Alkylation of beta-(Hydroxymethyl)pyrroles: A New Synthesis of Porphobilinogen and Other Trisubstituted Pyrroles for Photodynamic Therapy

Substituted Pyrrololactams via Ring Expansion of Spiro-2H-pyrroles from Intermolecular Alkyne-Isocyanide Click Reactions

The facile synthesis of 6- to 8-membered pyrrololactams has been developed using a ring expansion of spiro-2H-pyrroles, the products of intermolecular alkyne-isocyanide click reactions. The key to successful ring expansion of spiro-2H-pyrroles to pyrrololactams is the enforced orbital overlap between the internal alkene and the amide carbonyl group through the conformationally locked bicyclic structures. The newly disclosed α-isocyano lactams, substrates for click reactions, should find their utility in the synthesis of pharmaceutically important heterocyclic compounds.

Coupling photochemical reaction detection based on singlet oxygen sensitization to capillary electrochromatography

Despite the impressive separation efficiency afforded by capillary electrochromatography (CEC), the detection of UV-absorbing compounds following separation in capillary dimensions remains limited by the short path length (5-75 microm) through the column. Moreover, analytes that are poor chromophores present an additional challenge with respect to sensitive detection in CEC. This paper illustrates a new photochemical reaction detection scheme for CEC that takes advantage of the catalytic nature of type II photooxidation reactions. The sensitive detection scheme is selective toward molecules capable of photosensitizing the formation of singlet molecular oxygen (1O2). Following separation by CEC, UV-absorbing analytes promote groundstate 3O2 to an excited state (1O2) which reacts rapidly with tert-butyl-3,4,5-trimethylpyrrolecarboxylate, which is added to the running buffer. Detection is based on the loss of pyrrole. The reaction is catalytic in nature since one analyte molecule may absorb light many times, producing large amounts of 1O2. The detection limit for 9-acetylanthracene, following separation by CEC, is approximately 6 x 10(-9) M (S/N = 3). Optimization of the factors effecting the S/N for four model compounds is discussed.