Sequential Induction of Chirality in Helical Polymers: From the Stereocenter to the Achiral Solvent.

Several steps of chiral induction have been detected in poly(phenylacetylene)s among their different hierarchical levels of chirality by vibrational circular dichroism, namely, (i) from the stereogenic centers to the innermost polyacetylene helical covalent backbone (helix), (ii) from this to the external helix (helix) formed by the side phenyl pendants that form a complementary helix or counter-helix, and (iii) from this pendant helix to the helical solvation sphere (helix), the last one being observed along this work. The pendant to polyene backbone chiral induction determines the helical structure adopted by the polymer and therefore the solvation helix. This helical structure is promoted by two mechanisms: steric effects and hydrogen bonding.

Quantum mechanical study and vibrational spectra of indazolium-3-carboxylate and its decarboxylation product, the N-heterocyclic carbene indazol-3-ylidene.

Indazolium-3-carboxylate is a molecule that can be found as the nucleus of several pseudo-cross-conjugated mesomeric betaines, such as the alkaloid nigellicine. From a chemical point of view, one of the more interesting properties of this class of molecules is the possibility of forming an N-heterocyclic carbene by thermal decarboxylation. In this paper we have studied the carbene generation by decarboxylation of 1,2-dimethyl indazolium-3-carboxylate, using vibrational (infrared and Raman) spectroscopy and quantum chemistry calculations.

Imidazol-2-and-4-ylidene by decarboxylation. Studies on the cross-conjugated mesomeric betaine-alkaloid norzooanemonine and its pseudo-cross-conjugated isomer.

1,3-Dimethylimidazolium-2-carboxylate and -4-carboxylate (norzooanemonine), which belong to two distinct classes of heterocyclic mesomeric betaines, undergo thermal decarboxylations to the N-heterocyclic carbenes imidazol-2-ylidene and imidazol-4-ylidene, respectively. These carbenes can be detected by ESI mass spectrometry and can be trapped by isocyanates to imidazolium-amidates, the structure of which was proved by independent syntheses. We performed calculations to characterize the different types of conjugation in the imidazolium-carboxylates.

Syntheses, pi-stacking interactions and base-pairings of uracil pyridinium salts and uracilyl betaines with nucleobases.

Reaction of 6-chlorouracil with 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine, 4-methylpyridine, and pyridin-4-yl-morpholine yielded pyridinium-substituted uracils as chlorides which were converted into pyridinium uracilates by deprotonation. These heterocyclic mesomeric betaines are cross-conjugated and thus possess separate cationic (pyridinium) and anionic (uracilate) moieties. Calculations and X-ray single crystal analyses were performed in order to characterize these systems and to compare the salts with the betaines.

Biogenic amines and polyamines: similar biochemistry for different physiological missions and biomedical applications.

Biogenic amines are organic polycations derived from aromatic or cationic amino acids. All of them have one or more positive charges and a hydrophobic skeleton. Nature has evolved these molecules to play different physiological roles in mammals, but maintains similar patterns for their metabolic and intracellular handling.