(+)- and (-)-2-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acids and their incorporation into highly rigid beta-peptides: stereoselective synthesis and a structural study

[Chemical reaction: See text] Several derivatives of (+)- and (-)-2-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid, 1, have been prepared through enantiodivergent synthetic sequences. The stereoselective synthesis of free amino acid (+)-1 has been achieved, and this product has been fully characterized for the first time. Stereocontrolled alternative synthetic methodologies have been developed for the preparation of bis(cyclobutane) beta-dipeptides in high yields. Among them, enantio and diastereomers have been synthesized. beta,beta- and beta,delta-Dimers resulting from the coupling of a cyclobutane residue and a linear amino acid have also been prepared. The ability of the cyclobutane ring as a structure-promoting unit both in the monomers and in the dimers has been manifested. The NMR structural study and DFT theoretical calculations evidence the formation of strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds giving rise to cis-fused [4.2.0]octane structural units that confer high rigidity on these molecules both in solution and in the gas phase. The contribution of a cis-trans conformational equilibrium derived from the rotation around the carbamate N-C(O) bond has also been observed, the trans form being the major conformer. In the solid state, this equilibrium does not exist, and moreover, intermolecular hydrogen bonds are present.     

Baeyer-Villiger oxidation with potassium peroxomonosulfate supported on acidic silica gel

[reaction: see text] Potassium peroxomonosulfate deposited onto silica SiO2 x KHSO5 efficiently reacts with ketones in dichloromethane at room temperature to give the corresponding esters or lactones in quantitative yields. This method avoids hydrolysis of the reaction products. The Baeyer-Villiger reaction is catalyzed by potassium hydrogensulfate present in the supported reagent.     

Using second-order calibration to identify and quantify aromatic sulfonates in water by high-performance liquid chromatography in the presence of coeluting interferences

We used the Generalized Rank Annihilation Method (GRAM), a second-order calibration method, to quantify aromatic sulfonates in water with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) when interferences coeluted with the analytes of interest. With GRAM, we can quantify in only two chromatographic analyses, one for a calibration sample and one for the unknown sample. The calculated concentrations were not statistically different to those obtained when the chromatographic separation of the unknown sample was modified in order to completely separate the analyte from the interferences before univariate calibration. With GRAM, the concentrations are determined much more quickly because a complete resolution is not required.     

A new insight on the structural changes of linear quadrupole liquids

Molecular-dynamics simulations for linear quadrupole liquids are presented. The study is carried out for two different molecular lengths at constant density and a number of temperatures and quadrupole moments. All the simulated thermodynamic states correspond to the condensed phases and some of them show typical features of a solid structure. Furthermore, a change on the preferred intermolecular orientation in the liquid phase is observed from a shifted parallel molecular arrangement to a perpendicular orientation as the quadrupole raises. This change depends on the quadrupole moment as well as on the molecular length and is put in relation with the solid structure of different "diatomic" molecules such as nitrogen, ethane, and acetylene. The appearance of a plastic solid phase at low quadrupole moment and density is also justified. A thoroughly discussion about the availability of classical perturbation theories for this kind of systems is presented.     

Extraction and exchange behavior of metal species in therapeutically applied peat

The binding and availability of metals (Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in therapeutically applied peat (Grosses Gifhorner Moor, Sassenburg/North Germany) was characterized by means of a versatile extraction approach. Aqueous extracts of peat were obtained by a standardized batch equilibrium procedure using high-purity water (pH 4.5 and 5.0), 0.01 mol l(-1) calcium chloride solution, 0.01 mol l(-1) ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 0.01 mol l(-1) diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) solution as metal extractants. In addition, the availability of peat-bound metal species was kinetically studied by collecting aliquots of extracts after different periods of extraction time (5, 10, 15, 30, 60 and 120 min). Metal determinations were performed by atomic spectrometry methods (AAS, ICP-OES) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) was characterized by UV/Vis measurements at 254 and 436 nm, respectively. Of the extractants studied Ca, Mg and Mn were the most available metals, in contrast to peat-bound Fe and Al. The relative standard deviation s(r) of the developed extraction procedures was mostly in the range of 4 to 20%, depending on the metal and its concentration in peat. A pH increase favored the extraction of metals and DOM from peat revealing complex extraction kinetics. Moreover, a competitive exchange between peat-bound metal species and added Cu(II) ions showed that >100 mg of Cu(II) per 50 g wet peat was necessary to exchange the maximum of bound metals (e.g. 21.8% of Al, 3.9% of Fe, 79.0% of Mn, 81.9% of Sr, related to their total content).     

Study on resolution capacity and secondary mechanisms of three different TSK gels for organic SEC

A comparative study on the elution behavior in size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) of three polymeric TSK gel packings, named H, H(HR), and H(XL) types, is performed. The deviations of the universal calibration (u.c.) curves of seven solvent-polymer systems show evidence that the existence of secondary effects accompanying the main SEC mechanism. These secondary mechanisms are a consequence of the binary enthalpic interactions between the different components of the chromatographic system, such as polymer-solvent, polymer-gel and solvent-gel. However, in the present case, the observed deviations from a unique u.c. curve can mainly be attributed to adsorption of polymeric solutes (analytes) onto the residual moieties of the gel surfaces, (i.e., to polymer-gel interactions). These enthalpic interactions can be quantitated by the values of the distribution coefficient, Kp, which follows the order: Kp (gel H(XL)) > Kp (gel H(HR)) > Kp (gel H). Moreover, the specific resolution of the three types of packings is also estimated, and its comparison yields that Rsp (gel H(HR)) > Rsp (gel H(XL)) > Rsp (gel H), in good agreement with their increasing particle size and decreasing crosslinking degrees. Finally, the errors and inaccuracies committed on the estimation of the sample average molar masses from their respective calibration curves serves the assessment that the packing with lesser secondary mechanisms is the H-type.     

On Transition Structures for Hydride Transfer Step in Enzyme Catalysis. A Comparative Study on Models of Glutathione Reductase Derived from Semiempirical, HF, and DFT Methods

As a model of the chemical reactions that take place in the active site of gluthatione reductase, the nature of the molecular mechanism for the hydride transfer step has been characterized by means of accurate quantum chemical characterizations of transition structures. The calculations have been carried out with analytical gradients at AM1 and PM3 semiempirical procedures, ab initio at HF level with 3-21G, 4-31G, 6-31G, and 6-31G basis sets and BP86 and BLYP as density functional methods. The results of this study suggest that the endo relative orientation on the substrate imposed by the active site is optimal in polarizing the C4-Ht bond and situating the system in the neighborhood of the quadratic region of the transition structure associated to the hydride transfer step on potential energy surface. The endo arrangement of the transition structure results in optimal frontier HOMO orbital interaction between NADH and FAD partners. The geometries of the transition structures and the corresponding transition vectors, that contain the fundamental information relating reactive fluctuation patterns, are model independent and weakly dependent on the level of theory used to determine them. A comparison between simple and complex molecular models shows that there is a minimal set of coordinates describing the essentials of hydride transfer step. The analysis of transition vector components suggests that the primary and secondary kinetic isotope effects can be strongly coupled, and this prompted the calculation of deuterium and tritium primary, secondary, and primary and secondary kinetic isotope effects. The results obtained agree well with experimental data and demonstrate this coupling.     

H-bonds of imidazole crystals. II. Determination of the magnitudes of the various anharmonic couplings of vs modes

In this article results given in a previous paper (part I), concerning the spectra of NH and ND species recorded with a polarization parallel to the c axis are analyzed, the necessary corrections on the raw data performed, v_s bands and their first moments are then compared with corresponding quantities predicted from a simple theory which describes quantitatively the anharmonic interactions of a single H-bond with a low frequency vibration of the same H-bond and with binary combinations of modes (Fermi resonances). This allows us to determine the magnitudes of the various anharmonic interactions involved. It appears that the low frequency vibration which modulates v_s is a bending mode of the H-bond (NH ↑ … N), a finding somewhat unexpected, as this low frequency vibration is usually thought to be the stretching vibration v_σ of the H-bond

     

The Dienone–Phenol Rearrangement of Santonin: A Comprehensive Laboratory Experiment for Advanced Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Students

A comprehensive laboratory experiment suitable for advanced undergraduate organic chemistry students has been designed. The experiment is based on the dienone-phenol rearrangement reaction of the sesquiterpene santonin to give -desmotroposantonin acetate. It challenges students to solve an earlier controversial stereochemical problem. The students carry out the reaction and analyze spectroscopic data to determine the stereochemistry of the starting material and the product. In addition, they perform simple molecular modeling calculations, which enable them to rationalize the stereochemical outcome of the transformation and discuss the mechanism of the dienone-phenol rearrangement and related rearrangements reported in the literature.     

Proton uptake of rhodobacter capsulatus reaction center mutants modified in the primary quinone environment

Flash-induced absorbance spectroscopy was used to analyze the proton uptake and electron transfer properties of photosynthetic reaction centers (RC) of Rhodobacter capsulatus that have been genetically modified near the primary quinone electron acceptor (Q(A)). M246Ala and M247Ala, which are symmetry-related to the positions of two acidic groups, L212Glu and L213Asp, in the secondary quinone electron acceptor (QB) protein environment, have been mutated to Glu and Asp, respectively. The pH dependence of the stoichiometry of proton uptake upon formation of the P+Q(A)- (H+/P+Q(A)-) and PQ(A) (H+/Q(A)-) (P is the primary electron donor, a noncovalently linked bacteriochlorophyll dimer) states have been measured in the M246Ala --> Glu and the M247Ala --> Asp mutant RC, in the M246Ala-M247Ala --> Glu-Asp double mutant and in the wild type (WT). Our results show that the introduction of an acidic group (Glu or Asp) in the QA protein region induces notable additional proton uptake over a large pH region (approximately 6-9), which reflects a delocalized response of the protein to the formation of Q(A)-. This may indicate the existence of a widely spread proton reservoir in the cytoplasmic region of the protein. Interestingly, the pH titration curves of the proton release caused by the formation of P+ (H+/P+: difference between H+/P+Q(A)- and H+/PQ(A)- curves) are nearly superimposable in the WT and the M246Ala --> Glu mutant RC, but substantial additional proton release is detected between pH 7 and 9 in the M247Ala --> Asp mutant RC. This effect can be accounted for by an increased proton release by the P+ environment in the M247Ala --> Asp mutant. The M247Ala --> Asp mutation reveals the existence of an energetic and conformational coupling between donor and acceptor sides of the RC at a distance of nearly 30A.