Despite its inertness toward pericyclic reactions under common conditions, naphthalenes readily undergo Diels−Alder reactions when coencapsulated with a suitable dienophile within the cavity of a self-assembled host. Localization of the reactant pair significantly reduces the entropic cost of the reaction, and preorganization within the host cavity controls both the regio- and stereoselectivity of the reaction: electronically disfavored exo adducts were obtained, and with substituted naphthalenes, the reaction takes place on the less electron-rich, unsubstituted ring. Our findings highlight the fact that judicious tuning of substrate size and shape within molecular flasks can unveil new and unusual reactivities for otherwise unreactive molecules.

Naphthalene Diels-Alder in a self-assembled molecular flask.

Studies on antianaphylactic agents—III

Publisher Summary The chapter focuses tautomerism and electronic Structure of biological pyrimidines. The understanding of the tautomeric properties of the purine and pyrimidine bases of the nucleic acids and the determination of the electronic properties of the principal tautomers are of fundamental importance in molecular biology, in particular, in connection with the theory of mutations. The principal tautomeric properties of the fundamental biological pyrimidines-cytosine, uracil, and thymine-are due to the presence in these N-heteroaromatic compounds of electron-donor substituents, such as NH and OH, and of SH in some important analogs. The chapter discusses tautomerism of cytosine and presents the essential physicochemical properties of cytosine and some of its derivatives and to the theoretical interpretation of these properties. The chapter also discusses tautomerism and physicochemical properties of uracil and thymines and to give a theoretical interpretation of these properties. The study of the optical properties of naturally occurring pyrimidines and purines is a problem of great interest in molecular biology. The knowledge of these properties provide information important for understanding energy transfer, hypochromism, photochemistry, optical rotatory dispersion, circular dichroism, magnetic optical rotator dispersion, and magnetic circular dichroism of DNA, RNA, and related model systems. Tautomerism, electronic structures, and spectra of rare pyrimidine bases of the nucleic acids have also been discussed.

Taulomerism and Electronic Structure of Biological Pyrimidines

The concept of structure sensitivity is well established for reactions catalyzed by metals as it has been generally demonstrated by the use of supported metal catalysts exhibiting different particle size [l-71. The con-cept of structure sensitivity in catalysis by metal oxides is considerably less well developed than in catalysis by metals, in spite of the growing number of examples of such reactions. Characterization of oxide catalyst is generally more problematical than that of metal; it is difficult, for example, to titrate the active surface areas of supported oxides by chemisorption techniques. Carboxylic acid decomposition could be used as a probe to establish struc-tural dependence and selectivity on metal oxides. For example, in the case of formic acid decomposition, bimolecular decomposition of two adsorbed formates occurs on a surface with Ti4+ cation of fourfold oxygen coordi-znation while unimolecular decomposition occurs in the case of formates adsorbed on Ti4+ fivefold coordinated c...

Pathways for Carboxylic Acid Decomposition on Transition Metal Oxides

Publisher Summary The chapter focuses on the recent advances in the chemistry of benzo[b]furan and its derivatives. The chemistry of benzofuran derivatives has developed in a spectacular fashion: research in this field has reached such a scale that the period covered by this review has given rise to a larger number of papers than that between 1870 and 1950. It has proceeded along the following three main lines: (1) Extraction, determination of structures, partial or total synthesis of the simple or complex heterocyclic derivatives constituting the natural benzofuran derivatives of vegetable origin. (2) Synthesis of benzofuran derivatives with physiological, pharmacological, therapeutic, or toxic properties. (3) Studies on the reactivity of benzofuran and its derivatives from the chemical and physical point of view. Many substances with physiological, pharmacological, therapeutic, or toxic properties are to be found among natural products with a benzofuran ring. As to synthetic benzofuran derivatives prepared for the study of their physiological properties, their number is large. Benzofuran is prepared in semicommercial amounts. The chapter discusses the presence of benzofurans in coal tar and in petroleum. Natural benzofuran derivatives have also been discussed. The numerous syntheses of the benzofuran ring may be classified under four headings: (1) Formation of the heterocyclic ring from an aromatic substrate (2) formation of the heterocyclic ring from a nonaromatic substrate (3) fusion of the benzene ring to a furan substrate (4) formation of the heterocyclic ring from other heterocyclic compounds.

Rhodes P. Dayton

Papers

Synthetic analogs of cortical hormones. i. homogentisic acid and ,2,5-trihydroxyacetophenone derivatives from 2,5-diacetoxy--diazoacetophenone

Polymethyl Aromatic Hydrocarbons. III. The Reaction of 1,2,3,4-Tetramethylnaphthalene with Maleic Anhydride1