Palladium-mediated fragmentation reactions of meta photocycloadducts to afford arylated or oxidatively cyclised products

Whilst seeking to improve the yield of a Heck-style arylation/fragmentation reaction using a silyloxy substituted meta photocycloadduct, an alternative reaction pathway was discovered that led to the formation of the unique oxidatively cyclised compound 8. This tricyclic ether is believed to form as the result of the meta photocycloadduct structure fragmenting to give a π-allyl palladium species and then subsequently being displaced by a neighbouring hydroxyl group. An attempt to develop an enantioselective version of this reaction via the desymmetrisation of a meso π-allyl palladium intermediate was made using the meta photocycloadduct derived from anisole and Z-but-2-ene-1,4-diol, however no enantioenrichment of the products could be detected.     

The first example of stereoselective self-assembly of a cryptand containing four asymmetric intracyclic phosphane groups

The rac stereoisomer of a novel cryptand containing two bridgehead nitrogen and four asymmetric phosphorus atoms in the 16-membered core cycle was obtained stereoselectively via the reaction of bis(mesitylphosphino)propane, formaldehyde, and meta-xylylenediamine in the course of a covalent self-assembly process.     

About the Leuckart reaction of chiral 2-norbornanones bearing electron-withdrawing groups: reaction of bridgehead triflates and triflamides

The mechanism of the Leuckart reaction of 3,3- and 7,7-dimethyl-2-oxo-1-norbornyl triflates and triflamides, synthesised by us starting from (1R)-camphor and (1R)-fenchone, has been studied. Strikingly, the electron-withdrawing capacity of the bridgehead substituents has demonstrated not to be enough to control the Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement during the course of the reaction, so that only both enantiomers of a 3,3-dimethylnorbornanediamine derivative have been obtained as final products. As a result, the total synthesis of these interesting chiral compounds has been optimised and shortened until three overall steps starting from (1R)-fenchone.     

Vinylcyclopropane [3+2] Cycloaddition with Acetylenic Sulfones Based on Visible Light Photocatalysis**

The first intermolecular visible light [3+2] cycloaddition reaction performed on a meta photocycloadduct employing acetylenic sulfones is described. The developed methodology exploits the advantages of combining UV and visible-light in a two-step sequence that provides a photogenerated cyclopropane which, through a strain-release process, generates a new cyclopentane ring while significantly increasing the molecular complexity. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations indicate an energy transfer pathway for the visible light-driven reaction step. This strategy could be extended to simpler vinylcyclopropanes.     

Pyridine Carboxamides Based on Sulfobetaines: Design,Reactivity, and Biological Activity

The synthesis of the products of the 1,3-propanesultone ring opening during its interaction with amides of pyridinecarboxylic acids has been carried out. The dependence of the yield of the reaction products on the position (ortho-, meta-, para-) of the substituent in the heteroaromatic fragment and temperature condition was revealed. In contrast to the meta- and para-substituted substrates, the reaction involving ortho-derivatives at the boiling point of methanol unexpectedly led to the formation of a salt. On the basis of spectroscopic, X-Ray, and quantum-chemical calculation data, a model of the transition-state, as well as a mechanism for this alkylation reaction of pyridine carboxamides with sultone were proposed in order to explain the higher yields obtained with the nicotinamide and its N-methyl analog compared to ortho or meta parents. Based on the analysis of ESP maps, the positions of the binding sites of reagents with a potential complexing agent in space were determined. The in silico evaluation of possible biological activity showed that the synthetized compounds revealed some promising pharmacological effects and low acute toxicity.     

Degradation thermique des trois isomeres Ortho,meta, para du polymethoxymethylstyrene

A kinetic study of the overall thermal decomposition of the three isomers (ortho, meta and para) of polymethoxymethylstyrene has been carried out. The reaction order is one over a wide interval of mass loss, for the meta and para polymers; there is no order for the first one. The corresponding activation energy has been calculated as 32.5 kcal mol⁻¹ for the meta polymer and 31 kcal mol⁻¹ for the para polymer.The volatile compounds, identified by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, are chiefly monomers. The thermal decomposition reaction is probably a depolymerization reaction coupled with crosslinking for the meta and para isomers.     

Synthesis of meta- and paracyclophanes containing unsaturated amino acid residues

[7.7], [8.8], [9.9] and [13.13] Paracyclophanes and [9.9] and [13.13] metacyclophanes containing two unsaturated amino acid residues have been synthesised. An X-ray crystallographic study of three of the paracyclophanes and molecular modelling of two paracyclophanes and two metacyclophanes revealed two main structural types. The ‘staggered’ structure appears to be favoured by longer hydrocarbon chains, whilst the ‘barrel’ structure appears to be more accessible to compounds containing shorter hydrocarbon chains. The [9.9] paracyclophane has been hydrogenated and deprotected to give a saturated amino acid, and an alternative approach to key aldehydes is reported.     

Sterically congested macrobicycles with heteroatomic bridgehead functionality

A series of cyclophanes composed of two triarylelement caps linked by two-atom bridges has been synthesized. The bridgehead functional groups include phosphines in combination with amines, hydrosilanes, methylsilanes, and ethoxysilanes. Computational studies accurately predicted that when the bridgehead substituents are small (lone pairs or protons), an in_,in bridgehead stereochemistry is strongly favored, but larger bridgehead substituents favor the formations of in_,out stereoisomers. The X-ray structures, spectra, and reactivity of these compounds are discussed, as well as the resolution of one of the cyclophanes into pure enantiomers.     

Unusual reactivity of ortho-carbonylphenylboronic acids with diethanolamine

The reaction of carbonyl-substituted phenylboronic acids with diethanolamine has been investigated. For compounds containing carbonyl groups at the meta or para positions the reaction occurs exclusively at the boronic acid. Different reactivities were observed for ortho-substituted acetyl- and formylphenylboronic acids where the reaction occurred at both the boronic acid and at the carbonyl group. X-ray studies revealed the presence of a polycyclic structure with tetravalent boron and nitrogen atoms.     

Synthesis and further transformations of 8-chloro-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline

Two procedures for the synthesis of barely accessible 8-chloro-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline were investigated. The first approach is based on a directed ortho-lithiation of N-pivaloyl meta-chlorophenylethylamine, followed by formylation and subsequent ring closure under acidic conditions. In the second, more advantageous variant, the N-hydroxyethyl ortho-chlorobenzylamine intermediate undergoes a Friedel-Crafts reaction, and the resulting tetrahydro derivative is oxidized with N-bromosuccinimide. The 8-chloro-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline key intermediate is then applied in Suzuki reactions to give various 8-aryl-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines, which are finally treated with alkyl or aryllithiums to give 1-substituted 8-aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines. These novel 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives can be used as building blocks in the synthesis of potential drug candidates.     

Enthalpic and entropic contributions to substituent effects for the ionization of meta- and para-hydroxybenzoic acids in water—dimethylsulfoxide mixtures at 25°C

Separate enthalpic and entropic contributions to substituent effects on the dissociation of m-hydroxybenzoic acid in water—dimethylsulfoxide mixtures ranging from 0.0 to 0.57 mole fraction of DMSO are presented. The effect of the medium on the reaction constant is explained in terms of solute—solvent interactions. The entropy reaction constant values ?_s of the meta-hydroxy compound are much greater than those of the meta-chloro and nitro compounds in the examined mole fraction range.For the para-hydroxy isomer only a trend of σ_s and ?_s values can be calculated. This fact is due to the electron-releasing resonance effect which overlaps and prevails over the inductive effect.     

Synthesis of bis(indole)-1,2,4-triazinones

A facile method for the synthesis of para- and meta-substituted bis(indole)-1,2,4-triazinones is presented. Our approach to access these triazinones involves a cyclocondensation reaction between amidrazone and ketoester functionalities. The structures of these interesting compounds were established unambiguously by X-ray crystallography.     

A new, one-pot, three-component synthesis of 4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidines, 4H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidines, and 4H-pyrazino[1,2-a]pyrimidines

A new, one-pot and three-component synthesis of 4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidines, 4H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidines, and 4H-pyrazino[1,2-a]pyrimidines is described. The reactive 1:1 zwitterionic intermediate, formed by the addition of isocyanides to dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates, was trapped by N-(2-heteroaryl)amides to yield a ketenimine intermediate, which was cyclized and then rearranged under the reaction conditions to afford the title compounds under mild reaction conditions in good yields. Single-crystal X-ray analysis conclusively confirms the structure of the obtained bridgehead bicyclic 6-6 heterocyclic compounds.     

N-Carbamate α-aminoalkyl-p-tolylsulfones—convenient substrates in the nitro-Mannich synthesis of secondary N-carbamate protected syn-2-amino-1-nitroalkanephosphonates

An efficient one-pot synthesis of secondary N-carbamate protected syn-β-amino-α-nitroalkanephosphonates using diethyl nitromethanephosphonate and N-Boc or N-Cbz imines, generated in situ from stable N-Boc or N-Cbz α-aminoalkyl-p-tolylsulfones has been developed under PTC conditions. A model enantioselective version of this reaction is also described. Enantioselectivity up to 67% ee is achieved using a chiral thiourea catalyst derived from a cinchona alkaloid. Completely stereoselective conversion of the title compounds into partially N-carbamate protected syn-1,2-diaminoalkanephosphonates has also been elaborated.     

Synthetic studies on psiguadial B: Construction of bicyclo[4.3.1]decane skeleton via double cyclization reaction of alkyne dicobalt complex

A new method for constructing the polycyclic skeleton of psiguadial B (1), a meroterpenoid isolated from an evergreen shrub of Myrtaceae, was developed. The terpenoid substructure of 1 was constructed on the basis of a cascade double cyclization reaction of an alkyne dicobalt complex, which afforded the bicyclo[4.3.1]decane derivative having a benzyl group with the correct configuration. The substituted aromatic ring was introduced to the bridgehead position of the intermediate, and bromination under radical conditions followed by intramolecular cyclization reaction resulted in formation of the benzopyran moiety in a stereoselective manner.     

Synthesis of 4,5-fused tricyclic quinolines via an acid-promoted intramolecular Friedel–Crafts allenylation of aniline derivatives

A novel method for synthesizing 4,5-fused tricyclic quinoline derivatives based on an acid-promoted intramolecular Friedel–Crafts allenylation of anilines. Using aryl group-substituted propargyl alcohol derivatives with a meta-substituted N-Boc aniline unit as substrates, a four-step reaction sequence involving an acid-promoted intramolecular Friedel–Crafts allenylation of anilines, an acid-promoted intramolecular C–N bond formation, deprotection of the Boc group, and air oxidation proceeded in a single pot, producing the corresponding 4,5-fused tricyclic quinoline derivatives in 31–84% yield.     

Hydroxypropyl substituted nitrogen bridgehead fused cyanopyridines

The reaction of 2-hetaryl-2-(tetrahydro-2-furanyliden)acetonitriles with substituted acetonitriles as C-nucleophiles has been investigated and the mechanism of the reaction has been suggested. A base promoted Michael addition of the substituted acetonitriles to 2-hetaryl-2-(tetrahydro-2-furanyliden)acetonitriles followed by ring transformations has provided novel convenient synthetic methods to nitrogen bridgehead fused cyanopyridines bearing hydroxypropyl side chain. The structures of obtained compounds have been established based on NMR spectroscopy investigation and X-ray diffraction data.     

Synthesis and bioactivity of α-galactosylceramide analogues bearing an aryl group within the fatty amide chain

We describe the synthesis and bioactivity of analogues of α-galactosylceramide (1) bearing a long-chain alkyl group substituted at the meta or para position of an aryl group embedded within the amide chain. We compared the ability of these compounds and of 1 and C6Ph (2, which has a phenyl group at the amide chain terminus) to stimulate murine invariant Natural Killer T cells and to dock with human CD1d.     

Kinetics of addition of butyllithium onto diisopropenylbenzene

The kinetics of the addition reaction between butyllithium and diisopropenylbenzene (DIB) were investigated in non-polar solvents. It has been established that the two double bonds of meta-DIB are almost isoreactive, as expected; for the para-isomer however the first addition is faster than the second. The overall rate of reaction is also greater for para-DIB. This kinetic study is of great use, since the diadduct behaves as an efficient bifunctional anionic initiator which can be used in non-polar solvents.     

Synthesis of enantiomerically pure inherently chiral calix[4]arenes using the meta-substitution strategy

A meta-substituted aminocalix[4]arene 4 immobilized in the cone conformation was prepared via mercuration of the starting tetra-propoxy derivative, followed by nitrosation and reduction reactions. Acylation of the amino group by chiral amino acid residues ((S)-N-trifluoroacetyl-Ala or (S)-N-trifluoroacetyl-Phe) allowed for the preparation of diastereomeric amides that were separated by preparative TLC on silica gel. Subsequent cyclization under Bischler-Napieralski reaction conditions yielded calixarenes 7b and 7c bearing an oxazole moiety in the meta position instead of the expected upper rim-bridged compounds. The reaction sequence represents a straightforward approach towards enantiomerically pure inherently chiral calix[4]arene derivatives (without HPLC separation steps). The absolute configuration of the enantiomers were confirmed by single crystal structure determination (X-ray).