9-(4-Bromophenyl)-9-fluorenyl as a safety-catch nitrogen protecting group

[reaction: see text] The 9-(4-bromophenyl)-9-fluorenyl (BrPhF) group has been developed as a novel safety-catch amine protection. This relatively acid-stable protecting group can be successfully activated by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of the aryl bromide with morpholine and then cleaved effectively under mild conditions using dichloroacetic acid and triethylsilane. Complementary conditions are reported for selective removal of the BrPhF group in the presence of tert-butyl esters and carbamates as well as deprotection of tert-butyl esters and carbamates in the presence of BrPhF amines.     

Practical and robust method for regio- and stereoselective preparation of (E)-ketene tert-butyl TMS acetals and beta-ketoester-derived tert-butyl (1Z,3E)-1,3-bis(TMS)dienol ethers

We developed an efficient, practical, robust method for the regio- and stereoselective preparation of (E)-ketene trimethylsilyl acetals (KSAs) derived from tert-butyl esters 1. The reaction was performed under convenient reaction conditions; LDA-TMSCl, 0-5 degrees C, and cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) solvent. Two kinds of (Z)- and (E)-KSAs derived from alpha-oxygen and alpha-nitrogen-substituted tert-butyl esters, respectively, were also obtained in good yield. The present protocol was successfully applied to a stereocontrolled preparation of useful, but highly reactive (less accessible) beta-ketoester-derived tert-butyl (1Z,3E)-1,3-bis(TMS)dienol ethers 2.     

Diphenyl disulfide and sodium in NMP as an efficient protocol for in situ generation of thiophenolate anion: selective deprotection of aryl alkyl ethers and alkyl/aryl esters under nonhydrolytic conditions

Aryl methyl ethers, methyl esters, aryl esters, and aryl sulfonates are chemoselectively deprotected under nonhydrolytic conditions by treatment with Ph(2)S(2) (0.6 equiv) and Na (1.6 equiv) in NMP under reflux or at 90 degrees C. Quantitative utilization of the 'PhS' moiety as the effective nucleophilic species represents conservation of atom economy. Other solvents such as HMPA, DMPU, DMEU, and DMF afforded comparable results. Chloro, nitro, aldehyde, alpha,alpha-diketone, and alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone functionalities remain unaffected. The deprotection was found to take place in the order aryl ester > alkyl ester > aryl alkyl ether. Substrates bearing strong electron-withdrawing groups react at a faster rate than those not having such substitution. The differences in rate of reaction has been exploited for selective deprotection for intramolecular competition. An aryl acetate/benzoate is deprotected selectively in preference to a methyl ester or aryl methyl ether. Selective deprotection of a methyl ester is observed in the presence of an aryl alkyl ether.     

Carbocations in action. Design, synthesis, and evaluation of a highly acid-sensitive naphthalene-based backbone amide linker for solid-phase synthesis

The design, synthesis, and properties of an extremely acid-labile backbone amide linker based on a regiospecifically substituted tetraalkoxy naphthaldehyde core are presented. This handle enables cleavage of peptide backbone amides (secondary amides) off a solid support using as little as 0.5% TFA in CH2Cl2. This proceeds without cleavage of tert-butyl ethers and tert-butyl esters. The design is based on a DFT study that predicted the most stabile alkoxy-substituted methyl naphthyl carbocation. [structure: see text]     

One-pot selective cleavage of prenyl carbamates using iodine in methanol followed by zinc

The prenyloxycarbonyl (Preoc) moiety was efficiently removed from carbamates to provide the corresponding amines in good to excellent yields (63-88%) by using iodine in methanol followed by treatment of the resulting β-methoxyiodides by zinc powder. The reaction conditions are compatible with the presence of a number of functional groups such as Boc and Cbz carbamates, sulfides, double bonds, indoles and aromatic methyl ethers.     

A hierarchy of aryloxide deprotection by boron tribromide

Aryl propargyl ethers and esters are cleaved selectively in the presence of aryl methyl ethers and esters by boron tribromide in dichloromethane. Under the same conditions, allyl ethers undergo very rapid Claisen rearrangement, and benzyl ethers are also cleaved more rapidly than propargyl. A mechanism involving intramolecular delivery of bromide to the propargyl terminus is proposed. [reaction: see text]     

McLafferty-type rearrangement in the collision-induced dissociation of Li+, Na+ and Ag+ cationized esters of N-acetylated peptides

In this study we investigated the multi-stage collision-induced dissociation (CID) of N-terminally acetylated di-, tri- and tetrapeptides in the form of C-terminal ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl and tert-butyl esters and cationized by the attachment of Li(+), Na(+) and Ag(+). While methyl ester versions of the metal cationized peptides primarily eliminate H(2)O following collisional activation and dissociation, the ethyl, propyl and butyl ester versions of the peptides exhibit a dissociation pathway consistent with gamma-hydrogen transfer to the C-terminal carbonyl group, with associated elimination of an alkene, in a McLafferty-type rearrangement. The rearrangement leaves a metal cationized, free-acid form of the peptide, as confirmed by comparing the multi-stage CID of rearrangement products generated from peptide esters with the CID of corresponding metal cationized free-acid peptides. The transfer of a gamma-hydrogen in the rearrangement reaction was confirmed by investigating the CID of ethyl esters for which the terminal methyl group was labeled with deuterium. We found that the rearrangement product was significantly more abundant, relative to other product ions, when derived from isopropyl and tert-butyl esters than from ethyl, n-propyl or n-butyl ester analogues.     

Synthesis of 2-substituted benzofurans and indoles using functionalized titanium benzylidene reagents on solid phase

Titanium(IV) benzylidenes bearing a masked oxygen or nitrogen nucleophile in the ortho position were generated from thioacetals, using low-valent titanocene complex, Cp2Ti[P(OEt)3]2. Methylene acetal, alkyl ether, silyl ether, fluoro, tertiary amino, and N-alkyl, N-benzyl, N-prenyl, and N-silyl tert-butyl carbamate groups were tolerated in the titanium alkylidene reagents (Schrock carbenes). Aryl-chlorine bonds were stable to the titanium benzylidene functionality, but there was poor chemoselectivity for the reduction of the thioacetal in the presence of an aryl chloride. The titanium benzylidenes converted Merrifield and Wang resin-bound esters into enol ethers. The oxygen nucleophile was masked as a TMS ether, and when the resin-bound enol ethers bearing this ortho substituent were treated with 1% TFA in dichloromethane, benzofurans were released from resin in high yields. The chameleon catch strategy ensured excellent purity. In a similar way, N-alkylated and N-silylated tert-butyl carbamates were used for the synthesis of N-alkyl and N-Boc indoles, respectively. These traceless solid-phase syntheses of heterocycles are believed to involve postcleavage modification rather than cyclative termination.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric mannich reactions of malonates and beta-keto esters

The first catalytic asymmetric direct Mannich reaction of malonates and beta-keto esters has been developed. Malonates react with an activated N-tosyl-alpha-imino ester catalyzed by chiral tert-butyl-bisoxazoline/Cu(OTf)(2) to give the Mannich adducts in high yields and with up to 96% ee. These reactions create a chiral quaternary carbon center and it is demonstrated that this new direct Mannich reactions provides for example a new synthetic procedure for the formation of optically active beta-carboxylic ester alpha-amino acid derivatives. A series of different beta-keto esters with various ester substituents has been screened as substrates for the catalytic asymmetric direct Mannich reaction and it was found that the best results in terms of yield, diastereo- and enantioselectivity were obtained when tert-butyl esters of beta-keto esters were used as the substrate. The reaction of different beta-keto tert-butyl esters with the N-tosyl-alpha-imino ester gave the Mannich adducts in high yields, diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee) in the presence of chiral tert-butyl-bisoxazoline/Cu(OTf)(2) as the catalyst. To expand the synthetic utility of this direct Mannich reaction a diastereoselective decarboxylation reaction was developed for the Mannich adducts leading to a new synthetic approach to attractive optically active beta-keto alpha-amino acid derivatives. Based on the stereochemical outcome of the reactions, various approaches of the N-tosyl-alpha-imino ester to the chiral bisoxazoline/Cu(II)-substrate intermediate are discussed.     

Chemical reactions in dense monolayers: in situ thermal cleavage of grafted esters for preparation of solid surfaces functionalized with carboxylic acids

The thermodynamics of a chemical reaction confined at a solid surface was investigated through kinetic measurements of a model unimolecular reaction. The thermal cleavage of ester groups grafted at the surface of solid silica was investigated together with complementary physicochemical characterization of the grafted species. The ester molecules were chemically grafted to the silica surface and subsequently cleaved into the carboxylic acids. A grafting process of a reproducible monolayer was designed using the reaction of monofunctional organosilane from its gas phase. The thermal deprotection step of the ester end-group was investigated. The thermal deprotection reaction behaves in quite a specific manner when it is conducted at a surface in a grafted layer. Different organosilane molecules terminated by methyl, isopropyl and tert-butyl ester groups were grafted to silica surface; such functionalized materials were characterized by elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, and the thermodynamic parameters of the thermal elimination reaction at the surface were measured. The limiting factor of such thermal ester cleavage reaction is the thermal stability of grafted ester group according to the temperature order: tert-butyl < i-propyl < methyl. Methyl ester groups were not selectively cleaved by temperature. The thermal deprotection of i-propyl ester groups took place at a temperature close to the thermal degradation of the organofunctional tail of the silane. The low thermolysis temperature of the grafted tert-butyl esters allowed their selective cleavage. There is a definite influence of the surface on the reaction. The enthalpy of activation is lower than in the gas phase because of the polarity of the reaction site. The major contribution is entropic; the negative entropy of activation comes from lateral interactions with the neighbor grafted molecules because of the high grafting density. Such reaction is an original strategy to functionalize the silica surface by carboxylic acid groups by means of a simple, reproducible, and efficient process involving in situ thermolysis of ester groups.     

Synthesis and physiochemical property evaluation of carbamate derivatives of scutellarin methyl ester

A series of carbamate prodrugs of scutellarin methyl ester (4a-4e) were prepared in the presence of bis(trichloromethyl) carbonate (BTC) with scutellarin methyl esters and L-amino acid tert-butyl ester hydrochloride as starting materials. In vitro stability and aqueous solubility of target compounds were evaluated. The results indicated that compounds 4d and 4e have higher solubility and in vitro stability than scutellarin respectively.     

Tandem carbocupration/oxygenation of terminal alkynes

[chemical reaction: see text]. A direct and general synthesis of alpha-branched aldehydes and their enol derivatives is described. Carbocupration of terminal alkynes and subsequent oxygenation with lithium tert-butyl peroxide generates a metallo-enolate. Trapping with various electrophiles provides alpha-branched aldehydes or stereo-defined trisubstituted enol esters or silyl ethers. The tandem carbocupration/oxygenation tolerates alkyl and silyl ethers, esters, and tertiary amines. The reaction is effective with organocopper complexes derived from primary, secondary, and tertiary Grignard reagents and from n-butyllithium.     

Synthesis of Methyl 5(6)-(4-Aminophenoxy)- and 5(6)-(2-Aminophenoxy)-2-benzimidazolyl Carbamates and Their Biological Properties

A procedure was developed for preparation of methyl 5(6)-(4-aminophenoxy)- and 5(6)-(2-aminophenoxy)-2-benzimidazolyl carbamates by reaction of 3,4,4`-triaminodiphenyl or 3,4,2`-triaminodiphenyl ethers respectively with methyl cyanocarbamate in water solution in the presence of 7-10 molar excess of acetic acid. The helminthicidal properties, embryotoxicity, and overall toxicity of compounds obtained were estimated.     

Synthesis and cytotoxic properties of derivatives of the tert-butyl ester of 7-alkylidene-3-methyl-3-cepheme-4-carboxylic acid

Sulfones of the tert-butyl esters of 7-arylmethylene-and 7-(2-furyl)methylene-3-methyl-3-cepheme-4-carboxylic acid were obtained by the condensation of the tert-butyl ester of 3-methyl-7-oxo-3-cepheme-4-carboxylic acid with arylmethylene-and 2-furylidenetriphenylphosphoranes and subsequent oxidation of the intermediate products by meta-chloroperbenzoic acid. The combination of the tert-butyl esters of 7E-bromomethylene-and 7,7-dibromomethylene-3-methyl-1,1-dioxo-3-cepheme-4-carboxylic acids with trimethylsilylacetylene under conditions of the Sonogashira reaction gave the tert-butyl esters of 3-methyl-1,1-dioxo-7E-(3-trimethylsilyl-2-propynylidene)-3-cepheme-4-carboxylic acid and 3-methyl-1,1-dioxo-7-[1,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-pentadiyn-3-ylidene]-3-cepheme-4-carboxylic acid. The Vilsmeier reagent was used to incorporate the dimethylaminomethylene group at C-2 of the 7Z-and 7E-isomers of the tert-butyl ester of 7-(4-chlorophenyl)methylene-3-methyl-1,1-dioxo-3-cepheme-4-carboxylic acid. The cytotoxic properties of the derivatives of the tert-butyl ester of 7-alkylidene-3-methyl-3-cepheme-4-carboxylic acid in regard to cancer and normal cells in vitro depends on the structure and 7Z-or 7E-isomerism of the substituent in the 7-alkylidene group as well as the presence of a dimethylaminomethylene group at C-2 of the 3-cepheme system.     

Synthesis of 2-arylacrylic esters from aryl methyl ketones via Wittig reaction/singlet oxygen ene reaction

An efficient synthetic method has been developed for the synthesis of 2-arylacrylic esters from the corresponding aryl methyl ketones via Wittig reaction and singlet oxygen ene reaction. Wittig reaction to aryl methyl ketones with (methoxymethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride in basic condition afforded the methyl enol ethers, and then 2-arylacrylic esters were obtained by singlet oxygen ene reaction, followed by tosylation and elimination in one-pot to the methyl enol ethers in good yields.     

Routes to metallodendrimers: synthesis of isomeric neutral metallomacromolecules based on bis(2,2':6',2"-terpyridine)ruthenium(II) connectivity

Routes for the syntheses of isomeric, zwitterionic, bisterpyridine-Ru(II)-based macromolecules are described. Access to these novel architectures is facilitated by the construction of terpyridine-modified, 1-->3 C-branched, ester-terminated building blocks. Constitutional isomers result from the interchangable placement of methyl and tert-butyl ester groups on both the branched framework near the Ru(II) centers and the termini of the branched construct. Water solubility is imparted to each isomer through selective transformation of the tert-butyl esters to their corresponding carboxylates. Along with the standard characterization techniques, electrochemical and spectroscopic data also support the structural formation.     

Efficient synthesis of alpha-aryl esters by room-temperature palladium-catalyzed coupling of aryl halides with ester enolates

A catalytic amount of Pd(dba)(2) ligated by either carbene precursor N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-4,5-dihydroimidazolium (1) or P(t-Bu)(3) mediated the coupling of aryl halides and ester enolates to produce alpha-aryl esters in high yields at room temperature. The reaction was highly tolerant of functionalities and substitution patterns on the aryl halide. Improved protocols for the selective monoarylation of tert-butyl acetate and the efficient arylation of alpha,alpha-disubstituted esters were developed with LiNCy(2) as base and P(t-Bu)(3) as ligand. In addition, tert-butyl esters, such as those of Naproxen and Flurbiprofen, were prepared from tert-butyl propionate and aryl bromides in high yields in the presence of Pd(dba)(2) and the hindered, saturated heterocyclic carbene ligand precursor.     

Selective electrochemical deprotection of cinnamyl ethers, esters, and carbamates

Electrochemical deprotection of the cinnamyl moiety from ethers, esters, and carbamates was studied with the focus on O- versus N- selectivity as well as selectivity over allyl or benzyl systems.     

Rhodium-catalyzed cleavage reaction of aryl methyl ethers with thioesters

A rhodium complex catalyzed the reaction of aryl methyl ethers and thioesters giving the corresponding aryl esters and methyl sulfides. S-(p-Chlorophenyl) p-(dimethylamino)benzothioate was used for the reaction of methyl aryl ethers with electron-withdrawing groups, and an S-(p-tolyl) derivative was used for those with electron-donating groups. Polymethoxybenzenes were converted to the esters in a regioselective manner.     

Chiral separation by electrokinetic capillary chromatography using newly synthesized linear polymers containing L-amino acid moieties.

Chiral linear polymers were prepared by the thermal polymerization of N-acryloyl-L-valine and N-acryloyl-L-alanine derivatives using 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA) as a radical transfer agent. C-Terminal groups of the derivatives were methyl and tert-butyl esters later removed, and N-methylamide moieties. The N'-methylamide derivative of N-acryloyl-L-valine was copolymerized with methyl ester at a molar mixing ratio of 1:1. The ester groups were removed to provide anionic linear polymers terminated with carboxylic acid of the amino acid residue. The polymers are thus shown to function as pesudostationary phases that separate enantiomeric solutes in electrokinetic capillary chromatography (EKC). Racemic 3,5-dinitrobenzoylamino isopropyl esters were separated with the polymer derived from N-acryloyl-L-valine esters and with the copolymer from N-acryloyl-L-valine methyl ester and N-acryloyl-L-valine N'-methylamide at pH 7.0. These separations could not be observed at pH 9.0 in migrating solutions containing anionic linear polymers. This pH dependence can be discussed from the standpoint of the microscopic hydrophobicity of the polymers, as assessed from the fluorescence of pyrene adsorbed onto the polymers in water.