Continuous-Flow Synthesis of Thioureas,Enabled by Aqueous Polysulfide Solution

We have developed the continuous-flow synthesis of thioureas in a multicomponent reaction starting from isocyanides, amidines, or amines and sulfur. The aqueous polysulfide solution enabled the application of sulfur under homogeneous and mild conditions. The crystallized products were isolated by simple filtration after the removal of the co-solvent, and the sulfur retained in the mother liquid. Presenting a wide range of thioureas synthesized by this procedure confirms the utility of the convenient continuous-flow application of sulfur.     

Elemental Sulfur Disproportionation in the Redox Condensation Reaction between o‐Halonitrobenzenes and Benzylamines

The disproportionation of elemental sulfur at moderate temperatures is investigated in the redox condensation involving o‐halonitrobenzenes 1 and benzylamines 2 . As a redox moderator, elemental sulfur plays the dual role of both electron donor and acceptor, generating its lowest and highest oxidation states: S^?2 (sulfide equivalent) in benzothiazole 3 and S⁺⁶ (sulfate equivalent) in sulfamate 4 , and filling the electron gap of the global redox condensation process. Along with this process, a cascade of reactions of reduction of the nitro group of 1 , oxidation of the aminomethyl group of 2 , metal‐free aromatic halogen substitution, and condensation finally led to 2‐arylbenzothiazoles 3 .     

A Peptide Backbone Stapling Strategy Enabled by the Multicomponent Incorporation of Amide N-Substituents

The multicomponent backbone N-modification of peptides on solid-phase is presented as a powerful and general method to enable peptide stapling at the backbone instead of the side chains. This work shows that a variety of functionalized N-substituents suitable for backbone stapling can be readily introduced by means of on-resin Ugi multicomponent reactions conducted during solid-phase peptide synthesis. Diverse macrocyclization chemistries were implemented with such backbone N-substituents, including the ring-closing metathesis, lactamization, and thiol alkylation. The backbone N-modification method was also applied to the synthesis of α-helical peptides by linking N-substituents to the peptide N-terminus, thus featuring hydrogen-bond surrogate structures. Overall, the strategy proves useful for peptide backbone macrocyclization approaches that show promise in peptide drug discovery.     

Multicomponent Reactions for the Synthesis of Heterocycles

Multicomponent domino reactions (MDRs) serve as a rapid and efficient tool for the synthesis of versatile heterocycles, particularly those containing structural diversity and complexity, by a one‐pot operation. These reactions can dramatically reduce the generation of chemical wastes, costs of starting materials, and the use of energy and manpower. Moreover, the reaction period can be substantially shortened. This Review covers recent advances on multicomponent domino reactions for the construction of five‐, six‐, and seven‐membered heterocyclic skeletons and their multicyclic derivatives.     

二芳基脯氨醇衍生物催化的硝基烯参与的多组分不对称串联合成研究进展

硝基烯是一类重要的有机合成子,以硝基烯烃为原料,二芳基脯氨醇衍生物催化的多组分不对称串联反应是构建复杂手性化合物的重要方法,被广泛应用于有机合成和新药开发领域.根据构建的目标化合物类型,较全面地总结了基于二芳基脯氨醇衍生物催化、硝基烯为合成子的多组分不对称串联反应的合成研究,从反应的催化剂体系、反应机理、实验结果、反应优点、存在的问题和局限性等方面进行介绍,并对今后的发展做出展望.     

Construction of Cyclobutanes by Multicomponent Cascade Reactions in Homogeneous Solution through Visible-Light Catalysis

[2+2] Photocycloaddition of two olefins is a general method to assemble the core scaffold, cyclobutane, found in numerous bioactive molecules. A new approach to synthesize cyclobutanes through multicomponent cascade reactions by merging aldol reaction and Witting reaction with visible-light-induced [2+2] cycloaddition is reported. An array of cyclobutanes with high selectivity has been achieved from commercially available aldehydes, ketones (or phosphorus ylide), and olefins with visible-light irradiation of a catalytic amount of (fac-tris(2-phenylpyridinato-C₂,N)iridium) ([Ir(ppy)₃]) at room temperature. Control experiments and spectroscopic studies revealed that the triplet–triplet energy transfer from the excited [Ir(ppy)₃]* to enones, generated in situ from aldehyde and ketone or aldehyde and phosphorus ylide, is responsible for these simple and efficient muticomponent transformations.     

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Cyclopenta[c]furans by a Catalytic Multicomponent Reaction

A diastereoselective three‐component reaction between alkynyl enones, aldehydes and secondary amines is reported. With the aid of a benign indium catalyst, a range of highly substituted cyclopenta[c]furan derivatives can be obtained in a single‐step procedure. The formation of the stereodefined heterocyclic motifs takes place via in situ generation of enamines followed by two sequential cyclization steps.     

Photoinduced Multicomponent Reactions

The combination of multicomponent approaches with light‐driven processes opens up new scenarios in the area of synthetic organic chemistry, where the need for sustainable, atom‐ and energy‐efficient reactions is increasingly urgent. Photoinduced multicomponent reactions are still in their infancy, but significant developments in this area are expected in the near future.     

One-Pot Multicomponent Reactions for the Efficient Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Dihydropyridines

Abstract

An efficient, atom-economic, one-pot protocol has been developed for the synthesis of highly functionalized dihydropyridines via four-component reactions of aromatic aldehydes, arylamines, malononitrile, and dimethylacetylenedicarboxylate in the presence of sodium hydroxide in ethanol. This domino reaction proceeded smoothly in good to excellent yields and offered several advantages, including short reaction time, simple experimental procedure, and applicability to a broad range of substrates.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® to view the free supplemental file.     

Greener Synthesis of Antiproliferative Furoxans via Multicomponent Reactions

Prostate and bladder cancers are commonly diagnosed malignancies in men. Several nitric oxide donor compounds with strong antitumor activity have been reported. Thus, continuing with our efforts to explore the chemical space around bioactive furoxan moiety, multicomponent reactions were employed for the rapid generation of molecular diversity and complexity. We herein report the use of Ugi and Groebke–Blackburn–Bienaymé multicomponent reactions under efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly conditions to synthesize a small collection of nitric-oxide-releasing molecules. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of the synthesized compounds was measured against two different human cancer cell lines, LNCaP (prostate) and T24 (bladder). Almost all compounds displayed antiproliferative activity against both cancer cell lines, providing lead compounds with nanomolar GI₅₀ values against the cancer bladder cell line with selectivity indices higher than 10.     

Enantioselective Multicomponent Synthesis of Fused 6–5 Bicyclic 2‐Butenolides by a Cascade Heterobicyclisation Process

The successive coupling of an alkoxy(aryl/heteroaryl)carbene complex of chromium with either a ketone or an imide lithium enolate and then a 3‐substituted (H, TMS, PhCH₂, PhCH₂CH₂, Me) propargylic organomagnesium reagent has afforded novel hydroxy‐substituted bicyclic [4.3.0]‐γ‐alkylidene‐2‐butenolides with three modular points that has allowed the efficient introduction of molecular complexity, including a homopropargylic alcohol core. The selective formation of these five‐ or six‐component heterobicyclisation products is the result of the regioselective integration of the Grignard reagent as a propargyl fragment followed by a cascade CO/alkyne/CO insertion, ketene trapping and elimination sequence. By using lithium enolates of chiral N‐acetyl‐2‐oxazolidinones and the corresponding propargylic organocerium reagents, both enantiomers of these bicyclic heterocycles were efficiently prepared with very high enantiomeric purity. Architecturally, these fused bicyclic butenolides are characterised by a highly unsaturated and oxygenated core and they exhibit strong blue fluorescence in solution.     

Radical and Radical–Ionic Multicomponent Processes

All in one pot! Radical, radical–ionic, and radical–organometallic MCR are highly convergent processes, representing a useful pathway to molecular and structural diversity (see scheme). This concept article highlights recent developments in the field and shows the potential of the strategy for the economical elaboration of various kinds of organic substrates.

     

Multicomponent Reactions Based on SO2 Surrogates: Recent Advances

Compounds containing sulfonyl-derived functional groups have received intensive attention owing to their widespread applications in life science, pharmaceuticals and materials science. To access this type of compounds, the multi-component sulfonylation reactions relying on sulfur dioxide (SO₂) insertion strategy have emerged as novel and attractive approaches in the past decade. The utilization of SO₂ surrogates for SO₂ insertion in the multicomponent reactions (MCRs) have improved reaction flexibility and step economy. Moreover, some advances have been achieved in the challenging but practical asymmetric MCRs for the construction of high value-added chiral sulfones. This review aims to summarize the progress made in the MCRs involving SO₂ surrogates from 2019 to 2022, and point out the potentials and challenges in this field.     

Recent Progress in the Multicomponent Synthesis of Pyran Derivatives by Sustainable Catalysts under Green Conditions

Pyrans are one of the most significant skeletons of oxygen-containing heterocyclic molecules, which exhibit a broad spectrum of medicinal applications and are constituents of diverse natural product analogues. Various biological applications of these pyran analogues contributed to the growth advances in these oxygen-containing molecules. Green one-pot methodologies for synthesising these heterocyclic molecules have received significant attention. This review focuses on the recent developments in synthesising pyran ring derivatives using reusable catalysts and emphasises the multicomponent reaction strategies using green protocols. The advantages of the catalysts in terms of yields, reaction conditions, and recyclability are discussed.