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Two novel 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-diamide ligands were constructed on the basis of 2-phenylpyrrolidine and obtained as pure diastereomers. These ligands demonstrated advanced properties in liquid-liquid extraction tests. They revealed high efficiency of americium(III) extraction alongside with the record values of selectivity in the separation of americium from light lanthanides from strongly acidic media. An abrupt increase of extraction efficiency when moving along the lanthanide series from lanthanum to lutetium was observed. The examination of the extraction behavior of pure diastereomeric forms revealed noticeable differences in their selectivity while maintaining the overall extraction trend. The explanation of the discovered patterns was elucidated by a comprehensive study of the ability of the ligands to bind lanthanide nitrates in solutions. All the data collected (UV-vis and NMR titration, X-ray analysis of resulting complexes, solvation numbers estimation) were supported by quantum chemical calculation. These data clearly indicated that in the case of light lanthanides the formation of 1 : 1 complexes is most preferable. At the same time, complexes with heavy lanthanides, such as ytterbium and lutetium, exist as ionic pairs which may consist of [L 2 M] z+ cations counterbalanced by metallate anions, which may result in the formation of the species of unusual composition like L 2 M 2 or even L 4 M 5 clusters., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The cycloaddition of nitrile oxides and nitrilimines to one or both of the C=C double bonds of caryophyllene is described. The possibility of introducing five-membered fused and spiro-linked heterocycles into the structure of sesquiterpenes by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrile oxides and nitrilimines to caryophyllene was demonstrated. As a result of these reactions, pharmacophore fragments of isoxazoline and pyrazoline are introduced into the structure of caryophyllene, which leads to an increase in the conformational rigidity of the molecule. A complete stereochemical assignment of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition adducts to caryophyllene was carried out. The study of antiviral and cytotoxic activity for some heterocyclic derivatives synthesized in this work revealed relatively high biological activity of previously little-studied cycloaddition adducts at the exocyclic C=CH 2 bond of caryophyllene. The effect of substituents in the synthesized heterocycles on biological activity was demonstrated. Compounds with a good inhibitory effect on the H1N1 influenza virus were revealed. The activity of the compound was demonstrated up to 6 h post infection, and this could be due to slight inhibiting activity against viral neuraminidase, necessary at the stage of progeny virion budding.

Dinuclear complexes bearing Ru(II) photoactive centers are of interest for the development of efficient dual catalysts for many photocatalyzed reactions. Ditopic polypyridine ligands, bis(pyridin-2-yl)amino-1,10-phenanthrolines, containing an additional coordination site (bis(pyridin-2-yl)amine, dpa) at positions 3, 4 or 5 of the 1,10-phenanthroline core (Phen-3NPy2, Phen-4NPy2 and Phen-5NPy2) were synthesized. They were used as bridging ligands to obtain dinuclear complexes [(bpy) 2 Ru(Phen-NPy2)PdCl 2 ](PF 6 ) 2 (Ru(Phen-NPy2)Pd) in good yields via stepwise complexation. In these complexes Ru(II) is coordinated to 1,10-phenanthroline, while Pd(II) is bound to the dpa chelating moiety, as established by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray single crystal analysis. The influence of the position of dpa in the phenanthroline ring on the structural, optical and electrochemical properties of Ru(Phen-NPy2)Pd complexes was studied. The complexes exhibit photoluminescence in argon-saturated MeCN solution with maxima in the range of 615-625 nm, with emission quantum yields ranging from 0.11 to 0.15 for Ru(Phen-NPy2) complexes and from 0.018 to 0.026 for dinuclear Ru(Phen-NPy2)Pd complexes. All the complexes absorb visible light in the range of 370-470 nm with high extinction coefficients and can be considered useful as photocatalysts. The Ru 2+/3+ potential in Ru(Phen-NPy2)Pd complexes showed no significant dependence on the dpa position, while the Pd 2+/0 reduction potential was significantly lower for Ru(Phen-3NPy2)Pd and Ru(Phen-4NPy2)Pd, than for Ru(Phen-5NPy2)Pd (-0.57 V and -0.72 V vs. Ag/AgCl, KCl (sat.) , respectively). The complexes were used as photoactivated precatalysts in Cu-free Sonogashira coupling under blue LEDs (12 W) irradiation. The reaction proceeded roughly three times faster when Ru(Phen-4NPy2)Pd and Ru(Phen-3NPy2)Pd were used as catalyst precursors compared to the mixed catalytic system Ru(bpy) 3 (PF 6 ) 2 /(RNPy 2 )PdCl 2 .

Treatment of mixed phosphonium-iodonium ylides featuring a six-membered phenoxaphosphonium fragment with aqueous tetrafluoroboronic acid induces a rearrangement, resulting in expansion of the phosphacycle and oxidation of the phosphorus atom. The target difficult-to-access dibenzo[ b , f ][1,4]oxaphosphepine oxides (3 examples) were isolated in excellent yields (up to 95%) as mixtures of stereoisomers. Hydrolysis of a five-membered mixed ylide, a dibenzophosphole derivative, predominantly preserves the phosphole system with cycle expansion occurring as a side process.

A new family of phenanthroline ligands was prepared. Hydrolysis of 4,7-dihalogenated 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-diamides in acidic media leads to the formation of the corresponding 4,7-oxygenated derivatives. These ligands can exist in different tautomeric forms. The tautomerism of 4,7-oxygenated phenanthroline diamides has been investigated using quantum chemical calculations. The unsymmetrical oxo-hydroxy tautomeric form was proved to be the most energetically advantageous according to the spectral data and X-ray analysis. It was shown that 4,7-difluoro derivatives undergo acid hydrolysis more easily when compared to 4,7-dichloro derivatives. The coordination chemistry of 4,7-oxygenated 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-diamides toward some lanthanide nitrates was investigated. The structures of Ln-complexes thus formed were studied both in the solid state and in solution (XRD analysis and IR, NMR and UV spectroscopy). It was revealed that 4,7-oxygenated ligands adopt the dihydroxy tautomeric form upon coordination with lanthanide nitrates.

Ru(II) complexes with polypyridyl ligands (2,2'-bipyridine = bpy, 1,10-phenanthroline = phen) play a central role in the development of photocatalytic organic reactions. In this work, we synthesized four mixed-ligand [Ru(phen)(bpy) 2 ] 2+ -type complexes (Ru-Pcat-A) bearing two phosphonate substituents P(O)(OH)(OR) (R = H, Et) attached to the phen core at positions 3,8 (Ru-3,8PH and Ru-3,8PHEt) and 4,7 (Ru-4,7PH and Ru-4,7PHEt) of the heterocycle in high yields (87-99%) and characterized them using spectral methods. Single crystal X-ray diffraction was employed to determine the coordination mode of the ditopic phen ligand in Ru-4,7PH. This complex exists as the neutral species and forms a 1D hydrogen-bonded framework in the crystals. The light absorption characteristics were found to be similar for all complexes prepared in this work. However, the emission maxima in aqueous solutions were significantly affected by the substitution of the heterocycle, ranging from 629 nm for Ru-4,7PH to 661 nm for Ru-3,8PHEt. The emission quantum yields in Ar-saturated deionized water showed a strong dependence on the substitution pattern of the phen ligand, with maximal values reaching approximately 0.11 for Ru-4,7PHEt and Ru-4,7PH, which is twice as high as that of the classical [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ complex (Ru-bpy). The photocatalytic performance of Ru-Pcat-A was investigated using visible light photoredox catalytic transformations of tertiary amines. With Ru-Pcat-A, we achieved the phosphonylation of N -aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIQs) and cyanation of THIQs and N , N -dimethylaniline in methanol, while a mixture of nitromethane/methanol (1 : 1 v/v) proved to be the optimal solvent for conducting the nitromethylation of THIQs. In the majority of the studied reactions, Ru-4,7PHEt exhibited greater efficiency compared to Ru-bpy, and it could be easily separated from the products using water extraction and reused in the next catalytic cycle. We successfully performed seven consecutive nitromethylation and phosphonylation of N -phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline using the recycled homogeneous photoredox catalyst.

Approximately 1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition of imidazolidine derivatives containing exocyclic double bonds is a convenient method of creating spiro-conjugated molecules with promising anticancer activity. In this work, the derivatives of parabanic acid (2-thioxoimidazolidine-4,5-diones and 5-aryliminoimidazolidine-2,4-diones) were first investigated as dipolarophiles in the reactions with nitrile imines. The generation of nitrile imines was carried out either by the addition of tertiary amine to hydrazonoyl chlorides «drop by drop» or using the recently proposed diffusion mixing technique, which led to ~5-15% increases in target compound yields. It was found that the addition of nitrile imines to C=S or C=N exocyclic double bonds led to 1,2,4-thiazolines or triazolines and occurred regioselectively in accordance with the ratio of FMO coefficients of reactants. The yield of the resulting spiro-compound depended on the presence of alkyl substituents in the nitrile imine structure and was significantly decreased in reactions with imines with strong electron donor or electron-withdrawing groups. Some of the obtained compounds showed reasonable in vitro cytotoxicity. IC50 values were calculated for HCT116 (colon cancer) cells using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) test.

A highly efficient synthetic approach was developed for the synthesis of unsymmetrical 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-diamides with two different substituents in the fourth and seventh positions of the phenanthroline core. The structures of these ligands were confirmed using various spectral methods including 2D-NMR and X-ray analysis. Quantum chemical calculations supported the presence of tautomeric forms of these ligands. Furthermore, it was discovered that these compounds exhibit polydentate ligand behavior toward lanthanide nitrates. The structural characteristics of the complexes formed between these ligands and lanthanide nitrates were investigated both in the solid state and in solution. To further understand the binding properties of these novel unsymmetrical ligands, the binding constants for potential complexes were quantitatively measured by using UV-vis spectrophotometric titration. This allowed for a comprehensive analysis of the binding affinity and stability of these complexes. Extraction experiments of f -elements were performed for symmetrical and unsymmetrical diamides. Overall, this study presents significant advancement in the synthesis and characterization of unsymmetrical 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-diamides and provides valuable insights into their potential applications as polydentate ligands for lanthanide nitrates.

A reaction of acyl chlorides derived from 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acids with piperazine allows the preparation of the corresponding 24-membered macrocycles in good yield. The structural and spectral properties of these new macrocyclic ligands were thoroughly investigated, revealing promising coordination properties towards f-elements (Am, Eu). It was shown that the prepared ligands can be used for selective extraction of Am(III) from alkaline-carbonate media in presence of Eu(III) with an SF Am/Eu up to 40. Their extraction efficiency is higher than calixarene-type extraction of the Am(III) and Eu(III) pair. Composition of macrocycle-metal complex with Eu(III) was investigated by luminescence and UV-vis spectroscopy. The possibility of such ligands to form complexes of L:Eu = 1:2 stoichiometry is revealed.

Novel hydantion and thiohydantoin-based spiro-compounds were prepared via theDiels-Alder reactions between 5-methylidene-hydantoins or 5-methylidene-2-thiohydantoins and 1,3-dienes (cyclopentadiene, cyclohexadiene, 2,3-dimethylbutadiene, isoprene). It was shown that the cycloaddition reactions proceed regioselectively and stereoselectively with the formation of exo-isomers in the reactions with cyclic dienes andthe less sterically hindered products in the reactions with isoprene. Reactions of methylideneimidazolones with cyclopentadiene proceed viaco-heating the reactants; reactions with cyclohexadiene, 2,3-dimethylbutadiene, and isoprene require catalysis by Lewis acids. It was demonstrated that ZnI 2 is an effective catalyst in the Diels-Alder reactions of methylidenethiohydantoins with non-activated dienes. The possibility of alkylation and acylation of the obtained spiro-hydantoinsat the N(1)nitrogen atoms with PhCH 2 Cl or Boc 2 O and the alkylation of the spiro-thiohydantoinsat the S atoms with MeI or PhCH 2 Cl in high yields have been demonstrated. The preparativetransformation of spiro-thiohydantoins into corresponding spiro-hydantoinsin mild conditions by treating with 35% aqueous H 2 O 2 or nitrile oxide has been carried out. The obtained compounds show moderate cytotoxicity in the MTT test on MCF7, A549, HEK293T, and VA13 cell lines. Some of the tested compounds demonstrated some antibacterial effect against Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) BW25113 DTC-pDualrep2 but were almost inactive against E. coli BW25113 LPTD-pDualrep2.

Nitrile imine cycloaddition to hydantoins containing an exocyclic C=C double bond has been previously described in a very limited number of examples. In this work, regioselective synthesis of spiro-pyrazoline-imidazolidine-2,4-diones based on a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrile imines to 5-methylidene-3-phenyl-hydantoin have been proposed. It was found that, regardless of the nature of the aryl substituents at the terminal C and N atoms of the C-N-N fragment of nitrile imine (electron donor or electron acceptor), cycloaddition to the 5-methylidenhydantoin exocyclic C=C bond proceeds regioselectively, and the terminal nitrogen atom of the nitrile imine connects to the more sterically hindered carbon atom of the double bond, which leads to the formation of a 5-disubstituted pyrazoline ring. The observed cycloaddition regioselectivity was rationalized using DFT calculations of frontier molecular orbital interactions, global CDFT reactivity indices, and minimum energy paths.

Phenanthroline diamides ( L ) demonstrated a unique ability to extract uranium from nitric acid solutions into a polar organic solvent forming complexes of 1:2 stoichiometry as tight ion pairs {[UO 2 L NO 3 ] + [UO 2 (NO 3 ) 3 ] - } by a novel extraction mechanism, which is a combination of two already well-known mechanisms: solvation and ion-pair anion exchange. A UV-vis study was used to confirm the formation of such complexes directly in the organic phase. Moreover, chemical synthesis and single crystal growth were performed to confirm unambiguously the structure of the complexes in the solid state.

Ru(II) complexes with polypyridyl ligands play a central role in the development of photocatalytic organic reactions. This work is aimed at the structural modification of such complexes to increase their photocatalytic efficiency and adapt them for the preparation of reusable photocatalytic systems. Nine [Ru(phen)(bpy) 2 ] 2+ -type complexes (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) (Ru-Pcat) bearing the P(O)(OEt) 2 substituent attached to the phen core directly or through a 1,4-phenylene linker were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. The coordination mode of phen ligands was confirmed by single crystal X-ray analysis. The (spectro)electrochemical data show that the first electron transfer in Ru-Pcat takes place on the phen ligand. The emission maxima and quantum yields are strongly affected by the substitution pattern, reaching the far-red region (697 nm) for Ru-3,8P2. The singlet oxygen quantum yields of Ru-Pcat were evaluated using the chemical trapping method. Finally, the photocatalytic performance of Ru-Pcat in the oxidation of sulfides with molecular oxygen was investigated. Both dialkyl and alkyl aryl sulfides were quantitatively transformed into sulfoxides under irradiation with a blue LED in the acetonitrile-water mixture (10 : 1) using a low loading of 0.005-0.05 mol% Ru(II) photocatalysts. To rationalize the effect of phosphonate substituents on the photocatalytic efficiency, comparative kinetic studies of (1) 4-nitrothioanisole oxidation proceeding predominantly via the electron transfer pathway and (2) oxidation of dibutyl sulfide wherein singlet oxygen serves as an oxidant have been performed. It was demonstrated that complexes with the P(O)(OEt) 2 substituent at positions 4 and 7 outperform the benchmark photocatalyst Ru-(bpy)3 and the parent complex Ru-phen in the reactions proceeding through electron transfer (reductive quenching photocatalytic cycle). The TON in the oxidation of 4-methoxythioanisole was found to be as high as 1 000 000 that is, to our knowledge, the highest among previously reported photocatalysts. In contrast, upon separating the P(O)(OEt) 2 group and the phen core with the 1,4-phenylene linker, singlet oxygen quantum yields significantly increase that favors reactions proceeding through energy transfer (the oxidation of dibutyl sulfide in our case). Thus, both series of Ru(II) complexes prepared in this work are promising for the improvement of known photocatalytic reactions and the development of new transformations.

An efficient approach to the synthesis of diamides of 4,7-difluoro-1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid was elaborated. Direct nucleophilic substitution with 4,7-dichloro-1,10-phenanthroline precursors opened access to difluoro derivatives in high yield. As a result, four new fluorinated ligands were prepared in up to 88% yield. Their structure was proved by a combination of spectral methods and X-ray data. A set of lanthanoid complexes was prepared to demonstrate the utility of new ligands. The structure of the complexes was studied in solid state (IR-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction) and in solution (NMR-spectroscopy).

We report herein the design, synthesis, and biological investigation of a series of novel Pt(IV) prodrugs with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs naproxen, diclofenac, and flurbiprofen, as well as these with stearic acid in the axial position. Six Pt(IV) prodrugs 5-10 were designed, which showed superior antiproliferative activity compared to cisplatin as well as an ability to overcome tumor cell line resistance to cisplatin. By tuning the drug lipophilicity via variation of the axial ligands, the most potent Pt(IV) prodrug 7 was obtained, with an enhanced cellular accumulation of up to 153-fold that of cisplatin and nanomolar cytotoxicity both in 2D and 3D cell cultures. Pt 2+ species were detected at different depths of MCF-7 spheroids after incubation with Pt(IV) prodrugs using a Pt-coated carbon nanoelectrode. Cisplatin accumulation in vivo in the murine mammary EMT6 tumor tissue of BALB/c mice after Pt(IV) prodrug injection was proved electrochemically as well. The drug tolerance study on BALB/c mice showed good tolerance of 7 in doses up to 8 mg/kg.

In this work, we present the first synthesis of dispirooxindole-β-lactams employing optimized methodology of one-pot Staudinger ketene-imine cycloaddition with N-aryl-2-oxo-pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids as the ketene source. Spiroconjugation of indoline-2-one with β-lactams ring is considered to be able to provide stabilization and wide scope of functionalization to resulting scaffolds. The dispipooxindoles obtained demonstrated medium cytotoxicity in the MTT test on A549, MCF7, HEK293, and VA13 cell lines, and one of the compounds demonstrated antibacterial activity against E. coli strain LPTD.

The first examples of 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-diamides bearing CF 3 -groups on the side amide substituents were synthesized. Due to stereoisomerism and amide rotation, such complexes have complicated behavior in solutions. Using advanced NMR techniques and X-ray analysis, their structures were completely elucidated. The possibility of the formation of complex compounds with lanthanoids nitrates was shown, and the constants of their stability are quantified. The results obtained are explained in terms of quantum-chemical calculations.

A synthesis of dispiro derivatives from 5-methylidene-2-chalcogenimidazolones and azomethine ylides generated from isatins and N-substituted α -amino acids has been developed., Competing Interests: We have no competing interests., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is an important task in a frame of ecology and rational use of natural resources. Uranium, as the main component of SNF (>95%), can be recovered for further use as fresh nuclear fuel. To minimize an amount of solid radioactive waste generated during SNF reprocessing, new extractants are under investigation. Diamides of 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid are perspective tetradentate N-donor ligands that form strong complexes with f -elements, which are soluble in polar organic solvents. As an example of three ligands of this class, we conducted a comparative study and showed how the substituent in the amide functional group affects the extraction ability toward uranyl nitrate from nitric acid media. We have performed a careful study (NMR, FT-IR, XRD, RMC-EXAFS) of the structures of synthesized complexes of new ligands with uranyl nitrate and used quantum mechanical calculations to explain the discovered regularities through.

A strategy for stereoselective synthesis of molecular platform for targeted delivery of bimodal therapeutic or theranostic agents to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) receptor was developed. The proposed platform contains a urea-based, PSMA-targeting Glu-Urea-Lys (EuK) fragment as a vector moiety and tripeptide linker with terminal amide and azide groups for subsequent addition of two different therapeutic and diagnostic agents. The optimal method for this molecular platform synthesis includes (a) solid-phase assembly of the polypeptide linker, (b) coupling of this linker with the vector fragment, (c) attachment of 3-aminopropylazide, and (d) amide and carboxylic groups deprotection. A bimodal theranostic conjugate of the proposed platform with a cytostatic drug (docetaxel) and a fluorescent label (Sulfo-Cy5) was synthesized to demonstrate its possible sequential conjugation with different functional molecules.

Development of efficient extractants for the separation of actinides and lanthanides in the technologies of nuclear fuel cycle is one of the most urgent and complex tasks in modern nuclear energetics. New family of 4,7-dichloro-1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid diamides based on cyclic amines was synthesized and shown to exhibit high selectivity in the La/Am pair separation (SF (Am/La ≈ 10)) and in the Am/Eu pair separation (SF (Am/Eu ≈ 12)). It was shown that pyrrolidine derived diamide is more efficient extractant for americium, curium and lanthanides from highly acidic HNO 3 solution than its non-cyclic N , N , N ', N '-tetraalkyl analogues. The structures of synthesized compounds were studied in details by IR, NMR spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. According to spectroscopy data, incorporation of aromatic rings to the amide fragment of ligand leads to complex dynamic behavior in solutions what is believed to strongly affect the extraction ability of synthesized ligands., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The goal of this study was to establish a relationship between the optical properties of soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) and acidic functions carried out by its individual constituents. We obtained 12 fractions of DOM samples using sequential solid phase extraction on nonionic sorbent at steadily lowered pH values: 7, 5, 3, 2, which correspond to low bounds of p K a values of phenols, aliphatic, and aromatic carboxylic acids, and ketoacids. The structural studies were conducted with the use of NMR and selective deuteromethylation of isolated fractions coupled to ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. First, a gradual shift of molecular compositions was observed from reduced components to aromatic oxidized compounds isolated at pH 7 and 2, respectively. Changes in molecular compositions were accompanied by a red shift of fluorescence spectra. Further application of deuteromethylation enabled us to distinguish DOM constituents with different amounts of carboxylic groups. Moreover, identification of structural isomers in a single DOM sample was achieved. Statistical analysis revealed that red shift of fluorescence is facilitated by the increase of a contribution of aromatic poly(carboxylic acid)s with high conjugation lengths. Additionally, analysis of the labeled fractionated permafrost thaw DOM directly showed carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules, while the same components from lower-latitude DOM were assigned to lignin-like species.

The comparison of the possibilities of Pd- and Cu-catalyzed amination reactions using fluorine-containing aryl bromides and iodides with oxadiamines to produce their N,N' -diaryl derivatives was carried out. The dependence of the reactivity of the aryl halides on the nature of the substituents and halogen atoms as well as on the structure of oxadiamines was investigated. It was found that the copper-catalyzed reactions were somewhat comparable with the palladium-mediated processes in the majority of cases, especially in the reactions with para -fluorine- and para -(trifluoromethyl)-substituted aryl halides, although the necessity to use aryl iodides in the Cu(I)-catalyzed amination was obvious. Pd catalysis was found inevitable for the successful amination of more sterically hindered ortho -(trifluoromethyl)aryl bromides.

The structures of individual molecules in crude oil remain largely unknown despite the considerable amount of research dedicated to this topic. The extreme complexity of crude oil (recently Marshall reported the observation of more than 400,000 unique compounds in one sample) makes it impossible to separate crude oil into individual compounds and determine their structure by NMR or X-ray spectroscopy. Recently, isotope exchange, performed both in solution and in the gas phase, combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry was used for speciation of certain structural fragments of individual molecules in crude oil and humic substances. 16 O/ 18 O exchange allows enumeration of =O groups and speciation of furans, whereas H/D exchange allows enumeration of -OH groups, -NH groups, aromatic hydrogens, alpha hydrogens, etc. Unfortunately, crude oil is insoluble in water (the most available and cleanest source of isotopes), so performance of the exchange in solution requires harsh conditions, such as concentrated acids or bases, which could considerably modify the sample. Here we describe the use of a cheap and simple analytical approach for performing both H/D and 16 O/ 18 O exchange in crude oil using only water as the source of the isotopes. Crude oil was incubated in near-critical water and the reaction was monitored by high-resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry. Although isotope exchange results in complication of the spectrum, the resolving power of modern mass spectrometers is sufficient to determine the number of exchanges for each molecule simultaneously. We determined the number of 16 O/ 18 O exchanges in 276 species and the number of H/D exchanges in 150 species. Our results allow deeper investigation of crude oil and other nonpolar samples on the molecular level. Graphical abstract.

Chemoselective palladium-catalyzed arylation of polyamines with 6-bromoquinoline has been explored to prepare chelators for the detection of metal cations in aqueous media. The introduction of a single aromatic moiety into non-protected polyamine molecules was achieved using the commercially available Pd(dba)2/BINAP precatalyst to afford nitrogen chelators, in which the aromatic signalling unit is directly attached to the polyamine residue. Water-soluble receptors were then synthesized using N-alkylation of these polyamines by hydrophilic coordinating residues. By combining rich photophysical properties of the 6-aminoquinoline unit with a high coordination affinity of chelating polyamines and a hydrophilic character of carboxamido-substituted phosphonic acid diesters in a single molecular device, we synthesized chemosensor 5 for selective double-channel (UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies) detection of CuII ions in aqueous media at physiological levels. This receptor is suitable for the analysis of drinking water and fabrication of paper test strips for the naked-eye detection of CuII ions under UV-light. By increasing the number of donor sites we also obtained chemosensor 6 which is efficient for the detection of HgII ions. Moreover, chemosensor 6 is also suitable for multiple detection of metal ions because it chelates not only HgII but also CuII and ZnII ions displaying different responses of emission in the presence of these three cations.

The reaction of 4,4-dichloro-1,2-diazabuta-1,3-dienes with sodium azide has been studied and found to provide straightforward access to extremely rare 1,1-bisazides. It was demonstrated that these highly unstable compounds are prone to eliminate the N 2 molecule to cyclize into 4-azido-1,2,3-triazoles bearing two aryl (heteroaryl) groups at positions 2 and 5. The formation of bisazides was confirmed by their trapping with cyclooctyne and B3LYP calculations. Most likely, the elimination of nitrogen to form an intermediate nitrene is facilitated by the aza group via anchimeric-like participation. The reaction was found to be very general for the highly efficient synthesis of various 4-azidotriazoles. It was demonstrated that these heterocycles are highly attractive building blocks for subsequent preparation of 1,2,3-triazole-derived compounds.

Here, we report on sequential solid-phase extraction of leonardite hymatomelanic acid (CHM) on a non-ionic sorbent at four steadily lowered pH values: 7, 5, 3, and 2, yielding fractions with different acidic properties. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, we revealed a gradual shift of dominating scaffolds in the fractions of CHM from reduced saturated to oxidized aromatic compounds. An increase on the average aromaticity of the CHM fractions was accompanied by a red shift in fluorescence spectra. These results were supported by heteronuclear single quantum coherence and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation NMR experiments. We have demonstrated that the CHM fraction isolated at pH 5 was dominated by aliphatic carboxyl carriers, while the pH 3 fraction was dominated by aromatic carboxyl acids. The developed fractionation technique will enable deeper insight on structure-property relationships and the design of the humic-based materials with tailored reactive properties.

5-Aryl-substituted pyrazol-3-ylphosphonates have been conveniently synthesized by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 1-formamidovinylphosphonates and aryldiazomethanes under K 2 CO 3 /MeOH conditions at room temperature. These pyrazoles are formed in one pot via spontaneous elimination of formamide. Basic conditions prevent competitive formation of cyclopropylphosphonates. 3-Aryl substituted pyrazol-5-carboxylates can be synthesized by the same methodology from 1-arylvinylphosphonates and ethyl diazoacetate, although a stronger base NaH is necessary to ensure the success of the aromatization stage with the elimination of the diethoxylphosphoryl moiety.

Hydrogen/deuterium exchange coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry has become a powerful analytical approach for structural investigations of complex organic matrices. Here we report the feasibility of the site-specific H/D exchange of non-labile hydrogens directly in the electrospray ionization (ESI) source, which was facilitated by an increase in the desolvation temperature from 200 °C up to 400 °C. We have found that the exchanges at non-labile sites were observed only for the model compounds capable of keto-enol tautomeric transformations (e.g., 2,3-, 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acids, gallic acid, DOPA), and only when water was used as a solvent. We hypothesized that the detected additional exchanges were induced by the presence of hydroxyls in the sprayed water droplets generated in the negative ESI mode. It was indicative of the exchange reactions taking place in the sprayed droplets rather than in the gas phase. To support this hypothesis, the H/D exchange experiments were run in deuterated water under base-catalyzed conditions for three model compounds, which showed the most intensive exchanges in the MS experiments: DOPA, 2,4-DHB, and 5-acetylsalicylic acid. (2)H NMR spectroscopy has confirmed keto-enolic transformations of the model compounds leading to the specific labeling of the corresponding non-labile sites. We believe that the proposed technique will be useful for structural investigations of natural complex mixtures (e.g. proteins, humic substances) using site-specific H/D exchange.

Tetraspiro[2.1.2(5).1.2(9).1.2(13).1(3)]hexadecane-1,3,5,7-tetraone 4, a unique tetraketone containing a cyclooctane core and four spiroannelated cyclopropane moieties, represents the previously unknown cyclotetramer of carbonylcyclopropane. For this purpose oxidation of the parent polyspirocyclic hydrocarbon was examined under various oxidative conditions, and the reactivity of oxidants towards methylene groups of the eight-membered cycle, activated by adjacent spirocyclopropane rings, was evaluated and contrasted. Whereas the treatment of tetraspirohexadecane with ozone resulted in monooxidation, its reaction with methyl(trifluoromethyl)dioxirane afforded the product of four-fold oxidation, triketoalcohol 10. Subsequent oxidation of the latter with Dess-Martin periodinane gave the target tetraketone 4., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A straightforward gram-scale synthesis of 1,3,5,7-tetrakis(methylidene)cyclooctane (TMCO) from commercial adamantane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid has been developed. TMCO exhibits high reactivity toward a number of carbenes and epoxidizing reagents, undergoing multiple cyclopropanations, dihalocyclopropanations, or epoxidations of four double bonds to yield polyspirocyclic products. Stereochemical features of polyspirocyclopropanated compounds have been thoroughly examined in experimental (NMR) and theoretical (DFT) studies. Comprehensive stereochemical assignment of TMCO adducts with dihalocarbenes and spiroepoxy products was achieved. The conditions of the formation of 1-methyl-3,7-bis(methylidene)bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane from the adamantane derivative were optimized, and diadducts of this diene with dihalocarbenes were isolated and characterized.

Photolysis of organotin molecules RSnMe3 is shown to be a spin selective radical reaction accompanied by fractionation of magnetic, (117,119)Sn, and nonmagnetic, (118,120)Sn, isotopes between starting reagents and products. A primary photolysis process is a homolytic cleavage of the C-Sn bond and generation of a triplet radical pair as a spin-selective nanoreactor. Nuclear spin dependent triplet-singlet conversion of the pair results in the tin isotope fractionation. Experimentally detected isotope distribution unambiguously demonstrates that the classical, mass-dependent isotope effect is negligible in comparison with magnetic, spin-dependent isotope effect.