Cycloaddition Reactions and Dendritic Polymer Architectures – A Perfect Match

Summery: The potential of cycloaddition (CA) reactions for the synthesis of dendritic polymers is pointed out. The [4 + 2] Diels Alder cycloaddition as well as 1,3-dipolar CA reactions including “click chemistry” are addressed, and the advantages of these reactions like high selectivity, thus high tolerance towards additional functionalities, high yields and synthesis under mild reaction conditions are highlighted. New perfectly branched dendrimers as well as hyperbranched polymers have been prepared and modified using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of azines with alkynes. The 1,3-dipolar CA reaction of bisazine with maleimides results in hyperbranched and thus, irregular and broadly distributed polymers though with a degree of branching of 100% due to special intermediate formation. The [4 + 2] Diels Alder cycloaddition was successfully applied for the synthesis of highly branched polyphenylene structures using the AB₂ + AB and the A₂ + B₃ approach. CA reactions are also very suitable for highly efficient polymer analogous reactions and thus, they can also be used to prepare complex polymer architectures like dendronized polymers.     

Synthesis and structure of novel sugar-substituted bipyridine complexes of rhenium and 99m-technetium

Novel ligands have been obtained from the reaction of 4,4'-dibromomethyl-2,2'-bipyridine with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosylthiol, 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-galactopyranosylthiol or 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-thioacetylmannopyranoside in which the sugar residues are thioglycosidically linked to the bipyridine in the 4,4'-position. Cleavage of the acetyl groups affords hydrophilic symmetric ligands with free hydroxyl groups. Reaction of the new glycoconjugated ligands (L) with [Re(CO)(5)Cl] yields fluorescent complexes of general formula [Re(L)(CO)(3)Cl], which were characterised by mass spectrometry, elemental analysis and (1)H and (13)C NMR, IR, UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. These complexes exhibit excellent solubility and stability in organic solvents or water, depending on the residues of the sugar. One complex, namely tricarbonyl-4,4'-bis[(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glycopyranosyl)thiomethyl]-2,2'-bipyridinerheniumtricarbonylo chloride, has been characterised by X-ray crystallography. A non-symmetric structure of the complexes could be assigned. Radiolabelling of the unprotected ligands with [(99m)Tc(H(2)O)(3)(CO)(3)](+) affords the corresponding water-soluble technetium complexes (in quantitative yields), which were characterised by their HPLC radiation traces. The formed complexes are stable for several hours in the presence of histidine but show partial ligand-exchange after one day.     

The simplest coronoids: Hollow hexagons

Hollow hexagons form a subclass of primitive coronoid systems. The macrocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon kekulene corresponds to a hollow hexagon. The hollow hexagons for given numbers of hexagonal units (h) were enumerated by computer aid, but also an analytical solution for the numbers of hollow hexagons was achieved. For the Kekulé structure counts (k) of a hollow hexagon a general formula is reported. Also the maximum and minimumK numbers are considered.This article is Part VI of the series Enumeration and Classification of Coronoid Hydrocarbons. For Part V, see ref. [36].     

Kekulé structure counts for some classes of all-benzenoid and all-coronoid hydrocarbons

Summary A general formula for the Kekulé structure count (K) is deduced for the class of catacondensed all-benzenoids with unbranched backbones. The formula is extended to thin pericondensed all-benzenoids, where allowance is made for pyrene units. In this treatment the fragmentation matrices are employed. A generalization of these matrices is furnished. Next some generalK formulas for classes of catacondensed and thin pericondensed all-coronoids are deduced. Again the fragmentation matrices are employed, but the problem is also studied in terms of certain polynomials.Dedicated to the memory of Professor Oskar E. Polansky, who died in January 1989. He was the one who coined the term all-benzenoid.     

Evolution of synthetic routes towards homochiral Tapentadol

Analysis of the literature shows that the development of synthetic approaches to Tapentadol, an agonist of the μ-opioid receptor and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, has followed four, partially overlapping, phases. The most advanced approaches, based on stereoselective syntheses, appeared only after 2010. The majority of the chemistry examples presented in this review come from patent applications and as such have not been subjected to rigorous peer review, but may serve well as an inspiration to organic chemists for solving analogous synthetic problems.     

A Molecular Photosensitizer in a Porous Block Copolymer Matrix-Implications for the Design of Photocatalytically Active Membranes

Recently, porous photocatalytically active block copolymer membranes were introduced, based on heterogenized molecular catalysts. Here, we report the integration of the photosensitizer, i. e., the light absorbing unit in an intermolecular photocatalytic system into block copolymer membranes in a covalent manner. We study the resulting structure and evaluate the orientational mobility of the photosensitizer as integral part of the photocatalytic system in such membranes. To this end we utilize transient absorption anisotropy, highlighting the temporal reorientation of the transition dipole moment probed in a femtosecond pump-probe experiment. Our findings indicate that the photosensitizer is rigidly bound to the polymer membrane and shows a large heterogeneity of absolute anisotropy values as a function of location probed within the matrix. This reflects the sample inhomogeneity arising from different protonation states of the photosensitizer and different intermolecular interactions of the photosensitizers within the block copolymer membrane scaffold.     

Quantification of Volatile Aldehydes Deriving from In Vitro Lipid Peroxidation in the Breath of Ventilated Patients

Exhaled aliphatic aldehydes were proposed as non-invasive biomarkers to detect increased lipid peroxidation in various diseases. As a prelude to clinical application of the multicapillary column–ion mobility spectrometry for the evaluation of aldehyde exhalation, we, therefore: (1) identified the most abundant volatile aliphatic aldehydes originating from in vitro oxidation of various polyunsaturated fatty acids; (2) evaluated emittance of aldehydes from plastic parts of the breathing circuit; (3) conducted a pilot study for in vivo quantification of exhaled aldehydes in mechanically ventilated patients. Pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, and nonanal were quantifiable in the headspace of oxidizing polyunsaturated fatty acids, with pentanal and hexanal predominating. Plastic parts of the breathing circuit emitted hexanal, octanal, nonanal, and decanal, whereby nonanal and decanal were ubiquitous and pentanal or heptanal not being detected. Only pentanal was quantifiable in breath of mechanically ventilated surgical patients with a mean exhaled concentration of 13 ± 5 ppb. An explorative analysis suggested that pentanal exhalation is associated with mechanical power—a measure for the invasiveness of mechanical ventilation. In conclusion, exhaled pentanal is a promising non-invasive biomarker for lipid peroxidation inducing pathologies, and should be evaluated in future clinical studies, particularly for detection of lung injury.     

Triethylamine-Mediated Transformation of Phosphonates into Phosphonamidates

Organophosphorus compounds such as phosphonamidates are gaining attention across different fields of chemistry, with interesting applications as pharmaceuticals, or pesticides. However, practical application of phosphonamidates is complicated by their difficult syntheses which often involve expensive or unstraightforward reagents and harsh conditions. To remedy these issues, we present a flexible, room temperature synthesis for novel P-alkylphosphonamidates without the need for intermediary purification. Commonly available phosphonates are first chlorinated by use of oxalyl chloride and phosphonylaminium salts are used to mediate the harsh reactivity of phosphonochloridates, giving rise to the desired products. We demonstrate the compatibility of our protocol with primary and secondary amines, as well as with different phosphonate esters. The proposed pathway also enables the synthesis of primary phosphonamidates using ammonium acetate as a cheap and safe alternative for ammonia. In future research, this protocol will also enable the synthesis of bioactive targets that are incompatible with current protocols.     

Differentiating between Acidic and Basic Surface Hydroxyls on Metal Oxides by Fluoride Substitution: A Case Study on Blue TiO2 from Laser Defect Engineering

Both oxygen vacancies and surface hydroxyls play a crucial role in catalysis. Yet, their relationship is not often explored. Herein, we prepare two series of TiO₂ (rutile and P25) with increasing oxygen deficiency and Ti³⁺ concentration by pulsed laser defect engineering in liquid (PUDEL), and selectively quantify the acidic and basic surface OH by fluoride substitution. As indicated by EPR spectroscopy, the laser-generated Ti³⁺ exist near the surface of rutile, but appear to be deeper in the bulk for P25. Fluoride substitution shows that extra acidic bridging OH are selectively created on rutile, while the surface OH density remains constant for P25. These observations suggest near-surface Ti³⁺ are highly related to surface bridging OH, presumably the former increasing the electron density of the bridging oxygen to form more of the latter. We anticipate that fluoride substitution will enable better characterization of surface OH and its correlation with defects in metal oxides.