Oxidative Fragmentations of the 5α‐ and 5β‐Hydroxy‐B‐norcholestan‐ 3β‐yl Acetates

Oxidations of 5α‐hydroxy‐B‐norcholestan‐3β‐yl acetate ( 8 ) with Pb(OAc)₄ under thermal or photolytic conditions or in the presence of iodine afforded only complex mixtures of compounds. However, the HgO/I₂ version of the hypoiodite reaction gave as the primary products the stereoisomeric (Z)‐ and (E)‐1(10)‐unsaturated 5,10‐seco B‐nor‐derivatives 10 and 11 , and the stereoisomeric (5R,10R)‐ and (5S,10S)‐acetals 14 and 15 (Scheme 4). Further reaction of these compounds under conditions of their formation afforded, in addition, the A‐nor 1,5‐cyclization products 13 and 16 (from 10 ) and 12 (from 11 ) (see also Scheme 6) and the 6‐iodo‐5,6‐secolactones 17 and 19 (from 14 and 15 , resp.) and 4‐iodo‐4,5‐secolactone 18 (from 15 ) (see also Scheme 7). Oxidations of 5β‐hydroxy‐B‐norcholestan‐3β‐yl acetate ( 9 ) with both hypoiodite‐forming reagents (Pb(OAc)₄/I₂ and HgO/I₂) proceeded similarly to the HgO/I₂ reaction of the corresponding 5α‐hydroxy analogue 8 . Photolytic Pb(OAc)₄ oxidation of 9 afforded, in addition to the (Z)‐ and (E)‐5,10‐seco 1(10)‐unsaturated ketones 10 and 11 , their isomeric 5,10‐seco 10(19)‐unsaturated ketone 22 , the acetal 5‐acetate 21 , and 5β,19‐epoxy derivative 23 (Scheme 9). Exceptionally, in the thermal Pb(OAc)₄ oxidation of 9 , the 5,10‐seco ketones 10, 11 , and 22 were not formed, the only reaction being the stereoselective formation of the 5,10‐ethers with the β‐oriented epoxy bridge, i.e. the (10R)‐enol ether 20 and (5S,10R)‐acetal 5‐acetate 21 (Scheme 8). Possible mechanistic interpretations of the above transformations are discussed.     

Synthesis of Bis‐Heterocyclic 1H‐Imidazole 3‐Oxides from 3‐Oxido‐1H‐imidazole‐4‐carbohydrazides

The reaction of 1H‐imidazole‐4‐carbohydrazides 1 , which are conveniently accessible by treatment of the corresponding esters with NH₂NH₂?H₂O, with isothiocyanates in refluxing EtOH led to thiosemicarbazides (=hydrazinecarbothioamides) 4 in high yields (Scheme 2). Whereas 4 in boiling aqueous NaOH yielded 2,4‐dihydro‐3H‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐thiones 5 , the reaction in concentrated H₂SO₄ at room temperature gave 1,3,4‐thiadiazol‐2‐amines 6 . Similarly, the reaction of 1 with butyl isocyanate led to semicarbazides 7 , which, under basic conditions, undergo cyclization to give 2,4‐dihydro‐3H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐ones 8 (Scheme 3). Treatment of 1 with Ac₂O yielded the diacylhydrazine derivatives 9 exclusively, and the alternative isomerization of 1 to imidazol‐2‐ones was not observed (Scheme 4). It is important to note that, in all these transformations, the imidazole N‐oxide residue is retained. Furthermore, it was shown that imidazole N‐oxides bearing a 1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐thione or 1,3,4‐thiadiazol‐2‐amine moiety undergo the S‐transfer reaction to give bis‐heterocyclic 1H‐imidazole‐2‐thiones 11 by treatment with 2,2,4,4‐tetramethylcyclobutane‐1,3‐dithione (Scheme 5).     

Reactions of Stable α‐Chlorosulfanyl Chlorides with CS‐Functionalized Compounds

The smooth reaction of 3‐chloro‐3‐(chlorosulfanyl)‐2,2,4,4‐tetramethylcyclobutanone ( 3 ) with 3,4,5‐trisubstituted 2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐imidazole‐2‐thiones 8 and 2‐thiouracil ( 10 ) in CH₂Cl₂/Et₃N at room temperature yielded the corresponding disulfanes 9 and 11 (Scheme 2), respectively, via a nucleophilic substitution of Cl^? of the sulfanyl chloride by the S‐atom of the heterocyclic thione. The analogous reaction of 3‐cyclohexyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐4,5‐diphenyl‐1H‐imidazole‐2‐thione ( 8b ) and 10 with the chlorodisulfanyl derivative 16 led to the corresponding trisulfanes 17 and 18 (Scheme 4), respectively. On the other hand, the reaction of 3 and 4,4‐dimethyl‐2‐phenyl‐1,3‐thiazole‐5(4H)‐thione ( 12 ) in CH₂Cl₂ gave only 4,4‐dimethyl‐2‐phenyl‐1,3‐thiazol‐5(4H)‐one ( 13 ) and the trithioorthoester derivative 14 , a bis‐disulfane, in low yield (Scheme 3). At ?78°, only bis(1‐chloro‐2,2,4,4‐tetramethyl‐3‐oxocyclobutyl)polysulfanes 15 were formed. Even at ?78°, a 1 : 2 mixture of 12 and 16 in CH₂Cl₂ reacted to give 13 and the symmetrical pentasulfane 19 in good yield (Scheme 5). The structures of 11, 14, 17 , and 18 have been established by X‐ray crystallography.     

Derivatives from Isoselenocyanates: Synthesis of 2‐Phenyl‐6H‐[5,1,3]benzoselenadiazocine

The reaction of N‐phenylbenzimidoyl isoselenocyanates 8 with primary and secondary amines in acetone at room temperature, followed by treatment with a base, led to 6H‐[5,1,3]benzoselenadiazocine derivatives of type 10 (Scheme 3). An analogous cyclization was observed when 8a and 8b were reacted with the Na salt of diethyl malonate in EtOH at room temperature, which yielded the eight‐membered selenaheterocycles 11 (Scheme 5). The molecular structures of some of the products, as well as that of a sulfur analogue, have been established by X‐ray crystallography (Figs. 1–4). The isoselenocyanates 8 have been prepared from N‐(2‐methylphenyl)benzamides 5 in a three‐step procedure via the corresponding imidoyl chlorides 6 , side‐chain chlorination to give 7 , and treatment with KSeCN (Scheme 2).     

Classical Benzotriazole‐Mediated α‐Aminoalkylations of Alkynes: Synthesis and Characterization of Alk‐2‐yn‐1‐amines as Amphiphilic Materials

Reactions of readily available and stable benzotriazolemethanamines 1a – l , obtained from aldehydes and secondary amines (Scheme 2), gave the expected alk‐2‐yn‐1‐amines 3a – t (Scheme 3). The amphiphilic character of the synthesized products was responsible for physicochemical measurements. Specific aggregation properties of the obtained compounds make them useful as electroactive materials in the Langmuir–Blodgett technique.     

An unexpected transformation of benzyl carbamates into α-azidobenzeneacetamides

Successive treatment of benzyl carbamates 5 (Z-protected secondary amines) with lithium diisopropylamide (LDA), diphenyl phosphorochloridate (DPPC1), and NaN 3 yielded the corresponding ã-azidobenzeneacetamides 6 in 45–50% yield (Schemes 2 and 3). In the case of Z-protected diisopropylamine 5b , the phosphate 7 was isolated as a minor product. A reaction mechanism for this unexpected transformation is proposed in Scheme 4, the key step being the ring closure of a benzylic anion to give an oxirane intermediate B. In cursory experiments, it was demonstrated that ã-azidobenzeneacetamides 6 can be used as 2-phenylglycine synthons in the formation of dipeptides by using a phosphine-mediated coupling (Scheme 5).     

Synthesis of (2′S)‐2′‐Deoxy‐2′‐C‐methylpurine Nucleosides and Their Phosphoramidites

We describe the stereoselective synthesis of (2′S)‐2′‐deoxy‐2′‐C‐methyladenosine ( 12 ) and (2′S)‐2′‐deoxy‐2′‐C‐methylinosine ( 14 ) as well as their corresponding cyanoethyl phosphoramidites 16 and 19 from 6‐O‐(2,6‐dichlorophenyl)inosine as starting material. The methyl group at the 2′‐position was introduced via a Wittig reaction (→ 3 , Scheme 1) followed by a stereoselective oxidation with OsO₄ (→ 4 , Scheme 2). The primary‐alcohol moiety of 4 was tosylated (→ 5 ) and regioselectively reduced with NaBH₄ (→ 6 ). Subsequent reduction of the 2′‐alcohol moiety with Bu₃SnH yielded stereoselectively the corresponding (2′S)‐2′‐deoxy‐2′‐C‐methylnucleoside (→ 8a ).     

Selenium‐Containing Heterocycles from Isoselenocyanates: Synthesis of 1,3‐Selenazoles from N‐Phenylimidoyl Isoselenocyanates

The reaction of N‐phenylbenzamides 5 with excess SOCl₂ under reflux gave N‐phenylbenzimidoyl chlorides 6 , which, on treatment with KSeCN in acetone, yielded imidoyl isoselenocyanates of type 2 . These products, obtained in almost quantitative yield, were stable in the crystalline state. They were transformed into selenourea derivatives 7 by the reaction with NH₃, or primary or secondary amines. In acetone at room temperature, 7 reacted with activated bromomethylene compounds such as 2‐bromoacetates, acetamides, and acetonitriles, as well as phenacyl bromides and 4‐cyanobenzyl bromide to to give 1,3‐selenazol‐2‐amines of type 9 (Scheme 2). A reaction mechanism via alkylation of the Se‐atom of 7 , followed by ring closure and elimination of aniline, is most likely (cf. Scheme 7). In the case of selenourea derivatives 7d and 7l with an unsubstituted NH₂ group, an alternative ring closure via elimination of H₂O led to 1,3‐selenazoles 10a and 10b , respectively (Schemes 4 and 7). On treatment with NaOH, ethyl 1,3‐selenazole‐5‐carboxylates 9l and 9s were saponified and decarboxylated to give the corresponding 5‐unsubstituted 1,3‐selenazoles 12a and 12b (Scheme 6). The molecular structures of selenourea 7f and the 1,3‐selenazoles 9c and 9d have been established by X‐ray crystallography (Figs. 1 and 3).     

A Convenient Synthesis of 1‐Alkoxy‐2‐alkyl‐1,2‐dihydroisoquinoline‐3,4‐diones Utilizing the Reaction of 2‐(Dialkoxymethyl)phenyllithiums with Dimethyl Oxalate

A new and convenient method for the preparation of 1,2‐dihydroisoquinoline‐3,4‐diones with alkoxy and alkyl groups at the 4‐ and 3‐positions, respectively, using an easily operated three‐step sequence starting from 2‐(dialkoxymethyl)phenyl bromides has been developed. Thus, the starting materials are treated with BuLi to generate 2‐(dialkoxymethyl)phenyllithiums, which are allowed to react with (COOMe)₂ to give methyl 2‐(dialkoxymethyl)phenyl‐2‐oxoacetates. These are then transformed into the corresponding secondary amides by the reaction with primary amines. Treatment of these keto amides with a catalytic amount of TsOH?H₂O affords the desired products. In order to demonstrate the synthetic utility of these products, transformation of one of them into the corresponding isoquinoline‐1,3,4(2H)‐trione derivative by the oxidation with PCC was achieved.     

Preparation of β2‐Amino Acid Derivatives (β2hThr, β2hTrp, β2hMet, β2hPro, β2hLys,Pyrrolidine‐3‐carboxylic Acid) by Using DIOZ as Chiral Auxiliary

The title compounds were prepared from valine‐derived N‐acylated oxazolidin‐2‐ones, 1 – 3, 7, 9 , by highly diastereoselective (≥ 90%) Mannich reaction (→ 4 – 6 ; Scheme 1) or aldol addition (→ 8 and 10 ; Scheme 2) of the corresponding Ti‐ or B‐enolates as the key step. The superiority of the ‘5,5‐diphenyl‐4‐isopropyl‐1,3‐oxazolidin‐2‐one’ (DIOZ) was demonstrated, once more, in these reactions and in subsequent transformations leading to various t‐Bu‐, Boc‐, Fmoc‐, and Cbz‐protected β²‐homoamino acid derivatives 11 – 23 (Schemes 3–6). The use of ω‐bromo‐acyl‐oxazolidinones 1 – 3 as starting materials turned out to open access to a variety of enantiomerically pure trifunctional and cyclic carboxylic‐acid derivatives.     

Design,Synthesis, NMR‐Solution and X‐Ray Crystal Structure of N‐Acyl‐γ‐dipeptide Amides That Form a βII′‐Type Turn

Conformational analysis of γ‐amino acids with substituents in the 2‐position reveals that an N‐acyl‐γ‐dipeptide amide built of two enantiomeric residues of unlike configuration will form a 14‐membered H‐bonded ring, i.e., a γ‐peptidic turn (Figs. 1 – 3). The diastereoselective preparation of the required building blocks was achieved by alkylation of the doubly lithiated N‐Boc‐protected 4‐aminoalkanoates, which, in turn, are readily available from the corresponding (R)‐ or (S)‐α‐amino acids (Scheme 1). Coupling two such γ‐amino acid derivatives gave N‐acetyl and N‐[(tert‐butoxy)carbonyl] (Boc) dipeptide methyl amides ( 1 and 10 , resp.; Fig. 2, Scheme 2); both formed crystals suitable for X‐ray analysis, which confirmed the turn structures in the solid state (Fig. 4 and Table 4). NMR Analysis of the acetyl derivative 1 in CD₃OH, with full chemical‐shift and coupling assignments, and, including a 300‐ms ROESY measurement, revealed that the predicted turn structure is also present in solution (Fig. 5 and Tables 1 – 3). The results described here are yet another piece of evidence for the fact that more stable secondary structures are formed with a decreasing number of residues, and with increasing degree of predictability, as we go from α‐ to β‐ to γ‐peptides. Implications of the superimposable geometries of the actual turn segments (with amide bonds flanked by two quasi‐equatorial substituents) in α‐, β‐, and γ‐peptidic turns are discussed.     

Synthesis and Reactivity of 2‐(6,7‐Diethoxy‐3,4‐dihydroisoquinolin‐ 1‐yl)acetonitrile towards Hydrazonoyl Halides

The synthesis of 2‐(6,7‐diethoxy‐3,4‐dihydroisoquinolin‐1‐yl)acetonitrile ( 1 ) has been performed by ring closure of the corresponding amide according to the Bischler‐Napieralski method (Scheme 1). Based on spectroscopic data, the tautomeric 2‐(tetrahydroisoquinolin‐1‐ylidene)acetonitrile is the actual compound. The reactions of 1 with α‐oxohydrazonoyl halides 4 in the presence of Et₃N led to 2‐(aryldiazenyl)pyrrolo[2,1‐a]isoquinoline derivatives 8 (Scheme 2), whereas with C‐(ethoxycarbonyl)hydrazonoyl chlorides 14 , 2‐(arylhydrazono)pyrrolo[2,1‐a]isoquinoline‐1‐carbonitriles 16 were formed (Scheme 4). The structures of the products were established from their analytical and spectroscopic data and, in the case of 8b , by X‐ray crystallography.     

Synthesis of Derivatives of the Optically Active β‐Amino Acids from (+)‐Car‐2‐ene

The reaction of (+)‐car‐2‐ene ( 4 ) with chlorosulfonyl isocyanate (=sulfuryl chloride isocyanate; ClSO₂NCO) led to the tricyclic lactams 6 and 8 corresponding to the initial formation both of the tertiary carbenium and α‐cyclopropylcarbenium ions (Scheme 2). A number of optically active derivatives of β‐amino acids which are promising compounds for further use in asymmetric synthesis were synthesized from the lactams (see 16, 17 , and 19 – 21 in Scheme 3).     

Amine-induced rearrangements of 2-bromo-1-(1H-indol-3-yl)-2-methyl-1-propanones: A new route to α-substituted indole-3-acetamides, β-substituted tryptamines, α-substituted indole-3-acetic acids and indole β-aminoketones

The reaction of 2-bromo-1-(1H-indol-3-yl)-2-methyl-1-propanone ( 1 ) and 2-bromo-1-(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-2-methyl-1-propanone ( 2 ) with primary amines proceeds in good yields to produce rearranged amides by a proposed pseudo-Favorskii mechanism. These amides in turn can either be reduced to produce β-substituted tryptamines or hydrolyzed to produce substituted indole-3-acetic acids. When the reaction is carried out using bulky primary or secondary amines, β-aminoketones are produced by elimination of hydrogen bromide followed by Michael addition. When hindered secondary amines or tertiary amines are used, elimination to the α,β-unsaturated ketones occurs.     

New Optically Active 2H‐Azirin‐3‐amines as Synthons for Enantiomerically Pure 2,2‐Disubstituted Glycines

The synthesis of novel 2,2‐disubstituted 2H‐azirin‐3‐amines with a chiral amino group is described. Chromatographic separation of the diastereoisomer mixture yielded the pure diastereoisomers (1′R,2R)‐ 4a – e and (1′R,2S)‐ 4a – e (Scheme 1, Table 1), which are synthons for the (R)‐ and (S)‐isomers of isovaline, 2‐methylvaline, 2‐cyclopentylalanine, 2‐methylleucine, and 2‐(methyl)phenylalanine, respectively. The configuration at C(2) of the synthons was determined by X‐ray crystallography relative to the known configuration of the chiral auxiliary group. The reaction of 4 with thiobenzoic acid, benzoic acid, and the dipeptide Z‐Leu‐Aib‐OH ( 12 ) yielded the monothiodiamides 10 , the diamides 11 (Scheme 2, Table 3), and the tripeptides 13 (Scheme 3, Table 4), respectively.     

New C(2)‐substituted 8‐alkylsulfanyl‐9‐phenylmethyl‐hypoxanthines III

Title compounds were obtained starting from the key imidazole intermediate, 5‐amino‐1‐phenyl‐methyl‐2‐mercapto‐1H‐imidazole‐4‐carboxylic acid amide 5 , readily derived from the base catalyzed rearrangement of a thiazole, 5‐amino‐2‐phenylmethylaminothiazole‐4‐carboxylic acid amide 4 . Alkylation of the thiol function on 5 with phenylmethyl and allylic chlorides gave compounds 6 and 7 respectively. Cyclization of 6 with a variety of esters afforded 8‐phenylmethylthiohypoxanthines, 8–11 . Similarly, 7 was cyclized to 8‐allylthiohypoxanthines, 20–21 . Compound 5 was also cyclized, but formed 8‐mercaptohypox‐anthines, 22–24 . Alkylation of 8‐mercaptohypoxanthines afforded 8‐alkylthiohypoxanthines, 8, 9,25 and 26 (see Scheme 2). Chlorination of 9–11 afforded 16–18 ; adenine 19 was derived from 16 . Oxidation of hypox‐anthines 8–11 with m‐chloroperbenzoic acid gave the corresponding 8‐phenylmethylsulfonyl derivatives 12 ‐ 15 . These derivatives proved resistant to nucleophilic displacement reactions with primary amines.     

Photocycloaddition of Six‐Membered Cyclic Enones to Propen‐2‐yl Isocyanate

On irradiation in the presence of propen‐2‐yl isocyanate ( 4 ), six‐membered cyclic enones 3 are converted into regio‐ and stereoisomeric mixtures of [2+2] cycloadducts 5 – 10 ; the preferentially formed HT products, 5 – 8 , can be converted into the corresponding bicyclic amines by acid hydrolysis, whereas, under these conditions, the regioisomeric HH‐isocyanato derivatives undergo a retro‐Mannich reaction.     

Supported Gold Nanoparticles for Efficient α‐Oxygenation of Secondary and Tertiary Amines into Amides

Although the α‐oxygenation of amines is a highly attractive method for the synthesis of amides, efficient catalysts suited to a wide range of secondary and tertiary alkyl amines using O₂ as the terminal oxidant have no precedent. This report describes a novel, green α‐oxygenation of a wide range of linear and cyclic secondary and tertiary amines mediated by gold nanoparticles supported on alumina (Au/Al₂O₃). The observed catalysis was truly heterogeneous, and the catalyst could be reused. The present α‐oxygenation utilizes O₂ as the terminal oxidant and water as the oxygen atom source of amides. The method generates water as the only theoretical by‐product, which highlights the environmentally benign nature of the present reaction. Additionally, the present α‐oxygenation provides a convenient method for the synthesis of ¹⁸O‐labeled amides using H₂¹⁸O as the oxygen source.     

Synthesis and Functionalization of 8‐Methyl‐2h‐pyrimido [2,1‐c][1,2,4]triazine‐3,6(1h,4h)‐dione

6‐Methyl‐2‐methylthio‐4‐oxopyrimidin‐3(4H)‐yl)acetohydrazide on heating in benzylamine undergo cyclization to 8‐methyl‐2H‐pyrimido[2,1‐c][1,2,4]triazine‐3,6(1H, 4H)‐dione, which under treatment with bromine in glacial acetic acid was converted to 7‐bromo substituted derivative and at reflux with Lawesson's reagent yielded 3‐thioxo compound. The latter reacted with primary and secondary amines to give 3‐amino substituted pyrimidotriazines and on alkylation—the corresponding S‐alkyl derivatives.     

Enantioselective Synthesis of α‐Hydroxy Amides and β‐Amino Alcohols from α‐Keto Amides

Synthesis of enantiomerically enriched α‐hydroxy amides and β‐amino alcohols has been accomplished by enantioselective reduction of α‐keto amides with hydrosilanes. A series of α‐keto amides were reduced in the presence of chiral Cu^II/(S)‐DTBM‐SEGPHOS catalyst to give the corresponding optically active α‐hydroxy amides with excellent enantioselectivities by using (EtO)₃SiH as a reducing agent. Furthermore, a one‐pot complete reduction of both ketone and amide groups of α‐keto amides has been achieved using the same chiral copper catalyst followed by tetra‐n‐butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) catalyst in presence of (EtO)₃SiH to afford the corresponding chiral β‐amino alcohol derivatives.