Catalytic,asymmetric Mannich-type reactions of alpha-imino esters bearing readily removable substituents on nitrogen

[reaction: see text] Catalytic, enantioselective Mannich-type reactions of alpha-imino esters bearing readily removable substituents on nitrogen are described. Several N-carbamate-protected alpha-imino esters, which are readily prepared from 2-bromoglycine esters using a polymer-supported amine, reacted with silicon enolates to afford the desired adducts in high yields with high enantioselectivity using a copper(II)-diamine complex. Easy deprotection of the product amine and transformation to free alpha-amino acid derivatives have also been demonstrated.     

Pinacol coupling reaction of beta-halo-alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes promoted by TiI4

The pinacol reaction of beta-halogenated alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes was promoted by titanium tetraiodide to give coupling products in good yields with high dl-selectivity. Subsequent reduction with H(2)/Pd-C gave saturated vic-diols in good yields. Heck coupling reaction enabled the displacement of halogens with vinyl groups without the loss of stereochemical integrities. [reaction: see text]     

Effect of titanium dioxide on photostability of solid-state mequitazine

TiO(2) has been widely used in pharmaceutical products, and it also has been used as a photocatalyst. In this study, the influence of photocatalytic activity on the stability of solid-state mequitazine, an H(1)-blocker, was investigated. The photo-degradation of mequitazine with TiO(2) occurred under irradiation with both light sources. The degree of degradation of mequitazine with anatase was higher than that of rutile. The degradation was significantly enhanced with increasing relative humidity. The relationship between the apparent degradation rate constant and water vapor pressure could be clearly described by a simple power law. The major photo-degradation products of mequitazine, resulting from photocatalytic activity of TiO(2), were mequitazine-S-oxide and mequitazine-sulphone. A remarkable degradation of mequitadine occurred with addition of TiO(2), and its photocatalytic activity was controlled by water vapor pressure. The photo-degradation of mequitazine with TiO(2) is a different process from mequitazine without TiO(2), because mequitazine-S-oxide and mequitazine-sulphone are not formed with normal photo-degradation of mequitazine.     

Diastereoselective inter- and intramolecular pinacol coupling of aldehydes promoted by monomeric titanocene(II) complex Cp(2)TiPh

A monomeric titanocene(III) derivative, Cp(2)TiPh, effectively promoted the pinacol coupling of both an aromatic aldehyde, benzaldehyde, and an aliphatic aldehyde, 3-phenylpropionaldehyde. The same reactive complex was successfully generated by a catalytic amount of a precursor, Cp(2)Ti(Ph)Cl, and its stoichiometric amount of Zn. The Cp(2)TiPh-catalyzed pinacol coupling of benzaldehyde derivatives and aliphatic aldehydes afforded the corresponding 1,2-diols in high yields with moderate to good threo-selectivity. On the other hand, Cp(2)TiPh-catalyzed pinacol cyclization of dials gave cyclic 1,2-diols with excellent diastereoselectivity. The extension of this protocol to chiral dials demonstrated that the phenyltitanium complex catalytically transmitted an axial chirality or a central chirality of the starting dials to the central chirality of the resultant 1,2-diols.     

Syntheses and thermal reactions of 2-alkyl(or aryl)-1-benzoyl-3,4-dihydro-2-thianaphthalenes

1-Benzoyl-2-methy1-3,4-dihydro-2-thianaphthalene ($\text{4a}$) underwent novel intermolecular 1,4-rearrangement in refluxing toluene to give an enol ether $\text{5a}$, while rearrangement of 2-phenyl derivative $\text{4e}$ proceeded intramolecularly in refluxing xylene to afford a 1,4-rearranged enol ether $\text{5b}$. On the other hand, ylides $\text{4a–e}$ were refluxed in alcohols to afford some ring-opened products $\text{10–12}$.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance study of exchanging systems : The line shape analysis of the inversion of 9,10-dihydro-4,5-dimethylphenanthrene by the density matrix method

9,10-Dihydro-4,5-dimethylphenanthrene has two rotational isomers around the pivot bond. This compound shows a complex signal pattern of an AA′BB′ type for the four methylene protons in the NMR spectrum. The inversion process is analysed using the density matrix method, and at various temperatures the calculated line shapes are fitted to the observed spectra to obtain the life-time τ of the inversion. From the logarithmic plot of the life time versus 1/T, the kinetic parameters of this intramolecular inversion process are obtained as follows: E_a = 25·3 ± 1·0 Kcal/mole ΔG3 = 24°1 ± 1·0 Kcal/mole at 25·0° ΔH3 = 24·7 ± 1·0 Kcal/mole ΔS3 = 2·1 ± 0·8 e.u.     

Synthesis and photochemical properties of photoactivated antitumor prodrugs releasing 5-fluorouracil

A new family of antitumor prodrugs (1-3) of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) possessing photolabile 2-nitrobenzyl chromophores have been designed and synthesized to investigate the efficiency and mechanism of photoactivated 5-FU release upon UV-irradiation at lambda(ex)= 365 nm. The photoactivated prodrug 3 derived from conjugation of 2 with a tumor-homing cyclic peptide Cys-Asn-Gly-Arg-Cys (CNGRC) was so designed as to manifest a tumor-targeting function.     

Polymerization of β-cyanopropionaldehyde. IV. Polymerization by the adducts of β-cyanopropionaldehyde with triethylaluminum

Adducts (X, Y, and Z) between triethylaluminum and β-cyanopropionaldehyde (CPA) have been prepared and characterized. It was found that an equimolar amount of triethylaluminum undergoes Grignard type addition reaction with aldehyde group of CPA to give aluminum alkoxide and that another equimolar quantity of triethylaluminum undergoes coordination with the nitrile group of CPA (adduct X, in which the molar ratio of CPA to aluminum is 1:2). The coordinated triethylaluminum in adduct X may be changed to aluminum alkoxide by the addition of further equimolar amount of CPA (adduct Y, molar ratio = 1:1); on the other hand, heating at 130°C affords mixtures of aluminum aldimine and aluminum ketenimine structures (adduct Z, molar ratio = 1:2). From the cryoscopic measurement, adduct Z may be regarded as a coordinated polymer joined through bridged structures I and II. In the polymerization of CPA at ?78°C, the stereoregularity of the resulting poly-(cyanoethyl)oxymethylene was found to increase in the order: X < triethylaluminum < Y < Z. The polymerizations with triethylaluminum, X, and Y are considered to be initiated by NCCH₂CH₂CH(C₂H₅)? O? Al(C₂H₅)₂. The degree of association of the species may influence the stereoregularity of the polymer.     

Syntheses of 4-(2-hydroperoxy-2,2-diarylethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazoles, 4-(2-hydroxy-2,2-diarylethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazoles and the related compounds

The reactions of 1,1-disubstituted ethenes with 2,4-pentanedione in the presence of manganese(III) acetate and atmospheric oxygen yielded 4-acetyl-6,6-diaryl-3-methyl-1,2-dioxan-3-ols. The latter gave 4-(2-hydroperoxy-2,2-diarylemyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazoles by the reaction with hydrazines in methanol-acetic acid (1:1 v/v) at 50° in 15-77% yields, or 4-(2-hydroxy-2,2-diarylethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazoles by the reaction with hydrazines in methanol in 2-78% yields. The acid-catalyzed reaction of 4-(2-hydroperoxy-2,2-diarylethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazoles yielded 4-(aroylmethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazoles (15-55%) and 4-(2,2-diarylethenyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazoles (9-29%).     

Use of transition elements to enhance sensitivity for selenium determination by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrophotometry combined with solvent extraction with the APDC-MIBK system

A microanalytical method for the measurement of selenium in waters and biological materials by a flameless atomic-absorption technique has been developed. The ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate-methyl isobutyl ketone extraction system is used for separation from interfering materials such as large amounts of alkali and alkaline earth metal salts and mineral acids. The atomic-absorption sensitivity for selenium is found to be enhanced to a large extent by co-extraction of some transition metal ions. Copper(II) has been used successfully as such an additive to diminish the volatility of selenium in the graphite furnace during the ashing step of the atomization cycle. When the aqueous phase/organic solvent volume ratio is 5 and the volume injected into the graphite furnace is 20 mul, the sensitivity for selenium is 0.3 ng/ml for 1% absorption. The relative standard deviation is ca. 2%. Interference by other metal ions is prevented by masking with EDTA. The method has been applied satisfactorily for the determination of minute amounts of selenium in waters and various biological materials.