One-step synthesis of 4-aminodihydrobenzofurans and 4-hydroxyindoles via dehydrogenation-heteromercuration of 2-alyl-3-aminocyclohexenones using mercury(II) acetate

On treatment of the 2-allyl-3-aminocyclohexenones with mercury(II) acetate, either sequence, dehydrogenation—oxymercuration or dehydrogenation—aminomercuration, occurred depending on the nature of the amino group in the substrate to yield the dihydrobenzofurans or indoles, respectively.     

A novel technique for detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms by analyzing consumed allele-specific primers

We present a simple and rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technique, termed consumed allele-specific primer analysis (CASPA), as a new strategy for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. The method involves the use of labeled allele-specific primers, differing in length, with several noncomplementary nucleotides added in the 5'-terminal region. After PCR amplification, the amounts of the remaining primers not incorporated into the PCR products are determined. Thus, nucleotide substitutions are identified by measuring the consumption of primers. In this study, the CASPA method was successfully applied to ABO genotyping. In the present method, the allele-specific primer only anneals with the target polymorphic site on the DNA, so it is not necessary to analyze the PCR products. Therefore, this method is only little affected by modification of the PCR products. The CASPA method is expected to be a useful tool for typing of SNPs.     

A new biodegradable polydepsipeptide microsphere for application in drug delivery systems

A sequential polydepsipeptide containing a tripeptide sequence L-alanyl-Lalanyl-ethyl L-glutamyl and an-hydroxy acid L-lactic acid, poly(Ala-Ala-Glu(OEt)-Lac), was synthesized to prepare the microspherical particles by the solvent evaporation process. In this case, the solvents play the most important role for the preparation of polydepsipeptide microspheres and, as an example, when 200 mg of the polydepsipeptide dissolved in 10 ml of 98/2% chloroform/dichloroacetic acid mixture was stirred at 400 rpm and 30 C, the microspherical particles with mean diameter of 58m were formed after pouring into 200 ml of 1% (w/v) poly(vinyl alcohol) solution. 17-Estradiol was incorporated into the particles, and the resulting particles were found to contain 5 mg of drug per 25 mg of the particle. The in vivo release of drug from the microspherical formulation was evaluated by measuring the pharmacological influence on rat prostate. It was found that the sufficient amount of drug, keeping the effective pharmacological influence, is supplied during the first 12-week period, followed by an incomplete supplying of drug intil the implant is perfectly degraded in vivo in the 25th week from the start of implantation.     

Multiplex amplified product-length polymorphism analysis of 36 mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms for haplogrouping of East Asian populations

We present a reliable, rapid, and economical multiplex amplified product-length polymorphism (APLP) method for analyzing the haplogroup-diagnostic mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms (mtSNPs) in East Asian populations. By examining only 36 haplogroup-specific mtSNPs in the coding region by using four 9-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequent electrophoresis, we could safely assign 1815 individuals from 8 populations of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Germans to 45 relevant haplogroups. This multiplex APLP analysis of coding-region mtSNPs for haplogrouping is especially useful not only for molecular phylogenetic studies but also for large-scale association studies due to its rapid and economical nature. This is the first panel of mtSNPs in the coding region to be used for haplogrouping of East Asian populations.     

Cobaltporphyrin‐adsorbed carbon black: highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

meso‐Substituted cobalt porphyrins adsorbed on carbon black were prepared as catalysts for the electroreduction of O₂. The catalyst, which was prepared by using a homogenizer in mixing cobalt tetraethylporphyrin and carbon black, gave rise to electroreduction of O₂ at a remarkably positive potential (E_p = 0.45 V versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE)) and showed a high selectively for the four‐electron reduction (n = 3.8). Electrochemical study and extended X‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis revealed that the adsorbed face‐to‐face dimeric aggregates of cobalt porphyrin molecules were highly efficient catalysts for electroreduction of O₂. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient esterification of carboxylic acids and phosphonic acids with trialkyl orthoacetate in ionic liquid

An operationally simple, inexpensive, efficient, and environmentally friendly esterification of various carboxylic acids, phosphonic acids, and phosphinic acids with triethyl orthoacetate or trimethyl orthoacetate under neutral conditions in a typical room temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, was successfully carried out to provide the corresponding ethyl esters or methyl esters in high yields.     

Halogen derivatives of m-phenylene(carbeno)nitrene: a switch in ground-state multiplicity

m-Phenylene-coupled carbenonitrenes [(3-nitrenophenyl)methylene (2-H), (3-nitrenophenyl)fluoromethylene (2-F), (3-nitrenophenyl)chloromethylene (2-Cl), (3-nitrenophenyl)bromomethylene (2-Br)] have been investigated computationally (with B3LYP, MCSCF, CASPT2, ROMP2, and QCISD(T) methods) and experimentally (with IR, UV, and ESR spectroscopy). For each species, five electronic states were considered. At the highest level of theory explored, the parent compound (2-H) has a quintet ground state, but its halogen derivatives (2-X, X = F, Cl, and Br) have triplet ground states. A linear relationship between the Q[bond]T energy gap of 2-X and the T-S gap of the corresponding phenylcarbenes 8-X is found, which can be helpful in rationalizing and predicting ground-state multiplicities in m-phenylene-linked carbenonitrenes and similar species. Precursors for the photochemical generation of 2-X (X = H, F, Cl, and Br) were synthesized and photolyzed in matrixes (Ar, triacetin) at low temperatures. IR (Ar, 13 K) and ESR (triacetin, 77 K) data are compatible with the generation of triplet halocarbenonitrenes 2-X, (X = F, Cl, and Br). All four compounds upon further irradiation undergo isomerization to substituted cyclopropenes 5-X (X = H, F, Cl, and Br), as suggested by their IR spectra.