Serendipitous synthesis of 2-amino-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran derivatives starting from Baylis-Hillman adducts

Serendipitous synthesis of 2-amino-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran derivatives 4a-g was achieved starting from the Baylis-Hillman adducts. In the reaction sequence, intramolecular oxygen atom transfer from nitrogen atom to arene moiety was observed.     

Synthesis of N-tosyl-3,3,4-trisubstituted pyrrolidine derivatives starting from the Baylis-Hillman adducts via radical cyclization

N-Tosyl-3,3-disubstituted-4-vinylpyrrolidine derivatives 3a-c were synthesized via radical cyclization from the modified Baylis-Hillman adducts 2. The required starting materials 2a-c were prepared in moderate yields from the Baylis-Hillman adducts in three steps: (i) acetylation of the Baylis-Hillman adducts, (ii) S_N2′ reaction with tosylamide to prepare 1, and (iii) alkylation with 1,4-dibromo-2-butene.     

Regioselective synthesis of 1,3,4,5-tetrasubstituted pyrazoles from Baylis-Hillman adducts

Tetrasubstituted pyrazole derivatives 3a-j were synthesized regioselectively in good yields from the reaction of Baylis-Hillman adducts 1a-f and hydrazine hydrochlorides 2a-d in 1,2-dichloroethane.     

Synthesis of functionalized 3-spirocyclopropane-2-indolones from isomerised Baylis-Hillman adducts of isatin

A facile, high yield stereoselective synthesis of functionalized diastereomeric 3-spirocyclopropane-2-indolones (10-17a,b) from the isomerised bromo derivatives of Baylis-Hillman adducts of isatin(2-9a,b) by reductive cyclization with sodium borohydride is reported.     

Regio- and stereoselective synthesis of methyl 5-methylenetetrahydropyran-3-carboxylates from Baylis-Hillman adducts via allyltributylstannane-mediated radical cyclization

Two types of regioisomeric methyl 5-methylenetetrahydropyran-3-carboxylate derivatives 3a-c and 6a-c were synthesized stereoselectively starting from the Baylis-Hillman adducts via the allyltributylstannane-mediated vinyl radical cyclization as the key step.     

Synthesis of 3-substituted-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxides from the Baylis-Hillman adducts of o-nitrobenzaldehydes

The reaction of the Baylis-Hillman adducts 1b-f derived from o-nitrobenzaldehydes in trifluoroacetic acid in the presence of triflic acid (0.2 equiv.) afforded 3-substituted-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxides 2b-e and 2a in good to moderate yields. The reaction mechanism was evidenced by the experiment with 1f, the Baylis-Hillman adduct of 2-nitrobenzaldehyde N-tosylimine, as the one involving N-hydroxyisoxazoline as the key intermediate.     

New synthesis of 2-trifluoromethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-quinolin-4-ones

N-(1-Ethoxy-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)anilines 2a-2f, prepared from trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal and aniline, readily reacted with diethyl malonate in the presence of sodium hydride, giving substituted products 5a-5f in high yields. Compounds 5a-5f subjected to hydrolysis and decarboxylation under specified conditions yielded the 4,4,4-trifluorobutyric acids 6a-6e or 7. Direct ring-closure of 6a-6e with polyphosphoric acid gave 2-trifluoromethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-quinolin-4-ones 9a-9e.     

A tandem decarboxylation and inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction of amino-thiophenecarboxylic acids with 1,3,5-triazines

The scope of 1,3,5-triazine inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder (IDA) reactions was expanded to include aminothiophenecarboxylic acids as latent dienophiles. A series of 2-amino-3-thiophenecarboxylic acids (1a-d) and a 3-amino-2-thiophenecarboxylic acid (5) were introduced as productive dienophiles in IDA reactions with various 1,3,5-triazines (2a-e). This method is useful for the one-step synthesis of both thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines and thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidines, which should complement existing methods.     

Unusual synthesis of dihydropyrido[2,1-a]isoindolone derivatives by radical cyclization of enamides of Baylis-Hillman adducts

During the radical cyclization of enamide derivatives 4 we found unusual formation of dihydropyrido[2,1-a]isoindolone derivatives 5. The enamides were synthesized in four steps from the Baylis-Hillman adducts of ortho-bromobenzaldehydes.     

Synthesis of nicotinonitrile derivatives as a new class of NLO materials

4,6-Diaryl-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)-nicotinonitriles 2a-k and 3-amino-2,4-dicyano-5-aryl-biphenyls 3a-c were synthesized from 1,3-diaryl-prop-2-en-1-ones 1a-k and malononitrile by a convenient one-pot method. Likewise, the reaction of aromatic aldehydes with malononitrile afforded 6-amino-4-aryl-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)-pyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles 6a-f. The reaction of mesityl oxide with malononitrile gave 5-amino-7-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)-2,4,4-trimethyl-1,4-dihydro-1,6-naphthyridine-8-carbonitrile 8. The NLO studies of the pyridinedinitrile derivatives 6a, b, f showed a high value while that of nicotinonitrile 2b was weak.     

The synthesis of pyrrolo[2,3-c][1,2,6]thiadiazine-5-carbonitriles from (4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-ylidene)malononitriles

[3,5-Bis(dialkylamino)-4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-ylidene]propanedinitriles 6a-c, react with sodium methoxide or ethoxide to give the corresponding 6-alkoxy-4-dialkylamino substituted pyrrolo[2,3-c][1,2,6]thiadiazine-5-carbonitriles 7a-f in variable yields. These new compounds are fully characterised and two rational mechanisms are proposed for their formation.     

Studies on isocyanides: synthesis of tetrazolyl-isoindolinones via tandem Ugi four-component condensation/intramolecular amidation

The Ugi four-component condensation between methyl o-formylbenzoates 1, anilines 2a-c, isocyanides 3, and trimethylsilyl azide (4) afforded the expected Ugi adducts 5a-d, which were cyclized to the title compounds 6a-d upon treatment with sodium ethoxide in ethanol. Starting from aralkyl- or alkylamines 2d-g the Ugi adducts underwent a spontaneous cyclization to tetrazolyl-isoindolinones 6e-j.     

Efficient and regioselective chromium(0)-catalyzed reaction of 2-substituted furans with diazo compounds: stereoselective synthesis of (2E,4Z)-2-aryl-hexadienedioic acid diesters

Pentacarbonyl(η²-cis-cyclooctene)chromium(0) (1) catalyzes efficiently reactions of diazo compounds with electron-rich furans. The reaction of 2-methoxyfuran (2) with alkyl α-diazoarylacetate (3a-g) furnishes the (2E,4Z)-2-aryl-hexadienedioic acid diesters (4a-g) in excellent yields. These reactions are highly regioselective. The cyclopropanation intermediates formed from 1 and diazo compounds 3a-g always arise from a carbene addition to the less substituted CC bond of 2. The resulting cyclopropanation product undergoes a ring opening reaction to form the corresponding (2E,4Z)-2-aryl-hexadienedioic acid diesters (4a-g). The pentacarbonylchromium(0)-catalyzed reactions of 2-alkylfuran (5a-b) with ethyl α-diazophenylacetate (3a) and 9-diazo-9H-fluorene (3h) produce the 1(E),3(E)-butadienes (6a-d) in very good yields.     

SEAr-SNAr couplings of indolizines and related pyrrole derivatives with superelectrophilic nitrobenzoxadiazoles

The nucleophilic aromatic substitutions of 7-chloro-4,6-dinitrobenzofurazan (DNBZ-Cl) and 7-chloro-4,6-dinitrobenzofuroxan (DNBF-Cl) with a series of differently substituted indolizines (5a-f) and a series of dihyropyrroloisoquinolines (11a-f) have been investigated. In accord with previous reports emphasizing the superelectrophilic character of these compounds in σ-complexation processes, DNBZ-Cl and DNBF-Cl react very readily and quantitatively with the weak carbon nucleophiles 5a-f and 11a-f at room temperature in acetonitrile. In the case of DNBZ-Cl, the resulting products (7Z,a-f and 12Z,a-f) are those expected from the displacement of the chlorine atom through a S_EAr-S_NAr mechanism. A significant result is that these compounds, despite the lack of coplanarity of the two rings, are characterized by an intense intramolecular charge transfer between the donor pyrrole-type moiety and the electron-deficient acceptor DNBZ moiety. Contrasting with this behaviour, the DNBF-Cl reactions show a totally different pattern, proceeding with loss of the N-oxide functionality and expansion of the pyrrole moiety to afford stable zwitterionic spiro adducts (8F,a-f and 13F,a-f) of a so far unknown type. Rapid NMR recordings have revealed that the formation of these adducts occurs after initial formation of the expected substitution products 7F,a-f and 12F,a-f. A mechanism accounting for the overall rearrangement leading to the spirobenzofurazan adducts is suggested. It is based on an initial nucleophilic attack of the oxygen atom of the N-oxide functionality at the electron-deficient and strongly olefinic C-C coupling bond generated by the aforementioned intramolecular charge transfer. This results in the formation of an unstable five-membered isoxazole ring whose decomposition goes along with loss of the N-oxide functionality and enlargement of the pyrrole moiety into a pyridine one. Also discussed are the factors accounting for the high thermodynamic stability of the spiro adducts, and their relevance to the stability of previously reported spiro adducts.     

Synthesis of a new class of azathia crown macrocycles containing two 1,2,4-triazole or two 1,3,4-thiadiazole rings as subunits

A series of new 1,2/1,3-bis[o-(N-methylidenamino-5-aryl-3-thiol-4H-1,2,4-triazole-4-yl)phenoxy]alkane derivatives 3a-d and bis[o-(N-methylidenamino-2-thiol-1,3,4-thiadiazole-5-yl)phenoxy]alkanes 6a-c were prepared by condensation of 4-amino-5-(aroyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiols 2a-b or 2-amino-5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole with bis-aldehydes 1a-c. Further reaction of compounds 3a-d and 6a-c with dibromoalkanes afforded the new macrocycles 5a-f and 8a-d. The cyclization does not require high dilution techniques and provides the expected azathia macrocycles in good yields, ranging from 55% to 68%.     

A convenient synthesis of benzofuro[3,2-c]isoquinolines and naphtho[1′,2′:4,5]furo[3,2-c]isoquinolines

A convenient method for the preparation of benzofuro[3,2-c]isoquinoline derivatives is described. The condensation reaction of methyl 2-(chloromethyl)-benzoate with substituted salicylonitriles 7a-c and intramolecular cyclization of the resulting substituted methyl 2-[(2-cyanobenzyl)oxy]benzoates 10a-c using potassium tert-butoxide results in the substituted benzofuro[3,2-c]isoquinolin-5(6H)-ones 1a-c. The same sequence of reactions starting from 2-(chloromethyl)benzonitrile and compounds 7a-c gave substituted 5-aminobenzofuro[3,2-c]isoquinolines 13a-c. In addition, this method is useful for the synthesis of other heterocycles. For example, using 1-cyano-2-naphthol 16, instead of the salicylonitriles 7a-c, gives naphtho[1′,2′:4,5]furo[3,2-c]isoquinolines.     

Facile synthesis of regio-isomeric naphthofurans and benzodifurans

Naphtho[1,2-b]furans 1a-f, naphtho[2,1-b]furans 2a-f, benzo[1,2-b:5,4-b′]difurans 3a-b, benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]difurans 4a-b, and benzo[1,2-b:4,3-b′]difurans 5a-b were synthesized by base-catalyzed cyclization reaction of the corresponding o-alkoxybenzoylarene derivatives. The o-alkoxybenzoylarenes were obtained from the etherification reaction of the o-hydroxybenzoylarenes, which were prepared either by the reaction of methoxyarenes with benzoyl chloride in the presence of aluminum chloride or by photo-Fries rearrangement of aryl benzoates.     

Synthesis of new tetracyclic 7-oxo-pyrido[3,2,1-de]acridine derivatives

A series of (±)3-hydroxyl- and 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydro-7-oxopyrido[3,2,1-de]acridines were synthesized for antitumor evaluation. These agents can be considered as analogues of glyfoline or (±)1,2-dihydroxyacronycine derivatives. The key intermediates, 3,7-dioxopyrido[3,2,1-de]acridines (15a,b or 24a,b), for constructing the target compounds were synthesized either from 3-(N,N-diphenylamino)propionic acid (14a,b) by treating with Eaton’s reagent (P₂O₅/MsOH) (Method 1) or from (9-oxo-9H-acridin-10-yl)propionic acid (23a-c) via ring cyclization under the same reaction conditions (Method 2). Compounds 15a,b and 24a,b were converted into (±)3-hydroxy derivatives (25a-d), which were then further transformed into pyrido[3,2,1-de]acridin-7-one (28a-d) by treating with methanesulfonic anhydride in pyridine via dehydration. 1,2-Dihydroxylation of 28a-d afforded (±)cis-2,3-dihydroxy-7-oxopyrido[3,2,1-de]acridine (29a-d). Derivatives of (±)3-hydroxy (25a,b) and (±)cis-2,3-dihydroxy (29a-d) were further converted into their O-acetyl congeners 26a,b and 30a-d, respectively. We also synthesized 2,3-cyclic carbonate (31, 32, and 33) from 29a-c. The anti-proliferative study revealed that these agents exhibited low cytotoxicity in inhibiting human lymphoblastic leukemia CCRF-CEM cell growth in culture.     

Synthesis of α,β-unsaturated γ-lactones via photooxygenation of 2,3-dihydrofurans followed by ferrous ion-catalyzed gem-dehydration

Several alkyl and aryl substituted 2,3-dihydrofurans 1a-1e were synthesized and their reactions with singlet oxygen were investigated. Photooxygenation of 1a-1e in carbon tetrachloride at ambient temperature exclusively yields allylic hydroperoxides 4a-4e. Treatment of these hydroperoxides with aqueous ferrous sulfate solution affords the corresponding α,β-unsaturated γ-lactones 6a-6e with high yields. This work provides an efficient route to the preparation of butenolide moiety, an important functionality in the structures of many natural products that exhibit biological properties.     

3-Amino- and 3-acylamido-2-phosphonopyridines: synthesis by Pd-catalyzed P-C coupling, structure and conversion to pyrido[b]-anellated PC-N heterocycles

Palladium catalyzed cross-coupling of 3-amino- and 3-acylamido-2-bromopyridines 1a-f with triethyl phosphite allowed the synthesis of 3-amino- and 3-acylamido pyridine-2-phosphonic acid diethyl esters 2a-f, whereas nickel catalysts, although providing access to related anilido-2-phosphonates, proved inactive. Reduction of the aminophosphonate 2a with LiAlH₄ afforded 3-amino-2-phosphinopyridine (3a), which was cyclocondensed with dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal (DMFA) via phosphaalkene intermediates 4a to the novel pyrido[b]-anellated 1,3-azaphosphole 5a. Reaction of amidophosphonates 2b-f with LiAlH₄ did not result in the expected reductive cyclization, as shown by closely related anilido-2-phosphonates, but led to product mixtures containing N-secondary 3-amino-2-phosphinopyridines 3b-f as the main or major component. The conversion of 3b,d,e with DMFA to 5b,d,e provides first examples of N-substituted pyrido[b]-anellated azaphospholes. Structures were confirmed by multinuclear NMR and X-ray crystallography (for 2c, 3b).