Temperature-Responsiveness of A-B-A Block Telomers at Solid-Liquid Interfaces

Macroinitiators were prepared by coupling disuccinimidyl ester of 4,4'-azobis(cyanovaleric acid) with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PIPA), which had an amino group at its end. Styrene was telomerized with the initiators in THF. When the styrene content in the A-B-A block telomer obtained (PIPA-b-PSt-b-PIPA) was high, the telomer formed an irreversible aggregation resulting in microspheres, whereas the telomer with a much shorter styrene block could be dispersed monomolecularly. The telomers dispersed in water were aggregated by raising the temperature above 32 degrees C due to a coil-globule transition of PIPA moieties. The PIPA-b-PSt-b-PIPA could be strongly adsorbed to polystyrene (PSt) solid surfaces to form a layer, and the PSt blocks might lay on the PSt surface and the PIPA blocks might direct to the solution phase. The contact angle of air bubbles on the surface of telomer-coated PSt in the air-in-water system was dependent on temperature; that is, with the increase in temperature the contact angle of air bubbles largely decreased and leveled off above the coil-globule transition temperature (Tc). Correspondingly, the amount of protein Concanavalin A adsorbed to the telomer layer deposited on the PSt surface increased gradually with an increase in temperature and leveled off above the Tc. These phenomena were attributed to the changes in hydrophobicity of the telomer layer below and above the Tc. The usefulness of macroinitiators in preparing various kinds of block telomers which have responsiveness to external stimuli was strongly suggested. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Preparation of Titania from Tetrakis(diethylamino)titanium via Hydrolysis

The conversion of tetrakis(diethylamino)titanium (Ti(NEt₂)₄) into titania via either a combination of hydrolysis (Ti(NEt₂)₄ : THF : H₂O = 1 : 10 : x, x = 2, 4, 10) at ambient conditions and calcination (method A) or hydrolysis in a water-tetrahydrofuran (THF) mixture (Ti(NEt₂)₄ : THF : H₂O = 1 : 10 : 100) at reflux (method B) was investigated. Titanium tertiary butoxide (Ti(O ^t Bu)₄) was also used as a substitute for Ti(NEt₂)₄. The hydrolysis via method A resulted in the formation of amorphous solids containing organics. Thermal analyses showed that the hydrolysis products showed mass losses up to 500°C probably due to the presence of diethylamine (Et₂NH) formed via the hydrolysis of Ti(NEt₂)₄ in the hydrolysis products, while a mass loss of the hydrolysis product from Ti(O ^t Bu)₄ was completed up to about 200°C. After calcination at 600°C, anatase or a mixture of anatase and rutile was obtained. The crystallization behavior of the hydrolysis products from Ti(NEt₂)₄ was different from that of the hydrolysis product from Ti(O ^t Bu)₄. The hydrolysis via method B gave only an amorphous material from Ti(NEt₂)₄, while a crystalline titania (anatase and brookite) formed from Ti(O ^t Bu)₄.     

Studies on macrolide antibiotics I. Synthesis and antibacterial activity of erythromycin A 9-O-substituted oxime ether derivatives against Mycobacterium avium complex

A series of erythromycin A 9-O-substituted oxime ether derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and Staphylococcus aureus. These compounds possessed stronger in vitro activity against MAC including macrolide-resistant strains than clarithromycin (2), although in vitro antibacterial activities of these compounds were less than that of 2 against Staphylococcus aureus. Our studies found that several factors contribute to the antibacterial activity against MAC. The length and spatial orientation of the substituent at 9-position were found to significantly influenced the anti-MAC activity, especially against macrolide-resistant strains. Of all the compounds prepared, erythromycin A 9-[O-(4-phenylbutyl)oxime] (12q) and erythromycin A 9-[O-(3-phenoxypropyl)oxime] (12t) possessed 16 times stronger antibacterial activity than 2 against clarithromycin-resistant strains. Surprisingly, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 12q and 12t against the resistant strains were almost same as those against the susceptible strains. These results suggest that the erythromycin A 9-O-substituted oxime ether derivatives would be promising macrolide antibiotics.     

Synthesis of 4-unsubstituted dihydropyrimidines. Nucleophilic substitution at position-2 of dihydropyrimidines

Synthesis of novel 4-unsubstituted dihydropyrimidines (DPs) was performed. Subsequently, a variety of 4-unsubstituted 1,4(3,4)-DPs with amino moieties at position-2 were obtained in excellent yields by activation of position-2 owing to regioselective alkoxycarbonylation at position-3 of the DP skeleton. 3-Oxo-2-phenyl-2,3,5,8-tetrahydro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidine was obtained using phenylhydrazine instead of amines. Individual tautomers of 1,4(3,4)-DP were observed in the ¹H NMR spectra of one derivative depending on temperature and concentration. On the other hand, only 1,4-DP was found in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray crystallography.     

The primary fragmentation step of isoxazole upon electron impact. A correlation with photochemistry

Three isomeric compounds, I, II and III, were prepared and their mass spectra recorded. Comparisons of the spectra showed that the fragmentation of I proceeds only by way of II, and that II itself is transformed in part to III upon electron impact. It is suggested that selective ionization of each one of the two isolated functional groups in II may afford two isomeric radical ions, IIa and IIb. A possible interrelation to the photochemistry of these compounds is also discussed.     

Intra‐ and intermolecular amidation of C?C unsaturated bonds through palladium‐catalyzed reactions of carbamoyl derivatives

Toward concise access to functionalized amides and lactams, palladium‐catalyzed amidations of alkynes and alkenes with formamide derivatives were developed. Cyanoformamides having an alkynyl group were found to undergo intermolecular cyanoamidation in the presence of palladium catalyst to afford α‐alkylidene lactams. Whereas, when cyanoformamides that possess a 1,1‐disubstituted alkenyl group were used as starting materials, α,α‐disubstituted lactams were obtained. The latter reaction was extended to enantioselective transformation by utilizing optically active phosphoramidites as ligand. Furthermore, chloroformamides having a 1,1,2‐trisubsituted alkenyl group were found to give α‐vinyl‐lactams in the presence of palladium catalyst, base and silver salt. Additionally, formal intermolecular hydroamidation of alkenes was performed through one‐pot hydroboration‐carbamoylation sequence. © 2008 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 8: 386–394; 2008: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20159     

Concise synthesis of the CDE ring system of tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids using carbophilic Lewis acid-catalyzed hydroamidation and oxidative Friedel-Crafts cyclization

A concise synthesis of the CDE ring system of the tetrahydroisoquinoline antitumor alkaloids such as saframycins, renieramycins, and ecteinascidins has been developed. Both Au(I)-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamidation of alkynylamide and NBS-mediated oxidative Friedel-Crafts cyclization of the resulting 2-ketopiperazine were utilized as key reactions.     

One-pot amidation of olefins through Pd-catalyzed coupling of alkylboranes and carbamoyl chlorides

A one-pot synthesis of C1-elongated amides starting from olefins and carbamoyl chlorides has been developed. Alkylboranes, generated by hydroboration of terminal olefins with 9-BBN-H, underwent smooth coupling with carbamoyl chlorides in the presence of palladium catalyst and Cs2CO3.     

Endogenous synthesis of N-methylsalsolinol, an analogue of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, in rat brain during in vivo microdialysis with salsolinol, as demonstrated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

N-Methylsalsolinol, an analogue of 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, is present in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease. To determine the metabolic pathway for the synthesis of N-Methylsalsolinol in the brain, salsolinol was perfused through the striatum or the substantia nigra of the rat brain by in vivo microdialysis. N-Methylsalsolinol was detected in the brain dialysate samples during microdialysis with salsolinol using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring. These results demonstrate that endogenous N-methylation of salsolinol into N-methylsalsolinol occurs in the brain in vivo.