Determination of 4-alkylphenols by novel derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A simple and sensitive method for the determination of alkylphenols in water samples has been developed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Alkylphenols were determined after the extractive derivatization with pentafluoropyridine. The derivatization of alkylphenols efficiently proceeded to give the corresponding 4-tetrafluoropyridyl derivatives under the biphasic reaction system. The derivatization conditions including the phase-transfer catalyst, the amount of pentafluoropyridine, the reaction time, the concentration of NaOH and organic solvent were optimized. On the mass spectra of these derivatives, intense specific ion peaks were observed: m/z 256 for 4-n-alkylphenols and m/z 284 for 4-tert.-alkylphenols. Calibration curves were linear in the range of 20-1000 ng/l (200-10,000 ng/l for nonylphenol), and the detection limits varied between 6.93 and 15.7 ng/l (85.2 ng/l for nonylphenol). The average recoveries of the alkylphenols in a fortified river water sample (100 ng/l except for nonylphenol: 1000 ng/l) ranged from 91.1 to 112%. The relative standard deviations were found to be between 5.6 and 16%. This method was successfully applied to the determination of alkylphenols in river water.     

Rates of electronic excitation hopping in anisotropic ionic crystals of [Ru(2,2'-bipyridine)3]X2 (X = ClO4-, PF6-, SbF6-); Monte Carlo simulation of single- and multi-exponential emission decays

Emission decays of triplet metal-to-ligand charge transfer states in anisotropic crystals of [Ru(1 - x)Os(x)(bpy)(3)]X(2) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, X = PF(6)-, ClO(4)-, SbF(6)-, and 0.115 > x > 0.001) at approximately 300 K were measured by means of time-correlated single-photon counting. Rates of excitation hopping calculated on the basis of an interaction between transition dipoles of a donor cation and an acceptor cation are insufficient to simulate the single-exponential decays (x = 0.0099) and the multiexponential decays (x = 0.060 and 0.115) of the PF(6)- salt crystals. A limiting rate of excitation hopping to an imaginary cation at the van der Waals distance via a super-exchange interaction between d orbitals through the bpy ligands was determined to be 0.83 x 10(10) s(-1) on average by means of a step-by-step Monte Carlo simulation, assuming an distance-attenuation factor, beta, of the exchange interaction of 10 nm-1. The total rate of excitation hopping via both a dipole-dipole mechanism and a super-exchange mechanism to the neighboring sites of the cation was calculated to be 5.4 x 10(9) s(-1) for the PF(6)- crystal. Anisotropic diffusion constants estimated from the hopping rates and lengths in the PF(6)- crystal are 9.3 x 10(-6), 9.1 x 10(-6), and 1.4 x 10(-6) cm(2)s(-1) along the a axis, the b axis, and the c axis, respectively, which are compared with an isotropic diffusion constant, 1.3 x 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1), estimated from the pseudo-bimolecular rate constant of excitation transfer to [Os(bpy)(3)](2+), using an isotropic Smoluchowski equation. A multiexponential emission decay of [Ru(0.885)Os(0.115)(bpy)(3)](PF(6))(2) was also simulated to determined the limiting rate of excitation transfer to [Os(bpy)(3)](2+) at the van der Waals distance (2.6 x 10(11) s(-1)). The magnitude of beta determined is 6.5 and 11.5 nm(-1) for the ClO(4)- and the SbF(6)- salt crystals, respectively, on reference to that of beta (10 nm(-1)) for the PF(6)- salt crystal.     

Catalytic enantioselective amination of silyl enol ethers using chiral dirhodium(II) carboxylates: asymmetric formal synthesis of (-)-metazocine

Dirhodium(II) tetrakis[N-tetrafluorophthaloyl-(S)-tert-leucinate], Rh2(S-TFPTTL)4, is an exceptionally efficient catalyst for enantioselective aminations of silyl enol ethers derived from acyclic ketones or alpha,beta-enones with [N-(2-nitrophenylsulfonyl)imino]phenyliodinane (NsN=IPh), providing N-(2-nitrophenylsulfonyl)-alpha-amino ketones in high yields and with enantioselectivities of up to 95% ee. The effectiveness of the present catalytic protocol has been demonstrated by an asymmetric formal synthesis of (-)-metazocine.     

Protein-templated organic/inorganic hybrid materials prepared by liquid-phase deposition

Organic/inorganic hybrid thin films for protein recognition have been prepared by the liquid-phase deposition (LPD) coupled with template synthesis, i.e., molecular imprinting, where pepsin (Pep) was used as a model protein and titanium oxide was deposited on gold substrates in the presence of Pep-poly-L-lysine (PL) complexes. The complexes remained in the templated film after the deposition, and the binding sites for Pep were constructured after Pep was removed from the film. Surface plasmon resonance signals on the deposited films were measured to examine the binding behaviors toward proteins. The binding of Pep on the templated film was reversible, and the binding isotherm of Pep depicted a saturation curve with a binding constant of 7.3 x 105 M(-1), which was 10 times higher than that of albumin. In contrast, titanium oxide films prepared without PL did not show any selectivity; therefore, the hybridization of PL as the organic binder with the inorganic material is necessary to obtain selective binding sites for Pep. It was also shown that the hybridization process should proceed without denaturing the template protein, in order to obtain selective binding sites for the template. The procedure for preparation of the films was simple to perform, and the process for hybridization of the thin films with nanometer-order thickness was easily controlled by changing the LPD reaction time period. Consequently, the proposed LPD coupled with template synthesis is among the most appropriate methods to prepare hybrid materials with protein recognition ability, which proceeds under mild conditions in aqueous solution.     

Methoxy- and fluorine-substituted analogs of O-1302: synthesis and in vitro binding affinity for the CB1 cannabinoid receptor

Methoxy and fluorine analogs substituted on the terminal carbon of the pentyl chain of N-(piperidinyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-5-(4-pentylphenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (O-1302) were synthesized in a multi-step process from 5-phenyl-1-pentanol, which was based on the 1,5-diarylpyrazole core template of N-(piperidinyl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (SR141716) through condensation of the respective amine with pyrazole carboxylic acid, in order to develop tracers for medical imaging. Their potency for inhibiting the binding of the CB1 antagonist [(3)H]SR141716 was evaluated with the aim of developing positron emission tomography (PET) ligands for the cerebral cannabinoid CB1 receptor. These analogs bearing a piperidinyl carboxamide at the C(3) of the pyrazole ring exhibited affinities comparable to those of the CB1 reference antagonist SR141716, which warrants further investigation using the radiolabeled form for biological imaging studies. A morpholine ring substituted at the C(3) of the pyrazole ring resulted in a reduction of the CB1 affinity.     

An efficient novel synthesis of beta-(azuleno[1,2-b]benzothienyl)- and beta-(azuleno[2,1-b]benzothienyl)-alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones by the tropylium ion-mediated intramolecular furan ring-opening reaction and X-ray investigation of methyl ketone derivative

Intramolecular reaction of 2-tropylio-3-(5-substituted 2-furyl)benzothiophenes (3), prepared from the corresponding 2-cycloheptatrienyl-3-(5-substituted 2-furyl)benzothiophenes (2), afforded the beta-(azuleno[1,2-b]benzothienyl)-alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones (4), which are otherwise difficult to obtain, in moderate yields. The reaction involves a ring-opening process of the furan ring by intramolecular attack of the tropylium ion onto the 2-position of the furan ring. Similarly, beta-(azuleno[2,1-b]benzothienyl)-alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones (8) were obtained from the corresponding 3-tropylio-2-(5-substituted 2-furyl)benzothiophenes (7) albeit in lower yields. The molecular and crystal structures of the methyl ketone derivative, 8a, are discussed on the basis of X-ray structure analysis.     

Chlorodimethylaluminum-promoted nucleophilic addition of lithium pentamethylcyclopentadienide to aliphatic aldehydes and DDQ-mediated carbon-carbon bond cleavage of the adducts providing the parent aldehydes

Treatment of aliphatic aldehyde with lithium pentamethylcyclopentadienide in the presence of chlorodimethylaluminum provided the corresponding carbinol in excellent yield. The carbinol returns to the parent aldehyde and pentamethylcyclopentadiene by the action of a catalytic amount of 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ).     

Vinyl Polymerization. 269. Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Initiated by p,p'-Dimethoxydiphenyldiazomethane

Using p,p'-dimethoxydiphenyldiazomethane (DMDM) as initiator, the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in benzene or in bulk was carried out. The initial rate of polymerization, R_p, was found to be expressed by the following equation:

R_p = k[DMDM]^0.53 [MMA]^0.84

The polymerization was confirmed to proceed by a radical mechanism. The over-all activation energy for the polymerization in benzene was calculated as 19.3 kcal/mole. The rate of thermal decomposition of DMDM was also measured in benzene and the rate equation was obtained as follows:

k_d (sec^?1) = 1.0 × 10¹⁵ exp (^?29.1 kcal/RT) (for 50-80°C)

Explanations of these observations are discussed in connection with those of the preceding papers.     

Vinyl Polymerization. 386. Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Initiated by Imidazole in Aqueous Solution of Copper(II) Chloride

The radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out with the system of imidazole (Im), copper(n) chloride, and water at 85°C. The effects of the amount of each component on the conversion of MMA were investigated. The polymerization proceeded through a radical mechanism. The overall activation energy was estimated to be 28.7 kJ/mole. The conversion of MMA showed a maximum at pH 8-9 of the aqueous solution. The formation of a complex of CuCl₂ with Im, water, and MMA was confirmed by electronic spectra. An initiation mechanism was proposed.     

Asymmetric Induction Copolymerization of Optically Active N-(1-Menthyl Carboxylatomethyl) Citraconimide with Methyl Methacrylate

Copolymerization of an optically active N-(1-menthyl carboxylatomethyl)citraconimide (MCMCI) was carried out with methyl methacrylate (MMA) with azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator in benzene at 50°C. All the copolymers obtained were optically active. After the removal of the optically active menthyl group, the hydrolyzed poly(MCMCI-co-MMA)'s still showed optical activity. The asymmetric induction to the copolymer main chain and the mechanism are discussed based on the measurements of optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism of the original and hydrolyzed copolymers.