Electrophilic acetylation and bromination reactions of benzo[b]naphtho[2,3-e][1,4]dioxin

The reactivity of benzo[b]naphtho[2,3-e][1,4]dioxin in the electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions has been studied. Friedel-Crafts acetylation resulted in the formation of three out of the possible five monoacetylated products, with the acetyl group located in positions 8 (major), 7 and 6 (minor) of the heterocycle. In the bromination reaction a higher selectivity was observed with the 6-bromo derivative found as the only monobrominated product and the 6,11-dibromo derivative found as the only polybrominated product. A ratio of unreacted heterocycle:6-bromo:6,11-dibromo derivatives in the bromination reaction has been found to depend strongly on the reaction conditions and on the heterocycle:bromine ratio.     

The [2 + 4] Diels-Alder cycloadditon product of a probable dialuminene,Ar'AlAlAr' (Ar' = C(6)H(3)- 2,6-dipp(2); dipp = C(6)H(3)-2,6-Pr(i)(2)), with toluene

Reduction of Ar'AlI2 (Ar' = Ar'= C6H3-2,6-Dipp2; Dipp = C6H3-2,6-Pri2) with KC8 in diethyl ether most probably affords the first "dialuminene", Ar'AlAlAr'; it was characterized by its reaction with toluene which yielded a [2 + 4] cycloaddition product incorporating the Ar'AlAlAr' unit.     

Polymer-supported nitroxyl radical catalyst for selective aerobic oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes

PS-TEMPO, a polymer-supported 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO), was successfully applied as a recyclable, active and selective catalyst for the oxidation of primary aliphatic and benzylic alcohols to aldehydes by molecular oxygen in the presence of Co(NO3)2 and Mn(NO3)2 as co-catalysts.     

P and H NMR studies of the transesterification polymerization of polyphosphonate oligomers

Polymeric phosphonate esters are an interesting class of organophosphorus polymers because both the polymer backbone and phosphorus substituents can be modified. These polymers have been prepared by ring-opening polymerizations of cyclic phosphites, stoichiometric polycondensations of dimethyl phosphonate with diols in conjunction with diazomethane treatment and by transesterification of polyphosphonate oligomers. Our initial attempts to prepare high molecular weight polymeric phosphonate esters by the transesterification methods were unsuccessful. Results indicate that the reactions of dimethyl phosphonate with diols to form polyphosphonate oligomers with only methyl phosphonate end groups are plagued by a serious side reaction that forms phosphonic acid end groups. These end groups do not participate in the transesterification reaction and limit the molecular weights of the polymers that can be obtained. The phosphonic acid end groups can be converted into reactive methyl phosphonate end groups by treatment with diazomethane, however diazomethane is explosive and the polymerization is slow. An alternative route for the production of high molecular weight polymers is the transesterification of the 1,12-bis(methyl phosphonato)dodecane, formed by the reaction of excess dimethyl phosphonate and 1,12-dodecanediol, with a Na₂CO₃ promoter. This allows polymers with molecular weights of up to 4.5×10⁴ to be prepared, and no phosphonic acid end groups are observed in these polymers. Thermal analyses of the poly(1,12-dodecamethylene phosphonate) have shown that this polymer has reasonable thermal stability (onset of thermal decomposition at 273 °C). This polymer also undergoes a cold crystallization process at 15 °C similar to that which has been observed in some polyesters, polyamides and elastomers.     

Two-Photon Excitation of 4'-Hydroxymethyl-4,5',8-Trimethylpsoralen

Abstract— Psoralens are a class of pharmaceutical agents commonly used to treat several cutaneous disorders. When irradiated with a mode-locked titanium: sapphire (Ti: sapphire) laser tuned to 730 nm, an aqueous solution of 4'-hydroxymethyl-4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen (HMT) emits blue light. The emission spectrum is centered at 452 nm and is identical to that obtained by one-photon excitation with UVA excitation, and its magnitude depends quad-ratically on the intensity of laser excitation. These results suggest that two-photon excitation occurs to a potentially photochemically active state. To estimate the two-photon absorption cross section, it was first necessary to measure the emission quantum yield of HMT using 365 nm excitation at room temperature that resulted in a value of 0.045 ± 0.007. The two-photon absorption cross section of HMT at 730 nm is therefore estimated to be 20 ± 10⁻⁵⁰ cm⁴ s (20 Göppert-Mayer). The excited-state photophysics and photochemistry of psoralens suggest potential applications to cutaneous phototherapy in diseases such as psoriasis and dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.     

DEMONSTRATION THAT PHOSPHORESCENT 6-BROMO-2-NAPHTHYL SULFATE CAN BE USED TO PROBE HEME ACCESSIBILITY IN HEME PROTEINS

The phosphorescence properties of 6-bromo-2-naphthyl sulfate (BNS) in aqueous solution were studied. The phosphorescence lifetime is several hundred microseconds and is self-quenched. Although a fluorescent photoproduct is formed from BNS, it does not interfere with the decay properties of triplet-state BNS and its utility as a probe of the accessibility of the heme group in heme proteins. Quenching of BNS phosphorescence does not occur for the non-heme protein lysozyme and apomyoglobin but occurs by a dynamic mechanism with a quenching constant of 1-2 x 10(9) M-1 s-1 for cytochrome c and myoglobin and with a quenching constant of 6.2 x 10(9) M-1 s-1 for protoporphyrin IX. The phosphorescence of an inclusion complex of 1-bromonaphthalene and beta-cyclodextrin is not quenched by heme-containing proteins. The temperature and viscosity dependencies of the rate with which BNS phosphorescence is quenched by microperoxidase-11 are consistent with unit quenching efficiency. These results indicate that quenching of BNS phosphorescence occurs only upon contact with the quencher, and the quenching constant can be used to assess the degree of accessibility of the heme group.     

Development of novel antioxidants: design,synthesis, and reactivity

We are attempting to develop novel synthetic antioxidants aimed at retarding the effects of free-radical induced cell damage. In this paper we discuss the design strategy and report the synthesis of seven novel antioxidants, including six catechols and a benzylic phenol. The bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) for the most active (weakest) OH bond in each molecule was calculated by theoretical methods, as well as the BDE for the semiquinone radical. Reaction rates with the nitrogen-centered free radical DPPH(*) were measured in ethyl acetate. The log of k(DPPH) for bimolecular reaction correlated well with the primary BDE. The correlation between rate constants and calculated BDEs shows that the BDE is a good predictor of antioxidant activity with DPPH(*), suggesting that our design criteria are useful and that these compounds should undergo further testing in cell cultures and in animal models.     

(η5-C5R5)2Fe2(CO)2(μ-CO)(μ-CH2) (R = H,CH3): A convenient one-pot synthesis using chloromethyl pivalate

The compounds (η⁵-C₅R₅)₂Fe₂(CO)₂(μ-CO)(μ-CH₂) (R = H, CH₃) have been prepared through the reaction of chloromethyl pivalate with the appropriate metal anions, η⁵-C₅H₅Fe(CO)₂K and η⁵-C₅Me₅Fe(CO)₂K.     

Identification of inhibitors for UDP-galactopyranose mutase

The flavoenzyme uridine 5'-diphosphate (UDP)-galactopyranose mutase (UGM) plays a key role in the cell wall biosynthesis of many pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Using a synthetic fluorescent ligand, we screened 16 000 compounds in a fluorescence polarization assay. Effective inhibitors of UGM were identified.     

Synthesis of a deca-lithium cage containing an [(RN)2As(mu-NR)As(NR)2]4- tetraanion; a homologue of group 15 trianions of the type [E(NR)3]3-

The novel, deca-lithium cage [(mtaNHLi)(As2(Nmta)5)-Li(4).2thf]2 (1) (mtaN = 5-methylthiazolyl, C4H4N2S) contains an imido-bridged tetraanion [(mtaN)2As(mu-Nmta)-As(Nmta)2]4-, which represents a new type of multi-functional imido group 15 ligand framework (homologous with group 15 anions of the type [As(NR)3]3-).