The preparation is described of two modified derivatives of the tripodal tetraamine tren, 2-hydroxy-N,N-bis(2-aminoethyl)ethylamine, NN(2)O222, and 2-amino-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylamine, NNO(2)222, in which one and two primary amines, respectively, have been replaced with hydroxyl groups. The aqueous acid-base and metal ion (Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+) coordination properties of these two compounds were studied by potentiometric, spectrophotometric, and NMR titrations. Two and three acidity constants, respectively, were determined for NNO(2)222 and NN(2)O222 by potentiometry. NMR titrations proved that deprotonation of the two OH residues in NNO(2)222, and of the one in NN(2)O222, corresponded to pK(a) > 14. Acidity constants related to deprotonation of the terminal primary amine functions were similar in both NNO(2)222 and NN(2)O222 (and to those in the parent compound tren), whereas deprotonation of the tertiary ammonium N atom had a very different acidity constant in each of these three compounds. Charge repulsion, polar effects, and intramolecular hydrogen bond formation are responsible for the discrepancy. Chelated diamine metal complexes for each ligand studied depended only on the basicity of the corresponding two amines, suggesting that the hydroxyl group interacted with the metal ion very weakly in acidic or neutral solutions. The ML2+ species further deprotonated to form M(L - H)+ and M(L - 2H) complexes, in which the protons are released from the coordinated OH group. A pM vs pH correlation showed that replacing an NH2 group with a OH group in tren or NN(2)O222 makes the resulting metal complex less stable. Electronic spectra showed that the Cu(II) complexes of both NNO(2)222 and NN(2)O222 adopted a square pyramidal geometry rather than a trigonal bipyramidal geometry. The X-ray crystal structure analysis of the zinc complex [Zn(OH)(mu-NNO(2)222 - H)Zn(NNO(2)222)]2+, as its [BF4]- salt, shows a dinuclear molecule containing two zinc ions, each coordinated in a distorted trigonal bipyramid. The coordination environment at one zinc atom is composed of the four donor groups of a mono-O-deprotonated ligand NNO(2)222 and a hydroxyl ion with the central nitrogen atom of the ligand and the hydroxyl ion in equatorial positions. The oxygen atom of the deprotonated alkoxo group bridges to the second zinc atom, which is coordinated by this atom and one undeprotonated ligand NNO(2)222.

1-trimethylsilyl-1-alkenyl carbamates 1 are deprotonated by n-butyllithium/(-)-sparteine (2) with a high degree of enantiotopic differentiation in the gamma-position to form the enantiomerically enriched allyllithium derivatives 3. Trapping these with several electrophiles proceeds stereospecifically in an anti-S(E)' or syn-S(E)' substitution to form products 4 or ent-4, respectively. Compounds 3a (R = Me) and 3b (R = Ph) exhibit toward carbonyl electrophiles opposite senses of almost complete stereospecificity, thus for 3b.2 the involvement of a eta(3)-complex is suggested. [reaction: see text]

The synthesis and biological evaluation of the first members of a new series of designed bryostatin A-ring analogues (bryologs) are described. An advanced intermediate is produced that allows for step economical access to diverse analogs. The first of these analogues, bearing side chains of completely different polarities from alkyl to hydroxyl and carboxyl functionalities, were evaluated. All exhibit potent protein kinase C binding (54.7 to 2.4 nM) with affinities increasing with decreasing side chain polarity. This series of bryostatin analogues demonstrates that A ring surrogates can indeed be used for tuning pharmacophore and ADME characteristics as needed to improve bryolog function.