The Smallest Vicinal Tricarbonyl Compound as a Monohydrate and Tetracarbonyl Compound as a Thiane Derivative - First Effective Synthesis, Characterization and Chemistry

Green Tea Extract Decreases Arg-Derived Advanced Glycation Endproducts but Not Lys-Derived AGEs in UHT Milk during 1-Year Storage

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-enriched green tea extract (GTE) was added to lactose-reduced UHT-treated milk to evaluate its role in perturbing the Maillard reaction and the formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) during 1-year storage. The UHT processing caused epimerization of EGCG into gallocatechin gallate (GCG). For milk samples with added 0.1% w/v GTE, a EGCG/GCG loss of 26% was found soon after the UHT treatment and the loss increased to 64% after the 1-year of storage. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed the presence of various EGCG/GCG-α-dicarbonyl adducts and EGCG/GCG-hydroxymethylfurfural adducts in milk samples, while EGCG/GCG-amino acid adducts were not detected. Although EGCG/GCG trapped α-dicarbonyl compounds including glyoxal, methylglyoxal, 3-deoxyglucosone/3-deoxygalactosone, and diacetyl, it did not lower their net steady-state concentrations, except of 3-deoxyglucosone. The addition of GTE reduced the formation of Arg-derived AGEs by 2- to 3-fold, but surprisingly enhanced the accumulation of furosine and lysine-derived AGEs [Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine and Nε-(carboxyethyl)lysine)] by 2-4-fold depending on the concentration of the added GTE and storage time. The present study shows that trapping of α-dicarbonyl compounds by EGCG may not be the major pathway for inhibiting the formation of AGEs in milk.

PTSA-Catalyzed Reaction of Alkyl/Aryl Methyl Ketones with Aliphatic Alcohols in the Presence of Selenium Dioxide: A Protocol for the Generation of an α-Ketoacetals Library

A novel approach has been developed for the synthesis of a wide range of α-ketoacetals by the reaction of alkyl/aryl methyl ketones and aliphatic alcohols in the presence of selenium dioxide catalyzed by p-toluenesufonic acid. This method represents a general route to obtain a wide variety of α-ketoacetals in a simple, rapid, and practical manner. This approach is particularly attractive because of the easy availability of the starting materials, mild reaction temperature, and good yields of the products. The resulting α-ketoacetals are of much synthetic value as organic intermediates.

A concise treatment of pterins: some recent synthetic and methodology aspects and their applications in molecular sensors

A concise account of pterins in chemistry and biology and their applications in molecular sensors including their optical spectroscopic properties are described. Different natural, synthetic, biological and photophysical aspects are also discussed. Synthetic access to direct functionalised pterins and a recently reported new thiophene annulation technique are described for the synthesis of Form B of molybdenum cofactor. The receptor properties of fluorescent pterin molecules including selenopyrimidines which are rarely reported for their binding of anions and neutral molecules are also of major importance in this review. For such an old and still so young, unexplored pterin system on its power to be sensitive for physical studies especially the interaction with cations, anions and neutral molecules are fascinating and research in this area is relatively new and expected to increase fast. Pterin based receptors are for the first time put into a useful review for the advantage of those who want to explore pterin and modified pterin as chromogenic and fluorogenic sensors.

Oxidation of β-Ketoamides: The Synthesis of Vicinal Tricarbonyl Amides

A facile and direct oxidative reaction for the synthesis of vicinal tricarbonyl amides in moderate to excellent yields (53-88%) was developed starting from readily available β-ketoamides in the presence of phenyliodine(III) bis(trifluoroacetate). The resulting products possess significant synthetic potential, making this approach a valuable addition to the group of traditional methods already available for the preparation of these molecules.

Synthesis of diverse acyclic precursors to pyrroles for studies of prebiotic routes to tetrapyrrole macrocycles

Some 50 ketones, β-diketones, β-ketoesters and α-aminoketones have been prepared for studies of the formation of trisubstituted pyrroles equipped for self-condensation leading to tetrapyrrole macrocycles.

Synthesis of the 5,6-dihydroxymorpholin-3-one fragment of monanchocidin A

Monanchocidin A is a recently isolated pentacyclic guanidinium alkaloid that contains an unusual highly oxidized morpholinone fragment. Herein we report a rapid synthesis of this heterocyclic scaffold and confirm its structure. The key reaction involves an acid promoted hemiketalization/hemiaminalization of an α-hydroxyamide and α-ketoaldehyde that proceeds with exclusive regioselectivity and high diastereoselectivity to form the natural scaffold in moderate to high yield.

Controlling ground and excited state properties through ligand changes in ruthenium polypyridyl complexes

The capture and storage of solar energy requires chromophores that absorb light throughout the solar spectrum. We report here the synthesis, characterization, electrochemical, and photophysical properties of a series of Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes of the type [Ru(bpy)2(N-N)](2+) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine; N-N is a bidentate polypyridyl ligand). In this series, the nature of the N-N ligand was altered, either through increased conjugation or incorporation of noncoordinating heteroatoms, as a way to use ligand electronic properties to tune redox potentials, absorption spectra, emission spectra, and excited state energies and lifetimes. Electrochemical measurements show that lowering the π* orbitals on the N-N ligand results in more positive Ru(3+/2+) redox potentials and more positive first ligand-based reduction potentials. The metal-to-ligand charge transfer absorptions of all of the new complexes are mostly red-shifted compared to Ru(bpy)3(2+) (λmax = 449 nm) with the lowest energy MLCT absorption appearing at λmax = 564 nm. Emission energies decrease from λmax = 650 nm to 885 nm across the series. One-mode Franck-Condon analysis of room-temperature emission spectra are used to calculate key excited state properties, including excited state redox potentials. The impacts of ligand changes on visible light absorption, excited state reduction potentials, and Ru(3+/2+) potentials are assessed in the context of preparing low energy light absorbers for application in dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells.

Regioselective aliphatic carbon-carbon bond cleavage by a model system of relevance to iron-containing acireductone dioxygenase

Mononuclear Fe(II) complexes ([(6-Ph(2)TPA)Fe(PhC(O)C(R)C(O)Ph)]X (3-X: R = OH, X = ClO(4) or OTf; 4: R = H, X = ClO(4))) supported by the 6-Ph(2)TPA chelate ligand (6-Ph(2)TPA = N,N-bis((6-phenyl-2-pyridyl)methyl)-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) and containing a β-diketonate ligand bound via a six-membered chelate ring have been synthesized. The complexes have all been characterized by (1)H NMR, UV-vis, and infrared spectroscopy and variably by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography. Treatment of dry CH(3)CN solutions of 3-OTf with O(2) leads to oxidative cleavage of the C(1)-C(2) and C(2)-C(3) bonds of the acireductone via a dioxygenase reaction, leading to formation of carbon monoxide and 2 equiv of benzoic acid as well as two other products not derived from dioxygenase reactivity: 2-oxo-2-phenylethylbenzoate and benzil. Treatment of CH(3)CN/H(2)O solutions of 3-X with O(2) leads to the formation of an additional product, benzoylformic acid, indicative of the operation of a new reaction pathway in which only the C(1)-C(2) bond is cleaved. Mechanistic studies show that the change in regioselectivity is due to the hydration of a vicinal triketone intermediate in the presence of both an iron center and water. This is the first structural and functional model of relevance to iron-containing acireductone dioxygenase (Fe-ARD'), an enzyme in the methionine salvage pathway that catalyzes the regiospecific oxidation of 1,2-dihydroxy-3-oxo-(S)-methylthiopentene to form 2-oxo-4-methylthiobutyrate. Importantly, this model system is found to control the regioselectivity of aliphatic carbon-carbon bond cleavage by changes involving an intermediate in the reaction pathway, rather than by the binding mode of the substrate, as had been proposed in studies of acireductone enzymes.

Natural α-amino acids applied in the synthesis of imidazo[1,5-a]N-heterocycles under mild conditions

A facile iodine-mediated decarboxylative cyclization from α-amino acids and N-heterocyclic carbaldehydes was developed. By virtue of this method, a series of imidazo[1,5-a]N-heterocycles can be synthesized efficiently under mild conditions. A tentative reaction mechanism was proposed based on the experimental results and previous reports.

Efficient preparation of α-ketoacetals

The Weinreb amides 2a,b were prepared from the α,α-dimethoxyacetic acids 1c,d. A number of representative nucleophilic additions (RMgX and RLi) on 2 afforded α-ketoacetals 3a–j in 70–99% yield. These compounds represent a versatile arrangement of functional groups of significant synthetic value, as demonstrated in the synthesis of (±)-salbutamol.

2-(Pyrene-1-yl)-1,3-dithiane

In the title compound, C₂₀H₁₆S₂, the pyrene ring is planar [maximum deviation 0.0144 (15) Å] and the dithiane ring adopts a chair conformation. The crystal packing is stabilized by C—H⋯π inter­actions. An intra­molecular C—H⋯S hydrogen bond generates an S(5) ring motif.