A new superacid, H(CB11H6X6) (where X = chlorine or bromine), whose conjugate base is the exceptionally inert CB11H6X6- carborane anion, separates Bronsted acidity from oxidizing capacity and anion nucleophilicity in a manner not previously achieved. Reaction of this superacid with C60 gives HC60+ as a stable ion in solution and in the solid state. In a separate experiment, an oxidant was devel...

The proton affinities of a series of monoand polynuclear zinc-thiolate compounds, mimicking zing finger protein and metallothioneins sites, have been investigated by Density Functional Theory calculations. This allows to evaluate the intrinsic nucleophilicity of synthetic and natural zinc-bound thiolates and to compare their relative reactivities. The site specificity of the experimental thiola...

The addition of AlCl3 to four-coordinate boranes of the general formula (C-N-chelate)BCl2 results in halide abstraction and formation of three-coordinate borenium cations of the general formula [(C-N-chelate)BCl]+. The latter react with both arylstannanes and arylsilanes by boro-destannylation and -desilylation, respectively, to form arylated boranes. Catalytic quantities of AlCl3 were sufficie...

The double Reformatsky reaction, tandem addition of two molecules of zinc alkanoate to a carbonyl compound, and its synthetic application to a series of δ-hydroxy-β-ketoesters has been developed. The key to accelerate the double Reformatsky reaction is considered to be a complex-induced proximity effect of the in situ generated zinc alkoxide coordinated with the pyridyl group of the substrate o...

Metal-ion complexes are the most effective artificial catalysts capable of cleaving phosphate diesters under mild aqueous conditions. A central strategy for making these complexes highly reactive has been to use ligand-based alcohols that are coordinated to the ion, providing an ionised nucleophile under neutral conditions but at the expense of deactivating it. We have created a highly reactive...

2-Aminoquinolin-4(1H)-one was reacted with various primary/secondary amines and paraformaldehyde under Mannich reaction conditions. In the case of secondary amines, the reaction in N,N-dimethylformamide yielded expected Mannich products accompanied with 3,3'-methylenebis(2-aminoquinolin-4(1H)-one). Except these main products, the pyrimido[4,5-b]quinolin-5-one derivative was also identified as c...

The interactions of cyclic polyamines with tetraethoxysilane in the conditions of the Stöber synthesis of silica nanoparticles were studied and compared to the behavior of a linear polyamine. Granular core-plain shell hybrid particles were obtained whose morphology and size vary with the nature and amount of added ligand. The influence of polyamines on silica condensation could be understood on...