Polymer-supported thioanisole: a versatile platform for organic synthesis reagents

A new cross-linked polystyrene-supported thioanisole reagent is reported. This reagent incorporates the flexible JandaJel™ cross-linker and can be treated with methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate to form the corresponding sulfonium salt. This salt can in turn be deprotonated to form a polymer-supported sulfur ylide that is able to react with aldehydes and ketones to form epoxides. The thioanisole reagent can also be oxidized to form an insoluble sulfoxide reagent that is useful in Swern oxidation reactions. In these reactions, the polymer-supported thioanisole-based reagents can be recovered, regenerated and reused.     

Acylation of α-(N-carbamoyl)alkylcuprates and alkyl- or aryl(halo)cuprates

α-(N-Carbamoyl)alkylcuprates [R₂CuLi·LiX or RCuXLi (X=CN, Cl)] when prepared from THF soluble CuX·2LiCl (X=Cl, CN) undergo a reliable and generally high yield reaction with aroyl, alkanoyl, and alkenoyl chlorides to provide a rapid and efficient synthesis of α-carbamoyl ketones. Cuprates prepared from acyclic, cyclic, and a functionalized carbamate can be utilized. Although yields are a function of cuprate reagent and substrate structure, nearly quantitative yields can be obtained with reagents generated from 2RLi+CuCN·2LiCl. The use of reagents generated from CuCl·2LiCl are more efficient in the α-(N-carbamoyl)alkyl ligand, although yields are slightly lower. Acylation of alkyl(chloro)cuprates generated from one equivalent of CuCl·2LiCl and organolithium or Grignard reagents provides an efficient and high yield procedure for ketone synthesis.     

NMR J-based analysis of nitrogen-containing moieties and application to dysithiazolamide, a new polychlorinated dipeptide from Dysidea sp.

The methodology of J-based analysis applied to 1,3-methylcarboamido systems allowed us to deduce the relative configurations of the two leucine-like fragments of a new tetrachloro amino acid derivative dysithiazolamide, which was isolated from an unidentified sponge of the genus Dysidea. Furthermore, the absolute configuration was also proposed by comparison with analogous systems.     

Theoretical study of intra- and inter-chain magnetic interactions in [Ni(chxn)2Br]Br2

The intra- and the inter-chain magnetic interactions in [Ni(chxn)₂Br]Br₂, which is one of the typical one-dimensional (1-D) MX complexes are examined by using an unrestricted hybrid DFT (UB3LYP) method. Calculated effective exchange integral (J) value along the 1-D chain is 2J_Intra = −4016 K and is close to an experimental result (−3600 K). On the other hand, a very weak anti-ferromagnetic inter-chain interaction through Br⁻ ions is observed. The value is estimated to be 2J_Inter = −2 to −6 K. In addition to the J values, transfer integral (t), on-site Coulomb repulsion (U) and charge transfer energy (E^CT) values along the 1-D chain are also estimated to be 0.46, 2.46 and 0.6 eV, respectively.     

Aqueous self-aggregates of amphiphilic zinc 3-hydroxy- and 3-methoxy-chlorins for supramolecular light-harvesting systems

Aqueous aggregates of zinc 3¹-hydroxy- and 3¹-methoxy-13¹-oxo-chlorins possessing a hydrophilic tetraoxyethylene chain were prepared. Zinc 3¹-methoxy-chlorin formed a well-ordered aggregate without intermolecular hydrogen bonding which has been widely accepted in most structural models for BChl-c, d, e aggregates in a major light-harvesting antenna of green photosynthetic bacteria, chlorosome.     

1,3-Dimethyl-2-(3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-1,3,2-diazaphospholidinium hexafluorophosphate (MNTP): a powerful condensing reagent for phosphate and phosphonate esters

A novel phosphonium-type condensing reagent, 1,3-dimethyl-2-(3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-1,3,2-diazaphospholidinium hexafluorophosphate (MNTP), was designed and synthesized. A ³¹P NMR study on the condensation reactions of phosphate, alkylphosphonate, boranophosphate, and H-phosphonate derivatives with an alcohol in the presence of MNTP demonstrated the versatility and the enhanced activity of the new condensing reagent, compared to the previously reported phosphonium-type condensing reagents. The mechanism of the condensation reactions mediated by MNTP is discussed on the basis of the ³¹P NMR studies and theoretical calculations.     

A N NMR study of tautomerism in dimethyl dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine-3,6-dicarboxylate

Dimethyl dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine-3,6-dicarboxylate can exist either in 1,2- or 1,4-dihydro tautomeric forms. The ¹⁵N NMR spectra of dimethyl dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine-3,6-dicarboxylate were measured at the ¹⁵N natural abundance level as well as in ¹⁵N doubly labelled selectively and in ¹⁵N completely labelled compounds (20% ¹⁵N). The J(¹⁵N,¹⁵N) value was determined in ¹⁵N completely labelled compounds (20% ¹⁵N) using 1D ¹⁵N INADEQUATE and was found to be 12.2 ± 0.2 Hz in deuteriochloroform, acetonitrile-d₃, DMSO-d₆ and CD₃OH. Very similar ¹⁵N chemical shifts and ¹J(¹⁵N,¹H) values were also observed in all the solvents. This indicates that compound 1 exists completely in the 1,4-dihydro tautomeric form (i.e., as dimethyl 1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine-3,6-dicarboxylate) in all the solvents tested.     

Asymmetric synthesis of the 2,2,3-trisubstituted cyclopentanone,D-ring fragment of 9,11-secosterols

As a part of our studies on the total synthesis of 9,11-secosterols, the possibility of creating a substituted and functionalized D-ring fragment with three consecutive stereocentres, one of which was quaternary, was studied. The simple starting compound 2-methyl-cyclopent-2-ene-1-one was subjected to asymmetric 1,4-addition with (S,S)-crotyl phosphonamide and alkylation with methyl bromoacetate, resulting in a 2,2,3-substituted cyclopentanone in high diastereoselectivity. The covalently bonded chiral auxiliary was removed using oxidative methods. As a result, a stable D-ring fragment was obtained. The relative configuration of the substituents on the cyclopentane ring was assigned by comparison of the experimental with the quantum chemically calculated ¹H–¹H and ¹H–¹³C J-coupling constants.     

A total synthesis of a highly N-methylated cyclodepsipeptide [2S,3S-Hmp]-aureobasidin L using solid-phase methods

[2S,3S-Hmp]-Aureobasidin L 2 has been successfully synthesised through a combination of solution- and solid-phase peptide synthesis. All of the Fmoc-protected residues including a depsidipeptide, Fmoc-MeVal-Hmp-OH, were prepared in solution phase. Chain elongation on chlorotrityl resin was undertaken using selected coupling reagents including HBTU/HOBt, HATU/HOAt and BTC/collidine. Cleavage of the linear depsinonapeptide was followed by cyclisation to give the desired cyclodepsipeptide.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of diastereomers of (R,S)-baclofen using ten chiral derivatizing reagents designed from trichloro-s-triazine

Four dichloro-s-triazine (DCT) and five monochloro-s-triazine (MCT) chiral derivatizing reagents (CDRs) were synthesized by incorporating amino acid amide moieties as chiral auxiliaries in trichloro-s-triazine and its 6-methoxy derivative, respectively. Another MCT reagent was synthesized by substitution of two chlorine atoms with two different amino acid amides in trichloro-s-triazine. These reagents were used for synthesis of diastereomers of (R,S)-baclofen under microwave irradiation (i.e. 60 s at 85% power using DCT reagents and 90 s at 85% power using MCT reagents). The diastereomers were separated on a reversed-phase C18 column using mixtures of methanol with aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) with UV detection at 230 nm. The separation behavior in terms of retention times and resolutions obtained for the two sets of diastereomers prepared with DCT and MCT reagents were compared among themselves and among the two groups. Longer retention times and better resolutions were observed with DCT reagents as compared to MCT reagents. The calibration curves were linear for both (R)- and (S)-baclofen in the concentration range 50-500 μg/ml. The average regression was 0.999 for both (R)- and (S)-baclofen. The RSD for (R)-baclofen was 0.40-0.86% for intra-day precision and 0.60-1.40% for inter-day precision and these values for (S)-baclofen were 0.52-0.75% and 0.64-1.32%, respectively. The recovery was 97.2-98.9% for (R)- and 97.0-98.9% for (S)-baclofen. The limit of detection was 1.63ng/ml and 1.52ng/ml for (R)- and (S)-baclofen, respectively.     

Synthesis of trans/cis 4-substituted 3-furyl-2-phenethyltetrahydroisoquinolin-1-ones: conformation of the trans-4-(pyrrolidinylcarbonyl) derivative

The title compounds were synthesized starting from homophthalic anhydride and an imine. The amides obtained showed unexpected values for ³J_3,4 that cannot be used to deduce their configuration and conformation. This problem was resolved for one representative compound (the 4-(pyrrolidinylcarbonyl) derivative) by means of detailed NMR studies, X-ray diffraction and theoretical calculations. The compound has the trans configuration. In the solid state, its conformation is with dipseudoaxial (aa) oriented substituents at positions 3 and 4. In different solvents and in the gas-phase, the majority of the data reveal that the observed value of ³J_3,4 results from an equilibrium of the ee and aa conformers.     

Effects of the application of different window functions and projection methods on processing of 1H J-resolved nuclear magnetic resonance spectra for metabolomics

Two dimensional (2D) homonuclear ¹H J-resolved (JRES) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is increasingly used in metabolomics. This approach visualises metabolite chemical shifts and scalar couplings along different spectral dimensions, thereby increasing peak dispersion and facilitating spectral assignments and accurate quantification. Here, we optimise the processing of 2D JRES spectra by evaluating different window functions, a traditional sine-bell (SINE) and a combined sine-bell-exponential (SEM) function. Furthermore, we evaluate different projection methods for generating 1D projected spectra (pJRES). Spectra were recorded from three disparate types of biological samples and evaluated in terms of sensitivity, reproducibility and resolution. Overall, the SEM window function yielded considerably higher sensitivity and comparable spectral reproducibility and resolution compared to SINE, for both 1D pJRES and 2D JRES datasets. Furthermore, for pJRES spectra, the highest spectral quality was obtained using SEM combined with skyline projection. These improvements lend further support to utilising 2D J-resolved spectroscopy in metabolomics.     

Microwave assisted synthesis of an unusual dinitro phytochemical

A novel dinitro secondary metabolite, 2-nitro-4-(2^′-nitroethenyl)phenol from a marine source, has been prepared via highly accelerated, microwave assisted, nitration reactions using mild reagents. ipso-Substitution of a carboxy group by a nitro group is discussed.     

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance studies of octadecyl modified metal oxides obtained from different silane precursors

Octadecyl (C₁₈) modified metal oxide substrates, including titania, zirconia, hafnia, and alumina, are prepared using two types of silylating reagents, n-octadecyltrihydridosilane and n-octadecyltrichlorosilane. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and solid-state ²⁹Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements are performed to examine the cross-linking of the silanes. Solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy provides information about the conformation and mobility of surface-immobilized alkyl chains. Variable temperature FTIR investigations are carried out to study the influence of the organosilane precursors and metal oxides on the conformational order of the alkyl modified systems. It is found that grafting by means of n-octadecyltrichlorosilane yields higher grafting densities than surface modification with n-octadecyltrihydridosilane. Combined pyridine adsorption and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) measurements are performed on the titania and hafnia substrates to evaluate potential surface heterogeneities, i.e. Lewis and Brønsted sites. Differences in the alkyl chain conformational order within the series of C₁₈ modified metal oxides are explained by the presence of island structures. The reduced C₁₈ conformational order for the samples grafted with n-octadecyltrihydridosilane is traced back to the lower grafting density which in turn points to a lower reactivity of this silylating reagent. The most striking result is the higher conformational order of the C₁₈ chains grafted in the present surface modified metal oxides when compared with silica-based systems. This finding is attributed to the lower porosity of the metal oxide supports along with more closely packed chains on the surface.     

Determination of absolute configuration of C14−C23 fragment in symbiodinolide

The degradation product C14−C23 2 was obtained using ethenolysis with the 2nd-generation Hoveyda-Grubbs catalyst from 62-membered lactone in symbiodinolide (1). The absolute configurations of three chiral centers in fragment 2 were assigned as 17R, 18R, and 21R by a combination of J-based configuration analysis and the Mosher-Riguera method.     

2′-Methyl taxanes: synthesis and NMR configurational assignment

Capitalizing on an oxidation-alkylation approach, a non-diastereoselective entry into 2′-methyl taxanes was developed. The issue of configurational assignment at the newly formed side-chain quaternary stereocenter was solved and put into a more general context by integrating information from an alternative diastereoselective synthesis of model compounds and from spectroscopic measurements, critically comparing the J-Based and the Universal NMR Database approaches.     

ipso-Nitrosation of arylboronic acids with chlorotrimethylsilane and sodium nitrite

Nitroso compounds are versatile reagents in synthetic organic chemistry. Herein, we disclose a feasible protocol for the ipso-nitrosation of aryl boronic acids using chlorotrimethylsilane–sodium nitrite unison as nitrosation reagent system.     

An improved synthesis of piperazino-piperidine based CCR5 antagonists with flexible variation on pharmacophore sites

An improved and efficient synthetic route towards piperidino-piperazine based CCR5 antagonists was developed. The new approach was flexible for introducing various substituents in the pharmacophore sites via Grignard reagent addition and reductive amination. l-Amino acids were used as a chiral pool to introduce and then induce the desired stereochemistries, meanwhile rendering the variable substitution. The efficient construction of the piperazino-piperidine nucleus was achieved in a highly convergent manner with a key building block of N¹-Boc-4-substituent-4-aminopiperidine, exhibiting significant advantages in terms of concise synthetic route and environmental-friendly reagents over the previously described stepwise synthesis, in which a modified Strecker reaction was involved with highly toxic reagents such as diethylaluminum cyanide.