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Intramolecular addition reactions of electrophilic metallovinylcarbenes with nucleophiles that do not have access to the carbene center undergo addition to the vinylogous position, forming products that rely on subsequent transformations of vinylmetal intermediates. Catalytic addition to a carbon-carbon double bond elicits the formation of an intermediate carbocation whose proton loss causes protodemetalation of the vinylmetal intermediate. Addition to the azido group results in the formation of aliphatic 1,2,3-triazines by [3 + 3]-cycloaddition. Catalytic intramolecular reactions with a carbamate nucleophile yield a carbonyl ylide whose loss of isobutylene produces oximidovinyl-oxazolidinone esters with high enantioselectivity. Comparisons are made between rhodium, copper, gold, and silver catalysts 

Highly selective formal [3 + 2]-cycloaddition of vinyldiazoacetates with quinone ketals and quinoneimine ketals has been accomplished at room temperature with catalytic amounts of the Brønsted acid triflimide, leading to highly functionalized diazoacetates in good yields. The vinyldiazonium ion generated by electrophilic addition to the vinylogous position of the reactant vinyldiazo compound is the key intermediate in this selective transformation. Both oximidovinyldiazoacetates and those with other vinyl substituents undergo cycloaddition reactions with quinone ketals whose products, after extended reaction times, undergo substrate-dependent 1,2-migration; catalysis by Rh2(OAc)4, HNTf2, and Sc(OTf)3 effects these 1,2-migrations to the same products. However, the products from HNTf2-catalyzed reactions between quinoneimine and oximidovinyldiazoacetates undergo Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed 1,3-C−H insertion. 1,3-Difunctionalization products are obtained for electrophilic reactions of Eschenmoser’s salt with selected vinyldiazoacetates, but with α-dibenzylaminomethyl ether, 1,6-hydride transfer reactions are observed with oximidovinyldiazoacetates. 

A new core-substituted naphthalene diimide-based supramolecular triangle is reportedviaa coordination driven self-assembly with (Et₃P)₂Pt·2OTf, which further self-assembles into spherical nanostructures. 

Brønsted acid catalyzed formal [4 + 4]-, [4 + 3]-, and [4 + 2]-cycloadditions of donor–acceptor cyclobutenes, cyclopropenes, and siloxyalkynes with benzopyrylium ions are reported. [4 + 2]-cyclization/deMayo-type ring-extension cascade processes produce highly functionalized benzocyclooctatrienes, benzocycloheptatrienes, and 2-naphthols in good to excellent yields and selectivities. Moreover, the optical purity of reactant donor–acceptor cyclobutenes is fully retained during the cascade. The 1,3-dicarbonyl product framework of the reaction products provides opportunities for salen-type ligand syntheses and the construction of fused pyrazoles and isoxazoles that reveal a novel rotamer-diastereoisomerism. 

The kynurenine pathway is the primary route for L-tryptophan degradation in mammals. Intermediates and side products of this pathway are involved in immune response and neurodegenerative diseases. This makes the study of enzymes, especially those from mammalian sources, of the kynurenine pathway worthwhile. Recent studies on a bacterial version of an enzyme of this pathway, 2-aminomuconate semialdehyde (2-AMS) dehydrogenase (AMSDH), have provided a detailed understanding of the catalytic mechanism and identified residues conserved for muconate semialdehyde recognition and activation. Findings from the bacterial enzyme have prompted the reconsideration of the function of a previously identified human aldehyde dehydrogenase, ALDH8A1 (or ALDH12), which was annotated as a retinal dehydrogenase based on its ability to preferentially oxidize 9-cis-retinal over trans-retinal. Here, we provide compelling bioinformatics and experimental evidence that human ALDH8A1 should be reassigned to the missing 2-AMS dehydrogenase of the kynurenine metabolic pathway. For the first time, the product of the semialdehyde oxidation by AMSDH is also revealed by NMR and high-resolution MS. We found that ALDH8A1 catalyzes the NAD+ -dependent oxidation of 2- AMS with a catalytic efficiency equivalent to that of AMSDH from the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens. Substitution of active-site residues required for substrate recognition, binding, and isomerization in the bacterial enzyme resulted in human ALDH8A1 variants with 160-fold increased Km or no detectable activity. In conclusion, this molecular study establishes an additional enzymatic step in an important human pathway for tryptophan catabolism. 

Cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) plays an essential role in sulfur metabolism by regulating homeostatic levels of cysteine. Human CDO contains a post-translationally generated Cys93–Tyr157 cross-linked cofactor. Here, we investigated this Cys–Tyr cross-linking by incorporating unnatural tyrosines in place of Tyr157 via a genetic method. The catalytically active variants were obtained with a thioether bond between Cys93 and the halogen-substituted Tyr157, and we determined the crystal structures of both wild-type and engineered CDO variants in the purely uncross-linked form and with a mature cofactor. Along with mass spectrometry and 19F NMR, these data indicated that the enzyme could catalyze oxidative C–F or C–Cl bond cleavage, resulting in a substantial conformational change of both Cys93 and Tyr157 during cofactor assembly. These findings provide insights into the mechanism of Cys–Tyr cofactor biogenesis and may aid the development of bioinspired aromatic carbon–halogen bond activation.