Synthesis of anthra[b]thiophenes and benzo[b]naphtho[d]thiophenes

All isomers of the parent anthra[b]thiophenes and benzo[b]naphtho[d]thiophenes, namely anthra[2,3-b]thio-phene, anthra[2,1-b]thiophene, anthra[1,2-b]thiophene, benzo[b]naphtho[2,3-d]thiophene, benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene and benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]thiophene were synthesized using a new procedure.     

Synthesis of benzo[b]phenanthro[d]thiophenes

The synthesis of benzo[b]phenanthro[1,2-d]thiphene ( 1 ), benzo[b]phenanthro[4,3-d]thiophene ( 2 ), benzo-[b]phenanthro[2,1-d]thiophene ( 3 ) and benzo[b]phenanthro[3,4-d]thiophene ( 4 ) from appropriately substituted olefines by photochemical cyclodehydrogenation is described. The photolysis of olefin 9 gave a mixture of 4 and anthra[1,2-b]benzo[d]thiophene ( 5 ).     

Synthesis of phenanthro[b]thiophenes

All isomers of the parent phenanthro[b]thiophenes, namely, phenanthro[1,2-b]thiophene, phenanthro-[2,1-b]thiophene, phenanthro[2,3-b]thiophene, phenanthro[3,4-b]thiophene, phenanthro[3,4-b]thiophene, phenanthro[4,3-b]thiophene and phenanthro[9,10-b]thiophene have been synthesized.     

Solid-phase synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted benzo[b]thiophenes and benzo[b]selenophenes

A concise and efficient solid-phase synthesis of benzo[b]thiophenes and benzo[b]selenophenes based on a combination of palladium-mediated coupling and iodocyclization protocols has been developed.     

K-region oxides and imines of benzo[b]phenanthro[2,3-d]thiophene and benzo[b]phenanthro[3,2-d]thiophene

The syntheses of the K-oxides and K-imine derivatives of benzo[b]phenanthro[2,3-d]thiophene and benzo-[b]phenanthro[3,2-d]thiophene are described. The parent hydrocarbons 1 and 2 were oxidized with osmium tetroxide and sodium metaperiodate, and the dialdehydes 12 and 18 so formed, cyclized to the corresponding epoxides 1a,12b-dihydrobenz[b]oxireno[9,10]phenanthro[2,3-d]thiophene ( 7 ) and 1a,12b-dihydrobenz-[b]oxireno[9,10]phenanthro[3,2-d]thiophene ( 13 ). Reaction of the oxiranes with sodium azide gave mixtures of azido-alcohols that, in turn, were transformed to the thiaarene imines 1a,12b-dihydro-1H-benz[b]azirino-[9,10]phenanthro[2,3-d]thiophene ( 8 ) and 1a,12b-dihydro-1H-benz[b]azirino[9,10]phenanthro[3,2-d]thiophene ( 14 ), respectively, with the aid of tri-n-butylphosphine.     

Toluene dioxygenase-catalyzed cis-dihydroxylation of benzo[b]thiophenes and benzo[b]furans: synthesis of benzo[b]thiophene 2,3-oxide

Enzymatic cis-dihydroxylation of benzo[b]thiophene, benzo[b]furan and several methyl substituted derivatives was found to occur in both the carbocyclic and heterocyclic rings. Relative and absolute configurations and enantiopurities of the resulting dihydrodiols were determined. Hydrogenation of the alkene bond in carbocyclic cis-dihydrodiols and ring-opening epimerization/reduction reactions of heterocyclic cis/trans-dihydrodiols were also studied. The relatively stable heterocyclic dihydrodiols of benzo[b]thiophene and benzo[b]furan showed a strong preference for the trans configuration in aqueous solutions. The 2,3-dihydrodiol metabolite of benzo[b]thiophene was utilized as a precursor in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of the unstable arene oxide, benzo[b]thiophene 2,3-oxide.     

Palladium-catalysed direct synthesis of benzo[b]thiophenes from thioenols

The one-pot conversion of thioenols into benzo[b]thiophenes was achieved by using a simple palladium catalyst such as PdCl(2) or PdCl(2)(cod).     

The synthesis of phenanthro[4,5-bcd]thiophene and the four monomethylphenanthro[4,5-bcd]thiophenes

The synthesis of phenanthro[4,5-bcd]thiophene and the four monomethylphenanthro[4,5-bcd]thiophenes is described.     

A practical, one-pot synthesis of highly substituted thiophenes and benzo[b]thiophenes from bromoenynes and o-alkynylbromobenzenes

An efficient synthesis of thiophenes and benzo[b]thiophenes has been developed from easily available bromoenynes and o-alkynylbromobenzene derivatives. This novel one-pot procedure involves a Pd-catalyzed C-S bond formation using a hydrogen sulfide surrogate followed by a heterocyclization reaction. Moreover, in situ functionalization with selected electrophiles further expands the potential of this methodology to the preparation of the corresponding highly substituted sulfur heterocycles.     

Some methyl substituted benzo[b]naphtho[2,3-d]thiophenes

Seven benzo[b]naphtho[2,3-d]thiophenes have been prepared with methyl groups substituted in the 6,7, and 8-positions. These compounds are structurally related to the sulfur analogs of cholanthrene and methylcholanthrene.     

Bacterial dioxygenase- and monooxygenase-catalysed sulfoxidation of benzo[b]thiophenes

Asymmetric heteroatom oxidation of benzo[b]thiophenes to yield the corresponding sulfoxides was catalysed by toluene dioxygenase (TDO), naphthalene dioxygenase (NDO) and styrene monooxygenase (SMO) enzymes present in P. putida mutant and E. coli recombinant whole cells. TDO-catalysed oxidation yielded the relatively unstable benzo[b]thiophene sulfoxide; its dimerization, followed by dehydrogenation, resulted in the isolation of stable tetracyclic sulfoxides as minor products with cis-dihydrodiols being the dominant metabolites. SMO mainly catalysed the formation of enantioenriched benzo[b]thiophene sulfoxide and 2-methyl benzo[b]thiophene sulfoxides which racemized at ambient temperature. The barriers to pyramidal sulfur inversion of 2- and 3-methyl benzo[b]thiophene sulfoxide metabolites, obtained using TDO and NDO as biocatalysts, were found to be ca.: 25-27 kcal mol(-1). The absolute configurations of the benzo[b]thiophene sulfoxides were determined by ECD spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography and stereochemical correlation. A site-directed mutant E. coli strain containing an engineered form of NDO, was found to change the regioselectivity toward preferential oxidation of the thiophene ring rather than the benzene ring.     

The nitrobenzo [b] thiophenes

Syntheses, and infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral data for the six mononitrobenzo[b] thiophenes are described. Sulfonation of benzo[b] thiophene has been demonstrated to produce the 2- and 3-isomers.     

Palladium-catalyzed C-S coupling: access to thioethers, benzo[b]thiophenes, and thieno[3,2-b]thiophenes

The first C-S bond formation/cross-coupling/cyclization domino reaction using thiourea as a cheap and easy to handle dihydrosulfide surrogate has been developed. Structurally important biarylthioether, benzo[b]thiophenes, and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene scaffolds are provided in high yield.     

Efficient access to 2-aryl-3-substituted benzo[b]thiophenes

[reaction: see text] Benzo[b]thiophene derivatives are important in part because of their use as selective estrogen receptor modulators. They are usually synthesized by intramolecular cyclization. Here, we propose a method for the synthesis of 2-arylbenzo[b]thiophenes with heteroatoms at the 3-positions directly from the benzo[b]thiophene core by using an aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction and Heck-type coupling. This methodology provides 2-aryl-3-amino or phenoxybenzo[b]thiophenes in about 35% overall yield in 5 steps.     

Titanium reagents for the synthesis of 2-substituted benzo[b]thiophenes on the solid phase

Titanium(IV) benzylidenes (Schrock carbenes) bearing a masked sulfur nucleophile in the ortho position were generated from thioacetals with use of low-valent titanocene complex Cp(2)Ti[P(OEt)(3)](2) and alkylidenated Merrifield resin-bound esters to give enol ethers. Treatment of the resin-bound enol ethers with a 5:5:90 mixture of TFA, TFAA, and dichloromethane led to cleavage from resin, removal of the tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS) protecting group, and concomitant cyclization to complete the traceless solid-phase synthesis (SPS) of benzothiophenes. Switching the nature of the linker from acid-stable to acid-sensitive ensured good purity.     

One-pot synthesis of substituted 2-aminobenzo[b]thiophenes

Reaction of 1-(2-chloro-5-nitrophenyl)ethanone 1, via Willgerodt-Kindler routes, using the primary and secondary amines 2a-k resulted in a simple, efficient three-component one-pot synthesis of 2-aminobenzo[b]thiophenes 3a-k.     

Synthesis of benzo[1,2]phenaleno[bc]thiophenes

The synthesis of both isomers of benzo[1,2]phenaleno[bc]thiophene namely, benzo[1,2]phenaleno[3,4-bc]-thiophene and benzo[1,2]phenaleno[4,3-bc]thiophene is described.     

Synthesis of regioselectively functionalized benzo[b]thiophenes by combined ortho-lithiation-halocyclization strategies

An efficient synthesis of 3-halo-7-oxygen-functionalized benzo[b]thiophenes bearing different substituents at C-2 has been developed from N,N-diethyl O-3-halophenylcarbamates. The key steps are an ortho-lithiation reaction, which gives rise to 3-halo-2-sulfanylphenol derivatives, and a electrophilic cyclization. The subsequent functionalization of the prepared halobenzothiophenes allows the access of a wide variety of 2,3,7-regioselectively functionalized benzo[b]thiophenes in good overall yields.