A modified method using static head-space gas chromatography for determining the stability constants of 1-alkanol/alpha-cyclodextrin complexation

A modification of the conventional static head-space gas chromatography method (SHSGC method) to determine stability constants for 1-alkanol/alpha-CD inclusion complexes was investigated. The 1 : 1 stability constants determined by this modified SHSGC method are in reasonable agreement with the corresponding values reported previously. The modified SHSGC method precludes the necessity of the calibration curve by the use of Henry's law constant of guest. Consequently, the modified SHSGC method is more advantageous than the conventional SHSGC method because the experimental time required for determination of the stability constant is markedly reduced.     

Complexes of tantalum with triaryloxides: Ligand and solvent effects on formation of hydride derivatives

A family of tantalum compounds supported by the triaryloxide [R-L]³⁻ ligands are reported [H₃(R-L) = 2,6-bis(4-methyl-6-R-salicyl)-4-tert-butylphenol, where R = Me or ^tBu]. The reaction of H₃[Me-L] with TaCl₅ in toluene gave [(Me-L)TaCl₂]₂ (1). The [^tBu-L] analogue [(^tBu-L)TaCl₂]₂ (2) was synthesized via treatment of TaCl₅ with Li₃[^tBu-L]. A THF solution of LiBHEt₃ was added to 1 in toluene to provide [(Me-L)TaCl(THF)]₂ (3), while treatment of 2 with 2 equiv of LiBHEt₃ or potassium in toluene followed by recrystallization from DME resulted in formation of [M(DME)₃][{(^tBu-L)TaCl}₂(μ-Cl)] [M = Li (4a), K (4b)]. When the amount of MBHEt₃ (M = Li, Na, K) was increased to 5 equiv, the analogous reactions in toluene afforded [{(bit-^tBu-L)Ta}₂(μ-H)₃M] [M = Li(THF)₂ (5a), Na(DME)₂ (5b), K(DME)₂ (5c)]. During the course of the reaction, the methylene CH activation of the ligand took place. Dissolution of 5a in DME produced [{(bit-^tBu-L)Ta}₂(μ-H)₃Li(DME)₂] (6), indicating that the coordinated THF molecules are labile. When the 2/LiBHEt₃ reaction was carried out in THF, the ring opening of THF occurred to yield [(^tBu-L)Ta(OBuⁿ)₂]₂ (7) along with a trace amount of [Li(THF)₄][{(^tBu-L)TaCl}₂(μ-OBuⁿ)] (8). Treatment of 2 with potassium hydride in DME yielded [{(^tBu-L)TaCl₂K(DME)₂}₂(μ-OCH₂CH₂O)] (9), in which the ethane-1,2-diolate ligand arose from partial C-O bond rupture of DME. The X-ray crystal structures of 2, 3, 4, 5a, 6, 7, and 9 are described.     

Kinetically controlled Ag+-coordinated chiral supramolecular polymerization accompanying a helical inversion

We report kinetically controlled chiral supramolecular polymerization based on ligand–metal complex with a 3 : 2 (L : Ag⁺) stoichiometry accompanying a helical inversion in water. A new family of bipyridine-based ligands (d-L1, l-L1, d-L2, and d-L3) possessing hydrazine and d- or l-alanine moieties at the alkyl chain groups has been designed and synthesized. Interestingly, upon addition of AgNO₃ (0.5–1.3 equiv.) to the d-L1 solution, it generated the aggregate I composed of the d-L1AgNO₃ complex (d-L1 : Ag⁺ = 1 : 1) as the kinetic product with a spherical structure. Then, aggregate I (nanoparticle) was transformed into the aggregate II (supramolecular polymer) based on the (d-L1)₃Ag₂(NO₃)₂ complex as the thermodynamic product with a fiber structure, which led to the helical inversion from the left-handed (M-type) to the right-handed (P-type) helicity accompanying CD amplification. In contrast, the spherical aggregate I (nanoparticle) composed of the d-L1AgNO₃ complex with the left-handed (M-type) helicity formed in the presence of 2.0 equiv. of AgNO₃ and was not additionally changed, which indicated that it was the thermodynamic product. The chiral supramolecular polymer based on (d-L1)₃Ag₂(NO₃)₂ was produced via a nucleation–elongation mechanism with a cooperative pathway. In thermodynamic study, the standard ΔG° and ΔH_e values for the aggregates I and II were calculated using the van''t Hoff plot. The enhanced ΔG° value of the aggregate II compared to that of the formation of aggregate I confirms that aggregate II was thermodynamically more stable. In the kinetic study, the influence of concentration of AgNO₃ confirmed the initial formation of the aggregate I (nanoparticle), which then evolved to the aggregate II (supramolecular polymer). Thus, the concentration of the (d-L1)₃Ag₂(NO₃)₂ complex in the initial state plays a critical role in generating aggregate II (supramolecular polymer). In particular, NO₃⁻ acts as a critical linker and accelerator in the transformation from the aggregate I to the aggregate II. This is the first example of a system for a kinetically controlled chiral supramolecular polymer that is formed via multiple steps with coordination structural change.

The nanoparticles were transformed into the supramolecular polymer as the thermodynamic product, involving a helical inversion from left-handed to right-handed helicity.     

Convergent synthesis of the ABCDE ring fragment of ciguatoxins

Synthesis of the ABCDE ring fragment of ciguatoxins has been achieved in a highly stereocontrolled and convergent manner via the B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura coupling-based approach.     

Electrostatic interaction between ion-penetrable membranes in a salt-free medium

A set of coupled equations is given which determines the distributions of the electric potential and counterions in a system of two interacting identical ion-penetrable membranes of thickness d at separation h immersed in a salt-free medium containing only counterions. The solution to these coupled equations also gives the electrostatic repulsive force between the membranes. It is shown that the interaction force remains finite at h-->0, unlike the case of the interaction between two planar charged surfaces (d-->0), and that the interaction force becomes independent of the membrane fixed charge and membrane thickness d at very large h. Finally, an approximate single transcendental equation giving the solution to the coupled equations is derived.     

Ketene formation in benzdiyne chemistry: ring cleavage versus Wolff rearrangement

In the chemistry toward generating benzdiyne from five benzenetetracarboxylic dianhydride derivatives, ketene formation was exclusively observed in the photolysis of difluorobenzenetetracarboxylic dianhydride in a nitrogen matrix at 13 K. Two ketenes were formed concomitantly with difluorobenzdiyne. These ketenes were identified on the basis of good agreement between the observed and calculated (B3LYP/6-31G level) IR spectra. Neither ketene contained the five-membered-ring moiety as cyclopentadienylideneketene, which is formed by Wolff rearrangement in the benzyne chemistry. The first generated ketene was assigned to a ketene with a cyclopropene moiety, and the second, to a ketene with a butadiyne moiety. The first generated ketene was a major product in the photolysis and was formed by cleavage of the bond connecting the ketene group and the C-F carbon and not the bond connecting the ketene group and the carbene moiety. Thus the structures of these ketenes indicated that a unprecedented ring cleavage, rather than Wolff rearrangement, is the dominant process in the benzdiyne chemistry.     

Efficient Separation of Hydrophobic Molecules by Molecularly Imprinted Cyclodextrin Polymers

Cyclodextrins were cross-linked with toluene 2,4-diisocyanate in dimethyl sufoxide in the presence of hydrophobic biomolecules as templates, and the imprinted polymers were applied to the stationary phases of high performance liquid chromatography. Molecular imprinting efficiently promoted the binding-affinity and substrate-selectivity towards the template molecule, compared with the control polymers prepared in their absence. When cholesterol (template molecule) was complexed with cyclodextrins prior to the polymerization, for example, the imprinted polymer retained cholesterol more strongly than other steroids. Upon the polymerization without a template molecule, the binding towards steroids was much weaker. Besides steroids, imprinting was effective for various hydrophobic and rigid template molecules. Since binding of the guest molecule was based on inclusion complex formation with cyclodextrins, separation could be achieved in the solvents containing water. These polymeric receptors are also applicable to selective recognition of biologically important molecules or removal of toxic molecules from aqueous media. Thus, imprinting of cyclodextrins is useful for the preparation of synthetic tailor-made receptors for various kinds of hydrophobic guest molecules.     

Preparation and characterization of nanoaggregates of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polymethacrylate and poly-L-lysine

Poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polymethacrylate (PEO-b-PMA), one of the double-hydrophilic block copolymers, has proved to the form nanoaggregates with poly-L-lysine (PLS). This was confirmed by turbidimetry, zeta-potential measurements, and dynamic light scattering. The nanoaggregate formation is induced by electrostatic charge neutralization of the PMA block with PLS. The properties of the aggregates are affected by PLS concentration as well PEO-b-PMA concentration. The aggregates have potential applications in biomedical science.     

Electrophoretic mobility of a cylindrical colloidal particle in a salt-free medium

Approximate expressions are derived for the electrophoretic mobility of dilute cylindrical colloidal particles in a salt-free medium containing only counterions. The cylinder is assumed to be infinitely long. It is shown that as in the case of a spherical particle, there is a certain critical value of the particle surface charge separating two cases. When the particle surface charge is lower than the critical value (case 1), the electrophoretic mobility increases with increasing particle surface charge per unit length. When the particle surface charge is higher than the critical value (case 2), the mobility becomes constant (for a cylinder in a transverse field) or the increase in the electrophoretic mobility with the particle surface charge becomes suppressed (for a cylinder in a tangential field). These phenomena are caused by the effect of counterion condensation in the vicinity of the particle surface. The critical value of the particle charge is essentially independent of the particle volume fraction phi for the dilute case, unlike the case of a sphere, in which case the critical charge value is proportional to ln(1/phi).     

Molecular structure of glucopyranosylamide lipid and nanotube morphology

A series of glucopyranosylamide lipids, N-(X-octadecenoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosylamine [X = 13-cis (1), 11-cis (2), 9-cis (3), 6-cis (4), and 9-cis,12-cis (5)] and their saturated homologue N-octadecanoyl-beta-d-glucopyranosylamine (6), which differ in the position of a cis double bond in the C18 hydrocarbon chains, have been synthesized. The effect of the cis double bond position on the chiral self-assembly of each glycolipid has been examined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV, and circular dichroism (CD). The 11-cis derivative 2 was observed to self-assemble in water to form a uniform hollow cylinder structure with about 200-nm outer diameters in >98% yields. The obtained nanotubes from 2 showed the narrowest distribution of outer diameters and also gave a negative CD band around 234-236 nm, showing the largest CD intensity among the glycolipids investigated. Thus, we found that the position of a cis double bond significantly influences the homogeneity of the outer diameters as well as growth behavior of the self-assembled nanotube structures. Chiral molecular packing driven by a possible bending structure of the unsaturated glycolipids is playing a critical role in determining tubular morphology through molecular self-assembly.