A new route for installing the isocyclic ring on chlorins yielding 13 1-oxophorbines

A new route to 13(1)-oxophorbines, the parent macrocycle of chlorophylls, begins with the synthesis of a 13-bromochlorin. Pd-mediated coupling of the latter with tributyl(1-ethoxyvinyl)tin and subsequent acidic hydrolysis afforded the 13-acetylchlorin (1). Treatment of 1 with NBS afforded the 15-bromo analogue in 70% yield. Pd-mediated alpha-arylation closed the isocyclic ring to give the 13(1)-oxophorbine (2) in 85% yield. Facile access to 13(1)-oxophorbines should enable a variety of spectroscopic studies and diverse applications.     

Stepwise formation and characterization of covalently linked multiporphyrin-imide architectures on Si(100)

A major challenge in molecular electronics and related fields entails the fabrication of elaborate molecular architectures on electroactive surfaces to yield hybrid molecular/semiconductor systems. A method has been developed for the stepwise synthesis of oligomers of porphyrins linked covalently via imide units. A triallyl-porphyrin bearing an amino group serves as the base unit on Si(100), and the alternating use of a dianhydride (3,3',4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride) and a porphyrin-diamine for reaction enables the rapid and simple buildup of oligomers composed of 2-5 porphyrins. The properties of these porphyrin "multad" films on Si(100) were interrogated using a variety of techniques. The charge densities of the redox-active porphyrin oligomers were determined via electrochemical methods. The stepwise growth was evaluated in detail via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and by selected X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) studies. The morphology was probed via AFM methods. Finally, the thickness was evaluated by using a combination of ellipsometry and AFM height profiling, accompanied by selected XPS studies. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that high charge density, ultrathin, multiporphyrin films of relatively well-controlled thickness can be grown in a stepwise fashion using the imide-forming reaction. The increased charge densities afforded by the porphyrin multads may prove important for the fabrication of molecular-based information-storage devices. This bottom-up process for construction of surface-tethered molecular architectures complements the top-down lithographic approach for construction of functional devices with nanoscale dimensions.     

Synthesis of electron deficient 5,6-aryloxy spiroketals

[reaction: see text] A strategy for the construction of electron deficient 5,6-aryloxy spiroketal is reported. The process should prove useful for the synthesis of natural products containing similar spiroketals. The strategy uncovers an unexpected rearrangement between ortho and para quinone spiroketals.     

2-Aminopyrimidine as a novel scaffold for biofilm modulation

An efficient synthetic route to a series of substituted 2-aminopyrimidine (2-AP) derivatives has been developed. Subsequent biofilm screening has allowed comparison between the biological activity of these new derivatives and that of the 2-aminoimidazole class of anti-biofilm compounds. Several derivatives displayed the ability to modulate bacterial biofilm formation, exhibiting greater activity against Gram-positive strains than Gram-negative strains. Additionally some 2-aminopyrmidines were able to suppress MRSA resistance to conventional antibiotics.     

Construction of previously inaccessible 2-amino-4-benzyl substituted oxazoles

A process for the synthesis of 2-amino-4-benzyl-oxazoles is reported.     

Efficient synthesis of monoacyl dipyrromethanes and their use in the preparation of sterically unhindered trans-porphyrins

The condensation of an aldehyde with a dipyrromethane bearing a sterically unhindered aryl substituent at the 5-position typically results in low yield and a mixture of porphyrin products derived from acidolytic scrambling. We have developed a concise nonscrambling synthesis of such trans-porphyrins that takes advantage of the availability of multigram quantities of dipyrromethanes. This route involves the selective monoacylation of the dipyrromethanes with a pyridyl thioester, reduction of the monoacyl dipyrromethane to the corresponding carbinol, and self-condensation of the carbinol to form the porphyrin. The monoacylation procedure has wide scope as demonstrated by the preparation of a set of 15 diverse monoacyl dipyrromethanes in good yield at the multigram scale. The dipyrromethanecarbinol self-condensation reaction is extremely rapid (<3 min) under mild room-temperature conditions and affords the trans-porphyrin in 16-28% yield. Analysis by laser-desorption mass spectrometry (LD-MS) of samples from the crude reaction mixture revealed no scrambling within the limit of detection (1 part in 100). The self-condensation is compatible with a range of electron-withdrawing or -releasing substituents as well as substituents for building block applications (TMS-ethyne, ethyne, iodo, ester). The absence of any detectable scrambling in the self-condensation enables a simple purification. The synthesis readily affords gram quantities of pure, sterically unhindered trans-porphyrins in a process involving minimal chromatography.     

Hyperpolarization of Pyridyl Fentalogues by Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange (SABRE)

Fentanyl, also known as ‘jackpot’, is a synthetic opiate that is 50–100 times more potent than morphine. Clandestine laboratories produce analogues of fentanyl, known as fentalogues to circumvent legislation regarding its production. Three pyridyl fentalogues were synthesized and then hyperpolarized by signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) to appraise the forensic potential of the technique. A maximum enhancement of -168-fold at 1.4 T was recorded for the ortho pyridyl ¹H nuclei. Studies of the activation parameters for the three fentalogues revealed that the ratio of ligand loss trans to hydride and hydride loss in the complex [Ir(IMes)(L)₃(H)₂]⁺ (IMes=1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazole-2-ylidene) ranged from 0.52 to 1.83. The fentalogue possessing the ratio closest to unity produced the largest enhancement subsequent to performing SABRE at earth's magnetic field. It was possible to hyperpolarize a pyridyl fentalogue selectively from a matrix that consisted largely of heroin (97 : 3 heroin:fentalogue) to validate the use of SABRE as a forensic tool.     

Copper benzenedicarboxylate coordination polymers incorporating a long-spanning neutral co-ligand: Effect of anion inclusion and carboxylate pendant-arm length on topology and magnetism

Three divalent copper coordination polymers containing aromatic dicarboxylate ligands and the long-spanning tethering imine bis(4-pyridylmethyl)piperazine (bpmp) have been prepared and structurally characterized. The length of the dicarboxylate pendant arms, carboxylate binding mode, and the inclusion of anionic components play a synergistic role in structure direction in this system. {[Cu(ip)(bpmp)(H₂O)]·5H₂O}_n (ip = isophthalate, 1) displays neutral (4,4) rectangular coordination polymer grids that stack in an ABCD repeat pattern. Use of the longer pendant arm dicarboxylate 1,3-phenylenediacetate (phda) resulted in {[Cu₂(phda)₂(bpmp)]·H₂O}_n (2), a 3-D network coordination polymer with primitive cubic topology that features strongly antiferromagnetically coupled (J = −331(1) cm⁻¹) {Cu₂(CO₂)₄} paddlewheel units. In the presence of excess nitrate ions, {[Cu(phda)(Hbpmp)](NO₃)·3H₂O}_n (3) was isolated instead of 2; 3 manifests cationic 2-D coordination polymer layers built from weakly antiferromagnetically coupled (J = −2.43(1) cm⁻¹) {Cu₂O₂} dimers linked through phda and protonated bpmp ligands. The striking difference in magnetic properties is ascribed to the equatorial–equatorial versus axial–equatorial bridging of copper coordination spheres in 2 and 3, respectively.     

A halide-initiated aza-Baylis-Hillman reaction: generation of unnatural amino acids

A series of allenic ketones react with a glyoxylate-derived imine in the presence of MgBr₂ through an aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction. The isolation of a variety of unnatural amino acids with unique allene-containing functional groups provides a conceptually new application of the aza-MBH. The reaction scope and preliminary mechanistic investigations are discussed.     

Effects of substituents on synthetic analogs of chlorophylls. Part 3: The distinctive impact of auxochromes at the 7- versus 3-positions

Assessing the effects of substituents on the spectra of chlorophylls is essential for gaining a deep understanding of photosynthetic processes. Chlorophyll a and b differ solely in the nature of the 7-substituent (methyl versus formyl), whereas chlorophyll a and d differ solely in the 3-substituent (vinyl versus formyl), yet have distinct long-wavelength absorption maxima: 665 (a) 646 (b) and 692 nm (d). Herein, the spectra, singlet excited-state decay characteristics, and results from DFT calculations are examined for synthetic chlorins and 13(1)-oxophorbines that contain ethynyl, acetyl, formyl and other groups at the 3-, 7- and/or 13-positions. Substituent effects on the absorption spectra are well accounted for using Gouterman's four-orbital model. Key findings are that (1) the dramatic difference in auxochromic effects of a given substituent at the 7- versus 3- or 13-positions primarily derives from relative effects on the LUMO+1 and LUMO; (2) formyl at the 7- or 8-position effectively "porphyrinizes" the chlorin and (3) the substituent effect increases in the order of vinyl < ethynyl < acetyl < formyl. Thus, the spectral properties are governed by an intricate interplay of electronic effects of substituents at particular sites on the four frontier MOs of the chlorin macrocycle.