Strategies for the synthesis of chiral, bidentate bis(perfluoroorganyl)phosphane ligands

Chiral, bidentate phosphane ligands, so-called PP ligands, are most frequently synthesized by reacting chiral ditosylates with diarylphosphanide ions.To use the P(CF₃)₂⁻ ion in nucleophilic substitution reactions, it is necessary to reduce the negative hyperconjugation, which is associated with a C-F activation. For this reason we synthesized different bis(trifluoromethyl)phosphanido complexes of mercury, silver and tungsten and investigated their use in nucleophilic substitution reactions. The most reactive compound, resulting from this study so far, is the pentacarbonylbis(trifluoromethyl)phosphanidotungstenate, [W{P(CF₃)₂}(CO)₅]⁻, which exhibits nearly the same bonding situation for the P(CF₃)₂ unit as in the free P(CF₃)₂⁻ ion. For use in synthesis of bis(trifluoromethyl)phosphane derivatives, Lewis acids are desirable, which stabilize the P(CF₃)₂⁻ ion by an intermediary formation of a donor acceptor adduct and can be split off after the synthesis of bis(trifluoromethyl)phosphane derivatives, as could be achieved using the extremely weak Lewis acids, CS₂ and acetone. These results could be established in the synthesis of the first example of an chiral, bidentate bis(trifluoromethyl)phosphane derivative.To synthesize a chiral, bidentate bis(pentafluorophenyl)phosphane derivative, a different synthetic strategy is necessary that does not involve the P(C₆F₅)₂⁻ ion, which decomposes even at low temperature. The implementation of functional P(CN)₂⁻ ions leads to the synthesis of functional, chiral bidentate dicyanophosphane derivatives which finally can be transformed into the corresponding bis(pentafluorophenyl)phosphane derivatives.     

Utilization of the p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl (pNZ) amine protecting group and pentafluorophenyl (Pfp) esters for the solid phase synthesis of spiroligomers

Spiroligomers are a class of peptidomimetics that connect interchangeable, stereochemically pure, cyclic monomers through pairs of amide bonds to form diketopiperazines between the monomers. This enables them to adopt predictable and programmable structure due to the rigidity of the final molecule. We present a new method for the solid phase synthesis of highly functionalized spiroligomers that incorporates the use of the p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl (pNZ) as a temporary amine protecting group and the pentafluorophenyl ester for monomer activation. This new method allows for the synthesis of spiroligomers with higher purity and increased yields when compared to previous methods. This improved method of synthesis of functionalized spiroligomers will facilitate the development of applications as catalysts, therapeutics and membrane channels.     

The conversion of pentoses to 3,4-dihydroxyprolines

The synthesis of two naturally-occurring isomers of 3,4-dihydroxyproline is reported. l-2,3-cis-3,4-trans-3,4-Dihydroxyproline was synthesized from l-arabinose in 10 steps and 31% overall yield. The same series of reactions was employed to convert l-xylose to l-2,3-trans-3,4-trans-3,4-dihydroxyproline. Orthogonally protected versions of these amino acids were produced on gram scale, en route to the free amino acids, and these will serve as versatile intermediates in peptide synthesis. This synthetic strategy involved Nα-Fmoc protection and protection of the C3 and C4 secondary alcohols as methoxyethoxymethyl (MEM) ethers.     

One-pot and regioselective synthesis of polysubstituted 3,4-dihydroquinazolines and 4,5-dihydro-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-ones by sequential Ugi/Staudinger/aza-Wittig reaction

An efficient one-pot and regioselective synthesis of 3,4-dihydroquinazolines and 4,5-dihydro-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-ones by Ugi/Staudinger/aza-Wittig sequence has been developed. The Ugi reactions of 2-azidobenzylamines, aldehydes, acids (or α-keto acids) and isocyanides produced the azide intermediates, which were then treated with tributylphosphine or triphenylphosphine to give polysubstituted 3,4-dihydroquinazolines or 4,5-dihydro-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-ones in moderate to good yields by tandem Standinger/aza-Wittig reactions.     

Efficient preparation of Fmoc-aminoacyl-N-ethylcysteine unit, a key device for the synthesis of peptide thioesters

The synthesis of Fmoc-aminoacyl-N-ethyl-S-triphenylmethylcysteine, an N- to S-acyl migratory device for the preparation of peptide thioesters by Fmoc-SPPS (solid-phase peptide synthesis) is described. Condensation of Fmoc-aminoacyl pentafluorophenyl ester and N-ethyl-S-triphenylmethylcysteine was efficiently performed in the presence of HOOBt (3-hydroxy-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-1,2,3-benzotriazine) in DMF. A small amount of diastereomer yielded during the reaction was easily separated by HPLC purification and the highly pure devices were obtained for most of the proteinogenic amino acids.     

Reduction of pentafluorophenyl esters to the corresponding primary alcohols using sodium borohydride

Primary alcohols and chiral N-protected 2-amino alcohols can be obtained in high yields from the reaction of pentafluorophenyl esters of the corresponding carboxylic acids with sodium borohydride in THF under mild conditions. This reductive method is rapid and compatible with various functional groups as well as with the most common N-protective groups Z, Boc and Fmoc.     

Stable phosphinous acids

The electronic properties of organyl element compounds are strongly influenced by the electronic characteristics of the organic substituents. The bonding of two CF₃ groups to a phosphorus atom effects a drastically decreased basicity. That is the phosphorus atom is the least basic centre in the compound (CF₃)₂POH. This compound, synthesized in 1960 by Burg and Griffiths, is the only known example of a phosphinous acid, although there should be a general interest in this class of compounds. However, only a few investigations have been reported which may be explained by the tedious and risky synthesis. In this paper a safe one step and high yield synthesis of (CF₃)₂POH is described. The compound (C₆F₅)₂POH, originally claimed as a phosphinous acid, is proved to exist at room temperature exclusively in the tautomeric oxide form. (C₆F₅)₂P(O)H crystallizes in the triclinic space group (no. 2) with a 992.9(1) pm; b 1501.9(2) pm; c 1539.4(2) pm; α 117.48(1)°; β 100.39(1)°; γ 96.02(1)° and Z 6.Quantum chemical investigations prove the electron withdrawing effect of s-triazinyl groups (1,3,5-triazin-4-yl derivatives) to be much stronger than that of pentafluorophenyl groups. Quantum chemical calculations at the B3PW91/6-311G(3d,p) level of theory predict for the bis(s-triazinyl) derivative (C₃N₃H₂)₂POH the phosphinous acid isomer to be favored by ΔE_ZP = 22 kJ/mol in relation to the corresponding phosphane oxide isomer. The phosphinous acid (CF₃)₂POH (C_s symmetry) is favored at the same level of theory by about ΔE_ZP = 14 kJ/mol compared with the phosphane oxide structure (C_s symmetry).     

A synthesis of pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridines via pyridyne intermediates

A synthesis of pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridines from pyridyne intermediates is reported together with a study of the reactions of 2-methyl-2H-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridine (5) with oxidising and reducing agents.     

Peptide synthesis using pentafluorophenyl diphenylphosphate (FDP) as coupling reagent

Comparison of the reaction speed and yield with its analogues and some conventional peptide coupling reagents, pentafluorophenyl diphenylphosphate (FDP) was shown to be a more preferable "active ester" type reagent for the peptide synthesis. The synthesis of oligopeptides using FDP was achieved with high yields. The influences of several reaction parameters such as solvent, base, additive and temperature on the coupling reaction were studied using HPLC method. The degree of racemization with FDP determined by HPLC or Young test was shown to be lower than that of DCCI. Octapeptide Gly-Cys(Bzl)-Ser-Gly-Lys-Leu-Ile-Cys(Bzl)-OH, corresponding to the amino acid sequence of gp41 of HIV-1, was successfully synthesized by 5+3 approach using FDP with high yield.     

Some reactions and spectroscopic studies of tris(pentafluorophenyl)arsenic and -antimony(III and V) derivatives

The reactions of tris(pentafluorophenyl)arsenic(III) with iodine monochloride, iodine monoazide, and dithiocyanogen yielded corresponding oxidative-addition products of the type (C₆F₅)₃As(V)XY (X=I, Y=Cl, N₃; X=Y=NCS). The elemental sulphur also added oxidatively with tris(pentafluorophenyl)arsenic(III) yielding tris(pentafluorophenyl)arsine(V) sulphide. Some displacement reactions were also carried out to synthesize mixed pseudohalide derivatives of the type (C₆F₅)₃M(N₃)NCS (M=As and Sb) and their insertion reactions were studied with phenyl isothiocyanate which yielded the corresponding 1,2-cycloaddition products, i.e. tetrazole-5-thiones. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance, UV, IR and NMR spectroscopic studies.     

The preparation of perfluoroalkenyl allenes (trienes) and pentafluorophenyl allenes

Trifluorovinyl- and (Z)-pentafluoropropenylcopper reagents readily react with propargylic halides or tosylates. With primary propargylic substrates, the major product is the alkyne. With secondary propargylic substrates, mixtures of alkyne/allene are obtained; the allene product is the major product. With tertiary propargylic substrates, the allene is regiospecifically and stereospecifically formed in good isolated yields. With pentafluorophenyl copper and primary propargylic substrates, the major product is pentafluorobenzene. With secondary and tertiary propargylic substrates, the allene is regiospecifically formed in good isolated yields.     

Synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-d]-4,5-dihydropyrimidin-6-ones

A small library of hitherto unprepared pyrazolo[3,4-d]-4,5-dihydropyrimidin-6-ones was synthesized on a preparative scale. The synthesis starts with a substituted 5-aminopyrazole that reacts with an isocyanate to give the corresponding urea. The latter undergoes a chlorotrimethylsilane-promoted [5+1] cyclocondensation with an aldehyde yielding the title pyrazolo[3,4-d]-4,5-dihydropyrimidin-6-one. Both synthetic steps are high-yielding (74–94%). The intermediates and the target compounds were isolated by simple crystallization. Ketones with the exception of isatin do not react with the open-chain urea intermediates.     

Ionic liquid‐based microwave‐assisted extraction for the determination of flavonoid glycosides in pigeon pea leaves by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐diode array detector with pentafluorophenyl column

In this study, an ionic liquid‐based microwave‐assisted extraction (ILMAE) followed by high‐performance liquid chromatograph y ‐diode array detector with a pentafluorophenyl column for the extraction and quantification of eight flavonoid glycosides in pigeon pea leaves is described. Compared with conventional extraction methods, ILMAE is a more effective and environment friendly method for the extraction of nature compounds from herbal plants. Nine different types of ionic liquids with different cations and anions were investigated. The results suggested that varying the anion and cation had significant effects on the extraction of flavonoid glycosides, and 1.0 M 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bromide ([C4MIM]Br) solution was selected as solvent. In addition, the extraction procedures were also optimized using a series of single‐factor experiments. The optimum parameters were obtained as follows: extraction temperature 60°C, liquid–solid ratio 20:1 mL/g and extraction time 13 min. Moreover, an HPLC method using pentafluorophenyl column was established and validated. Good linearity was observed with the regression coefficients (r²) more than 0.999. The limit of detection (LODs) (S/N = 3) and limit of quantification (LOQs) (S/N = 10) for the components were less than 0.41 and 1.47 μg/mL, respectively. The inter‐ and intraday precisions that were used to evaluate the reproducibility and relative standard deviation (RSD) values were less than 4.57%. The recoveries were between 97.26 and 102.69%. The method was successfully used for the analysis of samples of pigeon pea leaves. In conclusion, the developed ILMAE‐HPLC‐diode array detector using pentafluorophenyl column method can be applied for quality control of pigeon pea leaves and related medicinal products.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 3,4-dihydroxyglutamic acids via enantioselective reduction of cyclic meso-imide

Stereoselective synthesis of (3S,4S)- and (3R,4R)-series of 3,4-dihydroxyglutamic acids was investigated. The key reaction in this synthesis is asymmetric reduction of meso-imide derived from meso-tartaric acid. Lewis acid-promoted cyanation of the obtained optically active lactam via the acyliminium intermediate followed by standard deprotection procedure afforded the desired 3,4-dihydroxyglutamic acids.     

An efficient synthesis of sterically hindered arylboronic acids

Boronic acids are important intermediates and molecular recognition moieties in a wide variety of applications. In our research, we have found that the synthesis of ortho-substituted arylboronic acids is problematic with the commonly used bis(pinacolato)diboron in palladium-mediated borylation reactions. As a substitute, we have found that bis(neopentyl glycolato)diboron is a much more efficient borylation agent for the synthesis of sterically hindered ortho-substituted arylboronic acids.     

Synthesis of low molecular weight perfluoro oxymethylene vinyl ethers

Perfluoro oxymethylene vinyl ethers have been formed by a multi-step synthesis. The key intermediates are low molecular weight perfluoropolyether (PFPE) fluoroformates CF₃O(CF₂O)_nCOF (I) n=1-6 obtained from the photo-oxidation of perfluoro propene (HFP) in perfluorohexane. Under certain conditions the light-mediated fluorination of PFPE fluoroformates (I) gives PFPE hypofluorites CF₃O(CF₂O)_nCF₂OF (II), which can be added to sym dichlorodifluoroethene to form the dichloro adduct CF₃O(CF₂O)_nCF₂OCFClCF₂Cl (III) which, after dechlorination, gives the desired vinyl ethers CF₃O(CF₂O)_nCF₂OCFCF₂ (IV). Every reaction step has to be properly controlled as far as the reaction variables are concerned. A mechanistic scheme is presented that is consistent with the observed experimental data.     

The Structure of Tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)tellurium(IV), Te(C6F5)4

Tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)tellurium(IV), Te(C₆F₅)₄, was prepared from the reaction of TeCl₄ and Mg(C₆F₅)Br. Crystallization of the crude product from n‐pentane at ?25 °C gave suitable single crystals. The title compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c (Z = 8) with two independent molecules per unit cell.     

Enzymatic resolution of five membered heterocyclic bromohydrins

The lipase catalyzed resolution of trans-3,4-tetrahydrofuran and pyrrolidine bromohydrins by acylation or hydrolysis of their acylated derivatives has been studied. For both heterocycles, the best enantioselectivity was obtained using Candida antarctica lipase B as the catalyst in the hydrolytic processes. The enantiomerically pure bromohydrins are useful intermediates for the preparation of 3,4-fuctionalized cis-heterocycles.     

One-pot synthesis of novel 1,2,6,7-tetrahydro-3H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridine-3,4(5H)-diones

A facile synthesis of novel 1,2,6,7-tetrahydro-3H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]pyridine-3,4(5H)-diones has been achieved. The operationally simple procedure, using readily available intermediates, allows for rapid derivatisation of the pharmacophore with alkyl, aryl and heteroaryl substituents.     

A new approach to N-3 functionalized 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-ones with 1,2,4-oxadiazole group as amide isostere via ionic liquid-phase technology

New N-3 functionalized 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-ones with 1,2,4-oxadiazole group as amide isostere were synthesized in six steps by ionic liquid-phase organic synthesis (IoLiPOS) methodology from ILP bound acetoacetate. The 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-one (3,4-DHPM) core was prepared in the first step by one-pot three-component Biginelli condensation followed by N-alkylation with chloroacetonitrile. Then the nitrile group appended on the 3,4-DHPM heterocycle was quantitatively transformed into amidoxime. Addition of aliphatic carboxylic anhydride or aromatic carboxylic acid to the amidoxime produced the expected 1,2,4-oxadiazole via the O-acylamidoxime intermediate grafted on the ILP bound 3,4-DHPM using two convergent methods. After cleavage by transesterification under mild conditions, the target compounds were obtained in good overall yields. The structures and the purities of the reaction intermediates in each step were verified easily by routine spectroscopic analysis.