Practical asymmetric enzymatic reduction through discovery of a dehydrogenase-compatible biphasic reaction media

[reaction: see text] An enzyme-compatible biphasic reaction media for the asymmetric biocatalytic reduction of ketones with in situ cofactor regeneration has been developed. In this biphasic reaction media, which is advantageous for reactions at higher substrate concentrations, both enzymes (alcohol dehydrogenase and FDH from Candida boidinii) remain stable. The reductions with poorly water-soluble ketones were carried out at substrate concentrations of 10-200 mM, and the optically active (S)-alcohols were formed with moderate to good conversions and with up to >99% ee.     

[3+2]-cycloreactions of 1,2-diacylcyclopropenes with ynamines. Aminofurane- versus aminocyclopentadiene-formation

Electron deficient 1,2-diacylcyclopropenes represent synthetic equivalent for both acylcarbenes and vinylcarbenes; in their cycloreaction with ynamines aminofuranes and/or aminocyclopentadienes are formed.     

Almost constant sequences and well-distribution in compact groups

We study the properties of sequences (c _n ) in a compact groupG such that (x _n ) being (weakly) well-distributed implies (c _n x _n ) being (weakly) well-distributed and give a complete characterisation in terms of almost constant sequences as well as a generalisation to non-compact locally compact groups.     

The determination of chlorinated biphenyls,chlorinated dibenzodioxins,and chlorinated dibenzofurans by GC-MS

High resolution gas chromatography, with mass selective detection, has been used for the analysis of PCB on methyl 50 % octyl polysiloxane (SB 50 Octyl), methyl octadecyl polysiloxane, and a smectic polysiloxane (SB Smectic); and for the analysis of polychlorodibenzodioxins and polychlorodibenzofurans with 1 to 8 chlorine substituents on 100 % cyanopropyl siloxane (SP 2331), smectic polysiloxane (SB Smectic), a new polar stationary phase (DB-Dioxin). The analysis has also been performed by column coupling.     

Eine globalanalytische Behandlung des Douglas'schen Problems

In this paper we consider the Douglas problem of genus O. Starting point is the global analysis for minimal surfaces of the type of the disc which was developed by A.J. Tromba. The set of all k-connected minimal surfaces of genus O has a product structure, which is a consequence of the variation of the conformal type. The base space is the space of domain parameters and the fibres are the manifolds of k-connected minimal surfaces of constant conformal type (cf.[7]). It is possible to develop a global analysis also for the more general situation considered here with the following results:

-The map which assigns to every minimal surface its boundary curve (in the sense of the Douglas problem) is a Fredholm operator. The index depends on the number and the total order of the branch points.

-The analysis allows to prove isolatedness and stability results in a relatively simple way.

     

Transport and Fate of Organic Compounds in the Global Environment

The role of chemistry in our soon-to-be global industrial society requires a global perspective for the discussion of the uptake, transport, and conversion of chemical compounds in the environment. The fate of organic compounds in the volume flow of the atmosphere and hydrosphere can be categorized into transport pathways and adjustments of equilibria in the multiphase system atmosphere-oceans-land surface. The global volume flow in the atmosphere (wind, areas of high and low pressure) and in the hydrosphere (rivers, circulation of water in lakes, ocean currents) alone would account for the transport of organic compounds if they were stable and if all these compounds were molecularly distributed in these phases. However, this particular case is observed only for volatile chlorofluorocarbons and tetrachloromethane. For most organic compounds, complex adsorption/desorption processes on finely dispersed particle phases in the air and water as well as abiotic and biotic transformations determine the transport behavior. The global fate of a compound includes its accumulation as well as its decomposition in defined environmental compartments. Both phenomenon may have long-term consequences in the af-fected areas; this is indicated by the accumulation of polychlorobiphenyls and analogous compounds in marine mammals and deep-sea fauna, and is evident in the decomposition of chlorofluorocarbons in the stratosphere. The accepted definition of the level of a risk, the product of the probability of an event and the potential amount of damage, takes on a new dimension when viewed from a global perspective-especially when one further connects the extent of the damage to the possible means of correction. It is the responsibility of scientists to point out the irreparable regional to global consequences directly and indirectly connected to the production of chemicals and to provide suggestions for prevention. Politicians can only react by applying their methods to limit the damage; however, they cannot generate any solutions based on science.     

Synthesis and use of alpha-silyl-substituted alpha-hydroxyacetic acids

[reaction: see text] Rhodium-catalyzed oxygen transfer was used to generate benzyl 2-silyl-2-oxoacetates in good yields. The hydrogenation of these compounds led to chiral alpha-silyl-substituted alpha-hydroxyacetic acids. Resolution by means of HPLC using a chiral stationary phase afforded an enantiomerically pure representative of this class of compounds, which was successfully applied as a chiral ligand in an asymmetric aldol-type reaction.