Synthesis,Structure, and DFT Analysis of the THF Solvate of 2-Picolyllithium: A 2-Picolyllithium Solvate with Significant Carbanionic Character

Previous studies of different solvates of 2-methylpyridyllithium (2-picolyllithium) have uncovered electronic structures corresponding to aza-allyl and enamido resonance forms of the metallated pyridine-based compounds. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of [2-CH₂Li(THF)₂C₅H₄N], a new THF solvate. X-ray crystallographic studies reveal a dimeric arrangement featuring a non-planar eight-membered [NCCLi]₂ ring, in which the primary cation-anion interaction is between the central Li atom and the C atom of the deprotonated methyl group [length, 2.285(2) Å], suggesting a new carbanionic resonance structure for this 2-picolyllithium series. The significant carbanionic character of [2-CH₂Li(THF)₂C₅H₄N] was confirmed by gas-phase DFT calculations [B3LYP/6-311+G(d)] with the calculated electron density interrogated by means of quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses. For comparison these computational analyses were also performed on the literature structures of [2-CH₂Li(2-Picoline)C₅H₄N] and [2-CH₂Li(PMDETA)C₅H₄N]. In a reactivity study, [2-CH₂Li(THF)₂C₅H₄N] was found to undergo nucleophilic addition to pyridine to generate dipyridylmethane in a good yield.     

A Bernstein Type Theorem for Entire Willmore Graphs

We show that every two-dimensional entire graphical solution of the Willmore equation with square integrable second fundamental form is a plane.     

Crystal structures of functional building blocks derived from bis(benzo[b]thiophen‐2‐yl)methane

The syntheses of three bis(benzo[b]thiophen‐2‐yl)methane derivatives, namely bis(benzo[b]thiophen‐2‐yl)methanone, C₁₇H₁₀OS₂, (I), 1,1‐bis(benzo[b]thiophen‐2‐yl)‐3‐(trimethylsilyl)prop‐2‐yn‐1‐ol, C₂₂H₂₀OS₂Si, (II), and 1,1‐bis(benzo[b]thiophen‐2‐yl)prop‐2‐yn‐1‐ol, C₁₉H₁₂OS₂, (III), are described and their crystal structures discussed comparatively. The conformation of ketone (I) and the respective analogues are rather similar for most of the compounds compared. This is true for the interplanar angles, the C_aryl—C_bridge—C_aryl angles and the dihedral angles. The best resemblance is found for a bioisotere of (I), viz. 2,2′‐dinaphthyl ketone, (VII). By way of interest, the crystal packings also reveal similarities between (I) and (VII). In (I), the edge‐to‐face interactions seen between two napthyl residues in (VII) are substituted by S…π contacts between the benzo[b]thiophen‐2‐yl units in (I). In the structures of the bis(benzo[b]thiophen‐2‐yl)methanols, i.e. (II) and (III), the interplanar angles are also quite similar compared with analogues and related active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) containing the dithiophen‐2‐ylmethane scaffold, though the dihedral angles show a larger variability and produce unsymmetrical molecules.     

Variational multirate integration in multi-body dynamics

For systems that contain slow and fast dynamics, variational multirate integration schemes are used. These schemes split the system into parts which are simulated using two time grids consisting of micro and macro nodes. This formulation can be extended for multi-body systems. The rigid multi-body system is described by the so called director formulation and constraints describing the joints connecting the bodies. With the Lagrange multiplier method, the constraints are introduced into the equations of motion. A way to implement the null space method into the variational multirate framework is shown and the influence on the number of unknowns is investigated. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Comparison of copper labeling followed by liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and immunochemical assays for serum hepcidin-25 determination

Hepcidin-25 has been defined as the key biomarker in iron metabolism. This peptide binds to the iron transporter ferroportin to cause its degradation. Therefore, the need for specific, accurate and precise methods for the quantification of hepcidin-25 in biological fluids is dramatically increasing. In this regard, the use of rapid immunochemical methods that provide low limit of quantification is desired for routine clinical use. However, such fast methodologies should be first analytically evaluated and compared with alternative strategies to check for their advantages and limitations. Here we compare the use of a commercial immunochemical assay for hepcidin determination with a novel analytical approach based on Cu-labeling of the peptide followed by Cu determination using liquid chromatography (HPLC) and plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The figures of merit of both systems reveal similar analytical characteristics and both seem to be adequate for the determination of the peptide at biologically relevant concentrations in human serum samples. The analysis of a larger number of samples (n = 50) by both techniques showed a good agreement in the concentrations found. Such finding permits to address the hepcidin recovery in the sample preparation procedure necessary for the HPLC-ICP-MS analysis in human serum that turn out to be 76–85%. Additionally, limitations due to cross-reactivity issues of the ELISA method could be addressed in some of the samples by using LC-ICP-MS and were confirmed by LC-Electrospray-MS.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel carbene complexes of phosphorus(V) fluorides with potential liquid-crystalline properties

A series of novel push–pushI and push–pullII carbene-stabilized complexes of phosphorus(V) fluorides bearing substituents with liquid-crystalline properties were synthesized by the oxidative addition of difluoroamines to phosphorus(III) halides. These octahedral complexes were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray analysis.