Reactivity of 4-tert-butyldimethylsiloxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridines with hydrazines

The reactivity of 6-(nitrophenyl or trimethoxyphenyl)-4-tert-butyldimethyl- siloxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine derivatives with hydrazines under acid conditions is described. The structure of the products isolated - hydrazones, pyrazolines or pyridazinones - depended on the conditions used. In addition, a systematic study of the reaction outcomes was carried out by introducing variations on the substituents of the tetrahydropyridine ring.     

Effect of organic cosolvents on the free solution mobility of curved and normal DNA molecules

The free solution mobilities of curved and normal 199-bp DNA fragments have been measured in buffer solutions containing various quantities of the organic cosolvents methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (MPD), ethylene glycol, and ACN, using CE. The curved fragment, taken from the VP1 gene of SV40, contains five unevenly spaced A- and T-tracts in a centrally located "curvature module"; the A- and T-tracts have been mutated to other sequences in the normal 199-bp fragment. The free solution mobility of the curved 199-bp fragment is significantly lower than that of its normal counterpart in aqueous solutions [Stellwagen, E., Lu, Y. J., Stellwagen, N. C., Nucleic Acids Res. 2005, 33, 4425-4432]. The mobilities of both the curved and normal fragments decrease with increasing cosolvent concentration, due to the effect of the cosolvent on the viscosity and dielectric constant of the solution. The mobility differences between the curved and normal 199-bp fragments and the mobility ratios decrease approximately linearly with the increasing mole fraction of cosolvent in the solution. Hence, MPD and other organic cosolvents affect DNA electrophoretic mobility by a common mechanism, most likely the preferential hydration of the DNA surface that occurs in aqueous cosolvents. The gradual loss of the anomalously slow mobility of the curved 199-bp fragment with increasing cosolvent concentration, combined with other data in the literature, suggests that preferential hydration gradually widens the narrow A-tract minor groove, releasing site-bound counterions in the minor groove and shifting the conformation toward that of normal DNA.     

When is water not water? Exploring water confined in large reverse micelles using a highly charged inorganic molecular probe

The interior water pool of aerosol OT (AOT) reverse micelles tends toward bulk water properties as the micelle size increases. Thus, deviations from bulk water behavior in large reverse micelles are less expected than in small reverse micelles. Probing the interior water pool of AOT reverse micelles with a highly charged decavanadate (V(10)) oligomer using (51)V NMR spectroscopy shows distinct changes in solute environment. For example, when an acidic stock solution of protonated V(10) is placed in a reverse micelle, the (51)V chemical shifts show that the V(10) is deprotonated consistent with a decreased proton concentration in the intramicellar water pool. Results indicate that a proton gradient exists inside the reverse micelles, leaving the interior neutral while the interfacial region is acidic.     

Proton antenna effect of the gamma-cyclodextrin outer surface, measured by excited state proton transfer

The reversible proton dissociation and geminate recombination of the common photoacid, 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (pyranine), either in dilute aqueous solution or when forming a complex with gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CD), has been studied by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and supplemented by molecular modeling and dynamics simulations. We find that the dissociation rate of the proton from the excited molecule was decreased to about approximately 50% of its value in water, while the rate of recombination was doubled. These observations were evaluated by molecular modeling of the reactants at atomic resolution. The combination of the two methodologies indicates that the pyranine in the complex can assume more than one level of interaction with the solvent. The polysugar torus surrounding the pyranine perturbs the hydrogen bond in the dye's immediate vicinity and deforms the electrostatic potential inside the Coulomb cage, causing major deviations from a simple spheric symmetry. These observations can account for the special kinetic features measured for the complex. We suggest that this system can be used as a basic model for evaluating the mechanism of proton transfer in non-homogeneous systems, such as the surface of proteins or biomembranes.     

Divergent synthetic strategy leading to structurally diverse pyrrolidines and piperidines from common gamma-aminoalkyl butenolide and aldehyde precursors

Condensation between aldehydes and the secondary amino function of 5-(aminoalkyl)furan-2(5H)-ones, obtained by the silyloxyfuran dienolate addition to imine-type derivatives, produces either aminoalkylbenzotriazoles or 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridines. The former can be reduced with SmI2 to generate alpha-aminoalkyl radicals that are trapped by the alpha,beta-unsaturated lactone moiety yielding substituted pyrrolidines diastereoselectively, while catalytic hydrogenation of the latter affords isomeric piperidine analogues. Alternatively, SmI2-promoted reduction of tetrahydropyridines in the presence of acid also leads to intermediate alpha-aminoalkyl radicals that participate in inter- or intramolecular olefin addition reactions. Further manipulation of the lactone functionality in various ways gives access to a number of interesting derivatives based upon either a pyrrolidine or a piperidine structural motif. As a result, a high degree of structural diversity is obtained in a few steps starting from a common set of simple materials.     

Determination of mercury in carbon black by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry

Recently, a new color additive, D&C Black No. 2, a high-purity furnace black in the general category of carbon blacks, was listed as a color subject to batch certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A simple procedure was developed to determine mercury (Hg) in D&C Black No. 2, which is limited by specification to not more than 1 ppm Hg. The method uses partial acid digestion followed by cold vapor atomic absorption and was developed by modifying a method used for other color additives. The carbon black samples are treated with a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids and heated by microwave in sealed Teflon vessels. The resulting solutions, which are stable to Hg loss for at least 1 week, are diluted and analyzed for Hg using cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. Validation was performed by spiking carbon black samples with inorganic Hg (HgNO3) at levels from 0.1 to 1.5 microg/g, and by analyzing 2 standard reference materials. At the specification level of 1 ppm Hg (1 microg Hg/g), the 95% confidence interval was +/-0.01 ppm Hg (0.01 microg Hg/g). The method developed in this study gave good results for very difficult-to-analyze materials, such as coal standard reference materials and carbon black. By eliminating volatility and adsorption factors through the formation of HgCl4(-2) complexes, one can avoid using extremely hazardous acids such as HF and HClO4.     

1-silyl-2,6-diketones: versatile intermediates for the divergent synthesis of five- and six-membered carbocycles under radical and anionic conditions

1-Silyl-2,6-diketones, readily prepared by addition of (silylmethyl)metal reagents to 1,5-lactols followed by oxidation of the resultant diols, can be efficiently transformed into 3-hydroxycyclohexanones, cyclohex-2-enones, or 1-(silylmethyl)cyclopentane-1,2-diols under nucleophilic, basic, or single electron-transfer reduction conditions, respectively. The latter cyclitols can be further transformed into 2-methylenecyclopentanols or 1-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopentane-1,2-diols by Peterson elimination or Tamao-Fleming oxidation, respectively.     

Application of field portable EDXRF spectrometry to analysis of pigments of Levantine rock art

The results of the analyses of elemental composition of red and black pigments of Levantine rock art from La Saltadora rock shelters (Valltorta gorge, Castellón, Spain) are presented in this paper. Nondestructive analyses were carried out using a portable energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometer developed for in situ analysis. The results revealed the strong presence of calcium in all the analyzed locations due to the contribution of the underlying calcareous bedrock and the overlying crust. Iron is the main element detected in red pigments and manganese in black pigments. Iron and calcium ratios have been found indicative of the degree of preservation of the pictorial layer. Trace elements detected in the pigment composition confirm the use of different raw materials. Therefore, this work illustrates the potential of the portable EDXRF spectrometers for in situ analysis of rock art paintings. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The preparation and some reactions of 1,3,2-thiazaphospholidine-2-ones

1,3,2-Thiazaphospholidine-2-ones have been prepared by rearrangement of the corresponding 1,3,2-oxazaphospholidine-2-thiones. The stereochemical course of ring opening reactions has been investigated.