Vanadium-catalyzed asymmetric oxidation of alpha-hydroxy esters using molecular oxygen as stoichiometric oxidant

A vanadium-catalyzed method for the oxidative kinetic resolution of alpha-hydroxyesters, using oxygen as the terminal oxidant, is described. The catalyst is generated in situ from vanadium(V) tri-iso-propoxyoxide in combination with a tridentate ligand derived from 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylaldehyde and (S)-tert-leucinol. The reaction allows for the enantioselective synthesis of both aromatic and aliphatic secondary alcohols, including those containing olefins and alkynes.     

Subwavelength Focusing of Light Reflected from a Silver Surface with a Periodic Structure

JETP Letters - It is demonstrated that the reflection of light from the surface of silver with a periodic structure in the form of a one-dimensional grating can lead to subwavelength focusing of...     

A Re(V)-catalyzed C-N bond-forming route to human lipoxygenase inhibitors

[reaction: see text] A regioselective synthesis of propargylamines by the coupling of propargyl alcohols with tosylamines and carbamates catalyzed by an air- and moisture-tolerant rhenium-oxo complex is described. The ability to couple functionalized components allows for convergent approaches to nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds such as the marine antibiotic pentabromopseudilin. These compounds were assayed against human lipoxygenase and found to be both potent and selective.