Electrocatalysis of neurotransmitter catecholamines by 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium ion immobilized inside zeolite Y supercages

2,4,6-Triphenylpyrylium ions entrapped inside the supercages of Y zeolite exert a remarkable catalytic effect toward the electrochemical oxidation of dopamine and norepinephrine (neurotrasmitter catecholamines) in neutral aqueous media.Domenech Carbo, Antonio, [email protected]

Organomanganese compounds in organic synthesis

This thesis describes the preparation and reactions of some cyclomanganated chalcones, dienones and aryl ketones. Investigation has previously been undertaken into the reaction of cyclomanganated chalcones and dienones with alkynes to give both pyranyl and cycloheptadienyl Mn(CO)₃ complexes. In the current study, the reaction was further investigated with a cyclomanganated dienone derived from a cyclic ketone which gave only the (pyranyl)Mn(CO)₃ complex (2-6) and not the cycloheptadienyl product as consistent with a mechanism previously proposed. Also extended in the current study was previous work involving the methylmanganese pentacarbonyl-mediated transformation of enynes to cyclopropanated bicyclic compounds and cyclopentanes bearing an exocyclic double bond. In the current study, benzylmanganese pentacarbonyl was used instead of methylmanganese pentacarbonyl under similar conditions. In the current study however, the type of product that formed in diethyl ether (3-4) was the one dominant in acetonitrile in the MeMn(CO)₅ study, and that formed in acetonitrile (3-5) was the dominant product type in diethyl ether (3-4). There was no apparent explanation for this reverse reactivity. Ferrocenyl pyrylium salts of the type 5-5 have been prepared using a new route to ferrocenyl pyrylium from cyclomanganated chalcones and ferrocenylethyne. UV-visible and electrochemical properties of the pyrylium salts have been investigated. The ferrocenyl pyrylium salt (5-5) was obtained by the oxidation of [2-ferrocenyl-4,6-diphenyl-ɳ₅]-pyranyltricarbonylmanganese (5-6). The crystal structure of 5-6 was also determined

Membrane-Organized Chemical Photoredox Systems

This project has three interrelated goals relevant to solar water photolysis, which are to develop: (1) vesicle-organized assemblies for H2 photoproduction that utilize pyrylium and structurally related compounds as combined photosensitizers and cyclic electroneutral transmembrane electron carriers; (2) transmembrane redox systems whose reaction rates can be modulated by light; and (3) homogeneous catalysts for water oxidation. In area (1), initial efforts to photogenerate H2 from vectorially-organized vesicles containing occluded colloidal Pt and commonly available pyrylium ions as transmembrane redox mediators were unsuccessful. New pyrylium compounds with significantly lower reduction potentials have been synthesized to address this problem and their apparent redox potentials in functioning systems have been now evaluated by using a series of occluded viologens. These studies provide an estimate of thermodynamic constraints imposed by these assemblies on hydrogen photoproduction. In area (2), spirooxazine-quinone dyads have been synthesized and their capacity to function as redox mediators across bilayer membranes has been evaluated through continuous photolysis and transient spectrophotometric measurements. These studies provide information on how quinone pools transfer charge in biomimetic systems designed to store solar energy as transmembrane electrochemical gradients. Photoisomerization of the spiro moiety to the ring-open mero form caused net quantum yields to decrease significantly, providing a basis for photoregulation of transmembrane redox; unexpectedly, both electrogenic and electroneutral pathways were observed, which were dependent upon the isomeric state of the chromophore (mero vs. spiro) and quinone substituent groups. Research on water oxidation (area 3) has been directed at understanding mechanisms of catalysis by cis,cis-[(bpy)2Ru(OH2)]2O4+ and related polyimine complexes. Using a variety of physical techniques, we have: (i) identified the redox state of the complex ion that is catalytically active; (ii) shown using 18O isotopic labeling that there are two reaction pathways, both of which involve participation of solvent H2 O; and (iii) detected by EPR and resonance Raman spectroscopies new species which may be key intermediates in the catalytic cycle. Analogs containing substituted bipyridine ligands have been synthesized to probe molecular details of these reactions whose understanding is necessary for rational design of superior catalysts

Dual Catalysis in Enantioselective Oxidopyrylium-Based [5+2] Cycloadditions

A new method is reported for effecting catalytic enantioselective intramolecular [5+2] cycloadditions based on oxidopyrylium intermediates. The dual catalyst system consists of a chiral primary aminothiourea and a second achiral thiourea. Experimental evidence points to a new type of cooperative catalysis with each species being necessary to generate a reactive pyrylium ion pair which undergoes subsequent cycloaddition with high enantioselectivity.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog

The Principles of Gold-Catalyzed Molecular Gymnastics

L'or(I) dirigeix el contorsionisme molecular mitjançant reaccions intramoleculars i intermoleculars d'enins per mitjà d'intermedis ciclopropil o carbens altament distorsionats. La síntesi de productes naturals com (+)-orienalol F i (-)-englerin A mostra l'estat d'art de la catàlisi de l'or(I) per a construir complexitat molecular.Gold(I) orchestrates molecular gymnastics by intraand intermolecular reaction of enymes via highly distorted cyclopropyl gold carbenes as intermediates. The synthesis of natural products such as (+)-orientalol F and (−)-englerin A illustrates the state of the art of gold (I) catalysis for the buildup of molecular complexity

Glycation of Plant Proteins under Environmental Stress — Methodological Approaches, Potential Mechanisms and Biological Role

Environmental stress is one of the major factors reducing crop productivity. Due to the oncoming climate changes, the effects of drought and high light on plants play an increasing role in modern agriculture. These changes are accompanied with a progressing contamination of soils with heavy metals. Independent of their nature, environmental alterations result in development of oxidative stress, i.e. increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents, and metabolic adjustment, i.e. accumulation of soluble primary metabolites (amino acids and sugars). However, a simultaneous increase of ROS and sugar concentrations ultimately results in protein glycation, i.e. non-enzymatic interaction of reducing sugars or their degradation products (α-dicarbonyls) with proteins. The eventually resulting advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are known to be toxic and pro-inflammatory in mammals. Recently, their presence was unambiguously demonstrated in vivo in stressed Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Currently, information on protein targets, modification sites therein, mediators and mechanisms of plant glycation are being intensively studied. In this chapter, we comprehensively review the methodological approaches for plant glycation research and discuss potential mechanisms of AGE formation under stress conditions. On the basis of these patterns and additional in vitro experiments, the pathways and mechanisms of plant glycation can be proposed