Asymmetric construction of pyrido[1,2-a]-1H-indole derivatives via a gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization

Pyrido[1,2-a]-1H-indoles are important scaffolds found in many biologically active compounds. Herein, we first developed an IPrAuCl/AgSbF₆-catalyzed cycloisomerization of N-1,3-disubstituted allenyl indoles affording pyrido[1,2-a]-1H-indoles. Then the axial-to-central chirality transfer starting from enantio-enriched N-1,3-disubstituted allenylindoles affording optically active pyrido[1,2-a]-1H-indoles has been realized in excellent yields and enantioselectivities. A mechanism has been proposed based on mechanistic studies. Synthetic applications have also been demonstrated.

We reported an IPrAuCl/AgSbF₆-catalyzed cycloisomerization of enantio-enriched N-1,3-disubstituted allenylindoles affording optically active pyrido[1,2-a]-1H-indoles in excellent yields and enantioselectivities.     

Selective functionalization of the 1H-imidazo[1,2-b]pyrazole scaffold. A new potential non-classical isostere of indole and a precursor of push–pull dyes

We report the selective functionalization of the 1H-imidazo[1,2-b]pyrazole scaffold using a Br/Mg-exchange, as well as regioselective magnesiations and zincations with TMP-bases (TMP = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidyl), followed by trapping reactions with various electrophiles. In addition, we report a fragmentation of the pyrazole ring, giving access to push–pull dyes with a proaromatic (1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ylidene)malononitrile core. These functionalization methods were used in the synthesis of an isostere of the indolyl drug pruvanserin. Comparative assays between the original drug and the isostere showed that a substitution of the indole ring with a 1H-imidazo[1,2-b]pyrazole results in a significantly improved solubility in aqueous media.

A methodology for the selective functionalization of the 1H-imidazo[1,2-b]pyrazole scaffold has been developed and used in the synthesis of novel push–pull dyes and a non-classical isostere of the indolyl drug pruvanserin.     

Convenient Way to the Synthesis of Polycyclic Fused Benzimidazole Derivatives with a Bridgehead Nitrogen Atom

Effective synthesis was developed for 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrido- and pyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-7,8-diamines that underlie the preparation of new polyazaheterocycles: pyrido[1,2-а]imidazo[4,5-f]-benzimidazole, 7Н-pyrido[1,2-а]imidazo[4,5-f]benzotriazole, pyrido[1,2-а]imidazo[4,5-g]quinoxaline.     

Scope and limitations of the synthesis of functionalized quinolizidinones and related compounds by a simple precursor approach via addition of lithium allylmagnesates to 2-pyridones and RCM as key steps

The scope and limitations of the simple synthesis of functionalized quinolizidin-4-ones by chemoselective N-alkenylation of NH pyridin-2(1H)-ones (2-pyridones), regioselective addition of lithium allyl(di-n-butyl)magnesates(1-) to N-alkenylpyridin-2(1H)-ones, followed by ring closing metathesis (RCM) is described. A number of functionalizations introduced into quinolizidin-4-one rings demonstrated the high prospect of the strategy proposed in scaffold synthesis. Their extension to the syntheses of pyrido[1,2-a]azepin-4-one and pyrido[1,2-a]azocin-4-one derivatives as well as to spiro-fused compounds is also presented.     

Intramolecular N-arylation in heterocyclization: synthesis of new pyrido-fused pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,4]diazepinones

Alkylation of l-prolinamide with 3-(chloromethyl)-2-halopyridines, followed by cyclization through an intramolecular Pd-catalysed amidation, provided an entry to the pyrido[2,3-e]pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,4]diazepin-10-one scaffold. Furthermore, a synthetic route towards diverse new pyrido[f]pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,4]diazepin-7-ones has been developed by acylation of contiguously substituted (aminomethyl)halopyridines with Boc-l-proline followed by intramolecular amination.     

Fused Pyrimidine Systems: XVII. Imidazo- and Pyrimidopyrido[3,2-<Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>]pyrimidin-4(3<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>)-ones

2-(Allylamino)pyrido[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one was converted to linearly fused dihydroimidazo- [1,2-a]pyrido[3,2-d]pyrimidine on heating in polyphosphoric acid, whereas its reactions with molecular iodine and chlorosulfanylarenes afforded mainly angularly fused analogs. 2-(Cinnamylamino)pyrido[3,2-d]pyrimidin- 4(3H)-one reacted with polyphosphoric acid and chlorosulfanylarenes to give linear pyrido[3,2-d]pyrimido-[1,2-a]pyrimidinones, and its iodocyclization led to the formation of angularly fused derivative.     

Synthesis of 4-trifluoromethylpyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-2-ones utilizing activated alkynoates

The synthesis of the biologically relevant, 4-trifluoromethylpyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-2-one 7, is reported. Addition of substituted 2-aminopyridines 5 to activated alkynoates leads to the facile formation of a series of metabolically stable trifluoromethyl substituted pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidines under mild conditions.     

Discovery of an all-donor aromatic [2]catenane

We report herein the first all-donor aromatic [2]catenane formed through dynamic combinatorial chemistry, using single component libraries. The building block is a benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene derivative, a π-donor molecule, with cysteine appendages that allow for disulfide exchange. The hydrophobic effect plays an essential role in the formation of the all-donor [2]catenane. The design of the building block allows the formation of a quasi-fused pentacyclic core, which enhances the stacking interactions between the cores. The [2]catenane has chiro-optical and fluorescent properties, being also the first known DCC-disulphide-based interlocked molecule to be fluorescent.

An all-donor [2]catenane has been synthesised via dynamic combinatorial chemistry. It features stacked benzodithiophenes which are quasi-pentacyclic through hydrogen bonding.     

The reaction of ethyl 4H-pyran-4-one-2-carboxylate with 1,2-diaminobenzene

Ethyl 4H-pyran-4-one-2-carboxylate was allowed to react with 1,2-diaminobenzene and related diamines. The resulting products were found to be 8H-5,6-dihydro-6,8-dioxopyrido[1,2-a]quinoxaline and derivatives. The synthesis 3H-5,6-dihydrobenzo[g]pyrido[1,2-a]quinoxaline-3,5-dione ( 2c ) constitutes the synthesis of a derivative of previously unknown benzo[g]pyrido[1,2-a]quinoxaline ring system.     

Temperature-modulated selective C(sp3)–H or C(sp2)–H arylation through palladium catalysis

Transition metal-catalysed C–H bond functionalisations have been extensively developed in organic and medicinal chemistry. Among these catalytic approaches, the selective activation of C(sp³)–H and C(sp²)–H bonds is particularly appealing for its remarkable synthetic versatility, yet it remains highly challenging. Herein, we demonstrate the first example of temperature-dependent selective C–H functionalisation of unactivated C(sp³)–H or C(sp²)–H bonds at remote positions through palladium catalysis using 7-pyridyl-pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine as a new directing group. At 120 °C, C(sp³)–H arylation was triggered by the chelation of a rare [6,5]-fused palladacycle, whereas at 140 °C, C(sp²)–H arylation proceeded instead through the formation of a 16-membered tetramer containing four 7-pyridyl-pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine–palladium chelation units. The subsequent mechanistic study revealed that both C–H activations shared a common 6-membered palladacycle intermediate, which was then directly transformed to either the [6,5]-fused palladacycle for C(sp³)–H activation at 120 °C or the tetramer for C(sp²)–H arylation at 140 °C with catalytic amounts of Pd(OAc)₂ and AcOH. Raising the temperature from 120 °C to 140 °C can also convert the [6,5]-fused palladacycle to the tetramer with the above-mentioned catalysts, hence completing the C(sp²)–H arylation ultimately.

Unprecedented 16-membered tetramer or [6,5]-fused palladacycle, mutually shadowboxing-like transformed from the shared common intermediate, accomplishes the Pd-catalysed temperature-dependent selective arylation of C(sp²)–H or C(sp³)–H.     

Synthesis of sulfonamide derivatives of pyrido-[2,1-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]quinazolin-11-one and pyrido[1,2-<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis>]quinazolin-6-one

Methods were developed of indirect introduction of sulfonamide group in the structures of pyrido-[2,1-b]quinazolin-11-one and pyrido[1,2-a]quinazolin-6-one underlain by cyclocondensation of 2-halo-5-(Rsulfamoyl) benzoyl chlorides with derivatives of 2-aminopyridine. The fact of thermal rearrangement of 8-(morpholin-4-ylsulfonyl)pyrido[1,2-a]quinazolin-6-one into isomeric 2-(morpholine-4-ylsulfonyl)pyrido[2,1-b]-quinazolin-11-one was experimentally registered.     

Efficient synthesis of novel dipyridoimidazoles and pyrido[1′,2′;1,2]imidazo[4,5-d]pyridazine derivatives

Novel dipyrido[1,2-a;3′,4′-d]imidazoles 7a-d, dipyrido[1,2-a;4′,3′-d]imidazoles 8a,c and pyrido[1′,2′;1,2]imidazo[4,5-d]pyridazine derivatives 9a-d were synthesized by two pathways: thermal electrocyclic reaction of 3-alkenylimidazopyridine-2-oximes 10 and direct condensation of ethyl glycinate (or hydrazine) with 2,3-dicarbonylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines 11.     

Synthesis and regiospecificity in methylation of pyrido[1,2-a]pyrazinium-1- and 3-olates and pyrido[1,2-b]pyridazinium-2- and 4-olates

New methods have been developed for the synthesis of pyrido[1,2-a]pyrazinium-1- and 3-olates 5a-f, 9 and 1-thiolate 24 as well as of pyrido[1,2-b]pyridazinium-4- and 2-olates 14, 20 . The methylation of these new compounds was studied by soft and hard methylating agents. Depending on the nature of the reagent used, the pyrido[1,2-a]pyrazinium-1-olates 5a-f gave NMe 22a-f and/or OMe 23a-f products, whereas the 3-olate 9 and both the 4- and 2-pyridazinium-olates 14, 20 afforded solely OMe compounds 10, 15, 21 . A selectivity rule for methylation is proposed.     

Evolutionary chemical space exploration for functional materials: computational organic semiconductor discovery

Computational methods, including crystal structure and property prediction, have the potential to accelerate the materials discovery process by enabling structure prediction and screening of possible molecular building blocks prior to their synthesis. However, the discovery of new functional molecular materials is still limited by the need to identify promising molecules from a vast chemical space. We describe an evolutionary method which explores a user specified region of chemical space to identify promising molecules, which are subsequently evaluated using crystal structure prediction. We demonstrate the methods for the exploration of aza-substituted pentacenes with the aim of finding small molecule organic semiconductors with high charge carrier mobilities, where the space of possible substitution patterns is too large to exhaustively search using a high throughput approach. The method efficiently explores this large space, typically requiring calculations on only ∼1% of molecules during a search. The results reveal two promising structural motifs: aza-substituted naphtho[1,2-a]anthracenes with reorganisation energies as low as pentacene and a series of pyridazine-based molecules having both low reorganisation energies and high electron affinities.

Evolutionary optimisation and crystal structure prediction are used to explore chemical space for molecular organic semiconductors.     

Tandem [4 + 2]/[2 + 2] cycloaddition of o-carboryne with enynes: facile construction of carborane-fused tricyclics

o-Carboryne (1,2-dehydro-o-carborane) is a very useful synthon for the synthesis of a variety of carborane-functionalized molecules. With 1-Li-2-OTf-o-C₂B₁₀H₁₀ as the precursor, o-carboryne undergoes an efficient [4 + 2] cycloaddition with various conjugated enynes, followed by a subsequent [2 + 2] cycloaddition at room temperature, generating a series of carborane-fused tricyclo[6.4.0.0^2,7]dodeca-2,12-dienes in moderate to high isolated yields. This reaction is compatible with many functional groups and has a broad substrate scope. A reactive carborane-fused 1,2-cyclohexadiene intermediate is involved, which is supported by experimental results and DFT calculations. This protocol offers a convenient strategy for the construction of complex carborane-functionalized tricyclics.

An unprecedented tandem [4 + 2]/[2 + 2] cycloaddition of o-carboryne with enynes has been disclosed for the efficient synthesis of various carborane-fused tricyclics, in which a reactive carborane-fused 1,2-cyclohexadiene intermediate is involved.     

Electrochemically driven stereoselective approach to syn-1,2-diol derivatives from vinylarenes and DMF

We have developed an electrochemically driven strategy for the stereoselective synthesis of protected syn-1,2-diols from vinylarenes with N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The newly developed system obviates the need for transition metal catalysts or external oxidizing agents, thus providing an operationally simple and efficient route to an array of protected syn-1,2-diols in a single step. This reaction proceeds via an electrooxidation of olefin, followed by a nucleophilic attack of DMF. Subsequent oxidation and nucleophilic capture of the generated carbocation with a trifluoroacetate ion is proposed, which gives rise predominantly to a syn-diastereoselectivity upon the second nucleophilic attack of DMF.

An electrochemical method that provides an operationally simple synthesis of masked syn-1,2-diols from styrenes and DMF has reported. The TFA ion is engaged in the formation of a key intermediate, which gives rise predominantly to syn-selectivity.     

NBS mediated protocol for the synthesis of N-bridged fused heterocycles in water

A facile and environmental friendly protocol for the synthesis of N-bridged fused bicyclic compounds such as imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines, imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines, and imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole, from commercially available starting materials has been developed. The reaction proceeds via NBS mediated in situ formation of α-brominated intermediate of corresponding aromatic ketones, 1,3-diketones, β-keto esters, followed by trapping with suitable nucleophiles to provide these versatile imidazole fused bicyclic heterocycles in good yields under metal-free conditions.     

Revisited synthesis of fused diazepines from 3-(3-aryl-3-oxopropenyl)chromen-4-ones and binucleophilic amino enones in a three-step domino process

The synthesis of tetracyclic 11,12,13,14b-tetrahydrodi-benzo[b, f]pyrido[1,2-d][1,4]diazepines was revisited via a catalyst-free three-step domino reaction involving a pyrone ring-opening/aza-Michael addition/intramolecular cyclization, the reactants having been o-arylenediamine–dimedone adducts and 3-(3-aryl-3-oxopropenyl)chromen-4-ones. The 3-positioned exocyclic α,β-enone fragment on the chromone moiety is involved in the cyclization into the final products at the last step of the process.     

Divergent synthesis of isoindolo[2,1-a]indole and indolo[1,2-a]indole through copper-catalysed C- and N-arylations

A simple and efficient synthetic route to both isoindolo[2,1-a]indole and its structural isomer indolo[1,2-a]indole skeletons is presented. The key steps of the strategy are based on copper-catalysed C_aryl-C and C_aryl-N bond formation reactions, respectively. Moreover, we report the first copper-mediated intramolecular C-H functionalisation of an indole.     

Diverse synthesis of pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles and imidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazoles via CuI-catalyzed decarboxylic multicomponent reactions of heterocyclic azoles,aldehydes and alkynecarboxylic acids

We have developed a straightforward approach to diverse synthesis of 2,3-, 2,4-disubstituted pyrimido [1,2-a]benzimidazoles, 2,4,10-trisubstituted 2,10-dihydropyrimido [1,2-a]benzimidazoles and 2,3-disubstituted imidazo [2,1-b]benzothiazoles via multicomponent reactions (MCRs) of heterocyclic azoles, aldehydes with easily storable and handling alkynecarboxylic acids. In the presence of a catalytic amount of CuI and K₂CO₃, the pyrimido [1,2-a]benzimidazole or imidazo [2,1-b]benzothiazole scaffold could be rapidly constructed through a 6-endo-dig or 5-exo-dig cyclization, respectively. The preliminary mechanistic study suggested that the formation of 2,3- disubstituted pyrimido [1,2-a]benzimidazoles, which completes the assembly of the scaffold and its C-3 position functionalization in one pot, undergoes a novel cascade process involving a decarboxylation, A [3] coupling, 6-endo-dig cyclization, nucleophilic addition and dehydration.