Photochemical regulation of the activity of an endonuclease BamHI using an azobenzene moiety incorporated site-selectively into the dimer interface

Endonuclease BamHI mutants having an azophenylalanine residue in the dimer interface (azoAla-BamHI) were synthesized; while the activity was almost suppressed using trans-azoAla-BamHI, the cis-isomer generated with photoirradiation recovered its intrinsic activity.     

First example of chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes as catalysts for kinetic resolution

Chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes, which are derived from C2-symmetric 1,3-bis(1-arylethyl)imidazolium salts, catalyze enantioselective acylation of racemic secondary alcohols.     

Controlling Energy Gaps of π-Conjugated Polymers by Multi-Fluorinated Boron-Fused Azobenzene Acceptors for Highly Efficient Near-Infrared Emission

We demonstrate that multi-fluorinated boron-fused azobenzene (BAz) complexes can work as a strong electron acceptor in electron donor-acceptor (D-A) type π-conjugated polymers. Position-dependent substitution effects were revealed, and the energy level of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) was critically decreased by fluorination. As a result, the obtained polymers showed near-infrared (NIR) emission (λ_PL=758–847 nm) with high absolute photoluminescence quantum yield (Φ_PL=7–23%) originating from low-lying LUMO energy levels of the BAz moieties (−3.94 to −4.25 eV). Owing to inherent solid-state emissive properties of the BAz units, deeper NIR emission (λ_PL=852980 nm) was detected in film state. Clear solvent effects prove that the NIR emission is from a charge transfer state originating from a strong D-A interaction. The effects of fluorination on the frontier orbitals are well understandable and predictable by theoretical calculation with density functional theory. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of fluorination to the BAz units for producing a strong electron-accepting unit through fine-tuning of energy gaps, which can be the promising strategy for designing NIR absorptive and emissive materials.     

18O/16O-Encoding Strategy for Microscale Stereochemical Determination of Peptidic Natural Products

The demand for more efficient methods of establishing the undetermined stereochemistries of peptidic natural products continues unabated. A new method for microscale stereochemical determination was devised by integrating solid-phase synthesis, split-and-mix randomization, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O-encoding of d /l -configurations, tandem mass spectrometry, and biological evaluation. Here we applied gramicidin A as the molecule for a blind test. Gramicidin A and its 31 diastereomers were randomly prepared in microgram scale with ¹⁸O/¹⁶O-stereochemical encoding and subjected to MS/MS-structural determination and cytotoxicity assay. Only the parent gramicidin A was selected from among the 32 stereoisomers, validating the high reliability of the present strategy.     

Rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis, crystal structures, and photophysical properties of helically chiral 1,1'-bitriphenylenes

The highly enantioselective synthesis of helically chiral 1,1'-bitriphenylenes has been achieved via rhodium-catalyzed double [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of biaryl-linked tetraynes with 1,4-diynes (up to 93% ee). Crystal structures and photophysical properties of these helically chiral 1,1'-bitriphenylenes have also been studied.     

Hole Burning and Fluorescence Spectra of Sol-Gel Derived Sm2+-Doped Glasses

Sm2+-doped glasses in the system of Al2O3-SiO2 were prepared by sol-gel processing of metal alkoxides and reacting with H2 gas at 800°C. The hole burning properties of these glasses were investigated. The holes were burned in the 7F0 5D0 line of the Sm2+ ions using a DCM dye laser at 77 K. The hole depth increased with increasing the laser irradiation time, reaching up to 15% of the total intensity within a few hundred seconds. The hole width was 3 cm–1 full width at half maximum. Fluorescence line narrowing spectra of the 5D0 7 F1 transition were analyzed to study the local structure surrounding the Sm2+ ion. It is concluded that the Sm2+ ions are closely coordinated with nine oxygens of the AlO6 group in aluminosilicate glasses and that the addition of Al3+ ions into glass induces an increase in the coordination number of the Sm2+.     

New aplysiatoxin derivatives from the Okinawan cyanobacterium Moorea producens

The marine cyanobacterium Moorea producens is a rich source of diverse compounds that possess a variety of biological activities. In the present study, eight new aplysiatoxin derivatives, namely 6, 8–13, and 15, along with aplysiatoxin (1), debromoaplysiatoxin (2), 3-methoxyaplysiatoxin (3), anhydroaplysiatoxin (4), anhydrodebromoaplysiatoxin (5), oscillatoxin B2 (7), and 30-methyloscillatoxin D (14) were isolated and identified from the Okinawan M. producens. In cytotoxicity and diatom growth inhibition tests, the fifteen compounds tested (1–15) showed moderate or no activity at a concentration of 10?μg/mL.     

Total synthesis of gambierol

[structure: see text] The first total synthesis of gambierol, a marine polycyclic ether toxin, has been achieved. The synthesis features the Pd(PPh3)4/CuCl/LiCl-promoted Stille coupling for the stereoselective construction of the sensitive triene side chain that includes a conjugated (Z,Z)-diene moiety.     

Highly efficient methods for metacyclophane synthesis

Highly efficient methods for synthesizing metacyclophanes such as 2,6-bridged pyrones and pyridines are described. 4-Hydroxy-2-pyrone derivative 3 bridged at the 3 and 6-positions is readily available. This compound was transformed into 2,6-bridged 4-pyrone 4 on heating in ethanol or in hydrochloric acid. Heating 4 with ammonia or methylamine afforded the corresponding 2,6-bridged 4-pyrone 7 or 8. These pyridones were synthesized directly from 3 by treatment with ammonia or methylamine. These methods have a wide applicability to the bridge length of metacyclophane; compounds with a short bridge (n=8) as well as long bridge (n=18) are synthesized in satisfactory yields.     

Divergent synthesis of the tetracyclic ethers of 6-X-7-6 ring systems

Ladder-shaped polyether natural products show diverse biological activities with extreme potency. As the initial phase of detailed SAR studies of bioactive polyethers, we set out to construct structurally simple mimics. This paper details the divergent synthesis of 6-X-7-6 tetracycles (X=7, 8, or 9) starting from a simple 6-membered ether. Key reactions in the synthesis include (i) the direct formation of an O,S-acetal by the coupling of an alcohol with an α-chlorosulfide, (ii) the construction of a 7-membered ring by radical cyclization, and (iii) cyclization to the 7, 8 or 9-membered ring via a ring-closing metathesis reaction. The neutral reaction conditions of our strategy enable the synthesis of a wide variety of substrates. The results of this study can be applied for the rapid construction of artificial polyether compounds with diversified molecular shapes and sizes.