Composition and properties of freeze-dried products of nicotinic acid withβ-cyclodextrin and heptakis (2,6-0-dimethyl)-β-cyclodextrin

The purpose of the study was to examine the formation of inclusion compounds in the freeze-dried products obtained from aqueous solutions of nicotinic acid and -cyclodextrin (-CD), or heptakis (2,6-0-dimethyl)--cyclodextrin (DIMEB). The molar ratios used were 1:1 and 2:1. In addition two freezing temperatures (–40 and –196°C) and different secondary drying temperatures (+50 and +80°C) were used. Freeze-dried products with -CD obtained after low temperature freezing are of the same crystallographic structure as seen in a pure inclusion compound prepared by coprecipitation. Amorphous products were formed after fast freezing. The molar ratios of included nicotinic acid in the freeze-dried products vary — dependent on the preparation conditions — between 0.75:1 and 1:1. A factorial design proves that the included drug amount can be increased by enhancement of the amount of nicotinic acid used, by faster freezing, and by the combination of these two factors. The proof of inclusion formation was given by a combination of X-ray diffractography, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry and thermofractography.The freeze-dried preparations obtained with DIMEB were amorphous mixtures of the two components. No proof for inclusion of the nicotinic acid in the cyclodextrin cavity could be given. Higher (–40°C) or lower (–196°C) freezing temperatures and the running of the secondary drying process could not influence these results. The very low stability constant of the complex and steric reasons are responsible for this behavior.     

Giant vesicles formed by gentle hydration and electroformation: a comparison by fluorescence microscopy

Giant unilamellar vesicles (diameter of a few tens of micrometers) are commonly produced by hydration of a dried lipidic film. After addition of the aqueous solution, two major protocols are used: (i) the gentle hydration method where the vesicles spontaneously form and (ii) the electroformation method where an ac electric field is applied. Electroformation is known to improve the rate of unilamellarity of the vesicles though it imposes more restricting conditions for the lipidic composition of the vesicles. Here we further characterize these methods by using fluorescence microscopy. It enables not only a sensitive detection of the defects but also an evaluation of the quantity of lipids in these defects. A classification of the defects is proposed and statistics of their relative importance in regard to both methods and lipid composition are presented: it shows for example that 80% of the vesicles obtained by electroformation from 98% 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine are devoid of significant defects against only 40% of the vesicles with the gentle hydration method. It is also shown that the presence of too many negatively charged lipids does not favor the formation of unilamellar vesicles with both methods. For the gentle hydration, we checked if the negatively charged lipids were inserted in the vesicles membrane in the same proportion as that of the lipid mixture from which they are formed. The constant incorporation of a negatively charged labeled lipid despite an increasing presence of negatively charged 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-l-serine] tends to confirm that the composition of vesicles is indeed close to that of the initial mixture.     

Trifluoromethoxy substituted anilines: metalation as the key step for structural elaboration

Trifluoromethoxy-substituted anilines undergo hydrogen/lithium permutation ("metalation") with optional site selectivity depending on the N-protective group employed. N-tert-Butoxycarbonyl-2- and -4-(trifluoromethoxy)aniline react with tert-butyllithium at the nitrogen-adjacent 6- and 2-position affording, after electrophilic trapping, products 1-6. In contrast, deprotonation of the para isomer occurs at the oxygen-neighboring 3-position, giving rise to the acid 12, when the amino group is carrying two trimethylsilyl groups. sec-Butyllithium attacks 3-trifluoromethoxy-N-mono(trimethylsilyl)aniline at the 2-position, but 3-trifluoromethoxy-N,N-bis(trimethylsilyl)aniline at the 4-position to provide respectively the acids 10 and 11 after carboxylation. The synthesis of two new benzodiazepines illustrates (19 and 22) the preparative potential of the aniline functionalization mediated by organometallic reagents.     

Reagents for new heteroannelation reactions III. 2-(Methylthio)-2-thiazoline

Summary A variety of partly novel tri- and tetracyclic hetero systems were obtained by reaction of heteroaromatic 2-aminoesters with 2-(methylthio)-2-thiazoline, yielding double-annelation of a thiazolo[2,3-b]pyrimido moiety in a one-pot process.On leave from University of Chittagong, Bangladesh     

Efficient desulfurization of 2-thiopyrimidine nucleosides to the corresponding 4-pyrimidinone analogues using trans-2-(phenylsulfonyl)-3-phenyloxaziridine

A brief treatment of 2-thiopyrimidine nucleosides (s²U^∗) with trans-2-phenylsulfonyl-3-phenyloxaziridine (PSO) results in efficient substrate desulfurization leading to the corresponding 4-pyrimidinone analogues (H²U^∗). The key transformation proceeds through oxidation of the 2-thiocarbonyl group to a sulfur oxyacid derivative and subsequent elimination of sulfur dioxide. 4-Pyrimidinone 1-β-d-riboside (H²U) has been transformed into the respective phosphoramidite, a ready-to-use monomer for the introduction of a modified nucleoside into an oligonucleotide chain. Moreover, the effective desulfurization of the 2-thiouridine nucleotide could be achieved directly at the oligonucleotide level, by treatment of the TdA(s²U)dGdC oligonucleotide with PSO, as verified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.     

Gauge group,degeneration, and degrees of freedom in the ECSK theory of gravity. II. The Moncrief decomposition

It is shown that in the ECSK theory (coupled to an arbitrary tensor matter field) the degeneration distribution of the symplectic 2-form is closely connected with the action of the gauge groupG in the space of solutions to the field equations.     

Chip electrochromatography

Electrochromatography (EC) in microfluidic chips is emerging as an attractive alternative to capillary electrophoresis (CE) for on-chip separations. This review summarizes recent developments in the rapidly growing area of chip electrochromatography with a focus on "column" technologies. Relevant achievements are summarized according to the types of stationary phase used for the separations including open channels, microfabricated structures, and channels packed with beads or containing a porous monolith. The advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as practical aspects of their application, are discussed. The analytical performance of these devices is demonstrated with separations involving various families of compounds mostly in the reversed-phase chromatographic mode.     

Effects of structural factors on the pi-dimerization and/or disproportionation of the cation radical of extended TTF containing thiophene-based pi-conjugated spacers

The electrochemical and chemical oxidation of extended TTF 4 and 5 are analysed by cyclic voltammetry, Visible/NIR and ESR spectroscopies, and the X-ray structures of the new salts 5 x BF(4)(CH(2)Cl(2)) and 4 x ClO(4)(THF)(1/2) are presented. The effects of structural factors on the pi-dimerization or the disproportionation reaction of the cation radical are shown. The oxidation of compound 4 presents the successive formation of stable cation radical and dication species both in dichloromethane (DCM) and in a CH(3)CN/THF mixture. In contrast, for compound 5, the stability of the oxidation states strongly depends on the nature of the solvent. In DCM, the oxidation of 5 proceeds by two close one-electron transfers while in CH(3)CN/THF the dication is directly formed via a two-electron process. The X-ray structures of the two salts reveal the formation of pi-dimers of cation radical. While the dimer (5(2))(2+) is due mainly to pi-pi interactions between the conjugating spacer, the multiplication of the sulfur atoms in compound 4 contributes to stabilize the dimer by the combined effects of S-S and pi-pi interactions. Visible/NIR and ESR experiments confirm the higher tendency of 4(+)(.) to dimerize with the occurrence of dimer and monomer in solution, while for 5(+)(.) only the monomer is detected in DCM. On the other hand, by dissolution of 5 x BF(4)(CH(2)Cl(2)) in CH(3)CN, only the neutral and the dicationic states of compounds 5 are observed owing to the disproportionation reaction.     

Reductive cleavage of axially disymmetric tertiary amines and quaternary ammonium salts by lithium aluminium hydride. Synthesis of new 1,1′-binaphthyl substituted amines

Axially disymmetric tertiary amines or quaternary ammonium salts $\text{A}$ are synthesized by double alkylation of primary or secondary amines with racemic or optically pure 2,2′-bis (bromomethyl)-1,1′-binaphthyl. Their reductive cleavage by lithium aluminium hydride in refluxing THF leads to chiral secondary or tertiary amines $\text{B}$, substituted by a binaphthyl unit, with high yields and absence of racemization.