Reactions of (E)-1,2-di(3-guaiazulenyl)ethylene and 2-(3-guaiazulenyl)-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylene with tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) in benzene: comparative studies on the products and their spectroscopic properties

Reactions of the title ethylene derivatives, (E)-1,2-di(3-guaiazulenyl)ethylene (1) and 2-(3-guaiazulenyl)-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylene (2), with a 2 M amount of TCNE in benzene at 25 °C for 24 h under argon give new cycloaddition compounds, 1,1,2,2,11,11,12,12-octacyano-3-(3-guaiazulenyl)-8-isopropyl-5,10-dimethyl-1,2,3,6,9,10a-hexahydro-6,9-ethanobenz[a]azulene (3) from 1 and 1,1,2,2,11,11,12,12-octacyano-8-isopropyl-3,3-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-5,10-dimethyl-1,2,3,6,9,10a-hexahydro-6,9-ethanobenz[a]-azulene (4) from 2, respectively, in 66 and 87% isolated yields. Comparative studies on the above reactions as well as the spectroscopic properties of the unique products 3 and 4, possessing interesting molecular structures, are reported and, further, a plausible reaction pathway for the formation of these products is described.     

Synthesis of 4-(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-4(5H)-ylidene)-5-oxo-1-aryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylates, a new triazafulvalene system

(2E,3Z)-2-(1-Methyl-2,5-dioxoimidazolidin-4-ylidene)-3-[(arylamino- or heteroarylamino)methylene]succinate 5 obtained by [2+2] cycloaddition of (5Z)-5-[(dimethylamino)methylene]-3-methylimidazolidine-2,4-dione (1) and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (2) followed by substitution of the dimethylamino group with aromatic or heteroaromatic amines, afforded by heating in ethanol in the presence of potassium hydroxide, potassium salts 6. Acidification of 6 with hydrochloric acid afforded mixtures of (E)- and (Z)-isomers of methyl 4-(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-4(5H)-ylidene)-5-oxo-1-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylates. On the other hand, alkylation of compounds 6 with methyl iodide or benzyl bromide produced the corresponding methyl (E)-4-(2-methoxy- or 2-benzyloxy-1-methyl-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-4(5H)-ylidene)-5-oxo-1-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylates 9, derivatives of a new triazafulvalene system.     

1,1,3,3,3-Pentafluoro-2-pentafluorophenyl-1,2-epoxypropane and trimethylphosphite: unusual 1,4-dioxan-2,5-dione ring formation

1,1,3,3,3-Pentafluoro-2-pentafluorophenyl-1,2-epoxypropane 1 reacted with trimethylphosphite giving two diastereomers, (Z)- and (E)-3,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)-3,6-bis(pentafluorophenyl)-1,4-dioxan-2,5-dione 2a, b in a 1:1 ratio, cyclodimerisation product of the intermediately generated α-lactone 4. Compounds 2a, b were hydrolysed to furnish 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)propionic acid 5.     

Synthesis of 4-O-[3-(aryl)prop-2-ynyl]-Neu5Ac2en and its 4-epi-analogs modified at C-4 by Sonogashira coupling reaction

To explore new inhibitors of the sialidase of human parainfluenza virus type 1 (hPIV-1), a series of novel Neu5Ac2en derivatives were synthesized. Thus, 8,9-O-isopropylidene-4-O-2-propynyl-Neu5Ac2en methyl ester 8 was subjected to a Sonogashira coupling reaction with a variety of heteroaryl halides to produce a series of 4-O-(3-heteroaryl-2-propynyl) compound 9. Treatment of 9 with 80% acetic acid followed by alkaline hydrolysis afforded deprotected Neu5Ac2en compounds. The 4-epi-analogs of this type of Neu5Ac2en were synthesized in a similar manner. Compound 5d showed the most potent inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ 1.2 μM) against hPIV-1 sialidase.     

Fluorinated molecules relevant to conducting polymer research

The synthesis of versatile fluorine compounds for conducting polymer research on fluorinated materials is presented. 1,2,4,5-Tetrafluorobenzene was converted to 1,2,4,5-tetrafluorobenzaldehyde (1) and protected as an acetal. This gave the acetals 1,2,4,5-tetrafluoro-3-(1,3-dioxol-2-yl)benzene (2a) and 1,2,4,5-tetrafluoro-3-(5,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-2-yl)benzene (2b). Compounds 2a and 2b were converted into the semiprotected 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroterephthaldehydes: 1,2,4,5-tetrafluoro-3-(1,3-dioxol-2-yl)-6-formylbenzene (3a) and 1,2,4,5-tetrafluoro-3-(5,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-2-yl)-6-formylbenzene (3b). While 3a was easily deprotected to give 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroterephthaldehyde (4) compound 3b proved very resilient to hydrolysis and gave a 1:1 mixture of 4 and 1,2,4,5-tetrafluoro-3,6-bis(5,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-2-yl)benzene (5). Compound 4 was reduced to 1,2,4,5-tetrafluoro-3,6-dihydroxymethylbenzene (6) and converted into 1,2,4,5-tetrafluoro-3,6-dibromomethylbenzene (7). Compound 7 was finally converted into 1,2,4,5-tetrafluoro-3,6-bis(diethylphosponylmethyl)benzene (8). Compounds 4 and 8 are versatile fluorinated molecules that can be used to replace their hydrogen counterparts in many molecules and materials. To illustrate this compounds 4 and 8 were oligomerised to give partially fluorinated polyphenylenevinylene (9).     

Formation of new 4-isocyanobut-2-enenitriles by thermal ring cleavage of 3-pyridyl azides

A new thermal ring cleavage of 3-pyridyl nitrenes for the formation of 4-isocyanobut-2-enenitrile products is reported. Thermolysis of 4-(thien-3-yl)-3-pyridyl azide 1 and 3-azido-4-(1-TIPS-1H-pyrrol-3-yl)pyridine 5 afforded two new isonitrile-nitrile products by ring cleavage; 4-isocyano-2-(thiophen-3-yl)but-2-enenitrile (3, 27%) and 4-isocyano-2-(1-TIPS-1H-pyrrol-3-yl)but-2-enenitrile (7, 20%), in addition to our previously reported pyrido[3,4-b]thienopyrrole (2, 29%) and pyrido[3,4-b]pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrrole (6, 71%) products. Minor amounts of 2-(thien-3-yl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile (4, 6%), formed by ring contraction, were also isolated after thermolysis of azide 1. Isonitriles 3 and 7 underwent degradation into amine 3b and formamide 7a by acidic hydrolysis. The nature and chemistry of compounds 3, 4 and 7 were investigated.     

A novel and convenient method for the synthesis of new derivatives of pyrido[3,2-e]pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,4]diazepine-6,11-dione

A novel methodology has been developed for the efficient synthesis of 1,4-pyridopyrrolodiazepine derivatives. The key reaction is the bromination under mild conditions by NBS of compounds resulting via peptide coupling of l-proline methyl ester with 3-aminopyridine-2-carboxylic acid 1, then intramolecular cyclization in the construction of 2-bromo-6a,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5H-pyrido[3,2-e]pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,4]diazepine-6,11-dione 4. This latter is then engaged in cross-coupling reactions to generate 1,4-pyridopyrrolodiazepines derivatives 5a-m, 6a-i, 7, and 8a-c. This strategy provides an efficient method to access a library of compounds based on privileged substructures that are of great interest in drug discovery.     

Simple preparation of 7-alkylamino-2-methylquinoline-5,8-diones: regiochemistry in nucleophilic substitution reactions of the 6- or 7-bromo-2-methylquinoline-5,8-dione with amines

7-Alkylamino-2-methylquinoline-5,8-diones (7) were prepared from 6-bromo-2-methylquinoline-5,8-dione (2) not from 7-bromo-2-methylquinoline-5,8-dione (1). The chemistry of the transformation of 6-bromo-2-methylquinoline-5,8-dione (2) and various alkylamines, such as piperidine, 2-methylaziridine, benzylamine, n-butylamine, cyclohexylamine, t-butylamine, and ammonia, to 7-alkylamino compounds 7 as well as the transformation of 7-bromo compound 1 and the alkylamines to 6-alkylamino-2-methylquinoline-5,8-diones 11 was studied. The efficient and simple synthetic routes of the key intermediates, 6- and 7-bromo-2-methylquinoline-5,8-diones (2 and 1), from 5,8-dihydroxy-2-methylquinoline (15) and 5,7-dibromo-8-hydroxy-2-methylquinoline (9), respectively, were developed. We also proposed the mechanism for the unusual regioselectivity on the nucleophilic amination of 6- and 7-bromo-2-methylquinoline-5,8-diones (2 and 1).     

A convenient preparation of 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-iodo-benzaldehyde and its application in porphyrin synthesis

An efficient synthesis of 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-iodo-benzaldehyde (1) is presented. This new compound was readily obtained via iodination at low temperature of the lithio derivative of 2-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-phenyl)-[1,3]dioxolane (4). The crystal structure of 1 consists of linear polymeric chains, with non-covalent O?I bonding as the directing interaction, responsible for the observed assembly. Aldehyde 1 is further employed in the synthesis of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (6), a potential precursor of supramolecular assemblies.     

Syntheses, characterizations and crystal structures of triorganotin(IV) derivatives with 2-mercapto-4-quinazolinone

The triorganotin(IV) derivatives of 2-mercapto-4-quinazolinone (HSqualone) of the type, R₃SnL (R = Ph 1, CH₃2, PhCH₂3, p-F-PhCH₂4, o-F-PhCH₂5, n-Bu 6), were obtained by the reaction of the R₃SnCl and HSqualone with 1:1 molar ratio in benzene. All complexes 1-6 were characterized by elemental analyses, IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and the crystal structures of complexes 1-3 were also confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The structure analyses reveal that the tin atoms of complexes 1-3 are all distorted tetrahedral geometries. Furthermore, the dimeric structures in complexes 1-3 have also been found linked by intermolecular O-H?N or N-H?O hydrogen bonding interaction. Interestingly, the dimers of complexes 2 and 3 are further linked into one-dimensional chain through intermolecular C-H?S and C-H?O weak hydrogen bonding interactions, respectively.     

Stabilization of (N-methyleneamino)imidoylketenes: synthesis of dipyrazolo[1,2-a;1′,2′-d][1,2,4,5]tetrazines

Thermolysis of substituted methyl 1-methyleneamino-4,5-dioxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylates 2a,b led to substituted dimethyl 3,9-dioxo-1,5,7,11-tetrahydro-1H,7H-dipyrazolo[1,2-a;1′,2′-d][1,2,4,5]tetrazine-1,7-dicarboxylates 4a,b and methyl 2,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylates 5a,b as minor products. The structure of compound 4a was determined by X-ray crystallography. The proposed mechanism of this conversion includes generation of (N-methyleneamino)imidoylketenes 6a,b and its intramolecular transformation to azomethine imines—5-oxo-2,5-dihydropyrazole-1-methylium-2-ides 7a,b, which undergo dimerization in head-to-tail manner yielding products 4a,b and partially hydrolyse to compounds 5a,b.     

Synthesis of substituted 2-aroyl-3-methylchromen-4-ones from isovanillin via 2-aroyl-3-methylchroman intermediates

The synthesis of substituted 2-aroyl-3-methylchromen-4-one from isovanillin is described. O-Allylphenol (2) prepared from isovanillin (1) was allowed to react with various α-bromoacetophenone (3) to produce 2-(2-allyl-3,4-dimethoxy)phenoxy-1-aroylethanones (4). The resultant 4 were treated with 2 equiv of potassium tert-butoxide to afford the substituted 2-aroyl-3-methylchromans (5) through an isomerization of an allylic double bond and a carbanion-olefin intramolecular 6-endo-trig cyclization reaction. Subsequently, resultant 5 were oxidized with DDQ to yield the title compound 6, in good over-all yields.     

[4+2] Cycloaddition reactions of 4-sulfur-substituted 2-pyridones with electron-deficient dienophiles

[4+2] Cycloaddition reactions of 4-(phenylthio)-1-tosyl-2-pyridone (6a) and 4-(phenylsulfonyl)-1-tosyl-2-pyridone (6b) with electron-deficient dienophiles 7 (N-methylmaleimide, N-phenylmaleimide, and methyl acrylate) gave new isoquinuclidine products 8-10. The N-tosyl group of 6a and 6b was also efficiently converted to N-alkyl derivatives 6c-f, which showed different stereoselectivity toward reactions with dienophiles 7. Several other dienophiles 15 (dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate, methyl vinyl ketone, ethyl vinyl ether, and methyl methacrylate) were found not to react with 6a or 6b, but led to the formation of tosyl migration products 4-(phenylthio)-O-tosyl-pyridinol (16a) and 4-(phenylsulfonyl)-O-tosyl-2-pyridinol (16b), respectively. The reactivity, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity of the cycloaddition reactions were also compared with semi-empirical calculations.     

Synthesis of arylated highly congested indans using a domino sequence

A novel and efficient regioselective synthesis of various arylated highly congested 7-aryl-5-methylsulfanylindan-4-carbonitriles (3a-f), methyl 7-aryl-5-methylsulfanylindan-4-carboxylates (10a-e) and 7-aryl-5-methylsulfanylindan-4-carboxylic acids (11a-e) through base-catalyzed reaction of 6-aryl-4-methylsulfanyl-2-oxo-2H-pyran-3-carbonitriles (1a-f) and methyl 6-aryl-4-methylsulfanyl-2-oxo-2H-pyran-3-carboxylates (9a-e) by cyclopentanone (2) has been delineated. The synthetic potential of 2-pyranone was explored further to generate molecular diversity using 6-aryl-4-sec-amino-2-oxo-2H-pyran-3-carbonitriles (7a-h), 5,6-diaryl-4-methylsulfanyl-2-oxo-2H-pyran-3-carbonitriles (5a,b) and methyl 5,6-diaryl-4-methylsulfanyl-2-oxo-2H-pyran-3-carboxylates (12a,b) as precursors for the ring transformation by cyclopentanone to assess the effects of substituents on the course of the reaction to obtain highly congested indans, 6,7-diaryl-5-methylsulfanylindan-4-carbonitriles (6a,b), 7-aryl-5-(piperidin-1-yl)indan-4-carbonitriles (8a-h) and methyl 6,7-diaryl-5-methylsulfanylindan-4-carboxylates (13a,b).     

A novel efficient protocol for preparation of 3-formyl-2-arylbenzo[b]furan derivatives

An efficient method for preparation of 3-formyl-2-arylbenzo[b]furan derivatives 4 from 3-chloro-2-(2-methoxyaryl)-1-arylprop-2-en-1-one 2 was developed, and the desired product was obtained in good to excellent yields. By converting 2-(2-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-3-phenylpropanal 1 to 2, the regioselectivity problem occurring in the reaction when using 1 as the starting material was successfully avoided. Furthermore, a one-pot procedure for the successive demethylation, cyclization, and hydrolysis was evolved, although the intermediate 3-(dibromomethyl)-2-phenylbenzo[b]furan 3a could be isolated. A plausible mechanism was proposed based on some in situ investigations.     

Facile synthesis of 4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one derivatives from N-acyl-o-aminobenzophenones

An efficient synthesis of 4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one derivatives has been achieved in a one-pot reaction from N-acyl-o-aminobenzophenones 1a-c (a: acyl=acetyl; b: acyl=propanoyl; c: acyl=heptanoyl) using NaH as a base. Treatment of 1 with NaH provided the quinolones 2a-c with 62-83% yields, whereas the reaction in the presence of alkyl iodide (alkyl=methyl, ethyl, n-octyl) gave the corresponding N-alkylated quinolones 3a-g in 75-95% yields. The alkylation reaction of 4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one 2a with alkyl halide gave a mixture of N-alkylated and O-alkylated products. Comparison of IR and NMR data of the N-alkylated and O-alkylated compounds with those of 2a-c indicated that 2a-c exist as the lactam form.     

Microwave assisted synthesis of novel imidazo [2,1-b]thiazole derivative attached to quinoxalinones

3-(6-Phenylimidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-5-yl)quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones (qunoxalinone) (6a-q) have been synthesized by the reaction of ethyl 2-oxo-2-(6-phenylimidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-5-yl)acetates (4a-e) with suitably substituted o-phenylenediamines (5a-f) under microwave heating. The ethyl 2-oxo-2-(6-phenylimidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-5-yl)acetates (4a-e) were prepared by the reaction of 6-phenylimidazo[2,1-b]thiazoles (3a-e) with ethyl chlorooxoacetate in refluxing 1,4-dioxane whereas the thiazoles (3a-e) were synthesized by the reaction of 2-bromo-1-phenylethanones (2a-e) with thiazol-2-amine in refluxing acetone.     

Synthesis of phthalascidin analogs

We report a new approach to obtain phthalascidin analogs. 6-Phthalimidomethylpyrazino[1,2-b]isoquinoline-1,4-dione (5a) was obtained in a one-pot N-alkylation/cyclization of the corresponding 1-acetyl-3-arylmethyl-2,5-piperazinedione with N-phthalylacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal. Chemoselective reduction of the C(1)-carbonyl group in the 3-arylmethyl-11,11a-dehydroderivative 9a was followed by cyclization of an acyliminium intermediate, to give the 6,15-imino-7-oxo-14,14a-dehydroisoquino[3,2-b]3-benzazocin 11a. Alternatively, the octacyclic compound 13a was obtained through a novel double cyclization of a precursor in which the C(1)-carbonyl and one phthalimide carbonyl group were reduced.     

A facile synthesis of fused spiroketal skeleton: 2,2′-spirobi(4-aryl-7,7-dimethyl-5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrochroman)

A one-pot synthesis of fused spiroketal skeleton, 2,2′-spirobi(4-aryl-7,7-dimethyl-5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrochroman) 4a-c, has been achieved for the first time by an application of Michael reaction between dimedone (5,5-dimethylcyclohexan-1,3-dione) 1 and trans,trans-diarylideneacetone (1,5-diaryl-1,4-pentadien-3-one) 2 using anhydrous ZnCl₂ as catalyst. The spiroketalization was achieved efficiently via intramolecular cyclization of the Michael 1:2 adduct.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of novel bis(2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one) derivatives as potential GSK-3 inhibitors

(5Z,5′Z)-3,3′-(1,4-Phenylenebis(methylene)-bis-(5-arylidene-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one) derivatives (5a-r) have been synthesized by the condensation reaction of 3,3′-(1,4- or 1,3-phenylenebis(methylene))bis(2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones) (3a,b) with suitably substituted aldehydes (4a-f) or 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)2-oxoacetaldehydes (8a-c) under microwave conditions. The bis(2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones) were prepared from the corresponding primary alkyl amines (1a,b) and di-(carboxymethyl)-trithiocarbonyl (2). The 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-2-oxoacetaldehydes (8a-c) were synthesized from the corresponding acid chlorides (7a-c) using HSnBu₃.