Reagent‐Based DOS: Developing a Diastereoselective Methodology to Access Spirocyclic‐ and Fused Heterocyclic Ring Systems

Herein, we report a diversity‐oriented‐synthesis (DOS) approach for the synthesis of biologically relevant molecular scaffolds. Our methodology enables the facile synthesis of fused N‐heterocycles, spirooxoindolones, tetrahydroquinolines, and fused N‐heterocycles. The two‐step sequence starts with a chiral‐bicyclic‐lactam‐directed enolate‐addition/substitution step. This step is followed by a ring‐closure onto the built‐in scaffold electrophile, thereby leading to stereoselective carbocycle‐ and spirocycle‐formation. We used in silico tools to calibrate our compounds with respect to chemical diversity and selected drug‐like properties. We evaluated the biological significance of our scaffolds by screening them in two cancer cell‐lines. In summary, our DOS methodology affords new, diverse scaffolds, thereby resulting in compounds that may have significance in medicinal chemistry.     

Modern Aspects of Pseudohalogen Chemistry: News from CN‐ and PN‐Chemistry

The pseudohalogen concept still provides a powerful tool to understand the correlation between chemical properties, structure and bonding of pseudohalogen species. Starting from a modern version of the pseudohalogen concept, this research report gives an overview on different subjects of CN‐ and PN‐chemistry dealt with in our group. One of our fundamental interests lies in the synthesis and study of structure and bonding of resonance stabilized pseudohalides such as methanides, amides or binary PN‐pseudohalides. The first chapter describes new syntheses of alkaline dinitroso‐ and nitro(nitroso)cyanomethanides, methanide‐based ionic liquids and their chemical properties. The second chapter deals with azaphospholes which can be considered (i) as resonance stabilized dimers of P‐analogues of covalent azides in case of the triazadiphospholes or (ii) as [3+2] cycloaddition product of a hidden PNN 1,3 dipole (P‐analogue of a covalent azide) with dipolarophiles possessing NN or PN moieties. Starting from a [3+2] synthetic tool kit, new PN‐heterocycles (triazadiphospholes and tetrazaphospholes) and a new synthetic approach called GaCl₃‐assisted [3+2] cycloaddition are discussed.     

Paving the Way to Novel Phosphorus‐Based Architectures: A Noncatalyzed Protocol to Access Six‐Membered Heterocycles

Phosphorus‐based heterocycles provide access to materials with properties that are inaccessible from all‐carbon architectures. The unique hybridization of phosphorus gives rise to electron‐accepting capacities, a large variety of coordination reactions, and the possibility of controlling the electronic properties through phosphorus postfunctionalization. Herein, we describe a new noncatalyzed synthetic protocol to prepare fused six‐membered phosphorus heterocycles. In particular, we report the synthesis of novel phosphaphenalenes. These fused systems exhibit the benefits of both five‐ and six‐membered phosphorus heterocycles and enable a series of versatile postfunctionalization reactions. This work thus opens up new horizons in the field of conjugated materials.     

Synthesis and postfunctionalization of well‐defined star polymers via “double” click chemistry

In this article, the synthesis and the functionalization of well‐defined, narrow polydispersity (polydispersity index < 1.2) star polymers via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization is detailed. In this arm first approach, the initial synthesis of a poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate) polymer, and subsequent, cross‐linking using bis‐acrylamide to prepare star polymers, has been achieved by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. These star polymers were functionalized using a variety of amino functional groups via nucleophilic substitution of pentafluorophenyl activated ester to yield star polymers with predesigned chemical functionality. This approach has allowed the synthesis of star glycopolymer using a very simple approach. Finally, the core of the stars was modified via thiol‐ene click chemistry reaction using fluorescein‐o‐acrylate and DyLigh 633 Maleimide. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Phosphorus heterocycles from 2‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐1H‐benzimidazole

Sixteen different P(III) and P(V) heterocycles derived from 2‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐1H‐benzimidazole ( 1 ) are reported. In these heterocycles the phosphorus atom is part of a six‐membered unsaturated ring. They were mainly studied by multinuclear NMR. The X‐ray diffraction of 3,4‐ benzimidazole‐5,6‐benzo‐2‐dimethylamino‐2‐seleno‐ 1,3,2‐oxazaphosphorinane is reported. Phosphoranes derived from 1 and 3,5‐di‐tert‐butylcatechol, and bearing Cl, NMe₂, or phenyl as substituent at phosphorus are presented. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 15:307–320, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20021     

1,2,3,–Triazole‐Based Catalysts: From Metal‐ to Supramolecular Organic Catalysis

1,2,3‐Triazoles are unique heterocycles with intriguing physical properties that allow not only the coordination to metals, but also the establishment of supramolecular interactions based on their polarized C?H bonds. In this account, an extensive work of our group on the design and application of 1,2,3‐triazole catalysts is covered. Initially, a family of BINOL triazoles (Click‐BINOLs) was synthesized and employed in model test reactions in asymmetric metal catalysis such as the Ti‐catalyzed addition of alkylzinc reagents to aldehydes. The evolution from the Click‐BINOLs to a novel class of triazole‐based anion‐binding organocatalysts is further discussed. Consequently, these catalysts were successfully applied in alkylation reactions, as well as asymmetric dearomatizations of diverse N‐heteroarenes.     

Aldo‐X Bifunctional Building Blocks for the Synthesis of Heterocycles

Compounds containing oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur atoms inside the rings are attracting much attention and interest due to their biological importance. In recent years, several methods for the synthesis of such molecules have been reported by using aldo‐X bifunctional building blocks (AXB3 s) as substrates; these are a wide class of organic molecules that contain at least two reactive sites, among them, one aldehyde, acetal, or semiacetal group was involved. Because of the multiple reactivities, AXB3 s are widely used in the one‐pot synthesis of biologically important heterocycles. This review summarizes the synthesis of important heterocycles by using AXB3 s as pivotal components in establishing multicomponent reactions, tandem reactions, and so forth. In many cases, the established reaction systems with AXB3 s were characterized by some green properties, such as easy access to the substrate, mild and environmentally benign conditions, and wide scope of the substrate.     

A study on the ability of 2,5‐dihydro‐ and 2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1h‐phosphole oxides,as well as 7‐phosphanorbornene 7‐oxide derivatives to undergo uv light‐mediated fragmentation‐related phosphinylation of methanol

Reactivity of the title P‐heterocycles ( 1‐14 ) in the photoinduced fragmentation‐related phosphinylation of methanol was found to be influenced by the extent of ring strain and the UV absorption at 254 nm. The 7‐phosphanorbornene oxides ( 7‐14 ) are universal precursors due to their ring strain, no matter if they are UV‐active or not at 254 nm. The easily available 2,5‐dihydro‐1H‐phosphole oxides can be applied only in case of 1‐phenyl substitution that enhances the absorption at 254 nm. The ring strain of representative P‐heterocycles ( 5‐8 ) was evaluated by HF/6‐31G* and B3LYP/6‐31+G* calculations. UV spectra of compounds 5‐8 were interpreted by ZINDO/S and MNDO‐d calculations. The new precursors ( 11‐14 ) made possible the extension of the phosphinylations.     

Pd‐Catalyzed Enantioselective [6+4] Cycloaddition of Vinyl Oxetanes with Azadienes to Access Ten‐Membered Heterocycles

We report herein the first enantioselective cycloaddition of vinyl oxetanes, the reaction of which with azadienes provided unprecedented access to ten‐membered heterocycles through a [6+4] cycloaddition. By using a commercially available chiral Pd‐SIPHOX catalyst, a wide range of benzofuran‐ as well as indole‐fused heterocycles could be accessed in excellent yield and enantioselectivity. A unique Lewis acid induced fragmentation of these ten‐membered heterocycles was also discovered.     

Intramolecular cyclization of N‐hetarylphosphinimidic isocyanates in the synthesis of 1,7‐dihydro‐4H‐imidazo[4,5‐d][1,3,2]diazaphosphinin‐4‐one (2‐phosphapurine)

It has been found that N‐(4‐imidazolyl)phosphinimidic isocyanates obtained by the reaction of the corresponding chlorophosphine N‐hetarylimide with alkali metal cyanates can undergo intramolecular heterocyclization to yield previously unknown phosphapurine derivatives containing an endocyclic PN double bond. This radically novel approach to building the 2‐phosphapurine system shows promise for the synthesis of related phosphorus‐containing fused heterocycles. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 21:453–455, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.20617     

Carbaborane‐Substituted 1,2,3‐Triphospholanes and 1‐Aza‐2,5‐diphospholane: New Synthetic Approaches

New phosphorus‐containing, five‐membered P,P,P and P,N,P heterocycles were synthesized and fully characterized. The P,P,P heterocycles, 1,2,3‐triphospholanes, can be synthesized by two different facile pathways, whereas the P,N,P compound, a 1‐aza‐2,5‐diphospholane, can only be obtained with silylamine.     

Transition Metal‐Participated Synthesis and Utilization of N‐containing Heterocycles: Exploring for Nitrogen Sources

This account aims to describe our recent efforts on the synthesis and utilization of N‐containing heterocycles, where transition metals participate in the synthesis. A variety of nitrogen sources, including amines, amides, hydrazones, pyrimidines, isocyanides, and copper nitrate, have been disclosed for the synthesis of diverse bioactive and pharmacologically interesting N‐containing heterocycles under the participation of transition metals. The well‐known nitrogen sources, such as amines and amides, were used for the construction of indoles, isatins, and quinolones. Dihydrophthalazines, isoquinolines, indazoles, and pyrazoles were obtained from hydrazones, while various pyrimidine‐containing heterocycles were afforded through regioselective C?H functionalizations using pyrimidine as the directing group. Recent research has focused on the chemistry of isocyanides to achieve several kinds of heterocyclic compounds with high efficiency under the catalysis of transition metals (Pd, Rh, Mn, Cu), through oxidative cyanation reactions, sequential isocyanide insertions into C?H, N?H, or O?H bonds, and tandem radical annulation. More recently, an efficient route to isoxazolines has been reported using copper nitrate as a novel nitrogen source.     

Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed N‐Nitroso‐Directed CH Addition to Ethyl 2‐Oxoacetate for Cycloaddition/Fragmentation Synthesis of Indazoles

Rh^III‐catalyzed N‐nitroso‐directed C?H addition to ethyl 2‐oxoacetate allows subsequent construction of indazoles, a privileged heterocycle scaffold in synthetic chemistry, through the exploitation of reactivity between the directing group and installed group. The formal [2+2] cycloaddition/fragmentation reaction pathway identified herein, a unique reactivity pattern hitherto elusive for the N‐nitroso group, emphasizes the importance of forward reactivity analysis in the development of useful C?H functionalization‐based synthetic tools. The synthetic utility of the protocol is demonstrated with the synthesis of a tricyclic‐fused ring system. The diversity of covalent linkages available for the nitroso group should enable the extension of the genre of reactivity reported herein to the synthesis of other types of heterocycles.     

Access to Air‐Stable 1,3‐Diphosphacyclobutane‐2,4‐diyls by an Arylation Reaction with Arynes

Tuning of the physicochemical properties of the 1,3‐diphosphacyclobutane‐2,4‐diyl unit is attractive in view of materials applications. The use of arynes is shown to be effective for installing relatively electron rich aryl substituents into the open‐shell singlet P‐heterocyclic system. Treatment of the sterically encumbered 1,3‐diphosphacyclobuten‐4‐yl anion with ortho‐silylated aryl triflates in the presence of fluoride under appropriate conditions afforded the corresponding 1‐aryl 1,3‐diphosphacyclobutane‐2,4‐diyls. The air‐stable open‐shell singlet P‐heterocycles exhibit considerable electron‐donating character, and the aromatic substituent influences the open‐shell character, which is thought to be related to the property of p‐type semiconductivity. The P‐arylated 1,3‐diphosphacyclobutane‐2,4‐diyl systems can be further utilized as detectors of hydrogen fluoride (HF), which causes a remarkable change in their photoabsorption properties.     

Fragmentation‐related phosphinylations using 2‐aryl‐2‐phosphabicyclo[2.2.2]oct‐ 5‐ene‐ and ‐octa‐5,7‐diene 2‐oxides

A series of new P‐methylphenyl P‐heterocycles are introduced. The para and ortho substituted 2,5‐dihydro‐1H‐phosphole oxides ( 1a and 1b ) were converted to the double‐bond isomers ( A and B ) of 1,2‐dihydrophosphinine oxides ( 3a and 3b ) via the corresponding phosphabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane oxides ( 2a or 2b ). Isomeric mixture ( A and B ) of the dihydrophosphinine oxides ( 3a and 3b ) gave, in turn, the isomers ( A and B ) of phosphabicyclo[2.2.2]oct‐5‐enes ( 4a and 4b ) or a phosphabicyclo[2.2.2]octa‐5,7‐diene ( 5 ) in Diels‐Alder reaction with dienophiles. The bridged P‐heterocycles ( 4 and 5 ) were useful in the photo‐ or thermoinduced fragmentation‐related phosphinylation of hydroxy compounds and amines. The new precursors ( 4a and 4b ) were applied in mechanistic investigations. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 14:443–451, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.10176     

The Role of Aqueous Aerosols in the “Glyoxylate Scenario”: An Experimental Approach

The origin of life is one of the fundamental questions in science. Eschenmoser proposed the “glyoxylate scenario”, in which plausible abiotic synthesis pathways were suggested to be compatible with the constraints of prebiotic chemistry. In this proposal, the stem compound is HCN. In this work, we explore the “glyoxylate scenario” through several syntheses of HCN polymers, paying particular attention to the role of the aqueous aerosols, together with statistical methods, as a step to elucidate the synthetic problem of the origin of life. The soluble and insoluble HCN polymers synthetized were analyzed by GC‐MS. We identified, for the first time, glyoxylic acid in these polymers, together with some constituents of the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle, amino acids and several N‐heterocycles. The findings presented herein, as the first global approach to the “glyoxylate scenario”, give full effect to this hypothesis and prove that aqueous aerosols could play an important role in this plausible scene of the origin of life.     

Advancements in the Synthesis and Applications of Cationic N‐Heterocycles through Transition Metal‐Catalyzed C−H Activation

Cationic N‐heterocycles are an important class of organic compounds largely present in natural and bioactive molecules. They are widely used as fluorescent dyes for biological studies, as well as in spectroscopic and microscopic methods. These compounds are key intermediates in many natural and pharmaceutical syntheses. They are also a potential candidate for organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). Because of these useful applications, the development of new methods for the synthesis of cationic N‐heterocycles has received a lot of attention. In particular, many C?H activation methodologies that realize high step‐ and atom‐economies toward these compounds have been developed. In this review, recent advancements in the synthesis and applications of cationic N‐heterocycles through C?H activation reactions are summarized. The new C?H activation reactions described in this review are preferred over their classical analogs.     

“To Twist or Not to Twist”: Figure‐of‐Eight and Planar Structures of Octaphyrins

Amongst the various porphyrinoids, octaphyrin has attracted significant attention owing to its diverse syntheses, conformations, and metal‐ligation properties. Octaphyrin is a higher homologue of porphyrin and is formed by linking together heterocycles such as pyrrole, furan, thiophene, and selenophene through α‐α or α‐meso carbon bonds. The planar conformation is mainly achieved through inversion of the heterocyclic units from the center of macrocycle; avoiding meso ‐bridges; introducing a para ‐quinodimethane bridge; employing a neo‐confusion approach; protonation; and by generating dianionic species. In this Focus Review, recent synthetic advancements in the field of octaphyrins are summarized. The twisted conformation of the octaphyrin binds to two metal ions in a tetracoordinate geometry. The diphosphorus complex of octaphyrin represents the first example of a stable expanded isophlorin.     

“Twin” phosphorous atoms of tetraethyl 2‐methyl‐piperyd‐1‐ylmethylenebisphosphonates

Recently, bisaminophosphonates found applications as therapeutic agents for curing bone disorders. When trying to relate the structures of substituted piperid‐1‐ylmethylenebisphosphonic with their biological properties, non‐typical findings that in ³¹P NMR spectra of 2‐methyl‐piperid‐1‐ylmethylenebisphosphonic and 2‐ethyl‐piperid‐1‐ylmethylenebisphosphonic acids, two separate singlets from each of the phosphonic groups were observed, while their analogues bearing substituent in position 3 exhibit only one signal. Their presence was explained by freezing of the molecular motions by strong hydrogen bonding between NH and P = O atoms. In this work, synthesis as well as spectroscopic and theoretical investigations of the tetraethyl esters of 2‐methyl‐piperid‐1‐ylmethylenebisphosphonic in its racemic and enatiomerically pure forms are reported. Their ³¹P NMR spectra revealed two sets of dublets, which indicate the presence of two non‐equivalent phosphorous atoms. More detailed NMR and theoretical studies indicated that the nonequivalent phosphorous signals in ³¹P NMR spectra may results from the absence of C₂ symmetry of the molecule along with the presence of large ester groups blocking the internal molecular motion around C—N bond, and thus blocking the interchange of ring conformation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 18:774–781, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20349