Production of enantiopure β-amino-γ-hydroxyesters from benzoic acid by a selective formal aminohydroxylation

The enantioselective preparation of three protected β-amino-γ-hydroxyesters from benzoic acid is described. The employed synthetic methodology involves the ipso, ortho cis-dihydroxylation of benzoic acid by the mutant strain Ralstonia eutropha B9, followed by a selective halonium induced beta lactamization. Modification of this novel β-lactam structure by the appropriate sequence of reactions allows for the selective preparation of the aforementioned β-amino-γ-hydroxyesters in a diastereodivergent manner. The overall transformation results in a selective formal aminohydroxylation of the diene moiety of the initial cis-cyclohexadienediol. The synthesized products are important building blocks and will allow for the selective preparation of aminoacids, inosamines and alkaloids from benzoic acid.     

A facile synthesis of (S)-felodipine

A short and facile synthesis of (S)-felodipine was developed starting from (R)-glycidol as the source of the chiral auxiliary. 2-Hydroxyethyl esters were found to undergo selective transesterification reactions in the presence of other esters. This selective transesterification reaction was applied to the synthesis of (S)-felodipine through selective substitution of the 2-hydroxyethyl group possessing chiral ester with sodium methoxide.     

Ag/ThioClickFerrophos catalyzed highly enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with alkenes

A silver(I)/ThioClickFerrophos complex catalyzed the endo selective asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of methyl N-benzylideneglycinate (the source of azomethine ylides) with α,β-unsaturated esters and maleimides to give the endo-2,4,5- and 2,3,4,5-substituted pyrrolidines in good yields with high enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). The complex also effectively catalyzed the endo selective reactions with β-nitrostyrene to give the 4-nitropyrrolidine in a high enantioselectivity.     

Identification of critical chemical features for Aurora kinase-B inhibitors using Hip-Hop, virtual screening and molecular docking

This study was performed to find the selective chemical features for Aurora kinase-B inhibitors using the potent methods like Hip-Hop, virtual screening, homology modeling, molecular dynamics and docking. The best hypothesis, Hypo1 was validated toward a wide range of test set containing the selective inhibitors of Aurora kinase-B. Homology modeling and molecular dynamics studies were carried out to perform the molecular docking studies. The best hypothesis Hypo1 was used as a 3D query to screen the chemical databases. The screened molecules from the databases were sorted based on ADME and drug like properties. The selective hit compounds were docked and the hydrogen bond interactions with the critical amino acids present in Aurora kinase-B were compared with the chemical features present in the Hypo1. Finally, we suggest that the chemical features present in the Hypo1 are vital for a molecule to inhibit the Aurora kinase-B activity.     

A study of some molecularly imprinted polymers as protic catalysts for the isomerisation of α-pinene oxide to trans-carveol

A range of acidic Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) were synthesised using the imprint molecule trans-carvyl amine as a transition state analogue for the selective isomerisation of α-pinene oxide to trans-carveol. The amine functionality of the imprint molecule was used to selectively position a sulfonic acid group in the MIP binding pocket utilising 4-styrene sulfonic acid as the functional monomer. Co-polymerisation with varying ratios of styrene and divinylbenzene afforded a range of MIPs which were tested for their ability to effect selective formation of trans-carveol from α-pinene oxide. Although successful imprinting was demonstrated in binding studies, it was shown that solvent effects were dominant in effecting selective formation of trans-carveol. Using DMF as solvent, up to 70% of the products from acid catalysed isomerisation of α-pinene oxide with the polystyrene MIPs were obtained via the necessary para menthyl tertiary carbocation, and industrially important trans-carveol was obtained in 45% yield.     

The total synthesis of pamamycin-607. Part 2: Synthesis of the C6-C18 domain

Synthesis of the C6-C18 domain of pamamycin-607 was achieved in ten steps and 7% overall yield from commercially available d-norvaline. The key asymmetric transformations included a Paterson anti aldol addition, an anti selective reduction of the resultant β-hydroxy ketone and a cis selective Bartlett type ring closure.     

Modulation of inherent dynamical tendencies of the bisabolyl cation via preorganization in epi-isozizaene synthase

The relative importance of preorganization, selective transition state stabilization and inherent reactivity are assessed through quantum chemical and docking calculations for a sesquiterpene synthase (epi-isozizaene synthase, EIZS). Inherent reactivity of the bisabolyl cation, both static and dynamic, appears to determine the pathway to product, although preorganization and selective binding of the final transition state structure in the multi-step carbocation cascade that forms epi-isozizaene appear to play important roles.     

Selective mono-acylation of 1,2- and 1,3-diols using (α,α-difluoroalkyl)amines

In the reaction of N,N-diethyl-α,α-difluorobenzylamine (DFBA) with 1,2- or 1,3-diols, selective mono-benzoylation occurs to afford mono-esters of the diols in good yield. The reaction is completed under mild conditions in a short reaction time. Further, prim-, sec-, and tert-diols and catechol can be converted to the corresponding mono-benzoates. DFBA is used for the protection of the hydroxy group in sugars. The selective mono-nicotinylation, formylation and pivaloylation of diols are also performed by using the corresponding difluoroalkylamines.     

Remarkable switch of regioselectivity in epoxide ring opening of 3-benzyl-7-oxa-3-azabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane with amines: practical synthesis of trans-4-amino-3-hydroxypiperidines and trans-3-amino-4-hydroxypiperidines

A simple and highly C3 selective ring-opening method for 3,4-epoxypiperidines has been developed. We also describe a practical improvement of the C4 selective ring-opening method using the same N-alkyl substituted 3,4-epoxypiperidines. This method provides access to pharmaceutically relevant trans-3-amino-4-hydroxypiperidines and trans-4-amino-3-hydroxypiperidines with simple procedures.     

Suzuki-Miyaura monocouplings of p-dibromobiphenyl and substituted p-dibromo(penta-p-phenylenes)

The mono/bis ratio for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling of p-dibromobiphenyl and p-dibromo(penta-p-phenylenes) with arylboronic acids and esters has been studied. The coupling reaction is demonstrated to be highly selective for monoarylation when the substrate is a p-dibromooligoarene, while selective biarylation is obtained for p-diiodoterphenyl. The mono/bis coupling-ratio for these compounds was highly sensitive to the nature of the halogen involved, however steric hindrance or electronic characteristics of the boronic derivative did not affect the selectivity of the reaction. The reaction yields observed were higher at room temperature and when arylboronic pinacol esters were used. These reactions also offer a useful method for the preparation of asymmetrically substituted terphenyls and hexa-p-phenylenes, giving good yields.     

Total synthesis of 4-F3t-neuroprostane and its 4-epimer

The first synthesis of 4-F_3t-Neuroprostane 1a and its 4-epimer is described. This molecule presents an important contribution to the study of neuronal oxidative stress in DHA-ω3 depleted brain. The key step involves the introduction of two unsaturated side chains into the chiral polyfunctional cyclopentane 4 via E selective HWE reaction and Z selective Wittig olefination for α and ω chains, respectively.     

A rapid and practical entry into cis-1,4-aminocyclohexanols

A selective and practical approach for the formation of cis-1,4-aminocyclohexanol was developed. The key transformation involves a one-pot imine formation/ Lewis acid-directed imine reduction and results in a highly selective attack of the reducing agent. This simple and practical method is easily amenable to large-scale synthesis.     

Synthetic study on L-755,807: asymmetric synthesis of the epoxy-γ-lactam moiety

The optically active epoxy-γ-lactam moiety (−)-4 of the B₂ selective bradykinin inhibitor L-755,807 1 was prepared from (S)-aldehyde 7 via an anti selective aldol reaction as the key step.     

Selective 1,3-cycloboronation of enantiopure 1,1,4,4-tetrasubstituted butanetetraols: versatile preparation,structural characterization,and properties of chiral cyclic boron-containing bifunctional Lewis acids

The selective cycloboronation of enantiopure 1,1,4,4-tetrasubstituted butanetetraols was investigated, and a general preparation of chiral cyclic boron-containing bifunctional Lewis acids was discovered. Compounds (2R,3R)- or (2S,3S)-1,1,4,4-tetrasubstituted butanetetraols were reacted with ArB(OH)₂ at reflux in toluene, or THF, or under solvent-free condition to furnish tricoordinated, chiral bicyclo[4.4.0]diboronic esters in high yield via selective 1,3-cycloboronation. Structural characterization and properties of the novel chiral boron compounds are also reported.     

Spectroscopic studies of a BINAM-based sensor: Highly selective fluorescent recognition of lysine in water solution through a nucleophilic substitution reaction

A BINAM-based compound (R)-1 is found to show significant fluorescence enhancement in the presence of Lys in aqueous solution (1%DMF). This probe achieves highly selective fluorescent recognition of Lys even in the presence of other natural amino acids. It can be used as a sensitive as well as selective fluorescent probe for Lys. The mechanism for the interaction of (R)-1 with Lys was studied by NMR and HRMS.     

Aptamer-functionalized solid phase microextraction–liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry for selective enrichment and determination of thrombin

In this publication, a novel solid phase microextraction (SPME) coating functionalized with a DNA aptamer for selective enrichment of a low abundance protein from diluted human plasma is described. This approach is based on the covalent immobilization of an aptamer ligand on electrospun microfibers made with the hydrophilic polymer poly(acrylonitrile-co-maleic acid) (PANCMA) on stainless steel rods. A plasma protein, human α-thrombin, was employed as a model protein for selective extraction by the developed Apt-SPME probe, and the detection was carried out with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The SPME probe exhibited highly selective capture, good binding capacity, high stability and good repeatability for the extraction of thrombin. The protein selective probe was employed for direct extraction of thrombin from 20-fold diluted human plasma samples without any other purification. The Apt-SPME method coupled with LC–MS/MS provided a good linear dynamic range of 0.5–50 nM in diluted human plasma with a good correlation coefficient (R² = 0.9923), and the detection limit of the proposed method was found to be 0.30 nM. Finally, the Apt-SPME coupled with LC–MS/MS method was successfully utilized for the determination of thrombin in clinical human plasma samples. One shortcoming of the method is its reduced efficiency in undiluted human plasma compared to the standard solution. Nevertheless, this new aptamer affinity-based SPME probe opens up the possibility of selective enrichment of a given targeted protein from complex sample either in vivo or ex vivo.     

The metal-complexing properties of N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine derivatives containing N-phenyl ring substituents

The syntheses and chelating properties of a number of N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxyl-amine derivatives substituted in the N-phenyl ring have been investigated. The acid dissociation constants, selective precipitation, solvent extraction and spectrophotometric properties of a range of metal chelates are compared with those of the corresponding 3,5-dinitrobenzoylphenylhydroxylamines. The N-phenyl ring substituents have only small effects on reagent acidity. If the substituents are in the ortho position, considerable selectivity is found because of steric hindrance. The use of an o-chloro derivative as a selective precipitant for iron(III) in the presence of cobalt, nickel, copper and aluminium, is described.     

Separation of Am(III), Cm(III) and Eu(III) by electro-spun polystyrene-immobilized CyMe4-BTPhen

The synthesis of a novel 5-(4-vinylphenyl)-CyMe₄-BTPhen actinide selective ligand using selenium free synthetic procedures is reported. For the first time, we report the electrospinning of this actinide selective ligand into a polystyrene fiber and investigate its selective removal of Am(III) from Eu(III) and Am(III) from Cm(III). At 4?M HNO₃, the resulting fibrous solid extractant produced separation factors of SF_Am/Eu?≈?57 and a small, but significant separation of SF_Am/Cm?≈?2.9.     

A self-assembled tetrapeptide that acts as a “turn-on” fluorescent sensor for Hg2+ ion

The tetrapeptide (Bz-$\mathrm{\Delta }$Phe(p-NPh₂)-l-DOPA(protected)-l-Phe-l-Phe-OMe was designed to incorporate seven phenyl rings so that it’s conformation, self-assembly and application in Hg²⁺ ions sensing could be studied. Peptide molecules adopted an overlapping β-turn of type III/III conformation in crystals. The peptide showed a highly selective turn-on response towards mercuric ion over other metal ions with a 10-fold enhancement in fluorescence intensity. This intensity change coupled with the selectivity of the peptide towards mercury allowed us to demonstrate simple colorimetric dip sensing of Hg²⁺ ions. The technique provides a highly selective and effective way to detect Hg²⁺ ions. The peptide also self-assembled into nanospheres with diameter ranges from 100 to 500?nm. Mercuric ion coordination enabled these peptide nanospheres to aggregate into well-defined nanoparticles. The enhanced fluorescence upon Hg²⁺ addition demonstrates that peptide scaffolds can be exploited in the development of different selective sensors.     

Investigation into selective debenzylation and ring cleavage of quinazoline based heterocycles

The selective cleavage of different benzyl bonds within tetrahydroquinazoline and dihydroquinazolinone derived structures can be achieved by the usage of different reduction and debenzylation conditions thereby providing selective removal of O-benzyl protection groups as well as the cleavage of the ring structure within the quinazoline and quinazolinone systems.