We report the experimental determination of the intramolecular enol-enol tautomerization rate of an unsymmetric β-diketone, benzoylacetone, with femtosecond transient absorption in the ultraviolet. Initially, there is an equilibrium of two possible enolic structures in solution, which is disturbed upon UV excitation by exciting a disproportionate fraction of one enolic form. Comparison to symme...

In order to determine the specific structural properties responsible for neurotoxic activity, the comparative neurotoxicity of n-hexane, methyl n-butyl ketone, 2,5-hexanedione, and their relatives was investigated in the peripheral nerves of rats. The maximum conduction velocity of motor and sensory fibres and the motor distal latency of the tail nerves of rats were periodically examined in ani...

Aldolase antibodies that operate via an enamine mechanism were developed by in vitro selection. Antibody Fab phage display libraries were created where the catalytic active site residues of aldolase antibodies 38C2 and 33F12 were combined with a naive human antibody V gene repertoire. Selection from these libraries with 1,3-diketones covalently trapped the amino groups of reactive lysine residu...

2-Hydroxy-N-{2-[2-hydroxyethyl)amino]ethyl}benzamide (L¹H₃) and 2-hydroxy-N-{2-[2-hydroxybutyl)amino]ethyl}benzamide (L²H₃) ligands coordinate to copper ions to give anionic metalloligands, L¹Cu⁻ and L²Cu⁻, after deprotonation of their amide, alcohol and phenol functions. In presence of ancillary ligands as diketones, these metalloligands react with lanthanide salts to yield tetranuclear [Cu-Ln...

Difluoromethanesulfonyl hypervalent iodonium ylides 2 were developed as electrophilic difluoromethylthiolation reagents for a wide range of nucleophiles. Enamines, indoles, β-keto esters, silyl enol ethers and pyrroles were effectively reacted with 2 affording desired difluoromethylthio (SCF2H)-substituted compounds in good to high yields under copper catalysis. The reaction of allyl alcohols w...

The ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hydrogen sulfate, [bmim]HSO4, was used as a catalyst and reaction medium for the pyrrole synthesis, and a wide range of aliphatic, aromatic, heteroaromatic and carboxylic 1,4-diketones easily underwent condensations with aniline and ethylenediamine to form polysubstituted pyrroles. Sequential decarboxylation/Paal-Knorr pyrrole condensation was obser...

Iron-catalyzed cross-aldol reactions of ortho-diketones and methyl ketones were developed and the thus formed aldol products were efficiently transformed into cyclohepta-2,4,6-trienone derivatives (tropones) under thermal conditions via ring-expansion.

2,2-Disubstituted cyclic 1,3-diketones containing a tethered electron-deficient alkene undergo chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed desymmetrizing Michael cyclizations to give bridged bicyclic products in high enantioselectivities. Both bicyclo[3.2.1]octanes and bicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes are accessible using this methodology.