In the gas-phase reactions of halonitro-and dinitrophenide anions with X (X ϭ F, Cl, Br, NO 2 ) and NO 2 groups in ortho or para position to each other with selected C-H acids: CH 3 CN, CH 3 COCH 3 , and CH 3 NO 2 , products of the S N Ar-type reaction are formed. Nitrophenide anions are generated by decarboxylation of the respective nitrobenzenecarboxylate anions in ESI ion source and the S N Ar reaction takes place either in the medium-pressure zone of the ion source or in the collision chamber of the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. In the case of F, Cl, and NO 2 derivatives, the main ionic product is the respective [NO 2 -Ph-CHR] Ϫ anion (R ϭ CN, COCH 3 , NO 2 ). In the case of Br derivatives, the main ionic product is Br Ϫ ion because it has lower proton affinity than the [NO 2 -Ph-CHR] Ϫ anion (for R ϭ CN, COCH 3 ). For some halonitrophenide anion C-H acid pairs of reactants, the S N Ar reaction is competed by the formation of halophenolate anions. This reaction can be rationalized by the single electrontransfer mechanism or by homolytic C-H bond cleavage in the proton-bound complex, both resulting in the formation of the halonitrobenzene radical anion, which in turn undergoes -NO 2 to -ONO rearrangement followed by the NO

The combination of ion mobility mass spectrometry studies and theoretical calculations including docking studies permitted a detailed structural description of noncovalent complexes of folic acid (FA) and native cyclodextrins (α-CD, β-CD, and γ-CD). The mode of noncovalent association depended on the cavity size of the cyclodextrin. The structure of FA/α-CD represented the exclusion complex in which the aminobenzoic moiety and the aromatic pteridine ring of folic acid remain outside the cyclodextrin cavity, while the glutamate residue is anchored in the interior of the α-cyclodextrin. A rotaxane-type structure was proposed for the FA/β-CD complex with the aminobenzoic part of FA being trapped in the central cavity of β-CD. The glutamate residue and the aromatic pteridine ring interact with the primary and secondary rim hydroxyl residues, respectively, enhancing complex stability. Two possible structures of FA/γ-CD were suggested, the first one being analogous to the FA/β-CD complex and the second one being more stable-in which the aromatic pteridine ring penetrates into the CD cavity while the glutamate residue with the aminobenzoic part of FA is exposed to the cone exterior of CD at its wider edge. Further insight into the association behavior of the folic acid toward cyclodextrins evaluated by thermodynamic calculations indicates that the process is highly exothermic. The complex stability increased in the order FA/α-CD < FA/β-CD < FA/γ-CD. This order is consistent with the previously determined relative gas-phase stability established based on the dissociation efficiency curves of the FA/CD complexes.

The formation of different complexes of folic acid depending on the size of the host cyclodextrin resulting in either an exclusion compound (with the smallest α-cyclodextrin) or 2-rotaxane, where cyclodextrin is threaded over folic acid (with β- and γ-cyclodextrins), is presented. The formation is carried out in water which allows both possible application in pharmaceutical sciences and usage of environmentally friendly "green chemistry". The obtained compounds are thoroughly characterized using one and two dimensional NMR, mass spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis.

The use of protonated l-prolinethioamide instead of the free base derivative 1 as the organocatalyst for the direct aldol addition has a profound and appreciable effect on both the yield and the stereochemical course of the reaction. 4-Nitrobenzaldehyde (2) reacts with acetone in the presence of the protonated catalyst 1.TFA, affording aldol product 3 with a yield up to 99% and an ee up to 98%. The catalyst loading can be lowered to 2.5 mol %. More than 20 different acids were investigated as an additive, and its role as cocatalyst has been discussed. Furthermore, reactions of l-prolinethioamide salts with acetone have been monitored using ESI-MS and 1H NMR techniques, giving insight into the mechanism of the direct aldol reaction. The presumed formation of the iminium salt 10 has been unambiguously confirmed.

A series of new peptide dendrimers with amphiphilic surface, designed around a dendronized ornithine (Orn) core were synthesized and characterized by ESI-MS, 1 H-, 13 C-NMR, and CD spectrometry. An improved antimicrobial potency against S. aureus and E. coli was detected as a result of an increased charge, higher branching and variable lipophilicity of the residues located at the C-terminus. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values indicated that the selected dendrimers were not sensitive to the physiological concentration of Na

No abstract

Reactions of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds involving anions are of great importance in organic synthesis. Some of these reactions have been studied in the gas phase and are occasionally mentioned in reviews devoted to gas-phase negative ion chemistry, but no reviews exist that collect all existing information about these reactions. This work is intended to fill this gap. In the first part of this review, methods for generating arene anions in the gas phase and studying their physicochemical properties and fragmentation reactions are presented. The main topics in this part are as follows: processes in which gas-phase arene anions are formed, measurements and calculations of the proton affinities of arene anions, proton exchange reactions, and fragmentation processes of substituted arene anions, especially phenide ions. The second part is devoted to gas-phase reactions of arene anions. The most important of these are reactions with electrophiles such as carbonyl compounds and α,β-unsaturated carbonyl and related compounds (Michael acceptors). Other reactions including oxidation of arene anions and halogenophilic reactions are also presented. In the last part of the review, reactions of electrophilic arenes with nucleophiles are discussed. The best known of these is the aromatic nucleophilic substitution (SN Ar) reaction; however, other processes that lead to the substitution of a hydrogen atom in the aromatic ring are also very important. Aromatic substrates in these reactions are usually but not always nitroarenes bearing other substituents in the ring. The first step in these reactions is the formation of an anionic σ-adduct, which, depending on the substituents in the aromatic ring and the structure of the attacking nucleophile, is either an intermediate or a transition state in the reaction path. In the present review, we attempted to collect the results of both experimental and computational studies of the aforementioned reactions conducted since the very beginning of gas-phase negative ion chemistry.

In humans, defects in lipid metabolism are associated with a number of severe diseases such as atherosclerosis, obesity and type II diabetes. Hypercholesterolemia is a primary risk factor for coronary artery disease, the major cause of premature deaths in developed countries. Statins are inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), the key enzyme of the sterol synthesis pathway. Since yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae harbours many counterparts of mammalian enzymes involved in lipid-synthesizing pathways, conclusions drawn from research with this single cell eukaryotic organism can be readily applied to higher eukaryotes. Using a yeast strain with deletions of both HMG1 and HMG2 genes (i.e. completely devoid of HMGR activity) with introduced wild-type or mutant form of human HMGR (hHMGR) gene we investigated the effects of statins on the lipid metabolism of the cell. The relative quantification of mRNA demonstrated a different effect of simvastatin on the expression of the wild-type and mutated hHMGR gene. GC/MS analyses showed a significant decrease of sterols and enhanced conversion of squalene and sterol precursors into ergosterol. This was accompanied by the mobilization of ergosterol precursors localized in lipid particles in the form of steryl esters visualized by confocal microscopy. Changes in the level of ergosterol and its precursors in cells treated with simvastatin depend on the mutation in the hHMGR gene. HPLC/MS analyses indicated a reduced level of phospholipids not connected with the mevalonic acid pathway. We detected two significant phenomena. First, cells treated with simvastatin develop an adaptive response compensating the lower activity of HMGR. This includes enhanced conversion of sterol precursors into ergosterol, mobilization of steryl esters and increased expression of the hHMGR gene. Second, statins cause a substantial drop in the level of glycerophospholipids.