Automation of fluorous solid-phase extraction for parallel synthesis

An automatic fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) technique is developed by using FluoroFlash SPE cartridges on the RapidTrace workstation. A 10-module workstation has the capability to complete a maximum of 100 SPEs each round in 1-2 h. Another important feature of the RapidTrace system is that it has the capability to load slurry samples onto the F-SPE cartridges. The F-SPE cartridge charged with 2 g of fluorous silica gel is used to purify up to 200 mg of crude sample. Sample loading, elution solvent, cartridge reuse, and SPE reproducibility are evaluated. The automatic SPE system is used for purification of a small urea library generated from amine-scavenging reactions using fluorous dichlorotriazine, a 96-membered amide library generated using 2-chloro-4,6-bis[(perfluorohexyl)propyloxy]-1,3,5-triazine as the coupling agent, and another 96-membered library generated from fluorous Mitsunobu reactions. Approximately 90% of the products have > 90% purity after F-SPE.     

Recyclable cinchona alkaloid catalyzed asymmetric Michael addition reaction

A highly enantioselective and diastereoselective Michael addition reaction of α-fluoro-β-ketoesters with maleimides is catalyzed by fluorous cinchona alkaloid to afford two adjacent chiral centers. The catalyst attached with a perfluroalkyl tag can be recovered by fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE).     

Recyclable fluorous organocatalysts promoted three-component reactions of pyruvate,aldehyde and amine at room temperature

A new fluorous imine carbothioate has been prepared as an organocatalyst for the synthesis of pyrrol-2-ones via the cyclo-condensation reaction of aldehydes, amines, and pyruvate at room temperature. The fluorous catalyst can be easily recovered from the reaction mixture by simple fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) and used for next run reaction without further purification.     

Fluorous synthesis of sclerotigenin-type benzodiazepine-quinazolinones

A new synthetic protocol for sclerotigenin-type benzodiazepine-quinazolinone library scaffold is introduced. A fluorous benzyl protecting group is used for the synthesis of 4-benzodiazepine-2,5-dione intermediate and also as a phase tag for fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE).     

Fluorous-enhanced multicomponent reactions for making drug-like library scaffolds

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) generate multiple bonds in a single reaction process, which is highly efficient to construct relatively complex molecules. Conducting post-MCR modification reactions further increases the molecular complexity and diversity. MCR has become a powerful approach to make drug-like molecules in lead generation chemistry. In fluorous MCR (F-MCR), one of the starting materials is attached to a fluorous tag and used as the limiting agent. After the MCR, the fluorous component is fished out from the reaction mixture and used for post-MCR modifications. The fluorous tag can be finally removed in traceless fashion by displacement or cyclization reactions. Unique fluorous technology such as fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) facilitates the separation process. Other techniques such as microwave irradiation and plate-to-plate SPE can also be used to make the F-MCR even more efficient. Syntheses of unique heterocyclic and natural product-like library scaffolds using Ugi/de-Boc/cyclization, MCR/Suzuki coupling, and [3+2] cycloaddition/de-tag/cyclization protocols are described in this paper.     

Fluorous-Assisted One-Pot Oligosaccharide Synthesis

A new method for oligosaccharide assembly that combines the advantages of one-pot synthesis and fluorous separation is described. After one-pot glycosylations are completed, a fluorous tag is introduced into the reaction mixture to selectively "catch" the desired oligosaccharide, which is rapidly separated from non-fluorous impurities by fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE). Subsequent "release" of the fluo rous tag and F-SPE achieved the purification of the desired oligosaccharide without the use of time- and solvent-consuming silica gel chromatography. Linear and branched oligosaccharides have been synthesized with this approach in just a few hours (for the overall oligosaccharide assembly and purification process).     

96-well plate-to-plate gravity fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) for solution-phase library purification

Large particle size (125_210 microm) fluorous silica gel bonded with a -SiCH2CH2C8F17 stationary phase has been employed for gravity-driven fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) on two types of 96-well plates. A 1 or 0.75 g portion of fluorous silica is packed to each well of the 3.5-mL Ex-Blok and the 2.2-mL deep-well filtration plates, respectively. Up to 50 mg of reaction mixture is loaded and then eluted with a fluorophobic solvent (DMSO, DMF, or 85:15 DMF-H2O). Products collected in 96-well receiving plates are directly concentrated on a GeneVac vacuum centrifuge. This simple and highly efficient plate-to-plate F-SPE technique has been demonstrated in the purification of four 96-compound libraries produced by scavenging reactions with 1-(perfluoroctyl)propyl isatoic anhydride (F-IA), amide coupling reactions with 2-chloro-4,6-bis[(perfluorooctyl)propyloxy]-1,3,5-triazine (F-CDMT) or 2,4-dichloro-6-(perfluorooctyl)propyloxy-1,3,5-triazine (F-DCT), and Mitsunobu reactions with fluorous diethyl azodicarboxylate (F-DEAD) and triphenylphosphine (F-TPP). Approximately 80% of products in each library have greater than 85% purity after F-SPE without conducting chromatography.     

Froc: a new fluorous protective group for peptide and oligosaccharide synthesis

[STRUCTURE: SEE TEXT] The synthesis of a new fluorous protecting group, Froc, is described. This new fluorous tag has been used in peptide and carbohydrate synthesis by our group and readily allows us to fully characterize each product (NMR, MS) and monitor each synthetic step by TLC. Purification of the products is generally performed by standard fluorous solid-phase extraction techniques (e.g., F-SPE), but standard chromatographic purifications are also possible if required.     

Rapid synthesis and fluorous-phase purification of α-perfluorohexyloligothiophenes

A high-throughput methodology that facilitates the synthesis, purification and characterisation of π-conjugated oligothiophenes has been developed. α-Perfluorohexyltetrathiophene was synthesised by sequential α-bromination and microwave promoted Stille cross-coupling reactions. Each synthetic transformation was followed by a fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) procedure to isolate the desired α-perfluorohexyloligothiophene. After a single F-SPE, each oligomer gave essentially one peak by GC-MS, which enabled stepwise growth of a tetrathiophene with no additional purification of the intermediate building blocks required. We anticipate that microwave accelerated synthesis in conjunction with fluorous-phase purification of π-conjugated systems will find generic application in the high-throughput parallel-synthesis of novel organic materials for semiconductor applications.     

Synthesis of the Lewis a trisaccharide based on an anomeric silyl fluorous tag

The synthesis of the trisaccharide Lewis a was performed using an anomeric fluorous silyl protective group. This methodology allowed us to fully characterize each product (NMR, MS) and monitor each synthetic step (TLC). Although the product purifications could be performed by fluorous-solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) technology, standard chromatography could be used to effect purification if necessary. Trichloroethoxy carbonyl (Troc) protection of the amino group of the glucosamine moiety was found essential to allow protecting group manipulation of the fluorous protected sugar.     

Light fluorous-tagged traceless one-pot synthesis of benzimidazoles facilitated by microwave irradiation

A novel protocol for rapid assemble of benzimidazole framework has been demonstrated. This method incorporated with light fluorous-tag provides a convenient method for diversification of benzimidazoles and for easy purification via fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) in a parallel manner. The key transformation of this study involves in situ reduction of aromatic nitro compound, amide formation, cyclization and aromatization promoted by microwave irradiation in a one-pot fashion. The strategy is envisaged to be applied for the establishment of drug-like small molecule libraries for high throughput screening.     

Plate-to-plate fluorous solid-phase extraction for solution-phase parallel synthesis

A commercially available Argonaut VacMaster-96 plate-to-plate solid-phase extraction (SPE) station equipped with 24 FluoroFlash cartridges is employed for parallel purification of fluorous reaction mixtures. Each cartridge charged with 3 g of fluorous silica gel has the capability to produce up to 100 mg of purified small molecules. The 24-well receiving plate has a standard footprint that can be directly concentrated in a Genevac vacuum centrifuge. Important issues such as sample loading, product cross-contamination, cartridge reuse, and reproducibility are investigated. The SPE system has been demonstrated in the purification of three small libraries that were produced involving amine scavenging reactions with fluorous isatoic anhydride, amide coupling reactions with 2-chloro-4,6-bis[(perfluorohexyl)propyloxy]-1,3,5-triazine (fluorous CDMT), and amide coupling reactions with a newly developed fluorous Mukaiyama condensation reagent.     

Fluorous tagging: an enabling isolation technique for indium-mediated allylation reactions in water

An efficient method was developed to allylate aldehydes using an aqueous indium-mediated allylation reaction with fluorous-tagged allyl halides, and to directly purify the products by fluorous solid phase extraction (F-SPE).     

Synthesis of N-alkylated amino acids using fluorous-tagged hydroxylamines

The development of a new fluorous-tagged ammonia-equivalent for the synthesis of N-alkylated amino acids is described. The required building blocks were readily accessed in high yield and purity using F-SPE purification technique. Coupling of the fluorous-tagged hydroxylamines with a selection of boronic acids and glyoxalic acid gave the desired N-alkylated amino acids. Subsequent removal of the fluorous tag via catalytic hydrogenation was investigated using a number of different catalysts and solvents. A more robust de-tagging procedure involves the transformation of the amino acid to the corresponding methyl ester followed by a Mo(CH₃CN)₃(CO)₃ mediated N-O bond cleavage.     

Highly efficient microwave-assisted fluorous Ugi and post-condensation reactions for benzimidazoles and quinoxalinones

The efficiency of an Ugi/de-Boc/cyclization strategy for construction of heterocyclic compounds has been improved through the incorporation of microwave and fluorous technologies. In the synthesis of substituted quinoxalinones and benzimidazoles, a fluorous-Boc protected diamine is employed for the Ugi reactions. Both the Ugi and the post-condensation reaction proceed rapidly under microwave irradiation and the reaction mixtures are purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) over FluoroFlash^TM cartridges.     

Fluorous linker facilitated synthesis of teichoic acid fragments

The use of perfluorooctylpropylsulfonylethanol as a new phosphate protecting group and fluorous linker is evaluated in the stepwise solution phase synthesis of a number of biologically relevant (carbohydrate substituted) glycerol teichoic acid fragments. Teichoic acid fragments, up to the dodecamer level, were assembled by means of phosphoramidite chemistry, using a relatively small excess of the building blocks and a repetitive efficient purification procedure of the protected intermediates by fluorous solid phase extraction (F-SPE).     

Preconcentration and frontal electroelution of amino acids for in-line solid-phase extraction-capillary electrophoresis

A new frontal electroelution approach that can be used for the preconcentration of amino acids in in-line solid-phase extraction-capillary electrophoresis (SPE-CE) has been developed. A single capillary was employed featuring a short monolithic SPE column created inside the capillary via photo-initiated, free-radical polymerisation of 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate monomers. A weak electrolyte of dilute H₂SO₄, pH 2.9, was found to promote adsorption of the amino acids onto the SPE column. Elution of the amino acids was achieved using a dual solvation/ion-exchange transient boundary mobilised via EOF by using a strong electrolyte containing 62.5 mM ethylenediamine, pH 2.9 with H₂SO₄ and 40% (v/v) acetonitrile. Using these two electrolytes, tryptophan was adsorbed onto the SPE column in weak electrolyte and eluted via a frontal electroelution mechanism in the strong electrolyte. Injections up to 20 min, corresponding to over 14 column volumes (or 1400% of the capillary volume) of sample provided quantitative extraction of tryptophan from the weak electrolyte and were eluted without any loss in efficiency. This represents a practical increase of approximately 300-fold when compared to a typical hydrodynamic injection occupying 5% of the capillary volume.     

Fluorous and traceless synthesis of substituted indole alkaloids

The fluorous traceless synthesis of substituted indole alkaloids is carried out first by attaching the 3-(perfluorooctyl)propanol with Boc protected L-tryptophan. The reaction of perfluoroalkyl (Rfh)-tagged tryptophan esters with various aldehydes undergoes Pictet-Spengler reaction to give cis and trans stereoisomers of tetrahydro-beta-carbolines. The nucleophilic addition of the piperidine nitrogen across various isocyanates is followed by the cyclization of ureas and simultaneous rupture of the fluorous tag to afford the hydantoin ring fused tetrahydro-beta-carbolines. All the fluorous-tag compounds are purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) through Fluoro Flash cartridges.     

Amide bond formation with a new fluorous carbodiimide: separation by reverse fluorous solid-phase extraction

A new fluorous carbodiimide is introduced along with a convenient procedure for amide coupling reactions. Reactions of acids and amines under standard conditions for carbodiimide couplings, followed by simple reverse fluorous solid-phase extraction (FSPE) over standard silica gel, provide the target amide products in good yields and purities. The use of HFE-7100 as a fluorous solvent is crucial for the success of the reverse FSPE.     

Fluorous electrophilic scavengers for solution-phase parallel synthesis

A fluorous isatoic anhydride and isocyanate are synthesized and used as scavengers for amines in solution-phase parallel synthesis of urea, thiourea, and β-hydroxyamine analogs. The resulting fluorous derivatives are readily separated from the reaction mixture by solid-phase extractions (SPE) over FluoroFlash™ cartridges to give products with good purity. The SPE cartridges can be reused.