Synthesis of Optically Active beta-Amino Acid N-Carboxyanhydrides

Methodology has been developed for the general synthesis of optically active beta-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (beta-NCAs) through cyclization of N(beta)-Boc or N(beta)-Cbz beta-amino acids using phosphorus tribromide. The formation of beta-NCAs was confirmed by spectroscopy as well as an X-ray structural determination of beta-homoalanine-N-carboxyanhydride. The beta-NCA molecules could be polymerized in good yield to give optically active poly(beta-peptides) that adopt stable chiral conformations in solution. For example, helical oligo(L-beta-homophenylalanine) was synthesized by polymerization of L-beta-homophenylalanine-N-carboxyanhydride.     

Lanthanide versus Actinide Reactivity in the Formation of Sterically Crowded [(C5Me5)3MLn] Nitrile and Isocyanide Complexes

The limits of steric crowding in organometallic metallocene complexes have been examined by studying the synthesis of [(C₅Me₅)₃ML_n] complexes as a function of metal in which L=Me₃CCN, Me₃CNC, and Me₃SiCN. The bis(tert‐butyl nitrile) complexes [(C₅Me₅)₃Ln(NCCMe₃)₂] (Ln=La, 1 ; Ce, 2 ; Pr, 3 ) can be isolated with the largest lanthanide metal ions, La³⁺, Ce³⁺, and Pr³⁺. The Pr³⁺ ion also forms an isolable mono‐nitrile complex, [(C₅Me₅)₃Pr(NCCMe₃)] ( 4 ), whereas for Nd³⁺ only the mono‐adduct [(C₅Me₅)₃Nd(NCCMe₃)] ( 5 ) was observed. With smaller metal ions, Sm³⁺ and Y³⁺, insertion of Me₃CCN into the M? C(C₅Me₅) bond was observed to form the cyclopentadiene‐substituted ketimide complexes [(C₅Me₅)₂Ln{NC(C₅Me₅)(CMe₃)}(NCCMe₃)] (Ln=Sm, 6 ; Y, 7 ). With tert‐butyl isocyanide ligands, a bis‐isocyanide product can be isolated with lanthanum, [(C₅Me₅)₃La(CNCMe₃)₂] ( 8 ), and a mono‐isocyanide product with neodymium, [(C₅Me₅)₃Nd(CNCMe₃)] ( 9 ). Silicon–carbon bond cleavage was observed in reactions between [(C₅Me₅)₃Ln] complexes and trimethylsilyl cyanide, Me₃SiCN, to produce the trimeric cyanide complexes [{(C₅Me₅)₂Ln(μ‐CN)(NCSiMe₃)}₃] (Ln=La, 10 ; Pr, 11 ). With uranium, a mono‐nitrile reaction product, [(C₅Me₅)₃U(NCCMe₃)] ( 12 ), which is analogous to 5 , was obtained from the reaction between [(C₅Me₅)₃U] and Me₃CCN, but [(C₅Me₅)₃U] reacts with Me₃CNC through C? N bond cleavage to form a trimeric cyanide complex, [{(C₅Me₅)₂U(μ‐CN)(CNCMe₃)}₃] ( 13 ).     

Reactivity of the tethered alkyl uranium bonds of (η5:κ1-C5Me4SiMe2CH2)2U

Uranium-carbon bond reactivity has been investigated with the bis(tethered silylalkyl) uranium metallocene (η⁵:κ¹-C₅Me₄SiMe₂CH₂)₂U, 1. Tert-butyl nitrile, ^tBuCN, inserts into both of the tethered U-C bonds to produce the bis(tethered ketimide) complex [η⁵:κ¹-C₅Me₄SiMe₂CH₂C(^tBu)N]₂U, 2, which has unusually bent U-N-C bond angles. Carbon dioxide also inserts into both U-C bonds of 1 yielding the bis(tethered carboxylate) (C₅Me₄SiMe₂CH₂CO₂)₂U, 3. Neither PhCCPh nor PhCCH insert into the U-C bonds, but PhCCH cleaves the silylalkyl tethers in 1 to generate (C₅Me₄SiMe₃)^1? ligands in the complex (C₅Me₄SiMe₃)₂U(CCPh)₂, 4.     

An improved error bound for a finite element approximation of a model for phase separation of a multi-component alloy

Using the approach of Rulla (1996 SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 33, 68-87)for analysing the time discretization error and assuming moreregularity on the initial data, we improve on the error boundderived by Barrett and Blowey (1996 IMA J. Numer. Anal. 16,257-287) for a fully practical piecewise linear finite elementapproximation with a backward Euler time discretization of amodel for phase separation of a multi-component alloy.     

Insertion, isomerization, and cascade reactivity of the tethered silylalkyl uranium metallocene (η(5)-C5Me4SiMe2CH2-κC)2U

Investigation of the insertion reactivity of the tethered silylalkyl complex (η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)-κC)(2)U (1) has led to a series of new reactions for U-C bonds. Elemental sulfur reacts with 1 by inserting two sulfur atoms into each of the U-C bonds to form the bis(tethered alkyl disulfide) complex (η(5):η(2)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)S(2))(2)U (2). The bulky substrate N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide, (i)PrN═C═N(i)Pr, inserts into only one of the U-C bonds of 1 to produce the mixed-tether complex (η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)-κC)U[η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C((i)PrN)(2)-κ(2)N,N'] (3). Carbon monoxide did not exclusively undergo a simple insertion into the U-C bond of 3 but instead formed {μ-[η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C(═N(i)Pr)O-κ(2)O,N]U[OC(C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2))CN((i)Pr)-κ(2)O,N](2) (4) in a cascade of reactions that formally includes U-C bond cleavage, C-N bond cleavage of the amidinate ligand, alkyl or silyl migration, U-O, C-C, and C-N bond formations, and CO insertion. The reaction of 3 with isoelectronic tert-butyl isocyanide led to insertion of the substrate into the U-C bond, but with a rearrangement of the amidinate ligand binding mode from κ(2) to κ(1) to form [η(5):η(2)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C(═N(t)Bu)]U[η(5)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C(═N(i)Pr)N((i)Pr)-κN] (5). The product of double insertion of (t)BuN≡C into the U-C bonds of 1, namely [η(5):η(2)-C(5)Me(4)SiMe(2)CH(2)C(═N(t)Bu)](2)U (6), was found to undergo an unusual thermal rearrangement that formally involves C-H bond activation, C-C bond cleavage, and C-C bond coupling to form the first formimidoyl actinide complex, [η(5):η(5):η(3)-(t)BuNC(CH(2)SiMe(2)C(5)Me(4))(CHSiMe(2)C(5)Me(4))]U(η(2)-HC═N(t)Bu) (7).