolysis to [Co(pentaamine)OH](2+) is base catalyzed (k(OH) 0.70 M(-)(1) s(-)(1), 25 degrees C, I = 1.0 M, NaCl). Detailed NMR studies reveal that the base catalyzed substitution leads to the exchange of just one deuterium in one of the two -CH(2)- pyridyl arms, that is approximately trans to the leaving group, and this occurs during and not after base hydrolysis. Quenching experiments for the reaction of asym-[Co(dmpmetacn)Cl](2+) and control experiments on H/D exchange for the product asym-[Co(dmpmetacn)OD](2+) in OD(-) show that each act of deprotonation at the acidic methylene leads to loss of Cl(-). This is the first established case of base catalyzed substitution for a complex where the effective site of deprotonation is at a pyridyl group. A pronounced kinetic isotope effect is observed for the species perdeuterated at the pyridyl methylenes (k(H)/k(D) = 5.0), consistent with rate limiting deprotonation which is a rare event in Co(III) substitution chemistry. The activation afforded by the carbanion is discussed in terms of a new process coined the pseudo-aminate mechanism.     

PSORALEN-OLEFIN PHOTOPRODUCI'S: FIRST OBSERVATION OF A PHOTO-ENE REACTION

Abstract Methyl-substituted psoralens (4'-(hydroxymethyl)-4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen and 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen) are found to yield an ene product as well as the expected [2+2] cycloaddition product from photochemical reaction with simple olefins. As determined by absorbance, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance, both products are formed at the pyrone side of the respective psoralen. The product distribution is dependent on olefin concentration as well as the nature of the olefin. In deoxygenated solutions, cyclic olefins form as much as 50% ene product, while unsubstituted straight-chain olefins form as little as 3%. In oxygenated solutions, the product distribution is strongly affected by singlet oxygen.     

The dissociation quotients of formic acid in sodium chloride solutions to 200°C

The dissociation quotients of formic acid were measured potentiometrically from 25 to 200°C in NaCl solutions at ionic strengths of 0.1, 0.3 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 mol-kg^–1. The experiments were carried out in a concentration cell with hydrogen electrodes. The resulting molal acid dissociation quotients for formic acid, as well as a set of infinite dilution literature values and a calorimetrically-determined enthalpy of reaction, were fitted by an empirical equation involving an extended Debye Hückel term and seven adjustable parameters involving functions of temperature and ionic strength. This regressional analysis yielded the following thermodynamic quantities for 25°C: logK=–3.755±0.002, H^o=–0.09±0.15 kJ-mol^–1, S^o=–72.2±0.5 J-K^–1-mol^–1, and C _p ^o =–147±4 J-K^–1-mol^–1. The isocoulombic form of the equilibrium constant is recommended for extrapolation to higher temperatures.     

DEPENDENCE OF THE TRIPLET YIELD ON EXCITATION ENERGY IN ALL-TRANS AND 11-CIS RETINAL*

Abstract. The triplet-triplet absorption of all-trans and 11- cis retinal was measured as a function of the exciting radiation from 423 nm to 365 nm in a glass of 3-methylpentane at 77 K. This experiment was also accomplished with all-trans retinal in hexane at ambient temperature. The relative triplet formation quantum yields of all-trans and 11-cis retinal at 77 K were found to be independent (±10%) of the frequency of the exciting radiation. At room temperature we measured an increase in this relative quantum yield for all- trans retinal from 1.0 at 365 nm to 1.82 at 423 nm [Bensasson et al. (1975) measured an absolute quantum yield of 0.45 at 353 nm]. These results are used to evaluate previous interpretations for photophysical decay processes in all-trans retinal, and previous suggestions for wavelength dependent radiationless transitions are shown to be unacceptable. High energy excitation of 300 K solutions of all- trans retinal produce excited states that result in less efficient intersystem crossing. These states appear to be inaccessible in the 77 K matrices. We suggest that steric restrictions introduced by the retinal matrix interaction at 77 K are able to block this new internal conversion pathway back to the ground state.     

Facilitated transport from ternary cation mixtures through water—chloroform—water membrane systems containing macrocyclic ligands

Cation fluxes were determined for various three-component, equimolar mixtures of alkali metal, alkaline earth, and Pb²⁺ cations in a H₂O---CHCl₃---H₂O liquid membrane system incorporating macrocyclic polyethers as carriers. Carrier ligands studied were 18-crown-6, dicyclohexano-18-crown-6, 1,10-diaza-18-crown-6, 21-crown-7, dibenzo-24-crown-8, and cryptand [2.2.2]. Correlations were found between transport and relative cation:polyether cavity radii, the type of substituents present on the polyether ring, and the type and number of donor atoms present. All the ligands studied transported Pb²⁺ at higher rates than the other Mⁿ⁺ in the mixtures. Transport behavior in these multi-cation systems can be predicted from Mⁿ⁺—polyether complex stability constant data in most cases.     

Supersonically cooled hydronium ions in a slit-jet discharge: high-resolution infrared spectroscopy and tunneling dynamics of HD2O+

Jet-cooled high-resolution infrared spectra of partially deuterated hydronium ion (HD2O+) in the O-H stretch region (nu3 band) are obtained for the first time, exploiting the high ion densities, long absorption path lengths, and concentration modulation capabilities of the slit-jet discharge spectrometer. Least-squares analysis with a Watson asymmetric top Hamiltonian yields rovibrational constants and provides high level tests of ab initio molecular structure predictions. Transitions out of both the lower (nu3(+)<--0(+)) and the upper (nu3(-)<--0(-)) tunneling levels, as well as transitions across the tunneling gap (nu3(-)<--0(+)) are observed. The nu3(-)<--0(+) transitions in HD2O+ acquire oscillator strength by loss of D(3h) symmetry, and permit both ground-state-[27.0318(72) cm(-1)] and excited-state-[17.7612(54) cm(-1)]-tunneling splittings to be determined to spectroscopic precision from a single rovibrational band. The splittings and band origins calculated with recent high level ab initio six-dimensional potential surface predictions for H3O+ and isotopomers [X. C. Huang, S. Carter, and J. M. Bowman, J. Chem. Phys. 118, 5431 (2003); T. Rajamaki, A. Miani, and L. Halonen, J. Chem. Phys. 118, 10929 (2003)] are in very good agreement with the current experimental results.     

Thermodynamic Parameters for the Association of Fluorinated Benzenesulfonamides with Bovine Carbonic Anhydrase II

This paper describes a calorimetric study of the association of a series of seven fluorinated benzenesulfonamide ligands (C₆H_nF_5?nSO₂NH₂) with bovine carbonic anhydrase II (BCA). Quantitative structure–activity relationships between the free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of binding and pK_a and log P of the ligands allowed the evaluation of the thermodynamic parameters in terms of the two independent effects of fluorination on the ligand: its electrostatic potential and its hydrophobicity. The parameters were partitioned to the three different structural interactions between the ligand and BCA: the Zn^II cofactor–sulfonamide bond (≈65 % of the free energy of binding), the hydrogen bonds between the ligand and BCA (≈10 %), and the contacts between the phenyl ring of the ligand and BCA (≈25 %). Calorimetry revealed that all of the ligands studied bind in a 1:1 stoichiometry with BCA; this result was confirmed by ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography (for complexes with human carbonic anhydrase II).     

Liquid chromatographic analysis of vitamin B6 in reconstituted infant formula: collaborative study

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method was validated for the determination of total vitamin B6 in infant formula. Total vitamin B6 was quantified by converting the phosphorylated and free vitamers into pyridoxine. Pyridoxine was determined by ion pair reversed-phase LC with fluorescence detection. The method was subjected to an AOAC collaborative study involving a factory-manufactured, milk- and soy-based infant formula. Each was spiked at 3 concentrations in the range of 0-1 microg/g and sent as blind duplicate to participant laboratories. Nine laboratories returned valid data which were statistically analyzed for outliers and precision parameters. The repeatability relative standard deviation (RSD(r)) ranges were 2.0-4.0 and 3.5-5.9% for fortified milk- and soy-based formulas, respectively. The reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSD(R)) ranges were 8.2-8.4 and 6.7-11.2% for fortified milk- and soy-based formulas, respectively. HORRAT values ranged from 0.42 to 0.53, indicating that the precision of the method is acceptable. The mean RSD(r):RSD(R) values were 0.60 and 0.55 for milk- and soy-based formulas, respectively. As expected, RSDs for the unfortified samples were higher, but their HORRAT values (0.81 and 2.06) helped define a realistic limit of quantitation as 0.05 microg/g. Recovery data were quantitative and varied between 81.4 and 98.0% (mean = 89.8%) for each of 6 spiked materials.     

The synthesis and electronic structure of a novel [NiS4Fe2(CO)6] radical cluster: implications for the active site of the [NiFe] hydrogenases

A novel [NiS4Fe2(CO)6]cluster (1: 'S(4)'=(CH(3)C(6)H(3)S(2))(2)(CH(2))(3)) has been synthesised, structurally characterised and has been shown to undergo a chemically reversible reduction process at -1.31 V versus Fc(+)/Fc to generate the EPR-active monoanion 1(-). Multifrequency Q-, X- and S-band EPR spectra of (61)Ni-enriched 1(-) show a well-resolved quartet hyperfine splitting in the low-field region due to the interaction with a single (61)Ni (I=3/2) nucleus. Simulations of the EPR spectra require the introduction of a single angle of non-coincidence between g(1) and A(1), and g(3) and A(3) to reproduce all of the features in the S- and X-band spectra. This behaviour provides a rare example of the detection and measurement of non-coincidence effects from frozen-solution EPR spectra without the need for single-crystal measurements, and in which the S-band experiment is sensitive to the non-coincidence. An analysis of the EPR spectra of 1(-) reveals a 24 % Ni contribution to the SOMO in 1(-), supporting a delocalisation of the spin-density across the NiFe(2) cluster. This observation is supported by IR spectroscopic results which show that the CO stretching frequencies, nu(CO), shift to lower frequency by about 70 cm(-1) when 1 is reduced to 1(-). Density functional calculations provide a framework for the interpretation of the spectroscopic properties of 1(-) and suggest that the SOMO is delocalised over the whole cluster, but with little S-centre participation. This electronic structure contrasts with that of the Ni-A, -B, -C and -L forms of [NiFe] hydrogenase in which there is considerable S participation in the SOMO.     

The Crystal and Molecular Structure of Bis(cyclopentadienyldicarbonylchromium) (CrCr)

The crystal structure of bis(cyclopentadienyldicarbonyl-chromium) has been determined by x-ray diffraction. The compound crystalizes in the triclinic system, space group P1¯(C¹_i, No. 2) with unit cell parameters: a, 7.829(3); b, 14.543(6); c, 6.588(2)Å; α, 94.67(3), β, 110.70(3); γ, 104.04°(3); V, 699.1(4)ų; z=2. There are two independent molecules per unit cell located at the inversion centers at O,O,O and O, 1/2, O. The CrCr bond distances are, respectively 2.200(3) and 2.230(3), thus supporting their formulation as triple bonds. The CpCrCr angles in the two molecules are 165.0° and 158.7°, respectively. The structural features are compared with those of Cp₂Mo₂(CO)₄, which has a linear CpMoMoCp axis; and the differences rationalized in terms of electronic interactions of the Cp-ligand with the orbitals of the M₂ unit. The differences observed in the structures of the two independent molecules are also related to the proposed bonding model and to packing considerations.