<p>Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the causative agent of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The C₂-symmetric HIV-1 protease is one of the prime targets for chemotherapy in the treatment of the HIV infection. Inhibition of HIV-1 protease leads to immature and non-infectious viral particles. Design and synthesis of a number of C₂-symmetrical C-terminal duplicated HIV-1 protease inhibitors and subsequent biological evaluation is presented in this thesis.</p><p>A versatile three step synthetic route has been developed using a carbohydrate as an inexpensive chiral starting material thus allowing inhibitors with the desired stereochemistry to be obtained. By this efficient method a series of tailor-made P2/P2' modified inhibitors were synthesized, and these were evaluated on purified HIV-1 protease and in HIV-1 infected cell assays. Highly active HIV-1 protease inhibitors were identified among the tested compounds. Analyses of the X-ray crystal structures of two of the most active compounds, as complexes with the protease, guided the further design of P1/P1' elongated inhibitors. Substitutions in the para-position of the P1/P1' benzyl groups were promoted efficiently by microwave-irradiated of palladium-catalyzed reactions. Particular modifications in the P1/P1' region of the inhibitors resulted in a 40-fold increase of the anti-viral activity on HIV-1 infected cells. Furthermore, a fast, efficient, and general one-pot microwave enhanced synthesis protocol for transformations of organo-bromides to tetrazoles was developed and applied on the inhibitor scaffold. Attachment of linker molecules to the P1/P1' benzyl groups of one inhibitor was used to develop of sensitivity enhancer tools in surface plasmon resonance biosensor assays. These new assays enable the evaluation of low-molecular weight compounds as HIV-1 protease inhibitors.</p>

<p>Different prosthetic groups containing a trialkylstannyl- and an electrophilic group have been synthesised and labelled with the accelerator produced ⁷⁶Br (T_1/2=16 h) through oxidative bromination. The labelled prosthetic groups were conjugated to amino-containing macromolecules such as proteins and 5´-modified oligonucleotides.</p><p><i>N</i>-Succinimidyl 4-[⁷⁶Br]bromobenzoate <b>14 </b>was synthesised in 65 % radio-chemical yield and was conjugated to 5´-hexylamino-modified phosphodiester and phosphorothioate oligonucleotides in 12-19 % isolated radiochemical yield. The stability of the ⁷⁶Br-oligonucleotide-conjugates <i>in vivo</i> in rats was investigated. No degradation from the 5´-end, resulting in labelled, low molecular weight compounds was detected. Compound <b>14</b> has also been used for labelling of different proteins in 23-61% radiochemical yield.</p><p><i>N</i>-Succinimidyl-5-[⁷⁶Br]bromo-3-pyridinecarboxylate <b>17</b> and methyl-4-[⁷⁶Br]bromo-benzimidate <b>15 </b>were synthesised from the corresponding trimethylstannyl-compound in 25% and 40 % yield respectively. Compounds <b>14 </b>and <b>17</b> were conjugated to ε-Boc-octreotide in 55 and 50% isolated radiochemical yield respectively after microwave heating. Compound <b>15</b> did not react with octreotide under the conditions investigated. The two ⁷⁶Br-labelled octreotide derivatives showed different lipophilicity and different binding-properties to tissue from meningiomas.</p><p>Hyaluronic acid, a polysaccharide, was modified with tyramine and labelled by oxidative bromination using ⁷⁶Br in 10% radiochemical yield.</p><p>The generator produced ⁶⁸Ga (T_1/2=68 min) was used to label octreotide and oligonucleotides modified with the metal chelating group 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclo-dodecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA). ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-octreotide was isolated in 65% radiochemical yield and a phosphorothioated ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-oligonucleotide was isolated in 35% radio-chemical yield after 30 min synthesis time.</p><p>Compound<b> 14 </b>was reacted with 3-aminomethylbenzylamine to give compound <b>18</b>. The specific radioactivity<b> </b>of<b> 18 </b>was determined to be 36 GBq/µmol by measuring the ratio between the mass-peaks for the ⁷⁶Br and ⁷⁹Br-compounds using packed-capillary LC-MS.</p>

<p>In this thesis, the preparation of new photoactive substances containing mono- and bipyridines coordinated to ruthenium is presented together with initial evaluations of their photoelectrochemical and photophysical properties. </p><p>Complexes of the type Ru(bpy)₂(4-X-py)₂ (X = SH, COOH) were prepared and used in Grätzel-type solar cells based on ZnO. The results show that the thiol complex binds to the surface but give rather low solar cell efficiencies. Different routes to obtain Ru(bpy)₂(4,4´-dithio-2,2´-bipyridine) were evaluated, among them substitution reactions on 4,4´-dichloro-2,2´-bipyridine coordinated to ruthenium. Due to reactivity issues, the target sulphur-containing complex has not yet been obtained.</p><p>The synthesis of methanofullerenes, fulleropyrrolidines and –pyrazolines are presented, among them dyads containing Ru(bpy)_n-units. A common feature for the dyads is the unusually short linkers between the fullerene and the ruthenium complex. Dyad preparations were in some cases simplified by carrying out the reactions in the presence of silver salts.</p><p>A preliminary evaluation of the emission of the dyads showed almost complete quenching of the excited state of a pyrrolidine-based dyad, whereas emission remained from the pyrazoline-based ones. Whether this was due to incomplete quenching of the excited states of the ruthenium complex, or induced by the presence of hydrazones has yet to be revealed.</p><p>The use of fullerene-substituted malonic acid and its ethyl ester as dyes in Grätzel-type solar cells resulted in even lower efficiencies (IPCE) than for bare TiO₂. This could be due to electron transfer in the reverse direction compared to what is observed for ruthenium complexes. Thus, these fullerene derivatives are not suitable as sensitisers for Grätzel-type solar cells.</p>

<p>The main objective of the research described in this thesis has been the design and synthesis of inhibitors of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) intended for local administration and devoid of systemic side-effects. The blocking of the enzymatic activity of DHFR is a key element in the treatment of many diseases, including cancer, bacterial and protozoal infections, and also opportunistic infections associated with AIDS (<i>Pneumocystis carinii</i> pneumonia, PCP). Recent research indicates that the enzyme also is involved in various autoimmune diseases, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases and psoriasis. Many useful antifolates have been developed to date although problems remain with toxicity and selectivity, e.g., the well-established, classical antifolate methotrexate exerts a high activity but also high toxicity. The new antifolates described herein were designed to retain the pharmacophore of methotrexate, but encompassing an ester group, so that they also would serve as substrates for the endogenous hydrolytic enzymes, e.g., esterases. Such antifolates would optimally comprise good examples of <i>soft drugs</i> because they in a controlled fashion would be rapidly and predictably metabolized to non-toxic metabolites after having exerted their biological effect at the site of administration.</p><p>A preliminary screening of a large series of simpler aromatic esters as model compounds in a biological assay consisting of esterases from different sources was performed. The structural features of the least reactive ester were substituted for the methyleneamino bridge in methotrexate to produce analogues that were chemically stable but potential substrates for DHFR as well as for the esterases.</p><p>The new inhibitor showed desirable activity towards rat liver DHFR, being only eight times less potent then methotrexate. Furthermore, the derived metabolites were found to be poor substrates for the same enzyme. The new compound showed good activity in a mice colitis model <i>in vivo</i>, but a pharmacokinetic study revealed that the half-life of the new compound was similar to methotrexate. A series of compounds characterized by a high lipophilicity and thus expected to provide better esterase substrates were designed and synthesized. One of these analogues in which three methoxy groups were substituted for the glutamic residue of methotrexate exhibited favorable pharmacokinetics. This compound is structurally similar to another potent DHFR inhibitor, trimetrexate, used in the therapy of PCP (<i>vide supra</i>). The new inhibitor that undergoes a fast metabolism <i>in vivo</i> is suitable as a model to further investigate the soft drug concept.</p>

<p>In this thesis, the improved synthesis and investigations into the properties of some 3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (bispidine) derivatives are described. These compounds are structurally related to the naturally occurring lupanine alkaloids, they are of interest because of their cardiac antiarrhythmic function as well as their use as bases or ligands in organic chemical reactions. Their chemical properties are related to the presence of a rigid molecular scaffold with two nitrogen atoms that can be utilized for binding interactions with a variety of Lewis acids.</p><p>An improved synthesis has been developed, providing access to bispidines <i>via</i> bispidinones while avoiding the use of highly toxic hydrazine, which is required as reducing agent in alternative methods.</p><p>A series of bispidine derivatives with a variety of substituents were characterized regarding their basicity, which spans thirteen orders of magnitude. Correlations between structure and basicity are discussed and computational methods have been used to propose further derivatives with even higher basicity.</p><p>The structures of several bispidine derivatives and their protonated forms have been characterized in the solid state by X-ray crystallography and in solution using NMR spectroscopy. Structure and solution dynamics in a sterically congested (π-allyl)palladium complex with a bispidine ligand have been investigated, revealing mechanistic insight into the dynamic process. Using a bulky bispidine as a temporary ligand for a (η³-propenyl) palladium complex, the novel adamantanoid [{(η³-propenyl)Pd}₆(μ₃-OH)₄] cluster was prepared.</p>

The extraction and quantitative analysis of low molar mass compounds in polymers is an analytical challenge. It is also important from a practical point of view because the low molar mass compounds in time will migrate from the polymers into the surrounding environment. It is especially important to gain knowledge about the migrating compounds in applications such as medical implants, packaging materials and car interiors. The main aim of this thesis was to develop headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) methods to meet this challenge. In addition, the work aimed to show the applicability of the methods developed in quality control of polymers, degradation studies and assessment of polymer durability. Factors influencing the extraction of low molar mass compounds from polyamide 6.6 were studied. Particular attention was paid to the matrix effects and to the establishment of headspace equilibrium of 2-cyclopentyl-cyclopentanone in solid polyamide. Hydrogen bonding and adsorption of analyte to the polar matrix was observed and found to cause exceedingly slow establishment of equilibrium. The adsorption could be eliminated by the addition of water, which replaced 2-cyclopentyl-cyclopentanone at the adsorption sites of the polyamide and made it possible to measure the 2-cyclopentyl-cyclopentanone content in polyamide 6.6 using multiple headspace solid-phase microextraction (MHS-SPME). A correlation between the emitted amount of 2-cyclopentyl-cyclopentanone and the amount 2-cyclopentyl-cyclopentanone in the material was found. The correlation was valid also under non-equilibrium conditions, which allows rapid assessment of the 2-cyclopentyl-cyclopentanone content in polyamide 6.6 using headspace sampling. 20 different low molar mass compounds were identified in virgin and recycled polyamide 6.6. The compounds could be classified into four groups: cyclic imides, pyridines, chain fragments and cyclopentanones. The structures of the degradation products imply that the thermo-oxidative degradation starts at the N-vicinal methyl group. Larger amounts of degradation products at lower degree of degradation were formed in recycled than in virgin polyamide 6.6. Thus, processing increases the susceptibility of polyamide 6.6 to thermal oxidation. The total amount of cyclopentanones was reduced upon processing and oxidation. Cyclopentanones are thus not thermo-oxidation products of polyamide 6.6. N-pentyl-succinimide showed the most significant increase due to oxidation and processing. The formation of N-pentyl-succinimide was in correlation with the simultaneous changes in tensile strength. The largest increase in N-pentyl-succinimide coincided with the largest drop in tensile strength.

In the first part of this thesis, strategies for avoiding systematic errors when quantifying the main components in mixtures of solvents has been developed (paper I). It is shown that variations in density caused by variations in sample composition and/or volume contraction need to be taken into account. In this way, quantification can be improved. The second part (paper II-V) describes a number of new methods for the analysis of organic trace components present in gaseous or aqueous samples, after an overview of the most commonly applied sample enrichment techniques has been given. For the enrichment of volatile trace compounds from gaseous samples, the concept of open tubular trapping has been further developed. A simplified procedure for preparing ultra-thick film, sorptive open tubular traps (OTTs) is described (paper III). The traps are coated with an irregular film of PDMS, and it is shown that the performance in terms of breakthrough volume is only marginally affected by the use of such traps. In paper IV, it is shown both experimentally and with a theoretical model that the enrichment capacity of OTTs can be significantly increased by increasing the inner diameter of the traps. A fully automated procedure for high-capacity sorption enrichment of trace organic analytes present in water is also reported (paper II). Time-based non-equilibrium extractions are feasible, enabling fast extractions that still allow sub-ppt limits of detection. The high flexibility of the automated system makes it possible to sample from process streams or off-line sources. Finally, the development of a new 2-dimensional precolumn-backflush method for the analysis of polar volatile trace analytes in water is described (paper V). This concept is based on the action of a hygroscopic salt which has a strong affinity for water, in a precolumn. Organic trace compounds, such as volatile alcohols or ketones show little retention on the precolumn and are eluted ahead of the bulk amount of the water onto a capillary column for subsequent high resolution separation. The residual water is removed from the system by backflushing the precolumn. The procedure allows the direct injection of aqueous sample volumes of at least 100 µl, and the pre-fractionation is accomplished within only a few minutes. Quantification limits for selected polar trace components were in the low ppb-region.

This thesis describes the syntheses of semiochemicals and their applications in the development of control methods for pest insects. The compounds synthesized are divided into three groups: 1) Lepidoptera pheromones; 2) methyl substituted chiral pheromones and 3) aphid pheromones. Different purification techniques have been explored in order to provide &gt; 99% pure semiochemicals for field tests. Examples of the techniques are uses of urea inclusion complexes, argentum chromatography, low temperature crystallization and what we call the Baeckström isolation technique. Iridoids have been produced in a synthetic strategy including an intramolecular enal-enamine [4+2] cycloaddition, a dynamic acetylation and an enantioselective transesterification mediated by a lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia. The use of chiral auxiliaries to perform the intramolecular [4+2] cycloaddition has also been investigated. A useful asymmetric route to iridoids has been developed.

Abstract This thesis is a summary of five papers, containing equilibrium and structure studies of aqueous molybdate and peroxomolybdate species. Some of the peroxomolybdate species have also been studied in terms of their dynamic and catalytic properties. The primary objective was to characterize species with potential catalytic activity, with emphasis on thebleach process of kraft pulp. For this, potentiometry, EXAFS and 17O, 31P, 1H and 95 Mo NMR have been used. The molybdate speciation in 0.300 M Na2(SO4) medium was found to differ from that in 0.600 M Na(Cl) medium, in that the uncharged monomeric molybdate species H2MoO4 was stronger in the sulphate medium, while highly charged species, such as Mo7O24 6-, became somewhat less pronounced. Diperoxomolybdate species, (MoX2)n (X = peroxo ligand, n = 1-2), dominated the peroxomolybdate systems when sufficient peroxide was available. Both sulphate and chloride coordinated to molybdenum in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and these species were more inert than diperoxomolybdate species without coordinated medium anions. Chemical exchange rates increased upon protonation. A dimeric triperoxomolydate species was the only species found that contained more than two peroxo groups per molybdenum atom. At low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, monoperoxoheptamolybdate species, Mo7X, were found. Phosphate was found to coordinate relatively weakly to molybdate in the presence of peroxide. Species with four different nuclearities, i.e. (MoX2)nP (n = 1-4), were found. At excess of peroxide, no molybdophosphates were present. Chemical exchange rates were found to be substantially lower than in the peroxomolybdate system. The aqueous monomeric diperoxomolybdate species retain the pentagonal bipyramidal seven-coordination found in the solid state, although with increased bond lengths. Sulphate seems to coordinate to molybdenum in a monodentate fashion by replacing an oxygen atom. Chloride probably coordinates by replacing an oxygen atom as well. For the dimeric diperoxomolybdate species, a single oxygen-bridge was proposed. Conjugated carbon double bonds in the side chains of lignin model compounds were found to be hydroxylated or epoxidised by peroxomolybdate species. The addition of phosphate did not affect the type or yield of oxidation products noticeably. It was also shown that hydrogen peroxide, in the absence of molybdate, did not react to any noticeable extent with the lignin model compounds under these conditions.

The objective of this work was to explore fundamental aspects of utilizing (DZ) and (ZD) bleaching stages in the prebleaching of oxygen delignified Scandinavian softwood kraft pulp, and compare paper properties of fully bleached pulps with a DEoD1ED2 bleached EDF reference pulp. According to the literature, the use of chlorine dioxide and ozone in combination in (DZ) and (ZD) bleaching stages seems advantageous from both environmental and economical points of view. A significant reduction in the formation of chloro-organic compounds and efficient delignification relative to chemical consumption is obtained.