Since its discovery in 1938, hydroformylation has been thoroughly investigated and broadly applied in industry (>10 7 metric ton yearly). However, the ability to precisely control its regioselectivity with well-established Rh-or Co-catalysts has thus far proven elusive, thereby limiting access to many synthetically valuable aldehydes. Pd-catalysts represent an appealing alternative, yet their use remains sparse due to undesired side-processes. Here, we report a highly selective and exceptionally active catalyst system that is driven by a novel activation strategy and features a unique Pd(I)− Pd(I) mechanism, involving an iodide-assisted binuclear step to release the product. This method enables β-selective hydroformylation of a large range of alkenes and alkynes, including sensitive starting materials. Its utility is demonstrated in the synthesis of antiobesity drug Rimonabant and anti-HIV agent PNU-32945. In a broader context, the new mechanistic understanding enables the development of other carbonylation reactions of high importance to chemical industry.

Complexation of dihydrogen phosphate by novel thiourea and urea receptors in acetonitrile and dimethyl sulfoxide was studied in detail by an integrated approach by using several methods (isothermal titration calorimetry, ESI-MS, and (1)H NMR and UV spectroscopy). Thermodynamic investigations into H2PO4(-) dimerisation, which is a process that has been frequently recognised, but rarely quantitatively described, were carried out as well. The corresponding equilibrium was taken into account in the anion-binding studies, which enabled reliable determination of the complexation thermodynamic quantities. In both solvents the thiourea derivatives exhibited considerably higher binding affinities with respect to those containing the urea moiety. In acetonitrile, 1:1 and 2:1 (anion/receptor) complexes formed, whereas in dimethyl sulfoxide only the significantly less stable complexes of 1:1 stoichiometry were detected. The solvent effects on the thermodynamic parameters of dihydrogen phosphate dimerisation and complexation reactions are discussed.

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The Schiff base derived from salicylaldehyde and 2‐amino‐3‐hydroxypyridine affords a diversity of solid forms, two polymorphic pairs of the enol‐imino (D1 a and D1 b) and keto‐amino (D2 a and D2 b) desmotropes. The isolated phases, identified by IR spectroscopy, X‐ray crystallography, and 13C cross‐polarization/magnetic angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR spectroscopy, display essentially planar molecular conformations characterized by strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds of the OH⋅⋅⋅N (D1) or NH⋅⋅⋅O (D2) type. A change in the position of the proton within this O⋅⋅⋅H⋅⋅⋅N system is accompanied by substantially different molecular conformations and, subsequently, by divergent supramolecular architectures. The appearance and interconversion conditions for each of the four phases have been established on the basis of a number of solution and solvent‐free experiments, and evaluated against the results of computational studies. Solid phases readily convert into the most stable form (D1 a) upon exposure to methanol vapor, heating, or by mechanical treatment, and these transformations are accompanied by a change in the color of the sample. The course of thermally induced transformations has been monitored in detail by means of temperature‐resolved powder X‐ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Upon dissolution, all forms equilibrate immediately, as confirmed by NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy in several solvents, with the equilibrium shifted far towards the enol tautomer. This study reveals the significance of peripheral groups in the stabilization of metastable tautomers in the solid state.

This work presents a successful application of a recently reported supramolecular strategy for stabilization of metastable tautomers in cocrystals to monocomponent, non-heterocyclic, tautomeric solids. Quantum-chemical computations and solution studies show that the investigated Schiff base molecule, derived from 3-methoxysalicylaldehyde and 2-amino-3-hydroxypyridine (ap), is far more stable as the enol tautomer. In the solid state, however, in all three obtained polymorphic forms it exists solely as the keto tautomer, in each case stabilized by an unexpected hydrogen-bonding pattern. Computations have shown that hydrogen bonding of the investigated Schiff base with suitable molecules shifts the tautomeric equilibrium to the less stable keto form. The extremes to which supramolecular stabilization can lead are demonstrated by the two polymorphs of molecular complexes of the Schiff base with ap. The molecules of both constituents of molecular complexes are present as metastable tautomers (keto anion and protonated pyridine, respectively), which stabilize each other through a very strong hydrogen bond. All the obtained solid forms proved stable in various solid-state and solvent-mediated methods used to establish their relative thermodynamic stabilities and possible interconversion conditions.

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Cation complexation in water presents a unique challenge in calixarene chemistry, mostly due to the fact that a vast majority of calixarene-based cation receptors is not soluble in water or their solubility has been achieved by introducing functionalities capable of (de)protonation. Such an approach inevitably involves the presence of counterions which compete with target cations for the calixarene binding site, and also rather often requires the use of ion-containing buffer solutions in order to control the pH. Herein we devised a new strategy towards the solution of this problem, based on introducing carbohydrate units at the lower or upper rim of calix[4]arenes which comprise efficient cation binding sites. In this context, we prepared neutral, water-soluble receptors with secondary or tertiary amide coordinating groups, and studied their complexation with alkali metal cations in aqueous and methanol (for the comparison purpose) solutions. Complexation thermodynamics was quantitatively characterized by UV spectrometry and isothermal titration calorimetry, revealing that one of the prepared tertiary amide derivatives is capable of remarkably efficient (log K ≈ 5) and selective binding of sodium cations among alkali metal cations in water. Given the ease of the synthetic procedure used, and thus the variety of accessible analogues, this study can serve as a platform for the development of reagents for diverse purposes in aqueous media.

Abstract. Eight novel diamidino 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-2,5-dicarboxanilides (5a-h), obtained by condensation reaction of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-2,5-dicarbonyl chloride and corresponding 3-or 4-aminobenzamidines, were evaluated for interactions with double-stranded DNA and RNA, and their cytotoxicity was assayed against the panel of human cancer cell lines. All compounds preferentially bind into the minor groove of DNA and had higher affinity for DNA than for RNA. Compounds 5a-h showed a moderate antiproliferative effect toward the panel of seven carcinoma cells line, whereby the highest inhibitory potential was displayed by compound 5a with unsubstituted amidino moieties in para position.