Organosilicon compounds : LI. Further studies of the base-catalysed solvolysis of N-(triorganosilyl)anilines

Relative rates of solvolysis of some N-triorganosilylanilines in mixtures of ethanol and aqueous potassium hydroxide have been determined, with results as follows. (i) For XC₆H₄NHSiEt₃ compounds in MeOH (5 vol) + aq. alkali (2 vol) at 50°: (X =) H, 1.0;p-Me, 0.80;p-OMe, 0.83;m-Me, 0.90; o-Me, 0.87; p-SMe, 1.90; p-F, 1.7; p-Cl, 2.8; o-Cl, 14; m-Cl, 4.2; m-NO₂, 18; p-CN, ca. 43; p-NO₂, ca. 120. (ii) For PhNHSi(C₆H₄Y)₃ compounds in MeOH (10 vol) + aq. alkali (1 vol) at 50°: (Y =) H, 1.0; p-OMe, 0.12; p-Cl, ca. 32; m-Cl, ca. 84. (iii) For PhNHSiR₃ compounds in MeOH (5 vol) + aq. alkali (2 vol) : (R₃ =) Et₃, 1.0; Et₂Me, 18 (at 30°); Me₂-i-Pr, 8 (at 30°);Me₂-t-Bu, 0.012 (at 50°);i-Pr₃, 0.006 (at 50°). In series (i) the relative rates correlate with σ, or where appropriate σ^?-constants, with a ? value of 1.6. It is suggested that in the transition state of the rate-determining step the OSi bond is fully formed, or almost so, the SiN bond approximately 20—50% broken, and the bond between the nitrogen atom and a proton from the solvent ca. 10—30% formed.     

Synthesis of some 4-substituted-2-(o-halogenophenyl)-1,2,3-triazoles

Mesoaldehyde 1,3-dioxime was treated with either 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl- (a), o-fluorophenyl- (b), or o-bromophenyl- (c) hydrazine to give the corresponding mesoaldehyde 1,3-dioxime-2-halogenophenylhydrazones (1a,b,c). The latter were O-acetylated with acetic anhydride, and cyclized to triazole 4-oximes (3b, c) or triazole 4-O-acetyloximes ( 6a,b,c ) with cesium carbonate, then converted to nitriles ( 7a,b,c ) by refluxing with acetic anhydride followed by pyrolysis, or to aldehydes ( 4a,b,c ) by hydrolysis. The nitriles ( 7a,b,c ) were also converted to acids ( 9a,b,c ), esters ( 10a,b,c ), amides ( 8a,c ), an alcohol (11a), and an amine ( 12a ). In addition, tetrazoles of two types were prepared. The first ( 13d,e ) were obtained from the acid chlorides by the action of 5-aminotetrazole, whereas the second ( 14f ) was produced from the respective nitrile by the action of ammonium azide.     

Theoretical and experimental reevaluation of the basicity of lambda3-phosphinine

We have investigated the basicity of phosphinine (C5H5P, phosphabenzene) in reevaluating its proton affinity (PA) and gas-phase basicity (GB) and the pK(a) value of its protonated form. As a necessary step, we have first determined its gas-phase proton affinity. Using both mass spectrometric and quantum chemical methods, we have obtained the values PA(C5H5P) = 195.8 +/- 1.0 kcal mol(-1) and GB(298)(C5H5P) = 188.1 +/- 1.0 kcal mol(-1), in good agreement with previous results. We then derived a value of pK(a)(C5H6P+) = -16.1 +/- 1.0 in aqueous solution using three different approaches: the latter markedly differs from the currently available value of -10. The reason for such a discrepancy in the pK(a) of protonated phosphinine in solution is discussed. In the theoretical determination of PAs, evaluation of the basis set superposition error (BSSE) showed that this effect is quite small, being 0.1-0.2 kcal mol(-1) for phosphinine, when a density functional theory (DFT) method in conjunction with a large basis set were used.     

Addressing the metabolic activation potential of new leads in drug discovery: a case study using ion trap mass spectrometry and tritium labeling techniques

Metabolic activation of drug candidates to electrophilic reactive metabolites that can covalently modify cellular macromolecules may result in acute and/or idiosyncratic immune system-mediated toxicities in humans. This presents a significant potential liability for the future development of these compounds as safe therapeutic agents. We present here an example of an approach where sites of metabolic activation within a new drug candidate series were rapidly identified using online liquid chromatography/multi-stage mass spectrometry on an ion trap mass spectrometer. This was accomplished by trapping the reactive intermediates formed upon incubation of compounds with rat and human liver microsomes as their corresponding glutathione conjugates and mass spectral characterization of these thiol adducts. Based on the structures of the GSH adducts identified, potential sites and mechanisms of bioactivation within the chemical structure were proposed. These metabolism studies were interfaced with iterative structural modifications of the chemical series in order to block these bioactivation sites within the molecule. This strategy led to a significant reduction in the propensity of the compounds to undergo metabolic activation as evidenced by reductions in the irreversible binding of radioactivity to liver microsomal material upon incubation of tritium-labeled compounds with this in vitro system. With the efficiency and throughput achievable with such an approach, it appears feasible to identify and address the metabolic activation potential of new drug leads during routine metabolite identification studies in an early drug discovery setting.     

Cell surface labeling of Escherichia coli via copper(I)-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition

Labeling of the cell surface of Escherichia coli was accomplished by expression of a recombinant outer membrane protein, OmpC, in the presence of the unnatural amino acid azidohomoalanine, which acts as a methionine surrogate. The surface-exposed azide moieties of whole cells were biotinylated via Cu(1)-catalyzed [3+2] azide-alkyne cycloaddition. The specificity of labeling of both wild-type OmpC and a mutant containing additional methionine sites for azidohomoalanine incorporation was confirmed by Western blotting. Flow cytometry was performed to examine the specificity of the labeling. Cells that express the mutant form of OmpC in the presence of azidohomoalanine, which were biotinylated and stained with fluorescent avidin, exhibit a mean fluorescence 10-fold higher than the background. Incorporation of an unnatural amino acid can thus be determined on a single-cell basis.     

Kottamide E, the first example of a natural product bearing the amino acid 4-amino-1,2-dithiolane-4-carboxylic acid (Adt)

Kottamide E, a novel alkaloid containing dibrominated indole enamide, oxalic acid diamide and 4-amino-1,2-dithiolane-4-carboxamide moieties, has been isolated from the New Zealand ascidian Pycnoclavella kottae. Characterisation was achieved by interpretation of spectroscopic data.     

Stability and Structure of Activated Macrocycles. Ligands with Biological Applications

Single p-toluic acid pendant groups were attached to 1,4,7,10,13-pentaazacyclopentadecane (15aneN5) and 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (cyclam) to prepare bifunctional reagents for radiolabeling monoclonal antibodies with (64,67)Cu. The ligands are 1,4,7,10,13-pentaazacyclopentadecane-1-(alpha-1,4-toluic acid) (PCBA) and 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-1-(alpha-1,4-toluic acid) (CPTA). For the parent macrocycles and their pendant arm derivatives, the 1:1 Cu(2+) complexes dissociate only below pH 2. At pH 0.0 and 25 degrees C the CPTA-Cu complex has a half-life toward complete dissociation of 24 days. A new approach was developed for the estimation of the Cu(2+) stability constant for the kinetically robust CPTA. All other formation constants were determined at 25.0 degrees C with batch spectrophotometric techniques. Potentiometric titrations were used to determine the protonation constants of the macrocyclic ligands as well as of the metal chelates. The protonation constants, stability constants, and pM's are discussed in terms of both molecular mechanics calculations and the ligands' potential applicability as copper(II) radiopharmaceuticals.     

2-Cyano Δ3piperideine VII1 : the condensation of 2-cyano Δ3piperideine with sodium dimethylmalonate catalyzed by ZnCl2 or zero valent palladium and platinum complexes

ZnCl₂, Pd (PØ₃)₄ and Pt(PØ₃)₄ were found to be effective catalysts for the condensation of sodium dimethyl malonate with 2-cyano Δ³piperideine $\text{1}$ a–d.     

Rapidly self-deoxygenating controlled radical polymerization in water via in situ disproportionation of Cu(i)

Rapidly self-deoxygenating Cu-RDRP in aqueous media is investigated. The disproportionation of Cu(i)/Me₆Tren in water towards Cu(ii) and highly reactive Cu(0) leads to O₂-free reaction environments within the first seconds of the reaction, even when the reaction takes place in the open-air. By leveraging this significantly fast O₂-reducing activity of the disproportionation reaction, a range of well-defined water-soluble polymers with narrow dispersity are attained in a few minutes or less. This methodology provides the ability to prepare block copolymers via sequential monomer addition with little evidence for chain termination over the lifetime of the polymerization and allows for the synthesis of star-shaped polymers with the use of multi-functional initiators. The mechanism of self-deoxygenation is elucidated with the use of various characterization tools, and the species that participate in the rapid oxygen consumption is identified and discussed in detail.

The rapidly self-deoxygenating Cu-RDRP in aqueous media is investigated.     

Proton binding to proteins: pK(a) calculations with explicit and implicit solvent models

Ionizable residues play important roles in protein structure and activity, and proton binding is a valuable reporter of electrostatic interactions in these systems. We use molecular dynamics free energy simulations (MDFE) to compute proton pKa shifts, relative to a model compound in solution, for three aspartate side chains in two proteins. Simulations with explicit solvent and with an implicit, dielectric continuum solvent are reported. The implicit solvent simulations use the generalized Born (GB) model, which provides an approximate, analytical solution to Poisson's equation. With explicit solvent, the direction of the pKa shifts is correct in all three cases with one force field (AMBER) and in two out of three cases with another (CHARMM). For two aspartates, the dielectric response to ionization is found to be linear, even though the separate protein and solvent responses can be nonlinear. For thioredoxin Asp26, nonlinearity arises from the presence of two substates that correspond to the two possible orientations of the protonated carboxylate. For this side chain, which is partly buried and has a large pKa upshift, very long simulations are needed to correctly sample several slow degrees of freedom that reorganize in response to the ionization. Thus, nearby Lys57 rotates to form a salt bridge and becomes buried, while three waters intercalate along the opposite edge of Asp26. Such strong and anisotropic reorganization is very difficult to predict with Poisson-Boltzmann methods that only consider electrostatic interactions and employ a single protein structure. In contrast, MDFE with a GB dielectric continuum solvent, used for the first time for pKa calculations, can describe protein reorganization accurately and gives encouraging agreement with experiment and with the explicit solvent simulations.