Preparation of alpha-diazocarbonyl compounds from beta-lapachone derivatives and other 1,2-naphthoquinones: use of the 2D NMR 1H,15N and 1H,13C HMBC techniques in assigning regiochemistry.

The assignment of the diazo site in products of the reaction of p-toluenesulfonylhydrazine with beta-lapachone, 3,4-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyran-5,6-dione, and other 1,2-naphthoquinones in methanol solution at room temperature has been accomplished using 1H,13C HMBC and 1H,15N HMBC NMR experiments. Only one diazo-naphthalenone product was isolated in yields ranging from 50-100% from each reaction. The site of diazo substitution of beta-lapachone and derivatives is the 1-position, in contrast to substitution at the 2-position in 4-MeO-1,2-naphthoquinone. Steric factors, rather than electronic factors, control the reaction site. Along with 2-diazo-1(2H)-naphthalenone, an additional product isolated from the reaction of p-toluenesulfonylhydrazide with 1,2-naphthoquinone was 2-diazo-4-hydroxy-1(2H)-naphthalenone. Confirmation of the formation of 6-diazo-2,2-dimethyl-2,3,4,6-tetrahydro-2H-benzo[h]cromen-5-one, obtained from beta-lapachone, was achieved using single crystal X-ray diffraction.

Interpretation of conformational effects on 2-endo-norborneol by natural chemical shielding analysis.

This paper represents an extension of our work on the (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shifts of norbornane and 2-endo-norborneol. NCS-NBO analysis was employed to probe contributions of bond orbitals and orbitals of lone pairs to nuclear shielding in conformers of the alcohol generated by rotation of the C-O bond. Variations in (1)H and (13)C chemical shifts with the dihedral angle are discussed in terms of Lewis and non-Lewis partitioning and their respective importance is evaluated. In addition to hyperconjugation of the lone pair in a p orbital of oxygen that was previously reported, a sizable participation of the lone pair which is in an sp orbital is also observed and their combined effect dominates the carbon chemical shifts of the C(1)-C(2)-OH and C(3)-C(2)-OH fragments. Both lone pairs on oxygen also contribute to localized, though-space effects on nuclei in the vicinity, these effects answering for the largest deviations in hydrogen chemical shifts on rotation around the C-O bond. On the other hand, for conformers in which nonbonded repulsions lead to distortions in the molecular framework, variations in chemical shifts may be attributed to angular effects.

Pharmaceuticals from natural products: current trends.

The use of products extracted from plants for medicinal purposes can be traced to the beginnings of civilization and up until the end of the nineteenth century natural products were the principal source of medicines. Since then their relative importance has oscillated according to the strategies of large pharmaceutical companies. Now that these strategies are changing, there are new opportunities for countries like Brazil, in which a large proportion of the world's biodiversity is located. There are, however, new circumstances that must be taken into consideration: material must be collected by groups which are formally authorized to do so and under the conditions of the Convention of Biological Diversity, the discovery process is being successively outsourced to smaller specialized firms and there is a growing integration with producers of cosmetics and phytomedicines.

Pharmaceuticals from natural products: current trends

The use of products extracted from plants for medicinal purposes can be traced to the beginnings of civilization and up until the end of the nineteenth century natural products were the principal source of medicines. Since then their relative importance has oscillated according to the strategies of large pharmaceutical companies. Now that these strategies are changing, there are new opportunities for countries like Brazil, in which a large proportion of the world's biodiversity is located. There are, however, new circumstances that must be taken into consideration: material must be collected by groups which are formally authorized to do so and under the conditions of the Convention of Biological Diversity, the discovery process is being successively outsourced to smaller specialized firms and there is a growing integration with producers of cosmetics and phytomedicines