Enantioselective Alkynylation of Trifluoromethyl Ketones Catalyzed by Cation-Binding Salen Nickel Complexes

Cation-binding salen nickel catalysts were developed for the enantioselective alkynylation of trifluoromethyl ketones in high yield (up to 99 %) and high enantioselectivity (up to 97 % ee). The reaction proceeds with substoichiometric quantities of base (10–20 mol % KOt-Bu) and open to air. In the case of trifluoromethyl vinyl ketones, excellent chemo-selectivity was observed, generating 1,2-addition products exclusively over 1,4-addition products. UV-vis analysis revealed the pendant oligo-ether group of the catalyst strongly binds to the potassium cation (K⁺) with 1:1 binding stoichiometry (K_a=6.6×10⁵ m ⁻¹).     

Efficient Access to Multifunctional Trifluoromethyl Alcohols through Base‐Free Catalytic Asymmetric C−C Bond Formation with Terminal Ynamides

The asymmetric addition of terminal ynamides to trifluoromethyl ketones with a readily available chiral zinc catalyst gives CF₃‐substituted tertiary propargylic alcohols in up to 99 % yield and 96 % ee. The exclusion of organozinc additives and base as well as the general synthetic utility of the products are key features of this reaction. The value of the β‐hydroxy‐β‐trifluoromethyl ynamides is exemplified by selective transformations to chiral Z‐ and E‐enamides, an amide, and N,O‐ketene acetals. The highly regioselective hydration, stereoselective reduction, and hydroacyloxylation reactions proceed with high yields and without erosion of the ee value of the parent β‐hydroxy ynamides.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Conjugate Alkynylation of α,β‐Unsaturated 1,1,1‐Trifluoromethyl Ketones with Terminal Alkynes

The first catalytic enantioselective conjugate alkynylation of α,β‐unsaturated 1,1,1‐trifluoromethyl ketones has been carried out. Terminal alkynes and 1,3‐diynes were treated with trifluoromethyl ketones in the presence of a low catalytic load of a Cu^I‐MeOBIPHEP complex (2.5 mol %) and triethylamine (10 mol %) to give the corresponding trifluoromethyl ketones bearing a propargylic stereogenic center at the β position with good yields and excellent enantiomeric excesses in most of the cases. No 1,2‐addition products were formed under the reaction conditions. The procedure showed broad substrate scope for alkyne, diyne, and enone. A rationale for the observed stereochemistry has been provided. Finally, the potential application of the reaction products in the synthesis of chiral tetrahydrofurans bearing a trifluoromethylated quaternary stereocenter has been devised.     

Diethyl Fluoronitromethylphosphonate: Synthesis and Application in Nucleophilic Fluoroalkyl Additions

Diethyl fluoronitromethylphosphonate ( 3 ), a previously unknown compound, was synthesized by electrophilic fluorination of diethyl nitromethylphosphonate with Selectfluor. Base‐induced decomposition of 3 was studied by NMR spectroscopy, which identified diethyl fluorophosphate and fluoronitromethane as the main decomposition products. C?H acidities [pK_a values in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)] of 3 , 1‐fluoro‐1‐phenylsulfonylmethanephosphonate ( 1 ; McCarthy’s reagent), tetraethyl fluoromethylenebisphosphonate ( 2 ), and some nonfluorinated phosphonates were computed, and a good correlation between calculated and experimental pK_a values was found. The calculated C?H acidities increased in the sequence 2 < 1 < 3 . Diethyl fluoronitromethylphosphonate ( 3 ) was applied in the Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction with aldehydes and trifluoromethyl ketones to provide new 1‐fluoro‐1‐nitroalkenes with good to high stereoselectivities. Alkylation of 3 was successful only with iodomethane, however, conjugate additions of 3 to Michael acceptors such as α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds, sulfones, and nitro compounds allowed access to variously modified diethyl 1‐fluoro‐1‐nitrophosphonates.     

L-脯氨酸催化下甲基酮和1-芳基-2,2,2-三氟乙酮的不对称Aldol反应

Direct asymmetric aldol addition of methyl ketones to 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-phenylethanone and its ring-substituted derivatives was achieved using L-proline as a chiral promoter. Various optically active β-trifluoromethyl-β-hydroxy ketones were obtained in almost quantitative yields with moderate enantioselectivities up to 64 % ee.     

Synthesis of Three‐, Five‐, and Six‐Membered Heterocycles Derived from New β‐Amino‐α‐(trifluoromethyl) Alcohols

Nucleophilic trifluoromethylation of α‐imino ketones 2 , derived from arylglyoxal, with Ruppert–Prakash reagent (CF₃SiMe₃) offers a convenient access to the corresponding O‐silylated β‐imino‐α‐(trifluoromethyl) alcohols. In a ‘one‐pot’ procedure, by treatment with NaBH₄, these products smoothly undergo reduction and desilylation yielding the expected β‐amino‐α‐(trifluoromethyl) alcohols 4 . The latter were used as starting materials for the synthesis of diverse trifluoromethylated heterocycles, including aziridines 5 , 1,3‐oxazolidines 8 , 1,3‐oxazolidin‐2‐ones 9 , 1,3,2‐oxazaphospholidine 2‐oxides 10 , 1,2,3‐oxathiazolidine 2‐oxides 11 , and morpholine‐2,3‐diones 12 . An optically active 5‐(trifluoromethyl)‐substituted 1,3‐oxazolidin‐2‐one 9g was also obtained.     

Highly Efficient Hydrophosphonylation of Aldehydes and Unactivated Ketones Catalyzed by Methylene‐Linked Pyrrolyl Rare Earth Metal Amido Complexes

A series of rare earth metal amido complexes bearing methylene‐linked pyrrolyl‐amido ligands were prepared through silylamine elimination reactions and displayed high catalytic activities in hydrophosphonylations of aldehydes and unactivated ketones under solvent‐free conditions for liquid substrates. Treatment of [(Me₃Si)₂N]₃Ln(μ‐Cl)Li(THF)₃ with 2‐(2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃NHCH₂)C₄H₃NH ( 1 , 1 equiv) in toluene afforded the corresponding trivalent rare earth metal amides of formula {(μ‐η⁵:η¹):η¹‐2‐[(2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃)NCH₂](C₄H₃N)LnN(SiMe₃)₂}₂ [Ln=Y ( 2 ), Nd ( 3 ), Sm ( 4 ), Dy ( 5 ), Yb ( 6 )] in moderate to good yields. All compounds were fully characterized by spectroscopic methods and elemental analyses. The yttrium complex was also characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopic analyses. The structures of complexes 2 , 3 , 4 , and 6 were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray analyses. Study of the catalytic activities of the complexes showed that these rare earth metal amido complexes were excellent catalysts for hydrophosphonylations of aldehydes and unactivated ketones. The catalyzed reactions between diethyl phosphite and aldehydes in the presence of the rare earth metal amido complexes (0.1 mol %) afforded the products in high yields (up to 99 %) at room temperature in short times of 5 to 10 min. Furthermore, the catalytic addition of diethyl phosphite to unactivated ketones also afforded the products in high yields of up to 99 % with employment of low loadings (0.1 to 0.5 mol %) of the rare earth metal amido complexes at room temperature in short times of 20 min. The system works well for a wide range of unactivated aliphatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ketones, especially for substituted benzophenones, giving the corresponding α‐hydroxy diaryl phosphonates in moderate to high yields.     

Synthesis of Functionalized Indoles with a Trifluoromethyl‐Substituted Stereogenic Tertiary Carbon Atom Through an Enantioselective Friedel–Crafts Alkylation with β‐Trifluoromethyl‐α,β‐enones

Chiral complexes of BINOL‐based ligands with zirconium tert‐butoxide catalyze the Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction of indoles with β‐trifluoromethyl‐α,β‐unsaturated ketones to give functionalized indoles with an asymmetric tertiary carbon center attached to a trifluoromethyl group. The reaction can be applied to a large number of substituted α‐trifluoromethyl enones and substituted indoles. The expected products were obtained with good yields and ees of up to 99 %.     

Highly Productive CNN Pincer Ruthenium Catalysts for the Asymmetric Reduction of Alkyl Aryl Ketones

Chiral pincer ruthenium complexes of formula [RuCl(CNN)(Josiphos)] ( 2 – 7 ; Josiphos=1‐[1‐(dicyclohexylphosphano)ethyl]‐2‐(diarylphosphano)ferrocene) have been prepared by treating [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃] with (S,R)‐Josiphos diphosphanes and 1‐substituted‐1‐(6‐arylpyridin‐2‐yl)methanamines (HCNN; substituent=H ( 1 a ), Me ( 1 b ), and tBu ( 1 c )) with NEt₃. By using 1 b and 1 c as a racemic mixture, complexes 4 – 7 were obtained through a diastereoselective synthesis promoted by acetic acid. These pincer complexes, which display correctly matched chiral PP and CNN ligands, are remarkably active catalysts for the asymmetric reduction of alkyl aryl ketones in basic alcohol media by both transfer hydrogenation (TH) and hydrogenation (HY), achieving enantioselectivities of up to 99 %. In 2‐propanol, the enantioselective TH of ketones was accomplished by using a catalyst loading as low as 0.002 mol % and afforded a turnover frequency (TOF) of 10⁵–10⁶ h^?1 (60 and 82 °C). In methanol/ethanol mixtures, the CNN pincer complexes catalyzed the asymmetric HY of ketones with H₂ (5 atm) at 0.01 mol % relative to the complex with a TOF of ≈10⁴ h^?1 at 40 °C.     

Rapid and Slow Generation of 1‐Trifluoromethylvinyllithium: Syntheses and Applications of CF3‐Containing Allylic Alcohols,Allylic Amines,and Vinyl Ketones

1‐(Trifluoromethyl)vinylation is accomplished in two protocols by the in situ generation of thermally unstable 3,3,3‐trifluoroprop‐1‐en‐2‐yllithium ( 1 ): 1) a rapid lithium–halogen‐exchange reaction of 2‐bromo‐3,3,3‐trifluoroprop‐1‐ene ( 2 ) takes effect with sec‐BuLi at ?105 °C to generate vinyllithium 1 , which reacts with more reactive electrophiles, such as aldehydes and N‐tosylimines before its decomposition, to afford 2‐(trifluoromethyl)allyl alcohols and N‐[2‐(trifluoromethyl)allyl] sulfoamides in good yield; 2) treatment of 2 with nBuLi at ?100 °C causes a slow lithium–halogen exchange of 2 , which gives rise to a mixture of 1 and nBuLi. Vinyllithium 1 is preferentially trapped with less reactive electrophiles, such as N,N‐dimethylamides in the presence of BF₃?OEt₂, to afford 1‐(trifluoromethyl)vinyl ketones in good yield. Versatility of the products toward syntheses of CF₃‐containing ring‐fused cyclopentenones is also demonstrated by the Pauson–Khand reaction and the Nazarov cyclization.     

Biocatalytic Conversion of Cyclic Ketones Bearing α‐Quaternary Stereocenters into Lactones in an Enantioselective Radical Approach to Medium‐Sized Carbocycles

Cyclic ketones bearing α‐quaternary stereocenters underwent efficient kinetic resolution using cyclohexanone monooxygenase (CHMO) from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. Lactones possessing tetrasubstituted stereocenters were obtained with high enantioselectivity (up to >99 % ee) and complete chemoselectivity. Preparative‐scale biotransformations were exploited in conjunction with a SmI₂‐mediated cyclization process to access complex, enantiomerically enriched cycloheptan‐ and cycloctan‐1,4‐diols. In a parallel approach to structurally distinct products, enantiomerically enriched ketones from the resolution with an α‐quaternary stereocenter were used in a SmI₂‐mediated cyclization process to give cyclobutanol products (up to >99 % ee).     

New anthracene based Schiff base ligands appended Cu(II) complexes: Theoretical study,DNA binding and cleavage activities

New anthracene based Schiff base ligands L ¹ and H( L ² ), their Cu(II) complexes [Cu( L ¹ )Cl₂] ( 1 ) and [Cu( L ² )Cl] ( 2 ) , (where L ¹  = N¹,N²‐bis(anthracene‐9‐methylene)benzene‐1,2‐diamine, L ²  = (2Z,4E)‐4‐(2‐(anthracen‐9‐ylmethyleneamino)phenylimino)pent‐2‐en‐2‐ol) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, NMR, FAB‐mass, EPR, FT‐IR, UV–Vis and cyclic voltammetry. The electronic structures and geometrical parameters of complexes 1 and 2 were analyzed by the theoretical B3LYP/DFT method. The interaction of these complexes 1 and 2 with CT‐DNA has been explored by using absorption, cyclic voltammetric and CD spectral studies. From the electronic absorption spectral studies, it was found that the DNA binding constants of complexes 1 and 2 are 8.7 × 10³ and 7.0 × 10⁴ M^?1, respectively. From electrochemical studies, the ratio of DNA binding constants K₊/K₂₊ for 2 has been estimated to be >1. The high binding constant values, K₊/K₂₊ ratios more than unity and positive shift of voltammetric E_1/2 value on titration with DNA for complex 2 suggest that they bind more avidly with DNA than complex 1 . The inability to affect the conformational changes of DNA in the CD spectrum is the definite evidences of electrostatic binding by the complex 1 . It can be assumed that it is the bulky anthracene unit which sterically inhibits these complexes 1 and 2 from intercalation and thereby remains in the groove or electrostatic. The complex 2 hardly cleaves supercoiled pUC18 plasmid DNA in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The results suggest that complex 2 bind to DNA through minor groove binding.     

Interactions of Dissolved dsDNA with Intercalating Drug by Anodic Voltammetry and Spectroscopy. Influence of pH

The interactions of C‐1305 (5‐dimethylaminopropylamino‐8‐hydroxy‐6H‐v‐triazolo[4,5,1‐de]acridin‐6‐one) with DNA were studied using differential pulse voltammetry and UV‐vis spectroscopy. C‐1305 interacts with dsDNA in two ways: by intercalation and by binding to the minor‐groove. For the intercalation at physiological pH (7.4) the values of the binding constant, K₁, and the binding‐site size, n₁, equal 3.36×10⁵ M^?1 and 2.5, respectively. For the weak interactions the K₂ and n₂ parameters equal 0.18×10⁵ M^?1 and 4. In the presence of excess NaCl the weak interactions do not vanish, therefore they are assigned to the minor groove binding. Substantial and complex is the influence of pH.     

Electrophilic S‐Trifluoromethylation of Cysteine Side Chains in α‐ and β‐Peptides: Isolation of Trifluoro‐methylated Sandostatin® (Octreotide) Derivatives

The new electrophilic trifluoromethylating 1‐(trifluoromethyl)‐benziodoxole reagents A and B (Scheme 1) have been used to selectively attach CF₃ groups to the S‐atom of cysteine side chains of α‐ and β‐peptides (up to 13‐residues‐long; products 7 – 14 ). Other functional groups in the substrates (amino, amido, carbamate, carboxylate, hydroxy, phenyl) are not attacked by these soft reagents. Depending on the conditions, the indole ring of a Trp residue may also be trifluoromethylated (in the 2‐position). The products are purified by chromatography, and identified by ¹H‐, ¹³C‐, and ¹⁹F‐NMR spectroscopy, by CD spectroscopy, and by high‐resolution mass spectrometry. The CF₃ groups, thus introduced, may be replaced by H (Na/NH₃), an overall Cys/Ala conversion. The importance of trifluoromethylations in medicinal chemistry and possible applications of the method (spin‐labelling, imaging, PET) are discussed.     

Regulation of α‐Chymotrypsin Catalysis by Ferric Porphyrins and Cyclodextrins

Positively charged α‐chymotrypsin (ChT) formed a 1:1 complex with negatively charged 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis(4‐sulfonatophenyl)porphyrinato iron(III) (FeTPPS) in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4 through electrostatic interaction. In spite of the large binding constant (K=4.8×10⁵ M ^?1), FeTPPS could not completely inhibit the catalysis of ChT in the hydrolysis of the model substrate, N‐succinyl‐L ‐phenylalanine p‐nitroanilide (SPNA). The degree of inhibition (60 %) was saturated at 1.6 equivalents of FeTPPS, which indicates that covering of the active site of ChT by FeTPPS was insufficient. The enzymatic activity lowered by FeTPPS was entirely recovered for the freshly prepared sample when the porphyrin on the protein surface was detached by per‐O‐methylated β‐cyclodextrin (TMe‐β‐CD), which formed a stable 1:2 inclusion complex with FeTPPS (K₁=1.26×10⁶ M ^?1, K₂=6.3×10⁴ M ^?1). FeTPPS gradually induced irreversible denaturation of ChT, and the denatured ChT further lost its catalytic ability. No repairing effect of TMe‐β‐CD was observed with irreversibly denatured ChT. A new reversible inhibitor, 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis[4‐(3,5‐dicarboxyphenylmethoxy)phenyl]porphyrinato iron(III) (FeP8M), was then designed, and its inhibitory behavior was examined. FeP8M formed very stable 1:1 and 1:2 FeP8M/ChT complexes with ChT, the K₁ and K₂ values being 2.0×10⁸ and 1.0×10⁶ M ^?1, respectively. FeP8M effectively inhibited the ChT‐catalyzed hydrolysis of SPNA (maximum degree of inhibition=85 %), and the activity of ChT was recovered by per‐O‐methylated γ‐cyclodextrin. No irreversible denaturation of ChT occurred upon binding with FeP8M. The kinetic data support the observation that, for nonincubated samples, both inhibitors did not cause significant conformational change in ChT and inhibited the ChT activity by covering the active site of the enzyme.     

A Self‐Assembled Calix[4]arene Dimer Linked through Hydrogen‐Bonded 2‐Ureidopyrimidin‐4(1H)‐one Groups

Tightly linked! A linear array of complementary hydrogen bonds forms between two 2‐ureidopyrimidin‐4(1H)‐one rings attached to the upper rims of facing 1,3‐alternate calix[4]arenes (shown schematically). The strength of the binding (K_ass>10⁶ M ⁻¹ in chloroform) and the efficiency of the self‐assembly open up interesting perspectives in the design of highly ordered multicomponent cages.     

Isomeric Effect on the anticancer Behavior of two Zinc (II) complexes based on 3,5‐bis(1‐imidazoly) pyridine: Experimental and Theoretical Approach

Two isomeric Zinc (II) complexes constructed by 3,5‐bis(1‐imidazoly) pyridine has been synthesized and characterized by single crystal X‐ray diffraction, elemental analyses and infrared spectroscopy. The binding mode and ability of complex 1–2 with CT‐DNA were studied by UV and fluorescence spectra. The intrinsic binding constant K_b (K_b1 = 2.305 × 10⁴ M^?1, K_b2 = 3.095 × 10⁴ M^?1) and the observed association constant K_obs (K_obs1 = 1.523*10⁶ M^?1, K_obs2 = 2.057*10⁶ M^?1) indicated that the insertion ability of complex 2 with CT‐DNA is stronger than complex 1. Gel electrophoresis showed that complexes have a good ability to hydrolyze cleavage pBR322 plasmid DNA. The cytotoxicity and apoptosis studies showed that complexes exhibited excellent cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells, especially complex 2 had better growth inhibition than Cisplatin. Molecular docking study simulated the binding model of complexes with DNA (PDB:4av1), showing an imidazole plane of complex 2 can be inserted into a DNA base pair in relative parallel. Both complexes can be used as potential anticancer agents.     

Fluorescence Quenching and Binding Interaction of l0-Methylacridinium Iodide to Nucleic Acids

Interaction of 10‐methylacridinium iodide (MAI) as fluorescence probe with nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleic acids has been studied by UV‐visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. It was found that fluorescence of MAI is strongly quenched by the nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleic acids, respectively. The quenching follows the Stern‐Volmer linear equation. The fluorescence quenching rate constant (k_q) was measured to be 10^9‐10¹⁰ (L/mol)/s within the range of diffusion‐controlled rate limit, indicating that the interaction between MAI and nucleic acid and their precursors is characteristic of electron transfer mechanism. In addition, the binding interaction model of MAI to calf thymus DNA (ct‐DNA) was further investigated. Apparent hypochromism in the absorption spectra of MAI was observed when MAI binds to ct‐DNA. Three spectroscopic methods, which include (1) UV spectroscopy, (2) fluorescence quenching of MAI, (3) competitive dual‐probe method of MAI and ethidium bromide (EB), were utilized to determine the affinity binding constants (K) of MAI and ct‐DNA. The binding constants K obtained from the above methods gave consistent data in the same range (1.0–5.5) × 10⁴L/mol, which lend credibility to these measurements. The binding site number was determined to be 1.9. The influence of thermal denaturation and phosphate concentration on the binding was examined. The binding model of MAI to ct‐DNA including intercalation and outside binding was investigated.     

Chiral Iridium Spiro Aminophosphine Complexes: Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Simple Ketones,Structure, and Plausible Mechanism

The iridium complexes of chiral spiro aminophophine ligands, especially the ligand with 3,5‐di‐tert‐butylphenyl groups on the P atom ( 1c ) were demonstrated to be highly efficient catalysts for the asymmetric hydrogenation of alkyl aryl ketones. In the presence of KOtBu as a base and under mild reaction conditions, a series of chiral alcohols were synthesized in up to 97 % ee with high turnover number (TON up to 10 000) and high turnover frequency (TOF up to 3.7×10⁴ h⁻¹). Investigation on the structures of the iridium complexes of ligands (R)‐ 1a and 1c by X‐ray analyses disclosed that the 3,5‐di‐tert‐butyl groups on the P‐phenyl rings of the ligand are the key factor for achieving high activity and enantioselectivity of the catalyst. Study of the catalysts generated from the Ir‐(R)‐ 1c complex and H₂ by means of ESI‐MS and NMR spectroscopy indicated that the early formed iridium dihydride complex with one (R)‐ 1c ligand was the active species, which was slowly transformed into an inactive iridium dihydride complex with two (R)‐ 1c ligands. A plausible mechanism for the reaction was also suggested to explain the observations of the hydrogenation reactions.     

Design,Synthesis, and Herbicidal Activities of 3‐Aryl‐4‐substituted‐5‐[3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]‐1,2,4‐triazoles

In order to find novel bleaching herbicide lead compounds, a series of novel 3‐aryl‐4‐substituted‐5‐[3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]‐1,2,4‐triazoles were designed and synthesized by the multi‐step reactions. N‐(Arylformamido)phenylthioureas undergo ring closure in the presence of sodium hydroxide to generate 3‐aryl‐4‐substituted‐4H‐[1,2,4]triazol‐5‐thiols 1 , which reacted with methyl sulfate in the presence of K₂CO₃ to give 3‐aryl‐5‐methylsulfanyl‐4‐substituted‐4H‐[1,2,4]triazoles 2 . The target compounds 4 were synthesized by the oxidation of 2 in the presence of H₂O₂ and Na₂WO₄, followed by the substitution with 3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenol in moderate to good yields. Their structures were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR, EI–MS, and elemental analyses. The preliminary bioassay indicated that some of them displayed moderate to good selective herbicidal activity against Brassica campestris L at the concentration of 100 µg/mL. Compounds 4c and 4i possessed 75.0% and 82.6% inhibition against Brassica campestris L at the concentration of 100 µg/mL. However, the target compounds 4 showed weak herbicidal activity against Echinochloa crus‐galli at the concentration of 100 and 10 µg/mL.