Isoproturon Reappearance after Photosensitized Degradation in the Presence of Triplet Ketones or Fulvic Acids.

Isoproturon (IPU) is a phenylurea herbicide used to control broad-leaf grasses on grain fields. Photosensitized transformation induced by excited triplet states of dissolved organic matter (3DOM*) has been identified as an important degradation pathway for IPU in sunlit waters, but the reappearance of IPU in the absence of light is observed after the initial photolysis. In this study, we elucidate the kinetics of this photodegradation and dark-reappearance cycling of IPU in the presence of DOM proxies (aromatic ketones and reference fulvic acids). Using mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic techniques, a semi-stable intermediate (IPUint) was found to be responsible for IPU reversion and was identified as a hydroperoxyl derivative of IPU. IPUint is photogenerated from incorporation of diatomic oxygen to IPU and is subjected to thermolysis whose rate depends on temperature, pH, the presence of DOM, and inorganic ions. These results are important to understand the overall aquatic fate of IPU and structurally similar compounds under diurnal conditions.

Method for the preparation of derivatives of heptiptycene: toward dual-cavity baskets.

We have developed a novel synthetic method that enables the preparation of functional derivatives of heptiptycene, i.e., cavitands with two juxtaposed cavities. The homocoupling of bicyclic dibromoalkenes is promoted by Pd(OAc)2 (10%) in dioxane (100 °C) to give cyclotrimers in 27-77% yield under optimized reaction conditions (Ph3P, K2CO3, n-Bu4NBr, N2, 4 Å MS). These dual-cavity baskets show a strong π → π* absorption at 241 nm (ε = 939,000 M(-1) cm(-1)), along with a subsequent fluorescence emission at 305 nm.

Chemistry of ring-substituted 4-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenylnitrenium ions from antitumor 2-(4-aminophenyl)benzothiazoles.

Ring-substituted derivatives of 2-(4-aminophenyl)benzothiazole, 1a, 1b-g, are under development as antitumor agents. One derivative, 1f, has reached phase 1 clinical trials as the prodrug 2f, Phortress (NSC 710305). These amines are activated by CYP450 1A1, apparently into hydroxylamines 8a-g that are likely metabolized into esters that ionize into nitrenium ions responsible for cellular damage. Previously we showed that 9a, the acetic acid ester of 8a, generates the long-lived (530 ns) nitrenium ion 11a by hydrolysis or photolysis in water. In this study, azide trapping shows that 9b-g generate 11b-g via rate-limiting N-O heterolysis. Ion lifetimes, estimated from azide/solvent selectivities, range from 250 to 1150 ns with identical lifetimes for 11a and 11f. Differences in biological activity of the amines are likely not due to differences in the chemistry of the cations but to differences in metabolic activation/deactivation of individual amines. Unlike the nitrenium ions, lifetimes of the esters are strongly dependent on the 3'-Me substituent. Esters containing 3'-Me (9b, 9f, 9g) have lifetimes of 5-10 s compared to 400-800 s for esters without 3'-Me (9a, 9c, 9d, 9e). This restricts 3'-Me esters to cells/tissues in which activation occurs, concentrating their effects in tumor cells if metabolism is restricted to those cells.

Characterization of the 4-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenylnitrenium ion from a putative metabolite of a model antitumor drug.

The 4-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenylnitrenium ion 11 is generated from hydrolysis or photolysis of O-acetoxy-N-(4-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenyl)hydroxylamine 8, a model metabolite of 2-(4-aminophenyl)benzothiazole 1 and its ring-substituted derivatives that are being developed for a variety of medicinal applications, including antitumor, antibacterial, antifungal, and imaging agents. Previously, we showed that 11 had an aqueous solution lifetime of 530 ns, similar to the 560 ns lifetime of the 4-biphenylylnitrenium ion 12 derived from the well-known chemical carcinogen 4-aminobiphenyl. We now show that the analogy between these two cations extends well beyond their lifetimes. The initial product of hydration of 11 is the quinolimine 16, which can be detected as a long-lived reactive intermediate that hydrolyzes in a pH-dependent manner into the final hydrolysis product, the quinol 15. This hydrolysis behavior is equivalent to that previously described for a large number of ester metabolites of carcinogenic arylamines, including 4-aminobiphenyl. The major azide trapping product (90% of azide products) of 11, 20, is generated by substitution on the carbons ortho to the nitrenium ion center of 11. This product is a direct analogue of the major azide adducts, such as 22, generated from trapping of the nitrenium ions of carcinogenic arylamines. The azide/solvent selectivity for 11, k(az)/k(s), is also nearly equivalent to that of 12. A minor product of the reaction of 11 with N(3)(-), 21, contains no azide functionality but may be generated by a process in which N(3)(-) attacks 11 at the nitrenium ion center with loss of N(2) to generate a diazene 25 that subsequently decomposes into 21 with loss of another N(2). The adduct derived from attack of 2'-deoxyguanosine (d-G) on 11, 28, is a familiar C-8 adduct of the type generated from the reaction of d-G with a wide variety of arylnitrenium ions derived from carcinogenic arylamines. The rate constant for reaction of d-G with 11, k(d-G), is very similar to that observed for the reaction of d-G with 12. The similar lifetimes and chemical reactivities of 11 and 12 can be rationalized by B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculations on the two ions that show that they are of nearly equivalent stability relative to their respective hydration products. The calculations also help to rationalize the different regiochemistry observed for the reaction of N(3)(-) with 11 and its oxenium ion analogue, 13. Since 8 is the likely active metabolite of 1 and a significant number of derivatives of 1 are being developed as pharmaceutical agents, the similarity of the chemistry of 11 to that of carcinogenic arylnitrenium ions is of considerable importance. Consideration should be given to this chemistry in continued development of pharmaceuticals containing the 2-(4-aminophenyl)benzothiazole moiety.

Indirect and direct detection of the 4-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenylnitrenium ion from a putative metabolite of a model anti-tumor drug.

2-(4-Aminophenyl)benzothiazoles related to 1 are potentially important pharmaceuticals. Metabolism apparently involves oxidation and esterification to 3. In water, hydrolysis and photolysis of 3 generates the nitrenium ion 4 that can be detected indirectly by N(3)(-) trapping and directly by UV-vis spectroscopy following laser flash photolysis. The transient, with lambda(max) 570 nm, and a lifetime of 530 ns, reacts with N(3)(-) at a diffusion-controlled rate and generates the quinol 6 by reaction with water.