Characterisation of selected hypnotic drugs and their metabolites using electrospray ionisation with ion trap mass spectrometry and with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and their determination by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-ion trap mass spectrometry

The electrospray ionisation-ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-MSⁿ) of selected hypnotic drugs, i.e. zopiclone, zolpidem, flunitrazepam and their metabolites have been investigated. Sequential product ion fragmentation experiments (MSⁿ) have been performed in order to elucidate the degradation pathways for the [M+H]⁺ ions and their predominant fragment ions. These MSⁿ experiments show certain characteristic fragmentations in that functional groups are generally cleaved from the ring systems as neutral molecules such as H₂O, CO, CO₂, NO₂, amines and HF. When an aromatic entity is present in a drug molecule together with a nitrogen-containing saturated ring structure as with zopiclone and its N-desmethyl metabolite fragmentation initially occurs at the latter ring with the former being resistant to fragmentation. The structures of fragment ions proposed for ESI-MSⁿ can be supported by electrospray ionisation-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOF-MS).These molecules can be identified and determined in mixtures at low ng/ml concentrations by the application of liquid chromatography (LC)-ESI-MSⁿ which can be used for their analysis in saliva samples.This paper includes a tabulation of mass losses/signals at low m/z values for these hypnotic drugs and many others in recent publications which will be of value in the characterisation of drug metabolites of unknown structure and also natural product pharmaceuticals isolated from plants, etc.     

Benzodiazepine analogues. Part 21. 13C NMR analysis of benzoxathiepine derivatives

The influence of substituents and structure on the 13C NMR spectra of four series of benzoxathiepine derivatives has been investigated. Signal assignments in the 13C NMR spectra have been facilitated by the use of several predictive methods, permitting comparison of their relative efficacy.     

Phenotype and in vitro function of mature MDDC generated from cryopreserved PBMC of cancer patients are equivalent to those from healthy donors

Background  

Monocyte-derived-dendritic-cells (MDDC) are the major DC type used in vaccine-based clinical studies for a variety of cancers. In order to assess whether in vitro differentiated MDDC from cryopreserved PBMC of cancer patients are functionally distinct from those of healthy donors, we compared these cells for their expression of co-stimulatory and functional markers. In addition, the effect of cryopreservation of PBMC precursors on the quality of MDDC was also evaluated using samples from healthy donors.     

Preparation of niobium and tantalum organoimido complexes from reactions of the pentahalides with amines: The crystal and molecular structure of bis(t-butylamine)bis(t-butylimido)bis(μ-ethoxy)tetrachloroditantalum

MCl₅ (M = Nb, Ta) reacts with 2 equivalents of Me₃SiNHCMe₃ to give [M(NCMe₃)Cl₃(NH₂CMe₃)] from which [M(NCMe₃)Cl₃(PMe₃)₂] is obtained on addition of PMe₃. One equivalent of Me₃SiNHCMe₃ reacts with MCl₅ in the presence of 3 equivalents of PMe₃ to give [M(NCMe₃)Cl₃(PMe₃)₂] and PMe₃HCl. MCl₅ reacts with excess RNH₂ (R = CMe₃, CHMe₂, CH₂Me) to give [M(NR)(NHR)Cl₂(NH₂R)] and 3 equivalents of RNH₃Cl. One equivalent of alcohol replaces the amido ligand in [M(NCMe₃)(NHCMe₃)Cl₂(NH₂CMe₃)] to give [M(NCMe₃)(OR)Cl₂(NH₂CMe₃)]₂ (M = Nb, R = OCMe₃; M = Ta, R = OEt). The structure of [Ta(NCMe₃)(μ-OEt)Cl₂(NH₂CMe₃)]₂ was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Crystals are triclinic, space group P$\text{1}$ with a = 9.900(5), b = 10. 161(17), c = 9.017(6) Å and α = 103.91(8), β = 97.77(4), γ = 64.40(7)°. The structure was solved by Patterson and Fourier methods and refined to an R value of 0.062 for 1319 observed data. The TaN_imido and TaN_amino bond lengths are 1.70(2) Å and 2.28(2) Å, respectively; the bridging TaO bond lengths are 2.01(2) Å and 2.32(2) Å, the longer one lying trans to the imido function.     

Organo-imido alkoxides of tungsten(VI). The crystal and molecular structures of [W(NPh)(μ-OMe)(OMe)3]2 and [W(NPh)(OCMe3)3Cl(NH2CMe3)]

Reaction of phenylimido tungsten tetrachloride with MeOH and t-butylamine gave the dimeric complexes [W(NPh)(μ-OMe)(OMe)₃]₂ and [W(NPh)(μ-OMe)(OMe)₂Cl]₂. With ethanol [W(NPh)(μ-OEt)(OEt)₂Cl]₂ was formed whereas isopropyl and neopentyl alcohols gave the monomeric complexes [W(NPh)(OR)₄(NH₂CMe₃)](R = CHMe₂, CH₂CMe₃); t-butanol gave [W(NPh)(OCMe₃)3Cl(NH₂CMe₃)] which could not be converted to [W(NPh) (OCMe₃)₄]. Further reaction of [W(NPh)(μ-OMe)(OMe)₃]₂ with o-HOC₆H₄CH = NC₆H₃Me₂(salim-H) gave the salicylaldimine complex [W(NPh)(OMC)₃(salim)]. The products were characterised by analytical data, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectroscopy. The crystal and molecular structures of the title complexes have been determined from single crystal X-ray diffractometer data. Crystals of [W(NPh)(μ-OMe)(OMe)₃]₂are triclinic with a = 8.473(7), b = 10.776(5), c = 7.683(Å, α = 102.26(3), β = 102.68(4), γ = 71.13(6)°, space group P$\text{1}$ Crystals of 3) [W(NPh)(OCMe₃)₃Cl(NH₂CMe₃) are monoclinic with a = 9.341(2), b = 29.608(7), c = 10.257(2) Å, β = 106.28(2)°, space group, P2₁/c. Both structures were solved by Patterson and Fourier methods and refined to R = 0.075 for the 1022 observed data of [W(NPh) (μ-OMe)(OMe)₃]₂ and to R = 0.074. For the 2033 observed data of [W(NPh)(OCMe₃)₃Cl(NH₂CMe₃). The former molecule is shown to be a dimer, the two halves of the molecule being related by a centre of symmetry. Both W atoms adopt a distorted octahedral coordination geometry and they are linked by two methoxy bridges. Trans to one of the bridging donors is the phenyl imido group with a WN bond length of 1.61(4) Å; the remaining coordination sites are filled with methoxy groups. The structure of W(NPh)(OCMe₃)₃ Cl(NH₂CMe₃) is monomeric with the phenylimido group trans to the NH₂CMe₃ ligand in a distorted octahedral coordination geometry. Remaining sites are filled with the chloride and 3 OCMe₃ ligands. The WN (imido) bond length is 1.71(2) Å, whilst WN(amine) is 2.40(2) Å     

Evolution Equations for Special Lagrangian 3-Folds in C3

This is the third in a series of papers constructing explicit examples of special Lagrangian submanifolds in C ^m . The previous paper (Math. Ann. 320 (2001), 757–797), defined the idea of evolution data, which includes an (m – 1)-submanifold P in R ⁿ , and constructed a family of special Lagrangian m-folds N in C ^m , which are swept out by the image of P under a 1-parameter family of affine maps _t : R ⁿ C ^m , satisfying a first-order o.d.e. in t. In this paper we use the same idea to construct special Lagrangian 3-folds in C³. We find a one-to-one correspondence between sets of evolution data with m = 3 and homogeneous symplectic 2-manifolds P. This enables us to write down several interesting sets of evolution data, and so to construct corresponding families of special Lagrangian 3-folds in C³.Our main results are a number of new families of special Lagrangian 3-foldsin C³, which we write very explicitly in parametric form. Generically these are nonsingular as immersed 3-submanifolds, and diffeomorphic to R³ or ¹× R². Some of the 3-folds are singular, and we describe their singularities, which we believe are of a new kind.We hope these 3-folds will be helpful in understanding singularities ofcompact special Lagrangian 3-folds in Calabi–Yau 3-folds. This will beimportant in resolving the SYZ conjecture in Mirror Symmetry.     

Iron(II)-catalyzed amidation of aldehydes with iminoiodinanes at room temperature and under microwave-assisted conditions

A method for the amidation of aldehydes with PhI=NTs/PhI=NNs as the nitrogen source and an inexpensive iron(II) chloride + pyridine as the in situ formed precatalyst under mild conditions at room temperature or microwave assisted conditions is described. The reaction was operationally straightforward and accomplished in moderate to excellent product yields (20-99%) and with complete chemoselectivity with the new C-N bond forming only at the formylic C-H bond in substrates containing other reactive functional groups. By utilizing microwave irradiation, comparable product yields and short reaction times of 1 h could be accomplished. The mechanism is suggested to involve insertion of a putative iron-nitrene/imido group to the formylic C-H bond of the substrate via a H-atom abstraction/radical rebound pathway mediated by the precatalyst [Fe(py)(4)Cl(2)] generated in situ from reaction of FeCl(2) with pyridine.