CAN mediated cyclization of epoxypropyl cinnamyl ethers: a facile stereoselective synthesis of tetrahydropyran derivatives

Cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate in substoichiometric amounts, promotes the intramolecular cyclization of epoxypropyl cinnamyl ethers to the corresponding 3,4,5-trisubstituted tetrahydropyran derivatives in moderate to good yields.     

Surfactant tail length-dependent lipase activity profile in cationic water-in-oil microemulsions

The catalytic activity of Chromobacterium viscosum lipase (CV-lipase) was estimated across varying surfactant tail lengths (C-10-C-18) in water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsions of cationic surfactants containing four different hydroxyethyl-substituted head groups. An attempt to find a correlation, if any, between the activity of interfacially solubilized lipase and the varying surfactant tails was made for the first time in micellar enzymology. The second-order rate constant, k2, in lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl-n-hexanoate at pH 6.0 and 25 degrees C shows an improvement in enzyme activity (approximately 30-140%) across different head groups of amphiphiles with increasing tail lengths in varying solution compositions. Improvement of enzyme activity is prominent in ascending from C-10 to C-14/C-16, depending on the nature of polar head group. The hydrolytic activity of lipase in different surfactant (50 mM)/water/isooctane/n-hexanol with varying z= [alcohol]/[surfactant] (6.4 or 4.8) was amplified by 25-250% with increment in surfactant tail length in comparison with widely used cationic w/o microemulsions having solution compositions (z=16). As a notable outcome of this research, we found w/o microemulsions of 25 mM tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide/water/isooctane/n-hexanol (z=8) producing the highest ever activity of lipase in any w/o microemulsions.     

Oxidative demetalation of cyclohexadienyl ruthenium(II) complexes: a net Ru-mediated dearomatization

[reaction: see text] An experimentally simple method for the demetalation of spirocyclic cyclohexadienylruthenium(II) complexes has been developed. Treatment of an alkoxy-substituted cyclohexadienyl complex with CuCl(2) affords either azaspiro[4.5]decane derivatives or heavily functionalized tetrahydroisoquinolines. The former reaction manifold completes a net Ru-mediated dearomatization as the organometallic starting materials are prepared from (eta(6)-arene)Ru(II) precursors. Both of these heterocyclic products are well suited for further synthetic elaboration.     

Oxidative verdoheme formation and stabilization by axial isocyanide ligation

The effect of isocyanides as axial ligands on the formation and stability of verdoheme by oxidation has been examined. The reaction of [Fe(III)(OEPO)]2 with t-butyl isocyanide under dioxygen-free conditions results in the formation of (t-BuNC)2Fe(II)(OEPO*) with an electron paramagnetic resonance at g=2.009 with a peak-to-peak separation of 23.5 G at 4 K. (OEPO is the trianion of octaethyloxophlorin and OEPO* is the radical dianion obtained from OEPO by one-electron oxidation.) Exposure of chloroform solutions of either (2,6-xylylNC)2Fe(II)(OEPO*) or (t-BuNC)2Fe(II)(OEPO*) to dioxygen followed by the addition of ammonium hexafluorophosphate results in their transformation into the diamagnetic verdohemes, [(2,6-xylylNC)2Fe(II)(OEOP)](PF6) and [(t-BuNC)2Fe(II)(OEOP)](PF6), yields 68 and 70%, respectively. (OEOP is the anion of octaethyl-5-oxaporphyrin.) The oxidation reactions of (2,6-xylylNC)2Fe(II)(OEPO*) and (t-BuNC)2Fe(II)(OEPO*) have also been monitored by 1H NMR spectroscopy. No resonances due to paramagnetic products could be detected, the reactions appear to result only in the formation of the diamagnetic verdohemes, and the products are not susceptible to further oxidation.     

The effects of axial ligands on electron distribution and spin states in iron complexes of octaethyloxophlorin, intermediates in heme degradation

The results presented here show that the nature of the axial ligand can alter the distribution of electrons between the metal and the porphyrin in complexes where there is an oxygen atom replacing one of the meso protons. The complexes (1-MeIm)(2)Fe(III)(OEPO) and (2,6-xylylNC)(2)Fe(II)(OEPO(*)) (where OEPO is the trianionic octaethyloxophlorin ligand and OEPO(*) is the dianionic octaethyloxophlorin radical) were prepared by addition of an excess of the appropriate axial ligand to a slurry of [Fe(III)(OEPO)](2) in chloroform under anaerobic conditions. The magnetic moment of (2,6-xylylNC)(2)Fe(II)(OEPO(*)) is temperature invariant and consistent with a simple S = (1)/(2) ground state. This complex with an EPR resonance at g = 2.004 may be considered as a model for the free-radical like EPR signal seen when the meso-hydroxylated heme/heme oxygenase complex is treated with carbon monoxide. In contrast, the magnetic moment of (1-MeIm)(2)Fe(III)(OEPO) drops with temperature and indicates a spin-state change from an S = (5)/(2) or an admixed S = (3)/(2),(5)/(2) state at high temperatures (near room temperature) to an S = (1)/(2) state at temperatures below 100 K. X-ray diffraction studies show that each complex crystallizes in centrosymmetric form with the expected six-coordinate geometry. The structure of (1-MeIm)(2)Fe(III)(OEPO) has been determined at 90, 129, and 296 K and shows a gradual and selective lengthening of the Fe-N(axial bond). This behavior is consistent with population of a higher spin state at elevated temperatures.     

Amino Acid based cationic surfactants in aqueous solution: physicochemical study and application of supramolecular chirality in ketone reduction

The present study provides a molecular understanding of the origin of the chirality in aqueous micelles and its correlation with the proficiency of stereoselective ketone reduction. The effects of varied headgroup architecture on the surface-active properties as well as on other microstructural parameters were studied and correlated to the structural differences of these naturally occurring amino acid containing surfactants (1-4). Micropolarity sensed by pyrene showed that the micelles prepared using 1-4 are mostly hydrated; particularly large headgroup size surfactant produces more polar environment. A theoretical study was done to quantify the varied spatial dissymmetry for all four surfactants. Asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones was carried out at the aqueous micellar interface of these chiral amphiphiles by exploiting the supramolecular chirality as evidenced from a circular dichroism study. The enantioselectivity of the reduction process is rationally improved through increase in spatial dissymmetry and steric constraint imposed at the micellar interface by the polar head of surfactants.     

Analytical solution for a steady flow of enclosed rotating disks

Low-Reynolds-number flow plays an important role in the centrifugal separation of fluid particles under microgravity conditions and also in micromechanics due to the miniaturization of fluid mechanical parts. In this situation, the governing equations may be simplified. Here an analytical solution is presented for the steady flow of an incompressible viscous fluid between two finite disks enclosed by a cylindrical container for small Reynolds number (Re 10). The general solution is valid for all choices of the aspect ratio () and different cases of disk to cylinder rotation rates (s). An expression for the torque acting on the disk is obtained. The tangential velocity distribution is calculated and presented graphically for different values of ands. Known results in the literature for a single rotating disk and similar problems follow as a particular case of the general solution presented.

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Zusammenfassung Zahlreiche hydrodynamische Vorgänge unter der Bedingung verminderter Schwerkraft aber auch Vorgänge in der Mikromechanik finden im Bereich kleiner Reynoldszahlen statt. In solchen Situationen können die Bewegungsgleichungen vereinfacht und eventuell analytische Lösungen gefunden werden. In dieser Arbeit wird die stationäre Strömung einer viskosen, inkompressiblen Flüssigkeit für kleine Reynolds- und unterschiedliche Aspektzahlen untersucht. Die Flüssigkeit ist zwischen zwei rotierenden Scheiben und einem zylindrischen Behälter eingeschlossen. Eine analytische Lösung für die Tangentialkomponente des Geschwindigkeitsvektors ist für den allgemeinen Fall, dass die Scheiben und der Behälter unterschiedliche Winkelgeschwindigkeiten besitzen können, dargestellt. Des weiteren wurde eine Beziehung für das Widerstandsmoment der rotierenden Scheibe angegeben. Der Verlauf der Tangentialgeschwindigkeiten für verschiedene Rotations- und Aspektverhältnisse wird graphisch dargestellt und diskutiert. Bereits angegebene Lösungen in der Literatur bezüglich dieser Geometrie können als Sonderfall der hier dargestellten Lösung entwickelt werden.

     

Gas chromatographic analysis of traces of hydrogen sulfide in hydrogen

Summary A simple gas chromatographic method has been developed for analysis of hydrogen sulfide in hydrogen at the 0.5 to 100 ppm level. After enriching the traces of hydrogen sulfide by absorption in a gas loop packed with the chosen column support at 77 K it was determined by using a Chromosorb G column with silicone 550 and phthalic anhydride as liquid phases, hydrogen as carrier gas and a thermal conductivity detector. The detection limit was found to be about 0.5 ppm of hydrogen sulfide.