Conversion of a cyclotriphosphazene to a cyclohexaphosphazene by ring expansion.

Deprotonation of a cyclotriphosphazene with a tert-butylamino group in the side chain results in ring expansion to a very stable, planar cyclohexaphosphazene derivative that still contains eight P-Cl bonds suitable for forming macromolecular structures.

Stereo-selectivity in a cyclotriphosphazene derivative bearing an exocyclic P-O moiety.

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[O(CH(2))(2)NCH(3)], (1) with the sodium salts of mono- and di-functional alcohols [methanol (2), phenol (3), tetraethyleneglycol (4) and 1,3-propanediol (5)] were carried out in order to investigate a possible directing effect of the spiro O-moiety on the formation of mono-substituted (2a, 3a), non-geminal di-substituted (2c, 3c) and ansa (4a, 5a) derivatives. Compounds isolated from the reactions were characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, (1)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallographic analysis showed that the substituent OR in compounds (2a, 3a and 2c, 3c) and the ansa-ring in compounds (4a, 5a) formed cis to the P-O moiety of the exocyclic [O(CH(2))(2)NCH(3)] spiro ring. The formation of products (2a-d, 3a-d, 4a, 5a and 5b) was quantified from the (31)P NMR spectra of the reaction mixtures, which showed an overwhelming preference for derivatives (2a, 3a, 2c, 3c, 4a, 5a) with the substituent cis to the P-O moiety of the exocyclic spiro ring (2a, 3a, 2c, 3c, 4a, 5a), except for reaction with 1,3-propanediol where the six-membered ring spiro derivative (5b) was about three times more abundant than the eight-membered ring ansa-derivative (5a). Overwhelming formation of products with the substituent cis to the exocyclic P-O moiety is proof that the cation-assisted mechanism is responsible for the stereo-selectivity in the reactions with alkoxides.

Syntheses, spectroscopic properties and stereochemistry of bis-C-pivot macrocycles with two dialkyl phosphonate groups.

Bis-C-pivot macrocycles containing dimethyl (1a, 2a) or diethyl phosphonate (1b, 2b) groups have been prepared by adding dimethyl or diethyl phosphite to two -CH=N bonds in corresponding dibenzo-bis-imino crown ethers (1 and 2). Bis-C-pivot macrocycles possess two equivalent stereogenic centres giving rise to diastereoisomers (meso and racemate). The structures were characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, MS, TGA, DSC and NMR measurements. (1)H, (13)C and (31)P NMR assignments were made for the isolated meso form of compounds 2a and 2b and for the meso and racemic forms of compounds 1a and 1b by analysis of chemical shifts, signal intensities and splitting patterns and the DEPT and 2D HETCOR NMR techniques. Thermal analysis and (1)H NMR showed that the crystallised form of compound 1a contained an equimolar amount of water of crystallisation.

Bridged cyclophosphazenes resulting from deprotonation reactions of cyclotriphophazenes bearing a P-NH group.

Cyclotriphosphazene derivatives containing a P-NHR group in the side-chain react in the presence of a strong base to form stable intermolecular bridged products. Reaction of sodium hydride with mono-spiro cyclophosphazene derivatives having a P-NH group, N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[O(CH(2))(3)NH], (1a) or N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[CH(3)N(CH(2))(3)NH], (1b) leads to formation of bis-cyclophosphazenes bridged with an eight-membered cyclophosphazene ring in an ansa arrangement (2a, 2b) whereas reaction of sodium hydride with mono-amino cyclophosphazene derivatives [N(3)P(3)Cl(5)(NHR), R = n-hexyl, 3a; i-Pr, 3b; Ph, 3c] give bis-cyclophosphazenes bridged with a four-membered cyclophosphazane ring in a spiro arrangement (4a-c). In the latter reaction P-O-P bridged compounds (5a-c) were also obtained as a result of hydrolysis reactions associated with the amount of moisture in the solvent tetrahydrofuran. In addition, it was found that reaction of a mixture of cyclotriphosphazene with either mono spiro compound, (1a) or (1b), in the presence of sodium hydride lead to formation of the first examples of asymmetrically-bridged cyclophosphazenes (6a-b).

Competitive formation of cis and trans derivatives in the nucleophilic substitution reactions of cyclophosphazenes having a mono-spiro P-NHR group.

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[NH(CH(2))(3)NMe] (1) and N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[NH(CH(2))(3)O] (2) with mono-functional alcohols (methanol, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, phenol) and a secondary amine (pyrrolidine) were used to investigate the relationship between the incoming nucleophile and the proportions of products with substituents that are cis or trans to the spiro NH moiety. The reaction products were characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, (1)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy and the configurational isomers by X-ray crystallography. Six products have been characterised with the substituent cis to the spiro NH group for the alcohol (methanol, phenol) and pyrrolidine derivatives of both compounds 1 and 2, compared to just one derivative with the substituent trans to the spiro NH group, that for the pyrrolidine derivative of compound 2. For each reaction the relative proportions of cis and trans isomers were determined by (31)P NMR measurements of the reaction mixtures. It was found that the reactions of compound 1 with all three alcohols and of compound 2 with methanol lead to exclusive formation of isomers with the substituent cis to the NH moiety, whereas all other reactions lead to mixtures of cis and trans isomers in different ratios under standard reaction conditions. However, when crown ether is included in the reaction medium for the reactions of compound 2 with both 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol and phenol, it is found that only cis isomers are formed. All these results are rationalised in terms of the competition between at least two effects; the cis-directing effect by hydrogen bonding of the incoming nucleophile to the spiro N-H group already present on the cyclophophazene ring and the cis-directing effect of the sodium cation coordinating to the oxygen lone pairs of the P-O moiety of the spiro ring.

A metabolic entropy approach for measurements of systemic metabolic disruptions in patho-physiological States.

Multicellular organisms maintain the stability of their internal environment using metabolic and physiological regulatory mechanisms that are disrupted during disease. The loss of homeostatic control results in a complex set of disordered states that may lead to metabolic network failure and irreversible system damage. We have applied a new statistical entropy-based approach to quantify temporal systemic disorder (divergence of metabolic responses) in experimental patho-physiological states, via NMR-spectroscopy generated metabolic profiles of urine. A recovery (R-) potential metric has also been developed to evaluate the relative extent to which defined metabolic processes are perturbed in the context of a global system in terms of multiple changes in concentrations of biofluid components accompanying the disrupted functional activity. This approach is sensitive to physiological as well as pathological interventions. We show that global disruptions of metabolic processes, lesion reversibility, and disorder in metabolic responses to a stressor can be visualized via metabolic entropy metrics, giving insights into biological robustness and thus providing a new tool for assessing deviation from homeostatic regulation.

Profiles of equilibrium constants for self-association of aromatic molecules.

Analysis of the noncovalent, noncooperative self-association of identical aromatic molecules assumes that the equilibrium self-association constants are either independent of the number of molecules (the EK-model) or change progressively with increasing aggregation (the AK-model). The dependence of the self-association constant on the number of molecules in the aggregate (i.e., the profile of the equilibrium constant) was empirically derived in the AK-model but, in order to provide some physical understanding of the profile, it is proposed that the sources for attenuation of the equilibrium constant are the loss of translational and rotational degrees of freedom, the ordering of molecules in the aggregates and the electrostatic contribution (for charged units). Expressions are derived for the profiles of the equilibrium constants for both neutral and charged molecules. Although the EK-model has been widely used in the analysis of experimental data, it is shown in this work that the derived equilibrium constant, K(EK), depends on the concentration range used and hence, on the experimental method employed. The relationship has also been demonstrated between the equilibrium constant K(EK) and the real dimerization constant, K(D), which shows that the value of K(EK) is always lower than K(D).

Recursive segment-wise peak alignment of biological (1)h NMR spectra for improved metabolic biomarker recovery.

Chemical shift variation in small-molecule (1)H NMR signals of biofluids complicates biomarker information recovery in metabonomic studies when using multivariate statistical and pattern recognition tools. Current peak realignment methods are generally time-consuming or align major peaks at the expense of minor peak shift accuracy. We present a novel recursive segment-wise peak alignment (RSPA) method to reduce variability in peak positions across the multiple (1)H NMR spectra used in metabonomic studies. The method refines a segmentation of reference and test spectra in a top-down fashion, sequentially subdividing the initial larger segments, as required, to improve the local spectral alignment. We also describe a general procedure that allows robust comparison of realignment quality of various available methods for a range of peak intensities. The RSPA method is illustrated with respect to 140 (1)H NMR rat urine spectra from a caloric restriction study and is compared with several other widely used peak alignment methods. We demonstrate the superior performance of the RSPA alignment over a wide range of peaks and its capacity to enhance interpretability and robustness of multivariate statistical tools. The approach is widely applicable for NMR-based metabolic studies and is potentially suitable for many other types of data sets such as chromatographic profiles and MS data.

Stable P-N bridged cyclophosphazenes with a spiro or ansa arrangement.

Deprotonation reactions of cyclophosphazenes containing secondary amino groups in the side chain lead to a doubly bridged tricyclophosphazene structure or to a cyclophosphazene-cyclophosphazane-cyclophosphazene compound, which are very stable and could be used as building blocks for larger structures.

A method for analysis of multicomponent systems of interacting aromatic molecules in solution.

A method has been developed for analyzing multicomponent mixtures containing N different types of noncovalently interacting aromatic molecules using spectroscopic data [nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), UV-vis, fluorescence, circular dichroism]. The method is based on an algorithmical approach to modeling of the N-component dynamic equilibrium (N-STOCH algorithm), dealing with numbers in N-based numerical systems as analogs of molecular complexes being formed in solution. A basic property of the algorithm is the ability to incorporate any known specificity of molecular interactions without constructing complex mathematical formulas. The utility of the N-STOCH algorithm was demonstrated by using as an example the NMR investigation of the dissociation of a heteroassociation complex of two anticancer drugs on addition of caffeine.

Characterisation of temperature-dependent phase transitions in 2,2-trimethylenedioxy-4,4,6,6-tetrachlorocyclotriphosphazene, N3P3Cl4[O(CH2)3O].

BACKGROUND: The crystal structure of 2,2-trimethylenedioxy-4,4,6,6-tetrachlorocyclo triphosphazene has been determined at 120, 274 and 293 K. The result at 293 K confirms the room temperature Cmc2(1) structure, but at the lower temperatures the space group is Pna2(1). Nevertheless the basic structure remains the same, with only small displacements of the atoms, amounting to an average of 25 pm between 120 and 293 K. RESULTS: X-ray diffraction and DSC results indicate that the phase transition takes place in two steps between 274 - 293 K and provides an understanding of previous NQR results. In the intermediate temperature range the molecules are displaced from their room temperature positions in such a way as to give an average structure with Cmc2(1) symmetry. CONCLUSION: The overall phase transition is consistent with the occurrence of a soft lattice mode at room temperature in which a large displacement of the molecule in the x-direction is coupled with a flexing motion about an axis defined by the nitrogen atoms in the N1 and N3 positions.

A spiro to ansa rearrangement in cyclotriphosphazene derivatives.

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of cyclotriphosphazene derivatives having five-membered spiro rings, N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[O(CH(2))(2)X] (X = NH or O) with alkoxides (of tetraethylene glycol and some mono-functional alcohols) give unexpected rearrangements to form stable seven-membered ring ansa compounds, even though crystallographic evidence shows ring distortion and compression of the cyclophosphazene ring. With weaker nucleophiles such as sodium phenoxide and pyrrolidine substitution at a PCl2 group is preferred and no rearrangement takes place. In contrast, reactions of the analogous phosphazenes containing six-membered spiro rings, N(3)P(3)Cl(4)[O(CH(2))(3)X], with all of the above reagents give only normal substitution reactions at the PCl2 moieties and no rearrangement products. The spiro to ansa rearrangements in cyclophosphazenes are remarkable as the reported primary reaction products with the same difunctional reagents HO(CH(2))(2)XH are predominantly spiro, with some dangling and bridging derivatives, but no ansa compounds.

Stereogenic properties of spiranes combined with four equivalent conventional centres of chirality.

Derivatives of the tri-spirane pentaerythritoxy-cyclophosphazene compound, 1, have been used to investigate the stereogenic properties of spiranes combined with four equivalent conventional centres of chirality. In compound 1 the two inner rings are carbocyclic and symmetrical and the two outer rings are cyclotriphosphazenes substituted in different positions to provide the conventional centres of chirality. The case of combining spiranes with four equivalent centres of chirality has been investigated by the reaction of 1 with dimethylamine in a 1 : 8 molar ratio to give four diastereoisomeric products, in which the two cyclophosphazene rings are non-geminally di-substituted in either cis or trans configurations; viz. the cis-cis (2a), cis-trans (2b) and two trans-trans substituted dimethylamine derivatives 2c and 2d. The structure and stereogenic properties of compound 2a (C2 symmetry) have been characterized previously by both X-ray crystallography and 31P NMR spectroscopy on addition of a chiral solvating agent (CSA) and the structures and stereogenic properties of compounds 2b (C1) and 2d (C2) have been similarly characterized in this work. The structure of compound 2c has been characterised by X-ray crystallography and found to be meso with the relatively rare S4 symmetry. The four diastereoisomeric products 2a-2d represent all the possible stereochemical isomers of a spirane combined with four equivalent conventional centres of chirality.

Dimorphism in 4,4,6,6-tetrachloro-2,2-(2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-dioxy)cyclotriphosphazene and 6,6-dichloro-2,2:4,4-bis(2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-dioxy)cyclotriphosphazene.

A second, polymorphic, form of the previously reported compound 4,4,6,6-tetrachloro-2,2-(2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-dioxy)cyclotriphosphazene, C(5)H(10)Cl(4)N(3)O(2)P(3), is now reported. The molecular structures of these two compounds are similar, aside from minor conformational differences. However, the compounds crystallize in two different space groups and exhibit quite different crystal structure assemblies. Additionally, 6,6-dichloro-2,2:4,4-bis(2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-dioxy)cyclotriphosphazene, C(10)H(20)Cl(2)N(3)O(4)P(3), is shown to exhibit two different conformational polymorphs when crystallized from different solvent mixtures. The alpha form crystallizes in the space group Pnma with the molecular structure lying on a mirror plane (symmetry code: x, -y + {1/2}, z), whilst the beta form is in the space group C2/c with the molecular structure lying on a twofold axis (symmetry code: -x, y, -z + {3/2}). The difference between the two molecular structures is in the conformation of the spiro-ring substituents with respect to the phosphazene ring. The resulting crystal structures give rise to differing packing motifs.

Comparison of high-performance liquid chromatography of cyclotriphosphazene derivatives with one or two equivalent stereogenic centres.

High-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods have been developed for investigating the stereogenic properties of two analogous series of dibenzylamino derivatives of cyclotriphosphazene containing either one or two equivalent stereogenic centres. Separation of the enantiomers of all the racemic compounds has been investigated by chiral HPLC using Whelk-01 and Chiralcel OD columns. In all cases, conditions for separation of enantiomers have been found using a Whelk-01 column with different ratios of tetrahydrofuran in n-hexane as the mobile phase. It is found that both the separation factor (alpha) and resolution factor (R(S)) of molecules with two equivalent stereogenic centres are greater than those for analogues with only one centre.

The structural and stereogenic properties of pentaerythritoxy-bridged cyclotriphosphazene derivatives: spiro-spiro, spiro-ansa and ansa-ansa isomers.

Reactions of pentaerythritol with hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene, N3P3Cl6, and gem-disubstituted cyclotriphosphazene derivatives, N3P3Cl4R2 [R = Ph, NHBu(t) or (OCH2CF2CF2CH2O)0.5] gave a series of pentaerythritol-bridged derivatives linked spiro-spiro, spiro-ansa and ansa-ansa. The structures and stereogenic properties of the products were characterised by X-ray crystallography and 31P NMR spectroscopy on addition of the chiral solvating agent, (S)-(+)-2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(9-anthryl)ethanol. Molecules with spiro-spiro and spiro-ansa bridged gem-disubstituted cyclophosphazenes [R = Ph, NHBu(t) or (OCH2CF2CF2CH2O)0.5] are found to be chiral and exist as racemates. Molecules with ansa-ansa bridged cyclophosphazenes [R = Cl or (OCH2CF2CF2CH2O)0.5] have been characterised for the first time and are shown to have meso configurations. Analysis of crystal structure data shows that the six-membered chair form of the spiro rings and the eight-membered boat-chair form of the ansa rings in the bridged compounds are similar to analogous spiro and ansa exocyclic ring conformations of 1,3-propanedioxy-derivatives of cyclophosphazenes.

Structural investigations of phosphorus-nitrogen compounds. 7. Relationships between physical properties, electron densities, reaction mechanisms and hydrogen-bonding motifs of N3P3Cl(6 - n)(NHBu(t))n derivatives.

A series of compounds of the N3P3Cl(6 - n)(NHBu(t))n family (where n = 0, 1, 2, 4 and 6) are presented, and their molecular parameters are related to trends in physical properties, which provides insight into a potential reaction mechanism for nucleophilic substitution. The crystal structures of N3P3Cl5(NHBu(t)) and N3P3Cl2(NHBu(t))4 have been determined at 120 K, and those of N3P3Cl6 and N3P3Cl4(NHBu(t))2 have been redetermined at 120 K. These are compared with the known structure of N3P3(NHBu(t))6 studied at 150 K. Trends in molecular parameters [phosphazene ring, P-Cl and P-N(HBu(t)) distances, PCl2 angles, and endo- and exocyclic phosphazene ring parameters] across the series are observed. Hydrogen-bonding motifs are identified, characterized and compared. Both the molecular and the hydrogen-bonding parameters are related to the electron distribution in bonds and the derived basicities of the cyclophosphazene series of compounds. These findings provide evidence for a proposed mechanism for nucleophilic substitution at a phosphorus site bearing a PCl(NHBu(t)) group.

Chiral separation and CD characterisation of enantiomeric cyclotriphosphazene derivatives.

The gem-disubstituted cyclotriphosphazene 1 reacted with piperazine (pip) to give the piperazine-bridged derivative 2, which is expected to exist in meso and racemic forms because the two PCl (pip) groups are stereogenic. The proton-decoupled (31)P NMR spectrum of 2 gave rise to two similar sets of ABX signals in a 1:1 ratio, consistent with formation of diastereoisomers. The meso and racemic forms of compound 2 were separated by column chromatography on silica gel and characterised by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, (31)P NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. Using HPLC with a chiral stationary phase, the racemic form of compound 2 was further separated into enantiomers, which were characterised by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. This is the first report of the separation of enantiomers in the field of cyclophosphazene chemistry and hence the first CD spectra of derivatives in which the cyclophosphazene ring is at the chiral centre.

Structural investigations of phosphorus-nitrogen compounds. 6. Relationships between molecular parameters in per-X-substituted bridged spermine derivatives and basicity constants SigmaalphaR of substituents.

A systematic study is reported of the products of the nucleophilic substitution reactions of the spermine-bridged cyclotriphosphazene, [N3P3X4(NHCH2CH2CH2N)CH2CH2]2 [where X = Cl (2a)], to give a number of new structures [(2b)-(2g)] in which X = OPh, [spiro-O(CH2)3O]0.5, Ph, NHPh, NC4H8 and NHBut, respectively. A comparison has been made between the sum of the substituent basicity constants, Sigmaalpha(R), obtained in nitrobenzene solution, and ten molecular parameters of the N3P3 ring (the internal bond angles alpha, beta, gamma, delta and theta;, and the P-N bond lengths a, b, c, d and e) as well as the difference between the bond lengths a and b, Delta(P-N). It is found that the systematic change in molecular parameters of compounds (2a)-(2g) is in line with changes in alphaR values, indicating the similarity in relative electron-releasing capacity of substituents X in the solid state and in solution. It is also found that the effect on molecular parameters of (2a)-(2g) with two X substituents in PX2 groups is greater than that for one X substituent in P(OR)X groups in an analogous series of compounds observed previously [Besli et al. (2002). Acta Cryst. B58, 1067-1073].

Retention of configuration in the nucleophilic substitution reactions of some nine-membered ansa derivatives of cyclotriphosphazatriene.

X-ray crystallographic evidence shows that nucleophilic substitution reactions of two different types of cyclophosphazene derivatives with relatively rigid nine-membered ansa rings leads to the first demonstration of retention of configuration in these molecular systems.