Functioning in organic solvents

Can the carbon-based biochemistry of life as we know it function in organic solvents Certainly, many enzymes function in organic solvents, and many organic reactions fundamental to biochemistry can occur in nonaqueous solvents.31,32 However, even enzymes that are active in organic solvents need some bound water to maintain their active structure. Moreover, water is important in other vital biochemical reactions during metabolism and biosynthesis, and water is a product of metabolic reactions. Scientists infer that carbon-based life is not likely to be able to adapt to a pure-solvent milieu unless it has some mechanism to form water from such solvents as alcohols or to produce all the necessary water de novo from biochemical reactions. Are those mechanisms possible, and is there evidence that bacteria could grow in some organic solvent, with or without trace levels of water ... 

Gupta M. Enzyme functions in organic solvents. Eur J Biochem 1992 203 25-... 

As no hydrophobic interactions function in organic solvents, the 71-71-interactions are the only mechanism of retaining certain organic analytes... 

Estimation of Thermodynamic Functions in Organic Solvent Systems... 

Tanaka and co-workers first reported reversible photo-triggered controlled release mesoporous silica (MCM-41) system that could function in organic solvents (Mai et al. 2003). Their system took advantage of a photodimerization reaction of coumarin. The pores of MCM-41were functionalized with 7-[(3-triethoxysilyl) propoxy] coumarin. The reversible dimerization of this coumarinic functionality was large enough to close and open the mesoporous opening of MCM-41. Silica cholestane and phenanthrene could be encapsulated and released in n-hexane solution (Mai et al. 2003). 

If a catalyst is to work well in solution, it (and tire reactants) must be sufficiently soluble and stable. Most polar catalysts (e.g., acids and bases) are used in water and most organometallic catalysts (compounds of metals witli organic ligands bonded to tliem) are used in organic solvents. Some enzymes function in aqueous biological solutions, witli tlieir solubilities detennined by the polar functional groups (R groups) on tlieir outer surfaces. 

The oxidation of higher alkenes in organic solvents proceeds under almost neutral conditions, and hence many functional groups such as ester or lac-tone[26,56-59], sulfonate[60], aldehyde[61-63], acetal[60], MOM ether[64], car-bobenzoxy[65], /-allylic alcohol[66], bromide[67,68], tertiary amine[69], and phenylselenide[70] can be tolerated. Partial hydrolysis of THP ether[71] and silyl ethers under certain conditions was reported. Alcohols are oxidized with Pd(II)[72-74] but the oxidation is slower than the oxidation of terminal alkenes and gives no problem when alcohols are used as solvents[75,76]. 

While the previous receptors are typically used in organic solvents, except for the cyclodextrins, there are special cases of cyclophane receptors supphed with peripheral charges (ammonium units) (107—12) or ionizable groups (carboxylate functions) (113,114) (Fig. 17) to allow substrate recognition, as in nature, in an aqueous medium, profiting from the solvophobic effects of water (115). 

Although waterborne systems were developed in the 1960s, the form of this chemistry that dominates the industry utilizes end-functional, high molecular weight base polymers dissolved in organic solvents. Work on solventless condensation systems continues, but has not yet become commonplace [45,47]. Solvent-borne condensation cure systems are convenient for their ease of pro-... 

A novel application of a phenyl aryldiazosulfone was found by Kessler et al. (1990). l-[4-(7V-Chlorocarbonyl-7V-methylamino)phenyl]-2-(phenylsulfonyl)diazene (6.18) is an acid chloride with a potential diazonio group. The above authors showed that in organic solvents (THF, etc.) this compound reacts easily, as expected, with nucleophiles (HNu), e.g., with aliphatic, aromatic, or heterocyclic amines, with cystine dimethyl ester, or with 4-methoxyphenol at the carbonyl function, yielding... 

Since most aaAAs are hydrophobic in nature, peptides rich in aaAAs are generally restricted to study in organic solvents due to their low solubility in aqueous media. There have been very few examples of side-chain functionalized aaAAs that would allow for the synthesis of highly water-soluble peptides rich in aaAA content.3 This is primarily due to difficulty of synthesis, since side-chain functionalized derivatives must be orthogonally protected to allow for incorporation into solid-phase peptide synthesis. The harsh conditions, under which standard methods of aaAA synthesis are performed, make this a difficult task. 

However, considering practical limitations, that is, the availability of optically pure enantiomers, E values are more commonly determined on racemates by evaluating the enantiomeric excess values as a function of the extent of conversion in batch reactions. For irreversible reactions, the E value can be calculated from Equation 1 (when the enantiomeric excess ofthe product is known) or from Equation 2 (when the enantiomeric excess ofthe substrate is knovm) [la]. For reversible reactions, which may be the case in enzymatic resolution carried out in organic solvents (especially at extents of conversion higher than 40%), Equations 3 or 4, in which the reaction equilibrium constant has been introduced, should be used [lb]. 

Lipase is an enzyme which catalyzes the hydrolysis of fatty acid esters normally in an aqueous environment in living systems. However, hpases are sometimes stable in organic solvents and can be used as catalyst for esterifications and transesterifications. By utihzing such catalytic specificities of lipase, functional aliphatic polyesters have been synthesized by various polymerization modes. Typical reaction types of hpase-catalyzed polymerization leading to polyesters are summarized in Scheme 1. Lipase-catalyzed polymerizations also produced polycarbonates and polyphosphates. 

In the early work on the thermolysis of metal complexes for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles, the precursor carbonyl complex of transition metals, e.g., Co2(CO)8, in organic solvent functions as a metal source of nanoparticles and thermally decomposes in the presence of various polymers to afford polymer-protected metal nanoparticles under relatively mild conditions [1-3]. Particle sizes depend on the kind of polymers, ranging from 5 to >100 nm. The particle size distribution sometimes became wide. Other cobalt, iron [4], nickel [5], rhodium, iridium, rutheniuim, osmium, palladium, and platinum nanoparticles stabilized by polymers have been prepared by similar thermolysis procedures. Besides carbonyl complexes, palladium acetate, palladium acetylacetonate, and platinum acetylac-etonate were also used as a precursor complex in organic solvents like methyl-wo-butylketone [6-9]. These results proposed facile preparative method of metal nanoparticles. However, it may be considered that the size-regulated preparation of metal nanoparticles by thermolysis procedure should be conducted under the limited condition. 

However, when considering the use of acid or base in organic solvents for sample extraction, care must be taken to avoid potential artifacts that may arise from side reactions. For example, methylation of active hydroxyl groups or acidic functions on the analyte may sometimes occur when acidic methanol is used as the extractant. Another example is acetylation of an active alcohol on the analyte following partition of the analyte into ethyl acetate from aqueous solution acidified with glacial acetic acid. 

The value of the tris(pyrazolyl)hydroborato complexes [TpRR ]ZnOH is that they are rare examples of monomeric four-coordinate zinc complexes with a terminal hydroxide funtionality. Indeed, [TpBut]ZnOH is the first structurally characterized monomeric terminal hydroxide complex of zinc (149). As such, the monomeric zinc hydroxide complexes [TpRR ]ZnOH may be expected to play valuable roles as both structural and functional models for the active site of carbonic anhydrase. Although a limitation of the [TpRR ]ZnOH system resides with their poor solubility in water, studies on these complexes in organic solvents... 

Hydroamination of alkynes offers a straightforward preparation of a variety of amines, enamines, and imines.79 Numerous reports have appeared in the literature on this process. However, almost all these reactions have been carried out in organic solvents, which usually require the protection of functional groups or harsh conditions. Recently, Marinelli et al. have reported an Au(III)-catalyzed hydroamination of alkynes in... 

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