Silica compounds sponges

Haliclonacyclamine F (25), arenosclerin D (26), and arenosclerin E (27) have been recently isolated from the sponge Pachychalina alcaloidifera endemic in Brazil [26]. The alkaloids 25-27 were isolated from the cytotoxic, antibiotic, and antituberculosis MeOH crude extract of P. alcaloidifera by a series of separations on silica-gel and cyanopropyl-bonded silica-gel columns. The structures of compounds 25-27 were established by the same approach employed for the structural elucidation of haliclonacyclamine E (13) and arenosclerins A-C (14-16) [18], as well as by comparison with NMR data for this last series of alkaloids. The alkaloids 25-27 displayed moderate cytotoxic activity against SF295 (human CNS), MDA-MB435 (human breast), HCT8 (colon), and HL60 (leukemia) cancer cell lines. 

The high-throughput purification in a discovery environment and the removal of transition metals using adsorption on or crystallization in the presence of activated carbon, glass-bead sponges, polymeric fibers, or silica-bound scavengers and the preparative isolation of radiolabeled compounds are out of the scope of this contribution. 

The proton sponge, l,8-bis(dimethylaminonaphthalene) (DMAN), has been anchored onto amorphous and pure silica MCM-41.[182] DMAN supported on MCM-41 is an excellent base catalyst for the Knoevenagel condensation between benzaldehyde and different active methylene compounds, as well as for the Claisen-Schmidt condensation of benzaldehyde and 2 -hydroxyacetophenone to produce chalcones and flavanones. It was found that the activity of the supported catalyst is directly related to the polarity of the inorganic support. Moreover, the support can also preactivate the reagents by interaction of the carbonyl groups with the weakly acidic silanol groups of MCM-41. This preactivation step enables DMAN, anchored onto MCM-41, to abstract protons with a higher pK than that of the DMAN. 

The reduction of nitriles is of wide scope and has been applied to many nitriles. When catalytic hydrogenation is used, secondary amines, (RCH2)2NH, are often side products.These can be avoided by adding a compound, such as acetic anhydride, which removes the primary amine as soon as it is formed, or by the use of excess ammonia to drive the equilibria backward. Sponge nickel or nickel on silica gel have been used for the catalytic hydrogenation of aryl nitriles to amines. 

It is well known that silica plays an important role in living matter. This was shown by the selective adsorption of some sugars on quartz crystals . Consequently, Schwab and Wahl tried to determine the asymmetric adsorption of silicic acid specimens recovered from the mushroom Euspongia and from the Japanese sponge. However, they did not find any asymmetric adsorption. It turned out that the stmcture of this silicic acid is similar to the structure of silica. It possesses no helical structure and cannot play any role in the formation of optically active compounds in organisms. 

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