A selective quinoline-derived fluorescent chemodosimeter to detect cyanide in aqueous medium

A simple quinoline derived probe 3 has been described. Probe 3 having aldehyde function upon interaction with cyanide undergo nucleophilic addition reaction to form cyanohydrin derivative 4 in which fluorescence intensity enhances significantly, ‘turn-on’ by photoinduced electron transfer (PET) OFF–ON mechanism. The color of probe solution switched-on to fluorescent blue which is visible to the naked-eye. Job’s plot analysis revealed a 1:1 stoichiometry for an interaction between 3 and cyanide along with detection limit 0.058 μM (1.5 ppb). The mode of interaction to detect cyanide in aqueous medium through a reaction based chemodosimeter approach has been confirmed by NMR, mass, FTIR, and DFT data analysis.     

Coumarinyl aldehyde as a Michael acceptor type of colorimetric and fluorescent probe for cyanide in water

A simple aldehyde-functionalized coumarin (1) was utilized as a doubly activated Michael acceptor type of chemodosimeter for cyanide in water. The probe has shown a selective and sensitive response to the cyanide anion over other various anions through the Michael addition reaction of the cyanide to 1. When cyanide anions were added, the prominent color changes as well as fluorescence changes of 1 were observed so that millimolar concentrations of cyanides were detectable by the naked eye.     

Efficient synthesis of fluorinated α- and β-amino nitriles from fluoroalkylated α,β-unsaturated imines

A simple and efficient synthesis of fluoroalkylated α-amino nitrile (4) derivatives by regioselective 1,2-addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to fluoroalkylated α,β-unsaturated imines (1) is described. Fluoroalkylated β-amino nitriles (7) are also prepared by regioselective 1,2-addition of α-carbanions derived from acetonitrile to fluoroalkylated α,β-unsaturated imines (1). Fluoroalkylated α-(4) and β-amino nitriles (7) are also prepared through an ‘one pot’ procedure by reaction of enaminophosphonate 2 with BuLi, addition of aldehydes and subsequent addition of either trimethylsilyl cyanide or α-carbanion derived from acetonitrile. Basic hydrolysis of α-(4) and β-amino nitriles (7) gives fluoroalkylated α-(5) and β-amino acids (8).     

Preparation of new C2-symmetric tetraphosphine ligands for Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of arylenamides

A new type of chiral tetraphosphine ligands 1 were prepared from enantiopure anti-head-to-head coumarin dimer 5 and then utilized in Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation reaction of arylenamides, affording the corresponding amides with up to 85% ee. Some chiral bisphosphine ligands derived from coumarin dimer 5 were also evaluated in the same reaction.     

Doubly activated coumarin as a colorimetric and fluorescent chemodosimeter for cyanide

A new α,β-unsaturated nitro group and coumarin conjugate-based fluorescent chemodosimeter 1 was developed for the selective detection of cyanide anions. The chemodosimeter has shown a selective and sensitive response to cyanide anions over other various anions through a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of the cyanide to 1. When cyanide anions were added, the enhanced fluorescence intensity as well as the color changes of 1 was observed so that micromolar concentrations of cyanides were detectable by the naked eye.     

A simple and stereodivergent strategy for the synthesis of 3′-C-branched 2′,3′-dideoxynucleosides exploiting (Z)-but-2-en-1,4-diol and (R)-2,3-cyclohexylideneglyceraldehyde

Barbier type additions of allylic bromide 4, derived from (Z)-but-2-en-1,4-diol 2 to (R)-2,3-cyclohexylideneglyceraldehyde 1 were performed through mediation with Zn employing Luche’s procedure and also with low valent Cu, Co, and Fe which were produced via bimetal redox strategy in THF to afford 5c,d as the major products. From these, 5a,b were prepared following an oxidation-reduction protocol. Compound 5c was exploited as a representative starting material to develop a simple and inexpensive strategy toward the synthesis of 3′-C-branched 2′,3′-dideoxynucleosides having stereodiversity at 3′- and 4′-positions.     

Construction of the taxane skeleton via the stereoselective conjugate addition of cyanide and the intramolecular B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction

Construction of the taxane skeleton via the stereoselective conjugate addition of cyanide and the intramolecular B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction is described. A conjugate addition of cyanide to enone 17 proceeded diastereoselectively to provide the desired 18 incorporating the correct C3 stereogenic center in the taxol C-ring. The intramolecular B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction of 22, which was derived from 18, successfully furnished the taxol B-ring in 81% yield.     

Enantioselective O-acetylcyanation/cyanoformylation of aldehydes using catalysts with built-in crown ether-like motif in chiral macrocyclic V(V) salen complexes

Chiral macrocyclic V(V) salen complexes 1a-f derived from macrocyclic ligands obtained by the reaction of 1R,2R-(−) diaminocyclohexane/(1R,2R)-(+)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine with bis-aldehydes 2 and 3 were synthesized and used as efficient catalysts in asymmetric cyanation reactions. The V(V) catalysts demonstrated excellent performance (product yields and ees up to 99%) with potassium cyanide (KCN) and sodium cyanide (NaCN). The catalytic system also performed very well with a safer source of cyanide-ethyl cyanoformate to give cyanohydrin carbonates in excellent yield and ee (up to 97%). The V(V) macrocyclic salen complex 1b retained its performance at multi-gram level and was conveniently recycled for a number of times.     

Self-assembly of a new series of quadruply hydrogen bonded heterotrimers driven by the donor-acceptor interaction

This paper describes the self-assembly of a new series of heterotrimers in chloroform-d by utilizing the cooperative interaction of hydrogen bonding and donor-acceptor interaction. Compounds 1 and 11, in which an 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone unit is connected to 34-crown-10 or 36-crown-10, were used as donor monomer, and 2 and 19, in which an 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone unit is connected to NDI, were used as acceptor monomer, while linear compound 4, which contains two diamido-1,8-naphthyridines, was used as template. A large tri-p-(t-butyl)phenylmethoxyl group was introduced to 19 in order to compare its assembling behavior with that of 2. Mixing 4 with dimer 1·2 caused 1·2 to fully decompose and to afford 55% of ‘in-in’-oriented heterotrimer 1·4·2. Adding 4 to the solution of 2·11 or 11·19 in chloroform-d also led to full dissociation of the dimers. However, in these systems the ‘in-in’-arranged heterotrimer 2·4·11 or 11·4·19 could be produced exclusively.     

Gas-phase pyrolysis of benzimidazole derivatives: novel route to condensed heterocycles

Gas-phase pyrolysis of N-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)-N′-arylidenehydrazines 1a-e gave the corresponding arylnitriles 2a-e, 2-aminobenzimidazole 3, 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole 4, 1,3-diphenyl-8H-2,3a,8-triazacyclopenta[a]indene 5, and 5,11-diphenyl-6H,12H-dibenzimidazo[1,2-a];1’,2’-d]pyrazine 6. The kinetics and analysis of the products of reaction are reported and used to elucidate the mechanism of the elimination process.     

Syntheses of aza and fluorine-substituted 3-(piperidin-4-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-benzo[d][1,3]diazepin-2(3H)-ones

A practical and expedient synthesis of the title compounds is described. They were prepared by Stille reaction of nitro halopyridines 4 or nitro fluro-halobenzenes 10, followed by Michael addition of tert-butyl 4-aminopiperidine-1-carboxylate to the resulting activated vinyl compounds 5 and 11, hydrogenation (-NO₂→-NH₂), cyclic urea formation, Boc removal, and HCl salt formation. However, N3 and F1 analogs could not be made by this general strategy. Activated vinyl compounds 5a and 5d when reacted with tert-butyl 4-aminopiperidine-1-carboxylate did not stop at the desired Michael addition stage; but proceeded to produce azaindolines 8 and 9. Michael addition did not occur to compound 11d; instead, the fluorine atom was displaced.     

Sequential homo-coupling Diels-Alder/retro Diels-Alder reaction of 5,5′-bi-1,2,4-triazine-containing thiamacrocycles as a new route to thiacrown ethers incorporating a 2,2′-bipyridine subunit

A new route to thiacrown ethers 5a-d and 6a-d incorporating a 2,2′-bipyridine subunit is elaborated using, (1) homo-coupling of 1,2,4-triazine sulfides 3a-d tethered to poly(ethylene glycol) chains with potassium cyanide and (2) Diels-Alder/retro Diels-Alder reaction with norbornadiene or 1-pyrrolidino-1-cyclopentene as the key steps.     

Synthesis of five and six membered aminocyclitols: stereoselective Michael and Henry reaction approach with d-glucose derived α,β-unsaturated ester

The stereoselective intermolecular Michael addition of nitromethane to d-glucose derived α,β-unsaturated ester 7 afforded l-ido-configurated nitroester 8 as the only product that on reduction of the ester functionality, cleavage of 1,2-acetonide and the intramolecular Henry reaction afforded exclusively muco-nitroinositol 9. While reduction of the ester functionality in 8, deprotection of 1,2-acetonide, oxidative cleavage with NaIO₄ and the intramolecular Henry reaction afforded nitrocyclopentitol 13. Nitrocyclitols 9 and 13 were converted to the hydroxyethyl substituted aminocyclohexitol 5 and aminocyclopentitol 6, respectively.     

Unsymmetrical double Wittig olefination on the syntheses of insect pheromones. Part 1: Synthesis of 5,9-dimethylpentadecane, the sexual pheromone of Leucoptera coffeella

An expeditious three-step synthesis of a mixture of stereoisomers of 5,9-dimethylpentadecane 1, the sexual pheromone of the coffee leaf miner Leucoptera coffeella, is described. The route employs an unsymmetrical double Wittig olefination to build the carbon skeleton of the molecule, as the key reaction. The bis-phosphonium salt 3, derived from 1,3-dibromopropane 2, reacted ‘one-pot’ with the ketones 2-octanone and 2-hexanone, affording the asymmetric diene 4. This was readily hydrogenated over Pd/C, furnishing pheromone 1 in 54% overall yield. Synthetic 1 showed high biological activity when tested in field experiments.     

Reactions of some anellated 2-aminothiophenes with electron poor acetylenes

The reactivity of 2-aminothiophenes in two different anellations: (a) [b]-anellation to a saturated carbocycle and (b) [3,4-c]-anellation to benzopyrans, towards typical acetylenic dienophiles has been investigated. Because of the absence of conjugation, the thiophenes of type (a) do not undergo [4+2]-cycloaddition with acetylenic dienophiles. Instead, the N-vinylated products 2 and 3 were obtained with dimethyl acetylene dicarboxylate (DMAD). Electron poor alkynes react with the thiophenes of type (b) in three main ways: DMAD reacts in a [4+2]-mode in dioxane to give the products 7, 8 and 14; a Michael addition type reaction also takes place at the doubly vinylene homologous carbon atoms (C-1 in the starting materials 4, 9 and 10) in dioxane, methanol or ethanol. Methyl propiolate reacts in a similar way. The doubly N-vinylated product 26 was obtained from 10 in toluene and the C-1 vinylated products 24B and 27 were obtained from 9 in dioxane and 10 in methanol. The reaction of 10 with phenyl ethyl propiolate in dimethylformamide gave no addition product, instead a dimer of the acetylenic reagent was the isolated product. The accuracy of the assigned structures 5, 12 and 13a could be achieved on the basis of a single-crystal X-ray structure analysis of compound 13a. The reaction mechanism and the nature of the isolated products are dependent on the nature of the solvent. No addition reaction was observed between 17 and DMAD. The influence of the N-substitution on the nature of the addition (Michael or Diels-Alder) could be settled through the reactions of 18 and 21 with DMAD, which gave 19 and 14 (via 22), respectively as the only isolable products.     

Biosourced 3-formyl chromenyl-azo dye as Michael acceptor type of chemodosimeter for cyanide in aqueous environment

A simple water-soluble aldehyde functionalized chromone 5 was utilized as a doubly activated Michael acceptor type of chemodosimeter for cyanide in water. The water solubility of the probe 5 is due to the incorporation of two glycerol units on the starting prepared chemodosimeter. This sensory system is able to selectively distinguish cyanide among fluoride and many other anions at micromolar concentrations and instantly detect cyanide in water at ambient temperatures with a detection limit down to 1.0 mM. Thus, the chemodosimeter 5 was applied to the quantitative determination of cyanide anion in drinking water sample (drinking water from commence).     

The absolute axial configurations of knipholone and knipholone anthrone by TDDFT and DFT/MRCI CD calculations: a revision

Triggered by a seemingly inconsistent twisting direction in the atroposelective ring cleavage reaction of biaryl lactones by using the ‘lactone concept’, the absolute axial configurations of the most important phenylanthraquinones, knipholone (1), and knipholone anthrone (2) were reassigned on the basis of renewed quantum chemical circular dichroism (CD) calculations using advanced, higher-level methods, viz. a time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) and a multireference configurational interaction approach (DFT/MRCI). Additional confirmation of the new configurational assignment of 1 and 2 was achieved by their stereochemically unambiguous interconversion, and further corroborated by the transformation of 1 into an ‘leuco’ phenylanthracene derivative 3, i.e., a compound with a substantially different chromophore, whose absolute configuration was independently assigned again by quantum chemical CD calculations. Accordingly, the dextrorotatory enantiomer of knipholone, (+)-1, and its anthrone, (+)-2, has the P-configuration, while the laevorotatory forms, (−)-1 and (−)-2 (which likewise exist in nature), are M-configured. From this new configurational assignment, the absolute axial stereostructures of a whole series of further naturally occurring phenylanthraquinones may now be deduced.     

Biomimetic syntheses of ineleganolide and sinulochmodin C from 5-episinuleptolide via sequences of transannular Michael reactions

Treatment of a solution of the macrocyclic norcembranoid 7 with lithium hexamethyldisilazide in THF at −78 °C to 0 °C, leads to the polycyclic norcembranoids ineleganolide 1 and sinulochmodin C (2) (65%), which are found in the corals Sinularia inelegans and Sinularia lochmodes, respectively. The conversions are believed to be biomimetic, and occur by successive transannular Michael reactions in 7. Under different temperature conditions the novel polycycle 30 is the main product, alongside small quantities of 1 and 2. The polycycle 30 is possibly produced from ineleganolide 1, following a reverse oxy-Michael reaction and two successive aldol reactions. The significance of the synthesis of ineleganolide 1, sinulochmodin C (2) and the structure 30 from 5-episinuleptolide 7, to the likely biosynthesis of the related norcembranoids scabrolide A (3), scabrolide B (4) and horiolide 31 found in Sinularia sp. is discussed.     

Nitrenic reactivity of diazirines

Butyl 3-bromo-3H-diazirine-3-carboxylate (7) and 3-bromo-3-phenyl-3H-diazirine (17) exhibit nitrenic reactivity with phenylmagnesium bromide or tetrabutylammonium cyanide. The formation of several N,N′-disubstituted amidines is attributed to the intermediacy of 1-phenyl or 1-cyano-1H-diazirines possessing a singlet imidoylnitrene character at the N2 atom. Most notably, the reaction of 7 with PhMgBr in diethyl ether affords 2-hydroxy-2,2,N-triphenylacetamidine (9) and 2-methyl-5,5-diphenyl-4-phenylamino-2,5-dihydrooxazole (10) as products derived from nitrene insertion to the ether α-C–H bond.     

A facile electrochemical method for the synthesis of phenazine derivatives via an ECECC pathway

Electrochemical oxidation of 2,3-dimethylhydroquinone 1 has been studied in the presence of o-phenylenediamines 3a-c as nucleophiles in aqueous solution, using cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential coulometry. The results indicate that the quinone 2 derived from 2,3-dimethylhydroquinone participates in Michael addition and imine condensation reactions with o-phenylenediamine via an ECECC mechanism, and is converted to the corresponding phenazine derivatives 7a-c and 7′b. The electrochemical synthesis of compounds 7a-c and 7′b has been performed successfully at a carbon rod electrode in an undivided cell with good yields and high purities.