Baylis–Hillman reactions in aqueous acidic media

Correlation of skull morphology and bite force in a bird-eating bat (Ia io; Vespertilionidae)

Background

Genetic and ecological factors influence morphology, and morphology is compatible with function. The morphology and bite performance of skulls of bats show a number of characteristic feeding adaptations. The great evening bat, Ia io (Thomas, 1902), eats both insects and birds (Thabah et al. J Mammal 88: 728-735, 2007), and as such, it is considered to represent a case of dietary niche expansion from insects to birds. How the skull morphology or bite force in I. io are related to the expanded diet (that is, birds) remains unknown. We used three-dimensional (3D) geometry of the skulls and measurements of bite force and diets from I. io and 13 other species of sympatric or closely related bat species to investigate the characteristics and the correlation of skull morphology and bite force to diets.

Results

Significant differences in skull morphology and bite force among species and diets were observed in this study. Similar to the carnivorous bats, bird-eaters (I. io) differed significantly from insectivorous bats; I. io had a larger skull size, taller crania, wider zygomatic arches, shorter but robust mandibles, and larger bite force than the insectivores. The skull morphology of bats was significantly associated with bite force whether controlling for phylogeny or not, but no significant correlations were found between diets and the skulls, or between diets and residual bite force, after controlling for phylogeny.

Conclusions

These results indicated that skull morphology was independent of diet, and phylogeny had a greater impact on skull morphology than diet in these species. The changes in skull size and morphology have led to variation in bite force, and finally different bat species feeding on different foods. In conclusion, I. io has a larger skull size, robust mandibles, shortened dentitions, longer coronoid processes, expanded angular processes, low condyles, and taller cranial sagittal crests, and wider zygomatic arches that provide this species with mechanical advantages; their greater bite force may help them use larger and hard-bodied birds as a dietary component.

SO2F2 mediated cascade dehydrogenative Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction of the C(sp3)–H of primary alcohols with the C(sp2)–H of electron-deficient olefins for the assembly of allylic alcohols

A cascade dehydrogenative Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction of the C(sp³)–H of primary alcohols with the C(sp²)–H of electron-deficient olefins for forming allylic alcohols mediated by SO₂F₂ was developed. This method provides a mild process for the preparation of allylic alcohol moieties without the requirement of transition metals.

A cascade dehydrogenative Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction of the C(sp³)–H of primary alcohols with the C(sp²)–H of electron-deficient olefins for forming allylic alcohols mediated by SO₂F₂ was developed.

An Efficient and Recyclable DMAP-Based Ionic Liquid/Water System for Morita–Baylis–Hillman Reactions

The efficient and recyclable system, DMAP-based ionic liquid/water, has been developed and used in the Morita– Baylis–Hillman reaction of aromatic aldehydes with acrylates. The coupling reactions under the described basic reaction conditions proceed quickly with good to excellent yields. The ionic liquid could be reused at least five times without significant loss of activity.

The reaction of porphyrins with α,β-acetylenic ketone/ester (Morita-Baylis-Hillman) promoted by MgI2 and subsequent Sonogashira coupling reactions

The stereoselective synthesis of (Z)-β-iodovinyl ketones/esters of Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) porphyrin adducts has been achieved with a tandem formation of C - C and C - I bonds in a three-component reaction. The reaction is promoted by MgI 2 as a Lewis acid, as well as an iodine source for a Michael-type addition. The MBH adducts are efficiently oxidized to the corresponding ketones with Dess-Martin periodinane (DMP). These scaffolds are further used in a palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira carbon-carbon coupling reaction to obtain highly extended porphyrin systems.