Stereospecific modifications

Anatoxin-a is the most potent and most stereospecific nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist thus far identified. It is also highly selective for nicotinic receptors over muscarinic receptors. The molecular parameters which influence the binding affinity, channel activation, channel blockade, and receptor desensitization are being studied. Modifications of the carbonyl and amine moieties can reduce or nearly eliminate the receptor agonist potency of the compounds and also determine the channel blocking characteristics. 

By modification of the elegant method of preparation of optically active sulfinates previously reported by Mikolajczyk and coworkers , an efficient stereospecific method for the conversion of readily available optically active sulfinamides to optically active sulfinates of inverted configuration at the sulfinyl function, has been recently reported by Hiroi and coworkers . The same authors subsequently reported the thermal rearrangement of several optically active cis- and trans-y-substituted allylic p-toluenesulfinates to optically active chiral sulfones with high stereoselectivity. For example, trans and cis (S)-( — )-crotyl p-toluenesulfinates rearranged to optically active (S)-(-l-)- and (R)-( — )-a-methylallyl p-tolyl sulfone, respectively (equation 19). 

A qualitatively new approach to the surface pretreatment of solid electrodes is their chemical modification, which means a controlled attachment of suitable redox-active molecules to the electrode surface. The anchored surface molecules act as charge mediators between the elctrode and a substance in the electrolyte. A great effort in this respect was triggered in 1975 when Miller et al. attached the optically active methylester of phenylalanine by covalent bonding to a carbon electrode via the surface oxygen functionalities (cf. Fig. 5.27). Thus prepared, so-called chiral electrode showed stereospecific reduction of 4-acetylpyridine and ethylph-enylglyoxylate (but the product actually contained only a slight excess of one enantiomer). 

The expression of 15-LOX in atherosclerotic lesions is one of the major causes of LDL oxidative modification during atherosclerosis. To obtain the experimental evidence of a principal role of 15-LOX in atherosclerosis under in vivo conditions, Kuhn et al. [67] studied the structure of oxidized LDL isolated from the aorta of rabbits fed with a cholesterol-rich diet. It was found that specific LOX products were present in early atherosclerotic lesions. On the later stages of atherosclerosis the content of these products diminished while the amount of products originating from nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation increased. It was concluded that arachidonate 15-LOX is of pathophysiological importance at the early stages of atherosclerosis. Folcik et al. [68] demonstrated that 15-LOX contributed to the oxidation of LDL in human atherosclerotic plaques because they observed an increase in the stereospecificity of oxidation in oxidized products. Arachidonate 15-LOX is apparently more active in young human lesions and therefore, may be of pathophysiological importance for earlier atherosclerosis. In advanced human plaques nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation products prevailed [69],... 

Syntheses of naphthyridone derivatives follow the same procedures as those of quinolones, except that substituted 2-aminopyridines (Gould-Jacobs modification) or substituted nicotinic ester/nicotinoyl chloride are used instead of anilines or o-halobenzoic acid derivatives. Most of the recently introduced quinolone antibacterials possess bicyclic or chiral amino moieties at the C-7 position, which result in the formation of enantiomeric mixtures. In general, one of the enantiomers is the active isomer, therefore the stereospecific synthesis and enantiomeric purity of these amino moieties before proceeding to the final step of nucleophilic substitution at the C-7 position of quinolone is of prime importance. The enantiomeric purity of other quinolones such as ofloxacin (a racemic mixture) plays a major role in the improvement of the antibacterial efficacy and pharmacokinetics of these enan-... 

One may consider a series of physical states ranging from the crystalline, where molecular aggregation and orientation are large, to the dilute gaseous state, where there are no significant orientational limits. States of intermediate order are represented by micelles, liquid crystals, monolayers, ion pairs, and dipole-dipole complexes. In the crystalline state, the differences between pure enantiomers, racemic modifications, and diastereomeric complexes are clearly defined both structurally and energetically (32,33). At the other extreme, stereospecific interactions between diastereomerically related solvents and solutes, ion pairs, and other partially oriented systems are much less clearly resolved. 

Stilbene derivatives can be reduced with alkali metals in liquid ammonia. The reaction is usually performed in a homogeneous medium to give substituted diphenylethane compounds as a mixture of enantiomeric forms. However, there are compounds (particularly, biologically active ones) for which the stereospecificity of synthesis has decisive importance. A simple modification of the reduction method with an alkali metal in liquid ammonia was found (Collins and Hobbs 1983), which makes it possible to perform the process stereoselectively. The metal is not predissolved, as is usual, but is added in small portions without trying to make the reaction medium homogeneous. Stereoselectivity is ensured by carrying out the reduction on the surface of the metal and not in the solution bulk. 

Subsequently, the asymmetric synthesis of stereospecifically monodeu-terated 1-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acids (IS, 2R) and (IS, 2S) has also been achieved by a modification of the above route (89JOC270). The essential step involves an intramolecular alkylation on a lactim ether anion (Scheme 64). 

The stereospecific preparation of Z- ,/l-dill uorostyrenes was accomplished by Davis and Burton via modification of the Heinze methodology, as illustrated in equation 4937,38. The Z- /,/i -di II uorostyrenes could be readily converted to other synthons, such as E- /i-di -/ -iodostyrenes ( -FIC=CFPh) and -a, / -difluoro-/ -tributylstannanes (E-PhFC=CFSnBu3), by known literature reactions38, and which could be utilized as synthons in other coupling reactions. 

A very interesting modification of method B was applied to the stereospecific synthesis of ( )-pseudoheliotridane.27 Condensation of ethyl bromoacetate with l-methyl-2-ethyl-4,5-dihydropyrrole (42) afforded the quaternary salt 43, which was reduced, without isolation, with formic acid to give ethyl /3-(Ar-methyl-2-pyrrolidyl)butyrate (44). The amino alcohol (45), obtained by reduction of 44 with lithium... 

All of the organomercury reactions may be carried out catalytically in palladium by use of copper(II) chloride as a reoxidant for the palladium. This modification, however, often reduces the yield of product and lowers the stereospecificity of the arylation.21,23... 

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