George Douglas Ii Hiler

Regio- and stereoselective enzymatic esterification of glycerol and its derivatives.

A methodology for regio- and stereoselective preparation of acyl glycerol derivatives is presented. It offers easy access to specific 1,2-, 1,3-diglycerides and triglycerides as well as alkyl glycerol esters, phospholipids and glycolipids. These compounds are prepared by esterification of the corresponding glycerol derivatives such as 2-monoglycerides, alkyl glycerols, glyceryl glycosides, glyceryl phosphate esters, or unsubstituted glycerol. The regio- and stereoselectivity in the esterification is achieved by using fatty acid anhydrides and an enzymatic catalyst, 1,3-specific lipase. NMR methods for determining the regio- and stereoselectivity of esterification are discussed.

Manganese complexes with a lengthy o -xylylene cross-bridged cyclam ligand: synthesis, characterization and catalytic hydrogen abstraction by dioxygen activation

Two ultra rigid, o-xylylene cross-bridged macrobicyclic ligands, 1,10,13,19-tetraazatricyclo[8.6.6.03,8]docosa-3,5,7-triene (H2XBC), and 13,19-dimethyl-1,10,13,19-tetraazatricyclo[8.6.6.03,8]docosa-3,5,7-triene (Me2XBC), have been synthesized and the manganese complexes have been synthesized and characterized, including an X-ray structure determination. Mn(Me2XBC)Cl2 displays a relatively high redox potential for the Mn2+/Mn3+ couple (+0.947V vs SHE, measured in CH3CN), suggesting that the manganese(III) complex may be capable of hydrogen abstraction from moderately active substrates. Direct reaction of the freshly synthesized manganese(III) complex, [Mn(Me2XBC)Cl2]PF6, with 1,4-cyclohexadiene confirmed its hydrogen abstracting ability. The manganese(II)/Me2XBC complex is activated by dioxygen in buffered basic aqueous solutions and catalyzes hydrogen abstraction from selected substrates. A possible mechanism for this manganese complex catalyzed dioxygen activation and hydrogen abstraction is proposed.

Enhanced anisotropic ordering and phase separation in lyotropic polysaccharide blends

Abstract 2 H n.m.r. spectroscopy is employed to characterize the mesomorphic behaviour of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) in D 2 O. This analysis is further extended to ternary solutions containing HPC and xanthan gum (XG). A compositional range over which addition of XG to HPC enhances single-phase anisotropic ordering is reported. Convoluted spectra representative of HPC-rich and XG-rich components are observed at some blend and solution concentrations, suggesting that phase separation occurs between these two lyotropic polysaccharides.