Cu(II)-catalyzed enantioselective aldol condensation between malonic acid hemithioesters and aldehydes

A mild, decarboxylative, aldol-type addition of malonic acid hemithioesters to aldehydes has been shown to occur with up to 39% enantioselectivity when the reaction was carried out in the presence of catalytic amounts of a Cu(II) salt, an enantiopure, tartaric acid-derived bis-benzimidazole and an achiral base.     

Structure factors calculated from molecular wavefunctions. II. Analysis of the molecular charge distribution in diborane

The electron density distribution in the crystal of diborane has been determined using structure factors based on molecular densities. The libration-correction and third-cumulant terms have also been included in the expression for the temperature factor. The equilibrium r_e values for BH bond lengths obtained by this treatment are about 0.02Åshorter than the spectroscopic ones. A total librational motion of the diborane molecule is determined: the root-mean-square oscillations about inertial axis are 11.0° (8), 9.6° (5) and 7.2° (5), respectively. The dynamic theoretical deformation density shows a three-center BHB bond picture for the bridge structure.     

Another aromaticity vs non-aromaticity dilemma: The structure of anti-1,6:8,13-biscarbonyl [14]annulene

The X-ray crystal structure determination of anti-1,6:8,13-bis-carbonyl [14] annulene (1) is described. The structure has been solved by direct methods and refined to an R of 0.046 for 1074 reflections with I > 2σ(I). The molecular structure of 1 appears to be aromatic, at least from geometrical parameters. This is in contrast with the great tendency of the compound to polymerize and also with the structure of the anti-bridged [14]annulenes previously studied, having polyenic character. It is possible that the geometry of the compound appears to be ‘aromatic’ due to disorder in the crystal.     

Determination of the coumarin derivative cloricromene acid in rabbit plasma and platelets.

Two methods for the determination of cloricromene acid in biological samples are described. Cloricromene acid is a catabolite of cloricromene, a coumarin derivative which is active in the cardiovascular system. After oral administration of cloricromene to a rabbit, plasma and platelets were taken at different times and cloricromene acid was then isolated by solid-phase extraction with Sep-Pak C18 cartridges using acetonitrile-tetrahydrofuran-20% aqueous acetic acid (15:11:74, v/v/v) as eluent. The analyses were performed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) combined with fluorescence detection with excitation at 310 nm and emission at 390 nm. The limit of quantification by RP-HPLC was about 50 pg. The catabolite in the plasma was identified by continuous-flow fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (CF-FAB-MS), also used as a complementary means of RP-HPLC determination. The results obtained by RP-HPLC and CF-FAB-MS showed good agreement.