Solid-state structures of cis- and trans-1-cyclohexyl-2-phenyl-3-(p-toluyl)aziridines

Solid-state structures have been determined for cis- and trans-1-cyclohexyl-2-phenyl-3-(p-toluyl)aziridines using single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The cis isomer crystallizes in the centrosymmetric monoclinic space group P2₁/c (No. 14), with a = 18.669(3)Å, b = 5.709(1)Å, c = 17.412(2)Å, β = 96.29(1)° and Z = 4; the trans isomer crystallizes in the noncentrosymmetric orthorhombic space group Pna2₁ (No. 33), with a = 17.089(2)Å, b = 18.729(3)Å, c = 5.749(1)Å and Z = 4. Full-matrix least-squares refinement of the structural parameters led to the following final agreement factors: R₁ (unweighted, based on F) = 0.040 and R₂ (weighted, based on F) = 0.054 for the 2592 independent reflections of the cis isomer having 2θ_MoK¯α <55° and I>3σ₁, and R₁ = 0.033 and R₂ = 0.031 for the 1504 independent reflections of the trans isomer having 2θ_MoK¯α <55° and I>3σ₁. The statistically significant differences that exist between the two isomers for two bond lengths and ten bond angles (p < 0.05) appear to be the direct result of the p-toluyl group orientation with respect to the cyclohexyl and phenyl substituents. In the cis isomer it is anti with respect to the N-cyclohexyl group and cis with respect to the phenyl group, whereas in the trans isomer it is syn with respect to the N-cyclohexyl and trans with respect to the phenyl group. Three-ring to carbonyl hyperconjugation is correlated with stereoelectronic interactions in the trans isomer. Bonding, determined by X-ray and nmr studies, is discussed for the three-membered aziridine ring proper; while bonding, determined by X-ray studies, is discussed for substituents of the aziridine ring. These aziridinyl ketone compounds are of importance as potential mammalian DNA alkylating anti-tumor agents in solid-state solid-state systems. To date only a trans isomer has demonstrated this biological activity in tumor-bearing rats.     

Probing the contribution of electronic coupling to the directionality of electron transfer in photosynthetic reaction centers

Subpicosecond transient absorption studies are reported for a set of Rhodobacter (R.) capsulatus bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) designed to probe the origins of the unidirectionality of charge separation via one of two electron transport chains in the native pigment-protein complex. All of the RCs have been engineered to contain a heterodimeric primary electron donor (D) consisting of a bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) and a bacteriopheophytin (BPh). The BPh component of the M heterodimer (Mhd) or L heterodimer (Lhd) is introduced by substituting a Leu for His M200 or His L173, respectively. Previous work on primary charge separation in heterodimer mutants has not included the Lhd RC from R. capsulatus, which we report for the first time. The Lhd and Mhd RCs are used as controls against which we assess RCs that combine the heterodimer mutations with a second mutation (His substituted for Leu at M212) that results in replacement of the native L-side BPh acceptor with a BChl (beta). The transient absorption spectra reveal clear evidence for charge separation to the normally inactive M-side BPh acceptor (H(M)) in Lhd-beta RCs to form D+H(M)- with a yield of approximately 6%. This state also forms in Mhd-beta RCs but with about one-quarter the yield. In both RCs, deactivation to the ground state is the predominant pathway of D decay, as it is in the Mhd and Lhd single mutants. Analysis of the results indicates an upper limit ofV2L/V2m < or = 4 for the contribution of the electronic coupling elements to the relative rates of electron transfer to the L versus M sides of the wild-type RC. In comparison to the L/M rate ratio (kL/kM) approximately 30 for wild-type RCs, our findings indicate that electronic factors contribute approximately 35% at most to directionality with the other 65% deriving from energetic considerations, which includes differences in free energies, reorganization energies, and contributions of one- and two-step mechanisms on the two sides of the RC.     

QSAR models using a large diverse set of estrogens

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) have a variety of adverse effects in humans and animals. About 58,000 chemicals, most having little safety data, must be tested in a group of tiered assays. As assays will take years, it is important to develop rapid methods to help in priority setting. For application to large data sets, we have developed an integrated system that contains sequential four phases to predict the ability of chemicals to bind to the estrogen receptor (ER), a prevalent mechanism for estrogenic EDs. Here we report the results of evaluating two types of QSAR models for inclusion in phase III to quantitatively predict chemical binding to the ER. Our data set for the relative binding affinities (RBAs) to the ER consists of 130 chemicals covering a wide range of structural diversity and a 6 orders of magnitude spread of RBAs. CoMFA and HQSAR models were constructed and compared for performance. The CoMFA model had a r2 = 0.91 and a q2LOO = 0.66. HQSAR showed reduced performance compared to CoMFA with r2 = 0.76 and q2LOO = 0.59. A number of parameters were examined to improve the CoMFA model. Of these, a phenol indicator increased the q2LOO to 0.71. When up to 50% of the chemicals were left out in the leave-N-out cross-validation, the q2 remained significant. Finally, the models were tested by using two test sets; the q2pred for these were 0.71 and 0.62, a significant result which demonstrates the utility of the CoMFA model for predicting the RBAs of chemicals not included in the training set. If used in conjunction with phases I and II, which reduced the size of the data set dramatically by eliminating most inactive chemicals, the current CoMFA model (phase III) can be used to predict the RBA of chemicals with sufficient accuracy and to provide quantitative information for priority setting.     

Bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10-based cryptands, powerful hosts for paraquat derivatives

Four new bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10-based cryptands with different third bridges were prepared. Their complexes with paraquat derivatives were studied by proton NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray analysis. It was found that these cryptands bind paraquat derivatives very strongly. Specifically, a diester cryptand with a pyridyl nitrogen atom located at a site occupied by either water or a PF(6) anion in analogous complexes exhibited the highest association constant K(a) = 5.0 x 10(6) M(-1) in acetone with paraquat, 9000 times greater than the crown ether system. X-ray structures of this and analogous complexes demonstrate that improved complexation with this host is a consequence of preorganization, adequate ring size for occupation by the guest, and the proper location of the pyridyl N-atom for binding to the beta-pyridinium hydrogens of the paraquat guests. This readily accessible cryptand is one of the most powerful hosts reported for paraquats.     

Frequency-Dependent Streaming Potentials

An experimental apparatus and data acquisition system was constructed to measure the streaming potential coupling coefficients as a function of frequency. The purpose of the experiments was to measure, for the first time, the real and imaginary portion of streaming potentials. In addition, the measured frequency range was extended beyond any previous measurements. Frequency-dependent streaming potential experiments were conducted on one glass capillary and two porous glass filters. The sample pore diameters ranged from 1 mm to 34 μm. Two frequency-dependent models (Packard and Pride) were compared to the data. Both Pride's and Packard's models have a good fit to the experimental data in the low- and intermediate-frequency regime. In the high-frequency regime, the data fit the theory after being corrected for capacitance effects of the experimental setup. Pride's generalized model appears to have the ability to more accurately estimate pore sizes in the porous medium samples. Packard's model has one unknown model parameter while Pride's model has four unknown model parameters, two of which can be independently determined experimentally. Pride's additional parameters may allow for a determination of permeability. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Organic sonochemistry. Ultrasound-promoted coupling of organic halides in the presence of lithium wire

Alkyl, aromatic, benzylic and benzoyl halides have been successfully coupled in good yields using lithium wire suspended in tetrahydrofuran and ultrasound.     

Synthesis with migrating phenylthio groups: connective routes to 2-phenylthioallyl alcohols and 2-phenylthio enones

The title compounds may be made from bis(phenylthio) acetals and aldehydes by routes involving PhS migration.     

All torsion-free spherical vacuum solutions of the quadratic Poincaré gauge theory of gravity

We find all torsion-free, spherically symmetric, vacuum solutions to the theory of gravity recently proposed by Hehl, Ne'eman, Nitsch, and von der Heyde. There are three classes of solutions: (A) the Schwarzschild metrics with arbitrary mass,M, and arbitrary cosmological constant, ; (B) the Nariai-Bertotti metrics with arbitrary positive cosmological constant, ; and (C) the conformally flat metrics whose conformai factor is ²/ ² where is a function of only the time coordinate , and the radial coordinate, and satisfies the wave equation in these variables. Hence there is no Birkhoff theorem for this theory. In fact, solutions (C) include some asymptotically flat but nonstationary solutions. On the other hand, solutions (A) include a gravitational confinement potential, as was sought by Hehl et al., since when <0, the weak field limit of the Schwarzschild metric becomes a harmonic oscillator potential. We also discuss the relationship of this theory to the Eddington theory, the Lichnerowicz-Kilmister-Newman-Yang theory, the Nordström theory and the Einstein theory with a cosmological constant.     

The photolysis of platinacycloalkanes in solution

The photolysis of [I₂$\text{PtCH}{}_2\text{CH}{}_2\text{CH}{}_2\text{C}$H₂ (PMe₂ Ph)₂] gives ethylene and but-1-ene as volatile products, the latter probably being formed via a five-coordinate platinum intermediate. However, the formation of propene from the photolysis of [Cl₂$\text{PtCH}{}_2\text{CH}{}_2\text{C}$H₂ (1,10-phenanthroline) appears to involve a direct transfer of a hydrogen atom between neighbouring CH₂ groups in the ring. Other gaseous products, e.g. cyclopropane, ethylene, may be formed via a platinum ion radical.     

Mössbauer study of the three-coordinate planar Fe(II) thiolate complex [Fe(SR)(3)](-) (R = C(6)H(2)-2,4,6-tBu(3)): model for the trigonal iron sites of the MoFe(7)S(9):homocitrate cofactor of nitrogenase

The cofactor (M-center) of the MoFe protein of nitrogenase, a MoFe(7)S(9):homocitrate cluster, contains six Fe sites with a (distorted) trigonal sulfido coordination. These sites exhibit unusually small quadrupole splittings, Delta E(Q) approximately 0.7 mm/s, and isomer shifts, delta approximately 0.41 mm/s. M?ssbauer and ENDOR studies have provided the magnetic hyperfine tensors of all iron sites in the S = 3/2 state M(N). To assess the intrinsic zero-field splittings and hyperfine parameters of the cofactor sites, we have studied with M?ssbauer spectroscopy two salts of the three-coordinated Fe(II) thiolate complex [Fe(SR)(3)](-) (R = C(6)H(2)-2,4,6-tBu(3)). One of the salts, [Ph(4)P][Fe(SR)(3)] x 2MeCN x C(7)H(8), 1, has a planar geometry with idealized C(3h) symmetry. This S = 2 complex has an axial zero-field splitting with D = +10.2 cm(-1). The magnetic hyperfine tensor components A(x) = A(y) = -7.5 MHz and A(z) = -29.5 MHz reflect an orbital ground state with d(z(2)) symmetry. A(iso) = (A(x) +A(y) +A(z))/3 = -14.9 MHz, which includes the contact interaction (kappa P = -21.9 MHz) and an orbital contribution (+7 MHz), which is substantially smaller than A(iso) approximately -22 MHz of the tetrahedral Fe(II)(S-R)(4) sites of both rubredoxin and [PPh(4)](2)[Fe(II)(SPh)(4)]. The largest component of the electric field gradient (EFG) tensor is negative, as expected for a d(z(2)) orbital. However, Delta E(Q) = -0.83 mm/s, which is smaller than expected for a high-spin ferrous site. This reduction can be attributed to a ligand contribution, which in planar complexes provides a large positive EFG component perpendicular to the ligand plane. The isomer shift of 1, delta = 0.56 mm/s, approaches the delta-values reported for the six trigonal cofactor sites. The parameters of 1 and their importance for the cofactor cluster of nitrogenase are discussed.