No abstract

Based on electronic properties calculated by the semiempirical PM3 method, a quantitative structure-activity relationship has been derived for a group of psychotomimetic tryptamines. Data analysis by partial least squares reveals two significant components. The major property affecting potency was the difference in energy between the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. Less significant was the effect of molecular size, shape and polarizability, in particular, the dimension in the direction of the ethylamine side chain, involving the substituents on the amine nitrogen. The results are consistent with earlier studies on phenylalkylamines.

Equilibrium constants for the formation of ZnCln2-n complexes have been measured in some acetonitrile ( MeCN )-water mixtures ranging from 0 to 100% MeCN at 25°C and I = 0.1 M (Et4NClO4), by potentiometric titration. The equilibria shift strongly in favour of the formation of the higher-order complexes (n = 3, 4) at high MeCN concentrations. This is shown to be due to differences in the magnitude of unfavourable solvation of the Zn2+, Cl - and ZnCln2-n ions in MeCN-H2O solutions. The Gibbs free energies of transfer of all of these ions from water to MeCN-H2O mixtures are strongly positive, but the net change in the transfer function for the formation of the higher-order complexes is favourable. Thus the formation of these complexes is predominant in MeCN -rich aqueous solutions. Approximate measurements in propiononitrile indicate that the ZnCln2-n complexes are even stronger than in acetonitrile.

The rate of decomposition of dichromate, Cr2O72-, to form chromate, CrO42-, is very dependent upon the choice of cation, and its concentration. At a total ionic strength of 1.0 mol l-1 and at 25.0°C, the second-order rate constant decreases in the order Ca2+ (2600 mol-1 l. s-1) >> K+ + (960) > Na+ (920) >Li+ (700)>> bistet2+ (410) >> Me4N+ (125) >> Et4N+ (35) where bistet2+ is the N,N,N,N',N',N'-hexamethylethylene-1,2-diammonium ion. In the presence of sodium chloride the second-order rate constant increases as the ionic strength increases (200 and 1900 mol-1 l. s-1 at ionic strengths of 0 and 2.7 mol l-1 respectively), whereas in tetramethylammonium chloride a maximum is reached at intermediate ionic strengths. The equilibrium between dichromate and hydrogen chromate is shifted towards the dichromate side in the presence of tetraalkylammonium ions, and towards the hydrogen chromate side in the presence of calcium ion.

Procedures are described for the attempted conversion of the pyrrolidine (2) into a bicyclic system that would ultimately lead to retronecine (3). The only molecule to be isolated from these attempts was the epimeric ketone (6), and AM1 and MM2 calculations were used to probe this apparently favoured isomerization. Alternative procedures were then investigated that sought to convert the pyrrolidine (1) into precursors to retronecine, and notable successes were obtained with the addition of the amine (21) to both nitroethene and ethyl 2-diethylphosphonoacrylate. However, not only were these precursors resistant to further transformations into retronecine , but also the problem of epimerization again arose. Consequently, AM1 calculations were again employed, and an X-ray structure determination of ethyl (7R,8R)-7-benzyloxy-1-benzyloxymethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-3H-pyrrolizine-2-carboxylate (39) is reported. Attempts to convert (39) into a diastereoisomer of retronecine were unsuccessful.