Two isolated intermediates of the Tröger's base: synthesis and mechanism

By controlling the amount of catalyst 1-methyl-3-(2-(sulfooxy)ethyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium chloride, two new intermediates of Tröger's bases (11, 1,6-dimethyl-3-(4-methylphenyl)-1,4-dihydroquinazolin-3-ium tetrafluoroborate and 12, 8-methyl-2,5-bis-(4-methylphenyl)-3,5,6,7-tetrahydropyrimido[5,6,1-ij]quinazoline-2-ium tetrafluoroborate) were simply obtained from the one-pot reaction of aromatic amine and formaldehyde in ionic liquid at ambient temperature. These results support the mechanism for Tröger's base formation supposed by Fernando Coelho and co-workers. However, the crystal structure of 12 and correlative quantum chemistry calculation results are not reconciled with their report.     

Synthesis of symmetrical amino and aminomethyl derivatives of Tröger's base via Pd-catalyzed C-C and C-N bond formation

In this paper, we report the synthesis of amino and aminomethyl derivatives of Tröger's base (±)-1 and (±)-2. The key steps in the synthesis of (±)-1 and (±)-2 are Pd-catalyzed amination and cyanation, respectively, of the easily accessible dihalo derivatives (±)-3. These compounds are important intermediates in the synthesis of new ligands and building blocks for H-bonded supramolecular architectures.     

Novel heterocyclic Tröger's base derivatives containing N-methylpyrrole units

Novel analogues of Tröger's base were prepared regioselectively from 4-amino-N-methylpyrrole carboxylates in good yield. Catalytic hydrogenation of dibenzyl-4,9-methano-1,6-dimethyl-4,5,9,10-tetrahydro-1H,6H-dipyrrolo-[3,2-b:3′,2′-f][1,5]diazocin-2,7-dicarboxylate 2b led to 4,9-methano-1,6-dimethyl-4,5,9,10-tetrahydro-1H,6H-dipyrrolo-[3,2-b:3′,2′-f][1,5]diazocin-2,7-dicarboxylic acid 3 which was used for the preparation of Tröger's base derivatives of natural antibiotics via an amide protocol. The novel heterocyclic Tröger's bases were characterized by a variety of spectroscopic techniques and compound 2b by X-ray crystallography. Incorporation of guanidine as the terminal group in the N-methylpyrrole Tröger's base skeleton opens the possibility for preparation of water soluble derivatives.     

Tröger's base scaffold in racemic and chiral fashion as a spacer for bisdistamycin formation. Synthesis and DNA binding study

‘Head-to-head’ oligo-N-methylpyrrole peptide dimers linked by a methano[1,5]diazocin scaffold are presented in racemic as well as chiral fashion. Their DNA binding activities were assayed on calf thymus DNA, poly(dA-dT)₂, and poly(dC-dG)₂ by NMR and ECD spectroscopies, and fluorescence probe displacement assay. The presented dimers prefer AT sequences, but show higher affinity to poly(dC-dG)₂ than distamycin A. The (4R,9R) configuration of methanodiazocin bridge was found to be better suited for interaction with ct-DNA and poly(dA-dT)₂ than (4S,9S) configuration.     

Synthesis and reactivity of dimethoxy-functionalised Tröger’s base analogues

Tröger’s base analogues were prepared bearing methoxy groups in the 1,7-, 2,8-, 3,9- or 4,10-positions. These compounds were converted to their dihydroxy analogues in excellent yields upon treatment with boron tribromide and the 4,10-dihydroxy analogue could be prepared by directly from 4-hydroxyaniline. The synthetic utility of the dihydroxy-functionalised compounds as building blocks was demonstrated by the synthesis of a dialkoxy and a diester Tröger’s base analogue.     

Reaction of Tröger’s base analogues with Vilsmeier reagents

As part of a program aimed at introducing functionality onto the Tröger’s base framework post-synthesis, we investigated the formylation reaction of Tröger’s base analogues with Vilsmeier reagents. We found that rather than the anticipated reaction at the aryl rings, these compounds react with Vilsmeier reagents to afford compounds with a modified strap, whereby the apical methylene group is replaced by a methylene strap bearing an N,N-disubstituted amine.     

Intermittent simulated moving bed chromatography: 2. Separation of Tröger’s base enantiomers

The intermittent simulated moving bed (I-SMB) process is a modification of the conventional SMB process that has been recently analyzed theoretically [1]. Here, we present a comparative analysis of the two processes, each operated in a six column 1-2-2-1 configuration (one column in sections 1 and 4 and two columns in sections 2 and 3) and in a four-column 1-1-1-1 configuration. Experiments are carried out on a properly modified laboratory unit to separate racemic mixtures of the enantiomers of Tröger’s base in ethanol on ChiralPak AD at a total feed concentration of 1 g/L. Simulations are carried out for the same system using the equilibrium dispersive model and a bi-Langmuir isotherm, whose parameters have been preliminarily estimated from pulse and breakthrough experiments. Experiments and simulations are fully consistent and demonstrate that the four-column I-SMB process (but not the four-column SMB process) can separate the two enantiomers at very high purity and achieve a productivity twice as large as that of the six-column I-SMB and conventional SMB processes with the same solvent consumption.     

The diastereoisomeric forms of a mononuclear Ru(II) complex bearing a bis-phenanthroline Tröger’s base

The synthesis of a novel completely asymmetric mononuclear complex of ruthenium(II) bearing a chiral bis-phenanthroline Tröger’s base ligand 1 (TBphen₂) is reported. The diastereoisomeric forms of [Ru(phen)₂TBphen₂]²⁺ (ΔS/ΛR=rac-2a and ΛS/ΔR=rac-2b) were separated through crystallization. A complete structure elucidation of the diastereoisomers in solution, including chirality assignment, was achieved by 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Photophysical characterization revealed no significant differences in the emission properties of rac-2a and rac-2b that closely resemble those of [Ru(phen)₃]²⁺.     

Regio/diastereo-controls of the Bingel-type biscyclopropanation of [60]fullerene by using bismalonates with a Tröger base analogue-derived tether

Four kinds of bismalonates tethered with a Tröger base derivative were synthesized and used for the double Bingel reaction of [60]fullerene. The regio/diastereoselectivities of the reaction were highly influenced by the structure of the Tröger base derivatives. Heteroaromatic analogues of the Tröger base were found to be applicable as the core of the tether.     

Development and validation of a cyclodextrin‐modified capillary electrophoresis method for the enantiomeric separation of vildagliptin enantiomers

The enantiomers of vildagliptin, an orally available and selective dipeptidyl‐peptidase‐4 inhibitor used for the treatment of type II diabetes, have been separated by CD‐modified CZE, using uncoated fused‐silica capillary. After screening 13 negatively charged CD derivatives as potential chiral selectors, sulfobutyl‐ether‐α‐CD (SBE‐α‐CD) was selected for the enantioseparation. For the optimization, a factorial analysis study was performed by orthogonal experimental design. Six experimental factors were chosen as variable parameters: temperature, applied voltage, chiral selector and BGE concentrations, pH, and the parameters of the hydrodynamic injection. The optimized system still was not considered final as the second peak (S‐enantiomer) migrated too close to the EOF, resulting in a potential inaccuracy during the determination of the chiral impurity. To fine‐tune the method “one factor at a time” variation approach was applied. The final method (applying 15°C capillary temperature, 40 mbar × 4 s hydrodynamic injection, 25 kV voltage in 75 mM acetate‐Tris buffer [pH 4.75] containing 20 mM SBE‐α‐CD as chiral selector) was validated according to the ICH guideline. RSD percentage of the resolution value, migration times, and corrected peak areas were below 5% during testing repeatability and intermediate precision. LOD and LOQ values were found to be 2.5 and 7.5 μg/mL, respectively. The method is considered linear in the 7.5–180 μg/mL range for the R‐enantiomer. The robustness of the method was justified using Plackett–Burmann statistical experimental design.     

Synthesis, structural elucidation and catalytic activity toward a model Mizoroki-Heck C-C coupling reaction of the pyrazolic Tröger’s base Pd4Cl8(PzTB)2 complex

The synthesis of a novel palladium (II) complex Pd₄Cl₈(PzTB)₂, where PzTB is a pyrazole Tröger’s base analogue ligand is reported. A complete structure elucidation of the complex was achieved by spectroscopic and crystallographic data, exhibiting a metallomacrocycle supramolecular structure and a planar-square geometry on each palladium atom. This complex exhibited also a high activity and selectivity toward a model Mizoroki-Heck C-C coupling reaction of styrene with some iodobenzene derivatives.     

Enantioselective separation of the carfentrazone‐ethyl enantiomers in soil,water and wheat by HPLC

A simple enantioselective HPLC method was developed for measuring carfentrazone‐ethyl enantiomers. The separation and determination was accomplished on an amylose tris[(S)‐α‐methylbenzylcarbamate] (Chiralpak AS) column using n‐hexane/ethanol (98:2, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with UV detection at 248 nm. The effects of mobile‐phase composition and column temperature on the enantioseparation were discussed. The accuracy, precision, linearity, LODs, and LOQ of the method were also investigated. LOD was 0.001 mg/kg in water, 0.015 mg/kg in soil and wheat, with an LOQ of 0.0025 mg/kg in water and 0.05 mg/kg in soil and wheat for each enantiomer of carfentrazone‐ethyl. SPE was used for the enrichment and cleanup of soil, water, and wheat samples. Recoveries for two enantiomers were 88.4–106.7% with RSD_r of 4.2–9.8% at 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg levels from soil, 85.8–99.5% with the RSD_r of 4.4?9.6% at 0.005, 0.025, and 0.05 mg/kg levels from water, and from wheat the recoveries were 86.3?91.3% with RSD_r below 5.0% at 0.2, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg levels. This method could be used to identify and quantify the carfentrazone‐ethyl enantiomers in food and environment.     

Tröger’s bases in the acronycine, benzo[a]acronycine, and benzo[b]acronycine series

Reaction of 11-aminoacronycine, 10-aminobenzo[a]acronycine, and 10-aminobenzo[b]acronycine with paraformaldehyde gave the corresponding Tröger’s bases 11, 14, and 16, respectively. The cytotoxic activity of those three new compounds was determined against L-1210 leukemia and KB-3-1 solid tumor cell lines, in comparison with their parent compounds, acronycine, benzo[a]acronycine, and benzo[b]acronycine.     

Study of the mechanism of enantioseparation part VI: thermodynamic study of HPLC separation of some enantiomers of phenylcarbamic acid derivatives on a (S,S) Whelk-O 1 column

The enantiomers of thirteen 2-, 3-, and 4-alkoxyphenylcarbamic acid 2-methoxy-1-[(4-methylpiperazino)methyl]ethyl ester were separated on a (S,S) Whelk-O 1 CSP column isothermally in the range of 0-50 degrees C at 10 degrees C increments, using methanol/ water (90/10, v/v) containing 17.5 mmol L(-1) acetic acid and 14.36 mmol L(-1) triethylamine as a mobile phase. The dependence of the natural logarithms of retention and selectivity factors (In k, In alpha, respectively) on the inverse of temperature, 1/T, was used to determine thermodynamic data of enantiomers of alkoxysubstituted phenylcarbamic acid 2-methoxy-1-[(4-methylpiperazino) methyl]ethyl esters. Enthalpyentropy compensation plots showed that all of the compounds in this study separate via the same enthalpy-driven chiral recognition mechanism.     

Development and validation of a separation method for the diastereomers and enantiomers of aziridine-type protease inhibitors

Aziridine derivatives are attracting pharmacological interest as protease inhibitors. Due to their two centers of chirality, the aziridines studied here are mixtures of two diastereomers and corresponding enantiomers. Applying cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis resulted in a baseline separation of the four isomers. The most robust separation was obtained by means of 2 mM sulfated beta-cyclodextrin in 50 mM phosphate buffer of pH 2.5. Using this method, 0.25% of the trans-diastereomers aziridine could be precisely and accurately quantified in the presence of 99.75% of the cis-isomers. The corrected peak-area ratios, migration times, and resolutions were found to be robust with respect to small variations of voltage, buffer concentrations, pH, temperature, chiral selector concentration, and different lots.     

A facile synthetic method of α-quaternary-β,γ-unsaturated aldehydes via the stereoselective 1,4-elimination and α-regioselective Ferrier reaction

The 1,4-elimination reaction of 2-substituted-(2Z)-4-methoxy-O-alkenyl acetals with n-butyllithium is shown to afford the 2-substituted-(1Z,3E)-O-1,3-dienyl acetals in high stereoselectivities. The Ferrier reaction of the O-1,3-dienyl acetals thus obtained provides the corresponding α-quaternary-β,γ-unsaturated aldehydes in excellent yields with high α-regioselectivities.     

On‐line two‐dimensional LC: A rapid and efficient method for the determination of enantiomeric excess in reaction mixtures

A novel LC‐based method for the determination of enantiomeric excess (ee) in a sample mixture has been developed by employing on‐line 2D LC. The orthogonal separation system is composed of an NH₂ column as the first dimension to elute the target chiral compound from the crude mixture and a chiral column as the second dimension to determine the ee of the target chiral product. A series of crude mixtures from asymmetric reactions have been directly analyzed without prepurification. Good reproducibility (intra‐ and interday precisions were all under 1.33%) and good accuracy (deviations from ee values determined by 1D HPLC were all <1.03%) have been obtained. Compared with the traditional method for the determination of ee, on‐line 2D HPLC can be used in real time and holds great potential in the time‐saving determination of ee in asymmetric synthesis.     

Studies on pyrazines. 6. A facile separation method for a mixture of the isomeric 2-amino-3,5, and 6-methylpyrazines

This paper describes a facile separation method for a mixture of the isomeric aminomethyl-pyrazines by two-stage processes. Thus the mixture of aminomethylpyrazines was converted into that of the aminobromomethylpyrazines, which could be separated by chromotography on silica gel. Each of the bromopyrazines was hydrogenated to regenerate the original aminopyrazine as a pure form.     

Analytical method development for directed enzyme evolution research: A high throughput high-performance liquid chromatography method for analysis of ribose and ribitol and a capillary electrophoresis method for the separation of ribose enantiomers

Analytical methods were developed for a directed enzyme evolution research programme, which pursued high performance enzymes to produce high quality l-ribose using large scale biocatalytic reaction. A high throughput HPLC method with evaporative light-scattering detection was developed to test ribose and ribitol in the enzymatic reaction, a β-cyclobond 2000 analytical column separated ribose and ribitol in 2.3 min, a C₁₈ guard column was used as an on-line filter to clean up the enzyme sample matrix and a short gradient was applied to wash the column, the enzymatic reaction solution can be directly injected after quenching. Total run time of each sample was approx. 4 min which provided capability of screening 4 × 96-well plates/day/instrument. Meanwhile, a capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the separation of ribose enantiomers, while 7-aminonaphthalene-1,3-disulfonic acid was used as derivatisation reagent and 25 mM tetraborate with 5 mM β-cyclodextrin was used as electrolyte. 0.35%of d-ribose in l-ribose can be detected which can be translated into 99.3% ee of l-ribose. Derivatisation reagent and sample matrix did not interfere with the measurement.