A Transition‐Metal‐Free Synthesis of Multisubstituted Imidazoles

A novel and simple t‐BuOLi/I₂‐mediated synthesis of 1,2,4‐trisubstituted imidazoles was developed without transition‐metal added. The transition‐metal‐free strategy tolerated a range of substrates and provided products in moderate to good yields with 100% regioselectivity.     

The One‐Pot Synthesis of 2,4,5‐Triaryl‐Imidazoles Using Heteropolyacids as Heterogeneous and Recyclable Catalysts

2,4,5‐triaryl imidazoles were obtained in high yields with excellent purity from the condensation of benzaldehydes, NH₄OAc and 1,2‐diketone in the presence of a catalytic amount of various heteropolyacids (HPAs).     

One‐Pot Synthesis of 1,2,4,5‐Tetrasubstituted Imidazoles in Ionic Liquid

The four‐component condensation of benzil, aromatic aldehyde, primary amine, and ammonium acetate catalyzed by TFA in ionic liquid [Bpy]BF₄ at 80°C provided 1,2,4,5‐tetrasubstituted imidazoles in moderate to high yields.     

Copper(I) complex of 1,3‐DimethylBarbituric acid modified SBA‐15 and its catalytic role for the synthesis of 2,3‐Dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐ones and Imidazoles

An efficient one‐pot method for synthesis of 2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐ones and tri/tetra substituted‐1H‐imidazoles has been accomplished in the presence of catalytic amounts of Cu(I)‐1,3‐dimethylbarbituric acid modified SBA‐15 as heterogeneous catalyst with good to excellent yields. The catalyst is reusable and can be applied several times without any decrease in product yield. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms (BET), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS).     

Au‐ and Ag‐loaded MnO2 nanostructures supported on nitrogen‐ and nitrogen–sulfur‐doped pyroproteins: Synthesis and catalytic activity in organic transformations

Four novel Au‐ and Ag‐loaded MnO₂ nanostructures supported on nitrogen‐doped pyroprotein of natural silk (Au–MnO₂@PPNS and Ag–MnO₂@PPNS) and nitrogen–sulfur‐doped pyroprotein of natural wool (Au–MnO₂@PPNW and Ag–MnO₂@PPNW) have been synthesized. Nitrogen‐ and nitrogen–sulfur‐doped pyroproteins were prepared by carbonization of natural silk and wool proteins, respectively. The catalysts were investigated for the aerobic oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons of petroleum naphtha and the aerobic oxidative synthesis of 2‐phenylbenzo[d ]thiazoles, 2‐phenyl‐1H ‐benzo[d ]imidazoles and 2‐phenyl‐4‐quinazolinones in the absence of any co‐promoter and additional oxidizing reagent. The prepared catalytic systems showed higher catalytic activity in comparison to aggregated catalysts.     

Copper(I)‐Catalyzed Intramolecular Direct C‐Arylation of Azoles with Aryl Bromides

A concise route to access 5H‐imidazo[2,1‐a]isoindole heterofused compounds by copper(I)‐catalyzed intramolecular coupling of non‐activated aryl bromides with azoles is reported. With CuI as catalyst, 1,10‐phenanthroline as ligand, and K₃PO₄ as base, the reactions of 1‐(2‐bromobenzyl)‐1H‐imidazoles in DMF/o‐xylene (1:1, V:V) at 145°C afford the corresponding substituted 5H‐imidazo[2,1‐a]isoindoles in high yields via intramolecular C‐arylation.     

MCM‐41‐SO3H as a Highly Efficient Sulfonic Acid Nanoreactor for the Rapid and Green Synthesis of Some Novel Highly Substituted Imidazoles under Solvent‐Free Condition

Nanosized MCM‐41‐SO₃H based on ordered mesoporous silica material with a covalent sulfonic acid group was synthesized and used as acid catalyst for the new, simple, convenient and green synthesis of 2,4,5‐trisubstituted and 1,2,4,5‐tetra‐substituted imidazoles. Also some of synthesis products are new. Echo‐friendly protocol, short reaction times, easy and quick isolation of the products and excellent yields are the main advantages of this procedure.     

Efficient Room‐Temperature Synthesis of Tri‐ and Tetrasubstituted Imidazoles Catalyzed by ZrCl4

A general protocol has been developed for the rapid synthesis of 2,4,5‐trisubstituted and 1,2,4,5‐tetrasubstituted imidazoles in high yields using ZrCl₄ as an efficient catalyst at room temperature. A variety of aromatic, aliphatic, and terpenoidal aldehydes underwent condensation with NH₄OAc/amines to give the imidazoles. Similarly, the imidazole glycoconjugates are prepared in good yields from the corresponding glycosyl aldehydes.     

TiO2‐Nanoparticles Catalyzed Synthesis of New Trifluoromethyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐1,2,4‐oxadiazoles and Trifluoromethyl‐1,2,4‐oxadiazoles

Synthesis of a new series of trifluoromethyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐1,2,4‐oxadiazoles and trifluoromethyl‐1,2,4‐oxadiazoles have been described by utilizing the reactions between amidoximes and trifluoroacetimidoyl chlorides. Trifluoromethyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐1,2,4‐oxadiazoles have been synthesized under mild conditions such as Na₂CO₃, THF‐H₂O, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles as catalyst in good to excellent yields. Also, trifluoromethyl‐1,2,4‐oxadiazoles have been synthesized directly from reaction of amidoximes and trifluoroacetimidoyl chlorides in a one‐pot manner in present of NaH, THF, and titanium dioxide nanoparticle as catalyst.     

An Efficient N‐Arylation of Heterocycles with Aryl‐, Heteroaryl‐, and Vinylboronic Acids Catalyzed by Copper Fluorapatite

N‐Arylation of N‐containing heterocycles, such as pyrazoles, imidazoles, and benzimidazoles with aryl‐, heteroaryl‐, and vinylboronic acids was efficiently carried out by copper fluorapatite (CuFAP) catalyst in MeOH at room temperature under base‐free conditions. The N‐arylated heterocycles were isolated in good‐to‐excellent yields.     

Synthesis of nitrogen‐containing heterocycles 10. Reaction of 2‐amino‐1h‐imidazole derivatives with ethoxymethylene compounds

The direct annelation reaction of 4‐substituted 2‐amino‐l‐benzylideneamino‐1H‐imidazoles ( 1 ) or 2‐amino‐1‐isopropylideneamino‐1H‐imidazole ( 8 ) with ethoxymethylenemalononitrile ( I ) gave successfully bicyclic imidazo[1,2‐a]pyrimidine compounds 2 and 9 in high yields. The reactions of other ethoxymethylene compounds of lower reactivity, i.e., ethyl ethoxymethylenecyanoacetate ( II ) and diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate ( III ), with 2‐amino‐1H‐imidazoles under similar conditions afforded the corresponding enamines 3, 4 and 10 , which, upon heating in the presence of an acid or a base, could readily be cyclized to form imidazopyrimidines except for 1‐isopropylideneamino compound 10 . In general, the 3‐phenyl compounds ( 3b and 4b ) did not cyclize to the type 2 compound resulting in a full recovery of the starting enamines.     

De Novo Synthesis of Imidazoles by Visible‐Light‐Induced Photocatalytic Aerobic Oxidation/[3+2] Cycloaddition/Aromatization Cascade

A visible‐light‐induced photocatalytic aerobic oxidation/[3+2] cycloaddition/aromatization cascade between secondary amines and isocyanides has been successfully developed. The reaction provides a general and efficient access to diversely substituted imidazoles and imidazo[1,5‐a]quinoxalin‐4(5 H)‐ones in good yields under mild conditions.     

Design and preparation of ZnS‐ZnFe2O4: a green and efficient hybrid nanocatalyst for the multicomponent synthesis of 2,4,5‐triaryl‐1H‐imidazoles

In the present work, a new protocol was introduced for the preparation of an efficient hybrid nanocatalyst ZnS‐ZnFe₂O₄ via the co‐precipitation method as well as its application in the synthesis of 2,4,5‐triaryl‐1H‐imidazoles derivatives starting from various aromatic aldehydes, benzil and ammonium acetate under ultrasonic irradiation in ethanol. ZnS‐ZnFe₂O₄ was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) curve. This method has advantages such as high efficiency of the heterogeneous catalyst, the use of environmentally‐friendly solvent, high yields, short reaction times and easy isolation of the products and chromatography‐free purification. Our outcomes illustrated that the present nanocatalyst with nearly spherical and Cauliflower‐like morphology and average particle size of 36 nm could be applied as an effective and magnetically recyclable catalyst without any significant decreasing of activity. Furthermore, the synergic effect of bimetallic Lewis acids was studied for the synthesis of imidazole derivatives.     

Synthesis of C(2)‐Substituted manno‐Configured Tetrahydroimidazopyridines and Their Evaluation as Inhibitors of Snail β‐Mannosidase

It was shown that retaining β‐glucosidases and galactosidases of families 1–3 feature a strong interaction between C(2)OH of the substrate and the catalytic nucleophile. An analogous interaction can hardly take place for retaining β‐mannosidases. A structure? activity comparison between the inhibition of the β‐glucosidase from Caldocellum saccharolyticum (family 1) and β‐glucosidase from sweet almonds by the gluco‐imidazoles 1 – 6 , and the inhibition of snail β‐mannosidase by the corresponding manno‐imidazoles 8 – 13 does not show any significant difference, suggesting that also the mechanisms of action of these glycosidases do not differ significantly. For this comparison, we synthesized and tested the manno‐imidazoles 9 – 13, 28, 29, 32, 35, 40, 41, 43, 46, 47 , and 50 . Among these, the alkene 29 is the strongest known inhibitor of snail β‐mannosidase (K_i=6 nM , non‐competitive); the aniline 35 is the strongest competitive inhibitor (K_i=8 nM ).     

Syntheses of 4‐(5‐oxo‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐yl)‐sydnones and 4‐(4‐arylamino‐5‐oxo‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐yl)‐sydnones from Sydnone Derivatives and Their Fragments

4‐(5‐oxo‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐yl)‐sydnones 11 and 4‐(4‐arylamino‐5‐oxo‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐yl)‐sydnones 13 have been obtained from a‐chloroformylarylhydrazine hydrochloride 2 . Moreover, the intermediates, including 3, 4 , 9 and 10 , in this study are synthetically informative and valuable. It is also noteworthy that three reactants, 1, 2 and sydnonecarbaldehydes, were prepared from sydnone derivatives and their fragments. The oxidative cyclizations of sydnonecarbaldehyde semicarbazones 9 and carbazones 10 with two different oxidizing agents (Cu(ClO₄)₂ and Fe(ClO₄)₃) have been extensively examined. The reaction time and the yields of cyclizations were affected by the substituents of semicarbazones 9 and carbazones 10.     

4‐Phosphorylated 1,2‐disubstituted imidazoles

4‐Selenophosphoryl‐1,2‐disubstituted imidazoles have been obtained by thermal decomposition of methyl 5‐(diamidoselenophosphoryl)imidazolium chlorides. The position of selenophosphoryl group in the imidazole ring was proved by ¹H, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and X‐ray analysis. Previously unknown diamido‐ and dichloro(imidazol‐4‐yl)‐ phosphonites were synthesized, and differences in their reactivity compared to analogous 5‐phosphorylated imidazoles are shown. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 21:103–118, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20584     

Facile Synthesis of Substituted Ethyl 2‐(Chloromethyl)‐2‐hydroxy‐2H‐1‐benzopyran‐3‐carboxylates

Ethyl 2‐(chloromethyl)‐2‐hydroxy‐2H‐chromene‐3‐carboxylates 2a – 2j have been synthesized by reaction of substituted salicylaldehydes with ethyl 4‐chloro‐3‐oxobutanoate, in the presence of piperidine in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature, in good yields.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Michael Reaction of 5H‐Oxazol‐4‐Ones with α,β‐Unsaturated Acyl Imidazoles

The asymmetric Michael reaction between 5H‐oxazol‐4‐ones and α,β‐unsaturated acyl imidazoles is reported. A novel 2‐benzo[b]thiophenyl‐modified chiral ProPhenol species is synthesized and used as a ligand, leading to good enantioselectivities in this asymmetric conjugate addition reaction. Furthermore, the introduction of phenol additives as achiral co‐ligands is found to improve the reaction’s chemical yields, diastereoselectivities, and enantioselectivities.     

Studying the synthesis of 4‐tert‐butyl‐1,3‐dihydroimidazol‐2‐ones and their corresponding thiones

4‐tert‐Butyl‐1,3‐dihydroimidazol‐2‐ones and 1,3‐dihydroimidazol‐2‐thiones were synthesized from 1‐amino‐3,3‐dimethylbutanone and subjected to alkylation reactions. The latter compounds were S‐alkyl‐ated with iodoacetamide under alkaline conditions. The N¹ N³‐unsubstituted derivative was iodinated and subsequently alkylated with alkylation reagents which previously have been used for the synthesis of anti‐HTV active imidazoles. Unfortunately, the present products were devoid of activity against HTV.     

One‐Pot,Three‐Component Condensation of Aldehydes, 2‐Naphthol and 1,3‐Dicarbonyl Compounds

A practical and efficient procedure for the one‐pot multicomponent couping of aryl aldehydes, 2‐naphthol and cyclic 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds using perchloric acid adsorbed on silica gel (HClO₄‐SiO₂) as a highly efficient, inexpensive, convenient, reusable heterogeneous catalyst under solvent‐free conditions has been developed. Various biologically important 12‐aryl‐8,9,10,12‐tetrahydrobenzo[a]xanthen‐11‐one derivatives have been efficiently synthesized in high to excellent yields. The present approach offers several advantages such as shorter reaction times, simple work‐up, excellent yields, low cost, and mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst can be recovered simply and reused without appreciable loss of its catalytic activity.