Lewis Acids as Mild and Effective Catalysts for the Synthesis of 3,5‐Bis[(hetero)arylidene]piperidin‐4‐ones

The aldol‐crotonic condensation reactions of N‐alkyl‐ and NH‐piperidin‐4‐one derivatives with (hetero)aromatic aldehydes promoted by Lewis acids or bases were examined. This comparative study has revealed three effective catalytic systems based on Lewis acids, i.e., LiClO₄ and MgBr₂ (in the presence of tertiary amine), and BF₃⋅Et₂O, for the synthesis of N‐alkyl‐substituted 3,5‐bis(heteroarylidene)piperidin‐4‐ones, including those bearing acid‐ or base‐labile groups both in the (hetero)aromatic groups and in the alkyl substituent at the N‐atom. The highest reaction rate was observed for LiClO₄‐mediated synthesis. Both MgBr₂‐ and LiClO₄‐mediated syntheses were inefficient in the case of NH‐piperidin‐4‐one, while BF₃⋅Et₂O provided the final compounds in high yields. This catalyst is especially advantageous as it allows simultaneous condensation and deprotection in the case of O‐protected piperidin‐4‐one.     

Regioselective Synthesis of Trichloromethyl‐Substituted Salicylates and Cyclohexenones by One‐Pot Cyclizations of 1,3‐Bis(trimethylsilyloxy)buta‐1,3‐dienes

A variety of 6‐(trichloromethyl)salicylates (=2‐hydroxy‐6‐(trichloromethyl)benzoates) were prepared by TiCl₄‐mediated cyclization of 1,3‐bis(trimethylsilyloxy)buta‐1,3‐dienes with 1,1,1‐trichloro‐4,4‐dimethoxybut‐3‐en‐2‐one. The employment of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (Me₃SiOTf) as Lewis acid resulted in the formation of trichloromethyl‐substituted cyclohexenones. The cyclizations proceeded with good‐to‐very‐good regioselectivities.     

Lewis Acid Catalyzed Ring‐Opening Reactions of Sugar‐Derived Semicyclic N,O‐Acetals

N‐(Alkoxycarbonyl)‐N‐glycosides (polyoxygenated semicyclic N,O‐acetals) were efficiently synthesized from regular acetyl or methyl glycosides (glucopyranoside, ribofuranoside, arabinofuranoside, and 2‐deoxyribofuranoside) and a carbamate by treatment of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate and 4 Å molecular sieves. It was found that these N‐glycosides underwent Lewis acid catalyzed ring‐opening reactions with silylated nucleophiles to give ring‐opened amino alcohols with good‐to‐high diastereoselectivity. The reactivity order, 2‐deoxyribofuranoside > arabinofuranoside > ribofuranoside > glucopyranoside, was revealed. Ring‐opening reductions were also investigated with silanes or diisobutylaluminium hydride. An appropriate reducing agent was found to be dependent on the N‐glycosides used. A glycosidase inhibitor, (2S,3R,4R)‐2‐hydroxymethylpyrrolidine‐3,4‐diol ( 7 ) was synthesized by means of the reactions.     

Practical Stereo‐ and Regioselective,Copper(I)‐Promoted Strecker Synthesis of Sugar‐Modified α,β‐Unsaturated Imines

The regio‐ and stereoselective, Lewis acid catalyzed Strecker reaction between Me₃SiCN and different aldimines incorporating a 2,3,4,6‐tetrakis‐O‐pivaloyl‐D ‐glucopyranosyl (Piv₄Glc) chiral auxiliary has been worked out. Depending on the conditions used, high yields (up to 95%) and good diastereoselectivities (de > 86%) were achieved under mild conditions (Table 1), especially with CuBr ? Me₂S as catalyst. Our protocol allows the ready preparation of asymmetric β,γ‐unsaturated α‐amino acids such as (R)‐2‐amino‐4‐phenylbut‐3‐enoic acid ( 13 ; Scheme 2) and congeners thereof.     

Stereo‐Inversion in the (4R)‐γ‐Decanolactone Synthesis by Saccharomyces cerevisiae: (2E,4S)‐4‐Hydroxydec‐2‐enoic Acid Acts as a Key Intermediate

Methyl (2E,4R)‐4‐hydroxydec‐2‐enoate, methyl (2E,4S)‐4‐hydroxydec‐2‐enoate, and ethyl (±)‐(2E)‐4‐hydroxy[4‐²H]dec‐2‐enoate were chemically synthesized and incubated in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Initial C‐chain elongation of these substrates to C₁₂ and, to a lesser extent, C₁₄ fatty acids was observed, followed by γ‐decanolactone formation. Metabolic conversion of methyl (2E,4R)‐4‐hydroxydec‐2‐enoate and methyl (2E,4S)‐4‐hydroxydec‐2‐enoate both led to (4R)‐γ‐decanolactone with >99% ee and 80% ee, respectively. Biotransformation of ethyl (±)‐(2E)‐4‐hydroxy(4‐²H)dec‐2‐enoate yielded (4R)‐γ‐[²H]decanolactone with 61% of the ²H label maintained and in 90% ee indicating a stereoinversion pathway. Electron‐impact mass spectrometry analysis (Fig. 4) of 4‐hydroxydecanoic acid indicated a partial C(4)→C(2) ²H shift. The formation of erythro‐3,4‐dihydroxydecanoic acid and erythro‐3‐hydroxy‐γ‐decanolactone from methyl (2E,4S)‐4‐hydroxydec‐2‐enoate supports a net inversion to (4R)‐γ‐decanolactone via 4‐oxodecanoic acid. As postulated in a previous work, (2E,4S)‐4‐hydroxydec‐2‐enoic acid was shown to be a key intermediate during (4R)‐γ‐decanolactone formation via degradation of (3S,4S)‐dihydroxy fatty acids and precursors by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.     

Metallierung und C‐C‐Kupplung von 2‐Pyridylmethylamin: Synthese und Strukturen von Methylzink‐2‐pyridylmethylamid,Tris(trimethylsilyl)methylzink‐2‐pyridylmethylamid und (Z)‐1‐Amino‐1,2‐bis(2‐pyridyl)ethen

Metalation and C‐C Coupling Reaction of 2‐Pyridylmethylamine: Synthesis and Structures of Methylzinc‐2‐pyridylmethylamide, Tris(trimethylsilyl)methylzinc‐2‐pyridylmethylamide and (Z)‐1‐Amino‐1,2‐bis(2‐pyridyl)ethene The metalation of 2‐pyridylmethylamine with dimethylzinc yields methylzinc‐2‐pyridylmethylamide ( 1 ), which shows a dimer‐trimer equilibrium in solution. Compound 1 crystallizes trimeric with a Zn₃N₃‐cycle in boat conformation. The endocyclic Zn‐N distances vary between 202 and 206 pm. Heating of this compound in toluene in the presence of dimethylzinc leads to the precipitation of zinc metal and to the formation of a few crystals of bis—[methylzinc‐2‐pyridylmethylamido]‐N, N′‐bis(methylzinc)‐2,3,5,6—tetrakis(2‐pyridyl)‐1,4‐diazacyclohexane ( 2 ). The protolysis of this solution with acetamide gives yellowish (Z)‐1‐amino‐1,2‐dipyridylethene ( 3 ) in a rather poor yield. The enamine tautomer is stabilized by N‐H···N hydrogen bridges. The demanding tris(trimethylsilyl)methyl group at the zinc atom allows the isolation of the dimeric tris(trimethylsilyl)methylzinc‐2‐pyridylmethylamide (4) ₂ in good yield. A C‐C coupling reaction of this compound with dimethylzinc is not possible.     

Effective Methods for the Synthesis of N‐Methyl β‐Amino Acids from All Twenty Common α‐Amino Acids Using 1,3‐Oxazolidin‐5‐ones and 1,3‐Oxazinan‐6‐ones

N‐Methyl β‐amino acids are generally required for application in the synthesis of potentially bioactive modified peptides and other oligomers. Previous work highlighted the reductive cleavage of 1,3‐oxazolidin‐5‐ones to synthesise N‐methyl α‐amino acids. Starting from α‐amino acids, two approaches were used to prepare the corresponding N‐methyl β‐amino acids. First, α‐amino acids were converted to N‐methyl α‐amino acids by the so‐called ‘1,3‐oxazolidin‐5‐one strategy’, and these were then homologated by the Arndt–Eistert procedure to afford N‐protected N‐methyl β‐amino acids derived from the 20 common α‐amino acids. These compounds were prepared in yields of 23–57% (relative to N‐methyl α‐amino acid). In a second approach, twelve N‐protected α‐amino acids could be directly homologated by the Arndt–Eistert procedure, and the resulting β‐amino acids were converted to the 1,3‐oxazinan‐6‐ones in 30–45% yield. Finally, reductive cleavage afforded the desired N‐methyl β‐amino acids in 41–63% yield. One sterically congested β‐amino acid, 3‐methyl‐3‐aminobutanoic acid, did give a high yield (95%) of the 1,3‐oxazinan‐6‐one ( 65 ), and subsequent reductive cleavage gave the corresponding AIBN‐derived N‐methyl β‐amino acid 61 in 71% yield (Scheme 2). Thus, our protocols allow the ready preparation of all N‐methyl β‐amino acids derived from the 20 proteinogenic α‐amino acids.     

A Study on the Diastereoselective Synthesis of α‐Fluorinated β3‐Amino Acids by α‐Fluorination

The treatment of a β³‐amino acid methyl ester with 2.2 equiv. of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA), followed by reaction with 5 equiv. of N‐fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) at ?78° for 2.5 h and then 2 h at 0°, gives syn‐fluorination with high diastereoisomeric excess (de). The de and yield in these reactions are somewhat influenced by both the size of the amino acid side chain and the nature of the amine protecting group. In particular, fluorination of N‐Boc‐protected β³‐homophenylalanine, β³‐homoleucine, β³‐homovaline, and β³‐homoalanine methyl esters, 5 and 9 – 11 , respectively, all proceeded with high de (>86% of the syn‐isomer). However, fluorination of N‐Boc‐protected β³‐homophenylglycine methyl ester ( 16 ) occurred with a significantly reduced de. The use of a Cbz or Bz amine‐protecting group (see 3 and 15 ) did not improve the de of fluorination. However, an N‐Ac protecting group (see 17 ) gave a reduced de of 26%. Thus, a large N‐protecting group should be employed in order to maximize selectivity for the syn‐isomer in these fluorination reactions.     

Regioselective Ring‐Opening of Amino Acid‐Derived Chiral Aziridines: an Easy Access to cis‐2,5‐Disubstituted Chiral Piperazines

An efficient four‐step synthetic strategy for cis‐2,5‐disubstituted chiral piperazines derived from amino‐acid‐based aziridines is described. The key steps in this strategy are the highly regioselective boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BF₃ ⋅ OEt₂)‐mediated ring‐opening of less‐reactive N‐Ts chiral aziridines by α‐amino acid methyl ester hydrochloride followed by Mitsunobu cyclization. This protocol has been used in an attempt to construct the piperazine core framework of natural product (+)‐piperazinomycin.     

Intriguing Influence of the Solvent on the Regioselectivity of Sulfoxide Thermolysis in β‐Amino‐α‐sulfinyl Esters

The sulfoxide thermolysis of the diastereoisomeric methyl (3R,4aS,10aR)‐6‐methoxy‐1‐methyl‐3‐(phenylsulfinyl)‐1,2,3,4,4a,5,10,10a‐octahydrobenzo[g]quinoline‐3‐carboxylates 3a and 3′b in toluene yields, by loss of benzenesulfenic acid, an almost 1 : 1 mixture of the vinylogous urethane 2b and the isomeric α‐aminomethyl enoate 2a . When this elimination is performed in acetic acid, the enoate 2a is formed rather selectively. The same solvent effects on the regioselectivity of the elimination of benzenesulfenic acid are observed with a simple sulfoxide of ethyl piperidine‐3‐carboxylate ( 7 ).     

Studies on pyrrolidinones. Synthesis and cyclization of N‐[α‐naphthyl‐(3,4,5‐trimethoxyphenyl)‐methyl]pyroglutamic acid

Condensation of trimethoxyphenyl naphthylcarbinol trimethylsilyl ether with methyl N‐trimethylsilyl‐pyroglutamate yields two separable esters. The Friedel‐Crafts cyclization of the acids obtained after saponification gives analogs of azapodophylloxin. Reduction and treatment of the obtained products with hydrobromic acid yields analogs of azatoxin.     

Four oxoindole‐linked α‐alkoxy‐β‐amino acid derivatives

Four structures of oxoindolyl α‐hydroxy‐β‐amino acid derivatives, namely, methyl 2‐{3‐[(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)amino]‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoindolin‐3‐yl}‐2‐methoxy‐2‐phenylacetate, C₂₄H₂₈N₂O₆, (I), methyl 2‐{3‐[(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)amino]‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoindolin‐3‐yl}‐2‐ethoxy‐2‐phenylacetate, C₂₅H₃₀N₂O₆, (II), methyl 2‐{3‐[(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)amino]‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoindolin‐3‐yl}‐2‐[(4‐methoxybenzyl)oxy]‐2‐phenylacetate, C₃₁H₃₄N₂O₇, (III), and methyl 2‐[(anthracen‐9‐yl)methoxy]‐2‐{3‐[(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)amino]‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoindolin‐3‐yl}‐2‐phenylacetate, C₃₈H₃₆N₂O₆, (IV), have been determined. The diastereoselectivity of the chemical reaction involving α‐diazoesters and isatin imines in the presence of benzyl alcohol is confirmed through the relative configuration of the two stereogenic centres. In esters (I) and (III), the amide group adopts an anti conformation, whereas the conformation is syn in esters (II) and (IV). Nevertheless, the amide group forms intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonds with the ester and ether O atoms in all four structures. The ether‐linked substituents are in the extended conformation in all four structures. Ester (II) is dominated by intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen‐bond interactions. In contrast, the remaining three structures are sustained by C—H...O hydrogen‐bond interactions.     

Polar aspects of intramolecular interactions in 2‐amino‐5‐nitro‐4‐methylpyridines and 2‐amino‐3‐nitro‐4‐methylpyridines

The dipole moments of twelve 2‐N‐substituted amino‐5‐nitro‐4‐methylpyridines ( I‐XII ) and three 2‐N‐substituted amino‐3‐nitro‐4‐methylpyridines ( XIII‐XV ) were determined in benzene. The polar aspects of intramolecular charge‐transfer and intramolecular hydrogen bonding were discussed. The interaction dipole moments, μ_int, were calculated for 2‐N‐alkyl(or aryl)amino‐5‐nitro‐4‐methylpyridines. Increased alkylation of amino nitrogen brought about an intensified push‐pull interaction between the amino and nitro groups. The solvent effects on the dipole moments of 2‐N‐methylamino‐5‐nitro‐4‐methyl‐( I ), 2‐N,N‐dimethylamino‐5‐nitro‐4‐methyl‐ ( II ) and 2‐N‐methylamino‐3‐nitro‐4‐methylpyridines ( XIII ) were different. Specific hydrogen bond solute‐solvent interactions increased the charge‐transfer effect in I , but it did not disrupt the intramolecular hydrogen bond in XIII.     

Regio‐ and Stereoselectivity in the Lewis Acid‐ and NaH‐Induced Reactions of Thiocamphor with (R)‐2‐Vinyloxirane

The reaction of the enolizable thioketone (1R,4R)‐thiocamphor (= (1R,4R)‐1,7,7‐trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane‐2‐thione; 1 ) with (R)‐2‐vinyloxirane ( 2 ) in the presence of a Lewis acid such as SnCl₄ or SiO₂ in anhydrous CH₂Cl₂ gave the spirocyclic 1,3‐oxathiolane 3 with the vinyl group at C(4′), as well as the isomeric enesulfanyl alcohol 4 . In the case of SnCl₄, an allylic alcohol 5 was obtained in low yield in addition to 3 and 4 (Scheme 2). Repetition of the reaction in the presence of ZnCl₂ yielded two diastereoisomeric 4‐vinyl‐1,3‐oxathiolanes 3 and 7 together with an alcohol 4 , and a ‘1 : 2 adduct’ 8 (Scheme 3). The reaction of 1 and 2 in the presence of NaH afforded regioselectively two enesulfanyl alcohols 4 and 9 , which, in CDCl₃, cyclized smoothly to give the corresponding spirocyclic 1,3‐oxathiolanes 3, 10 , and 11 , respectively (Scheme 4). In the presence of HCl, epimerization of 3 and 10 occurred to yield the corresponding epimers 7 and 11 , respectively (Scheme 5). The thio‐Claisen rearrangement of 4 in boiling mesitylene led to the allylic alcohol 12 , and the analogous [3,3]‐sigmatropic rearrangement of the intermediate xanthate 13 , which was formed by treatment of the allylic alcohol 9 with CS₂ and MeI under basic conditions, occurred already at room temperature to give the dithiocarbonate 14 (Schemes 6 and 7). The presented results show that the Lewis acid‐catalyzed as well as the NaH‐induced addition of (R)‐vinyloxirane ( 2 ) to the enolizable thiocamphor ( 1 ) proceeds stereoselectively via an S_N2‐type mechanism, but with different regioselectivity.     

Oxazoline chemistry part III. Synthesis and characterisation of [2‐(2′‐anilinyl)‐2‐oxazolines] and some related compounds

The syntheses and characterisation of a series of chiral and achiral 2‐(aminophenyl)‐2‐oxazolines and some related compounds is reported. All of the derivatives have been produced by a one‐step procedure involving the treatment of isatoic anhydride (i.e. [2H]‐3, 1‐benzoxazine‐[1H‐2,4‐dione: 1 ) or its 5‐chloro analogue with a slight excess of appropriate amino‐alcohols. In most cases, anhydrous ZnCl₂ is shown to be an effective Lewis acid catalyst for this reaction at reflux temperature in high boiling aromatic solvents (PhCl or PhMe). Oxazolines have been readily formed using rac‐2‐amino‐1‐butanol, (S)‐phenylglycinol, 2‐methyl‐2‐amino‐1‐propanol and (1S,2R) or (IR,2S)‐cis‐ 1 ‐amino‐2‐indanol; yields range from 85% to 22%. The use of aminoalcohols such as 2‐ethanolamine, (±)‐2‐amino‐1‐phenyl‐1‐propanol or 3‐amino‐1‐propanol (to give the corresponding 4,5‐dihydro‐1,3‐oxazine) results in poor yields. The use of other Lewis acid catalysts (silicic acid, Cd(acac)₂·2H₂O, CuCl₂·2H₂O, InCl₃) or higher temperatures did not improve the yields with these latter two substrates. Benzoxazoles and N‐substituted benzoxazoles can also be obtained in reasonable yields from 1 using 2‐aminophenol (36%) or 2‐amino‐3‐hydroxypyridine (45%).     

An Efficient and Facile Synthesis of tert‐Butyl 2‐(Methylamino)‐3‐nitro‐5‐oxo‐4‐aryl‐7,8‐dihydro‐4H‐pyrano[3,2‐c]pyridine‐6(5H)‐carboxylate derivatives in [BMIM]BF4

In this research, we have developed an efficient three‐component reaction for the synthesis of pyrano[3,2‐c]pyridine derivatives from the reaction of aromatic aldehydes, tert‐butyl 2,4‐dioxopiperidine‐1‐carboxylate, and N‐methyl‐1‐(methylthio)‐2‐nitroethylen‐1‐amine in [BMIM]BF₄ medium. The advantages of this method were readily available starting materials, simple reaction conditions, and satisfactory yields.     

Steric and Electronic Requirements in the Synthesis of 2,3‐Dihydro‐4(1H)‐quinolinones by the Tandem Michael‐SNAr Reaction

The steric and electronic requirements have been investigated for the synthesis of 2,3‐dihydro‐4(1H)‐quinolinones by the tandem Michael‐S_NAr reaction. Substrates bearing a single methyl group at the β‐enone carbon gave excellent yields of the title compounds from both the E and Z isomers with X═H or NO₂. Substrates with β,β‐dimethyl substitution at the Michael terminus gave low yields of heterocyclic products in molecules having monoactivated S_NAr aromatic acceptor rings (X═H) and very good yields for diactivated systems (X═NO₂). For these hindered substrates, success in the final cyclization hinges on the ability of the aromatic acceptor to capture the pendant nitrogen nucleophile of the initial Michael adduct before this intermediate can revert to starting materials.     

DPPH (= 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl = 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐(2,4,6‐trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl) Radical‐Scavenging Reaction of Protocatechuic Acid Esters (= 3,4‐Dihydroxybenzoates) in Alcohols: Formation of Bis‐alcohol Adduct

Protocatechuic acid esters (= 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoates) scavenge ca. 5 equiv. of radical in alcoholic solvents, whereas they consume only 2 equiv. of radical in nonalcoholic solvents. While the high radical‐scavenging activity of protocatechuic acid esters in alcoholic solvents as compared to that in nonalcoholic solvents is due to a nucleophilic addition of an alcohol molecule at C(2) of an intermediate o‐quinone structure, thus regenerating a catechol (= benzene‐1,2‐diol) structure, it is still unclear why protocatechuic acid esters scavenge more than 4 equiv. of radical (C(2) refers to the protocatechuic acid numbering). Therefore, to elucidate the oxidation mechanism beyond the formation of the C(2) alcohol adduct, 3,4‐dihydroxy‐2‐methoxybenzoic acid methyl ester ( 4 ), the C(2) MeOH adduct, which is an oxidation product of methyl protocatechuate ( 1 ) in MeOH, was oxidized by the DPPH radical (= 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) or o‐chloranil (= 3,4,5,6‐tetrachlorocyclohexa‐3,5‐diene‐1,2‐dione) in CD₃OD/(D₆)acetone 3 : 1). The oxidation mixtures were directly analyzed by NMR. Oxidation with both the DPPH radical and o‐chloranil produced a C(2),C(6) bis‐methanol adduct ( 7 ), which could scavenge additional 2 equiv. of radical. Calculations of LUMO electron densities of o‐quinones corroborated the regioselective nucleophilic addition of alcohol molecules with o‐quinones. Our results strongly suggest that the regeneration of a catechol structure via a nucleophilic addition of an alcohol molecule with a o‐quinone is a key reaction for the high radical‐scavenging activity of protocatechuic acid esters in alcoholic solvents.     

3‐Cyano‐6‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐2‐pyridone: two new pseudopolymorphs and two cocrystals with products of an in situ nucleophilic aromatic substitution

Four crystal structures of 3‐cyano‐6‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐2‐pyridone (CMP), viz. the dimethyl sulfoxide monosolvate, C₇H₆N₂O₂·C₂H₆OS, (1), the N,N‐dimethylacetamide monosolvate, C₇H₆N₂O₂·C₄H₉NO, (2), a cocrystal with 2‐amino‐4‐dimethylamino‐6‐methylpyrimidine (as the salt 2‐amino‐4‐dimethylamino‐6‐methylpyrimidin‐1‐ium 5‐cyano‐4‐methyl‐6‐oxo‐1,6‐dihydropyridin‐2‐olate), C₇H₁₃N₄⁺·C₇H₅N₂O₂⁻, (3), and a cocrystal with N,N‐dimethylacetamide and 4,6‐diamino‐2‐dimethylamino‐1,3,5‐triazine [as the solvated salt 2,6‐diamino‐4‐dimethylamino‐1,3,5‐triazin‐1‐ium 5‐cyano‐4‐methyl‐6‐oxo‐1,6‐dihydropyridin‐2‐olate–N,N‐dimethylacetamide (1/1)], C₅H₁₁N₆⁺·C₇H₅N₂O₂⁻·C₄H₉NO, (4), are reported. Solvates (1) and (2) both contain the hydroxy group in a para position with respect to the cyano group of CMP, acting as a hydrogen‐bond donor and leading to rather similar packing motifs. In cocrystals (3) and (4), hydrolysis of the solvent molecules occurs and an in situ nucleophilic aromatic substitution of a Cl atom with a dimethylamino group has taken place. Within all four structures, an R₂²(8) N—H...O hydrogen‐bonding pattern is observed, connecting the CMP molecules, but the pattern differs depending on which O atom participates in the motif, either the ortho or para O atom with respect to the cyano group. Solvents and coformers are attached to these arrangements via single‐point O—H...O interactions in (1) and (2) or by additional R₄⁴(16) hydrogen‐bonding patterns in (3) and (4). Since the in situ nucleophilic aromatic substitution of the coformers occurs, the possible Watson–Crick C–G base‐pair‐like arrangement is inhibited, yet the cyano group of the CMP molecules participates in hydrogen bonds with their coformers, influencing the crystal packing to form chains.     

A Convenient and Facile Synthesis of Isoxazolyl‐chromeno[4,3,2‐de]pyrimido[4,5‐h][1,6]napthyridinones

The ceric ammonium nitrate‐catalyzed synthesis of (E)‐5‐amino‐N‐(3‐methyl‐5‐styrylisoxazol‐4‐yl)‐2‐arylchromeno[4,3,2‐de][1,6]napthyridin‐4‐carboxamides 5 was simply achieved upon the one‐pot four‐component reaction of isoxazolyl cyanoacetamide 1 with malononitrile 2 , 2‐hydroxy acetophenone 3 , and aromatic aldehydes 4 in ethanol. Compounds 5 on heating with acetic anhydride underwent tandem N‐acetylation and cyclocondensation involving intramolecular cyclization to afford the title compounds (E)‐11‐methyl‐12‐(3‐methyl‐5‐styrylisoxazol‐4‐yl)‐2‐arylchromeno[4,3,2‐de][1,6]napthyridin‐13(12H)‐ones 6 in good yields. The chemical structures have been confirmed by analytical and spectral analyses.