A general method for the solid-phase synthesis of unsymmetrical tri- and tetrasubstituted ureas

A general method for the preparation of unsymmetrical di, tri-, and tetrasubstituted ureas on polymer supports is presented. Polymer-bound primary and secondary amines react with imidazolium salts (urea donors), which are generated from the reaction of N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) with primary and secondary amines followed by alkylation with MeI to give tri- and tetrasubstituted ureas in excellent yields (76-98%) and purities (80-99%).     

Synthesis of 1,3-dialkylurea from ethylene carbonate and amine using calcium oxide

Several basic metal oxide catalysts were tested for the synthesis of 1,3-disubstituted urea from ethylene carbonate (EC) and amine. Among the catalysts used, CaO has been found to be an excellent recyclable catalyst for the reaction. It has been suggested that strongly basic property of CaO results in its high activity. Disubstituted ureas are obtained from propylamine and butylamine with high yields at 100 °C. Slightly higher reaction temperatures are necessary for obtaining good yields from amines having larger molecular weights and urea is not produced from dibutylamine as a secondary amine. Propylene carbonate can be used instead of EC for the reaction. A reaction mechanism was proposed, which involves reaction between EC and amine giving a carbamate followed by catalytic reaction between the carbamate and amine, yielding 1,3-disubstituted urea. It is suggested that the latter reaction is the rate-determining step. On the basis of this reaction mechanism, the synthesis of unsymmetric urea was also examined. 2-Hydroxyethyl butylcarbamate is selectively produced from EC with butylamine in the absence of the catalyst at a low temperature and reacts with benzylamine producing 1-butyl-3-benzylurea along with symmetric dialkyl ureas.     

Application of base cleavable safety catch linkers to solid phase library production

We have used sulfide "Safety Catch" linkers to anchor typical medicinal chemistry functional groups to amine resins. Compounds are loaded as the ester, carbamate, or amine. At the end of the synthesis, the linker is activated by peracid. The sulfone resins are then cleaved by beta-elimination in the gas phase or in solution by secondary amines to produce acids and primary, secondary, or tertiary amines. Comparison of cleavage rates to other sulfone resins including SEM showed significantly faster cleavage for this system with conditions similar to Fmoc deprotection. Application of this strategy to a medicinal chemistry library gives good yields and purities of the resulting compounds.     

A ROMPGEL-supported N-hydroxysuccinimide: a host of acylations with minimal purification

[reaction: see text] A novel N-hydroxysuccinimide ring-opening metathesis polymer is described as a recyclable supported acyl transfer reagent. Amides, carbamates, ureas, Weinreb amides, and hydroxamic acids are all obtained in excellent yields and purities from amines with minimal purification.     

Efficient synthesis of tertiary amines from secondary amines

Reliable N-alkylations of secondary amines have been developed. By using DIAD and TPP (or PS-TPP) a variety of secondary amines can be converted to the corresponding tertiary amines in good to excellent yields with diverse alkylhalides; no formation of quaternary amine salts are observed. These protocols are amenable to combinatorial chemistry libraries, and are also useful for the syntheses of secondary amines by an acid lysis of the cleavable tertiary amino resins.     

Parallel synthesis of tri- and tetrasubstituted ureas from carbamoyl imidazolium salts

A method for producing tri- and tetrasubstituted ureas from carbamoyl imidazolium salts is presented. Carbamoyl imidazolium salts are prepared from the reaction of N,N carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) with secondary amines, followed by alkylation with iodomethane. These stable salts can be stored for extended periods and are effective electrophilic carbamoylation reagents. Primary and secondary amines add to carbamoyl imidazolium salts at room temperature to give tri- and tetrasubstituted ureas in excellent yields. This reaction was used to synthesize ureas using both liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction (cation exchange) purification techniques. Liquid-liquid extraction affords the product ureas more cleanly than cationic exchange. A series of urea compounds were synthesized using parallel synthesis techniques in high yields and with suitable purity for routine in vitro biological tests. These studies validate the utility of carbamoyl imidazolium salts as useful building blocks for combinatorial library synthesis.     

Solid-phase synthesis of urea and amide libraries using the T2 triazene linker

Starting from Merrifield resin, primary amines were immobilized in two steps by triazene linkage (T2-linker). While reaction with isocyanates gave rise to resin-bound urea derivatives, acylation by acid chlorides or anhydrides furnished amides bound to solid support via the nitrogen atom, therefore representing a novel backbone amide linker. Cleavage from the resin was conducted using dilute trimethylsilyl chloride or trifluoroacetic acid, respectively, to yield ureas and amines/amides in a library format (altogether 60 examples; manual synthesis: 17 ureas, 6 mono-alkylated ureas [including dihydroxylation and ozonolysis/Wittig reaction]; automated synthesis: 15 ureas, 15 amides) in high purities and good overall yields. The synthesis of a small library (4 x 4 member) was successfully conducted on a Bohdan Neptune synthesizer.     

A novel solid-phase synthesis of di- and trisubstituted N-acyl ureas

A novel, mild method for the synthesis of di- and trisubstituted N-acyl ureas on solid support is described. Addition of carboxylic acids to a resin-bound carbimidoyl chloride gave, initially, an O-acyl isourea which subsequently rearranged to the corresponding N-acyl urea. Trisubstituted N-acyl ureas were assembled on a Wang resin from a wide range of Fmoc amino acids, secondary amines and carboxylic acids. Acid mediated cleavage yielded the products in good yields and excellent purities. In addition, the regioselective synthesis of disubstituted N-acyl ureas is demonstrated with four examples.     

An easy and versatile synthesis of ureas from 2-benzylaminopyrimidine

A general procedure for the easy and versatile synthesis of ureas from 2-benzylaminopyrimidine is described. This methodology involves the preparation of a highly reactive carbamoyl chloride intermediate that can be further reacted with a high variety of different amines, including highly hindered secondary amines and deactivated anilines with excellent yields. Furthermore, this smooth procedure is compatible with a second functionality on the amine.     

Super fast cobalt carbonyl-mediated synthesis of ureas

Fast cobalt carbonyl-mediated generation of ureas from primary amines was performed using high-density microwave irradiation. This enhanced method permitted the preparation of symmetrical ureas in good yields and unsymmetrical ureas in moderate yields. The reaction times varied between 10 s and 40 min. The proposed mechanism for the reaction includes in situ generation of an intermediate isocyanate that subsequently traps the free amine, producing the urea product.     

Versatile solid-phase synthesis of s-arylisothioureas

Resin-bound amines 4a-m condense with di(benzotriazol-1-yl)methanimine 6 to give 1H-benzotriazole-1-carboximidamide resins 7a-m, which subsequently react with thiols 9a'-g' followed by cleavage affording nonprotected isothioureas 1aa'-mg' in high yields and with good purities. Analogous reactions with secondary amines activated with EtMgBr lead to guanidines 2a,b,e-g in moderate yields. Resin-bound isothioureas 1 are converted by acyl chlorides or carboxylic acids into acyl derivatives 12a-n in high yields and with good purities.     

Achieving functional group diversity in parallel synthesis: solution-phase synthesis of a library of ureas, carbamates, thiocarbamates, and amides using carbamoylimidazolium salts

A convenient protocol for the parallel solution-phase synthesis of a library of thiocarbamates, ureas, carbamates, and amides from carbamoylimidazolium salts has been developed. The crystalline carbamoylimidazolium salts are readily synthesized from secondary amines, CDI and iodomethane, and act as stable carbamoylation reagents. A common set of reaction conditions and a straightforward non-chromatographic liquid-liquid extraction purification protocol were developed for reactions with thiols, amines, phenols, and carboxylic acids, giving the products with high purities and yields. The resultant library incorporates diversity arising from the choice of reaction partners and the functional group linkage generated in the couplings.     

N‐Heterocyclic Carbene–Palladium Complexes as Efficient Catalysts for the Oxidative Carbonylation of Amines to Ureas

A highly efficient oxidative carbonylation reaction of amines to ureas was developed making use of carbene–palladium complexes in the absence of any promoter. Both aliphatic amines and aromatic amines were transformed in good to excellent yields to the expected ureas.     

Functionalized cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) resins as reaction scavengers and as supports for solid-phase organic synthesis

New hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA-OH) resins were prepared by an inverse suspension polymerization using epichlorohydrin as a cross-linker. These novel resins swell in a variety of solvents commonly used in solid-phase organic synthesis, such as dicholomethane, dioxane, methanol, tetrahydrofuran, and dimethylformamide. In addition, PVA-OH shows excellent swelling in water. The cross-linked PVA-OH beads were functionalized with an aldehyde group and were tested as scavengers for primary amines in three different reactions: amide bond formation, reductive amination reaction, and urea formation. With 1-2 equiv of the PVA aldehyde resin, all the excess primary amines were successfully scavenged. The utility of PVA-OH resins as solid supports in mono- and dipeptide synthesis was also investigated using symmetrical anhydride and MSNT/MeIm (2,4,6-mesitylenesulfonyl-3-nitro-1,2,4-triazolide in the presence of 1-methylimidazol) methods.     

Microwave-assisted traceless synthesis of benzimidazolones

We have developed a microwave-assisted traceless rapid synthesis of benzimidazolones on polymeric supports. The key step in our approach involves an arylation of benzylammonia followed by treatment with N-chlorosulfonyl isocyanate and by subsequent hydrolysis to yield the corresponding primary ureas. Intramolecular cyclization of the resin-bound primary ureas under Pd-catalyzed condition followed by cleavage with TFA-H₂O provided the desired benzimidazolones with excellent yields and high purities. Except for step 4, the other reactions involved were performed completely within a few minutes under microwave exposure.     

Enantioselective reduction of trifluoromethyl ketones with chiral organomagnesium amides (COMAs)

Chiral organomagnesium amides (COMAs), readily prepared from dialkylmagnesiums and chiral secondary amines, can reduce trifluoromethyl ketones to form secondary alcohols with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98:2 er) and chemical yields (typically >95% conversion, >85% isolated yields). These MPV-type reductions use an achiral hydride source, and the chiral amine is readily recovered. [reaction: see text]     

Combinatorial approach to N-substituted aminocyclitol libraries by solution-phase parallel synthesis and preliminary evaluation as glucocerebrosidase inhibitors

Libraries of N-substituted aminocyclitol derivatives of the scyllo and racemic chiro series by means of parallel solution-phase methodology with the help of robotic technology are described. Chemical diversity has been introduced by reaction of selected scaffolds with a set of aldehydes, acyl chlorides, sulfonyl chlorides, chloroformates, and amines to afford the corresponding amines, amides, sulfonamides, carbamates and ureas, respectively. The optimized methodology has proven excellent, in terms of overall purities of the resulting libraries, for the production of amides. Sulfonamides and carbamates have been obtained in slightly lower purities, while amines afforded modest results. Selected library members have been evaluated as inhibitors of recombinant glucocerebrosidase with K(i) values ranging in the low micromolar scale for the most active members.     

Development of a General Non‐Noble Metal Catalyst for the Benign Amination of Alcohols with Amines and Ammonia

The N‐alkylation of amines or ammonia with alcohols is a valuable route for the synthesis of N‐alkyl amines. However, as a potentially clean and economic choice for N‐alkyl amine synthesis, non‐noble metal catalysts with high activity and good selectivity are rarely reported. Normally, they are severely limited due to low activity and poor generality. Herein, a simple NiCuFeO_x catalyst was designed and prepared for the N‐alkylation of ammonia or amines with alcohol or primary amines. N‐alkyl amines with various structures were successfully synthesized in moderate to excellent yields in the absence of organic ligands and bases. Typically, primary amines could be efficiently transformed into secondary amines and N‐heterocyclic compounds, and secondary amines could be N‐alkylated to synthesize tertiary amines. Note that primary and secondary amines could be produced through a one‐pot reaction of ammonia and alcohols. In addition to excellent catalytic performance, the catalyst itself possesses outstanding superiority, that is, it is air and moisture stable. Moreover, the magnetic property of this catalyst makes it easily separable from the reaction mixture and it could be recovered and reused for several runs without obvious deactivation.     

A facile synthesis of unsymmetrical ureas

A facile and versatile method for the synthesis of unsymmetrical ureas from readily available reagents is reported. In the first step trifluoroethylchloroformate is reacted with a stoichiometric amount of a primary amine to give an intermediate trifluoroethyl carbamate. The addition of a second amine (primary or secondary) to the trifluoroethyl carbamate furnishes corresponding unsymmetrical ureas in 75-85% yield. A simple workup procedure, the high yields obtained, and the purity of the isolated products are suitable for the parallel synthesis of combinatorial libraries of unsymmetrical ureas with high structural and functional diversity.     

W(CO)6-catalyzed oxidative carbonylation of primary amines to N,N'-disubstituted ureas in single or biphasic solvent systems. Optimization and functional group compatibility studies

Primary amines undergo carbonylation to N,N'-disubstituted ureas using W(CO)6 as the catalyst, I2 as the oxidant, and CO as the carbonyl source. Preparation of various N,N'-disubstituted ureas from aliphatic primary amines, RNH2 (R = n-Pr, n-Bu, i-Pr, sec-Bu, or t-Bu), was achieved in good to excellent yields. Studies of functional group compatibility using a series of substituted benzylamines demonstrated broad tolerance of functionality during the carbonylation reaction. Preparation of various N,N'-disubstituted ureas from substituted benzylamines, R-C6H4CH2NH2 (R = H, p-OCH3, p-CO2H, p-CO2Et, p-CH2OH, p-SCH3, p-vinyl, p-Cl, p-Br, m-I, p-NH2, p-NO2, or p-CN), was achieved in good yields. For many substituted benzylamines, yields of ureas were higher when a two-phase CH2Cl2/H2O solvent system was used.