Unexpected reductive transformation of 1-substituted 5-hydroxy-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2(5H)-ones and their cyclic analogs by the reaction with thiourea and hydrochloric acid

An unexpected reductive transformation of 1-substituted 5-hydroxy-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2(5H)-ones (imidazolones) and their cyclic analogs to give 1-substituted 4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2(5H)-ones (imidazolinones) upon reaction with thiourea and hydrochloric acid was discovered.     

Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of indole-2-carboxaldehyde: new vistas for indole-annulated systems

DABCO-mediated Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions of several 1-substituted-indole-2-carboxaldehydes are disclosed. It was discovered that carboethoxy or tert-butoxycarbonyl groups installed at N-1 undergo cleavage under the reaction conditions to afford 2-substituted indoles. Utility of the N-substituted adducts for preparing a variety of annulated indoles has been exemplified.     

Lewis acid catalyzed reactions of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes with 1- and 2-pyrazolines: formation of substituted 2-pyrazolines and 1,2-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes

The reaction of 2-substituted cyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylates with 1- and 2-pyrazolines is efficiently catalyzed by scandium or ytterbium triflates to give N-substituted 2-pyrazolines or 1,2-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes. The reactions of 2-pyrazolines give diazabicyclooctanes as the major products. In contrast, the reactions starting from 1-pyrazolines predominantly give N-substituted 2-pyrazolines, which become the major compounds obtained if an equimolar amount of GaCl₃ is used. A possible reaction mechanism is suggested.     

Modification of biologically active amides and amines with fluorine-containing heterocycles 6. Methyl 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-(3-methyl-5-oxo-1-phenyl-1,5-dihydro-4H-pyrazol-4-ylidene)propionate in cyclocondensation with 1,3-binucleophiles

A reaction of methyl 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-(3-methyl-5-oxo-1-phenyl-1,5-dihydro-4H-pyrazol-4-ylidene)propionate with 1,3-binucleophiles (N-benzylurea, N-substituted 3-aminocrotonates, N-substituted 3-aminocyclohexenones, and 6-aminouracyls), leading to the formation of fluorine-containing heterocyclic 3-methyl-1-phenylpyrazol-5-one derivatives, was studied.     

Stereoselective synthesis of CF3-substituted trans- and cis-enediynes via carbocupration or hydrostannation reactions of CF3-containing diyne

CF₃-containing diyne, readily prepared from (Z)-2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-1-iodoprop-1-ene in two steps, was smoothly subjected to carbocupration reaction with various organocuprates, followed by treatment of the resultant carbocupration adducts with iodine, the corresponding vinyl iodides being formed in good yields in a cis-addition manner. Thus obtained iodide could be successfully converted into CF₃-substituted trans-enediynes in high yields. Also, hydrostannation reaction of the diyne proceeded well in a trans-addition manner to give the corresponding vinylstannane in high yield. The vinylstannane was also found to be effectively convertible to CF₃-substituted cis-enediynes in high yields.     

Highly efficient synthesis of 4-trifluoromethylfuran derivatives via a sequential deprotection-annulation reaction

(E)-O-protected-2-trifluoromethyl-1-bromo-1-substituted allylic alcohol reacted with terminal alkynes under Sonogashira reaction condition to give the corresponding (E)-2-en-4-ynoic alcohol derivatives, which was further converted to the corresponding 4-trifluoromethylfuran derivatives via a sequential deprotection-annulation reaction in moderate to excellent yields.     

Investigation of the reaction between sodium hydroxide and syn-and anti-isomers of 5-substituted 2-(4-chlorobutyryl)-aminobenzophenones oximes

By the reaction of syn-isomers of 5-substituted 2-(4-chlorobutyryl)aminobenzophenones oximes with NaOH syn-isomers of 5-substituted 2-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)benzophenones oximes were obtained. Similarly the anti-isomers of 5-substituted 2-(4-chlorobutyryl)aminobenzophenones oximes treated with NaOH underwent cyclization into anti-isomers of 5-substituted 2-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)benzophenones oximes. Crystal and molecular structures were investigated of the syn-isomer of 5-methyl-2-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)benzophenone oxime, the anti-isomer of 5-bromo-2-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)benzophenone oxime, and the syn-isomer of 5-methyl-2-(4-chlorobutyryl)aminobenzo-phenone oxime. The fragmentation features under the electron impact of syn-and anti-isomers of 5-substituted 2-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)benzophenones oximes are discussed.     

Catalytic production of oxygenated additives by glycerol etherification

In this work the etherification reaction of glycerol with isobutene (IB) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) has been studied with the aim of preparing mixtures with high content of poly-substituted ethers. The results obtained using solid acid catalysts have shown that the reaction with IB proceeds at a high rate but the formation of undesired di-isobutene (DIB) represents a serious problem when catalysts with high density of acid sites, such as Amberlyst, are used. When using TBA as a reactant, the main problem is the formation of water that, due to thermodynamic reasons, prevents the formation of poly-substituted ethers regardless of the catalyst used. Some preliminary experiments carried out with a water permselective tubular membrane have demonstrated that the yield of poly-substituted ethers significantly increases once water was selectively removed from the reaction medium by recirculation of the gas phase.      

Stereodivergent synthesis of cyclic γ-aminobutyric acid – GABA analogues

A novel synthetic route towards two series of enantiomerically pure cyclic analogues of 2,3-cis- and 2,3-trans-γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was developed. The route is based on the elongation and stereodivergent manipulation of a readily accessible enantiomerically pure γ-substituted α-aminolactone. The five-step route towards the 2,3-cis-substituted GABA analogues was achieved via straightforward carbon chain extension of the lactone using a non-classical Wittig reaction followed by chemoselective reduction and a protecting group switch. The five-step route towards the 2,3-trans-substituted GABA analogues employed elongation of the same aminolactone using a Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction and highly stereoselective intramolecular oxa-Michael addition as the key synthetic manipulations. Altogether this chemistry has allowed the stereodivergent preparation of a novel class of GABA analogues in two diastereomeric series.     

Synthesis, including asymmetric synthesis, of 1-substituted cyclopentenes from cyclobutanones with one-carbon ring-expansion by 1,2-carbon-carbon insertion of magnesium carbenoids

Treatment of 1-chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides, which were derived from cyclobutanones and chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide, with lithium enolate of tert-butyl carboxylates, amides, lithium α-sulfonyl carbanions, and lithium α-carbanion of acetonitrile gave adducts in high to quantitative yields. The adducts were treated with Grignard regents, such as i-PrMgCl and EtMgCl in toluene to afford 1-substituted cyclopentenes in good to high yields with one-carbon ring-expansion via 1,2-carbon-carbon (1,2-CC) insertion reaction of the generated magnesium carbenoid intermediates. The magnesium carbenoid 1,2-CC insertion was found to be highly stereospecific. When optically pure chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide was used in this procedure, optically active 1-substituted cyclopentenes were obtained in high optical purity.     

Synthesis of 2-substituted indoles by iridium (III)-catalyzed CH functionalization of N-phenylpyridin-2-amines

A highly regioselective synthesis of 2-substituted indoles was realized through Ir(III)-catalyzed CH functionalization of N-phenylpyridin-2-amines followed by the reaction with sulfoxonium ylides and intramolecular cyclization under mild conditions. The reaction completed with broad range of substrate scopes and gave various 2-substituted indoles in up to 98% yields.     

A facile,highly efficient and novel method for synthesis of 5-substituted 1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-tetrazoles catalysed by copper(I) chloride

The present study on tetrazole compounds, which have a wide area of application, proposes a new, simple and highly effective method. A series of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles were synthesised in DMF via the [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction, in which different aryl nitriles with sodium azide were used and copper(I) chloride served as a catalyst. Short reaction times, high yields and simple procedures rendered this method attractive and useful for the organic synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles. A further advantage was the use of an environmentally friendly catalyst.     

l-Proline catalyzed domino Michael addition of N-substituted anilines

Here we report l-proline catalyzed 3-component reaction of indoles, aldehydes and N-substituted anilines in water as solvent at room temperature for the synthesis of 3-(α,α-diarylmethyl)indoles. The reaction is in fact a Michael addition of N-substituted anilines to alkylideneindolenines. The reaction is very clean, high yielding and having broad substrate scope. A tentative mechanism is proposed.     

α:β Selectivity in the synthesis of 3-substituted, 4-methyl umbelliferone glycosides of N-acetyl glucosamine and chitobiose

The influence of phenolic acceptor nucleophilicity; for example, 3-substituted, 4-methylumbelliferones, and glycosyl donor electrophilicity; for example, 3- and 4-substituted N-acetylglucosamines, on glycosylation stereochemistry has been evaluated. In a systematic comparison, the stereochemical outcome as well as the reaction yield appeared to be influenced by the 3- and 4-substituents of the donor as well as the 3-substituent of the aryl acceptor. In the context of synthesizing a fluorogenic substrate for oligosaccharyltransferase, an α-glycoside was desired. Although most acceptor–donor pairs led to predominantly or exclusively the β-glycoside, reaction of the most activated (3,4-di-O-benzyl) donor and the least nucleophilic acceptor (3-Br), resulted in a 1:1 ratio of α,β arylglycosides.     

Synthesis of meso-tetraphenyl porphyrins via condensation of dipyrromethanes with N-tosyl imines

A new synthetic route for the synthesis of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl porphyrins has been developed based on the reaction of 5-substituted dipyrromethanes with N-tosyl imines in the presence of a metal triflate catalyst. meso-Substituted tetraphenyl porphyrins were synthesized in a two-step process. The first step of the method is the metal triflate-catalyzed condensation of 5-substituted dipyrromethanes with N-tosyl imines to form a porphyrinogen intermediate and the second step is the oxidation of the porphyrinogen to porphyrin. The method was applied to the synthesis of trans-A₂B₂-tetraarylporphyrins and the products were obtained with only a trace amount of one scrambling product. The synthesis of two important building blocks for porphyrin synthesis, mono and di-sulfonamide alkylated 5-substituted dipyrromethanes, was achieved by the addition of 5-substituted dipyrromethane to N-tosyl imine. The application of mono and di-sulfonamide alkylated 5-substituted dipyrromethanes in ‘2+2’ porphyrin formation reactions is presented.     

Steric effect of ortho-substituents of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-aroyl-5-pyrazolones on the synergic extraction of lutetium with trioctylphosphine oxide

The substituent effect of ortho-substituted 4-aroyl derivatives of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolones (HA) on the adduct formation reaction between their lutetium chelates and a neutral ligand, trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO, L), in benzene was studied using a liquid-liquid extraction system. The lutetium 4-aroyl-5-pyrazolonates react with TOPO to form LuA₃L and LuA₃L₂ types of adducts. An obvious steric hindrance of the terminal group on the adduct formation reaction was observed. Linear relationships between the acid dissociation constant of the ortho-substituted 4-aroyl-5-pyrazolone derivatives and those of the corresponding benzoic acids, between the extraction constants of lutetium and the acid dissociation constants of pyrazolones and between the adduct formation constants of TOPO and the acid dissociation constants of pyrazolones could be obtained.     

Enantioselective Diels–Alder reaction of o-quinodimethanes by utilizing tartaric acid ester as a chiral auxiliary

The asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction of o-quinodimethanes, generated from benzocyclobutenols in situ, with fumaric acid esters was achieved by utilizing diisopropyl (R,R)-tartrate as a chiral auxiliary to afford the corresponding optically active 1,2-cis-substituted 1-hydroxy tetrahydronaphthalene derivatives with enantioselectivities up to 83% ee.     

Remarkable regioselectivities in the course of the synthesis of two new Luotonin A derivatives

Ethyl 4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazoline-2-carboxylate reacts selectively with trimethylaluminium-activated 2-amino- or 4-aminobenzoic acid ethyl esters to give the corresponding anilides without self-condensation of the aminobenzoate building blocks. After propargylation, the quinazolinones were treated with Hendrickson's reagent, but only the para-substituted ester was found to undergo the expected [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction, affording a new Luotonin A derivative. A different regioselectivity was observed with the ortho-substituted ester which affords a benzoxazinone under identical conditions. When the ester group in the ortho-substituted intermediate is replaced with a nitrile function, the outcome of the reaction with Hendrickson's reagent depends on the absence or presence of a base (DBU), yielding either a triphenylphosphonium-substituted iminobenzoxazine or a 4-cyano-substituted Luotonin A derivative.     

Synthesis of 1,5,6,7-tetrahydro-4<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-benzimidazol-4-one derivatives from 2,6-bis(hydroxyimino)cyclohexan-1-one

The reaction of 2,6-bis(hydroxyimino)cyclohexan-1-one with aldehydes and ammonia afforded 2-substituted 4-hydroxyimino-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-benzimidazol-1-ols which were hydrolyzed to 1-hydroxy- 2-R-1,5,6,7-tetrahydro-4H-benzimidazol-4-ones. The N-hydroxy group in the latter can readily by removed by the action of chloroacetone in the presence of a base (potassium carbonate or triethylamine); as a result, 2-substituted 1,5,6,7-tetrahydro-4H-benzimidazol-4-ones were obtained.     

Asymmetric synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant 1-aryl-2-heteroaryl- and 1,2-diheteroarylcyclopropane-1-carboxylates

This study describes general methods for the enantioselective syntheses of pharmaceutically relevant 1-aryl-2-heteroaryl- and 1,2-diheteroarylcyclopropane-1-carboxylates through dirhodium tetracarboxylate-catalysed asymmetric cyclopropanation of vinyl heterocycles with aryl- or heteroaryldiazoacetates. The reactions are highly diastereoselective and high asymmetric induction could be achieved using either (R)-pantolactone as a chiral auxiliary or chiral dirhodium tetracarboxylate catalysts. For meta- or para-substituted aryl- or heteroaryldiazoacetates the optimum catalyst was Rh₂(R-p-Ph-TPCP)₄. In the case of ortho-substituted aryl- or heteroaryldiazoacetates, the optimum catalyst was Rh₂(R-TPPTTL)₄. For a highly enantioselective reaction with the ortho-substituted substrates, 2-chloropyridine was required as an additive in the presence of either 4 Å molecular sieves or 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). Under the optimized conditions, the cyclopropanation could be conducted in the presence of a variety of heterocycles, such as pyridines, pyrazines, quinolines, indoles, oxadiazoles, thiophenes and pyrazoles.

The dirhodium tetracarboxylate-catalysed asymmetric cyclopropanation has been applied to the enantioselective syntheses of pharmaceutically relevant 1-aryl-2-heteroaryl- and 1,2-diheteroarylcyclopropane-1-carboxylates.