(1) The structure for hexacyclinol proposed by Rychnovsky and synthesized by Porco, Jr. | |
Names | |
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IUPAC name (2aS,3R,5aR,6aS,7R,8R,8aS,10R)-7-hydroxy-3-(1-methoxy-1-methylethyl)-10-(2-methylprop-1-en-1-yl)-1a,5a,6a,7,7a,7b,8,8a-octahydro-2H-8,2a-(epoxymethano)phenanthro[2,3-b:6,7-b']bisoxirene-2,5(3H)-dione | |
Identifiers | |
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3D model (JSmol) | |
ChemSpider | |
MeSH | C469535 |
PubChem CID | |
UNII | |
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Properties | |
C23H28O7 | |
Molar mass | 416.470 g·mol−1 |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). |
Hexacyclinol is a natural metabolite of a fungus, Panus rudis . Significant controversy surrounded its proposed structure until its total synthesis by John Porco, Jr. in 2006.
Natural products chemist Udo Gräfe collected a sample of P. rudis HKI 0254 from a dead log in Siberia from which hexacyclinol was isolated. His group's 2002 paper showed that the compound behaved as an antiproliferative drug against cancer cell lines and proposed a structure (2) for the compound. [1]
An initial total synthesis was published by James J. La Clair in 2006, purporting a synthesis of Gräfe's proposed structure based on 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. [2] Natural products chemist Scott D. Rychnovsky simulated the 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the structure proposed by Gräfe and found that it did not correspond to the spectrum of the structure allegedly synthesized by La Clair. Rychnovsky proposed a different structure (1) based on panepophenanthrin, another molecule isolated from a different strain of P. rudis. [3] The scientific community then began criticizing La Clair's work, claiming that his work was sloppy or that he fabricated data. [4] La Clair's publication of his purported synthesis was retracted in 2012, citing a lack of validation of its claims. [5]
In 2006, a group led by John Porco, Jr. synthesized Rychnovsky's proposed structure. They showed that the 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra matched that of the compound isolated by Gräfe, confirming Rychnovsky's structure. [6] La Clair claimed that since the two structures were isomers, it is possible that they would have similar 1H-NMR spectra. [4] However, a later paper by Saielli and Bagno claims that there would be significant differences in the 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra of compounds (1) and (2). [7]
The controversy was covered extensively by a number of science blogs. [8]
In response to the controversy, Nobel Prize-winning synthetic chemist E.J. Corey remarked, "Occasionally, blatantly wrong science is published, and to the credit of synthetic chemistry, the corrections usually come quickly and cleanly." [4]
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An isocyanide is an organic compound with the functional group –N+≡C−. It is the isomer of the related nitrile (–C≡N), hence the prefix is isocyano. The organic fragment is connected to the isocyanide group through the nitrogen atom, not via the carbon. They are used as building blocks for the synthesis of other compounds.
Diphosphene is a type of organophosphorus compound that has a phosphorus–phosphorus double bond, denoted by R-P=P-R'. These compounds are not common but are of theoretical interest. Normally, compounds with the empirical formula RP exist as rings. However, like other multiple bonds between heavy main-group elements, P=P double bonds can be stabilized by a large steric hindrance from the substitutions. The first isolated diphosphene bis(2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl)diphosphene was exemplified by Masaaki Yoshifuji and his coworkers in 1981, in which diphosphene is stabilized by two bulky phenyl group.
Carbon-13 (C13) nuclear magnetic resonance is the application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to carbon. It is analogous to proton NMR and allows the identification of carbon atoms in an organic molecule just as proton NMR identifies hydrogen atoms. 13C NMR detects only the 13
C
isotope. The main carbon isotope, 12
C
does not produce an NMR signal. Although ca. 1 mln. times less sensitive than 1H NMR spectroscopy, 13C NMR spectroscopy is widely used for characterizing organic and organometallic compounds, primarily because 1H-decoupled 13C-NMR spectra are more simple, have a greater sensitivity to differences in the chemical structure, and, thus, are better suited for identifying molecules in complex mixtures. At the same time, such spectra lack quantitative information about the atomic ratios of different types of carbon nuclei, because nuclear Overhauser effect used in 1H-decoupled 13C-NMR spectroscopy enhances the signals from carbon atoms with a larger number of hydrogen atoms attached to them more than from carbon atoms with a smaller number of H's, and because full relaxation of 13C nuclei is usually not attained, and the nuclei with shorter relaxation times produce more intense signals.
Filipin is a mixture of chemical compounds first isolated by chemists at the Upjohn company in 1955 from the mycelium and culture filtrates of a previously unknown actinomycete, Streptomyces filipinensis. It was discovered in a soil sample collected in the Philippine Islands, hence the name filipin. The isolate possessed potent antifungal activity. It was identified as a polyene macrolide based on its characteristic UV-Vis and IR spectra.
Bullvalene is a hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C10H10. The molecule has a cage-like structure formed by the fusion of one cyclopropane and three cyclohepta-1,4-diene rings. Bullvalene is unusual as an organic molecule due to the C−C and C=C bonds forming and breaking rapidly on the NMR timescale; this property makes it a fluxional molecule.
ChemDraw is a molecule editor first developed in 1985 by Selena "Sally" Evans, her husband David A. Evans, and Stewart Rubenstein. The company was sold to PerkinElmer in the year 2011. ChemDraw, along with Chem3D and ChemFinder, is part of the ChemOffice suite of programs and is available for Macintosh and Microsoft Windows.
Fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is an analytical technique used to detect and identify fluorine-containing compounds. 19F is an important nucleus for NMR spectroscopy because of its receptivity and large chemical shift dispersion, which is greater than that for proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Hexaoxotricyclobutabenzene is an organic compound with formula C12O6. It can be viewed as the sixfold ketone of tricyclobutabenzene.
Kendomycin is an anticancer macrolide first isolated from Streptomyces violaceoruber. It has potent activity as an endothelin receptor antagonist and anti-osteoporosis agent. It also has strong cytotoxicity against various tumor cell lines.
Nuclear magnetic resonance decoupling is a special method used in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy where a sample to be analyzed is irradiated at a certain frequency or frequency range to eliminate fully or partially the effect of coupling between certain nuclei. NMR coupling refers to the effect of nuclei on each other in atoms within a couple of bonds distance of each other in molecules. This effect causes NMR signals in a spectrum to be split into multiple peaks. Decoupling fully or partially eliminates splitting of the signal between the nuclei irradiated and other nuclei such as the nuclei being analyzed in a certain spectrum. NMR spectroscopy and sometimes decoupling can help determine structures of chemical compounds.
A phosphoramidite (RO)2PNR2 is a monoamide of a phosphite diester. The key feature of phosphoramidites is their markedly high reactivity towards nucleophiles catalyzed by weak acids e.c., triethylammonium chloride or 1H-tetrazole. In these reactions, the incoming nucleophile replaces the NR2 moiety.
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In 1976, the Italian chemist, Giovanni Piancatelli and coworkers developed a new method to synthesize 4-hydroxycyclopentenone derivatives from 2-furylcarbinols through an acid-catalyzed rearrangement. This discovery occurred when Piancatelli was studying heterocyclic steroids and their reactive abilities in an acidic environment. As this rearrangement has continued to be studied, it has become a commonly used rearrangement in natural product synthesis because of the ability to create 4-hydroxy-5-substitutedcyclopent-2-enones. Piancatelli’s motive for looking into this new rearrangement stemmed from the ever present 3-oxycyclopentene molecule, specifically its 5-hydroxy derivative, found in biologically active natural products.
Paramagnetic nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy refers to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of paramagnetic compounds. Although most NMR measurements are conducted on diamagnetic compounds, paramagnetic samples are also amenable to analysis and give rise to special effects indicated by a wide chemical shift range and broadened signals. Paramagnetism diminishes the resolution of an NMR spectrum to the extent that coupling is rarely resolved. Nonetheless spectra of paramagnetic compounds provide insight into the bonding and structure of the sample. For example, the broadening of signals is compensated in part by the wide chemical shift range (often 200 ppm in 1H NMR). Since paramagnetism leads to shorter relaxation times (T1), the rate of spectral acquisition can be high.
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1-Diazidocarbamoyl-5-azidotetrazole, often jokingly referred to as azidoazide azide, is a heterocyclic inorganic compound with the formula C2N14. It is a highly reactive and extremely sensitive explosive.
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