Total synthesis of cis-solamin

[structure: see text] A convergent total synthesis of cis-solamin and its diastereomer was accomplished using VO(acac)2-catalyzed diastereoselective epoxidation followed by cyclization of bis-homoallylic alcohol as the key step. By comparison of the optical rotation of two possible diastereomers, it is suggested that the absolute configuration of natural cis-solamin is 1a.     

Selectivities in 1,2,3-triazolide displacements of halides and additions to alkynes

4,5-Dicarbomethoxy-1,2,3-triazolide or 4-phenyl-1,2,3-triazolide displace chloride from ethyl chloroacetate or β-chloropropionate to give both 1-N and 2-N alkylated products. Our highest 2-N to 1-N selectivity was ca 5/1 and was found with the base triethylamine in DMF. The same triazolides and others add to alkynes, e.g. ethyl propiolate, methyl acetylenedicarboxylate, phenylpropiolaldehyde, ethyl phenylpropiolate, etc, to give Michael adducts at the 2-N position exclusively. Here the usual preference holds, i.e., the anti adduct is favored, but anti to syn isomerization usually sets in. On the basis of the available data for nucleophilic substitutions and additions, a limited directioselectivity pattern emerges for H-1,2,3-triazoles (T) and their anions (T^?): neutral T almost invariably leads with 1-N; T^t-- usually adds to unsaturates at 2-N; unsubstituted, 4-substituted and 4,5-disubstituted T^? attack organic halides at both 1-N and 2-N. Compared to phenyl, 2-triazolyl exerts a greater deshielding effect on proton chemical shifts; these and other patterns in the PMR spectra of the Michael adducts are discussed. CNDO calculations indicate that the 1-H is more stable than the 2-H-1,2,3-triazole and that in both neutral triazole and in triazolide, the 1-nitrogen position should lead nucleophilic attacks-this directioselectivity prediction is only partly (and probably fortuitously) correct.     

Studies on the biaxial stretching of polypropylene film. III. Electron microscopic observation of the one-step biaxial stretching of isotactic polypropylene spherulites

Polypropylene films of various isotacticities and crystallinities were stretched biaxially in one step in air at 140–152°C or polyaxially in poly(ethylene glycol) at 130–160°C, and the morphological changes were studied by electron microscopy (replica). In the initial stage of stretching, with v_A = 1.4, the spherulites of one of the films used for the experiment were broken both from the centers and boundaries, and those of another film were broken mainly from the center. This difference in the deformation behavior seems to be characteristic of the film properties and independent of the method of stretching, although the factors involved are still unknown. On further stretching (v_A = 22), well annealed spherulites were broken into many small blocklike fragments with unfolded fibrils running among them, particularly at the low stretching temperature (140°C), and fibrillation proceeded at the expense of the residual fragments. In the case of quenched or slightly crystallized material, the fragments were dendritic and divided into finer and finer fibrils on stretching. At elevated temperature, however, even for well annealed spherulites, the deformation behavior resembles that of the quenched material, and at a high degree of stretching the spherulites take on the fibrillar net structure in every case. In films containing a high amount of atactic fraction, radial, tangential, and boundary cracking occurred more easily, and broad fibrils were observed across the cracks.     

Theoretical study of benzonitrile clusters in the gas phase and their adsorption onto a Au(111) surface

We made theoretical calculations for a benzonitrile molecule and its clusters in the gas phase and as adsorbed on the Au(111) surface, to explain the observation by scanning tunneling microscope, that is, the trimer formation of cyanophenyl porphyrins adsorbed onto the Au(111) surface. With regard to the gas-phase species, ab initio calculations showed that (1) the benzonitrile dimer has a single stable structure that is planar and antiparallel; (2) the trimer has two isoenergetic stable structures, that is, a planar and cyclic structure and an antiparallel and nonplanar one; (3) the clusters are more stable, at low temperatures, than the monomer. For the adsorbed species, we made quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations in which the interaction between the adsorbates and the surface is evaluated in a molecular-mechanical way by using analytical potential functions and an image charge model. Because the stable structures were found to be similar to those in the gas phase, the cluster formation of adsorbed cyanophenyl porphyrins was attributed to the interaction between cyanophenyl groups, which is barely affected by adsorbate-surface interaction. It was also found that the adsorbed cyclic benzonitrile trimer is more stable than the monomer and the dimer because the relative stability is dependent on enthalpy alone. We therefore concluded that the preferential formation of trimers by the adsorbed cyanophenyl porphyrins is due to the negligible contribution of entropy to the relative stability of the adsorbed species and that the adsorption hardly changes the situation found in the gas phase.     

Blue myoglobin reconstituted with an iron porphycene shows extremely high oxygen affinity

Myoglobin will be a good scaffold for engineering a function into proteins. To modulate the physiological function of myoglobin, almost all approaches have been demonstrated by site-directed mutagenesis, however, there are few studies which show a significant improvement in the function. In contrast, we focused on the replacement of heme in the protein with an artificial prosthetic group. Recently, we prepared a novel myoglobin reconstituted with an iron porphycene as a structural isomer of mesoheme. The bluish colored reconstituted myoglobin is relatively stable and the deoxymyoglobin reversibly binds ligands. Interestingly, the O2 affinity of the reconstituted myoglobin, 1.1 x 109 M-1, is a significant 1,400-fold higher than that of the native myoglobin. Furthermore, the unfavorable autoxidation kinetics show 7-fold decrease in rate for the reconstituted myoglobin relative to the native myoglobin, indicating the stable oxy-form against autoxidation. The net results come from the slow dissociation of the O2 ligand in the reconstituted myoglobin, koff = 0.11 s-1, because of the formation of strong hydrogen bond between His64 and negatively charged dioxygen. The present study indicates that the replacement of native heme with an artificially created prosthetic group will give us a unique function into a hemoprotein.     

Temperature and Oxygen Partial Pressure Dependences of the Surface Tension of Liquid Sn–Ag and Sn–Cu Lead-free Solder Alloys

Temperature dependence of the surface tension of liquid Sn–Ag and Sn–Cu base lead-free solder alloys and oxygen partial pressure dependence of liquid Sn–Ag alloy were evaluated using the experimental data obtained, respectively, by the constrained drop method and the sessile drop method in the previous studies [1, 2]. The temperature dependences of the surface tension have maximum positive values when the mol fraction of Ag and Cu is about 0.7, while those for pure liquid Sn, Ag, and Cu have negative values. The calculated values based on Butler’s equations were found to be in reasonable agreement with those of the experimental data. The oxygen partial pressure dependences of the surface tension of liquid Sn–Ag alloys at 1253 K have a minimum value when the mol fraction of Ag is about 0.9 and the oxygen partial pressure is less than about 10⁻¹³ atm. From this, it is considered that the oxygen adsorption increased by adding Ag to Sn when the mol fraction of Ag is less than 0.9.     

Self-crosslinkable polymers. I. Copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate with 2-vinylpyridine and 2-vinyl-5-ethylpyridine

A soluble and self-crosslinkable linear copolymer with pendant epoxy and pyridyl groups was obtained from glycidyl methacrylate (M₁) and 2-vinylpyridine (M₂) or 2-vinyl-5-ethylpyridine (M₂) by the action of azobisisobutyronitrile. The monomer reactivity ratios were determined in tetrahydrofuran at 60°C: r₁ = 0.510, r₂ = 0.620 with 2-vinylpyridine and r₁ = 0.57, r₂ = 0.62 with 2-vinyl-5-ethylpyridine. These were consistent with the calculated values with the reported Q and e values for these monomers. The intrinsic viscosities of the copolymers with 2-vinylpyridine and with 2-vinyl-5-ethylpyridine were found to be 0.17–0.19 and 0.26–0.38, respectively, in tetrahydrofuran at 30°C; they were independent of the copolymer composition. The copolymers were amorphous, had no clear melting points, and became insoluble crosslinked polymers under heating without further addition of any curing agents.     

Chelate-forming resins prepared by modification of anion-exchange resins

The properties of some chelate-forming resins prepared from common anion-exchange resins by treatment with reagents bearing chelate-forming and ion-exchange groups have been studied. A resin prepared from the sulphonic acid derivative of dithizone (DzS) was found to be superior to other chelate-forming resins. Resins loaded with DzS, tetraphenylporphinetrisulphonic acid or zincon were stable in 1M sodium chloride. Resins prepared from sulphonazo III, arsenazo III, thiosalicylic acid or p-mercaptobenzenesulphonic acid were found to be unstable when exposed to sodium chloride solution.     

Improved method for the determination of trimethadione and its demethylated metabolite, dimethadione, in human serum by gas chromatography.

An improved gas chromatographic method, involving the use of a wide-bore capillary column, for the determination of trimethadione and its only demethylated metabolite, dimethadione, in human serum is described. The results indicate that both substances and the internal standard (maleinimide) were well separated with no tailing peak. The detection limit was 10 ng/ml for trimethadione and 50 ng/ml for dimethadione. This improved method is reliable in terms of sensitivity, selectivity and reproducibility for the simultaneous determination of both compounds in human serum.     

Effects of metal elements on beta-hexosaminidase release from rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3).

Immediate allergy is caused by a chemical mediator released from basophile and mast cells via cell degranulation due to reaction between an immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody, bound with the IgE receptor on the cell membrane, and an antigen. The present authors have established a new method for assaying the enzyme activity of beta-hexosaminidase as an index of chemical mediator release. Using cultured cells instead of conventional methods based on histamine release from mast cells, the present method permits highly accurate mass screening since it uses a well-established cell line of rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3). The effects of metal elements on immediate allergic reaction were evaluated using a newly developed assay system. A total of 38 metal elements were investigated for effects on immediate allergic reactions in vitro. These elements were classified by five types on the basis of action on beta-hexosanimidase release: 1) those which showed very strong inhibitory action, such as ZnCl2 and ZrCl4, 2) those which showed relatively strong inhibitory action, such as CdCl2 and CuCl2, 3) those which showed relatively weak inhibitory action, such as CoCl2 and Pb(NO3)2, 4) those which showed neither inhibitory nor promoting action, such as MnCl2 and SrCl2, and 5) AgNO3, which alone showed promoting action.