Deoxygenation of tertiary amine N-oxides under metal free condition using phenylboronic acid

A simple and efficient method for the deoxygenation of amine N-oxides to corresponding amines is reported using the green and economical reagent phenylboronic acid. Deoxygenation of N,N-dialkylaniline N-oxides, trialkylamine N-oxides and pyridine N-oxides were achieved in good to excellent yields. The reduction susceptible functional groups such as ketone, amide, ester and nitro groups are well tolerated with phenylboronic acid during the deoxygenation process even at high temperature. In addition, an indirect method for identification and quantification of tert-amine N-oxide is demonstrated using UV–Vis spectrometry which may be useful for drug metabolism studies.     

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of secondary alcohols using C2-symmetric diamino diol ligands

A new class of diamino diols was evaluated as catalytic ligands in the enantioselective borane reduction of aromatic ketones and the enantioselective ethylation of arylaldehydes with diethylzinc. By variation of the substitution pattern on the ketone, e.e.s of up to 94% could be obtained by in situ borane reduction using 0.025 equiv. of the ligand at 35°C in THF. N,N,N′,N′-Tetramethyldiamino diol and N,N′-dialkyl diamino diol were used as promoters for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc reagent to the arylaldehyde, where use of 0.1 equiv. of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl diamino diol as catalyst in the addition of diethylzinc to arylaldehyde achieved e.e.s of up to 98%.     

Photoacid generators (PAGs) based on N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamines for carboxylic and sulfonic acids

Simple and efficient photoacid generators (PAGs) for carboxylic and sulfonic acids based on N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamines have been demonstrated. Irradiation of o-carboxylates and thermally rearranged o-arenesulfonates of N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamines using UV light (≥254 nm) in aqueous methanolic solution resulted in efficient generation of carboxylic and sulfonic acids, respectively. The carboxylic acid generation ability of N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamines was found to be dependent on their N-acyl substituents. Further, polymer bearing o-arenesulfonates of N-acyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine was synthesized and demonstrated as PAG for sulfonic acids.     

[4+1] Cycloaddition of N-acylimine derivatives with isocyanides: efficient synthesis of 5-aminooxazoles and 5-aminothiazoles

[4+1] Cycloaddition reaction between isocyanides and N-acylimine derivatives generated from N-acyl N,O-acetals acting as isocyanophiles has been developed. These reactions proceeded smoothly and cleanly to afford the corresponding 5-aminooxazoles in high yields. This reaction was extended to the syntheses of 5-aminothiazoles by using N-thioacyl N,O-acetals. A wide range of N-acyl N,O-acetals, N-thioacyl N,O-acetals, and isocyanides were found to be applicable to this reaction.     

Simple and efficient cleavage of the N-(1-phenylethyl) unit of carboxamides with methanesulfonic acid

Cleavage of the N-(1-phenylethyl) unit of carboxamides using less than 1 equiv of MsOH in refluxing toluene was found to be simple and very efficient leading to the desired amides in good to excellent yields, and also proved to be more effective compared with reductive methods using hydrogen sources, or acid hydrolysis reagents such as TFA and TsOH. The method selectively cleaved only the N-(1-phenylethyl) group of N-benzyl-N-(1-phenylethyl)amides.     

A general method for the deoxygenation of aromatic N-oxides using RuCl3·xH2O

An efficient, simple and selective method for the deoxygenation of aromatic N-oxides, such as N-arylnitrones, azoxybenzenes, N-heteroarene N-oxides using ruthenium(III) chloride to afford deoxygenated products in excellent yields, is described.     

Use of optically active cyclic diethyl sulfamidate 2-phosphonates as chiral synthons for the synthesis of β-substituted α-amino phosphonates

Optically active protected sulfamidate 2-phosphonates have been synthesized from either (R)- or (S)-N-benzyl-2-phosphonoserine for use as chiral synthons. These sulfamidates have been shown to undergo nucleophilic substitution with select nucleophiles, to afford following N-sulfate removal, the β-substituted α-amino-2-phosphonates. N-Sulfate removal was accomplished using boron trifluoride etherate in the presence of either n-propylthiol or N-hydroxysuccinimide allowing retention of the diethylphosphonate ester groups. Replacement of the unpleasant smelling n-propylthiol with N-hydroxysuccinimide provides higher yields of the desired products. Synthesis of β-S-substituted analogues required the use of cesium carbonate as a base. The sulfamidates described have excellent stability and have been demonstrated, using chiral HPLC, to be greater than 97% enantiomerically pure.     

Catalytic guanylation of aliphatic,aromatic, heterocyclic primary and secondary amines using nanocrystalline zinc(II) oxide

Nanocrystalline ZnO was found to be a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the guanylation of amines with various carbodiimides to afford N,N′,N″-trisubstituted guanidines in excellent yields. Structurally divergent aliphatic, aromatic, heterocyclic primary and secondary amines were converted to the corresponding N,N′,N″-trisubstituted guanidines using optimal conditions. The catalyst was easy to handle even under atmospheric conditions and can be easily recovered by centrifugation and reused for five cycles with consistent activity.     

Synthesis, luminescence properties, and theoretical insights of N-alkyl- or N,N-dialkyl-pyrene-1-carboxamide

We report the synthesis and photophysical properties of N-alkyl- or N,N-dialkyl-pyrene-1-carboxamide. These derivatives, as well as pyrene, exhibited blue emission. N-Alkyl-type derivatives exhibited strong fluorescence emission (Φ_fl = 0.61 in EtOH) in both nonpolar and polar solvents. On the other hand, N,N-dialkyl-type derivatives showed weak fluorescence emission (Φ_fl <0.01) due to vibrational deactivation. However, in highly viscous solvents such as glycerin, the quantum efficiencies of N-alkyl-type (Φ_fl = 0.91) and N,N-dialkyl-type (Φ_fl = 0.082) derivatives were increased. We also investigated the fluorescence mechanism of these compounds using time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT). From these results, we find that highly fluorescent pyrene-1-carboxamide derivatives can be designed by introducing an appropriate functional group at the nitrogen atom of the amide. Thus, N,N-dialkyl-type pyrene-1-carboxamide has considerable potential for use in applications such as environmental response sensors and probes.     

A rapid and convergent synthesis of α,α-difluoro-β-hydroxyketones through regiospecific defluorinative alkylation reaction

Both the defluorinative alkylation reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde N,O-acetals using alkyllithiums and the following C-C bond formation with carbonyls as electrophiles were accelerated by a suitable diamine additive such as (−)-sparteine to give α,α-difluoro-β-hydroxyketone N,O-acetal products in an excellent yield. We also found that N-benzyl-N,O-acetal group of the resultant products can be removed under palladium-catalyzed hydrogenolysis conditions giving rise to the corresponding α,α-difluoro-β-hydroxyketones. The present two-step procedure is a useful and novel synthetic approach for functionalized α,α-difluoroketones.     

Ruthenium trichloride catalyzed synthesis of 2,3-unsaturated-N-glycosides via Ferrier azaglycosylation

An efficient, economical and mild protocol for the synthesis of 2,3-unsaturated-N-glycosides has been developed using ruthenium(III) chloride. The Ferrier azaglycosylation of glycals with various N-nucleophiles such as sulfonamides, benzamides, carbamates and N-substituted sulfonamides proceeded smoothly to afford the corresponding 2,3-unsaturated-N-glycosides or ‘N-pseudoglycals’ in good yields (64–98%). High α-anomeric selectivity was observed with N-substituted sulfonamides such as N-benzyl or N-phenyl sulfonamides under similar conditions.     

Copper-catalyzed amination of aromatic halides with 2-N,N-dimethylaminoethanol as solvent

A copper-catalyzed amination of aromatic halides under mild conditions using N,N-dimethylaminoethanol as solvent is described. We have studied this reaction in some detail varying the copper source, base, water content and other parameters including the scope of useful amine and aromatic halide structures. A variety of 4-halo-N,N-cycloalkylanilines and 2-N,N-cycloalkylaminothiophenes were synthesized for further elaboration into chromophores for optoelectronic applications.     

Thioglycoluril as a highly efficient, recyclable and novel organocatalyst for N-Boc protection of amines

A simple and efficient protocol for the chemoselective mono-N-Boc protection of various structurally diverse amines with di-tert-butyl dicarbonate using thioglycoluril as the catalyst is described. The catalyst can be readily separated from the reaction products by simple filtration and recovered for reuse. No competitive side reactions, such as formation of isocyanate, urea, oxazolidinone, and N,N-di-Boc derivatives were observed.     

Highly efficient synthesis of aryl ketones by PEPPSI-palladium catalyzed acylative Suzuki coupling of amides with diarylborinic acids

An improved acylative cross-coupling of various N-methyl-N-tosyl amides with diarylborinic acids for synthesis of aryl ketones is developed. In most cases, aryl ketones could be obtained in excellent yields by using 1?mol% 2,6-diisopropylphenylimidazolylidene and 3-chloropyridine co-supported palladium chloride as catalyst in the presence of 3 equiv. K₂CO₃ as base in refluxing THF. The readily prepared and cost-effective substrates, N-methyl-N-tosylamides and diarylborinic acids, and the commercially available catalyst system promise a practical and efficient access to aryl ketones.     

An efficient one-pot synthesis of N,N′-disubstituted phenylureas and N-aryl carbamates using hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid

We have developed an efficient one-pot method for the microwave-assisted synthesis of ureas and carbamates via a proposed Lossen rearrangement. Herein we report the first examples of the direct conversion of benzoyl chlorides into N,N′-disubstituted ureas and N-aryl carbamates using hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid as reagent. Using our general method, we have produced 11 examples of N,N′-disubstituted phenylureas in yields up to 95% using various substituted anilines, and primary and secondary amines. Additionally, we were able to generate a series of N-aryl carbamates in moderate yields using primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols.     

An efficient palladium-catalyzed synthesis of 1-heteroaryl-4-aminopiperidine derivatives from heteroaryl chlorides

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of 1-heteroaryl-4-(N-methyl)aminopiperidines starting from heteroaryl chloride derivatives is described. A broad range of 1-heteroaryl-4-(N-Boc-N-methyl)aminopiperidine derivatives were obtained in good to excellent yields using DavePhos as optimal ligand for Pd-catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig amination reaction. After a mild and efficient acidolysis the amination products could be obtained successfully.     

Offline and online capillary electrophoresis enzyme assays of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase

Enzyme assays of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase from Aspergillus oryzae using capillary electrophoresis in the offline and online setup have been developed. The pH value and concentration of the borate-based background electrolyte were optimized in order to achieve baseline separation of N,N′,N″-triacetylchitotriose, N,N′-diacetylchitobiose, and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine. The optimized method using 25 mM tetraborate buffer, pH 10.0, was evaluated in terms of repeatability, limits of detection, quantification, and linearity. The method was successfully applied to the offline enzyme assay of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase, which was demonstrated by monitoring the hydrolysis of N,N′,N″-triacetylchitotriose. The presented method was also utilized to study the pH dependence of enzyme activity. An online assay with N,N′-diacetylchitobiose as a substrate was developed using the Transverse Diffusion of Laminar Flow Profiles model to optimize the injection sequence and in-capillary mixing of substrate and enzyme plugs. The experimental results were in good agreement with predictions of the model. The online assay was successfully used to observe the inhibition effect of N,N′-dimethylformamide on the activity of β-N-acetylhexosaminidase with nanoliter volumes of reagents used per run and a high degree of automation. After adjustment of background electrolyte pH, an online assay with N,N′,N″-triacetylchitotriose as a substrate was also performed.

Regioselective aminoethylation of 1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one under conventional heating and microwave irradiation

The regioselective aminoethylation of 1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one 1 can be carried out using classical heating or microwave irradiation as the source of energy to furnish either N-1 or N-4 aminoethylated products 2a-d and 3a-d, respectively. The regioselectivity observed has been rationalized using computational studies and has been traced to the disparity of the rate-determining steps along the N-1 product (N-1 PR) and N-4 product (N-4 PR) formation pathways.     

Copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of sulfonamides with aryl iodides and bromides facilitated by amino acid ligands

A highly general, convenient, and inexpensive catalyst system was developed for the N-arylation of sulfonamides with aryl iodides or bromides by using 5-20 mol % of CuI as catalyst, 20 mol % of N-methylglycine (for aryl iodides) or N,N-dimethylglycine (for aryl bromides) as ligand, and K₃PO₄ as base.     

Mild bromination of unreactive aromatic compounds

N,N,N′,N′-Tetrabromobenzene-1,3-disulfonamide and poly(N,N′-dibromo-N-ethylene-benzene-1,3-disulfonamide) in concentrated H₂SO₄ can be used as efficient reagents for the mild bromination of unreactive arenes at room temperature, under solvent-free conditions, in good yields.