Observation of an infrequent enantiomer/conformer substitutional disorder in ethyl 13-ethyl-4-oxo-8,13-dihydro-4H-benzo[5,6]azepino[3,2,1-ij]quinoline-5-carboxylate heptane hemisolvate

Considering the importance of quinolones due to their broad spectrum of biological activities, the crystal structure of the title compound, C₂₂H₂₁NO₃·0.5C₇H₁₆, has been determined. Two enantiomers of the benzazepinoquinoline molecule and one molecule of heptane form the asymmetric unit of this centrosymmetric triclinic (P-1) crystal. All the molecules in the crystal present disorder. Substitutional disorder is observed for the benzazepine molecules, where a minority conformer of the R enantiomer replaces the main conformer of the S enantiomer and vice versa. Positional disorder is found for the heptane solvent molecule, which occupies a void left by the independent enantiomers of both conformers.

Studies via X-ray analysis on intermolecular interactions and energy frameworks based on the effects of substituents of three 4-aryl-2-methyl-1H-imidazoles of different electronic nature and their in vitro antifungal evaluation

The crystal structures of 2-methyl-4-phenyl-1H-imidazole, C₁₀H₁₀N₂, (3a), 4-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-methyl-1H-imidazole hemihydrate, C₁₀H₉ClN₂·0.5H₂O, (3b), and 4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-1H-imidazole, C₁₁H₁₂N₂O, (3c), have been analyzed. It was found that the electron-donating/withdrawing tendency of the substituent groups in the aryl ring influence the acid-base properties of the 2-methylimidazole nucleus, changing the strength of the intermolecular N-H...N interactions. This behaviour not only influences the crystal structure but also seems to have an important effect on the antifungal activity. Considering the substituent groups, that is, H in (3a), Cl in (3b) and OMe in (3c), the formation of strong N-H...N connections has the probability (3a) > (3b) > (3c), while compound (3c) proves to be more active than (3a) and (3b) at all concentrations against C. neoformans.

General Method for the Synthesis of (-)-Conduritol C and Analogs from Chiral Cyclohexadienediol Scaffolds

An efficient and facile general method for the synthesis of conduritol C analogs, taking advantage of an enantioselective biocatalysis process of monosubstituted benzenes, is described. The absolute stereochemical patterns of the target molecules (−)-conduritol C, (−)-bromo-conduritol C, and (−)-methyl-conduritol C were achieved by means of chemoenzymatic methods. The stereochemistry present at the homochiral cyclohexadiene-cis-1,2-diols derived from the arene biotransformation and the enantioselective ring opening of a non-isolated vinylepoxide derivative permitted the absolute configuration of the carbon bearing the hydroxyl groups at the target molecules to be established. All three conduritols and two intermediates were crystallized, and their structures were confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The three conduritols and intermediates were isostructural. The versatility of our methodology is noteworthy to expand the preparation of conduritol C analogs starting from toluene dioxygenase (TDO) monosubstituted arene substrates.

Study of the Effect of Metal Complexes on Morphology and Viability of Embryonated Toxocara canis Eggs

An organic salt and four metal complexes derived from azole were evaluated against embryonated Toxocara canis eggs (TCE). The new organic salt, (LH)⁺(FeCl₄)^-, where L = 3,5-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazole-1-ylmethyl)toluene (5), a potential environmental disinfectant, was isolated as an air-stable yellow solid and characterized by elemental analysis, electrical conductivity, mass spectrometry, and infrared and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy. In addition, the structure of 5 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 2 showed high anti-TCE activity. Interestingly, these compounds showed little effect on hepatocytes, indicating that they are not cytotoxic. These results will assist in the design of anti-TCE compounds.

A series of (E)-5-(arylideneamino)-1-tert-butyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitriles and their reduction products to secondary amines: syntheses and X-ray structural studies

An efficent access to a series of N-(pyrrol-2-yl)amines, namely (E)-1-tert-butyl-5-[(4-chlorobenzylidene)amino]-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile, C16H16ClN3, (7a), (E)-1-tert-butyl-5-[(2,4-dichlorobenzylidene)amino]-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile, C16H15Cl2N3, (7b), (E)-1-tert-butyl-5-[(pyridin-4-ylmethylene)amino]-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile, C15H16N4, (7c), 1-tert-butyl-5-[(4-chlorobenzyl)amino]-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile, C16H18ClN3, (8a), and 1-tert-butyl-5-[(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)amino]-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile, C16H17Cl2N3, (8b), by a two-step synthesis sequence (solvent-free condensation and reduction) starting from 5-amino-1-tert-butyl-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile is described. The syntheses proceed via isolated N-(pyrrol-2-yl)imines, which are also key synthetic intermediates of other valuable compounds. The crystal structures of the reduced compounds showed a reduction in the symmetry compared with the corresponding precursors, viz. Pbcm to P\overline{1} from compound (7a) to (8a) and P21/c to P\overline{1} from compound (7b) to (8b), probably due to a severe change in the molecular conformations, resulting in the loss of planarity observed in the nonreduced compounds. In all of the crystals, the supramolecular assembly is controlled mainly by strong (N,C)—H...N hydrogen bonds. However, in the case of (7a)–(7c), C—H...Cl interactions are strong enough to help in the three-dimensional architecture, as observed in Hirshfeld surface maps.

Coordination Polymers Containing 1,3-Phenylenebis-((1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methanone) Ligand: Synthesis and ε-Caprolactone Polymerization Behavior

The reaction of isophthaloyl dichloride with 1H-1,2,4-triazole afforded the new ligand 1,3-phenylenebis(1,2,4-triazole-1-yl)methanone (1). A series of Co(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) complexes were synthesized using 1 and then characterized by melting point analysis, elemental analysis, theoretical calculations, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Experimental and computational studies predict the formation of coordination polymers (CPs). The cobalt and copper CPs and zinc(II) complex were found to be good initiators for the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (CL) under solvent-free conditions. ¹H-NMR analysis showed that the obtained polymers of CL were mainly linear and had terminal hydroxymethylene groups. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that the obtained polycaprolactones had high crystallinity, and TGA showed that they had decomposition temperatures above 400 °C. These results provide insight and guidance for the design of metal complexes with potential applications in the polymerization of CL.

Crystal structure of ethyl (E)-2-cyano-3-(thio-phen-2-yl)acrylate: two conformers forming a discrete disorder

In the title compound, C10H9NO2S, all the non-H atoms, except for the ethyl fragment, lie nearly in the same plane. Despite the mol-ecular planarity, the ethyl fragment presents more than one conformation, giving rise to a discrete disorder, which was modelled with two different crystallographic sites for the eth-oxy O and eth-oxy α-C atoms, with occupancy values of 0.5. In the crystal, the three-dimensional array is mainly directed by C-H⋯(O,N) inter-actions, giving rise to inversion dimers with R22(10) and R22(14) motifs and infinite chains running along the [100] direction.

Crystal structure and absolute configuration of (4S,5R,6S)-4,5,6-trihy-droxy-3-methyl-cyclo-hex-2-enone (gabosine H)

The mol-ecule of the title keto carbasugar, C7H10O4, is formed by a cyclo-hexene skeleton with an envelope conformation, substituted by carbonyl, methyl and hydroxyl groups. The crystal structure is controlled mainly by a combination of strong O-H⋯O and weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming nearly perpendicular chains running parallel to the [110] and [-110] directions. This perpendicularity is caused by a tetra-gonal pseudosymmetry influenced by the similarity between the a and b axes, the value of 90.9770 (10)° of the β angle and the action of a 21 screw axis, which transform each chain into its corresponding nearly orthogonal one.

Three tetracyclic dibenzoazepine derivatives exhibiting different molecular conformations, different patterns of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and different modes of supramolecular aggregation

The biological potential of compounds of the tricyclic dibenzo[b,e]azepine system has resulted in considerable synthetic efforts to develop efficient methods for the synthesis of new derivatives of this kind. (9RS,15RS)-9-Ethyl-11-methyl-9,13b-dihydrodibenzo[c,f]thiazolo[3,2-a]azepin-3(2H)-one, C₁₉H₁₉NOS, (I), crystallizes as a kryptoracemate with Z' = 2 in the space group P2₁, with one molecule each of the (9R,15R) and (9S,15S) configurations in the asymmetric unit, while (9RS,15RS)-9-ethyl-7,12-dimethyl-9,13b-dihydrodibenzo[c,f]thiazolo[3,2-a]azepin-3(2H)-one, C₂₀H₂₁NOS, (II), crystallizes with Z' = 1 in the space group C2/c. Ethyl (13RS)-2-chloro-13-ethyl-4-oxo-8,13-dihydro-4H-benzo[5,6]azepino[3,2,1-ij]quinoline-5-carboxylate, C₂₂H₂₀ClNO₃, (III), exhibits enantiomeric disorder in the space group P-1 such that the reference site is occupied by the 13R and 13S enantiomers, with occupancies of 0.900 (6) and 0.100 (6). In each of the two independent molecules in (I), the five-membered ring adopts an envelope conformation, but the corresponding ring in (II) adopts a half-chair conformation, while the six-membered ring in the major form of (III) adopts a twist-boat conformation. The conformation of the seven-membered ring in each of (I), (II) and the major form of (III) approximates to the twist-boat form. The molecules of compound (I) are linked by two C-H...O hydrogen bonds to form two independent antiparallel C(5) chains, with each type containing only one enantiomer. These chains are linked into sheets by two C-H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds, in which the two donors are both provided by the (9R,15R) enantiomer and the two acceptor arene rings form part of a molecule of (9S,15S) configuration, precluding any additional crystallographic symmetry. The molecules of compound (II) are linked by inversion-related C-H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds to form isolated cyclic centrosymmetric dimers. The molecules of compound (III) are linked into cyclic centrosymmetric dimers by C-H...O hydrogen bonds and these dimers are linked into chains by a π-π stacking interaction. Comparisons are made with some related structures.

Crystal structure and absolute configuration of (3aR,3'aR,7aS,7'aS)-2,2,2',2'-tetra-methyl-3a,6,7,7a,3'a,6',7',7'a-octa-hydro-4,4'-bi[1,3-benzodioxol-yl], obtained from a Pd-catalyzed homocoupling reaction

The absolute configuration, i.e. (3aR,3'aR,7aS,7'aS), of the title compound, C18H26O4, synthesized via a palladium-catalyzed homocoupling reaction, was determined on the basis of the synthetic pathway and was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The homocoupled mol-ecule is formed by two chemically identical moieties built up from two five- and six-membered fused rings. The supra-molecular assembly is controlled mainly by C-H⋯O inter-actions that lead to the formation of hydrogen-bonded chains of mol-ecules along the [001] direction, while weak dipolar inter-actions and van der Waals forces hold the chains together in the crystal structure.

Crystal structure of 5-butyl-amino-3-methyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehyde obtained from a microwave-assisted reaction using caesium carbonate as catalyst

The title compound, C14H18N4O, synthesized from an unconventional microwave-assisted method using caesium carbonate as catalyst, has an approximately planar conformation with the pyridyl and pyrazole rings inclined by a dihedral angle of 7.94 (3)°, allowing the formation of an intra-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bond. The supra-molecular assembly has a three-dimensional arrangement controlled mainly by weak C-H⋯O and C-H⋯π inter-actions.

Crystal structure of 1,3-bis-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl-meth-yl)benzene

The mol-ecular structure of the title compound, C20H16N6, contains two benzotriazole units bonded to a benzene nucleus in a meta configuration, forming dihedral angles of 88.74 (11) and 85.83 (10)° with the central aromatic ring and 57.08 (9)° with each other. The three-dimensional structure is controlled mainly by weak C-H⋯N and C-H⋯π inter-actions. The mol-ecules are connected in inversion-related pairs, forming the slabs of infinite chains that run along the [-110] and [110] directions.

Crystal structures of five new substituted tetrahydro-1-benzazepines with potential antiparasitic activity

Tetrahydro-1-benzazepines have been described as potential antiparasitic drugs for the treatment of chagas disease and leishmaniasis, two of the most important so-called `forgotten tropical diseases' affecting South and Central America, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania chagasi parasites, respectively. Continuing our extensive work describing the structural characteristics of some related compounds with interesting biological properties, the crystallographic features of three epoxy-1-benzazepines, namely (2SR,4RS)-6,8-dimethyl-2-(naphthalen-1-yl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1,4-epoxy-1-benzazepine, (1), (2SR,4RS)-6,9-dimethyl-2-(naphthalen-1-yl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1,4-epoxy-1-benzazepine, (2), and (2SR,4RS)-8,9-dimethyl-2-(naphthalen-1-yl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1,4-epoxy-1-benzazepine, (3), all C22H21NO, and two 1-benzazepin-4-ols, namely 7-fluoro-cis-2-[(E)-styryl]-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1-benzazepin-4-ol, C18H18FNO, (4), and 7-fluoro-cis-2-[(E)-pent-1-enyl]-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1-benzazepin-4-ol, C15H20FNO, (5), are described. Some peculiarities in the crystallization behaviour were found, involving significant variations in the crystalline structures as a result of modest changes in the peripheral substituents in (1)-(3) and the occurrence of discrete disorder due to the molecular overlay of enantiomers with more than one conformation in (5). In particular, an interesting phase change on cooling was observed for compound (5), accompanied by an approximate fourfold increase of the unit-cell volume and a change of the Z' value from 1 to 4. This transition is a consequence of the partial ordering of the pentenyl chains in half of the molecules breaking half of the -3 symmetry axes observed in the room-temperature structure of (5). The structural assembly in all the title compounds is characterized by not only (N,O)-H...(O,N) hydrogen bonds, but also by unconventional C-H...O contacts, resulting in a wide diversity of packing.

Coumarin-BODIPY hybrids by heteroatom linkage: versatile, tunable and photostable dye lasers for UV irradiation

Linking amino and hydroxycoumarins to BODIPYs through the amino or hydroxyl group lets the easy construction of unprecedented photostable coumarin-BODIPY hybrids with broadened and enhanced absorption in the UV spectral region, and outstanding wavelength-tunable laser action within the green-to-red spectral region (∼520-680 nm). These laser dyes allow the generation of a valuable tunable UV (∼260-350 nm) laser source by frequency doubling, which is essential to study accurately the photochemistry of biological molecules under solar irradiation. The tunability is achieved by selecting the substitution pattern of the hybrid. Key factors are the linking heteroatom (nitrogen vs. oxygen), the number of coumarin units joined to the BODIPY framework and the involved linking positions.

Crystal structure and absolute configuration of (3aS,4S,5R,7aR)-2,2,7-trimethyl-3a,4,5,7a-tetra-hydro-1,3-benzodioxole-4,5-diol

The absolute configuration of the title compound, C10H16O4, determined as 3aS,4S,5R,7aR on the basis of the synthetic pathway, was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The mol-ecule contains a five- and a six-membered ring that adopt twisted and envelope conformations, respectively. The dihedral angle between the mean planes of the rings is 76.80 (11)° as a result of their cis-fusion. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by two pairs of O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along [010]. These chains are further connected by weaker C-H⋯O inter-actions along [100], creating (001) sheets that inter-act only by weak van der Waals forces.

Influence of the synthesis route on the formation of 12R/10H-polytypes and their magnetic properties within the Ba(Ce,Mn)O3 family

A selective synthesis of 12R/10H polytypes within the Ba–Ce–Mn–O family can be induced by a Mn precursor.

Protective acquired immunity to Enteromyxum scophthalmi (Myxozoa) is related to specific antibodies in Psetta maxima (L.) (Teleostei)

The acquired protection of three groups of turbot that had survived enteromyxosis outbreaks was tested by challenging with E. scophthalmi in three different experiments. The relation of such a response with the kinetics and duration of antibody production (determined by an ELISA) was studied. The progression of the infection was evaluated by PCR. In experiments 1 and 2, in which turbot had cohabited with highly infected fish during outbreaks, parasite prevalence and mortality were very low or null, and there was a progressive and statistically significant increase in the mean antibody production up to 350 and 152 days post-exposure respectively. By contrast, in experiment 3, fish (coming from non-infected tanks during the initial outbreak), both infection prevalence and cumulative mortality reached 92.8%, and specific antibodies were detected only in two fish. The observed differences in mortality after challenge appear to be related to the production of specific antibodies and it is probably accompanied by a repertoire of mechanisms of innate immunity. The exploitation of the immune system through breeding selection programmes as a possible strategy to control the disease is discussed.

Adhesion molecules as a prognostic marker of liver cirrhosis

OBJECTIVE

Endothelial activation plays an active role in modifications of the circulatory status of cirrhotic patients. Soluble endothelial adhesion molecules, induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines, could be considered markers of endothelial activation. Their role in the natural history of cirrhosis and portal hypertension has not been reported. Our objective was to analyze the prognostic value of soluble adhesion molecules in cirrhotic patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Serum concentrations of soluble CD14, soluble receptors of tumor necrosis factor alpha and adhesion molecules ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1) and VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule 1) as well as mean blood pressure, plasma renin activity, aldosterone, vasopressin and norepinephrine concentrations were determined in 64 cirrhotic patients (Child-Pugh class: A 48.4%, B 34.4%, C 17.2%), without any evidence of infection, and in 25 healthy controls. Patients were followed-up for a mean of 36.4 (range 6-60) months.

RESULTS

Increased concentrations of soluble CD14, tumor necrosis factor receptors and ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were detected in cirrhotic patients when compared with healthy controls. Tumor necrosis factor receptors and adhesion molecule concentrations were both significantly higher in advanced phases of cirrhosis (Child Pugh class C and B versus A). Fifteen patients died as a related consequence of liver cirrhosis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that Child-Pugh score and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor receptor I and ICAM-1 were associated with mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to the classic factor implicated in mortality (Child-Pugh class), alterations in inflammation-related components and soluble adhesion molecules, as representatives of hemodynamic alterations, are of prognostic significance in cirrhotic patients.