Phosphorous NMR Analysis and Activity of Chiral BINAP-Silver Complexes.

Chiral Ag-atropisomeric ligand species were studied in solution at different temperatures by 31 P-NMR spectroscopy. The analysis and understanding of key parameters in Ag-BINAP complexes were considered in the context of an enantioselective transformation. An efficient silver-catalyzed intramolecular [4+2] cycloaddition reaction of amide-1,6-enyne provided an enantiomerically enriched tricyclic compound using simple reagents and under mild reaction conditions.

Diastereoselective Double C-H Functionalization of Chiral Ferrocenes with Heteroaromatics.

Diastereoselective double C-H heteroarylation of chiral ferrocenes provides valuable compounds with multiple functionalities using mild reaction conditions and simple reagents. Pd-Complexes with chiral mono-protected amino acids afforded corresponding heteroarylated ferrocenyl amines in good yields and high diastereomeric purities. In this way, a variety of indole, thiophene, pyrrole, or furan substituents were introduced to the ferrocene moiety. Furthermore, a range of relevant functional groups, for example ketone, ester, chloro, nitro, or silyl, are tolerated by this method. An alternative combination of amino acid and ferrocenyl amine configurations was leveraged to provide the complementary diastereomeric products. The products of C-H heteroarylation can be transformed into corresponding phosphines. Absolute configurations of CH-activation products were confirmed by the combination of X-ray crystallographic analysis and CD spectroscopy. 19 F NMR kinetic study and DFT calculations provided insights into the reaction mechanism and reasons governing stereoinduction.

Application of mini-MLST and whole genome sequencing in low diversity hospital extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae population.

Studying bacterial population diversity is important to understand healthcare associated infections' epidemiology and has a significant impact on dealing with multidrug resistant bacterial outbreaks. We characterised the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing K. pneumoniae (ESBLp KPN) population in our hospital using mini-MLST. Then we used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to compare selected isolates belonging to the most prevalent melting types (MelTs) and the colonization/infection pair isolates collected from one patient to study the ESBLp KPN population's genetic diversity. A total of 922 ESBLp KPN isolates collected between 7/2016 and 5/2018 were divided into 38 MelTs using mini-MLST with only 6 MelTs forming 82.8% of all isolates. For WGS, 14 isolates from the most prominent MelTs collected in the monitored period and 10 isolates belonging to the same MelTs collected in our hospital in 2014 were randomly selected. Resistome, virulome and ST were MelT specific and stable over time. A maximum of 23 SNV per core genome and 58 SNV per core and accessory genome were found. To determine the SNV relatedness cut-off values, 22 isolates representing colonization/infection pair samples obtained from 11 different patients were analysed by WGS with a maximum of 22 SNV in the core genome and 40 SNV in the core and accessory genome within pairs. The mini-MLST showed its potential for real-time epidemiology in clinical practice. However, for outbreak evaluation in a low diversity bacterial population, mini-MLST should be combined with more sensitive methods like WGS. Our findings showed there were only minimal differences within the core and accessory genome in the low diversity hospital population and gene based SNV analysis does not have enough discriminatory power to differentiate isolate relatedness. Thus, intergenic regions and mobile elements should be incorporated into the analysis scheme to increase discriminatory power.

Diastereoselective Pd-Catalyzed C-H Arylation of Ferrocenylmethanamines with Arylboronic Acids or Pinacol Esters.

An efficient diastereoselective synthesis of planar chiral ferrocenes via Pd(II)-catalyzed direct C-H activation with arylboronic acids or pinacol esters is presented. The reaction was performed under mild conditions using commercially available achiral or chiral amino acids as ligands. The best results were obtained with ( R)-Boc-alanine, which yielded products in 27-83% yield with diastereoselectivities ranging from 5:1 to 20:1 (11 examples). Diastereoisomeric products can also be obtained using ( S)-Boc-alanine as a ligand. Stereoinduction of the reaction was explained by density functional theory calculations of possible transition states.

Preparation of Substituted 2H-Pyrans via a Cascade Reaction from Methyl Coumalate and Activated Methylene Nucleophiles.

The reaction of methyl coumalate with a wide range of methylene active compounds, such as keto-esters or keto-sulfones and cyclic or acyclic diketones, afforded more than 30 2,3,5,6-tetrasubstituted 2H-pyrans. The reaction proceeds via a cascade reaction involving a Michael addition-6π-electrocyclic ring opening-proton transfer and 6π electrocyclization, in which a variety of functional groups were tolerated.

Copper(II) complexes with new fluoroquinolones: Synthesis, structure, spectroscopic and theoretical study, DNA damage, cytotoxicity and antiviral activity.

Copper(II) complexes with fluoroquinolones in the presence of the nitrogen donor heterocyclic ligands 1,10-phenanthroline have been considered in detail. The phenanthroline moiety was introduced into the ligand environment with the aim to determine whether the nuclease activity is feasible. All suitable X-ray structures of the complexes under study reveal a distorted square pyramidal coordination geometry for Cu(II) atom. The conformational and spectroscopic (FT-IR and UV-visible) behavior has been analyzed and has been interpreted with respect to B3LYP/6-311G* calculations including molecular dynamics. The ability of the complexes to cleave DNA was studied by agarose gel electrophoresis with plasmid DNA pBSK+. The results have confirmed that the complexes under study behave as the chemical nucleases. Nuclease like activity in the absence of hydrogen peroxide allows us to deduce an interaction of the complexes with the DNA resulting in the conversion of supercoiled circular DNA to the nicked form. The DNA cleavage activity enhanced by the presence of hydrogen peroxide demonstrates the participation of reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide radical anions and hydroxyl radicals which presence was confirmed independently using the standard radical scavenging agents. It has been suggested that the radical formation through the Fenton/Haber-Weiss reaction is mediated by the redox cycling mechanisms with the participation of cupric/cuprous ions. Cytotoxic activity was evaluated as the 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50). The potential effects of tested compounds on replication of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) under in vitro conditions were also evaluated. However, no antiviral activity against MHV-68 was observed.

Conformational, spectroscopic, and molecular dynamics DFT study of precursors for new potential antibacterial fluoroquinolone drugs.

Biological activity, functionality, and synthesis of (fluoro)quinolones is closely related to their precursors (for instance 3-fluoroanilinoethylene derivatives) (i.e., their functional groups, conformational behavior, and/or electronic structure). Herein, the theoretical study of 3-fluoroanilinoethylene derivatives is presented. Impact of substituents (acetyl, methyl ester, and ethyl ester) on the conformational analysis and the spectral behavior is investigated. The B3LYP/6-311++G** computational protocol is utilized. It is found that the intramolecular hydrogen bond N-H···O is responsible for the energetic preference of anti (a) conformer (anti position of 3-fluoroanilino group with respect to the C═C double bond). The Boltzmann ratios of the conformers are related to the differences of the particular dipole moments and/or their dependence on the solvent polarity. The studied acetyl, ethyl ester, and methyl ester substituted fluoroquinolone precursors prefer in the solvent either EZa, ZZa, or both conformers equally, respectively. In order to understand the degree of freedom of rotation of the trans ethyl ester group, B3LYP/6-311G** molecular dynamic simulations were carried out. Vibrational frequencies, electron transitions, as well as NMR spectra are analyzed with respect to conformational analysis, including the effect of the substituent. X-ray structures of the precursors are presented and compared with the results of the conformational analysis.

Ethyl 1-ethyl-7-fluoro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylate: X-ray and DFT studies.

The basic building unit in the structure of the title compound, C(14)H(14)FNO(3), is pairs of molecules arranged in an antiparallel fashion, enabling weak C-H···O interactions. Each molecule is additionally involved in π-π interactions with neighbouring molecules. The pairs of molecules formed by the C-H···O hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions form ribbon-like chains running along the c axis. Theoretical calculations based on these pairs showed that, although the main intermolecular interaction is electrostatic, it is almost completely compensated by an exchange-repulsion contribution to the total energy. As a consequence, the dominating force is a dispersion interaction. The F atoms form weak C-F···H-C interactions with the H atoms of the neighbouring ethyl groups, with H···F separations in the range 2.59-2.80 Å.

2-{[(3-Fluorophenyl)amino]methylidene}-3-oxobutanenitrile and 5-{[(3-fluorophenyl)amino]methylidene}-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione: X-ray and DFT studies.

In the crystal structures of the title compounds, C(11)H(9)FN(2)O, (I), and C(13)H(12)FNO(4), (II), the molecules are joined pairwise via different hydrogen bonds and the constituent pairs are crosslinked by weak C-H...O hydrogen bonds. The basic structural motif in (I), which is partially disordered, comprises pairs of molecules arranged in an antiparallel fashion which enables C-H...N[triple bond]C interactions. The pairs of molecules are crosslinked by two weak C-H...O hydrogen bonds. The constituent pair in (II) is formed by intramolecular bifurcated C-H...O/O' and combined inter- and intramolecular N-H...O hydrogen bonds. In both structures, F atoms form weak C-F...H-C interactions with the H atoms of the two neighbouring methyl groups, the H...F separations being 2.59/2.80 and 2.63/2.71 A in (I) and (II), respectively. The bond orders in the molecules, estimated using the natural bond orbitals (NBO) formalism, correlate with the changes in bond lengths. Deviations from the ideal molecular geometry are explained by the concept of non-equivalent hybrid orbitals. The existence of possible conformers of (I) and (II) is analysed by molecular calculations at the B3LYP/6-31+G** level of theory.