Utilization of an oxonia-Cope rearrangement as a mechanistic probe for Prins cyclizations

An oxonia-Cope rearrangement was used as an internal clock reaction to probe the mechanism of the Prins cyclization reaction and the subsequent nucleophilic capture of the resultant tetrahydropyranyl cation. The oxonia-Cope rearrangement was shown to occur rapidly under typical Prins cyclization conditions when the oxocarbenium ion resulting from the rearrangement is similar to or lower in energy than the starting oxocarbenium ion. Oxonia-Cope rearrangements can be disfavored by destabilizing the resultant oxocarbenium ion or by stabilizing an intermediate tetrahydropyranyl cation. Stereoselectivity in the nucleophilic capture was dramatically affected by the reactivity of the nucleophile and electrophile. More reactive partners combined rapidly to give axial-substituted Prins products through a least-motion pathway. High selectivity for the equatorial-substituted tetrahydropyran was observed for less reactive nucleophiles and electrophiles.     

Synthesis of AX7593, a quinazoline-derived photoaffinity probe for EGFR

[structure: see text] The synthesis of a photoaffinity probe for EGFR is described. O-Alkylation of 4-(meta-azidoanilino)-6-methoxy-7-hydroxy-quinazoline with a protected tetraethyleneglycol linker followed by the attachment of tetramethylrhodamine yielded the fluorescent probe AX7593. Photoaffinity labeling of EGFR by AX7593 (K(b) = 280 nM) was shown to have an efficiency of 34% and to be competitive with the EGFR inhibitors PP2 and AG1478.     

Synthesis of a tritium-labeled, fipronil-based, highly potent, photoaffinity probe for the GABA receptor

3-[4-[1-(2,6-dichloro-4-trifluoromethylphenyl)pyrazolo]]-3-(trifluoromethyl)diazirine is a fipronil-based (i.e. fiprole), high-affinity probe for the GABA receptor. For synthesis of the tritium-labeled version of this trifluoromethyldiazirinylfiprole ([(3)H]TDF) the required intermediate, 3-[4-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-iodo-4-trifluoromethylphenyl)-5-iodopyrazolo]]-3-(trifluoromethyl)diazirine, was prepared in 10 steps from pyrazole and 3,5-dichloro-4-fluorobenzotrifluoride. One of the key transformations was lithiation and subsequent iodination of the 4-(2,2,2-trifluoro-1-hydroxyethyl)pyrazole intermediate. The last step involved reduction of the diiodofiprole with tritium, Pd/C, and triethylamine in ethyl acetate and afforded [(3)H]TDF with a specific activity of 15 Ci/mmol and 99% radiopurity.     

Metal-catalyzed rearrangement of homoallylic ethers to silylmethyl allylic silanes in the presence of a Di-tert-butylsilylene source

[reaction: see text] In examining the scope of the di-tert-butylsilylene transfer to gem-disubstituted alkenes to form silacyclopropanes, we discovered an unprecedented reaction of homoallylic ethers. When silylene transfer was performed at room temperature or above, two di-tert-butylsilylene units were incorporated into the molecule, and complete rearrangement of the carbon backbone occurred. This report describes the scope of this unique reaction as well as the mechanistic studies conducted that led to a proposed mechanism.     

Thiazolium-catalyzed additions of acylsilanes: a general strategy for acyl anion addition reactions

A strategy utilizing N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) derived from thiazolium salts has been developed for the generation of carbonyl anions from acylsilanes. Synthetically useful 1,4-diketones and N-phosphinoyl-alpha-aminoketones have been prepared in good to excellent yields via NHC-catalyzed additions of acylsilanes to the corresponding alpha,beta-unsaturated systems and N-phosphinoylimines. These organocatalytic reactions are air- and water-tolerant methods to execute robust carbonyl anion addition reactions. Additionally, polysubstituted aromatic furans and pyrroles have been efficiently synthesized in a one-pot process using this carbonyl anion methodology. The addition of alcohols to the reaction renders the process catalytic in thiazolium salt. In an effort to synthesize a potential intermediate along the proposed reaction pathway, silylated thiazolium carbinols have been identified to provide good yields of carbonyl anion addition products when subjected to the standard reaction conditions in the presence of suitable electrophiles.     

Cyclic acetals as carbonyl blocking groups in the photo-fries rearrangement of acyl substituted aryl esters.

The ethylene acetals of $\text{o}$ and $\text{p}$-acetoxyacetophenone 3a,b, prepared from the corresponding hydroxyacetophenones by treatment with acetic anhydride in pyridine and subsequently with ethylene glycol and $\text{p}$-toluenesulphonic acid, give upon irradiation the expected photo-Fries products 4a,b (from 3a) or 6 (from 3b). These compounds are converted in part into diacetylphenols 5a,b as a consequence of a deacetalization, occurring to some extent during the irradiation and further in the chromatographic workup. The yields of the photoproducts and the $\text{ortho}$/$\text{para}$ ratio (in the case of 3a) are very similar to those given in the literature for phenyl acetate. By contrast, the acetoxyacetophenones 2a,b do not undergo any appreciable change upon irradiation,showing the deactivating effect of the acetyl side chain. Therefore, it is concluded that cyclic acetals are suitable carbonyl blocking groups in order to circumvent the deactivating effect of acyl substituents on the photo-Fries rearrangement of aryl esters.     

Oxidative fragmentation of bicyclic hydroxy silanes and stannanes: a strategy for the stereoselective synthesis of kainoids

The addition of tin or silicon nucleophiles to bicyclic enones generated by dearomatising cyclisation gives stannanes and silanes stereoselectively. These compounds may be fragmented under oxidative conditions to generate substituted pyrrolidines bearing C2 and C3 substituents closely related to those found in the kainoid series of cyclic amino acids.     

The Ireland-Claisen rearrangement as a probe for the diastereoselectivity of nucleophilic attack on a double bond adjacent to a stereogenic centre carrying a silyl group

The E- and Z-silyl enol ethers 4 derived from allyl 3-R-3-dimethyl(phenyl)silylpropanoate (R = Me, Pr(i) and Ph) and the Z-silyl enol ethers 7 derived from 4-R-4-dimethyl(phenyl)silylbut-2-enyl acetate (R = Me and Pr(i)) undergo Ireland-Claisen rearrangements largely in the same stereochemical sense, with C-C bond formation taking place anti to the silyl group in the conformations 22, 23 and 24 in which the hydrogen atom on the stereogenic centre is inside, more or less eclipsing the double bond. The E-silyl enol ether E-7a derived from 4-methyl-4-dimethyl(phenyl)silylbut-2-enyl acetate shows low diastereoselectivity in the alternative sense, probably because C-C bond formation takes place anti to the silyl group in the conformation 26 with the methyl group inside, but the silyl enol ether E-7b derived from 4-isopropyl-4-dimethyl(phenyl)silylbut-2-enyl acetate shows low diastereoselectivity in the normal sense. The E- and Z-silyl enol ethers 33 derived from cis-crotyl 3-phenyl-3-dimethyl(phenyl)silylpropanoate and the E-silyl enol ether 39 derived from trans-crotyl 3-phenyl-3-dimethyl(phenyl)silylpropanoate undergo Ireland-Claisen rearrangements largely in the same stereochemical sense as their allyl counterparts, but with moderately high levels of diastereocontrol in setting up the third stereogenic centre following from chair-like transition structures.     

Generation of acyl anion equivalents from acylphosphonates via phosphonate-phosphate rearrangement: a highly practical method for cross-benzoin reaction

[reactions: see text] Acylphosphonates are potent acyl anion precursors that generate acyl anion equivalents under the promotion of cyanide anion via phosphonate-phosphate rearrangement. These anions readily react with aldehydes to provide cross-benzoin products. In this way it is possible to synthesize a variety of aromatic-aromatic, aromatic-aliphatic, and aliphatic-aromatic benzoins. Moreover the reaction of benzoylphosphonate with potent electrophile 2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone provided the corresponding aldehyde-ketone coupling product in high yield.     

Claisen amino rearrangement as a method for synthesis of C-cycloalkenylanilines

Conclusions The reaction of 3-chlorocycloalkenes with excess aromatic amine leads to o-(2-cycloalkenyl)-substituted aromatic amines.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2160–2162, September, 1982.     

Synthesis and characterization of photoaffinity probe of acetogenin, a strong inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I

Acetogenins are valuable inhibitor probes to get an insight into the structural and functional properties of mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I). We synthesized a photoreactive acetogenin mimic ([¹²⁵I]DANA) which retained a strong inhibitory activity. The preliminary photoaffinity labeling with bovine heart submitochondrial particles revealed that [¹²⁵I]DANA binds to the ND1 subunit among 45 different subunits with high specificity.     

Biology-driven library design for probe discovery

Libraries of diverse small molecules are important to probe and drug discovery. The current trend toward building massive screening collections to support drug development, a special application of chemical biology, can limit their broader potential. Biology-driven construction methods (Wallace et?al., 2011) are rapidly emerging to bring chemical libraries back on a viable path.     

Electrochemical synthesis of symmetrical difunctional disilanes as precursors for organofunctional silanes

Difunctional disilanes of the general type XR₂SiSiR₂X (1–5) (X = OMe, H; R = Me, Ph, H) have been synthesized by electrolysis of the appropriate chlorosilanes XR₂SiCl in an undivided cell with a constant current supply and in the absence of any complexing agent. Reduction potentials of the chlorosilane starting materials derived from cyclic voltammetry measurements were used to rationalize the results of preparative electrolyses. Organofunctional silanes of the general formula MeO(Me₂)SiC₆H₄Y (6a–c, 7) were subsequently obtained by the reaction of sym-dimethoxytetramethyldisilane (1) with NaOMe in the presence of p-functional aryl bromides BrC₆H₄Y (Y = OMe, NEt₂, NH₂).     

Atom arrangement strategy for designing a turn-on 1H magnetic resonance probe: a dual activatable probe for multimodal detection of hypochlorite

The first dual activatable hypochlorite ((-)OCl)-sensing probe was developed, based on a new proof-of-concept design involving signal-activatable (1)H chemical probes using the triple-resonance NMR technique. The probe enabled fluorescence-(1)H MR dual turn-on detection of (-)OCl in solution and in crude tissue extracts.     

Stereochemistry as a probe for photochemical reaction mechanisms

In this publication we have reviewed examples derived from our photochemical investigations where stereochemistry provides information allowing elucidation of the mechanistic details of electronically excited state transformations. The reactions discussed include unimolecular rearrangements of both singlet and triplet excited state species.     

Rational design of a highly reactive ratiometric fluorescent probe for cyanide

A novel highly reactive ratiometric fluorescent cyanide probe was judiciously designed based on 2-formylacrylonitrile moiety as a new cyanide reaction site. A DFT study was conducted to rationalize the extremely high reactivity nature of the ratiometric fluorescent cyanide probe.     

Asymmetric synthesis of alpha-amino allyl,benzyl, and propargyl silanes by metalation and rearrangement

[reaction: see text] Metalation of a Boc-protected N-silylamine alpha to nitrogen results in migration of the silicon from nitrogen to carbon (reverse aza-Brook rearrangement), yielding an alpha-amino silane. The Boc group acts initially as a metalation-directing group and then to stabilize the nitrogen anion, providing a driving force for the rearrangement. In the presence of (-)-sparteine, the new chiral center is formed in >90% ee from allyl, benzyl, and propargylamines.