Silylative Dieckmann-like cyclizations of ester-imides (and diesters)

[Structure: see text] Trialkylsilyl triflates effect cyclization of ester-imides such as 2 to produce adducts such as 4a. Trapping of the in situ generated, nucleophilic ketene acetal (cf. 5a) is a key aspect of the transformation. A range of substrates amenable to this operationally simple reaction is reported. In many instances the levels of diastereoselectivity are very high. Mechanistic points are inferred from spectroscopic observations.     

Dilute-and-shoot approach for determination of several biomarkers and pharmaceuticals in wastewater using nanoflow liquid chromatography – Orbitrap mass spectrometry

A new method for quantitative analysis of several biomarkers and pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater has been developed employing nanoflow liquid chromatography with Orbitrap mass spectrometry. An easy dilute-and-shoot approach has been used for sample preparation with a dilution factor of 5. Improved retention of ionic and highly polar compounds has been achieved by the addition of tetrabutylammonium bromide as an ion pair reagent into the final diluted sample. The new nanoflow liquid chromatography method has demonstrated low matrix effects (70%–111%), high sensitivity in terms of limits of quantification (0.005 to 0.3 μg/L), low injection volume (70 nl) and solvent consumption, and the ability to analyze diverse polar and ionic analytes within one run using a single reversed-phase nanoflow liquid chromatography column. Wastewater samples (n = 116) from the wastewater treatment plants of different cities in Latvia were analyzed using the developed method. The observed concentrations of biomarkers were in line with the literature data.     

Evaluation of selected buffers for simultaneous determination of ionic and acidic pesticides including glyphosate using anion exchange chromatography with mass spectrometric detection

Ion chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry is an established technique for determination of ionic analytes, however, sophisticated buffer removal equipment is required to eliminate inorganic compounds from the eluate before introduction into the ion source of mass spectrometer. A standard high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry setup using an ion exchange column (Metrosep® A Supp 5) is proposed as an alternative approach. For that reason, some buffers including non‐volatile carboxylic acid based solutions have been evaluated for simultaneous trace determination of ionic and acidic pesticides including glyphosate in the same extract without a need for sophisticated buffer removal equipment. Two differently designed ionisation sources were compared qualitatively for the application of non‐volatile buffers. The study revealed that the choice of buffers had a strong influence on matrix effects in case of spiked extract injections. Finally, pesticides with very different physicochemical properties (logP < 0, logP ≥ 0) and structures (containing carboxylate, phosphonate, azolide, azanide, phenolate, bromate, and chlorate moieties) were quantified in spiked beer and oat extracts with acceptable recoveries (80–110%) using tandem mass spectrometry detection with AB SCIEX QTRAP 5500 instrument after separation using edetate buffer.     

Investigation of synthetic hosts that model cation-pi sites found at protein binding domains

Small cyclophanes containing aromatic groups and dialkyl ammonium ions were created as model systems of the cation-pi complexes found at some protein binding domains. The hosts had different shapes in order to investigate the effect the arrangement of ammonium ions to aromatic surfaces has on their reactivity. pK(a) values of the hosts were substantially different in DMSO or (95/5) DMSO/D(2)O solutions, which showed that the ions existed in different environments of the hosts. Electrostatic charges, as determined by density functional calculations, revealed that the magnitude of a cationic charge depends on its position relative to an aromatic ring. Association constants of the hosts bound to the sodium salt of N-acetyl phenylalanine in d(6)-DMSO and in (95/5) d(6)-DMSO/D(2)O solutions were inversely proportional to the magnitude of the hosts' acidity constants. These results suggest that the magnitude of the positive charge for cationic groups of cation-pi complexes is reduced by being associated with electron-rich faces of aromatic rings. The aromatic rings, however, lessen the desolvation penalty that must be overcome for ligand binding, giving an overall more favorable association.     

Comparative Diels-Alder reactivities within a family of valence bond isomers: a biomimetic total synthesis of (+/-)-UCS1025A

A synthesis of the structurally fascinating fungal metabolite UCS1025A (1) was accomplished. It features a likely biomimetic approach to the octalin subunit via an intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) reaction of a putative triene precursor (2), preceded by an efficient construction of the bisheteratriquinane subunit within that compound. Specifically, an intramolecular silyl triflate-induced cyclization of an in situ-generated silyl ketene acetal onto an imide carbonyl group (e.g., 7 to 8) was developed. The IMDA relative reactivities of a family of valence bond isomers, each differing in the precise nature of the dienophilic subunit, were determined. Under biologically relevant conditions (D2O, pH 7.2 buffer, ca. 25 degrees C), triene 2, via its lactone ring-opened congener, underwent very fast (t1/2 = 10 min) conversion to the ring-opened forms of 1 (i.e., 5a) and the tetraepimeric, alternative endo-adduct, 3 [i.e., (tetraepi)-5a].     

Second harmonic generation in selenium-metal structures

Results of second harmonic (SH) generation in amorphous and crystalline selenium films and selenium-metal (Ga, Zn, In, Sb, Bi) sandwich structures induced by titan-sapphire femtosecond laser (wavelength λ – 690–1040 nm) are presented. It is found that the highest intensity of SH is provided by fundamental wave at wavelength 1000 nm and it reaches maximum in approximately 100 s. The intensity of transmitted SH depends on film thickness while that of reflected does not. The highest SH intensities in selenium-metal structures are provided by Se–Ga and Se–Zn films. A possible mechanism for central symmetry breaking in amorphous films also is proposed.     

Nanostructure formation on metal-chalcogenide surface using electron beam irradiation

In this letter, we demonstrate a method to form a nano-structured pattern on metal-chalcogenide sandwich like structures, using electron beam (EB) irradiation. After pointing EB at surface, we observed nano-dots and nano-lines formation on metal-chalcogenide (AgS, AgSe, CuS, CuSe) surface, considerably made of Ag or Cu, depending on metal in compound (Ag or Cu). This technique is based on the solid-state electrochemical reaction between EB and surface. Our results demonstrate repeatable metal structures with dimension of nanometers. As this process is carried out with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and does not require wet chemicals, it has potential for use as a simple metal patterning technique to fabricate functional structures and devices.     

Host-[2]rotaxanes as cellular transport agents

Host-[2]rotaxanes, containing a diarginine-derivatized dibenzo-24-crown-8 (DB24C8) ether as the ring and a cyclophane pocket or an aromatic cleft as one blocking group, are cell transport agents. These hosts strongly associate with a variety of amino acids, dipeptides, and fluorophores in water (1 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0), DMSO, and a 75/25 (v/v) buffer to DMSO solution. All peptidic guests in all solvent systems have association constants (K(A)'s) in the range of 1 x 10(4) to 5 x 10(4) M(-)(1), whereas the K(A) range for the fluorophores is 1 x 10(4) to 9 x 10(5) M(-)(1). Association constants for the cyclophane itself, cyclophane 3, are smaller. These values are in the 1 x 10(3) to 5 x 10(3) M(-)(1) range, which shows that the rotaxane architecture is advantageous for guest binding. Cyclophane-[2]rotaxane 1 efficiently transports fluorescein and a fluorescein-protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor into eukaryotic COS-7 cells, including the nucleus. Interestingly, cleft-[2]rotaxane 2 does not transport fluorescein as efficiently, even though the results from the fluorescence assays show that both [2]rotaxanes bind fluorescein with the same ability.     

Evaluation of various DFT protocols for computing 1H and 13C chemical shifts to distinguish stereoisomers: diastereomeric 2‐, 3‐, and 4‐methylcyclohexanols as a test set

¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts were measured for a set of six isomers—the cis and trans 2‐, 3‐, and 4‐methylcyclohexanols. ¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts were computed at the B3LYP, WP04, WC04, and PBE1 density functional levels for the same compounds, taking into account the Boltzmann distribution among conformational isomers (chair–chair forms and hydroxyl rotamers). The experimental versus computed chemical shift values for proton and carbon were compared and evaluated (using linear correlation (r²), total absolute error (|Δδ|_T), and mean unsigned error (MUE) criteria) with respect to the relative ability of each method to distinguish between cis and trans stereoisomers for each of the three constitutional isomers. For ¹³C shift data, results from the B3LYP and PBE1 density functionals were not sufficiently accurate to distinguish all three pairs of stereoisomers, while results using the WC04 functional did do so. For ¹H shift data, each of the WP04, B3LYP, and PBE1 methods was sufficiently accurate to make the proper stereochemical distinction for each of the three pairs. Applying a linear correction to the computed data improved both the absolute accuracy and the degree of discrimination for most of the methods. The nature of the cavity definition used for continuum solvation had little effect. Overall, use of proton chemical shift data was more discriminating than use of carbon data. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analytical method for the determination of sterigmatocystin in grains using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray positive ionization

A sensitive LC-electrospray positive ionization (ESI+) MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination of the Aspergillus mycotoxin, sterigmatocystin, in grains at levels down to less than 0.5 microg/kg. Recovery was found to be greater than 97% for wheat grains.