Ammonium-directed dihydroxylation of 3-aminocyclohex-1-enes: development of a metal-free dihydroxylation protocol

Treatment of 3-aminocyclohex-1-enes with mCPBA in the presence of trichloroacetic acid gives the corresponding 1,2-anti-2,3-syn-1-trichloroacetoxy-2-hydroxy-3-aminocyclohexane with high levels of diastereoselectivity (90% de). This is consistent with a mechanism of oxidation involving hydrogen-bonded delivery of the oxidant by the allylic ammonium ion formed in situ, followed by highly regioselective ring-opening of the intermediate epoxide by trichloroacetic acid. The effect of conformational constraints upon the oxidation reaction is also examined.     

Alkylation and aldol reactions of acyl derivatives of N-1-(1′-naphthyl)ethyl-O-tert-butylhydroxylamine: asymmetric synthesis of α-alkoxy-, α-substituted-β-alkoxy- and α,β-dialkoxyaldehydes

Treatment of a range of O-protected glycolate derivatives of the chiral auxiliary N-1-(1′-naphthyl)ethyl-O-tert-butylhydroxylamine with KHMDS in the presence of 18-crown-6 followed by addition of an alkyl halide generates α-substituted derivatives with very high levels of diastereoselectivity. Alternatively, reaction of the potassium enolate of a propanoate or O-protected glycolate derivative of N-1-(1′-naphthyl)ethyl-O-tert-butylhydroxylamine with a range of aldehydes gives syn-aldol products with high levels of diastereoselectivity. These adducts may be reductively cleaved with LiAlH₄ to give enantiopure α-alkoxy-, α-substituted-β-alkoxy- and α,β-dialkoxyaldehydes in good yield.     

Trading N and O. Part 4: Asymmetric synthesis of syn-β-substituted-α-amino acids

A total of nine enantiopure syn-β-substituted-α-amino acids have been synthesised, comprising both syn-β-hydroxy-α-amino acids and syn-β-fluoro-α-amino acids. The key step in the synthetic strategy towards these syn-β-substituted-α-amino acids involves a stereospecific rearrangement, which proceeds via the intermediacy of the corresponding aziridinium ions. The requisite enantiopure syn-α-hydroxy-β-amino esters were prepared via asymmetric aminohydroxylation of the corresponding α,β-unsaturated esters followed by epimerisation of the resultant anti-α-hydroxy-β-amino esters at the C(2)-position. Subsequent activation of the α-hydroxy moiety as a leaving group followed by displacement by the β-amino substituent gave the corresponding aziridinium species. Regioselective in situ ring-opening of the aziridinium intermediates with either water or fluoride gave the corresponding syn-β-hydroxy-α-amino ester or syn-β-fluoro-α-amino ester, respectively, and N-deprotection and ester hydrolysis afforded the target syn-β-substituted-α-amino acids as single diastereoisomers in good overall yield.     

Synthesis and Properties of Diuridine Phosphate Analogues Containing Thio and Amino Modifications

Several analogues of diuridine phosphate (UpU) were synthesized in order to investigate why replacing the 2'-hydroxyl with a 2'-amino group prevents hydrolysis. These analogues were designed to investigate what influence the 2'-substituent and 5'-leaving group have upon the rate of hydrolysis. All the analogues were considerably more labile than UpU toward acid-base-catalyzed hydrolysis. In the pH region from 6 to 9, the rate of hydrolysis of uridylyl (3'-5') 5'-thio-5'-deoxyuridine (UpsU) hydrolysis rose, in a log linear fashion, from a value of 5 x 10(-)(6) s(-)(1) at pH 6 to 3200 x 10(-)(6) s(-)(1) at pH 9, indicating that attack on the phosphorus by the 2'-oxo anion is rate-limiting in the hydrolysis mechanism. In contrast, the rate of uridylyl (3'-5') 5'-amino-5'-deoxyuridine (UpnU) hydrolysis fell from a value of 1802 x 10(-)(6) s(-)(1) at pH 5 to 140 x 10(-)(6) s(-)(1) at pH 7.5, where it remained constant up to pH 11.5, thus indicating an acid-catalyzed reaction. The analogue 2'-amino-2'-deoxyuridylyl (3'-5') 5'-thio-5'-deoxyuridine (amUpsU) was readily hydrolyzed above pH 7, in contrast to the hydrolytic stability of amUpT, with rates between 85 x 10(-)(6) s(-)(1) and 138 x 10(-)(6) s(-)(1). The hydrolysis of 2'-amino-2'-deoxyuridylyl (3'-5') 5'-amino-5'-deoxythymidine (amUpnT) rose from 17 x 10(-)(6) s(-)(1) at pH 11.5 to 11 685 x 10(-)(6) s(-)(1) at pH 7.0, indicating an acid-catalyzed reaction, where protonation of the 5'-amine is rate limiting. The cleavage rates of UpsU, UpnU, and amUpsU were accelerated in the presence of Mg(2+), Zn(2+), and Cd(2+) ions, but a correlation with interaction between metal ion and leaving group could only be demonstrated for amUpsU. UpsU and UpnU are also substrates for RNase A with UpsU having similar Michaelis-Menten parameters to UpU. In contrast, UpnU is more rapidly degraded with an approximate 35-fold increase in catalytic efficiency, which is reflected purely in an increase in the value of k(cat).     

Total synthesis of sordaricin

An enantioconvergent total synthesis of sordaricin (3), the diterpene aglycon of an important class of antifungal compounds, is described. Two approaches were explored, the first of which utilized a possible biogenetic intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition to form the complete carbon skeleton of the target molecule as a single regioisomer 30. A second approach employed a tandem cycloreversion/intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition process to afford not only the desired product 30 but also significant quantities of the undesired regioisomer iso-30. An investigation into the reasons for the difference in regioselectivity between these two reactions revealed the intervention of a cycloreversion/cycloaddition pathway at elevated temperatures leading to the formation of iso-30. Experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that iso-30 is the more thermodynamically stable of the two regioisomers.     

An oxidative [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic hydrazides

The development of an efficient oxidative [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic hydrazides, via singlet N-nitrene intermediates, is reported. The requisite allylic hydrazide precursors are readily prepared and undergo smooth sigmatropic rearrangement upon exposure to iodosobenzene. The products of this novel transformation are shown to be useful precursors to a variety of compounds.     

Gauss periods as constructions of low complexity normal bases

Optimal normal bases are special cases of the so-called Gauss periods (Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, Articles 343–366); in particular, optimal normal bases are Gauss periods of type (n, 1) for any characteristic and of type (n, 2) for characteristic 2. We present the multiplication tables and complexities of Gauss periods of type (n, t) for all n and t = 3, 4, 5 over any finite field and give a slightly weaker result for Gauss periods of type (n, 6). In addition, we give some general results on the so-called cyclotomic numbers, which are intimately related to the structure of Gauss periods. We also present the general form of a normal basis obtained by the trace of any normal basis in a finite extension field. Then, as an application of the trace construction, we give upper bounds on the complexity of the trace of a Gauss period of type (n, 3).     

Short book review

The Lorentz Group, by F. I. Fedorov     

The magnetic circular dichroism spectra of matrix-isolated benzene

The magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of the ¹ B _2u ←¹ A _1g transition of benzene in nitrogen and argon matrices at 20 K have been measured in order to obtain a spectrum devoid of hot bands and complicating rotational structure. The spectrum is dominated by three progressions of B terms, two of positive sign and one of negative. One positive progression and the negative one can be definitely assigned to the e_2g modes v ₆ and v ₉ respectively, whilst the other positive progression may be the e _2g mode v ₈. This is in marked contrast with the absorption spectra of the same matrices which reveal only a single progression built upon v ₆. The MCD spectra are nicely accounted for in terms of a magnetic mixing between the ¹ B _1u and ¹ B _2u states, the electric dipole intensity arising from the mixing in of a ¹ E _1u state via e _2g vibrational modes.