Ring Opening of Pymisyl‐Protected Aziridines with Organocuprates

The pyrimidine‐2‐sulfonyl (pymisyl) group is introduced as a new protecting group that can be used to activate aziridines towards ring opening. It is readily introduced and removed under mild conditions. Regioselective ring opening of pymisyl‐protected 2‐methyl‐aziridine with organocuprates gives the corresponding sulfonamides in high yields, and the pymisyl group can subsequently be removed upon treatment with a thiolate. The versatility of this new nitrogen protecting group is illustrated with a new synthesis of Selegiline, a monoamine oxidase‐B inhibitor marketed for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.     

Biomimetic synthesis of resorcylate natural products utilizing late stage aromatization: concise total syntheses of the marine antifungal agents 15G256iota and 15G256beta

Diketo-1,3-dioxin-2-ones underwent retro-Diels-Alder reaction on heating in toluene at 110 degrees C to generate alpha,gamma,-triketo-ketenes. These were trapped with alcohols to provide 2,4,6-triketocarboxylates, which were smoothly aromatized by sequential reaction with potassium carbonate and methanolic hydrogen chloride to give resorcylate esters. The reaction was applied in the total synthesis of the marine antifungal agents 15G256beta (1), 15G256iota (2), and 15G256pi (3) and the mycotoxin S-(-)-zearalenone (4).     

Electrostatic Potential Field and Nucleophilicity of 3, 5, 8, 10-Tetramethyl-aceheptylene

The electrostatic potential (EP.) for aceheptylene (I) is calculated using ab-initio wavefunctions. In addition, the EP. around I is approximated by a monopole expression, using wavefunctions from various semiempirical procedures as a basis. It is found that the previously noted discrepancy between the thoretical prediction of differential nuclophilicity of the individual unsaturated C-atoms in 3,5,8,10-tetramethyl-aceheptylene(II) and the experimental results of protonation is removed, if instead of local atomic charges, the EP. around II, approximated by that of I is considered.     

Synthesis, electronic, and electro-optical properties of emissive solvatochromic phenothiazinyl merocyanine dyes

Phenothiazinyl merocyanine dyes with variable substitution patterns on the peripheral benzene ring were synthesized in good yields by Knoevenagel condensation of the corresponding phenothiazinyl aldehydes and N-methylrhodanine or indan-1,3-dione. The electronic properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, absorption, electro-optical absorption, and emission spectroscopy. All these merocyanines reveal reversible redox behavior that stems from the phenothiazinyl-centered oxidation to give stable radical cations. The redox potentials strongly correlate with Hammett σ(p) parameters. All merocyanines reveal large Stokes shifts. They also display a pronounced emissive solvatochromism, which is caused by large dipole moment changes upon excitation from the ground to the excited state. These findings are supported by solvatochromism studies and time-dependent DFT computations.     

On the classical limit of the Kepler problem

We introduce coherent states on the dynamical group of the nonrelativistic Kepler (hydrogen atom) problem. In the limit of high excitation these states are well concentrated wavepackets which move along classical trajectories.     

Hierarchical self-assembly of aminopyrazole peptides into nanorosettes in water

Self-association of aminopyrazole peptide hybrid 1 leads to stacked nanorosettes. This remarkable, well-ordered structure obeys the laws of nucleic acid self-assembly. In a strictly hierarchical process, formation of aminopyrazole "base" triplets via a hydrogen bond network is accompanied by pi-stacking with a second rosette and final dimerization of two double rosettes to a four-layer superstructure, stabilized by a six-fold half-crown alkylammonium lock. The final complex is soluble in organic as well as in aqueous solution. It was characterized in the solid state by X-ray crystallography, in water by NMR spectroscopy, and in silico by quantum chemical shift calculation. All these methods provide strong evidence for the same hexameric complex geometry. Its structural features bear striking similarity to nucleic acid architectures and their peptidic counterparts, especially alanyl-PNA. The whole self-assembly process is highly solvent- and temperature-dependent and occurs with a high degree of cooperativity--no intermediates are observed. Formation and dissociation of the nanorosette, however, are kinetically slow. The limitation to a hexameric aggregate can be explained by six sterically demanding valine residues, whose replacement by alanines may result in formation of infinite fibers.     

Direct synthesis of 4,4-disubstituted N-silyl-1,4-dihydropyridines

An unprecedented method for the preparation of 4,4-disubstituted 1,4-dihydropyridines is presented. It is based on the trapping reaction of 4-substitued N-silylpyridinium ions. When performed with dialkylmagnesium reagents, such as iPr₂Mg, silyl protected 4,4-disubstituted 1,4-dihydropyridines were obtained in up to quantitative yields. High 1,4-selectivity was found for sterically demanding nucleophiles, whereas small nucleophiles (Me₂Mg) tend to yield 1,2-addition-products. Grignard, dialkylzinc and organocopper reagents were found to give either no addition products or less favorable results. Reduction of the obtained 1,4-dihydropyridine with NaCNBH₃ in the presence of HCl, followed by treatment with tert-butyl dicarbonate provided the corresponding N-Boc protected piperidines with high yields.