Novel and known metal organic frameworks with copper(II), sodium and 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylate were prepared by ambient precipitation, solvothermal and gel-synthesis methods, and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetry with FTIR evolved-gas analysis. Some of these complexes were investigated for guest inclusion properties with water (the original guest species), methanol, ethanol and pyridine. The gel-synthesis products were the most interesting. The novel threedimensional metal-organic framework complex Cu₂ Na(OH)L·7H₂O (where L=1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylate) -formed by gel-synthesis- is a covalent three-dimensional metal organic framework polymer with open channels containing both guest water molecules and water molecules coordinated to sodium. The structure collapsed on dehydration, but was essentially restored to the original structure on rehydration in moist air. On exposure of the dehydrated material to methanol and ethanol vapour, significant uptake of these solvents was observed, and the resolvated structures closely resembled that of the parent material. On heating in dry nitrogen, small amounts of methanol and ethanol remained until about 280 °C, when loss of the remaining guest triggered decomposition of the framework. The related complex, Cu₂¼(OH)½ L·7½H₂O (or possibly Cu₂⅓ (OH)⅔L·8H₂O) -formed by gel-synthesis- had a different physical appearance to Cu₂Na(OH)L·7H₂O above, but had nearly identical X-ray diffraction pattern, mid-infrared spectrum and thermal behaviour. The novel complex Cu₄Na₄L₃·14H₂O -formed by gel-synthesis- is a covalent three-dimensional metal-organic framework with small channels containing both guest water molecules and water coordinated to sodium and copper. Upon dehydration the structure collapsed, but on rehydration in moist air the original structure was partly restored. The dehydrated material did not absorb methanol. Known two-dimensional polymeric complexes [Cu₂L·6H₂O]·4H₂O and [Cu₂L·4H₂O]·2H₂O were also obtained by gel-synthesis, and were characterized and investigated for guest inclusion properties. The structures of these complexes collapsed on dehydration, and were only partly restored on rehydration in saturated water vapour. The dehydrated materials did not absorb methanol. The two-dimensional polymeric mixed-ligand complex Cu₂(pyridine)₄·6H₂O -formed very slowly by gel-synthesis- was characterized by TG-FTIR, and was shown to undergo a complicated decomposition involving the loss of water and pyridine, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in various stages. Solvothermal synthesis did not yield materials suitable for single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies or inclusion studies, producing only an anhydrous or hemihydrate complex with the formula Cu₂L·0.65H2O. Ambient precipitation syntheses did not yield materials suitable for singlecrystal diffraction studies, forming products approximately equivalent to the complexes [Cu₂L·6H₂O]·4H₂O and Cu₂¼(OH)½L·7 ½H₂O above. During the course of the above study it was discovered that, on changing the DSC purge from nitrogen to argon, the normally exothermic carboxylate decompositions appeared to become endothermic. The effects of the supposedly inert atmospheres of argon and nitrogen on the decomposition-mechanism of copper(II) oxalate -a well-studied copper carboxylate- were therefore studied by DSC, TG, TG-FTIR and XRPD. DSC experiments were performed in nitrogen and argon at different flow-rates, in various mixtures of nitrogen and argon, and at various heating rates. Regardless of the proportions of nitrogen and argon, the DSC residues consisted mainly of copper metal, a small amount of copper(I) oxide (cuprite) and, in some circumstances, traces of copper(II) oxide (tenorite). Also, regardless of whether TG-FTIR experiments were performed under argon or nitrogen, the gaseous decomposition products consisted mainly of carbon dioxide, with traces of carbon monoxide being detected over part of the decomposition period. Various explanations for the thermal behaviour are discussed, and it is possible that small amounts of O2 or monatomic oxygen were given off during the decomposition under argon. The design and implementation of a low-cost prototype X-ray proportional counter detector system, consisting of a hybrid analog-digital computer built using commonly available electronic components, is presented. This system was designed to replace ageing discrete-transistor designs still in use in earlier X-ray diffractometers. The prototype performs the functions of pulse-shaping, pulseheight discrimination, counting and scaling, and provides both digital and scaled analog outputs.

Seventeen novel osmium cymene complexes with O,O′- and P,P′-chelating ligands as well as N- and P-monodentate ligands are reported. The osmium cymene complexes were synthesised and characterised by spectroscopic techniques (NMR, IR and Raman), elemental analysis, thermal analysis, conductivity studies and X-ray crystallography. The molecular structures of complexes 1(b), 2, 4, 6, 7(a)-(d) and 11 in this study are reported. The cymene rings of these complexes show different conformations due to loss of planarity influenced by the ancillary ligands as a result of ML back bonding. Osmium cymene complexes of the type [Os(η6-p-cymene)BrL2]+ (where L2 = chelating P,P′ ligand) and binuclear [{Os(η6-p-cymene)Br2}2 L2] (where L2 = bridging P,P′ ligand) were evaluated for anticancer activity against renal, melanoma, breast and HeLa cancer cells. The chelated-diphosphine osmium cymene complexes exhibited significant anticancer activities relative to the bridged-diphosphine osmium analogues. A series of O,O′-chelated osmium complexes exhibited moderate and poor anticancer activities. / Chemistry / M. Sc. (Chemistry)

The 2-aryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones were prepared via acid-catalyzed cyclization of the corresponding 2-aminochalcones, which were in turn, prepared by base-promoted Claisen-Schmidt aldol condensation of 2-aminoacetophenone and benzaldehyde derivatives. The 2-aryl-6,8-dibromo-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones were prepared by reacting 2-aryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in carbon tetrachloride-chloroform mixture at room temperature. The 2-aryl-6,8-dibromo-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones were subjected to palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction with arylboronic acid using dichlorobis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II)-tricycohexylphosphine as catalyst mixture and potassium carbonate as a base in dioxane-water under reflux to afford the corresponding novel 2,6,8-triaryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones in a single-pot operation. The latter were subjected to thallium(III) p-tolylsulfonate in dimethoxyethane under reflux to yield the 2,6,8-triarylquinolin-4(1H)-ones. The 2,6,8-triaryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones were treated with molecular iodine in refluxing methanol to afford the corresponding 2,6,8-triaryl-4-methoxyquinolines. All the new compounds were characterized using a combination of 1H NMR & 13C NMR spectroscopy, IR and mass spectroscopic techniques. / Chemistry / M.Sc. (Chemistry)

A series of 3,3-ethylenedioxy-exo- and endo- bornyl esters have been prepared and subjected to α-benzylation using lithium diisopropylamide and benzyl bromide. In the exo-series of esters the diastereofacial selectivity of benzylation was found to improve (up to 34% d.e.) as the steric bulk of the O-alkyl group increased, whereas in the endo-series, a surprising decrease in stereoselectivity was observed as the steric bulk increased – an observation attributed to flexibility of the metal-coordinated endo-enolate system, compared to the relative rigidity of the exo analogues. The conformational options for each series was explored at the density functional theory level. Reductive cyclization of a range of specially prepared N-carbobenzyloxy-amino acid esters has been shown to afford the corresponding derivatives, contrary to previous reports that the cyclization is limited to the glycine derivative. The cyclization sequence has been explored in detail, and the yield has been shown to be critically dependent on the stereochemistry of the α-amino acid moiety. Moreover, it seems that reductive cyclization occurs more readily with the endo- rather than the exo-bornyl N-CBZ-amino acid esters. Molecular modelling of relevant transition states at the DFT levels indicates that L-amino acid-derived systems should cyclize preferably in the exo-series and D-amino acid-derived systems should cyclize preferably in the endo series. Studies of alkylation of an iminolactone system have reported an interesting anomaly - exo-methylation is observed while endo-alkylation predominates for larger alkyl groups. This has been studied in detail at the DFT level, and the anomaly is attributed to thermodynamic control in the methyl case, whereas kinetic control is the norm in this system. Preliminary computer modelling of the intramolecular rearrangement of a 3,3-xylylbornyl system at the HF/STO-3G level raised doubts concerning the structure assigned by Evans to one of the rearrangement products, prompting an X-ray crystallographic analysis and leading to the revision of its structure from a pinene to a camphene derivative. The previously elusive spiro[bornane-3,2’-indan]-2-exo-tosylate has been successfully isolated, and the kinetics of its ready decomposition to the two camphene products has been followed by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The endo-tosylate analogue, on the other hand, was found to be remarkably stable. Kinetic data obtained for rearrangement of this exo-bornyl tosylate have indicated the operation of tandem autocatalytic and pseudo-first-order transformations leading sequentially to the two isomeric camphene products. An extensive coset analysis of all possible rearrangement processes of the initially-formed cation formed from decomposition of the exo-tosylate has afforded a graph containing 336 classical cations (modelled at the AM1 and B3LYP levels) and 526 transition-state complexes (modelled at the AM1 level). This analysis afforded a viable 4-step classical mechanism connecting the first camphene product with the second. A more realistic study, involving non-classical carbocations, has afforded a graph of all possible (classical and non-classical) cations that could be formed by rearrangment of the initiallyformed cation. The resulting graph confirms that the only energetically feasible path corresponds to the classical mechanism, but simply involves two steps, including a novel, concerted Wagner-Meerwein – 6,2-hydride shift – Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement.

The objective of the research described in the first part of this thesis involves the application of carbon monoxide and transition metals in key steps of a synthetic route to lavendamycin, an antic cancer compound, and its analogues. Lavendamycin is a pentacyclic compound that possesses a quinoline-5,8-quinone AB ring linked to a b- carboline CED ring. The development of general routes to the synthetic equivalents of the lavendamycin AB quinoline system together with a linker atom, quinoline -2- carboxaldehydes, as well as to the lavendamycin DE indole ring system, namely tryptophan derivatives, was addressed. The Pictet-Spengler cyclisation approach towards lavendamycin involves the reaction between quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde and tryptophan methyl ester to furnish the pentacyclic precursor of the methyl ester of lavendamycin. This synthetic approach requires the availability of quinoline-2-carboxaldehydes, previously prepared by the oxidation of 2-methylquinolines with toxic selenium dioxide. A general strategy towards the synthesis of the AB ring moiety utilising a pre-formed ring system such as commercially available 8-hydroxyquinoline has been successfully developed. It involved the high pressure palladium catalysed formylation of 2-bromo or other suitable 2-substituted quinoline derivatives under syngas (1:1 CO:H2). The preparation of the required 2-substituted quinoline derivative involved the methylation of the 8-hydroxylgroup followed by N-oxidation and then a rearrangement step. In both the Pictet-Spengler and Bischler-Napieralski synthetic approaches to lavendamycin, the CDE ring moiety is introduced using tryptophan methyl ester as building block. The application of this approach to the synthesis of lavendamycin analogues with a substituted D-ring required the availability of substituted tryptophan methyl esters. A general strategy towards the tryptophan derivatives starting with a Wittig reaction between a suitable 2-nitrobenzaldehyde precursor and 1,3-dioxolan-2- yl-methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide, followed by a two-stage, one -pot rhodium catalysed hydroformylation/reduction reaction, has been successfully developed. This methodology yielded ten different possible tryptophan precursors in moderate to good yields. The second part of the research described in this thesis included the identification of factors effecting the rate and regioselectivity of palladium catalysed methoxycarbonylation of a-olefins. The results showed that fast reactions under polar conditions give mainly linear esters. However, reactions under less polar conditions are slower, yielding mainly branched esters. Detailed analysis of the results suggest the operation of a so-called “cationic” mechanism (involving cationic palladium intermediates) in the formation of mainly linear esters, but the operation of a so-called “neutral” mechanism (involving neutral palladium intermediates) in the formation of mainly branched esters. The nature of the phosphine ligands was found to play a significant, but secondary role in determining regioselectivity of methoxycarbonylation. Another objective was the optimisation of the palladium catalysed hydroformylation of a-olefins. An evaluation of the efficiency of the palladium catalysed hydroformylation process required a comparison with the hydroformylation processes based on cobalt and rhodium. Variation of ligands (diphosphines of the type R2P(CH2)nPR2), solvents, acids, etc. had a dramatic effect on the products and the rate of the reaction. In the presence of trifluoroacetic acid 1-pentene is converted to C-6 aldehydes, while in the presence of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid 1-pentene is converted to C-11 ketones. Corresponding results were obtained with 1-octene as substrate. The palladium catalysts were found to also effect isomerisation of the a- olefin into internal olefins, but isomerisation was not a rate limiting process with respect to the hydroformylation reaction. Palladium catalysed isomerisation reactions occurred at a slower rate than the corresponding cobalt catalysed isomerisation process. However, with rhodium no isomerisation occurred. The comparison between cobalt, rhodium and palladium showed that rhodium is the best catalyst for the hydroformylation of a-olefins. The pressures and temperatures required for this process are much lower than that required for palladium and cobalt. The ligand used is triphenylphosphine, which is relatively inexpensive and non-toxic,in contrast with the more expensive ligands required for the cobalt and palladium hydroformylation processes. The use of palladium opens up the unique possibility of converting a-olefins into “dimeric” ketones, which show promise as precursors for the new class of geminidetergents. / Prof. C.W. Holzapfel

A new synthetic route to natural and novel pyrethroid acids was developed utilizing ketene cycloaddition which is a significant improvement over existing syntheses. The newly synthesized pyrethroid acids were converted to pyrethroid esters and used to study structure-activity relationships. The cycloaddition of dichloroketene with 2,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene yields (2+2) cycloaddition products, 2,2-dichlorocyclobutanones. The reductive removal of one chlorine atom from these cycloaddition products gave monochlorocyclobutanones which underwent a Favorskii-type ring contraction to yield cis- and trans-chrysanthemic acids. 4-Methyl-1,3-pentadiene was also used as a precursor in this synthetic scheme to yield an analogue of the chrysanthemic acid. These results are consistent with a concerted cycloaddition process involving a dipolar transition state. The zinc reduction is not a regiospecific reaction which accounts for the two regioisomers of the monochlorocyclobutanones. The Favorskii-type ring contraction is a regiospecific reaction. A variety of different bicyclo(3.1.0)alkenecarboxylates and bicyclo(4.1.0)heptenecarboxylates were synthesized from alkylcyclopentadiene and fulvene derivatives. These new bicyclo pyrethroid acids are structurally similar to the natural chrysanthemic acid but are rigid and locked in a single conformation which is likely the least stable conformer of the natural acid. The acids were converted to pyrethroid esters and tested against the housefly and cockroach. The test results indicate that the bicyclo pyrethroids synthesized are not as active as the natural pyrethroid. Apparently, these bicyclo pyrethroids with structures similar to the less stable conformer of the natural pyrethroids are of little consequence as it binds to the target site in the insect. In an effort to learn more about the conformational requirements of the pyrethroid acid, a new bicyclo-spiro pyrethroid system with a structure similar to the most stable conformation of the natural pyrethroid was designed and synthesized. These bicyclo-spiro pyrethroids were derived from a new isopropylidenecyclobutane derivatives as a starting compound instead of a conjugated diene. The test results of these bicyclo-spiro pyrethroid esters revealed a much greater activity against the housefly and cockroach. This study establishes that the more stable conformer of the natural pyrethroid acid provides a much higher toxicity against the insects tested.

Solvent-free reactions possess advantages compared to the solvent route, such as shorter reaction times, less use of energy, better yields, etc. Herein, the synthesis and characterization of bisferrocenylimines and arylbisamines are described. Reduction of the above compounds with LAH resulted in the formation of bisferrocenylamines and arylbisamines, respectively. The coordination chemistry of all the above compounds to rhodium(I) is also discussed in the prepared complexes [Rh(COD)(NN)]ClO4, where NN = bisferrocenylimines, and [Rh(COD)(NN)]BF4, where NN = bisferrocenylamines and arylbisamines. X-ray crystal structures of the complexes [Rh(COD)(NN)]ClO4 ([3.2] and [3.3]) have been obtained. Complexes of the type [Rh(COD)(NN)]BF4 were characterized with IR and UV-vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and conductometry. The catalytic activity of the complexes was also investigated: [Rh(COD)(NN)]ClO4 for the polymerization of phenylacetylene and [Rh(COD)(NN)]BF4 for the hydroformylation of styrene.

No description available.

No description available.

This dissertation reports the preparation of several types of anthraquinones structurally related to adriamycin. It describes the synthesis of two types of 2-aminoquinizarin compounds. It also presents two new syntheses of a heterocyclic tetracyclic ring system, similar to the aglicone ring system of adriamycin. A series of 2-aminoquinizarins was prepared by adding several primary amines to quinizarin. Quinizarin was shown to be essentially inert toward secondary amines. Several secondary amine adducts with quinizarin have been prepared, however, by treating the bis-boroacetate ester of quinizarin with the amines. Both types of 2-aminoquinizarin compounds exhibit outstanding potential for possessing antineoplastic activity, and several have been submitted to the National Cancer Institute for testing in their screening program for antineoplastic agents.