Mamanine and pohakuline,two unprecedented quinolizidine alkaloids from sophorachrysophylla

From the bark of the endemic Hawaiian tree Sophora chrysophylla Seem. we have isolated two unprecedented quainolizidine alkaloids, mamanine (4) and pohakuline (5). Both bases are 1-hydroxymethylenequinolizidines which are linked at C-3 to α-pyridone or α-piperidone moieties. The alkaloids may be intermediates in a heretofore unknown biogenetic pathway of Sophora alkaloids.     

Chemical studies on the anobiidae: Sex pheromone of the drugstore beetle, stegobium paniceum (L.) (coleoptera)

Chemical an spectroscopic evidence is presented to show that 2,3-dihydro-2,3,5-trimethyl-6-(1-methyl-2-oxobutyl)-4H-pyran-4-one (10) is the sex pheromone produced by the female drugstore beetle, Stegobium paniceum L.     

Reaction of 3,4-disubstituted 1,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxides with dipolarophiles : Substituent and solvent effect on the reaction courses

A variety of symmetrically or unsymmetrically 3,4-disubstituttd furoxans such as dicyano, dialkyl, diacyl, bis(phenylsulfonyl), N.N'-dialkyldicarbamoyl, 3(or 4)-methyl-4(or -3)-phenyl(or nitro, ethoxy, phenoxy, phenylthio, pyrrolidinyl, phenylsulfonyl), 3(or 4)-ethyl-4(or -3)phcnyl, and 3(or 4)-ethoxy-4(or -3)-phenylsulfonylruroxan reacted with dipolarophiles in toluene or xylene at the refluxing temperature to give nitrone-type 1,3-dipolar cycloadducts, 5-substituted 1-aza-2,8-dioxabicyclo-[3.3.0]octanes and/or 3-substituted 2-isoxazoline 2-oxides. On the other hand, some of the furoxans gave 2-isoxazolines via nitrile oxide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition in a toluene (or xylene)-DMF solvent at the refluxing temperature.     

Synthesis of 12-deoxyroyleanone, cryptoquinone, 11,14-dihydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-one, and related derivatives from dehydroabietic acid

Naturally occurring abietane quinones and hydroquinone, namely, 12-deoxyroyleanone (1a), cryptoquinone (4a), and 11,14-dihydroxyabieta-8,11,13-trien-7-one (5a), together with the epimers of tryptoquinones D (2) and F (3), were first synthesized from dehydroabietic acid (6).     

Photoinduced Molecular Transformations. Part 142. One-step syntheses of 1H-benz[f]indole-4,9-diones and 1H-indole-4,7-diones by a new regioselective photoaddition of 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinones and 2-amino-1,4-benzoquinones with alkenes

The 2,3-dihydro-1H-benz[f]indole-4,9-diones 3a–d , h were formed in a one-step reaction in 13–82% yield by an unprecedented [3 + 2] regioselective photoaddition of 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinone ( 1 ) with various electronrich alkenes 2 (Scheme 1, Table). The [3 + 2] photoadducts derived from 1 with vinyl ethers and vinyl acetate gave 1H-benz[f]indole-4,9-diones 4e , f , i , in 33–72% yield, by spontaneous loss of the corresponding alcohol or AcOH from the resulting adducts; 4i has a kinamycin skeleton. The [3 + 2] photoaddition also took place on irradiation of the differently substituted amino-1,4-benzoquinones 6 , 7 , and 12 and excess alkenes 2 in benzene, giving 1H-indole-4,7-dione derivatives 13 and 14 (Scheme 3), 15a and 16 (Scheme 4), and 18 (Scheme 4), respectively. The initial products in these photoadditions were proved to be hydroquinones, the air oxidation of which yielded the heterocyclic quinones; 2,3-dihydro-2-methoxy-2-methyl-5-phenyl-1H-indole-1,4,7-triyl triacetate ( 19 ) was isolated after treatment of the crude photoaddition mixture obtained from 2-amino-5-phenyl-1,4-benzoquinone ( 7 ) and 2-methoxyprop-1-ene ( 2f ) with Ac₂O and pyridine under N₂. A pathway leading to the annelated hydroquinones involving ionic intermediates arising from an electron transfer in these photoadditions is proposed (Scheme 5).     

Xenophilic complexes bearing a Tp(R) Ligand, [Tp(R)M--M'Ln] [Tp(R) = Tp(iPr2), Tp(#) (Tp(Me2,4-Br)); M=Ni, Co, Fe, Mn; M'Ln = Co(CO)4, Co(CO)3(PPh3), RuCp(CO)2]: the two metal centers are held together not by covalent interaction but by electrostatic attraction

A series of dinuclear complexes, [Tp(R)M--M'L(n)] [Tp(iPr(2) )M--Co(CO)(4) (1; M=Ni, Co, Fe, Mn); Tp(#)M--Co(CO)(4) (1'; M=Ni, Co); Tp(#)Ni--RuCp(CO)(2) (3')] (Tp(iPr(2) )=hydrotris(3,5-diisopropylpyrazolyl)borato; Tp(#) (Tp(Me(2),4-Br))=hydrotris(3,5-dimethyl-4-bromopyrazolyl)borato), has been prepared by treatment of the cationic complexes [Tp(iPr(2) )M(NCMe)(3)]PF(6) or the halo complexes [Tp(#)M--X] with the appropriate metalates. Spectroscopic and crystallographic characterization of 1-3' reveals that the tetrahedral, high-spin Tp(R)M fragment and the coordinatively saturated carbonyl-metal fragment (M'L(n)) are connected only by a metal-metal interaction and, thus, the dinuclear complexes belong to a unique class of xenophilic complexes. The metal-metal interaction in the xenophilic complexes is polarized, as revealed by their nu(CO) vibrations and structural features, which fall between those of reference complexes: covalently bonded species [R--M'L(n)] and ionic species [M'L(n)](-). Unrestricted DFT calculations for the model complexes [Tp(H(2) )Ni--Co(CO)(4)], [Tp(H(2) )Ni--Co(CO)(3)(PH(3))], and [Tp(H(2) )Ni--RuCp(CO)(2)] prove that the two metal centers are held together not by covalent interactions, but by electrostatic attractions. In other words, the obtained xenophilic complexes can be regarded as carbonylmetalates, in which the cationic counterpart interacts with the metal center rather than the oxygen atom of the carbonyl ligand. The xenophilic complexes show divergent reactivity dependent on the properties of donor molecules. Hard (N and O donors) and soft donors (P and C donors) attack the Tp(R)M part and the ML(n) moiety, respectively. The selectivity has been interpreted in terms of the hard-soft theory, and the reactions of the high-spin species 1-3' with singlet donor molecules should involve a spin-crossover process.     

Efficient eosin y dye-sensitized solar cell containing Br-/Br3- electrolyte

We found that Br-/Br3- is more suitable than an I-/I3- couple in dye-sensitized solar cells in terms of higher open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) production and higher overall energy conversion efficiency (eta) if the dye sensitizer has a more positive potential than that of Br-/Br3-. Under simulated AM1.5 one sun, an eosin Y dye-sensitized solar cell containing 0.4 M LiBr + 0.04 M Br2 electrolyte in acetonitrile yielded a short-circuit photocurrent (Jsc) of 4.63 mA cm(-2), Voc of 0.813 V, and fill factor (FF) of 0.693, corresponding to 2.61% of eta. Under the same conditions except for the electrolyte 0.4 M LiI + 0.04 M I2 in acetonitrile instead, the device produced 1.67% of eta (Jsc = 5.15 mA cm(-2), Voc = 0.451 V, FF = 0.721). Replacement of I-/I3- with Br-/Br3- in eosin Y dye-sensitized solar cells yielded a significant increase in Voc offset by slight decreases in Jsc and FF, leading to an increase in eta by 56%. The significant gain in Voc was attributed to the enlarged energy level difference between the redox potential of the electrolyte and the Fermi level of TiO2 and the suppressed charge recombination as well. The rate for charge recombination between bromine and the injected electrons was determined to be first order in bromine.     

Metal-complex assemblies constructed from the flexible hinge-like ligand H2bhnq: structural versatility and dynamic behavior in the solid state

Novel metal-complex assemblies constructed from the flexible hinge-like ligand H(2)bhnq (H(2)bhnq=2,2'-bi(3-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone)) have been synthesized. The X-ray crystal structures of these compounds reveal that four types of architectures are accessible by variation of the metal ions. In copper(II) compounds 1-3, the chelating bhnq(2-) ions bridge copper(II) centers to form one-dimensional zigzag chains. The chains of 1-3 are arranged by hydrogen-bonding interactions and stacking interactions to produce porous structures. Cobalt(II) and zinc(II) compounds 4 and 5 form one-dimensional helical chains. In 4 and 5, the crystal packing induces spontaneous resolution of the helical chains with chiral cavities formed perpendicular to the helices. Nickel(II) compounds 6 and 7 form cyclic tetramers. The fourth architecture, a dimer (compound 8), is obtained by the reaction of zinc(II) and bhnq(2-) in MeOH. In these compounds, changes of the dihedral angles and the metal-coordination mode of the bhnq(2-) ion induce the structural versatility. The assemblies of the zigzag chains of the copper(II) compounds exhibit reversible vapochromic behavior. UV/Vis, powder X-ray diffraction, EPR, and adsorption isotherm measurements indicate that this vapochromic behavior is based on the hinge-like flexibility of the bhnq(2-) ion.     

Development of hydrophilic fluorogenic derivatization reagents for thiols: 4-(N-acetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole and 4-(N-trichloroacetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole

Sensitive, reactive, and hydrophilic fluorogenic reagents for thiols with the benzofurazan skeleton, 4-(N-acetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (AcABD-F) and 4-(N-trichloroacetylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (TCAcABD-F) have been developed. These reagents reacted with thiols within 10 min at 60 degrees C. AcABD-F and TCAcABD-F themselves do not fluoresce but are strongly fluorescent after the reaction with thiol compounds. The generated derivatives were highly water-soluble, since they dissociated a proton and ionized in the neutral pH region. The derivatives with four biologically important thiol compounds were separated on a reversed-phase HPLC column and detected fluorometrically at 504 nm with excitation at 388 nm. The detection limit attained for homocysteine with AcABD-F was 25 fmol on column (11 nM) (signal-to-noise ratio = 3), and that for glutathione with TCAcABD-F was 45 fmol on column (20 nM).     

Structural regulation of a peptide-conjugated graft copolymer: a simple model for amyloid formation

The self-assembly of peptides and proteins into beta-sheet-rich high-order structures has attracted much attention as a result of the characteristic nanostructure of these assemblies and because of their association with neurodegenerative diseases. Here we report the structural and conformational properties of a peptide-conjugated graft copolymer, poly(gamma-methyl-L-glutamate) grafted polyallylamine (1) in a water-2,2,2-trifluoroethanol solution as a simple model for amyloid formation. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the globular peptide 1 self-assembles into nonbranching fibrils that are about 4 nm in height under certain conditions. These fibrils are rich in beta-sheets and, similar to authentic amyloid fibrils, bind the amyloidophilic dye Congo red. The secondary and quaternary structures of the peptide 1 can be controlled by manipulating the pH, solution composition, and salt concentration; this indicates that the three-dimensional packing arrangement of peptide chains is the key factor for such fibril formation. Furthermore, the addition of carboxylic acid-terminated poly(ethylene glycol), which interacts with both of amino groups of 1 and hydrophobic PMLG chains, was found to obviously inhibit the alpha-to-beta structural transition for non-assembled peptide 1 and to partially cause a beta-to-alpha structural transition against the 1-assembly in the beta-sheet form. These findings demonstrate that the amyloid fibril formation is not restricted to specific protein sequences but rather is a generic property of peptides. The ability to control the assembled structure of the peptide should provide useful information not only for understanding the amyloid fibril formation, but also for developing novel peptide-based material with well-defined nanostructures.