The Synthesis of Some Fused Pyrazolo‐1,4‐Naphthoquinones

New fused pyrazolo‐1,4‐naphthoquinones were prepared from the reaction of hydrazines with 6‐(4‐methyl‐3‐pentenyl)‐1,4‐naphthoquinone. The reaction was extended to hydroxylamine to afford the corresponding isoxazolo‐1,4‐napthoquinone compound.     

Reaction of dihydrolipoic acid with juglone and related naphthoquinones: unmasking of a spirocyclic 1,3-dithiane intermediate en route to naphtho[1,4]dithiepines

The reaction of dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) with 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (juglone) gives rise to the novel naphtho[1,4]dithiepine derivatives through ring expansion of an unstable spirocyclic 1,3-dithiane intermediate, which was isolated and completely characterized. Reported herein is also the characterization of novel reaction products of DHLA with other naphthoquinones and the extension of the study to the spirocyclic adduct formed by reaction with a representative 2-substituted naphthoquinone.     

Reaction of Some Indoles with 1,4‐Naphthoquinones in the Presence of Pd(OAc)2

The reaction available for the introduction of an indole unit into the 1,4‐naphthoquinone skeleton is described. The reaction of the indoles with 1,4‐naphthoquinones in CH₃CN in the presence of Pd(OAc)₂ gave the corresponding 2‐(3‐indolyl)‐1,4‐naphthoquinones in moderate yield.     

One‐step preparation of some 2‐isopropenyl‐2,3‐dihydronaphtho‐[2,3‐b]furan‐4,9‐diones

Some 2‐isopropenyl‐2,3‐dihydronaphtho[2,3‐b]furan‐4,9‐diones la‐f,b',f were prepared by one‐step cyclizations of 2‐hydroxy‐1,4‐naphthoquinones 2a‐f with 1,4‐dibromo‐2‐methyl‐2‐butene ( 3 ).     

Reaction of pyrroles with naphthoquinones. Synthesis of new pyrrolylnaphthoquinone dyes

The reaction of 1,4‐naphthoquinone (1) with N‐alkylpyrroles (2) gives a mixture of 2‐(pyrrol‐2‐yl)‐1,4‐naphthoquinones (3) and 2,5‐bis(1,4‐naphthoquinon‐2‐yl)pyrroles (4). The yields and the ratios of these two products depend greatly on the experimental conditions. The reaction has been extended to 5‐hydroxy‐1,4‐naphthoquinone (juglone, 5) and 1,2‐naphthoquinone (6). New pyrrolylnaphthoquinones are obtained.     

Structural analysis of naphthoquinone protein adducts with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and the scoring algorithm for spectral analysis (SALSA)

The relative reactivities of various naphthoquinone isomers (1,4-, 1,2- and 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) to two test proteins, apomyoglobin and human hemoglobin, were evaluated via liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS). The structural characterization of the resulting adducts was also obtained by LC/ESI-MS analysis of the intact proteins. The reactive sites of apomyoglobin and human hemoglobin with 1,4-naphthoquinone and 1,2-naphthoquinone were also identified through characterization of adducted tryptic peptides by use of high-pressure liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS), TurboSEQUEST, and the scoring algorithm for spectral analysis (SALSA). Four adducted peptides, which were formed by nucleophilic addition of a lysine amino acid residue to 1,4-naphthoquinone, were also identified, as was an adducted peptide from incubation of 1,2-naphthoquinone with apomyoglobin. In the case of incubation of human hemoglobin with the two naphthoquinones, two adducted peptides were identified from the N-terminal valine modification of the alpha and beta chains of human hemoglobin. The adducted protein formation may imply that naphthalene produces its in vivo toxicity through 1,2- and 1,4-naphthoquinone metabolites reacting with biomolecular proteins.     

Synthesis of the reported structure of crassiflorone, a naturally occurring quinone isolated from the African ebony Diospyros crassiflora, and regioisomeric pentacyclic furocoumarin naphthoquinones

A synthesis of the structure reported for the natural product crassiflorone, a furocoumarin naphthoquinone, is described. The key steps are a Diels-Alder reaction to form 2-bromo-8-hydroxy-6-methylnaphthoquinone, followed by O-protection and copper(II) mediated coupling to 4-hydroxy-5-methylcoumarin to establish the pentacyclic framework whose structure was unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Since the spectroscopic data of the synthetic material did not match those reported for the natural product, three further regioisomeric furocoumarin naphthoquinones were prepared by copper(II) mediated coupling of 4-hydroxy-5- or 8-methyl coumarins with 5-benzyloxy-2-bromo-7-methyl- or 8-benzyloxy-2-bromo-6-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone. Again the spectroscopic data did not match those of the natural material and therefore the true structure of crassiflorone remains unknown.     

Laccase-generated quinones in naphthoquinone synthesis via Diels-Alder reaction

The tandem synthesis of naphthoquinones was conducted from the reaction of laccase-generated quinones and acyclic dienes via Diels-Alder reaction. This reaction was carried out under mild condition in aqueous medium and yielded naphthoquinones up to 80%. In addition, the effect of solvent was also investigated and water was shown to be optimal for this reaction.     

Glutathione reductase-catalyzed cascade of redox reactions to bioactivate potent antimalarial 1,4-naphthoquinones--a new strategy to combat malarial parasites

Our work on targeting redox equilibria of malarial parasites propagating in red blood cells has led to the selection of six 1,4-naphthoquinones, which are active at nanomolar concentrations against the human pathogen Plasmodium falciparum in culture and against Plasmodium berghei in infected mice. With respect to safety, the compounds do not trigger hemolysis or other signs of toxicity in mice. Concerning the antimalarial mode of action, we propose that the lead benzyl naphthoquinones are initially oxidized at the benzylic chain to benzoyl naphthoquinones in a heme-catalyzed reaction within the digestive acidic vesicles of the parasite. The major putative benzoyl metabolites were then found to function as redox cyclers: (i) in their oxidized form, the benzoyl metabolites are reduced by NADPH in glutathione reductase-catalyzed reactions within the cytosols of infected red blood cells; (ii) in their reduced forms, these benzoyl metabolites can convert methemoglobin, the major nutrient of the parasite, to indigestible hemoglobin. Studies on a fluorinated suicide-substrate indicate as well that the glutathione reductase-catalyzed bioactivation of naphthoquinones is essential for the observed antimalarial activity. In conclusion, the antimalarial naphthoquinones are suggested to perturb the major redox equilibria of the targeted infected red blood cells, which might be removed by macrophages. This results in development arrest and death of the malaria parasite at the trophozoite stage.     

Synthesis of some NH- and NH,S- substituted 1,4-quinones

A series of NH-substituted-1,4-quinones, possessing one, two, three or not chlorine, were synthesized by the reaction between different quinones (p-chloranil (1), p-toluquinone (2), or 2,3-dichloro-1,4-naphthoquinone (3)) and (-)-cis-myrtanylamine (5) via nucleophilic reactions. Moreover, 2-bromo-1,4-naphthoquinone (4) was reacted with 2-(methylthio)ethylamine (11) to produce amino-substituted naphthoquinones (12 and 13), bearing with bromine and not bromine. In addition, 2-bromo-1,4-naphthoquinone (4) was reacted with 4′-aminodibenzo-18-crown-6 (14) and 4′-aminobenzo-18-crown-6 (16) to yield crown-containing 1,4-naphthoquinones (15 and 17), respectively. New compounds were characterized, providing ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FTIR, MS-ESI, UV/Vis and elemental analysis.     

Iron(III) phosphate catalyzed synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridines

Novel 1,4-dihydropyridines (1,4-DHPs) are prepared efficiently via Hantzsch reaction using aldehydes, benzylacetoacetate and catalytic amount of iron(III) phosphate under solvent-free conditions in good yields.     

Synthesis of Arylnaphthoquinones and Their Reactions with o‐Substituted Primary Aromatic Amines

Cycloaddition reaction of 2‐aryl‐1,4‐benzoquinones 1a‐d with a number of different dienes, namely 2,3‐dimethylbutadiene; 1,4‐diphenylbutadiene and anthracene yield 2‐aryl‐6,7‐dimethyl‐1,4‐ naphthoquinones 3a,b ; 2,5,8‐triphenyl‐1,4‐naphthoquinone 4 and 2‐aryl‐1,4,9,10‐tetrahydro‐9,10‐o‐benzoanthracene‐1,4‐dione 5 , respectively were investigated. In addition, the cycloaddition reaction of 2‐aryl‐1,4‐benzoquinones 1d,e with 2,3‐dimethylbutadiene was also investigated to yield 2‐aryl‐5,8‐dihydro‐6,7‐dimethyl‐1,4‐naphthohydroquinones 2a,b . Cyclocondensation reactions of Diels‐Alder adducts 2b, 3b, 5a with ethylenediamine, o‐substituted primary aromatic amines gave quinoxaline, phenazine, phenoxazine and phenothiazine ocyclic derivatives 6–14.     

Coupling of pentacarbonyl[(cyclopropyl)methoxymethylene]molybdenum complex with ferrocenyl alkynes: Synthesis of ferrocenyl-substituted cycloheptadienones and cycloheptenediones

Pentacarbonyl[(cyclopropyl)methoxymethylene]molybdenum complex reacts with ferrocenyl alkynes to afford ferrocenyl-substituted 2,4-cycloheptadienones as major products, accompanied by varying amounts of 2-cycloheptene-1,4-diones and/or 2-cyclobutenones. 2-Cycloheptene-1,4-diones are secondary reaction products and result from initially formed 2,4-cycloheptadienones via hydrolysis. In one reaction, a hydroxy-substituted 2,4-cycloheptadienone derivative was isolated, which was not observed previously from similar reactions.     

单炔基桥联双杯[4]芳烃的合成与对溶剂分子的包合性能

对叔丁基杯[4]芳烃直接与1,4-二氯-2-丁炔反应,一步制备了单炔基单桥联双杯[4]芳烃和单炔基双桥联双杯[4]芳烃,并证实单桥联双杯[4]芳烃是双桥联双杯[4]芳烃的中间产物.经¹HNMR,¹³CNMR和ESI-MS分析证实了产物的结构.ESI-MS结果表明两种产物对DMF和H₂O有不同的包合能力.     

Synthesis of 2‐(3‐indolyl)‐1,4‐naphthoquinones using 3‐iodoindoles

The usefulness of 3‐iodoindoles available for introduction of an indole unit is presented. The reaction of various halo‐3‐iodoindoles with 1,4‐naphthoquinone gave the corresponding 2‐(3‐indolyl)‐1‐4,naphthoquinones in moderate yields. The 3‐iodoindole was used for synthesis of a compound containing both naph‐thazarin and indole skeletons.     

Facile Synthesis of 2‐Amino‐1,4‐naphthoquinones catalyzed by Molecular Iodine under Ultrasonic Irradiation

The conjugate addition reactions of amines with 1,4‐naphthoquinone were catalyzed efficiently by molecular iodine under ultrasonic irradiation to afford 2‐amino‐1,4‐naphthoquinones in moderate to excellent yields.     

Substituted naphthoquinones as novel amino acid sensitive reagents for the detection of latent fingermarks on paper surfaces

In this paper, we present our preliminary studies into naphthoquinones as novel reagents for the detection of latent fingermarks on paper. Latent fingermarks deposited on paper substrates were treated with solutions of selected naphthoquinones in ethyl acetate/HFE-7100, with subsequent heating. The selected compounds were 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid, 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate, 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone and 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone. All of the tested compounds yielded purple-brown visible fingermarks, which also exhibited photoluminescence when illuminated with a high intensity filtered light source at 555 nm and viewed through red goggles. Indirect heat using an oven at 150 °C for 1 h was found to be superior to direct heat with an iron, which while providing faster development lead to increased levels of background colouration. Luminescence spectrophotometry revealed differences in photoluminescence characteristics for fingermarks developed with the different naphthoquinones, with excitation over the range 530-590 nm. Luminescence spectrophotometry of developed lysine, glycine and serine spots on paper was used to confirm that the naphthoquinones were reacting with amino acids in the latent fingermark.     

One-step synthesis of heterocyclic privileged medicinal scaffolds by a multicomponent reaction of malononitrile with aldehydes and thiols

Heterocyclic privileged medicinal scaffolds involving pyridine, 1,4-dihydropyridine, chromeno[2,3-b]pyridine, and dihydro-1,4-dithiepine frameworks are prepared via a single-step multicomponent reaction of structurally diverse aldehydes with various thiols and malononitrile. Mechanistic studies of the synthetic pathway leading to pyridines reveal that 1,4-dihydropyridines undergo oxidation by the intermediate Knoevenagel adducts rather than by air oxygen. The use of o,o'-disubstituted aromatic aldehydes leads to the corresponding 1,4-dihydropyridines, whereas salicylic aldehydes result in chromeno[2,3-b]pyridines. Reactions of ethanedithiol as a thiol component produce dimeric pyridines with sterically unencumbered aldehydes, while o,o'-disubstituted aromatic aldehydes give dihydro-1,4-dithiepines. Thus, depending on the aldehyde and thiol types, diverse libraries of medicinally relevant compounds can be prepared by a simple one-step process involving no chromatography.     

Cu2O-catalyzed tandem ring-opening/coupling cyclization process for the synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxins

2,3-Dihydro-1,4-benzodioxins can be prepared in a tandem one-pot procedure by reaction of o-iodophenols with epoxides catalyzed by Cu2O/1,10-phenanthroline/Cs2CO3 system. The reaction is suggested to occur via a novel ring-opening/coupling mechanism, giving moderate to good yields. Moreover, both aryl and aliphatic epoxides are tolerated under these conditions.     

SAR Models for Futile Metabolism: One-Electron Reduction of Quinones,Phenols and Nitrobenzenes

Abstract

Benzoquinones, naphthoquinones and aziridinylbenzoquinones, can be reduced by flavoproteins to semiquinones that react with molecular oxygen to form superoxide anion with the subsequent regeneration of the parent compounds. This redox cycling, a form of futile metabolism, produces reactive oxygen species and depletes the reducing equivalents of cells without concomitant energy production. The ability of a toxicant to redox cycle is related to its one-electron reduction potential, and this study attempted to estimate reduction potential from structure using semi-empirical quantum chemical models for a diverse set of chemicals. The results of this study suggest that one-electron reduction potentials, within structural classes of benzoquinones, naphthoquinones, phenols and nitrobenzenes, can be estimated from local and global electronic indices that are related to delocalization. Smaller absolute charge on the carbonyl carbon in the quinone moiety correlated with more positive one-electron reduction potentials of 1,4-benzoquinones, naphthoquinones and two-electron reduction potentials of aziridinylbenzoquinones. The energy of frontier orbitals of the quinones, phenols and nitrobenzenes also co-varied with reduction potential. More positive reduction potentials of 1,4-benzoquinones, 1,4-naphthoquinones and phenols were correlated with more negative values of E_HOMO, while more negative values of E_LUMO were correlated with more positive potentials of nitrobenzenes and aziridinylbenzoquinones. Delocalization of electron density also correlated with reduction potentials within individual classes.