Vibrational spectra, quantum chemical calculations and spectral assignments of 1,1-difluoro-1-silacyclohexane.

Raman spectra of 1,1-difluoro-1-silacyclohexane as a liquid, and as a solid at 78 K were recorded and depolarization data obtained. The infrared spectra of the vapour, liquid and amorphous and crystalline solids have been studied. In the low temperature IR and Raman spectra eight and three bands, respectively, were shifted a few cm(-1) when the sample crystallized. No bands vanished after crystallization in agreement with the assumption that only one conformer (chair) was present in all the states of aggregation. The compound exists in the stable chair conformation, whereas in the parent silacyclohexane a possible twist form should have more than 15 kJ mol(-1) higher energies than the chair, as derived from various calculations. The wavenumbers of the vibrational modes were calculated in the harmonic and anharmonic approximation employing B3LYP/cc-pVTZ calculations. The 27 A' and 21 A″ fundamentals were assigned on the basis of the calculations, infrared vapour contours, Raman depolarization measurements and infrared and Raman band intensities. An average, relative deviation of 1.5% was found between the observed and the anharmonic wavenumbers for the 48 modes.

Structure and conformation studies from temperature dependent infrared spectra of xenon solutions and ab initio calculations of cyclobutylgermane.

The infrared spectra (3500-220 cm(-1)) of cyclobutylgermane, c-C(4)H(7)GeH(3) have been recorded of the gas. Also variable temperature (-65 to -100 °C) studies of the infrared spectra (3500-400 cm(-1)) of the sample dissolved in liquid xenon were recorded and both the equatorial and axial conformers were identified. The enthalpy difference has been determined from 10 band pairs 8 temperatures to give 112 ± 11 cm(-1) (1.34 ± 0.13 kJ mol(-1)) with the equatorial conformer the more stable form. The percentage of the axial conformer present at ambient temperature is estimated to be 37 ± 1%. From ab initio calculations conformational stabilities have been predicted from both MP2(full) and density functional theory calculations from a variety of basic sets. The r(0) structure parameters have been obtained for both conformers from the previously reported rotational constants from the three isotopologues. The determined heavy atom distances for the equatorial [axial] form are (Å) Ge-C(α)=1.952(3) [1.950(3)], [Formula: see text] , [Formula: see text] [1.551(3)] and angles in degrees (°) ∠GeC(α)C(ß)=118.6(5) [113.4(5)], [Formula: see text] , ∠C(α)C(ß)C(γ)=87.8(5) [88.8(5)], [Formula: see text] and a puckering angle of 29.1(5) [25.1(5)]. Data from ab initio calculations were used to predict vibrational harmonic force constants, fundamental wavenumbers, infrared intensities, Raman activities and depolarization ratios for both conformers. The results are compared to the corresponding properties of some related molecules.

Studies of microwave-enhanced Suzuki-Miyaura vinylation of electron-rich sterically hindered substrates utilizing potassium vinyltrifluoroborate.

The Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of sterically hindered and electron-rich ortho,ortho'-substituted aryl halides with potassium vinyltrifluoroborate utilizing microwave irradiation has been conducted while adjusting solvent ratio, irradiation time, and catalyst loading to find optimal conditions. Coupling of benzyl 3,5-bis(benzyloxy)-4-bromobenzoate leads to a mixture of the desired styrene derivative, and the reduced product. 4-Bromo-1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene, methyl 4-bromo-3,5-dimethoxybenzoate, and mesitylene bromide were also coupled to test the breadth and scope of this methodology. Of these substrates tested only 4-bromo-1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene was not vinylated successfully, which is believed to be due to the electron rich nature of this system.

Synthesis and protein degradation capacity of photoactivated enediynes.

[structure: see text] The viability of proteins as targets of thermally and photoactivated enediynes has been confirmed at the molecular level. Model studies using a labeled substrate confirmed the efficacy of atom transfer from diyl radicals produced from enediynes to form captodatively stabilized carbon centered aminoacyl radicals, which then undergo either fragmentation or dimerization. To exploit this finding, a family of enediynes was developed using an intramolecular coupling strategy. Derivatives were prepared and used to target specific proteins, showing good correlation between affinity and photoinduced protein degrading activity. The findings have potential applications in the design of artificial chemical proteases and add to our understanding of the mechanism of action of the clinically important enediyne antitumor antibiotics.

Cytosporone E: racemic synthesis and preliminary antibacterial testing.

The antibiotic cytosporone E (isolated from the broth of the endophytic fungi CR 200 (Cytospora sp.) and CR 146 (Diaporthe sp.)) was synthesized as a racemic mixture. The key step in the synthesis is the Meyers ortho-alkylation of a chiral aromatic oxazoline. Preliminary antibiotic activity shows antibiosis against Gram-positive bacteria but not Gram-negative bacteria as previously reported.

Synthesis of [ethylene-1-(eta(5)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-indenyl)-2- (eta(5)-4',5',6',7'-tetrahydro-2'-indenyl)]titanium dichloride, the elusive isomer of the Brintzinger-type ansa-titanocenes.

We present a short synthesis of 1-(2-indenyl)-2-(3-indenyl)ethane (5) and a method for its conversion to the ansa-metallocene [ethylene(eta5-inden-1-yl)(eta5-inden-2-yl)]titanium dichloride (13). The synthetic strategy applied to prepare bisindene 5 relies on the efficient alkylation of 2-(phenylsulfonyl)indane followed by HMPA-assisted E1cB-elimination of phenylsulfinate. This tandem sequence circumvents the predisposition of indene to undergo C(1)-alkylation and enables access to C(2)-substituted indenes. The key step in the synthesis of the title ansa-titanocene (4) features a previously unreported equilibration step to generate the bis(indenide anion) of 5. Complexation with TiCl4.(THF)2 followed by hydrogenation of the product metallocene furnishes ansa-titanocene 4.

Oxa-enediynes: probing the electronic and stereoelectronic contributions to the Bergman cycloaromatization.

Efficient routes to three classes of 10-membered oxa-enediynes are presented. The electronic and stereoelectronic contributions to half-lives are supported by density functional theory calculations. One member of this class cyclizes to give an isochroman which binds to and degrades the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR).

Stereogenic Propargylic Centers via Base-Mediated Terminal Allene Isomerization.

A study of alkali metal amide-mediated isomerizations of terminal allenes is described. The isomerizations of substituted ethenylidenecyclohexanes to form diastereomeric mixtures of terminal alkynes have been conducted to determine factors which may influence the stereochemistry at the newly formed propargylic centers. An initial base screen revealed that potassium N-methylbutylamide (KMBA) exhibits the highest level of equatorial to axial alkyne diastereoselectivity. With the severely hindered terminal allene 26, the use of potassium 3-aminopropylamide is required to effect isomerization. A general synthesis of deuterated terminal allenes has also been achieved, and a mechanistic study using d(2)-allenes 18a,b has revealed the involvement of a propargylic anion in the course of the KMBA-mediated isomerizations.