New chiral phosphine-phosphite ligands in the enantioselective palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation

A series of chiral phosphine-phosphite ligands 1-6 have been synthesized and used in the enantioselective palladium-catalyzed reaction of rac-1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate with dimethyl malonate as nucleophile. Ligands 1a, 2, 3, 5a, 6a, and 6b have been synthesized starting from racemic tert-butylphenylphosphinoborane. The use of dynamically resolved Li phosphide (-)-sparteine provided the optically pure ligands. Crystals of the allylpalladium (6a) complex were obtained, suitable for X-ray crystal structure determination. The X-ray crystal structure of the allylpalladium (6a) complex revealed a longer palladium-carbon bond distance trans to the phosphine moiety indicating that the attack of the nucleophile takes place at the carbon trans to the phosphine moiety. This was confirmed by the fact that the phosphine moiety did not affect the enantioselectivity directly. Under mild reaction conditions, enantioselectivities up to 83% were obtained (25 degrees C) with ligand 1e. Systematic variation of the ligand bridge and the phosphite moiety showed that the configuration of the product is controlled by the atropisomerism of the biphenyl substituent at the phosphite moiety. The conformation of the biphenyl group, in turn, is controlled by the substituent at the chiral carbon in the bridge. Ligands with large bite angles yielded higher enantioselectivities.     

Effect of growth conditions on the rheological properties and chemical composition ofVolcaniella eurihalina exopolysaccharide

The exopolysaccharide produced byVolcaniella eurihalina, an halophilic eubacterium, under different environmental and nutritional conditions, is studied.V. eurihalina synthesizes an acidic heteropolysaccharide, composed by rhamnose, glucose, and mannose, as well as amino sugars, uronic acids, and acetyl and sulphate residues. This composition varies depending on the nutrients of culture medium. Viscosity and pseudoplasticity of the polymer solutions are also influenced by the nutritional conditions in which the microorganism was grown.     

Intercalation of Benzamide into Kaolinite

Well-crystallized kaolinite (K) was initially reacted at 60 degrees C with a water/dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) mixture and the resulting intercalation derivative (K-DMSO) was characterized by powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), thermal analysis (simultaneous TG and DSC), and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Benzamide crystals were then melted with the K-DMSO derivative at 140 degrees C for 4 days, when a gradual displacement of DMSO by benzamide was observed within the interlayer spacing of the modified kaolinite. The resulting material, after extensive washing with acetone, was characterized and compared to the results obtained previously for the K-DMSO composite. Benzamide intercalation proceeded by gradual displacement of DMSO molecules until completion. The structural stabilization of the K-BZ derivative was explained through the establishment of hydrogen bonds between the carbonyl oxygen atoms of the intercalated benzamide and aluminol groups present at the surface of the kaolinite layer. The interlamellar spacing of K-BZ was shown to be possibly occupied by benzamide molecules that were located at a 68 degrees orientation in relation to the layer surface. Unlike most intercalation molecules such as DMSO, variations in the interplanar spacing of kaolinite were consistent with the nonkeying of any other part of the molecule between the aluminosilicate interlayers. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Crystalline Inclusion Compounds Derived from Derivatives of Mandelic Acid. Host Synthesis, Inclusion Formation, and X-Ray Structures of a Free Host Compound and of DMSO Inclusion Complexes in Both Racemic and Optically Resolved Forms

New chiral host compounds based on mandelic acid derivatives having methyl (6a, b and 8a, b) or bromo substituents (7a, b) attached to the phenyl ring of mandelic acid and involving additional aromatic groups were synthesized. The inclusion properties of both the racemic and the optically resolved host species are reported, including solvent co-crystallization as well as chiroselective and vapour sorptive inclusion. The structures of the free racemic host compound 6b and of the DMSO inclusion compounds of optically resolved and racemic 8 (8a and 8b, respectively) have been determined by X-ray analysis. Enantiomeric pairs of molecules in 6b form centro-symmetric dimers by mutual hydrogen bonding of one hydroxyl group while the other is involved in O-–H ... interactions. The guest molecules in the DMSO complexes of 8a and 8b are bound via hydrogen bonds to two host molecules related by translation along crystallographic axes. Parallels to previous hosts of this type are drawn.     

GEVA: geometric variability-based approaches for identifying patterns in data

This paper, arising from population studies, develops clustering algorithms for identifying patterns in data. Based on the concept of geometric variability, we have developed one polythetic-divisive and three agglomerative algorithms. The effectiveness of these procedures is shown by relating them to classical clustering algorithms. They are very general since they do not impose constraints on the type of data, so they are applicable to general (economics, ecological, genetics...) studies. Our major contributions include a rigorous formulation for novel clustering algorithms, and the discovery of new relationship between geometric variability and clustering. Finally, these novel procedures give a theoretical frame with an intuitive interpretation to some classical clustering methods to be applied with any type of data, including mixed data. These approaches are illustrated with real data on Drosophila chromosomal inversions.     

Automatic reduction and evaluation of infrared and Raman spectra

Summary The automatic interpretation of digital recorded infrared and Raman spectra is described. The procedure starts with the automatic correction for an approximated base line. In the case of Raman spectra the spectral response of the spectrometer is corrected, too. Subsequently, the spectra are reduced to band lists, conserving the position, intensity and half-widths of the bands. These band lists are the input in an interpretation algorithm for the combined evaluation of infrared and Raman spectra by testing presence or absence of characteristic bands or groups of bands. The algorithm was tested with 300 substances. A balance of the interpretation results shows that the abscence of structural elements is found more safely than the presence. The algorithm may be modified for special purposes: evaluation of infrared or Raman spectra alone or application to special classes of substances.

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Automatische Reduktion und Auswertung von IR- und Raman-SpektrenI. Interpretation charakteristischer Banden

Zusammenfassung Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die automatische Interpretation von Infrarot- und Raman-Spektren mit Hilfe charakteristischer Banden. Die Bearbeitung der Spektren beginnt mit der Korrektur der digital registrierten Spektren auf eine angenÄherte Grundlinie. Bei Raman-Spektren wird zusÄtzlich die spektrale Empfindlichkeit des Spektrometers korrigiert. Die Spektren werden auf Bandenlisten reduziert, in denen die Lage, IntensitÄt und Halbwertsbreite der einzelnen Banden enthalten sind. Diese Bandenlisten dienen als Eingabe in einen Interpretationsalgorithmus mit dem durch Prüfung der Lage und IntensitÄt einzelner charakteristischer Banden und Bandengruppen auf Anwesenheit oder Abwesenheit von Strukturmerkmalen geschlossen wird. Der Algorithmus wurde an 300 Substanzen getestet. Die Aussage über das Fehlen bestimmter Gruppen ist sicherer als die über deren Vorhandensein. Die Struktur des Auswertealgorithmus erlaubt ein einfaches Anpassen an verschiedene Anwendungsgebiete: Auswertung von Infrarot-oder Raman-Spektrum allein, bzw. Anwendung bei speziellen Substanzklassen.

     

Microcionamides A and B, bioactive peptides from the philippine sponge Clathria (Thalysias) abietina

Microcionamides A (1) and B (2) have been isolated from the Philippine marine sponge Clathria (Thalysias) abietina. These new linear peptides are cyclized via a cystine moiety and have their C-terminus blocked by a 2-phenylethylenamine group. Their total structures, including absolute stereochemistry, were determined by a combination of spectral and chemical methods. Compound 1 was shown to slowly isomerize about the C-36/C-37 double bond when stored in DMSO. Microcionamides A (1) and B (2) exhibited significant cytotoxicity against the human breast tumor cells lines MCF-7 and SKBR-3 and displayed inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)Ra.     

Diethylphosphine oxide (DEPO): high-yielding and facile preparation of indolones in water

[reaction: see text] Indolones are prepared in excellent yield at 80 degrees C in water by radical reaction (aryl radical formation, hydrogen atom abstraction, cyclization, and rearomatization) mediated by the reagent diethylphosphine oxide (DEPO). The reaction features V-501 as a water-soluble initiator; no other additives are needed. The process proceeds at a much lower temperature than is required for efficient reaction with toxic tributyltin hydride in benzene and permits significantly higher isolated yields than the corresponding reaction mediated by ethylpiperidine hypophosphite (EPHP).     

Nonaqueous catalytic water oxidation

The complex [Ru(Mebimpy)(bpy)(OH(2))](2+) [Mebimpy = 2,6-bis(1-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine; bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine] and its 4,4'-(PO(3)H(2)CH(2))(2)bpy derivative on oxide electrodes are water oxidation catalysts in propylene carbonate and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) to which water has been added as a limiting reagent. The rate of water oxidation is greatly enhanced relative to that with water as the solvent and occurs by a pathway that is first-order in H(2)O; an additional pathway that is first-order in acetate appears when TFE is used as the solvent.     

Understanding the electronic structure of 4d metal complexes: from molecular spinors to L-edge spectra of a di-Ru catalyst

L(2,3)-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has demonstrated unique capabilities for the analysis of the electronic structure of di-Ru complexes such as the blue dimer cis,cis-[Ru(III)(2)O(H(2)O)(2)(bpy)(4)](4+) water oxidation catalyst. Spectra of the blue dimer and the monomeric [Ru(NH(3))(6)](3+) model complex show considerably different splitting of the Ru L(2,3) absorption edge, which reflects changes in the relative energies of the Ru 4d orbitals caused by hybridization with a bridging ligand and spin-orbit coupling effects. To aid the interpretation of spectroscopic data, we developed a new approach, which computes L(2,3)-edges XAS spectra as dipole transitions between molecular spinors of 4d transition metal complexes. This allows for careful inclusion of the spin-orbit coupling effects and the hybridization of the Ru 4d and ligand orbitals. The obtained theoretical Ru L(2,3)-edge spectra are in close agreement with experiment. Critically, existing single-electron methods (FEFF, FDMNES) broadly used to simulate XAS could not reproduce the experimental Ru L-edge spectra for the [Ru(NH(3))(6)](3+) model complex nor for the blue dimer, while charge transfer multiplet (CTM) calculations were not applicable due to the complexity and low symmetry of the blue dimer water oxidation catalyst. We demonstrated that L-edge spectroscopy is informative for analysis of bridging metal complexes. The developed computational approach enhances L-edge spectroscopy as a tool for analysis of the electronic structures of complexes, materials, catalysts, and reactive intermediates with 4d transition metals.