The cyclodimerisation of 3-methyl-2-butenenitrile

3-Methyl-2-butenenitrile (1) cyclodimerised on treatment with lithium diisopropylamide in dimethoxyethane at temperatures between ?78°C and 0°C to 3-amino-4-cyano-1,5,5-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene (2) the structure of which was established by acid hydrolysis to the known 4-cyano-1,5,5-trimethyl-1-cyclohexene-3-one (3).     

Stereoselektive Synthesen von (Z)-(10-Methoxy-4H-benzo[4,5]cyclohepta[1,2-b]thiophen-4-yliden)essigsäure

Stereoselective Syntheses of (Z)-(10-Methoxy-4H-benzo[4,5]cyclohepta[1,2-b]thiophen-4-ylidene)acetic Acid Two stereoselective syntheses for the antiinflammatory compound 1 ((Z)-isomer) are described. In the first approach (Strategy A, Scheme 1) the stereoselective synthesis of 1 was realized via the bicyclic compound 11 under thermodynamic conditions, followed by a thiophene annelation with retention of the double-bond geometry (Schemes 2–4). Optimized conditions were necessary to avoid (E/Z)-isomerization during annelation. In the second approach (Strategy B, Scheme 1), diastereoisomer 17b was obtained selectively from a mixture of the diastereoisomers 17b and 18b by combining thermodynamic epimerization and solubility differences (Scheme 5). Diastereoisomer 17b was converted into the tricyclic compound 23 using a novel thiophene annelation method which we described recently (Scheme 6). In a final step, a stereospecific ‘syn’-elimination transformed the sulfoxide 24 into the target compound 1 (Scheme 7). To avoid (E/Z)-isomerization, it was necessary to trap the sulfenic acid liberated during the reaction. The key reactions of both approaches are highly stereoselective (> 97:3).     

Neuroprotective Effect of Caffeine in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, predicted to be the most significant health burden of the 21st century, with an estimated 131.5 million dementia patients by the year 2050. This review aims to provide an overview of the effect of caffeine on AD and cognition by summarizing relevant research conducted on this topic. We searched the Web of Science core collection and PubMed for studies related to the effect of caffeine on AD and cognition using title search terms: caffeine; coffee; Alzheimer’s; cognition. There is suggestive evidence from clinical studies that caffeine is neuroprotective against dementia and possibly AD (20 out of 30 studies support this), but further studies, such as the “ideal” study proposed in this review, are required to prove this link. Clinical studies also indicate that caffeine is a cognitive normalizer and not a cognitive enhancer. Furthermore, clinical studies suggest the neuroprotective effect of caffeine might be confounded by gender. There is robust evidence based on in vivo and in vitro studies that caffeine has neuroprotective properties in AD animal models (21 out of 22 studies support this), but further studies are needed to identify the mechanistic pathways mediating these effects.     

Para-Fluorination of Anilides Using Electrochemically Generated Hypervalent Iodoarenes

The para-selective fluorination reaction of anilides using electrochemically generated hypervalent ArIF₂ is reported, with Et₃N ⋅ 5HF serving as fluoride source and as supporting electrolyte. This electrochemical reaction is characterized by a simple set-up, easy scalability and affords a broad variety of fluorinated anilides from easily accessible anilides in good yields up to 86 %.     

Computing the Hilbert Transform of the Generalized Laguerre and Hermite Weight Functions

Explicit formulae are given for the Hilbert transform $f_\mathbb{R} $ w(t)dt/(t ? x), where w is either the generalized Laguerre weight function w(t) = 0 if t ≤ 0, w(t) = t ^α e ^?t if 0 <#60; t <#60; ∞, and α > ?1, x > 0, or the Hermite weight function w(t) = e ^{?t 2}, ?∞ <#60; t <#60; ∞, and ?∞ <#60; x <#60; ∞. Furthermore, numerical methods of evaluation are discussed based on recursion, contour integration and saddle-point asymptotics, and series expansions. We also study the numerical stability of the three-term recurrence relation satisfied by the integrals $f_\mathbb{R} $ π _n (t;w)w(t)dt/(t ? x), n = 0 ,1 ,2 ,..., where π _n (?w) is the generalized Laguerre, resp. the Hermite, polynomial of degree n.     

Conical parametric scattering of a single extraordinary beam in BaTiO3 crystal

In this paper, the parametric scattering of a single extraordinary polarized beam of laser in BaTiO₃ photorefractive crystal has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The resulting pattern consists of beam fanning, isotropic ring, and anisotropic one. Among all parts of scattering pattern, isotropic ring has not been studied as much as beam fanning and anisotropic ring, and there still are some differences in reports about it. Therefore, the study has mainly focused on this part. In this experimental configuration, isotropic ring is just visible in positive angles although the other parts of parametric scattering pattern can be visible from behind and in front of the crystal. In addition to steady state pattern in forward and backward directions, its transient behavior with the rotation of crystal has been studied. The results of experiments have been analyzed carefully, and their theoretical explanations have been presented based on the standard theory of parametric scattering in photorefractive crystals. It has been shown that this configuration corresponds to the so called parametric B-process scattering.