Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Novel Iminophosphocin Derivatives

Iminophosphocins 8a – 8e and 9a – 9e were synthesized in four‐step reactions via Staudinger reaction. 3‐(Bromomethyl)‐1,2,3,4,5‐pentahydro‐3λ⁵‐naphtho[1,8‐f,g][1,5,3]diazaphosphocin‐3‐one ( 3 ) was prepared by reacting tris(bromomethyl)phosphineoxide ( 1 ) with 1,8‐diaminonaphthalene ( 2 ) in the presence of triethylamine (TEA) in dry tetrahydrofuran (THF), and treated with L‐valine methyl ester ( 4 ) and bis(2‐chloroethyl)amine ( 5 ) in the presence of TEA in dry THF to get 3‐methyl‐2‐[(3‐oxo‐1,2,3,4,5‐pentahydro‐3λ⁵‐naphtho[1,8‐f,g][1,5,3]diazaphosphocin‐3‐yl)methylamino]butanoate ( 6 ) and 3‐[di(2‐chloroethyl)aminomethyl]‐1,2,3,4,5‐pentahydro‐3λ⁵‐ naphtho[1,8‐f,g][1,5,3]diazaphosphocin‐3‐one ( 7 ). The compounds 6 and 7 were treated with trichlorosilane (SiCl₃H) in dry tetrahydrofuran (THF) to form the trivalent P(III) intermediates 8 and 9 , which were further treated with various alkyl azides in dry THF in 55–60°C to afford the title compounds 8a – 8e and 9a – 9e . Their structures were established by multi‐nuclear NMR and mass spectra. All the newly synthesized compounds were found to possess moderate anti‐microbial activity.