Chiral DMAP‐N‐oxides as Acyl Transfer Catalysts: Design,Synthesis, and Application in Asymmetric Steglich Rearrangement

A DMAP‐N‐oxide, featuring an α‐amino acid as the chiral source, was developed, synthesized and applied in asymmetric Steglich rearrangement. A series of O‐acylated azlactones afforded C‐acylated azlactones possessing a quaternary stereocenter in high yields (up to 97 % yield) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97 % ee). Compared to the widespread use of pyridine nitrogen, which serves as the nucleophilic site in the asymmetric acyl transfer reaction, we discovered that chiral DMAP‐N‐oxides, in which the oxygen now acts as the nucleophilic site, are efficient acyl transfer catalysts. Our finding might open a new door for the development of chiral DMAP‐N‐oxides for asymmetric acyl transfer reactions.     

Chiral DMAP‐N‐oxides as Acyl Transfer Catalysts: Design,Synthesis, and Application in Asymmetric Steglich Rearrangement

A DMAP‐N‐oxide, featuring an α‐amino acid as the chiral source, was developed, synthesized and applied in asymmetric Steglich rearrangement. A series of O‐acylated azlactones afforded C‐acylated azlactones possessing a quaternary stereocenter in high yields (up to 97 % yield) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97 % ee). Compared to the widespread use of pyridine nitrogen, which serves as the nucleophilic site in the asymmetric acyl transfer reaction, we discovered that chiral DMAP‐N‐oxides, in which the oxygen now acts as the nucleophilic site, are efficient acyl transfer catalysts. Our finding might open a new door for the development of chiral DMAP‐N‐oxides for asymmetric acyl transfer reactions.     

Identification of Molecular Crystals Capable of Undergoing an Acyl‐Transfer Reaction Based on Intermolecular Interactions in the Crystal Lattice

Investigation of the intermolecular acyl‐transfer reactivity in molecular crystals of myo‐inositol orthoester derivatives and its correlation with crystal structures enabled us to identify the essential parameters to support efficient acyl‐transfer reactions in crystals: 1) the favorable geometry of the nucleophile (? OH) and the electrophile (C?O) and 2) the molecular assembly, reinforced by C? H???π interactions, which supports a domino‐type reaction in crystals. These parameters were used to identify another reactive crystal through a data‐mining study of the Cambridge Structural Database. A 2:1 co‐crystal of 2,3‐naphthalene diol and its di‐p‐methylbenzoate was selected as a potentially reactive crystal and its reactivity was tested by heating the co‐crystals in the presence of solid sodium carbonate. A facile intermolecular p‐toluoyl group transfer was observed as predicted. The successful identification of reactive crystals opens up a new method for the detection of molecular crystals capable of exhibiting acyl‐transfer reactivity.     

Equilibrium shift in the rhodium-catalyzed acyl transfer reactions

Rhodium/phosphine complexes catalyze equilibrium acyl transfer reactions between acid fluorides, aryl esters, acylphosphine sulfides, and thioesters. The use of appropriate co-substrates to accept heteroatom groups shifted the equilibrium to desired products. Acylphosphine sulfides and aryl esters were converted to acid fluorides using benzoylpentafluorobenzene as the fluoride donor, and the fluorination reaction of thioesters employed (4-tolylthio)pentafluorobenzene. Acid fluorides were converted into acylphosphine sulfides and thioesters using diphosphine disulfides and disulfides/triphenylphosphine, respectively. Aryl esters were obtained from acid fluorides and phenols in the presence of triphenylsilane. Aryl esters, acylphosphine sulfides, and thioesters were also interconverted in the presence of rhodium complexes. These rhodium-catalyzed acyl transfer reactions proceeded under neutral conditions without using acid or base. The involvement of acyl rhodium intermediates in these reactions was suggested by the carbothiolation reaction of thioesters and alkynes.     

Ring Expansion of Thiolactams via Imide Intermediates: An Amino Acid Insertion Strategy

The Ag^I-promoted reaction of thiolactams with N-Boc amino acids yields an N-(α-aminoacyl) lactam that can rearrange through an acyl transfer process. Boc-deprotection results in convergence to the ring-expanded adduct, thereby facilitating an overall insertion of an amino acid into the thioamide bond to generate medium-sized heterocycles. Application to the site-specific insertion of amino acids into cyclic peptides is demonstrated.     

Theoretical Analysis of the Detailed Mechanism of Native Chemical Ligation Reactions

The method of native chemical ligation between an unprotected peptide α‐thioester and an N‐terminal cysteine–peptide to give a native peptide in aqueous solution is one of the most effective peptide ligation methods. In this work, a systematic theoretical study was carried out to fully understand the detailed mechanism of ligation. It was found that for the conventional native chemical ligation reaction between a peptide thioalkyl ester and a cysteine in combination with an added aryl thiol as catalyst, both the thiol‐thioester exchange step and the transthioesterification step proceed by an anionic concerted S_N2 displacement mechanism, whereas the intramolecular rearrangement proceeds by an addition–elimination mechanism, and the rate‐limiting step is the thiol‐thioester exchange step. The theoretical method was then extended to study the detailed mechanism of the auxiliary‐mediated peptide ligation between a peptide thiophenyl ester and an N‐2‐mercaptobenzyl peptide in which both the thiol‐thioester exchange step and intramolecular acyl‐transfer step proceed by a concerted S_N2‐type displacement mechanism. The energy barrier of the thiol‐thioester exchange step depends on the side‐chain steric hindrance of the C‐terminal amino acid, whereas that of the acyl‐transfer step depends on the side‐chain steric hindrance of the N‐terminal amino acid.     

Stereocontrol of All‐Carbon Quaternary Centers through Enantioselective Desymmetrization of Meso Primary Diols by Organocatalyzed Acyl Transfer

The symmetry breaking of meso primary diols bearing a tetrahydropyran ring was employed, using catalytic asymmetric acyl transfer, to control all‐carbon quaternary stereocenters. The planar chiral Fu DMAP catalyst was used in this reaction to reach a high degree of enantioselectivity (up to 97:3 e.r.) through a synergic effect combining a desymmetrization step and a kinetic resolution. Moreover, a beneficial effect was exhibited by C₆F₆ solvent, yielding the first example of an organocatalyzed asymmetric acyl transfer. The desymmetrized monoesters were then used to obtain, after a straightforward ring opening sequence, complex polyketide building blocks bearing all‐carbon quaternary stereocenters.     

Nonsteroidal Anti‐inflammatory Drug‐based N‐Allylidene Benzohydrazides and 1‐Acyl‐2‐pyrazolines: Their Synthesis as Potential Cytotoxic Agents In Vitro

A series of 1‐acyl‐2‐pyrazoline derivatives derived from nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs was designed as potential anticancer agents. Synthesis of these compounds was carried out via the condensation reaction of chalcones and acid hydrazides under heating. The methodology did not require the use of any costly reagents or catalysts, and the acid hydrazide reactants were readily prepared from mefenamic acid or ibuprofen. A variety of 1‐acyl‐2‐pyrazolines was prepared in good to excellent yields. An N‐allylidene benzohydrazide intermediate was isolated during the reaction optimization study, the structure of which was confirmed unambiguously by X‐ray single crystal data. A range of N‐allylidene benzohydrazides were also prepared in good yields. Some of the compounds synthesized showed promising cytotoxic activities when tested against HCT‐15 human colon cancer cell line in vitro.     

Studies on the Reaction of α‐Chloroformylarylhydrazine Hydrochloride with Imidazole and 1,2,4‐Triazole

α‐Imidazolformylarylhydrazine 2 and α‐[1,2,4]triazolformylarylhydrazine 3 have been synthesized through the nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1 with imidazole and 1,2,4‐triazole, respectively. 2,2′‐Diaryl‐2H,2′H‐[4,4′]bi[[1,2,4]‐triazolyl]‐3,3′‐dione 4 was obtained from the cycloaddition of α‐chloroformylarylhydrazine hydrochloride 1 with 1,2,4‐triazole at 60 °C and in absence of n‐Bu₃N. The inducing factor for cycloaddition of 1 with 1,2,4‐triazole was ascertained as hydrogen ion by the formation of 4 from the reaction of 3 with hydrochloric acid. 4 was also acquired from the reaction of 3 with 1 and this could confirm the reaction route for cycloaddition of 1 with 1,2,4‐triazole. Some acylation reagents were applied to induce the cyclization reaction of 2 and 3.1 possessing chloroformyl group could induce the cyclization of 2 to give 2‐aryl‐4‐(2‐aryl‐4‐vinyl‐semicarbazide‐4‐yl)‐2,4‐dihydro‐[1,2,4]‐triazol‐3‐one 6. 7 was obtained from the cyclization of 2 induced by some acyl chlorides. Acetic acid anhydride like acetyl chloride also could react with 2 to produce 7D . 5‐Substituted‐3‐aryl‐3H‐[1,3,4]oxadiazol‐2‐one 8 was produced from the cyclization reaction of 3 induced by some acyl chlorides or acetic acid anhydride. The 1,2,4‐triazole group of 3 played a role as a leaving group in the course of cyclization reaction. This was confirmed by the same product 8 which was acquired from the reaction of 1 , possessing a better leaving group: Cl, with some acyl chlorides or acetic acid anhydride.     

Rhodium-catalyzed interconversion between acid fluorides and thioesters controlled using heteroatom acceptors

A rhodium complex catalyzed the equilibrium acyl transfer reaction between acid fluorides and thioesters. In the presence of fluoride or thiolate acceptors, the reaction could be shifted to either product. RhH(PPh₃)₄-dppe catalyzed the reaction of acid fluorides and diorgano disulfides in the presence of triphenylphosphine giving thioesters, which was accompanied by triphenylphosphine difluoride. The same complex catalyzed the reaction of aryl thioesters and hexafluorobenzene giving acid fluorides, which was accompanied by 1,4-di(arylthio)-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzenes.     

Etude de l'acylation de l'acétyl-3 acétoxy-8 indolizine par action de chlorures d'acide en présence de chlorure d'aluminium

Study of acylation of 3-acetyl-8-acetoxyindolizine by miscellaneous acid chlorides in the presence of aluminium chloride shows that this reaction is either limited to a transesterification (in the case of benzoyl chloride) or leads to introduction of an acyl group in position 1 with simultaneous liberation of the phenol function in position 8. When acylation takes place, acetyl chloride resulting from the cleavage of the acetoxy group competes with the acid chloride used in the reaction. Predominant acylation by the latter is observed when the reaction is performed with ethoxalyl chloride or with non branched aliphatic acid chlorides; by contrast solely acetylation takes place when pivaloyl or phenylacetyl chloride is used. These results are tentatively explained by a process related to the Fries rearrangement. The hypothesis of intramolecular transfer of an acyl group from the ester function in position 8 can be discarded by the observed results.     

Synthesis of Heterocycles by isothiourea organocatalysis

Isothiourea was first employed as catalyst by Birman in 2006 for the enantioselective acyl transfer reaction. The catalyst was then well explored in the course of kinetic resolution and desymmetrization studies. A few years later, Romo and Smith applied isothiourea catalysis in enantioselective cascade reactions to prepare carbocycles and heterocycles acessing new reactivities of isothiourea. Several research groups were then attracted toward this new field of organocatalysis, and applied isothioureas as nucleophilic catalysts in executing cascade methodologies to synthesize various intresteting molecular scaffolds including heterocycles. The present review documents a summary on the construction of heterocyclic molecules by isothiourea organocatalysis. Heterocycles are of prime interest to organic chemists due to their omnipresence in natural products and bioactive molecules. The Lewis basic nucleophilic catalyst isothioureas play a pivotal role in the cascades to generate either α,β-unsaturated acyl isothiouronium ion or isothiouronium enolate as the prime reaction intermediate. We have covered the reactions involving two intermediates of opposite reactivities affording various heterocycles.     

N-烷基-N-酰基磺酰胺聚苯乙烯基微球作为固相酰化剂的研究

一种可循环使用的固相试剂：N-烷基-N-酰基磺酰胺聚苯乙烯基微球(5), 通过对聚苯乙烯磺酰氯微球树脂进行两步功能基化的修饰反应来制备. 制备过程如下：聚苯磺酰氯树脂(1)与伯胺(2)反应得到聚苯乙烯基N-烷基磺酰胺树脂(3), 树脂3用酰氯(4)或酸酐酰化得到N-烷基-N-酰基磺酰胺聚苯乙烯基树脂(5). 酰化的树脂5作为酰基转移试剂与亲核试剂胺反应得到二级酰胺. 根据5上取代基对酰胺生成的程度的影响结果表明, 烷基R¹和酰基(R²CO)对酰基转移反应活性的大小依次分别为：苯基＞苄基＞甲基＞正丁基＞＞H和对硝基苯甲酰基(苯甲酰基＞乙酰基. 胺的亲核能力对酰胺的收率也有一定的影响. N-苯基-N-苯甲酰基磺酰胺树脂重复使用3次没有发现活性降低.     

PREPARATION OF N-ACYL DERIVATIVES OF AMINO ACIDS FROM ACYL CHLORIDES AND AMINO ACIDS IN THE PRESENCE OF CATIONIC SURFACTANTS. A VARIATION OF THE SCHOTTEN-BAUMANN METHOD OF BENZOYLATION OF AMINO ACIDS

A very efficient method for the preparation of N-acylamino acids from the corresponding acyl chloride and amino acid is described. Amino acids, potassium carbonate, acyl chloride, and a catalytic amount of cationic surfactants were mixed in tetrahydrofuran and refluxed without ever obtaining a clear reaction mixture. After hot filtration, the product was isolated from the hot tetrahydrofuran solution in very high or almost quantitative yields.     

Modeling the Reaction of Carboxylic Acids and Isonitriles in a Self-Assembled Capsule

Quantum chemical calculations were used to study the reaction of carboxylic acids with isonitriles inside a resorcinarene-based self-assembled capsule. Experimentally, it has been shown that the reactions between p-tolylacetic acid and n-butyl isonitrile or isopropyl isonitrile behave differently in the presence of the capsule compared both with each other and also with their solution counterparts. Herein, the reasons for these divergent behaviors are addressed by comparing the detailed energy profiles for the reactions of the two isonitriles inside and outside the capsule. An energy decomposition analysis was conducted to quantify the different factors affecting the reactivity. The calculations reproduce the experimental findings very well. Thus, encapsulation leads to lowering of the energy barrier for the first step of the reaction, the concerted α-addition and proton transfer, which in solution is rate-determining, and this explains the rate acceleration observed in the presence of the capsule. The barrier for the final step of the reaction, the 1,3 O→N acyl transfer, is calculated to be higher with the isopropyl substituent inside the capsule compared with n-butyl. With the isopropyl substituent, the transition state and the product of this step are significantly shorter than the preceding intermediate, and this results in energetically unfavorable empty spaces inside the capsule, which cause a higher barrier. With the n-butyl substituent, on the other hand, the carbon chain can untwine and hence uphold an appropriate guest length.     

Kinetic study on enantioselective resolution of (R,S)-2-phenylpropionic acid through Novozyme 435–catalyzed esterification

2-Phenylpropionic acid (2-PPA) is a very important chiral intermediate in the synthesis of aryl propionic acid drugs with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Enzymatic kinetic resolution of (R,S)-2-PPA using n-hexanol as an acyl donor was carried out in n-hexane. Lipases from different sources were used to catalyze the esterification of 2-PPA, among which Novozyme 435 had the highest catalytic efficiency. The effects of reaction conditions on conversion (c) and enantiomeric excess (ee), involving temperature, substrate concentrations, enzyme loading, and reaction time were investigated. The kinetic model based on the Ping-Pong bi-bi mechanism was established to simulate the enzymatic esterification process. The experimental values of initial rates of various 2-PPA concentrations were consistent with the simulated values.     

Target-specific chemical acylation of lectins by ligand-tethered DMAP catalysts

Because sugar-binding proteins, so-called lectins, play important roles in many biological phenomena, the lectin-selective labeling should be useful for investigating biological processes involving lectins as well as providing molecular tools for analysis of saccharides and these derivatives. We describe herein a new strategy for lectin-selective labeling based on an acyl transfer reaction directed by ligand-tethered DMAP (4-dimethylaminopyridine). DMAP is an effective acyl transfer catalyst, which can activate an acyl ester for its transfer to a nucleophilic residue. To direct the acyl transfer reaction to a lectin of interest, we attached the DMAP to a saccharide ligand specific for the target lectin. It was clearly demonstrated by biochemical analyses that the target-selective labeling of Congerin II, an animal lectin having selective affinity for Lactose/LacNAc (N-acetyllactosamine), was achieved in the presence of Lac-tethered DMAPs and acyl donors containing probes such as fluorescent molecules or biotin. Conventional peptide mapping experiments using HPLC and tandem mass-mass analysis revealed that the acyl transfer reaction site-specifically occurred at Tyr 51 of Cong II. This strategy was successfully extended to other lectins by changing the ligand part of the ligand-tethered DMAP. We also demonstrated that this labeling method is applicable not only to purified lectin in test tubes, but also to crude mixtures such as E. coli lysates or homogenized animal tissue samples expressing Congerin.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Catellani ortho‐Acylation Reaction: An Efficient and Regiospecific Synthesis of Diaryl Ketones

A palladium‐catalyzed, norbornene‐mediated Catellani ortho‐acylation reaction was developed by the use of either acyl chlorides or acid anhydrides as acylation reagents. The addition of more than a stoichiometric amount of H₂O is crucial for this transformation when acid chlorides are used, and kinetic studies indicate that the active acylation reagent is possibly an acid anhydride.     

Preparation of 1,6‐naphthyridine‐2,5(1H,6H)‐diones

Novel method for the synthesis of 3‐acyl‐1,6‐dialkyl‐7‐methyl‐1,6‐naphthyridine‐2,5(1H,6H)‐diones (2) was developed. The reaction of 2‐acyl‐1‐alkylamino‐1‐ethoxyethylenes (1) with acetyl chloride or β‐keto amide 3 with acetyl chloride in the presence of p‐toluenesulfonic acid gave 2 in moderate yield (14‐59% yield).     

A Convenient Photocatalytic Fluorination of Unactivated CH Bonds

Fluorination reactions are essential to modern medicinal chemistry, thus providing a means to block site‐selective metabolic degradation of drugs and access radiotracers for positron emission tomography imaging. Despite current sophistication in fluorination reagents and processes, the fluorination of unactivated C? H bonds remains a significant challenge. Reported herein is a convenient and economic process for direct fluorination of unactivated C? H bonds that exploits the hydrogen abstracting ability of a decatungstate photocatalyst in combination with the mild fluorine atom transfer reagent N‐fluorobenzenesulfonimide. This operationally straightforward reaction provides direct access to a wide range of fluorinated organic molecules, including structurally complex natural products, acyl fluorides, and fluorinated amino acid derivatives.