Influence of adsorbed anions on the dehydroxylation of synthetic goethite

The influence of surface structure on the dehydroxylation of synthetic goethite has been studied using heat-flux differential scanning calorimetry. Adsorption of various anions by goethite causes a progressive change in both the amount and environment of surface hydroxyls and this is reflected by changes in the DSC curves. These alterations indicate the importance of surface features in determining the course of dehydroxylation and further suggest that, in studies of this type of reaction, the use of synthetic products known to be free of surface contaminants could prove to be of great value in understanding dehydroxylation mechanisms.

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Zusammenfassung Der Einfluß von Oberflächenstrukturen auf die Dehydroxylierung synthetischer Goethite wurde unter Anwendung der Wärmestrom-Differential-Abtastkalorimetrie untersucht. Die Adsorption verschiedener Anione durch Goethit verursacht eine progressive Änderung sowohl der Menge als auch der Umgebung der Oberflächenhydroxyle und dies wird durch die Änderungen der DSC-Kurven wiedergespiegelt. Diese Änderungen zeigen die Bedeutung der Oberflächenbeschaffenheiten bei der Bestimmung des Verlaufs der Dehydroxylierung und weisen ferner darauf hin, daß bei Studien dieses Reaktionstyps der Einsatz synthetischer Produkte, die bekanntlich frei von Oberflächenverunreinigungen sind, sich hinsichtlich der Klärung der Dehydroxylierungsmechanismen als sehr wertvoll erweisen könnte.

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Résumé On a étudié par analyse calorimétrique différentielle (DSC) l'influence de la structure de surface sur la déshydroxylation de goethites synthétiques. L'adsorption d'anions divers par la goethite entraîne une variation progressive à la fois de la quantité et de l'environnement des hydroxyles de surface, ce qui se reflète dans les variation des courbes DSC. Ces altérations indiquent l'importance des propriétés de surface quand il s'agit de déterminer le cours de la déshydroxylation et suggèrent en outre que l'emploi de produits synthétiques connus comme étant exempts de contaminants de surface, pourrait être de grande valeur dans des études de ce type de réactions, pour comprendre les mécanismes de déshydroxylation.

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Total synthesis of (+)-discodermolide: an improved endgame exploiting a Still-Gennari-type olefination with a C1-C8 beta-ketophosphonate fragment

[structure: see text] An improved, third-generation, total synthesis of (+)-discodermolide, a potent microtubule-stabilizing anticancer agent of marine sponge origin, is achieved in 11.1% yield over 21 steps. Key steps include a Still-Gennari HWE olefination, performed using NaH as the base, between C1-C8 beta-ketophosphonate 7 and C9-C24 aldehyde 8, introducing the (8Z)-alkene with 10:1 selectivity, and K-Selectride reduction of the derived enone 16, installing the (7S)-configuration.     

Actin-binding marine macrolides: total synthesis and biological importance

Marine organisms produce a fascinating range of structurally diverse secondary metabolites, which often possess unusual and sometimes unexpected biological activities. This structural diversity makes these marine natural products excellent molecular probes for the investigation of biochemical pathways. Recently, a number of novel and stereochemically complex macrolides, having a large macrolactone (22- to 44-membered) ring, that interact with the actin cycloskeleton have been isolated from different marine sources. Actin, like tubulin, is a major component of the cytoskeleton and has important cellular functions. Although the details of these interactions are still under investigation, these marine macrolides are becoming increasingly important as novel molecular probes to help elucidate the cellular functions of actin. Owing to their potent antitumor activities, these compounds, for example the aplyronines, also have potential for preclinical development in cancer chemotherapy. Their appealing molecular structures, with an abundance of stereochemistry, and biological significance, coupled with the extremely limited availability from the marine sources, have stimulated enormous interest in the synthesis of these compounds. This review summarizes the biological properties of these unusual marine natural products and features the recently completed total syntheses of swinholide A, scytophycin C, aplyronine A, mycalolide A--all of these being potent cytotoxic agents that target actin--and a diastereoisomer of ulapualide A. Rather than detailing each individual step of these multistep total syntheses, the different synthetic strategies, key reactions, and methods adopted for controlling the stereochemistry are compared.     

Total synthesis of the microtubule-stabilizing agent (-)-laulimalide

[structure: see text] The total synthesis of the potent microtubule-stabilizing anticancer agent (-)-laulimalide has been achieved in 27 steps and 2.9% overall yield. Notable features are the use of Jacobsen HDA chemistry for the enantioselective construction of the side chain dihydropyran, a diastereoselective aldol coupling using chiral boron enolate methodology, a Mitsunobu macrolactonization, and a Sharpless AE to introduce the epoxide onto des-epoxy-laulimalide.     

O-silylated enolate phenylthialkylation: A synthesis of α,β-unsaturated 5- and 6-membered lactones.

ZnBr₂-catalysed phenylthioalkylation of ketene bis(trimethylsilyl)acetals, obtained from carboxylic acids, with appropriate α-chlorosulphides can be used to prepare γ- and δ- lactones.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of spongistatin/altohyrtin analogues: E-ring dehydration and C46 side-chain truncation

Simplified analogues of the potent antimitotic marine macrolide spongistatin 1/altohyrtin A were synthesised and evaluated as growth inhibitory agents against a range of human tumour cell lines, including Taxol-resistant strains, revealing that E-ring dehydration leads to enhanced cytotoxicity at the low picomolar level while truncation of the side-chain at C46 results in a drastic decrease in activity.     

Preparation and properties of surface modified ceramic membranes. Part III. Gas permeation of 5 nm alumina membranes modified by trichloro-octadecylsilane

Stable trichloro-octadecyl silane (ODS) derivatives of a 5 nm γ-alumina ceramic membrane were prepared. Gas permeabilities of the untreated membrane did not show Knudsen diffusion at 20°C. Gas permeabilities of the ODS membrane were three orders of magnitude lower; He, Ne, Ar, CO₂, C₃H₈ have near constant permeabilities 360 mol s⁻¹ m⁻² bar⁻¹, except methane which has the highest permeability of the group, 481 mol s⁻¹ m⁻² bar⁻¹. The mechanism of diffusion is solution/diffusion. Remarkably, permeabilities of ODS-alumina membrane were reduced by 5 X after exposure to a pressure difference of 1 atm (active layer side) against vacuum for only 10 min. The effect was metastable but could be reversed on standing for several hours, reversal of pressure difference or after washing with (hydrocarbon solvent) toluene. The mechanism was presumed to be due to movement of the octadecyl-hydrocarbon chains of the silane monolayer causing a partially blocked pore structure; perhaps a unique example of self-fouling.     

Defective transport of thymidine by cultured cells resistant to 5-bromodeoxyuridine.

A line of HeLa cells resistant to 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BUdR) was established by continuous culture in growth medium containing BUdR; during the selection period, BUdR concentrations, initially 15 micrometer, were gradually increased to 100 micrometer. Cells of a clone (HeLa/B5) established from this line were also resistant to 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FUdR), but not to the free base, 5-fluorouracil. Although extracts of HeLa/B5 cells exhibited levels of thymidine kinase activity comparable to those of parental cells, rates of uptake of BUdR, FUdR, and thymidine into intact cells were much reduced. The kinetics of uptake of uridine and adenosine, nucleosides which appear to be transported independently of thymidine in HeLa cells, were similar for HeLa/B5 and the parental line (HeLa/O). Relative to thymidine uptake by HeLa/O cells, that by HeLa/B5 cells was distinctly less sensitive to nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR), a specific inhibitor of nucleoside transport in various types of animal cells. Despite this difference in NBMPR sensitivity, both cell lines possessed the same number of high affinity NBMPR binding sites per mg cell protein. The altered kinetics of thymidine uptake and the NBMPR insensitivity of that function in HeLA/B5 cells suggest that resistance to BUdR is due to an altered thymidine transport mechanism.     

Toward the synthesis of reidispongiolide a: stereocontrolled synthesis of the C17-C22 and C23-C35 degradation fragments

[structure: see text] By relying on the asymmetric aldol reactions of chiral ketones, a highly stereocontrolled synthesis of each of the C(17)-C(22) and C(23)-C(35) degradation fragments of reidispongiolide A has been achieved. This permits a configurational assignment of the complete C(17)-C(36) region of this antimitotic macrolide, along with providing advanced intermediates for a projected total synthesis.     

The thermal decomposition of hydrocarbon copolymers-V Products and mechanism of decomposition of copolymers incorporating styrene

The products of the thermal decomposition of a series of copolymers of structure with n = 0, 1, 3, 4 and 5, have been investigated. A high proportion of the products consists of low molecular weight analogues of the parent polymers, with styrene the major constituent of the volatile liquids. The copolymers are more stable than head-to-tail polystyrene. Some general conclusions are drawn on the overall mechanism of breakdown.