Convenient synthesis of alkoxyhalosilanes from hydrosilanes

Selective dehydrogenative coupling of di- and trihydrosilanes with alcohols catalyzed by PdCl₂ or NiCl₂ afforded alkoxyhydro- and dialkoxyhydrosilanes in good yield. Further treatment of the resulting alkoxyhydrosilanes with carbon tetrachloride or allyl bromide in the presence of the same catalyst led to the formation of alkoxychloro- and alkoxybromosilanes, respectively. Similar reactions of dialkoxyhydrosilanes with carbon tetrachloride afforded dialkoxychlorosilanes in good yield, although contamination of small amounts of trialkoxysilanes and alkoxydichlorosilanes was detected in the products. Selective substitution of the alkoxyhalosilanes with nucleophiles is also reported.     

Determination of midodrine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

A simple and sensitive fluorometric high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of midodrine in human plasma. After liquid-liquid extraction from plasma, the drug and 2-phenylglycinol (internal standard) were convened into the corresponding fluorescent derivatives by reaction with 3,4-dihydro-6,7-dimethoxy-4-methyl-3-oxoquinoxaline-2-carbonyl chloride, a fluorescence derivatization reagent for amines. The derivatives were separated within 30 min on a reversed-phase column using isocratic elution with acetonitrile-methanol-water (10:30:60, v/v) and were detected spectrofluorometrically at 485 nm with excitation at 400 nm. The detection limit for midodrine was 0.3 pmol (76 pg) per mL plasma at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.     

The biosynthesis of broussonetines: origin of the carbon skeleton

Broussonetines are glycosidase-inhibitory alkaloids obtained from Broussonetia kazinoki. Feeding experiments using [1-13C]glucose and 13C-NMR spectroscopic studies showed that broussonetines are biosynthesized through routes similar to those of sphingosine and phytosphingosine.     

Stereoselective synthesis of procyanidin B3-3-O-gallate and 3,3″-di-O-gallate, and their abilities as antioxidant and DNA polymerase inhibitor

A simple method for the synthesis of procyanidin B3 substituted with a galloyl group at the 3 and 3″ position is described. Condensation of a benzylated catechin-3-O-gallate electrophile with a nucleophile, catechin and catechin-3-O-gallate, proceeded smoothly and stereoselectively to afford the corresponding dimer gallates, procyanidin B3-3-O-gallate and procyanidin B3-3,3″-di-O-gallate, in good yields. Further, their antioxidant activities on UV-induced lipid peroxide formation, DPPH radical scavenging activity and inhibitory activity of DNA polymerase were also investigated. Among three procyanidin B3 congeners (procyanidin B3, 3-O-gallate and 3,3″-di-O-gallate), the 3,3″-di-O-gallate derivative showed the strongest antioxidant and radical scavenging activity. Interestingly, the 3-O-gallate derivative was the strongest inhibitor of mammalian DNA polymerase with IC₅₀ value of 0.26 μM, although it showed the weakest antioxidant and radical scavenging activity. It became apparent that the presence of a galloyl group at the C-3 position in the proanthocyanidin oligomer was very important for biological activity, however, the antioxidant activity of these compounds was not parallel to the DNA polymerase inhibitory activity.     

Dioxopyrrolines. LXII. Diels-Alder reaction of 1-Aryl-4- and 5-methoxycarbonyl-1H-pyrrole-2,3-diones with various 1,3-dienes

Two new dioxopyrrolines (1-aryl-4-methoxycarbonyl-1H-pyrrole-2,3-dione 6 and the 5-methoxycarbonyl isomer 8) behaved as good dienophiles to some kind of 1,3-dienes examined. In most cases, the products were explained by the reaction where the largest lobe of HOMO of dienes reacted to the larger LUMO of dienophiles in an expected cis-endo manner. However, in the reactions of 8 with alkylbutadienes, piperylene and isoprene, abnormality in the reaction was observed, which was well explained by taking account of steric factors.     

Binding of methyl orange and its homologs by powdered nylon 612: Peculiar temperature dependence on the binding

The ability of powdered Nylon 612 to bind methyl orange, ethyl orange, propyl orange, and butyl orange was investigated at 5, 15, 25 and 35°C in an aqueous solution. The amount of binding of the dye is much higher with this polyamide than with powdered Nylon 66 reported previously,¹ although the former polymer has fewer amide end groups. The Van't Hoff plots of the first binding constant for the binding of butyl orange and propyl orange by powdered Nylon 612 exhibit a bell-shaped curve, whereas the plots for methyl orange and ethyl orange do not. Maximal binding occurs at approximately 15°C for propyl orange and at about 25°C for butyl orange. This is the first instance where the peculiar temperature dependence of the binding constant has been found in the binding of propyl orange, whose hydrophobicity is less than that of butyl orange. These tendencies can be accounted for in terms of increased hydrophobic of butyl orange. These tendencies can be accounted for in terms of increased hydrophobic domains in powdered Nylon 612 and enhanced hydrophobic contributions in the binding process.     

Phase behavior of sucrose monoalkanoate in a water-long-chain alcohol system

Phase diagram of a water/sucrose monododecanoate (SE)/hexanol system was determined at 30°C. Aqueous micellar, reverse micellar, normal hexagonal liquid crystalline, and lamellar liquid crystalline phases appear in the phase diagram. The change in interlayer spacing and interfacial section area of surfactant in the liquid crystalline phases was investigated by small-angle x-ray scattering. Upon addition of water, the section area and the radius of cylindrical aggregates are almost constant in a hexagonal liquid crystal, whereas the distance between each cylinder is separated on the water-SE axis. The interlayer spacing slightly decreases or is almost unchanged on the surfactant-hexanol axis, because alcohol molecules penetrate into the palisade of bilayers. Although the average section area decreases with increasing alcohol content, each section area of SE and alcohol molecules are kept constant. Since the interfacial section area of alcohol is less than the section area of hydrocarbon chain, the phase transition from lamellar liquid crystal to reverse micelle occurs in an alcohol-rich region.     

Optical oxygen sensor based on fluorescence change of pyrene-1-butyric acid chemisorption film on an anodic oxidation aluminium plate

An optical oxygen-sensing material based on the fluorescence intensity changes of pyrene-1-butyric acid (PBA) chemisorption film has been developed and characterised. The fluorescence intensity of PBA film decreased with increase of oxygen concentration. The I₀/I₁₀₀ value of PBA film is estimated to be 6.14±0.15 and large Stern-Volmer constant (K_SV=0.028±0.13 Torr⁻¹) is obtained. After irradiation for 24 h with 150 W tungsten lamp, little changes of oxygen-sensing properties were observed. These results indicate that PBA film is highly oxygen-sensitive and photostability device. The response times of the PBA chemisorption film were 10.0 s for switching from argon to oxygen, and 53.0 s for switching from oxygen to argon. Moreover, the optical sensor based on the PBA chemisorption film was applied to the measurement of oxygen concentration in aqueous solution.