Efficient synthesis of novel furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives under catalyst-free conditions

A series of furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives were synthesized via the [3+2] cyclization of pyrimidine-4,6-diol and a variety of nitroolefins at catalyst-free conditions. The reaction is easy to perform simply mixing inexpensive starting materials in water under conventional heating at 90 °C. The reaction proceeds at a fast speed within 1.5–2 h and gives the high biological and pharmacological active substituent furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives with good to high yields. Mechanism of formation of these furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives are also proposed.     

Hydro-amination/-amidation of 1,3-diynes with indoles/azoles/amides under modified Ullmann conditions: stereo- and regio-selective synthesis of N-alkenynes via N-H bond activation

An efficient strategy for the stereo- and regio-selective synthesis of N-alkenynes has been described. The salient feature of the reaction involves hydro-amination/amidation of 1,3-diynes with indoles/azoles/amides via transition-metal catalyzed activation of N-H bond. The resulting N-alkenynes derived from N-heterocycles and cyclic amides were obtained as a mixture of Z/E isomers with Z-stereoselectivity ranging from 60% to 95%. In contrast, acyclic amides afforded N-alkenynes with exclusive E-stereoselectivity, albeit in reduced yield ranging from ∼10% to 41%.     

Ultrasound-assisted synthesis of substituted guanidines using 1H-pyrazole-1-carboxamidine and S-methylisothiouronium sulfate under solvent-free conditions

We have investigated ultrasound-assisted synthesis of guanidine derivatives using 1H-Pyrazole-1-carboxamidine (PyzCA) and S-substituted isothiouronium sulfate (MeITU). The guanylations of several amines are promoted by ultrasound sonication under solvent-free conditions, and proceed under mild conditions. It is of particular interest that the guanylations do not require bases in most cases.     

Metal free oxidative CC bond cleavage: Facile and one-pot tandem synthesis of benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxides

An interesting protocol for the synthesis of benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxides through iodine-catalyzed one-pot dehomologative oxidation of styrenes and readily available 2-aminobenzenesulfonamide has been developed. Diverse benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxides were prepared using I₂ as a catalyst, TBHP as an oxidant and Na₂CO₃ as a base. This reliable, metal and ligand free conversion involves dehomologation of styrene to aromatic aldehyde which on subsequent cyclisation affords benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxides in good yield.     

Base and catalyst-free synthesis of nitrobenzodiazepines via a cascade N-nitroallylation-intramolecular aza-Michael addition involving o-phenylenediamines and nitroallylic acetates

A [4+3] annulation of o-phenylenediamines with primary nitroallylic acetates affords nitrobenzodiazepines (NBDZs) in good to excellent yield. The reaction which proceeds in MeOH at room temperature in the absence of any base or catalyst involves a cascade S_N2 N-nitroallylation-intramolecular aza-Michael addition sequence. In the case of mono-N-arylated o-phenylenediamines and o-aminobenzamides, the reaction stops at the S_N2 stage affording nitroallylic amines. On the other hand, reaction of o-aminobenzamides with secondary nitroallylic acetates delivers S_N2′ products. Formation of stable S_N2 and S_N2′ products provides insights into the reactivity of primary and secondary nitroallylic acetates and also the mechanism of formation of nitrobenzodiazepines.     

Amidation of carboxylic acids via the mixed carbonic carboxylic anhydrides and its application to synthesis of antidepressant (1S,2R)-tranylcypromine

Primary amidations of carboxylic acids 1 or 3 with NH₄Cl in the presence of ClCO₂Et and Et₃N were developed to afford the corresponding primary amides in 22% to quantitative yields. Additionally, we have applied the amidation to the preparation of various amides containing hydroxamic acids and achieved the synthesis of (1S,2R)-tranylcypromine as an antidepressant medicine via Lossen rearrangement.     

One-pot palladium-catalyzed synthesis of functionalized 10H-pyrido[1,2-a]quinoxalin-10-ones under copper-free conditions

Reactions of 3-substituted-2-chloroquinoxalines, terminal alkynes, and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in the presence of palladium catalyst afforded a number of 6,8,9-trisubstituted-10H-pyrido[1,2-a]quinoxalin-10-ones in 60–86% reaction yields. This one-pot protocol provided an efficient, practical, and direct method for the synthesis of pyrido[1,2-a]quinoxalines from readily available starting materials in the absence of a copper salt.     

Sulfonium ylide formation and subsequent CS bond cleavage of aromatic isopropyl sulfide catalyzed by hemin in aqueous solvent

Heme is an abundant and widely existed cofactor for a variety of metalloenzymes, whose broader use is generally impeded by its high instability and poor solubility. Here we report an environment-benign and efficient strategy for the sulfonium ylide formation and subsequent CS bond cleavage of aromatic isopropyl sulfides, which was catalyzed by hemin in assistance of Triton X-100. This aqueous catalytic system exhibited good functional group tolerance to a variety of sulfides and diazo esters. And the reaction mechanism was preliminarily proposed on the basis of designed reactions. Furthermore, the cleavage of CS bond followed by introducing a functional ester group to aromatic sulfides, may potentially be employed for the late stage functionalization (LSF) of organosulfur drug in the future.     

Water-mediated,green, and efficient synthesis of bisquinolones under catalyst-free conditions

Water-mediated, green, and efficient synthesis involving condensation of 4-hydroxy-1-methylquinoline-2(1H)-one (3) with different aromatic and heterocyclic aldehydes (4a–n) leading to 3,3′-(arylmethylene)-bis-(4-hydroxy-1-methylquinolin-2(1H)-one) 5(a–n) under catalyst-free conditions is described. This reaction has an easy workup without using column chromatography and provides excellent yields of the products in shorter reaction times. It does not require any catalyst and uses water as the medium which is the greenest solvent. 3 required in this work was itself obtained by condensation of N-methylaniline (1) with malonic acid (2) in the presence of POCl₃ using a previously reported procedure.     

Modular synthesis of α-arylated carboxylic acids,esters and amides via photocatalyzed triple C–F bond cleavage of methyltrifluorides

α-Arylated carboxylic acids, esters and amides are widespread motifs in bioactive molecules and important building blocks in chemical synthesis. Thus, straightforward and rapid access to such structures is highly desirable. Here we report an organophotocatalytic multicomponent synthesis of α-arylated carboxylic acids, esters and amides from exhaustive defluorination of α-trifluoromethyl alkenes in the presence of alkyltrifluoroborates, water and nitrogen/oxygen nucleophiles. This operationally simple strategy features a unified access to functionally diverse α-arylated carboxylic acids, esters, and primary, secondary, and tertiary amides through backbone assembly from simple starting materials enabled by consecutive C–F bond functionalization at room temperature. Preliminary mechanistic investigations reveal that the reaction operates through a radical-triggered three-step cascade process, which involves distinct mechanisms for each defluorinative functionalization of the C–F bond.

Here we report an organophotocatalytic synthesis of α-arylated carboxylic acids, esters and amides from exhaustive defluorination of α-trifluoromethyl alkenes in the presence of alkyltrifluoroborates, water and nitrogen/oxygen nucleophiles.     

Cyclisation at very high temperature. Thermal transformations of N-alkyl and N,N-dialkyl cinnamic amides into pyrrolidin-2-ones under FVT conditions

Novel cyclisations of N-alkyl and N,N-dialkyl cinnamic amides to the corresponding pyrrolidin-2-ones under the conditions of flash vacuum thermolysis, are described. It was found that this reaction proceeds at 950-1000 °C affording a mixture of isomeric pyrrolidin-2-ones in various yields. Two possible mechanisms are proposed for the process.     

One-pot synthesis of N-fused 1,2,4-triazoles and related heterocycles via I2/TBHP-mediated oxidative CN bond formation

A metal-free iodine/TBHP-mediated oxidative CN bond formation for the one-pot synthesis of N-fused 1,2,4-triazoles and related heterocycles via cyclization has been developed. This reaction which is amenable to scale-up affords the corresponding products with good to excellent yields and tolerates a wide range of functional groups.     

Design,stereoselective synthesis and computational calculations of novel hybrid compounds via Pauson-Khand reactions

A series of novel chiral hybrid compounds between benzofuran and bicyclic cyclopentenone and also benzothiophene and bicyclic cyclopentenone have been designed and synthesized. Chiral enynes derived from enantiomerically enriched homoallyl and homopropargyl alcohols were converted into bicyclic cyclopentenone structures by intramolecular Pauson-Khand reactions. This strategy provides a facile access to various bicyclic cyclopentenones substituted with benzofuran or benzothiophene ring systems in good yields. In addition to the experimental work, the ground state geometries of the hybrid compounds were optimized using Density Functional Theory applications at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level in order to obtain information about the 3D geometries and electronic structure.     

Reaction of difluorocarbene with anions from amides and oximes: Synthesis of N-difluoromethyl substituted amides, O-difluoromethylimidates or O-difluoromethyl substituted oximes under phase-transfer catalysis conditions

N-Aryl substituted amides react with chlorodifluoromethane in the presence of concentrated aqueous sodium hydroxide and benzyltriethylammonium chloride (TEBAC) as a catalyst in benzene (phase-transfer catalysis, PTC), affording mixtures of N- and O-difluoromethyl substituted derivatives. Amide anions are involved in this process. The reaction carried out with oximes gives O-difluoromethyl oxime ethers.     

Synthesis and 1H, 13C and 15N NMR characterisation of substituted Pyrazolo[4,3-c]quinolines and related compounds

A wide range of novel and known alkyl substituted pyrazolo[4,3-c]quinolines and related compounds were synthesized. Some of these compounds can undergo tautomerism and differences have been noted in the structural assignments already published. For each of these compounds, a complete assignment was made using ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N one- and two-dimensional NMR measurements, including NOESY, COSY, ¹H-¹³C HSQC and ¹H-¹³C HMBC. ¹H-¹⁵N HMBC NMR has proved crucial in determining the relevant tautomeric and protonated state of the compounds.     

Photoreaction of anthracenyl phosphine oxides: Usual reversible photo- and heat-induced emission switching,and unusual oxidative PC bond cleavage

Anthracenyl(diphenyl)phosphine oxide and dianthracenylphenylphosphine oxide as photoactive compounds have been synthesized. Anthracenyl group of these compounds indicate the multi-functional roles such as an emission component, a photodimerization component, and a leaving group. When the light irradiation was performed under an oxygen atmosphere, photo-oxidative PC bond cleavage to leave the antharacenyl group was observed. Moreover, phosphonyl radical was produced and then PP bond formation to form diphosphane was observed.     

Synthesis of gentianine N-oxide by enzymatic hydrolysis of swertiamarin in the presence of hydroxylamine and reaction pathway to gentianine and gentianol

Gentianine is a metabolite of gentiopicroside and swertiamarin. Several biological activities have been reported for gentianine, such as antiinflammatory and antidiabetic activity, and hypotensive effect. Gentiopicroside is found in 0.9–9.8% content in Gentian root or Gentian scabra root, and Swertiamarin is contained in Swertia herb in 2–10%. These natural products can be potential starting materials for the synthesis of gentianine. This study describes the β-glucosidase-catalyzed hydrolysis of gentiopicroside and swertiamarin in the presence of hydroxylamine to afford gentianine N-oxide, which can be a synthetic precursor of gentianine derivatives. Enzymatic hydrolysis of swertiamarin selectively afforded gentianine N-oxide in 81% yield, whereas gentiopicroside afforded gentianine N-oxide and gentianol N-oxide. Plausible reaction pathways leading to gentianine, gentianol, and their N-oxides were also investigated.     

A general asymmetric route to enantio-enriched isoflavanes via an organocatalytic annulation of o-quinone methides and aldehydes

Reported herein is a general approach to optically active isoflavanes based on a chiral amine-catalyzed [4?+?2] asymmetric annulation of o-quinone methides and aldehydes. A number of naturally occurring isoflavanes, including equol, sativan, isosativan, vestitol and medicarpin, as well as isoflavane analogues were readily prepared with good to excellent enantioselectivities.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of 3-aminoarylquinolines from 2-nitrobenzaldehyde and indole via SnCl2-mediated reduction and facile indole ring opening

A simple and efficient one-pot two-step synthesis of substituted 3-aminoarylquinolines has been achieved from 2-nitrobenzaldehyde and indoles under microwave irradiation. Firstly 2-nitrobenzaldehydes is reduced to 2-aminobenzaldehyde in situ by commonly used chemo selective reductant SnCl₂ followed by condensation of indole. The acidic nature of the resultant reaction mixture due to SnCl₂ helps in the condensation and facile ring opening of indole leading to the formation of 3-aminoarylquinoline derivatives in good to moderate yields.