Selective modification of the 2-position of pyridoxol

Pyridoxol, protected by acetylation of the hydroxyl groups, has been converted to its N-oxide which upon reaction with perfluoroacetie anhydride yields a 2-nor-2-hydroxymethylpyridoxol derivative as an intermediate. This compound undergoes acyl migration from the 3-position. Protection of the pyridoxol hydroxyls by benzylalion followed by the same treatment yields the unrearranged α²-hydroxy derivative. This compound has been converted to a series of α²-substituted pyridoxols (X = -Cl, -Br, -OCOCH₃, -OCH₃, -OC₂H₅).     

Ion exchange resins in steel analysis

The metals vanadium, chromium and molybdenum may be separated from the other constituents of steel by passing an acetate buffered solution of the steel through a strongly basic onion exchanger and selectively eluting the above metals from the resin column with aqueous solutions of 0.6 N sodium hydroxide, 8 N hydrochloric acid and 1 N hydrochloric acid, respectively.     

Photoactivated tungsten hexacarbonyl-catalyzed conversion of alkynols to glycals

The photoactivated W(CO)(6)/DABCO/THF system has been used for the formal endo-cyclization of alkynes to pyran rings. We found that the regioselectivity of ring closure depends on the relative configuration of the 3,5-dihydroxy-1-alkynes, as well as, more decisively, on the type of O-protective group. Oxygen substitution at the propargylic carbon slows the rate of alkyne insertion and allows for dihydrofuran formation through exo-cyclization. In contrast, the use of bulky silyl ethers or carbon substituents leads to dihydropyrans through endo-cyclization. Substrates bearing leaving groups such as esters, phenols, or thiophenols at the propargylic site eliminate and thus represent a limitation to the cycloisomerization methodology. Propargyl vinyl ethers will rearrange to give dienals instead of glycals. 1,2-Wittig rearrangement products of dihydropyrans are readily prepared and converted to complex bicyclic building blocks for organic synthesis.     

SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF CUTANEOUS PHOTOSENSITIZING AGENTS–XV. ANTHRALIN and ITS OXIDATION PRODUCT 1,8-DIHYDROXYANTHRAQUINONE

The photochemistry (Type I and II) of anthralin and its photo-oxidation product 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone (1,8-DHAQ) has been studied in ethanol, acetonitrile and dimethylsulfoxide using spin-trapping and direct detection of singlet oxygen (1O2) luminescence techniques. In ethanol, where it exists in its neutral form (AN), anthralin does not undergo either Type I or II reactions upon UV-irradiation. In contrast, irradiation of anthralin in acetonitrile, a solvent in which anthralin is partially converted to its corresponding mono-anion (AN-), generates both superoxide and singlet oxygen. Irradiation of anthralin in dimethylsulfoxide, where the AN- form is present in substantial quantity, generates superoxide and solvent derived radicals but no detectable singlet oxygen. UV-irradiation of 1,8-DHAQ in ethanol and acetonitrile produces both superoxide and singlet oxygen in significant yields. In dimethylsulfoxide, on the other hand, only superoxide and solvent derived radicals are observed. The 1O2 quantum yield for AN- and 1,8-DHAQ in acetonitrile were determined to be 0.14 and 0.88 relative to rose bengal in the same solvent. These findings suggest that the AN photosensitization occurs via Type I and II pathways, is solvent dependent and involves AN- as well as its oxidation product 1,8-DHAQ, which is a more potent generator of both singlet oxygen and superoxide.     

New gem-dicyanocyclobutane-containing hydroxyesters

Six new gem-dicyanocyclobutanes containing carbomethoxy and hydroxyl/acetoxy functions were synthesized by cycloaddition of the appropriate vinyl ethers or alkoxystyrenes to methyl β,β-dicyanoacrylate. They proved to be too thermally labile to allow polycondensation to potentially piezoelectric linear polyesters.     

An SCF-MS-Xα study of the bonding and nuclear quadrupole coupling in diatomic halogens and interhalogens in the ground X Σ and B Π 0 excited states

SCF-MS-Xα calculations of the electronic structure of diatomic halogens and interhalogens XY (X = I, Br, Cl; Y = I, Br, Cl, F) have been used to investigate the bonding and nuclear quadrupole coupling in these molecules. Calculations have been carried out for the ground X ¹ Σ electronic state, and for the excited B ³ Π₀ state in the case of I₂, Br₂, ICl and IBr. Good agreement (to within 10% in most cases) is obtained between the calculated and observed nuclear quadrupole coupling constants for the molecules in the ground state. For the excited state the agreement is not as good, but the calculation does reproduce the observed decrease in the coupling constants to less than one quarter of their ground state values, and analysis of the contributions to the field gradients clearly shows the reasons for this. The electric dipole moments and electric quadrupole moments of the molecules have also been calculated. However, these prove to be much more strongly dependent on the variables used in the calculation (atomic sphere radii, inclusion of d orbitals). The results of the calculations have also been used to test some of the assumptions made in the Townes and Dailey method of analysis of nuclear quadrupole coupling data.     

Parametric studies of interaction strengths in polymer/CO2 systems: discontinuous molecular dynamics simulations

Discontinuous molecular dynamics simulations are performed on homopolymer/solvent and surfactant/solvent systems. The homopolymer and surfactant molecules are modeled as freely jointed square-well chains. Solvent molecules are modeled as both hard spheres and square-well spheres. We explore how the various interaction parameters affect the types of phase behavior and micellization observed in the homopolymer/solvent and surfactant/solvent systems. Increasing the packing fraction of homopolymers in both hard-sphere solvents and square-well solvents increases the solvent's ability to dissolve homopolymers only when the segment-solvent interaction strength exceeds a critical value. Although only upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior is observed for homopolymers in hard-sphere solvents, both UCST and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior are observed for homopolymers in square-well solvents, depending upon the interaction strengths and chain length. This indicates that it is necessary to account for the solvent-solvent attraction to model LCST behavior in supercritical CO2. Our simulation results on surfactants in hard-sphere solvents show that it is necessary to account for the interactions experienced by both the head and tail blocks in order to capture the essential features of surfactant/supercritical CO2 systems.