Preparation of α- or β-trifluoromethylated vinylstannanes and their cross-coupling reactions

α- or β-Trifluoromethylated vinylstannanes 1, 2a, 3 and 4 were prepared form 1,1-bis(phenylthio)-2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropylbenzene (5) via several steps. The cross-coupling arylation reactions of 1–4 with aryl iodides bearing a bromo, methoxy, methyl, nitro or trifluoromethyl group on para- or meta-position of benzene ring afforded the corresponding coupling products in good yields. Compounds 1, 2a and 4 underwent the acylation reaction with various types of acyl chlorides to give the corresponding trifluoromethylated enone derivatives in good yields. Reduction of trifluoromethylated enone derivatives with LiAlH₄, followed by Fridel-Craft’s type of cyclization with AlCl₃ provided trifluoromethylated indene derivatives in good yields.     

New efficient synthesis of 1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]quinolines by a sequential Van Leusen/Staudinger/aza-Wittig/carbodiimide-mediated cyclization

A new efficient synthesis of multisubstituted 1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]quinoline derivatives via sequential van Leusen/Staudinger/aza-Wittig/carbodiimide-mediated cyclization was developed. Azides 4, obtained from Van Leusen reaction of 2-azidobenzaldehyde 1, amine 2 and TosMIC (tosylmethyl isocyanide) 3, reacted with triphenyl phosphine to produce iminophosphorane 5. A tandem aza-Wittig reaction of iminophosphorane 5 with isocyanate generated 1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]quinoline 7 through carbodiimide intermediate 6 in moderate to good yield.     

Synthesis and structure of a chiral areno-bridged [2.4]metacyclophane

The reductive coupling reaction of 1,4-bis(3-acetyl-5-tert-butyl-2-methoxyphenyl)butane 3 was carried out using TiCl₄-Zn in pyridine followed by a McMurry coupling reaction to afford the compounds anti and syn 1,2-dimethyl[2.4]MCP-1-ene 4. Bromination of 4 with BTMA-Br₃ in dry CH₂Cl₂ afforded the interesting compound 1,2-bis-(bromomethyl)-5,15-di-tert-butyl-8,18-dimethoxy[2.4]MCP-1-ene 6 and consecutive debromination with Zn and AcOH in CH₂Cl₂ solution afforded the stable solid 5,15-di-tert-butyl-8,18-dimethoxy-1,2-dimethylene[2.4]MCP 7 in 89% yield. Compound 7 was conveniently employed in a Diels–Alder reaction with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) to provide 2-(3′,6′-dihydrobenzo)-5,15-di-tert-butyl-8,18-dimethoxy[2.4]MCP-4′,5′-dimethylcarboxylate 8 in good yield. Diels–Alder adduct 8 was converted into a novel and inherently chiral areno-bridged compound [2.4]MCP 9 by aromatization. The chirality of the two conformers was characterized by circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the separated enantiomer which are perfect mirror images of each other.     

Exceptional molecular architectures via cycloadditions to pyrenequinones

The thermal reaction of phencyclone (2) with a 1:1 mixture of 1,8-pyrenequinone (4) and 1,6-pyrenequinone (5) yields 2:1 adducts only of compounds 2 and 4. The observed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 8 is formed via double Diels-Alder addition of 2 to 4, and the polycyclic ketone 9 arises from a combination of Diels-Alder and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of 2 and 4. In contrast, Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions of 2, 4, and 5 give 2:1 adducts only of 2 and 5. The chief product, polycyclic diketone 10, is derived from a double hetero-Diels-Alder addition of 2 to 5. X-ray analysis of compound 8 shows it to be an exceptionally large polycyclic aromatic arch, and the X-ray structure of 10 reveals it to be a chiral molecular tweezer.     

Development of an unexpected reaction pathway for the synthesis of 1,2,4-trisubstituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines through palladium-catalyzed cascade reactions

1,2,4-trisubstituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines are synthesized through the multi-component reaction of 3-substituted 2-chloroquinoxalines, propargyl bromide, and excess secondary amines in the presence of a palladium copper catalytic system. This one-pot process provides an unexpected synthesis of new trisubstituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines by the introduction of two amine substituents onto the fused pyrrole rings in a single reaction procedure. The compounds formed are fully characterized by the analytical spectral data and X-ray analysis. A number of synthesized pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline derivatives are also screened against the three bacterial strains Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas aeruginos, and Bacillus subtilis. According to the results obtained, compounds 3b, 3c, and 3e are active against M. luteus, compounds 3b and 3e are active against Ps. Aeruginos, and only compound 3f is active against all the three bacterial strains.     

The perfluoroallylation of alkynes and transformation of the products

The addition of perfluoroallyl iodide to alkynes 1 initiated by AIBN in the absence of solvent 65 °C gave the corresponding 1:1 adducts (1,1,2,3,3-pentafluoro-5-iodopenta-1,4-dienes) 2. The reaction of 2 with boronic acids 3 and terminal alkynes 1 in the presence of catalytic palladium afforded the cross-coupling products 4 and 5, respectively.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of multisubstituted isoindolines via Sequential Ugi and aza-Michael addition reaction

A new efficient and diastereoselective synthesis of multisubstituted isoindolines with two stereogenic centers via sequential Ugi/aza-Michael addition reaction was developed. Ugi-3CR of aldehydes 1, amines 2 and isocyanates 3 in the presence of catalytic amount of H₃PO₄ produced intermediates 4, which were then transformed to isoindolines 5 with good 1,3-trans diastereoselectivity in the presence of K₂CO₃ by intramolecular aza-Michael addition. Sequential Ugi-azide and aza-Michael addition reaction of aldehydes 1, amines 2 and trimethylsilyl azide 6 also produced 4-tetrazolyl substituted isoindolines 8 with good 1,3-trans diastereoselectivity in the presence of potassium carbonate.     

Convergent synthesis of 4,6-unsubstituted 5-acyl-2-aminodihydropyrimidines using Weinreb amide

A method of convergent synthesis of novel 4,6-unsubstituted 5-acyl-2-aminodihydropyrimidines 7 is developed. The synthetic intermediate of 7, 4,6-unsubstituted 2-aminodihydropyrimidines 9 having a Weinreb amide at the 5-position, is prepared by the sequential Staudinger/aza-Wittig/cyclization reactions of (E)-tert-butyl{3-azido-2-[methoxy(methyl)carbamoyl]allyl}carbamate (E)-10. The transformation of the Weinreb amide of 9 to an acyl group proceeds smoothly by a substitution reaction using aryllithiums or alkyllithiums in the presence of a catalytic amount of BF₃ etherate, affording 7 in good to high yield. The N-protecting group of 7 can be easily removed to obtain N-unsubstituted 2-amino-5-acyldihydropyrimidines 8, and the derivatives are observed as a single isomer in ¹H NMR spectroscopy. All dihydropyrimidines in this study were hitherto unavailable and difficult to synthesize by conventional methods.     

1-Methyl-1H-tetrazol-5-yl (MT) sulfones in the Julia-Kocienski olefination: Comparison with the PT and the TBT sulfones

The stability and the stereoselectivity of newly prepared n-pentyl 1-methyl-1H-tetrazol-5-yl (MT) sulfone 1a in the Julia-Kocienski reactions were compared with those of the PT sulfone 1b and the TBT sulfone 1c. The improved stability of the anion derived from the n-pentyl MT sulfone 1a enhanced the efficiency of the olefination reactions and gave higher yields of the product alkenes 3 compared with the PT sulfone 1b. Especially high E-selectivity and high yields were obtained from the reaction with aromatic aldehydes and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. The selectivity of 1a was not so sensitive to the change of base counter ion compared with the PT sulfone 1b. The reaction of the MT sulfones having either ethyl or a longer alkyl chain also gave E-alkenes selectively in high yields.     

Environmentally benign syntheses of flavanones

Mild and environmentally benign methods for the syntheses of flavanones are described. The reaction of o-hydroxyacetophenones (1) and benzaldehydes (2) in water in the presence of DABCO at room temperature gave 3-hydroxy-1-(2-hydroxylphenyl)-3-arylpropan-1-ones (3a-i) as intermediates. Followed by an intramolecular dehydration of the 3a-i with the modified Mitsunobu’s reaction, the target flavanones (4a-i) were obtained. Moreover, the reaction of 1 and 2 at the same conditions but at reflux gave flavanones in one pot with good yields.     

[60]Fullerene adducts with 9-substituted anthracenes: mechanochemical preparation and retro Diels-Alder reaction

Three 9-substituted anthracene derivatives, that is, 9-hydroxymethylanthracene (2), 9-methoxymethylanthracene (3) and bis(9-anthrylmethyl) adipate (6), were chosen as the model compounds to evaluate the reactivity in their Diels-Alder reactions with [60]fullerene and in retro Diels-Alder reactions of the formed cycloadducts. Corresponding adducts 4, 5 and 7 were prepared in high yields under solvent-free conditions using high-speed vibration milling technique. In order to determine thermal stabilities of adducts 4, 5 and 7, their dissociations in the temperature range of 40-65 °C were investigated. Fitting the dissociation rates and temperatures to the Arrhenius equation gives the activation energies of 25.8, 21.8 and 24.9 kcal/mol for compounds 4, 5 and 7, respectively.     

Imidazolidinium ferrate complexes: Synthesis and catalytic properties

The new well-defined and air stable anionic iron complexes bearing an imidazolidinium ligand (2a–d) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Starting from FeBr₂, [imidazolidinium][FeBr₄] complexes 2a and 2b were prepared. The reaction of imidazolidinium chlorides with Fe(OAc)₂, followed by a recrystallization in the air led to bis(imidazolidinium) μ-oxido-bis[trichloroferrate(III)] complexes 2c and 2d. The catalytic activity of these novel complexes has been evaluated in the cross-coupling reactions of alkyl halides with Grignard reagents.     

A new approach for the asymmetric syntheses of 2-epi-deoxoprosopinine and azasugar derivatives

A new approach to 2-epi-deoxoprosopinine 11, 1-deoxygulonojirimycin 7, and l-gulono-1,5-lactam 9 was described. The C-2 hydroxymethyl group was introduced regioselectively using SmI₂ mediated coupling of (S)-3-silyloxyglutarimide 13b with either chloromethyl benzyl ether 16a or the Beau-Skrydstrup reagent 16b, followed by debenzylation and highly cis-diastereoselective reductive deoxygenation. Adoption of the Savoi's chemoselective ring-opening alkylation method allowed a highly diastereoselective introduction of the lipid side chain of 2-epi-deoxoprosopinine 11 in a straightforward manner. Dehydration followed by highly trans-diastereoselective dihydroxylation led to polyoxygenated lactam derivative 27 as a key intermediate for the syntheses of 7 and 9.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines from 2-amino-4,6-dichloropyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde under solvent-free conditions

The microwave-induced synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines 4 in the reaction of N⁴-substituted-2,4-diamino-6-chloro-5-carbaldehydes 3 with hydrazine is described here. Precursors 3 have been prepared by the mono-amination of 2-amino-4,6-dichloropyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde 2 with aliphatic and aromatic amines. The reaction times with primary amines were relatively shorter than for secondary amines.     

Synthesis of the alkaloid tyroscherin by an aldol/Curtius strategy

The alkaloid tyroscherin (2), which contains a vicinal anti-amino alcohol subunit was prepared from 4-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid (5) and meso-diol 9. After desymmetrization of diol 9 and suitable protecting group manipulations, one terminus was extended via a Claisen rearrangement giving rise to enoate ent-15. The missing carbon on the other end could be incorporated using MeMgCl/CuBr·SMe₂ leading eventually to aldehyde ent-22. The acylated oxazolidinone 32 derived from acid 5 and aldehyde ent-22 were combined in an aldol reaction. A subsequent Curtius rearrangement on the carboxylic group furnished the amino function of tyroscherin (2). In a proof of concept study the same strategy was used to prepare tyroscherin analog 28.     

The second generation synthesis of (+)-pseudodeflectusin

The second generation synthesis of (+)-pseudodeflectusin (1), a potential antitumor agent, has been achieved. The key synthetic step is the cascade reaction involving Diels-Alder reaction, lactonization, and decarboxylation to give cycloadduct 6 with complete regioselectivity in good yield. We found that NaH is the best base to facilitate the Diels-Alder reaction of hydroxypyrone 7 with alkyne 8. The present synthetic route enables the total synthesis of (+)-1 in only five-steps from the known compounds 7 and 8.     

Some reactions of persistent benzofuranone radicals related to the ‘old’ diazonamide structure

The benzofuranone dimers 9 and 10/11 readily (ca. 75 °C) dissociate to the persistent radicals 16 and 17 respectively, which are stable to, dioxygen. The OMe analog 25 dissociates to form the radical 24, which reacts with dioxygen of TEMPO to give 26.     

Synthesis and reactivity against Cp2TiCl of 4-isoprenyl-β-lactams. Trapping of N-titanoimidoyl radicals from cyanoformyl-2-azetidinones

A Staudinger reaction between methoxyketene and two different imines formed from citral afforded, after chemical transformation, the (E/Z)-4-alkenylepoxy-2-azetidinones 2, 3 and 4. These compounds, by reaction with Cp₂TiCl, did not cyclize to afford the expected polycyclic β-lactams, but the corresponding allylic alcohols 12, 13 and 15 were obtained instead. Unexpectedly, the treatment of cyanoepoxide (E)-3 with Cp₂TiCl also gave the hydroxyl aldehyde (E)-14 whose formation suggests to us that a possible radical reduction of the cyano group might have occurred, and we lastly succeeded in the capture of the N-titanoimidoyl radicals. The behaviour observed for the isoprenoid side chain in the Staudinger reaction, the reactions with Cp₂TiCl, as well as the trapping of N-titanoimidoyl radicals generated from benzocyanoformyl-2-azetidinones with the Ti(III) reagent, are discussed.     

Stereoselective synthesis of (−)-allosedamine

A stereoselective synthesis of (−)-allosedamine is disclosed. β-Aminosulfoxide 4 was generated stereoselectively by condensation of the sulfinyl anion 2 with N-Ts imine 3. The bromohydrin 5 was obtained by intramolecular sulfinyl group participation and the piperidine ring of allosedamine was elaborated using the ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction.     

Mannich reaction of pyrrole and dimethylpyrrole with monoamines and diamines

The Mannich reaction of pyrrole with ethylenediamine dihydrochloride and formaldehyde gave two compounds: N¹,N¹,N²,N²-tetrakis(pyrrol-2-ylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine 1 and 1,3-bis(pyrrol-2-ylmethyl)imidazolidine 2 in poor yields. Conversely, the reaction of pyrrole with propylenediamine dihydrochloride afforded macrocyclic compound 3 containing two pyrrole rings bridged by two dimethylenehexahydropyrimidine moieties in 50% yield. The reaction of 2,5-dimethylpyrrole with methylamine hydrochloride and formaldehyde gave novel bicycle 4 consisting of a dimethyltetrahydro-1,3-diazepine ring fused with a 2,5-dimethylpyrrole ring. The reaction of 2,5-dimethylpyrrole with ammonium chloride gave the tripodal ligand tris(2,5-dimethylpyrrol-3-yl)methylamine 5 in 62% yield. The structures of 2–4 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies.