Bruce M. Johnson

Aryl and heterocyclic diazo compounds as potential environmental electrophiles

4-Aminoimidazole-5-carboxamide, a component of human urine derived from the de novo purine biosynthetic pathway, was evidenced to undergo in vivo diazotization in rats following its sequential administration with NaNO2. The diazotization product, 4-diazoimidazole-5-carboxamide, undergoes intramolecular cyclization to yield 2-azahypoxanthine, the urinary presence of which was confirmed mass spectrometrically. 4-Diazoimidazole-5-carboxamide demonstrated dose-related mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium TA 100 and represents a potent electrophilic reactant similar to the proposed ultimate carcinogenic forms of arylalkylnitrosamines and arylnitrosamides. It is suggested that aryl and heterocyclic diazo compounds, as a class, warrant further study as environmental electrophiles representing potential biological hazard.

Photoionization mass spectrometry: III. Comparison of photon and electron impact excitation of cis- and trans-2-decene☆

Abstract Mass spectra of cis - and trans -2-decene were obtained at 15, 20, 23 and 26 eV by electron impact and 950 A (13.0 eV), 826 A (15.0 eV) and 584 A (21.2 eV) by photoionization using synchrotron radiation. The spectral differences are discussed primarily in terms of energy transfer function differences.

Stereochemistry of the acetalization of hexafluoroacetone with a bromohydrin

Acetalization of hexafluoroacetone with threo- and erythro-5-bromo-octan-4-ol has been shown to be highly trans-specific by 19F n.m.r., providing a method for establishing the stereochemistry of bromohydrins and their precursors when they are reacted stereospecifically.