Enantioselective preparation of C2-symmetrical 1,4-diols

The catalytic enantioselective addition of functionalized dialkylzincs to the γ-alkoxyaldehydes 5, 6 and 7 provides 1,4-diols 1–3 with 73–99 %ee. After a simple reaction sequence, these diols are converted to chiral γ-alkoxyaldehydes which undergo a second catalytic enantioselective addition of the same diorganozinc providing C₂-symmetrical 1,4-diols 10a–f with excellent diastereoselectivity (up to 97 : 3).     

One-pot multicomponent synthesis of novel 1-thiazolyl-5-coumarin-3-yl-pyrazole derivatives and evaluation of their cytotoxic activity

A series of novel 1-thiazolyl-5-coumarin-3-yl-pyrazole derivatives (4a–l) were synthesized via one-pot multicomponent reaction of 5-substituted salicylaldehydes (1a–c), 4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (2) and 2-hydrazinyl-4-arylthiazoles (3a–d) in acetonitrile using a catalytic amount of piperidine under reflux conditions. This multicomponent approach has advantages such as reduced reaction time and a high product yield percentage when compared with corresponding multistep approaches. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against Hep G2 (hepatocellular liver carcinoma) and MCF-7 (breast cancer) cell lines and compared with the standard drug Doxorubicin. Among all the compounds, compounds 4d against Hep G2, 4k against MCF-7 and 4e against both Hep G2 & MCF-7 showed excellent cytotoxic activity.     

Monolayer protected Au cluster (MPC)-bound Ru-carbene complex: synthesis and its catalytic activity in ring-closing olefin metathesis

Monolayer-protected gold cluster (Au-MPC)-bound Ru-carbene complex (MPC-7) has been synthesized and examined its catalytic activity in ring-closing olefin metathesis. The MPC-7 showed almost the same catalytic activity with that of simple molecules (Grubbs Ru-complex 1b and the thioacetate-functionalized Ru-complex 8) and reused several times.     

New nitrogen containing chiral diselenides: synthesis and asymmetric addition reactions to olefins

A simple synthesis of two new nitrogen containing diselenides, 7 and 8, is described. These compounds were employed as starting materials to effect the asymmetric methoxyselenenylation, the hydroxyselenenylation as well as the cyclofunctionalization of olefins. Starting from 7 all these addition processes occurred with good facial selectivity. Poor results were however obtained with 8. One-pot selenenylation–elimination sequences using catalytic amounts of the diselenide 7 have also been investigated.     

An efficient synthesis of enantiomerically pure 2-[(2R)-arylmorpholin-2-yl]ethanols,key intermediates of tachykinin receptor antagonist

We report herein an efficient and practical synthetic method for the preparation of enantiomerically pure 2-[(2R)-arylmorpholin-2-yl]ethanols 1a–d, key intermediates of tachykinin receptor antagonist. Sharpless catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation of 4a–d was employed to introduce the required absolute stereochemistry, and cyclization of 7a–d was accomplished by the Mitsunobu reaction.     

Microwave assisted synthesis of 2-amino-4-chloro-pyrimidine derivatives: Anticancer and computational study on potential inhibitory action against COVID-19

We report microwave synthesis of seven unique pyrimidine anchored derivatives (1–7) incorporating multifunctional amino derivatives along with their in vitro anticancer activity and their activity against COVID-19 in silico. 1–7 were characterized by different analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Cytotoxic activity of 1–7 was tested against HCT116 and MCF7 cell lines, whereby 6 exhibited highest anticancer activity on HCT116 and MCF7 with EC₅₀ values of 89.24 ± 1.36 µM and 89.37 ± 1.17 µM, respectively.Molecular docking was performed for derivatives (1–7) on main protease for SARS-CoV-2 (PDB ID: 6LU7). Results revealed that most of the derivatives had superior or equivalent affinity for the 3CLpro, as determined by docking and binding energy scores. 6 topped the rest with highest binding energy score of ?8.12 kcal/mol with inhibition constant reported as 1.11 µM. ADME, drug-likeness, and pharmacokinetics properties of 1–7 were tested using Swiss ADME tool. Toxicity analysis was done with pkCSM online server.All derivatives showed high GI absorption. Except 1 and 3, all derivatives showed blood brain barrier permeability. Most derivatives showed negative logKp values suggesting derivatives are less skin permeable and bioavailability score of all derivatives was 0.55. The toxicity analysis demonstrated that all derivatives have no skin sensitization properties. 6 and 7 showed maximum tolerated dose (Human) values of ?0.03 and ?0.018, respectively and absence of AMES toxicity.     

Synthesis and evaluation of two mannosamine-derived lactone-type inhibitors of snail β-mannosidase

The inhibition of snail β-mannosidase by the manno-configured amino- and hydroxy-lactams and -imidazoles 7–10 was compared to the inhibition of the β-glucosidases from Caldocellum saccharolyticum and from sweet almonds by the gluco-configured amino- and hydroxy-lactams and -imidazoles 1, 2, 5 and 6 [ΔΔG_diss.(OH → NH₃⁺)]. Substitution in the gluco-configured 1, 3 and 5, of C(2)–OH by an ammonium group strengthens the interaction of the inhibitor with the catalytic nucleophile of retaining β-glucosidases, and weakens the interaction with the catalytic acid. The analogous substitution in the manno-configured inhibitors 7 and 9, leading to 8 and 10, respectively, was expected to only reflect the impaired interaction of the inhibitor with the catalytic acid, as the catalytic nucleophile and the C(2) substituent are located on opposite sides of the average ring plane.The mannonolactam 10 was synthesized from the known hydroxy-lactam 11 by O-mesylation followed by azidation and hydrogenation. Sultone 13 was formed as side product upon mesylation of 11. The imidazole 8 was obtained from 11, similarly to the synthesis of the known gluco-isomer 2, via the hydroxy-imidazoles 22 and 23; best results were obtained by protecting 11 as the triisopropylsilyl ether 29.The resulting inhibition by the imidazoles 7 and 8 was interpreted as reflecting an improved binding of the catalytic nucleophile of snail β-mannosidase with the protonated imidazole ring of 8 and an impaired interaction with the catalytic acid, while a comparison of the inhibition by the lactams 9 and 10 is in keeping with the results that are expected if there is no significant interaction between the catalytic nucleophile of snail β-mannosidase and the C(2)–OH group of β-mannosides. The amino-imidazole 8 is a surprisingly strong inhibitor of the α-mannosidase from Jack beans [K_i = 1.22 μM; mixed-type (α = 2.3)].     

Asymmetric catalysis. Part 153: Metal-catalysed enantioselective α-ketol rearrangement

Promoted by catalytic amounts of Ni complexes tertiary α-hydroxyketones 1a, 3a–5a undergo rearrangement, forming chiral isomers 1b, 3b–5b. The best enantioselection was obtained with the model system 1-benzoylcyclopentanol 4a/2-hydroxy-2-phenylcyclohexanone 4b. In a ligand screening 2-[4-(S)-tert-butyloxazolin-2-yl]pyridine gave the highest enantiomeric excess of 46% (S)-4b. The analogous isomerisation reactions of α-hydroxyimines 6a, 7a forming chiral α-aminoketones 6b, 7b were established.     

Palladacycle-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of arylboronic acids with carboxylic anhydrides or acyl chlorides

The triphenylphosphine–cyclopalladated ferrocenylimine (Cat. 2) exhibited highly catalytic activity for the both of arylboronic acids with carboxylic anhydrides and acyl chlorides with low catalyst loading (0.5 mol %). The reactions were unaffected by the presence of electron-releasing and electron-withdrawing substituents in both the arylboronic acids and carboxylic derivatives. Up to 98% yield was obtained for 32 examples. However, they were limited for arylboronic acid with strong electron-withdrawing groups. It is noting that catalyst 2 can be reused for eight times without losing its catalytic activity.     

Synthesis and anti-neuroinflammatory activity studies of substituted 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2-amine derivatives

We demonstrate the synthesis of multifunctional 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2-amine derivatives 4 through a three-component condensation reactions of a substituted o-phenylenediamines 1 (OPDA), diverse ketones 2 and various isocyanides 3 in the presence of a catalytic amount of p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) affording excellent yields (82–96%) and 10 mol % of silica gel supported sulfuric acid with good yields (85–98%) in ethanol at room temperature (2–4 h). We also carried out the anti-neuroinflammatory activity of 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2-amine derivatives and some of the compounds exhibited good activity.     

Rhodium–NHC-complexes as potent catalysts in the hydroformylation of 1-octene

We present an overview of eight different rhodium-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes 1–8 and their catalytic activity and selectivity in hydroformylation of 1-octene. It could be shown that activity can be increased by going from electron-rich NHC- to electron-poor NHC-ligands. However, no increase in the selectivity could be achieved by introducing bulky substituents to the NHCs.     

Stereoselective synthesis and anti-HCV activity of conformationally restricted 2′-C-substituted carbanucleosides

Conformationally restricted 2′-C-azido-, hydroxy- and fluoromethyl-carbanucleosides 4b–f were efficiently synthesized via the stereoselective conversion of ketone 7 to epoxide 14, followed by the stereoselective opening of the epoxide with nucleophiles (OAc, N₃, and F), while the corresponding 2′-C-methyl-carbanucleoside 4a was synthesized via the stereoselective Grignard reaction of ketone 7 with methylmagnesium iodide as a key step. All the final nucleosides 4a–f were assayed for anti-HCV activity, but showed neither significant anti-HCV activity nor cytotoxicity in a cell-based replicon assay.     

Synthesis of palladium complexes containing 2-methoxycarbonyl-6-iminopyridine ligand and their catalytic behaviors in reaction of ethylene and norbornene

A series of palladium complexes (C1-C7) have been prepared by the reaction of PdCl₂(CH₃CN)₂ with 2-methoxycarbonyl-6-iminopyridines, L1-L7. The 2-methoxycarbonyl-6-iminopyridines and their complexes were fully characterized by FT-IR, NMR spectra and elemental analysis. Structures of C1, C2, C4, C5 and C6, C7 were determined by X-ray crystallography, and these complexes fold slightly distorted square planar structures around palladium coordinated with two nitrogen atoms and two chlorides. These palladium complexes exhibited moderate catalytic activities for ethylene dimerization and/or polymerization in the presence of methylaluminoxane, and showed remarkable catalytic activity for norbornene polymerization. The catalytic behaviors of these complexes were highly affected by both the ligand employed and reaction conditions.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial activities of some novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives

In the present investigation, a series of new Schiff bases 4a–f were synthesized by the condensation of N-[(4-amino-5-sulfanyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)methyl]-4-substituted-benzamides 3a–b with various substituted aromatic aldehydes in ethanol–dioxane mixture using catalytic amount of sulfuric acid. The starting materials 3a–b were in turn synthesized by the fusion of benzoyl glycine/substituted benzoylglycine with thiocarbohydrazide. Newly synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, NMR, mass spectra and elemental analyses. All the compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal activity using the Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) method by serial dilution technique. Few of the compounds were found to be biologically active.     

Oxidation of aromatic monoterpenes with hydrogen peroxide catalysed by Mn(III) porphyrin complexes

The oxidation of carvacrol 1, thymol 2 and p-cymene 3 with hydrogen peroxide catalysed by Mn(III) porphyrins is reported. The oxidation of 1 and 2 selectively originates thymoquinone 6. From the oxidation of p-cymene 3, the isolated major products 7–10, were formed from the oxidation of positions 7 and 8 of the substrate, although minor amounts of thymoquinone 6 were also formed. The efficiency and selectivity of the catalytic systems and the structural characterisation of the products obtained will be discussed.     

S-Oxidation products of (+)-thiomicamine-derived oxazolines—promising substrates in the synthesis of alkyl methyl sulfoxides

Highly stereoselective oxidation of the 4-methylthio substituent in oxazolines 2–4, derived from (+)-thiomicamine 1, performed using the Kagan procedure and with the vanadium/chiral salen catalytic system, afforded R_S and S_S diastereomeric sulfoxides 5–7, respectively. The reaction of sulfoxide R_S-6 with n-butyl- and tert-butyllithium reagents produced the corresponding butyl methyl sulfoxides in high enantiomeric excess and with an (S) absolute configuration, albeit in moderate yields.     

Novel thiosemicarbazone derivatives containing benzimidazole moiety: Green synthesis and anti-malarial activity

A series of (E)-2-[5-chloro-1-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)ethylidene] N-(substituted) hydrazine carbothioamide (7a–7t) and (E)-2-[1-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)ethylidene] N-(substituted) hydrazine carbothioamide (8a–8t) were prepared via the synthesis of 1-(substituted-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl) ethanol (3a–3b) which was synthesized by the condensation of substituted o-phenylenediamine (2a–2b) with dl-lactic acid (1) followed by oxidation with sodium hypochlorite in mild acidic condition to form the corresponding ketones 4a–4b. Final compounds were formed by condensation of 4a–4b with different thiosemicarbazides 6a–6t. A total of 40 compounds were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, Mass spectral technique and elemental analysis, in addition they were evaluated for anti-malarial properties. Among the compounds tested 7o, 7p, 7q, 7r, 7s, 8e and 8h exhibited good antimalarial activity in vitro.     

Chlorinated chromone and diphenyl ether derivatives from the mangrove-derived fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. PSU-MA69

Four new diphenyl ethers, pestalotethers A–D (1–4), three new chromones, pestalochromones A–C (5–7), one new xanthone, pestaloxanthone (8), and one new butenolide, pestalolide (9), together with 11 known compounds were isolated from the mangrove-derived fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. PSU-MA69. Their structures were established by spectroscopic techniques. Compounds 1–3 and 5–7 are the rare chlorinated fungal metabolites of diphenyl ethers and chromones, respectively. Pestalolide (9) displayed weak antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans.     

S,O-ligand-promoted palladium-catalyzed C–H olefination of arenes with allylic substrates

An efficient catalytic system for the C–H olefination of arenes with different allylic substrates is reported. The catalytic system is based on Pd(OAc)₂ and a readily accessible bidentate S,O-ligand. The methodology shows high activity with a wide range of arenes, including bulky and, electron-rich and -poor arenes. The applicability of this catalyst is demonstrated in the late-stage functionalization of the complex molecule O-methylestrone.     

The role of conformational flexibility on the catalytic activity of norbornane-derived β-, γ- and δ-amino alcohols

Enantiopure norbornane-based γ-amino alcohols 1–4 have been obtained from (+)-camphor and their catalytic behaviour as chiral ligands for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde compared to these described for homologous β- and δ-amino alcohols. This has allowed the first study on the influence of the size of the catalytic zinc-chelate ring on the catalytic activity, which results in the unexpected observance of a non-linear correlation between enantioselectivity and chelate ring size (conformational flexibility). An empirical rationalisation of the observed phenomenon was realised on the basis of consideration of the energetically-favoured Noyori-type transition states.