Synthesis,kinetics, and mechanism of bromophenols by N‐bromophthalimide in aqueous acetic acid

The kinetics and mechanism of bromination of phenol and its substituents, viz. 4‐chlorophenol, 4‐bromophenol, 4‐methylphenol, and 4‐methoxyphenol by N‐bromophthalimide (NBP) in the presence of mercuric acetate in the temperature range of 303–318 K in aqueous acetic acid medium have been investigated. The reaction follows first‐order dependence on [NBP] and fractional order dependence of rate on [Phenol]. The activation parameters have been evaluated, and based on the observed kinetic results the probable mechanism has been proposed. Observed kinetic features and Hammett's reaction constant (ρ) suggests that bromination occurs through electrophilic substitution of bromonium ion (Br⁺) into the aromatic ring in the transition state. Large negative entropy of activation values probably suggests the rigid nature of transition state.     

Rapid relaxation pathway of the excited state of linear merocyanines in solutions

Excited‐state relaxation of linear merocyanine dyes in solution is investigated using time‐resolved spectroscopy techniques and quantum chemical calculations. The merocyanine L‐Mero4 and phenyl‐substituted P‐L‐Mero4 have a S‐trans and S‐cis structure, respectively, consisting of indole moiety as the donor, indandione as the acceptor, and the tetramethine as the bridge. The time‐correlated single‐photon counting (TCSPC) picosecond measurements after excitation at wavelength 515 nm to the ππ* state yield emission curves with a short component τ₁ in the range of 27–160 ps and a second component τ₂ of 200–780 ps for L‐Mero4. In P‐L‐Mero4, τ₁ lies in the range of 18–150 ps and τ₂ 220–520 ps. The subfemtosecond transient absorption measurements yield a short component around 0.4–1.4 ps, and the second/third components are similar to those in the TCPSC measurements. The analysis of the experimental data demonstrates that the ground state recovery exhibits a biexponential rise and rapidly indicates that the conversion back to the electronic ground state provides a fast, nonradiative pathway. Quantum chemical calculations on the electronic structures and their dependence on the molecular confirmation are performed. We identify the excited states and the relaxation path along the twist of the center double bonds in tetramethine that might be the nonradiative pathway. The C=C double bond is weakened in the ππ* state. The phenyl substitution in the conjugated double bond weakens this C=C bond, lowers the isomerization barrier, increases the nonradiative rate, and reduces the emission quantum yield. In polar solvents, the energy of the perpendicular conformer along the trans–cis isomerization path is increased to achieve less coupling to the ground state surface. Because of the small barrier to the trans form, these two conformers establish an equilibrium condition. The trans form, which lies at a lower energy, gains more population and thus has a higher emission yield.     

Microwave‐Assisted One‐Pot Synthesis of Substituted 3‐Bromoimidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines and Imidazoheterocycles

Herein, an efficient, one‐pot microwave‐assisted synthesis of a diverse set of 3‐bromoimidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines is being reported with good yields (40–85%). The method involves electrophilic aromatic bromination using bromodimethylsulfonium ion generated in situ via oxidation of HBr salt by DMSO. This methodology was also applied to the synthesis of related imidazoheterocycles. Copyright © 2014 HeteroCorporation     

cis,cis‐Ceratospong­amide N,N‐di­methyl­acet­amide hemisolvate in the presence of twinning

Ceratospong­amide (CS) is a potent inhibitor of secreted phospho­lipase A₂, and cis,cis and trans,trans isomers, related with respect to the two proline amide bonds, are known. Crystals of cis,cis‐CS were grown from N,N‐di­methyl­acet­amide solution, giving the title compound, the cyclic ester of isoleucyl­oxazolinyl­phenyl­alanyl­prolyl­thia­zolyl­phenyl­alanyl­pro­line [cyclo(‐Ile–Oxz–Phe–Pro–Thz–Phe–Pro‐)] N,N‐di­methyl­acet­amide hemisolvate, C₄₁H₄₉N₇O₆S·0.5C₄H₉NO. The structure is the third example of cis,cis‐CS to be investigated and comprises twinned crystals, in which the a and b axes are interchanged. The ratio of co‐existing twin crystals is approximately 50%. The peptide has a `saddle‐like' structure and is very similar to previously reported structures of cis,cis‐CS, which implies that the structure of cis,cis‐CS is very stable in spite of differences in crystallization conditions.     

Synthesis of 2,3‐Fused Indoline Aminals via 4 + 2 Cycloaddition of NH‐free Benzazetidines with Indoles

A 4 + 2 cycloaddition reaction of NH‐free benzazetidines with indoles under the catalysis of camphorsulfonic acid was developed. This method shows a broad substrate scope of benzazetidines and indoles, and offers a convenient method for stereoselective synthesis of various cis‐2,3‐fused indoline aminals. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest the reaction proceed via a stepwise pathway featuring an electrophilic attack on the benzylic carbon of benzazetidine.     

Kinetics of electrophilic brominations. Mechanistic significance of the third-order term

The rates of electrophilic bromination of various donors follow complex kinetics which include both first-order and second-order dependences on bromine, especially in the less polar solvents. The second-order rate constant k_s and the third-order rate constant k_t are evaluated for alkene bromination in carbon tetrachloride, and they are compared to those already listed for the electrophilic brominations of substituted styrenes, arenes, and metal carbonyls in the extant literature. Despite the varying magnitudes of the second– and third-order rate constants for these diverse donors (and in different solvents), the ratio log(k_s/k_t) is remarkably invariant. The mechanistic implication of this unique observation is discussed in the context of charge transfer interactions which are common to the activated complexes in the electrophilic brominations of various donors.     

Combining Gold and Palladium Catalysis: One‐Pot Access to Pentasubstituted Arenes from Furan–Yne and En–Diyne Substrates

A series of furan–yne systems was transformed into the corresponding tetrasubstituted annelated phenol derivatives that bear one bromo group. The two‐step procedure consisted of a phenol synthesis and a subsequent electrophilic bromination with N‐bromosuccinimide (NBS). The reactions can be performed in a one‐pot procedure with the same precatalyst. The halogenation reaction is highly selective only in the presence of the gold catalyst. En–diyne substrates were also suitable starting materials; then the pentasubstituted aromatic core showed a completely different substitution pattern for the phenolic products. Furthermore, a one‐pot protocol that consisted of a gold‐catalyzed phenol synthesis, a gold‐catalyzed halogenation reaction, and a palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki coupling was established. The overall efficiency of this procedure was excellent and the substrate scope of the reaction was broad.     

Synthesis of Cyclopenta‐HBCs and their Regioselective Chlorination During Oxidative Cyclodehydrogenation

Hexa‐peri‐hexabenzocoronenes with a bay‐fused five‐membered ring are synthesized from fluorenyl precursors. The key oxidative cyclodehydrogenation step is accompanied by regioselective chlorination that is enhanced by methylation at the cyclopenta‐ring or increased reaction concentration. The CpHBC products undergo mild electrophilic aromatic bromination, without catalyst, to afford adducts suitable for π‐extension by cross‐coupling.     

Bromination of ‘endo‐Benzocyclobutanorbornene': Synthesis of ‘endo‐ 11,12‐Dibromobenzocyclobutanorbornene': High‐Temperature Bromination,Part XIV

The electrophilic addition of Br to ‘endo‐benzocyclobutanorbornene' 5 at −50° led in high yield to the formation of the rearranged dibromides 6 and 7 . However, high‐temperature bromination of 5 in decalin at 150° gave exclusively nonrearranged product 8 in 98% yield. From the elimination of nonrearranged product 8 , ‘endo‐bromobenzocyclobutanorbornene' 9 and ‘endo‐benzocyclobutanorbornene' 5 were obtained. Similarly, bromination of monobromide 9 at 77° yielded the nonrearranged tribromide 12 in quantitative yield. The dehydrobromination of 12 provided the ‘endo 11,12‐dibromobenzocyclobutanorbornene' 3 in high yield, which is a synthon for the trimerization reactions.     

Ozonolysis of methyl, amino and nitro substituted ethenes: A semi-empirical molecular orbital study

The three-step ozonolysis reaction is studied for a number of methyl, amino and nitro substituted ethenes (classified as symmetrically, asymmetrically and cis/trans substituted) using the PM3 SCF-MO method. Substituent effects are predicted to generally yield the order NH₂ > Me > NO₂ for the ability to enhance facility of ozonolysis, in line with the electrophilic nature of ozone. Geometry and conformation allow for a variety of different pathways, and the lowest energy pathway is predicted for each case, with consequences for identity of the intermediates preferentially involved. Greater stability of the trans isomer of the carbonyl oxide intermediate is the main factor for its preferred involvement in the second step of the reaction. For the cis/trans substituted ethenes, the major product (the secondary ozonide) is predicted as being the cis ozonide and the trans ozonide for the cis and the trans substituted ethenes, respectively.     

Stereoselective Iodolactonization of 4‐Allenoic Acids with Efficient Chirality Transfer: Development of a New Electrophilic Iodination Reagent

A highly stereoselective iodolactonization of 4‐allenoic acids with a new sterically demanding electrophilic iodination reagent to afford optically active γ‐butyrolactones has been developed. The reaction shows high efficiency of axial chirality transfer and excellent Z/E selectivity and has been applied to the synthesis of chiral cis‐β,γ‐disubstituted γ‐butyrolactones to give very high diastereomeric and enantiomeric excess values. The reaction has been successfully utilized in the synthesis of naturally occurring compounds (+)‐cis‐whisky lactone and (+)‐cis‐3‐methyl‐4‐decanolide.     

Ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of cis‐cyanocyclooct‐4‐ene: Search for active catalysts,variation of monomer to catalyst ratios and monomer concentrations

The ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of cis‐cyanocyclooct‐4‐ene initiated by ruthenium‐based catalysts of the first, second, and third generation was studied. For the polymerization with the second generation Grubbs catalyst [RuCl₂(?CHPh)(H₂IMes)(PCy₃)] (H₂IMes = N,N′‐bis(mesityl)‐4,5‐dihydroimidazol‐2‐ylidene), the critical monomer concentration at which polymerization occurs was determined, and variation of monomer to catalyst ratios was performed. For this catalyst, ROMP of cis‐cyanocyclooct‐4‐ene did not show the features of a living polymerization as M_n did not linearly increase with increasing monomer conversion. As a consequence of slow initiation rates and intramolecular polymer degradation, molar masses passed through a maximum during the course of the polymerization. With third generation ruthenium catalysts (which contain 3‐bromo or 2‐methylpyridine ligands), polymerization proceeded rapidly, and degradation reactions could not be observed. Contrary to ruthenium‐based catalysts of the second and third generation, a catalyst of the first generation was not able to polymerize cis‐cyanocyclooct‐4‐ene. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Stereoselective Synthesis and Physicochemical Properties of Liquid‐Crystal Compounds Possessing a trans‐2,5‐Disubstituted Tetrahydropyran Ring with Negative Dielectric Anisotropy

Three stereoselective syntheses and the physicochemical properties of trans,trans‐5‐(4‐ethoxy‐2,3‐difluorophenyl)‐2‐(4‐propylcyclohexyl)tetrahydropyran, which is an important liquid‐crystal compound with a large negative dielectric anisotropy (Δε=?7.3), are described. The key step in the construction of the trans‐2,5‐disubstituted tetrahydropyran ring in the first approach involved a benzylic cation mediated intramolecular olefin cyclization of a 2‐allyloxy‐1‐arylethanol derivative. The second method included the Et₂Zn‐induced 1,2‐aryl shift of a bromohydrin obtained from a hetero‐Diels–Alder reaction, followed by stereoselective bromination. The third approach utilized the hetero‐Diels–Alder reaction of trans‐4‐propylcyclohexanecarboxaldehyde and a 2‐aryl‐3‐(trimethylsilyl)oxy‐1,3‐butadiene, followed by stereoselective protonation. From results obtained by using a quantum chemical calculation method, the reason why the target compound shows a large negative Δε value is discussed.     

Two‐dimensional liquid chromatography analysis of all‐trans‐, 9‐cis‐, and 13‐cis‐astaxanthin in raw extracts from Phaffia rhodozyma

An effective two‐dimensional liquid chromatography method has been established for the analysis of all‐trans‐astaxanthin and its geometric isomers from Phaffia rhodozyma employing a C18 column at the first dimension and a C30 column in the second dimension, connected by a 10‐port valve using the photo‐diode array detector. The regression equation of astaxanthin calibration curve was established, and the precision and accuracy values were found to be in the range of 0.32–1.14% and 98.21–106.13%, respectively. By using two‐dimensional liquid chromatography, it was found that day light, ultrasonic treatment, and heat treatment have significant influence on the content of all‐trans‐astaxanthin in the extract from P. rhodozyma due to the transformation of all‐trans‐astaxanthin to cis‐astaxanthin. The day light and ultrasonic treatments more likely transform all‐trans‐astaxanthin to 9‐cis‐astaxanthin, and the thermal treatment transforms all‐trans‐astaxanthin to 13‐cis‐astaxanthin. These results indicate that the two‐dimensional liquid chromatography method can facilitate monitoring astaxanthin isomerization in the raw extract from P. rhodozyma. In addition, the study will provide a general reference for monitoring other medicals and bioactive chemicals with geometric isomers.     

Biphasic Oxidation of cis‐Diaquabis(1,10‐phenanthroline)chromium(III) by N‐Bromosuccinimide and the Formation of Chromium(IV) and Chromium(V)

The oxidation of cis‐diaquabis(1,10‐phenanthroline)chromium(III) [cis‐Cr^III(phen)₂(H₂O)₂]³⁺ by ‐bromosuccinimide (NBS) to yield cis‐dioxobis(1,10‐phenanthroline)chromium(V) has been studied spectrophotometrically in the pH 1.57–3.56 and 5.68–6.68 ranges at 25.0°C. The reaction displayed biphasic kinetics at pH < 4.0 and a simple first order at the pH > 5.0. In the low pH range, the reaction proceeds by two successive steps; the first faster step corresponds to the oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(IV), and the second slower one corresponds to the oxidation of Cr(IV) to Cr(V), the final product of the reaction. The formation of both Cr(IV) and Cr(V) has been detected by electron spin resonance (ESR). The ESR clearly showed the formation and decay of Cr(IV) as well as the formation of Cr(V). Each oxidation process exhibited a first‐order dependence on the initial [Cr(III)]. The pseudo–first‐order rate constants k₃₄ and k₄₅, for the faster and slower steps, respectively, were obtained by a computer program using Origin7.0. Both rate constants showed first‐order dependence on [NBS] and increased with increasing pH.     

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Macfarlandin C,a Spongian Diterpenoid Harboring a Concave‐Substituted cis‐Dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octanone Fragment

The enantioselective total synthesis of the rearranged spongian diterpenoid (?)‐macfarlandin C is reported. This is the first synthesis of a rearranged spongian diterpenoid in which the bulky hydrocarbon fragment is joined via a quaternary carbon to the highly hindered concave face of the cis‐2,8‐dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan‐3‐one moiety. The strategy involves a late‐stage fragment coupling between a tertiary carbon radical and an electrophilic butenolide resulting in the stereoselective formation of vicinal quaternary and tertiary stereocenters. A stereoselective Mukaiyama hydration that orients a pendant carboxymethyl side chain cis to the bulky octahydronapthalene substituent was pivotal in fashioning the challenging concave‐substituted cis‐dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octanone fragment.     

[1,3]Thiazolo[2′,3′:3,4][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5‐a]pyrimidines – A New Heterocyclic System Accessed via Bromocyclization

A facile access to novel condensed system of [1,3]thiazolo[2′,3′:3,4][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5‐a]pyrimidine is presented. This protocol consists of bromine‐assisted direct electrophilic heterocyclization of 3‐N‐allylamine‐5,6‐dihydro[1,3]thiazolo[2,3‐c][1,2,4]triazole. The bromination took place in acetic acid and gave a good yield of the target product, which was dehydrobrominated by sodium acetate action.     

Kinetics of N‐bromination of 2‐oxazolidinone

The kinetics of N‐bromination of 2‐oxazolidinone by transfer of Br from sodium hypobromite, N‐bromosuccinimide (NBS), or N‐bromoacetamide (NBA) were determined spectrophotometrically, at pH between 4.6 and 12.45 (depending on the brominating agent). The reaction with hypobromite was of first order with respect to both the hypobromite and the substrate. The bromination of oxazolidinone with NBS (or NBA) has been found to be a reversible process of order one with respect to both NBA (or NBA) and oxazolidinone in the forward direction, and order one with respect to SI (or ACAM) and the resulting N‐bromo‐oxazolidinone in the other. The pH dependence of the reaction rate was in keeping with a mechanism in which all the brominating agents (HOBr, BrO^?, NBS and NBA) react predominantly with the anion of the substrate. Bimolecular bromination rate constants increased in the order BrO^? < NBA < NBS < HOBr. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 642–649, 2004     

Bromination of N-(o-Aminophenyl)-cis-4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboximide and cis-2-(2-Benzimidazolyl)-4-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic Acid

Exhaustive oxidative bromination of N-(o-aminophenyl)-cis-4-cyclohexene-1'2-dicarboximide and2-(2-benzimidazolyl)-cis-4-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid results in bromine addition at the double bond.Under more severe conditions, the addition of bromine at the double bond is accompanied by bromination ofthe aromatic ring. The latter process does not occur in the exhaustive bromination of cis-2-(2-benzimidazolyl)-4-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid.     

Formal Total Synthesis of Fostriecin by 1,4‐Asymmetric Induction with an Alkyne–Cobalt Complex

The synthesis of a protected dephosphofostriecin, and thereby a formal synthesis of fostriecin, has been accomplished. The synthetic challenges were the construction of four stereogenic centers and the conformationally labile cis‐cis‐trans‐triene moiety. Previous total syntheses have employed at least two asymmetric reactions that required the use of an external chiral auxiliary. Although remote stereoinduction in a 1,4‐relationship is considered difficult, we have developed a notable 1,4‐asymmetric induction that utilizes an alkyne–cobalt complex for the control of C5 stereochemistry by the C8 stereogenic center. The stereochemistry at C11 was established by 1,3‐asymmetric induction with a higher‐order alkynyl‐zinc reagent. Thus, only one asymmetric reaction requiring an external chiral auxiliary was employed in this route. The labile cis‐cis‐trans‐triene unit was constructed at a late stage of the synthesis by diastereoselective coupling of a dienyne and an aldehyde unit, followed by reduction.