Research in the imidazole series

The reduction of pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazole-2-one and pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives, which leads to the formation of 2,3-dihydropyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazole derivatives and derivatives of the previously unknown 1,2,3,3a-tetrahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole, was studied. A method was developed for the preparation of 5- and 7-amino derivatives of pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazole by reduction of the corresponding nitroso- and arylazo-substituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]-imidazoles.See [1] for communication XCI.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 225–228, February, 1977.     

Mass spectra of pyrrolo [1,2-a]benzimidazole and imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives

The closeness of the electronic structures of the ions formed in the first act of disintegration of the ions is responsible for the monotypic character of the subsequent fragmentation of pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole and imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives. The mass-spectrometric disintegration of the investigated systems has something in common with the fragmentation of thiazolo[3,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 8, 1124–1127, August, 1975.     

Chloral as a formylating agent for some bridge heterosystems

The interaction of condensed nitrogen-containing bridge systems with chloral has been studied and the high sensitivity of the reaction to the -excess of the initial heteroaromatic system has been established. It has been shown that chloral is a convenient formylating agent for systems with a moderate -excess —imidazo[l,2-a]imidazole, 9H-imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine, imidazo[1,2-a]naphtho[2,3-d]imidazole. Heterocycles with a high -excess (indolizine, pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole) form cyanine dyes under the action of chloral. Systems with a lowered -excess (1H-imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole, imidazo[1,2-a]quinoline, imidazo[2,1-a]isoquinoline, imidazo[1,2-a]perimidine, imidazo[5,1-b]benzoxazole, imidazo[1,2-a]benzothiazole, and imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine) do not react with chloral in a neutral medium. However, in a number of cases their foraylation can be carried out in an acid medium.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 528–537, April, 1980.     

Protonation of pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives

The protonation of a number of pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives in trifluoroacetic acid was studied by PMR spectroscopy. 1,3-Unsubstituted compounds are protonated exclusively at the C₁ atom. Under similar conditions, pyrrolobenzimidazoles that have a methyl group in the 1 position form a mixture of two protonated forms, which correspond to the addition of a proton to C₁ and C₃, respectively. The relative percentage of the C₃-protonated form decreases successively (from 81 to 18%) on passing from the 3-unsubstituted compound to the corresponding 3-phenyl and 3-methyl derivatives. The basicity constants of the pyrrolobenzimidazoles decrease symbatically with an increase in the relative percentage of this form. The relative proton-acceptor capacity of indolicine, pyrrolo[1,2-a]-imidazole, and pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole were examined on the basis of the protonation data and the reactivity indexes, calculated by the simple Hückel MO method.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskih Soedinenii, No. 8, pp. 1132–1137, August, 1972.     

First synthesis of an aziridinyl fused pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole and toxicity evaluation towards normal and breast cancer cell lines

Anionic aromatic ipso-substitution has allowed an aziridine ring to be fused onto pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole. This diazole analogue of aziridinomitosene, and N-[(aziridinyl)methyl]-1H-benzimidazole are shown to be significantly more cytotoxic towards the human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and HCC1937 than towards a human normal fibroblast cell line (GM00637). The aziridinyl fused pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole is less cytotoxic than the non-ring fused aziridinyl analogue towards all three cell lines. The BRCA1-deficient HCC1937 cells are more sensitive to mitomycin C (MMC) compared to GM00637 and MCF-7 cells. The evidence provided indicates that different pathways may mediate cellular response to benzimidazole-containing aziridine compounds compared to MMC.     

A thermal cascade route to pyrroloisoindolone and pyrroloimidazolones

Flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) of indol-1-ylacrylate derivatives 11 and 15 or the isomeric indol-3-ylacrylates 21, 22, and 24 at 925 degrees C (0.05 Torr) provides pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-3-ones 2, 18, 28, and 29 in 53-90% yield by a cascade mechanism that involves a sigmatropic migration, elimination, electrocyclization sequence. Pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-5-ones 3 and pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazol-5-ones 4 were similarly obtained by FVP of corresponding 2,5-unsubstituted imidazol-1-ylacrylates (e.g., 33), with the former isomer predominating in ca. 80:20 ratio. Migration to the 2-position is therefore favored in the initial sigmatropic shift. FVP of 2-substituted imidazol-1-ylacrylates 35, 37, and 51 (825-875 degrees C) instead give pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazol-5-ones 56-58 only (88-91%), and that of 4,5-disubstituted imidazol-1-ylacrylates 39 and 41 (825-850 degrees C) provide pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-5-ones 59 and 60 exclusively (93-95%), and thus the selectivity of the initial shift can be controlled by the presence of substituents on the imidazole 2- and 5-positions. FVP of the benzimidazole analogues 61 and 62 at 950 degrees C gave the pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazol-1-ones 6 (71%) and 63 (36%), respectively.     

Relative stabilities of the tautomeric forms of conjugate acids and kinetics of deuterium exchange in derivatives of indolizine,pyrrolo [1,2-a] imidazole,and pyrrolo [1,2-a]benzimidazole

The effect of the temperature and the acidicity of the medium on the ratio of the two tautomeric forms of the conjugate acids of derivatives of indolizine, pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazole, and pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole was investigated by PMR spectroscopy. The change in the ratio of the forms with time was studied under fixed reaction conditions. The position of the tautomeric equilibrium in a number of the investigated systems was established. A correspondence between the relative stabilities of the protonated forms and the rate constants for electrophilic deuterium exchange in the neutral molecules was observed.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 70–75, January, 1976.     

Isoelectronic analogs of indolizine

The structure of the perchlorates of 2,3,4-trimethyl-, 1,2,4-trimethyl-, 1,2,3,4-tetramethyl-, and 1,4-dimethyl-2-phenylpyrrolo[1, 2-a]benzimidazoles in trifluoroacetic acid has been studied by the PMR method. It has been established that in all cases on salt formation the proton adds to the carbon atom in position 1. The molecular diagram of pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole has been calculated by the MO LCAO method.For part VI, see [1].     

Synthesis of isoxazolo[2,3-a]quinoxalines and pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction

The isoxazolo[2,3-a]quinoxalines 11a,b and pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines 12a,b were selectively synthesized from the 2-substituted 6-chloroquinoxaline 4-oxides 10a,b . The pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines 12a,b were clarified to be produced by the ring transformation of the isoxazolo[2,3-a]quinoxalines 11a,b . The pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines 14a,b were obtained from both 2,6-dichloroquinoxaline 4-oxide 9 and compounds 12a,b .     

A new method for the synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines and pyrrolo[1,2-a] quinoxalines

A new method is proposed for the synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines and pyrrolo[1,2-a]-quinoxalines. By the alkylation of sodium derivatives of 2-acylpyrroles with -bromo carbonyl compounds or their acetals and subsequent treatment of the reaction products with ammonium acetate in acetic acid, a number of derivatives of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine, including the first member of the class, pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine itself, have been obtained. Similarly, from 2-benzoylpyrrole and the dimethyl ketal of -bromocyclohexanone was obtained 4-phenyltetrahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline, which readily dehydrogenates in the presence of Raney nickel to form 4-phenylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, Vol. 6, No. 8, pp.1048–1050, August, 1970.     

Investigations in the imidazole field

It has been established that various inorganic and organic bases can be used for the cyclization of 1,2-dialkyl-3-(-oxoalkyl[aralkyl])benzimidazolium halides into derivatives of pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole. The action of strong bases on quaternary benzimidazolium salts gives O-betaines—intermediates in the closure of the pyrrole ring.For part XL, see [1].     

Research on imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives XII. 3-Acyl-substituted imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazoles

Stable 3-acetyl derivatives of imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole were synthesized by the action of acetic anhydride on 2,9-disubstituted imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole. The former were also obtained by cyclization of 1-alkyl (aralkyl) -3-acylmethyl-2-iminobenzimidazoline hydrobromides in acetic anhydride in the presence of anhydrous sodium acetate. 3-Benzoyl-substituted imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazoles, which are unstable in acidic media, were synthesized by the action of benzoyl chloride in the presence of pyridine or excess starting imidazo [1,2-a] benzimidazole.See [1] for communication XI.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 121– 125, January, 1976.     

Some novel heterocyclic systems derived from 7-amino-2,3-dihydro-8-nitro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-α]benzimidazole and the corresponding diamine

The preparation of 7-amino-2,3-dihydro-8-nitro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole from 1,4-diacetamido-2,3-dinitrobenzene is described. Reaction of this compound with 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran produces 2,3-dihydro-8-nitro-7-N-pyrrolo-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole, which can be cyclised to produce two new heterocyclic ring systems, 9,10-dihydro-8H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrrolo(1′,2′:1,2]imidazo[5,4-f]quinoxaline and 9,10-dihydro-8H-pyrrolo[2,1-c]pyrrolo[1′,2′:1,2]imidazo[4,5-h][1,2,4]benzotriazine. The corresponding diamine, 7,8-diamino-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazole undergoes a variety of condensation reactions to produce several new heterocyclic systems, for example, with formic acid, 1,7,8,9-tetrahydroimidazo-[4,5-e]pyrrolo[2,1-6]benzimidazole is formed and with diacetyl, 9,10-dihydro-2,3-dimethyl-8H-pyrrolo-[1′,2′:1,2]imidazo[5,4-y]quinoxaline is obtained.     

Research on imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives

The debenzylation of N-benzylimidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazoles with sodium in liquid ammonia was studied. The debenzylation of the 2-phenyl-substituted derivative is accompanied by hydrogenation of the outer imidazole ring to give 2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole, the alkylation of which in alkaline media and neutral media, respectively, gives the 1-methyl derivative and the 9-methyl derivative. The 1-methyl derivative was subjected to quaternization and bromination; the latter proceeds in the condensed benzene ring. Debenzylation of the 2-methyl derivative of imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole is not accompanied by hydrogenation but gives 2-methyl-1(9)H-imidazo[1,2-a]benzimidazole.See [1] for communication VI.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 791–796, June, 1973.     

Acylation of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines

The acylation of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines with acetic anhydride and the acid chlorides of various carboxylic acids has been studied. It has been shown that pyrrole[1,2-a]pyrazines are selectively acylated at the α-position of the pyrrole ring when it is free. Products of the condensation of 1-methylsubstituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines have been obtained for the first time in the process of acetylation. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 2, 263–272, February, 2008.     

Crowned Macrocycles Containing Two Pyrrolo[1,2-a] Indoles Created By Intramolecular Fusion

Heterocyclic fused-ring systems are of utmost importance because of their presence in many natural products with biological activity. Pyrroloindoles are tricyclic heterocycles that are present in various bioactive and medicinally valuable compounds. Herein, we report the synthesis of phenylene-bridged bis-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole crowned macrocycles 1 – 3 in which the pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole moieties were formed via intramolecular fusion. The macrocycles were thoroughly characterized by 1D and 2D NMR, HRMS and X-ray crystallographic studies. The X-ray structure revealed that the two pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole moieties were parallel to each other, and one pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole unit was deviated by an angle of 9.54° while the other pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole unit was deviated by an angle of 12.0° from the mean plane defined by 28 core atoms. The macrocycles 1 – 3 absorb in the visible region and readily undergo oxidations because of their electron rich nature. The macrocycles 1 – 3 upon treatment with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) generates the corresponding cation radicals 1 – 3 ^.+ which were stable in the open air for a week. The cation radicals 1 – 3 ^.+ absorb strongly in the NIR region and the experimental observations on crowned macrocycles 1 – 3 were corroborated by DFT and TD-DFT studies.     

A modular CuI-L-proline catalyzed one-pot route for the rapid access of constrained and privileged hetero-atom-linked medium-sized ring systems

An efficient CuI-L-proline catalyzed one-pot synthesis was developed to generate a collection of skeletally diverse heterocyclic ring systems with sizes ranging from 6 to 9. A salient feature of this design strategy is its modular synthetic utility using an S_N2 reaction followed by a microwave assisted CuI-L-proline hetero-arylation, which has granted access to a series of heterocyclic frameworks including: benzo[e]pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,4]diazepin, benzo[e]pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,4]diazocin, benzo[e]pyrido[1,2-a][1,4]diazocinones, dibenzo[b,f][1,5]diazoninones, dihydrodibenzo[b,e][1,4]thiazepine, dibenzo[b,e][1,4]thiazocine and benzo[6,7][1,4]diazepino[1,2-a]indole. Moreover, the synthetic procedures described herein, allows rapid entries to synthetically challenging medium-sized heterocyclic systems with good overall yields.     

One-pot synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline and pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives via the three-component reaction of 1,2-diamines,ethyl pyruvate and α-bromo ketones

A simple synthetic protocol has been developed involving the three-component reaction between 1,2-diamines, ethyl pyruvate and a-bromo ketones in the presence of Fe Cl3 as a catalyst. A number of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline and pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives were synthesized in excellent yields using this protocol.     

Nitration of Pyrrolo[1,2-<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis>]pyrazines

We have synthesized nitro derivatives of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines using a nitrating mixture and acetyl nitrate. We have obtained the products of oxidation of the side chain of 1,6-substituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]-pyrazines. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1579–1586, October, 2005.     

A novel synthesis of arylpyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazinone derivatives

Some aryl-2-methyl-1-pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazinones were designed and prepared to study the Structure-Activity Relationships (SAR) of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazinone derivatives. With methyl pyrrole-2-carboxylate as the starting material, the title compounds were prepared through N-alkylation and two novel cyclizations. Eleven aryl-2-methyl-1- pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazinone derivatives not previously reported in the literature are presented in this paper. Some of them show potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities.