Do Sulfonamides Interact with Aromatic Rings?

Aromatic rings form energetically favorable interactions with many polar groups in chemical and biological systems. Recent molecular studies have shown that sulfonamides can chelate metal ions and form hydrogen bonds, however, it is presently not established whether the polar sulfonamide functionality also interacts with aromatic rings. Here, synthetic, spectroscopic, structural, and quantum chemical analyses on 2,6-diarylbenzenesulfonamides are reported, in which two flanking aromatic rings are positioned close to the central sulfonamide moiety. Fine-tuning the aromatic character by substituents on the flanking rings leads to linear trends in acidity and proton affinity of sulfonamides. This physical-organic chemistry study demonstrates that aromatic rings have a capacity to stabilize sulfonamides via through-space NH–π interactions. These results have implications in rational drug design targeting electron-rich aromatic rings in proteins.     

Through-Space Polar-π Interactions in 2,6-Diarylthiophenols

Molecular recognition between polar groups and aromatic molecules is fundamentally important to rational drug design. Although it has been well established that many polar functionalities interact with electron-rich aromatic residues through energetically favorable polar-π interactions, there is a limited understanding of the association between thiols and aromatic systems. Herein we report physical-organic chemistry studies on 2,6-diarylthiophenols that possess the central thiophenol ring and two flanking aromatic rings with tunable electronic properties caused by substituents at distant para position. Hammett analysis revealed that pK_a values and proton affinities correlate well with Hammett sigma values of substituents. Additional energy decomposition analysis supported the conclusion that both through-space SH-π interactions and S⁻-π interactions contribute to intramolecular stabilization of 2,6-diarylthiophenols.     

Stabilisation of 2,6‐Diarylpyridinium Cation by Through‐Space Polar–π Interactions

The through‐space polar–π interactions between pyridinium ion and the adjacent aromatic rings in 2,6‐diarylpyridines affect the pK_a values. Hammett analysis illustrates that the basicity of pyridines correlates well with the sigma values of the substituents at the para position of the flanking aryl rings.     

The effects of biological environments on the electron-relay functionality of tryptophan residues in proteins

Clarifying the contribution of tryptophan (Trp) to electron-transfer (ET) processes in different protein surroundings can help to understand the effective pathway of ET in proteins. Interactions between Trp residues and protein microsurroundings involve intermolecular H-bonds, cation and π-electron clouds of aromatic rings, the secondary structure and π orbital of aromatic rings, and so on. Detailed analyses reveal that the microsurroundings play an important role in modulating the electron-relay function of Trp in proteins. Generally, microsurroundings with strong Lewis acidity inhibit electron hole transport through Trp residues. Systems with weak Lewis acidity finely tune the electron-relay ability of Trp in proteins, while those with strong Lewis basicity strongly enhance the electron-relay ability of Trp residues.     

Thermodynamic and structural study of complexation of phenylboronic acid with salicylhydroxamic acid and related ligands

Stability constants of boronate complexes with a highly efficient bioconjugation ligand salicylhydroxamic acid, its derivatives and some structurally related compounds were determined by potentiometric and spectroscopic titrations at variable pH allowing one to obtain detailed stability – pH profiles and to identify the optimum pH for complexation with each ligand. The N,O‐binding of salicylhydroxamic acid via condensation of boronic acid with phenolic OH and hydroxamic NH groups was established by crystal structure determination of isolated complexes with phenylboronic and 4‐nitrophenylboronic acids. Although this type of binding is impossible for N‐methylated salicylhydroxamic acid it still forms stable boronate complexes supposedly involving unusual 7‐membered –O‐B‐O‐ cycle supported by ¹H NMR studies. Hydroxamic acids lacking ortho‐OH group and salicyloyl hydrazide form less stable boronate complexes, which nevertheless possess stabilities similar to those of catechole complexes and may be useful for conjugation applications. In contrast to other ligands, which form tetrahedral anionic complexes, salicylamidoxime forms tetrahedral, but neutral boronate complex with high stability in weakly acid solutions. The highest affinity in neutral and acid solutions surpassing that of salicylhydroxamic acid is observed with 2,6‐dihydroxybenzhydroxamic acid (K_obs = 5.2 × 10⁴ at pH 7.4). Fairly stable mono‐ and bisboronate complexes are formed with 2,5‐dihydroxy‐1,4‐benzdihydroxamic acid, which also possesses intense fluorescence and may serve as a boronic acid sensor with detection limit 4 μM. Results presented in this study provide quantitative basis for rational applications of hydroxamic acid derivatives in bioconjugation and sensing.     

Diols and anions can control the formation of an exciplex between a pyridinium boronic acid with an aryl group connected via a propylene linker

The exciplex formation between a pyridinium boronic acid and phenyl group connected via a propylene linker can be monitored using fluorescence. Addition of pinacol affords a cyclic boronate ester with enhanced Lewis acidity that increases the strength of its cation-π stacking interaction causing a four-fold fluorescence enhancement.     

1,3-Difunctionalizations of [1.1.1]Propellane via 1,2-Metallate Rearrangements of Boronate Complexes

1,3-Disubstituted bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes (BCPs) are valuable bioisosteres of para-substituted aromatic rings. The most direct route to these structures is via multicomponent ring-opening reactions of [1.1.1]propellane. However, challenges associated with these transformations mean that difunctionalized BCPs are more commonly prepared by multistep reaction sequences with BCP-halide intermediates. Herein, we report three- and four-component 1,3-difunctionalizations of [1.1.1]propellane with organometallic reagents, organoboronic esters, and a variety of electrophiles. This process is achieved by trapping intermediate BCP-metal species with boronic esters to form boronate complexes, which are versatile intermediates whose electrophile-induced 1,2-metallate rearrangement chemistry enables a broad range of C−C bond-forming reactions.     

1,3‐Difunctionalizations of [1.1.1]Propellane via 1,2‐Metallate Rearrangements of Boronate Complexes

1,3‐Disubstituted bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes (BCPs) are valuable bioisosteres of para‐substituted aromatic rings. The most direct route to these structures is via multicomponent ring‐opening reactions of [1.1.1]propellane. However, challenges associated with these transformations mean that difunctionalized BCPs are more commonly prepared by multistep reaction sequences with BCP‐halide intermediates. Herein, we report three‐ and four‐component 1,3‐difunctionalizations of [1.1.1]propellane with organometallic reagents, organoboronic esters, and a variety of electrophiles. This process is achieved by trapping intermediate BCP‐metal species with boronic esters to form boronate complexes, which are versatile intermediates whose electrophile‐induced 1,2‐metallate rearrangement chemistry enables a broad range of C?C bond‐forming reactions.     

Triple responsive block copolymers combining pH‐responsive,thermoresponsive, and glucose‐responsive behaviors

Polymers with multiple tunable responses were achieved by incorporating boronic acid functionality along the backbone of a thermoresponsive polymer. The inherent Lewis acidity and diol‐sensitivity of boronic acid moieties allowed these polymers to respond to changes in pH and glucose concentration. Through reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer copolymerization of boronic acid‐containing monomers with N‐isopropylacrylamide, well‐defined block copolymers were synthesized containing a hydrophilic N,N‐dimethylacrylamide block and a second, responsive block with temperature‐dependent water solubility, making the resulting polymers capable of self‐assembly into nanostructures upon heating. By incorporating boronic acids within the thermoresponsive block, the cloud point of the polymer depended on the solution conditions, including pH and diol concentration, allowing tunable cloud point ranges. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2309–2317     

Design of chiral boronate-substituted acrylanilides.: Self-activation and boron-transmitted 1,8-stereoinduction in [4+2] cycloaddition

The [4+2] cycloaddition of ortho-boronoanilide dienophile 4 with cyclopentadiene was found to proceed faster than both its para isomer 8 and the unsubstituted derivative 6, thereby confirming that self-activation by internal coordination is operative in the case of 4. Chiral boronic esters derivatives 9–13 provided a small level of remote 1,8-stereoinduction transmitted through a putative tetrahedral stereogenic boronate complex. These results show that dialkoxyboronic esters can operate as weak, internal Lewis acids and activate carbonyl-containing functionalities in cycloaddition reactions.     

Substituent effects on the Lewis acidity of 4,6-di-tert-butylchatechol boronate esters

In studying the factors which contribute to the Lewis acidity of organoboron compounds we investigated approaches to the design of robust, novel Lewis acids purposed for metal-free catalysis. Based on a sterically encumbered catechol motif, a series of boronate esters are shown to demonstrate modest Lewis acidities for the conventional Gutmann-Beckett test as an inquisitive investigation.     

Brønsted Acid and H-Bond Activation in Boronic Acid Catalysis

Boronic acid catalysis has emerged as a mild method for promoting a wide variety of reactions. It has been proposed that the mode of catalysis involves Lewis acid or covalent activation of hydroxyl groups by boron, but limited mechanistic evidence exists. In this work, representative boronic acid catalyzed reactions of alcohols and oximes have been reinvestigated. A series of control experiments with boronic and Brønsted acids were interpreted along with correlations between their reactivity and their acidity measured by the Gutmann–Beckett method. Overall, it was concluded that the major modes of catalysis involve either dual H-bond catalysis or Brønsted acid catalysis. Strong Brønsted acids were shown to be generated in situ from covalent assembly of the boronic acids with hexafluoroisopropanol, explaining why the solvent had such a major impact on the reactivity. This new insight should guide the future development of boronic acid catalysis, where the diverse and solvent-specific nature of catalytic modes has been overlooked.     

Synthesis of 3′-deoxy-3′-iminodiacetic acid and 3′-deoxy-3′-aminodiethanol thymidine analogues and NMR study of their complexation with boronic acids

The iminodiacetic acid and aminodiethanol moieties are known for their ability to generate with boronic acids bicyclic structures having a strong intramolecular NB coordination. We describe here the convergent synthesis of 3′-deoxy-3′-iminodiacetic acid and 3′-deoxy-3′-aminodiethanol thymidine analogues. The abilities of these compounds to form boronate complexes with aliphatic or aromatic boronic acids were established by 1D and 2D ¹H and ¹³C NMR. Moreover, conformational analysis of the newly synthesized compounds revealed a marked preference for an N-type sugar puckering.     

Visible-Light-Driven Strain-Increase Ring Contraction Allows the Synthesis of Cyclobutyl Boronic Esters

There are a limited number of ring-contraction methodologies which convert readily available five-membered rings into strained four-membered rings. Here we report a photo-induced radical-mediated ring contraction of five-membered-ring alkenyl boronate complexes into cyclobutanes. The process involves the addition of an electrophilic radical to the electron-rich alkenyl boronate complex, leading to an α-boryl radical. Upon one-electron oxidation, ring-contractive 1,2-metalate rearrangement occurs to give a cyclobutyl boronic ester. A range of radical precursors and vinyl boronates can be employed, and chiral cyclobutanes can be accessed with high levels of stereocontrol. The process was extended to the preparation of benzofused cyclobutenes and the versatility of the boronic ester was demonstrated by conversion to other functional groups.     

Boron Effect on Sugar-Based Organogelators

The reaction of several alkylglucosides with phenyl boronic acid permitted easy access to a series of alkylglucoside phenyl boronate derivatives. This type of compound has structures similar to those of known benzylidene glucoside organogelators except for the presence of a boronate function in place of the acetal one. Low to very low concentrations of these amphiphilic molecules produced gelation of several organic solvents. The rheological properties of the corresponding soft materials characterized them as elastic solids. They were further characterized by SEM to obtain more information on their morphologies and by SAXS to determine the type of self-assembly involved within the gels. The sensitivity of the boronate function towards hydrolysis was also investigated. We demonstrated that a small amount of water (5 % v/v) was sufficient to disrupt the organogels leading to the original alkylglucoside and phenyl boronic acid; an important difference with the stable benzylidene-based organogelators. Such water-sensitive boronated organogelators could be suitable substances for the preparation of smart soft material for topical drug delivery.     

Hydrogenation of Borylated Arenes

A cis‐selective hydrogenation of abundant aryl boronic acids and their derivatives catalyzed by rhodium cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene (Rh–CAAC) is reported. The reaction tolerates a variety of boron‐protecting groups and provides direct access to a broad scope of saturated, borylated carbo‐ and heterocycles with various functional groups. The transformation is strategically important because the versatile saturated boronate products are difficult to prepare by other methods. The utility of the saturated cyclic building blocks was demonstrated by post‐functionalization of the boron group.     

取代硼酸与羟乙基胺化合物间的相互作用研究

取代硼酸与顺式二羟基化合物间的可逆的共价相互作用为糖蛋白和糖等重要生物分子的识别和分离提供了独特的亲和作用.为了获得良好的选择性,以β-激动剂与β-阻断剂这两类典型的羟乙基胺化合物为研究对象,利用核磁共振和高效液相色谱研究了它们与苯硼酸间的相互作用.研究结果表明,在高pH值条件下,羟乙基胺化合物与苯硼酸间存在强亲和作用,而在低pH值条件下,该亲和作用变弱甚至消失.这种pH值调控的相互作用表观上与顺式二羟基和苯硼酸间的硼亲和作用很相似.但是,与硼亲和作用机理不同,质子化溶剂的存在能加强这种相互作用,而非质子化溶剂的存在会破坏相互作用.本研究为深入认识硼亲和作用和获得可靠的应用提供了新依据,同时也为利用取代硼酸和羟乙基胺化合物之间的相互作用奠定了基础.     

Visible‐Light‐Driven Strain‐Increase Ring Contraction Allows the Synthesis of Cyclobutyl Boronic Esters

There are a limited number of ring‐contraction methodologies which convert readily available five‐membered rings into strained four‐membered rings. Here we report a photo‐induced radical‐mediated ring contraction of five‐membered‐ring alkenyl boronate complexes into cyclobutanes. The process involves the addition of an electrophilic radical to the electron‐rich alkenyl boronate complex, leading to an α‐boryl radical. Upon one‐electron oxidation, ring‐contractive 1,2‐metalate rearrangement occurs to give a cyclobutyl boronic ester. A range of radical precursors and vinyl boronates can be employed, and chiral cyclobutanes can be accessed with high levels of stereocontrol. The process was extended to the preparation of benzofused cyclobutenes and the versatility of the boronic ester was demonstrated by conversion to other functional groups.     

A C-h borylation approach to suzuki-miyaura coupling of typically unstable 2-heteroaryl and polyfluorophenyl boronates

A method for the synthesis of biaryls and heterobiaryls from arenes and haloarenes without the intermediacy of unstable boronic acids is described. Pinacol boronate esters that are analogous to unstable boronic acids are formed in high yield by iridium-catalyzed C-H borylation of heteroarenes and fluoroarenes. These boronates are stable in the solid state or in solution and can be generated and used in situ. They couple with aryl halides in the presence of simple palladium catalysts, providing a convenient route to biaryl and heteroaryl products that have been challenging to prepare via boronic acids.     

Which is reactive in alkaline solution, boronate ion or boronic acid? Kinetic evidence for reactive trigonal boronic acid in an alkaline solution

That boronic acid is a reactive species toward a diol moiety even in an alkaline solution and that the boronate ion is not very reactive were demonstrated by the estimated upper limit of the rate constants for the reactions of some boronic acids with 2,2'-biphenol and 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene in a neutral-alkaline solution, which will correct a common misunderstanding in boron chemistry and would renew the idea of effective boronic acid sensor design for carbohydrates.