Photoenzymatic Enantioselective Synthesis of Oxygen-Containing Benzo-Fused Heterocycles

New-to-nature biocatalysis in organic synthesis has recently emerged as a green and powerful strategy for the preparation of valuable chiral products, among which chiral oxygen-containing benzo-fused heterocycles are important structural motifs in pharmaceutical industry. However, the asymmetric synthesis of these compounds through radical-mediated methods is challenging. Herein, a novel asymmetric radical-mediated photoenzymatic synthesis strategy is developed to realize the efficient enantioselective synthesis of oxygen-containing benzo-fused heterocycles through structure-guided engineering of a flavin-dependent ‘ene’-reductase GluER. It shows that variant GluER-W100H could efficiently produce various benzoxepinones, chromanone and indanone with different benzo-fused rings in high yields with great stereoselectivities under visible light. Moreover, these results are well supported by mechanistic experiments, revealing that this photoenzymatic process involves electron donor-acceptor complex formation, single electron transfer and hydrogen atom transfer. Therefore, we provide an alternative green approach for efficient chemoenzymatic synthesis of important chiral skeletons of bioactive pharmaceuticals.     

Ring-closing metathesis for the synthesis of benzo-fused bicyclic compounds

Ring-closing metathesis (RCM) was used to synthesise five 4H-chromenes, a naphthol and an indenol. These are the first examples of RCM applied to the synthesis of such benzo-fused bicyclic compounds.     

Methods for the synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-b]pyridazine and pyrrolo[1,2-b]cinnoline derivatives (microreview)

Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds - This microreview considers methods for the synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-b]pyridazine derivatives as well as their benzo-fused analogs –...     

Facile synthesis of benzo-fused 2,8-dioxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives via a domino Knoevenagel condensation/hetero-Diels-Alder reaction sequence

A facile two-step synthesis of a series of benzo-fused 2,8-dioxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives is described, featuring a domino Knoevenagel condensation/intramolecular hetero-Diels-Alder reaction sequence.     

Exocyclic Double Bond in Benzo-Fused Nitrogen Heterocycles: Methods of Introduction and Syntheses with Its Participation

The review summarizes methods for the synthesis of benzo-fused heterocyclic compounds containing a fairly stable exocyclic double bond in a saturated hetero- or polyheterocyclic fragment. Examples of using such compounds for the preparation of biologically active substances and heterocycles for other applications are given.     

Synthesis of benzo-fused heterocycles by intramolecular α-arylation of ketone enolate anions

A two-step synthesis of six-, seven-, eight-, and nine-member benzo-fused heterocycles in good to excellent yields is reported. The synthetic strategy involves the generation of a new intramolecular α-aryl ketone bond by the photostimulated S(RN)1 reaction of ketone enolate anions linked to a pendant haloarene as the key step. On the other hand, an intramolecular C(Ar)-C(Ar) coupling led to the formation of five- and six-member benzo-fused heterocycles (9H-carbazole and phenanthridine) when an aromatic amide anion is competitively formed.     

分子内Friedel-Crafts环化反应在苯并环状物合成中的应用

Friedel-Crafts反应是有机合成中最有用的反应之一,它的应用范围十分广泛.Friedel-Crafts反应也是合成环状化合物的重要途径,尤其分子内的环化反应一直以来受到广泛的关注.对近年来应用分子内Friedel-Crafts环化反应合成苯并环状化合物进行了详细的综述,并对分子内Friedel-Crafts环化反应在有机合成上发展前景作了展望.     

An open-and-shut strategy: preparation of benzo-fused indanes by ring-opening of a vinylogous acyl triflate and metal-catalyzed Asao-Yamamoto benzannulation

A two-step strategy for the synthesis of benzo-fused indanes is outlined herein. The strategy draws on two independent methodologies: the tandem addition/fragmentation of vinylogous acyl triflates (VATs) and the intramolecular benzannulation of o-alkynylphenyl ketones. Reduction of this strategy to practice involves the use of aryltriazenes as masked aryl iodides; a synthetic equivalent of 2-iodophenyllithium is featured. Benzo-fused indanes are prepared efficiently and in high yield.     

Mild and Efficient Synthesis of Benzo-Fused Seven- and Eight-membered Ring Lactams: A Convenient Approach to Biologically Interesting Chemotypes

A general and efficient method for the synthesis of benzo-fused 7- and 8-membered ring lactams via the Beckmann rearrangement of cyclic oximes is presented.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® to view the free supplemental file.     

Iridium-catalyzed enantioselective allylation of sodium 2-aminobenzenethiolate: an access to chiral benzo-fused N,S-heterocycles

The use of sodium 2-aminobenzenethiolate in the enantioselective iridium catalyzed allylic substitution with a range of methyl allyl carbonates allows the concise synthesis of the branch-type products with both excellent regio- and enantioselectivities, which are functionalized N,S-containing allylic intermediates for the formation of chiral benzo-fused N,S-heterocycles.     

Synthesis of regiospecifically substituted quinolines from anilines

A protocol for the synthesis of quinolines substituted on both pyridine and benzo-fused rings is reported. The method is based on the formylation of a substituted N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)aniline followed by direct cyclisation and aromatisation of the intermediate product obtained by condensation of the formed N-Boc o-aminobenzaldehyde with an enolisable carbonyl compound. Yields up to 88% have been obtained.     

Size-expanded analogues of dG and dC: synthesis and pairing properties in DNA

We describe the completion of the set of four benzo-fused expanded DNA (xDNA) nucleoside analogues. We previously reported the development of benzo-fused analogues of dA and dT and their inclusion in an exceptionally stable new four-base genetic system, termed xDNA, in which the base pairs were expanded in size. Here we describe the preparation and properties of the second half of this nucleotide set: namely, the previously unknown dxC and dxG nucleosides. The dxC analogue was prepared from the previously reported dxT nucleoside in three steps and 57% yield. The large-sized deoxyguanosine analogue was prepared from an intermediate in the synthesis of dxA, yielding dxG in 14 steps overall (2.4%). Suitably protected versions of the deoxynucleosides were prepared for oligonucleotide synthesis following standard procedures, and they were readily incorporated into DNA by automated synthesizer. "Dangling-end" measurements revealed that the benzo-fused homologues stack considerably more strongly on neighboring DNA sequences than do their natural counterparts. Base pairing experiments with xC or xG bases showed that they pair selectively with their Watson-Crick partners, but with mild destabilization, due apparently to their larger size. Overall, the data suggest that the fluorescent xG and xC bases may be useful probes of steric effects in the study of biological nucleotide recognition mechanisms. In addition, the completion of the xDNA nucleoside set makes it possible in the future to construct full four-base xDNA strands that can target any sequence of natural DNA and RNA.     

Synthesis of benzo-fused 1-azabicyclo[m.n.0]alkanes via the Schmidt reaction: a formal synthesis of gephyrotoxin

The intramolecular capture of benzocyclobutyl, benzocyclopentyl, and benzocyclohexyl carbocations 7 by azides produces spirocyclic aminodiazonium ions 8, which undergo 1,2-C-to-N rearrangement with loss of dinitrogen to produce benzo-fused iminium ions resulting from either aryl (9) or alkyl (10) migration to the electron-deficient nitrogen atom. Reduction of the iminium ions affords regioisomeric benzo-fused 1-azabicyclo[m.n.0]alkanes, e.g., benzopyrrolizidines, benzoindolizidines, benzoquinolizidines, or perhydrobenzo[f]pyrrolo[1,2-a]azepines in two regioisomeric versions, anilines (e.g., 11-14) and benzylic amines (e.g., 15-18), the result of aryl and alkyl migrations, respectively. Generally, aryl migration is preferred, despite modeling that shows that the lowest energy aminodiazonium ions are those where the departing dinitrogen is preferentially antiperiplanar to the migrating alkyl group rather than the aryl group. The utility of this methodology was illustrated by a formal synthesis of the alkaloid gephyrotoxin 4. A dependence on the efficiency and regioselectivity of the Schmidt reaction upon subtle changes in the structure of the cation precursor was observed, necessitating the exploration of a variety of substrates. Fortunately, these materials were easily made. Ultimately, the azido-alkene 81 bearing a 2-bromoethyl side-chain was useful for the Schmidt reaction, producing the known benzo-fused indolizidine 49, which had been transformed by Ito et al. into gephyrotoxin 4. The synthesis of 49 required nine steps (five purifications) from commercially available 4-methoxy-1-indanone 60 and proceeded in 22% overall yield.     

TiCl4-promoted tandem carbonyl or imine addition and Friedel-Crafts cyclization: synthesis of benzo-fused oxabicyclooctanes and nonanes

A new and convenient synthesis of benzo-fused 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane and 9-oxabicyclo[4.2.1]nonane derivatives are described. The reaction involved a TiCl(4)-mediated tandem carbonyl or imine addition followed by a Friedel-Crafts cyclization to provide these functionalized derivatives in good to excellent yields and high diastereoselectivity.     

A palladium-catalyzed synthetic approach to new Huperzine A analogues modified at the pyridone ring

The synthesis of two new Huperzine A analogues is reported. Both products present an amino substituted benzo-fused system in place of the pyridone ring of the natural alkaloid. The synthetic strategy to the two analogues is based on three different key palladium-catalyzed steps, namely a carbonylation reaction, an epoxide isomerization and a bicycloannulation reaction.     

Sequential isomerization and ring-closing metathesis: masked styryl and vinyloxyaryl groups for the synthesis of benzo-fused heterocycles

The use of an aryl allyl ether and an arylallyl group as masked vinyl ether and 1-propenylphenyl groups for ring-closing metathesis (RCM) leading to the synthesis of benzo-fused heterocycles was demonstrated by using a ruthenium-mediated isomerization followed by a ruthenium-mediated RCM reaction. This resulted in the syntheses of a variety of products including two substituted benzo[1,4]dioxins, a naphtho[2,3-b][1,4]dioxin, a 2H-chromene and a benzo[b]furan.     

Structural, dynamical, and electronic transport properties of modified DNA duplexes containing size-expanded nucleobases

Among the distinct strategies proposed to expand the genetic alphabet, size-expanded nucleobases are promising for the development of modified DNA duplexes with improved biotechnological properties. In particular, duplexes built up by replacing canonical bases with the corresponding benzo-fused counterparts could be valuable as molecular nanowires. In this context, this study reports the results of classical molecular dynamics simulations carried out to examine the structural and dynamical features of size-expanded DNAs, including both hybrid duplexes containing mixed pairs of natural and benzo-fused bases (xDNA) and pure size-expanded (xxDNA) duplexes. Furthermore, the electronic structure of both natural and size-expanded duplexes is examined by means of density functional computations. The results confirm that the structural and flexibility properties of the canonical DNA are globally little affected by the presence of benzo-fused bases. The most relevant differences are found in the enhanced size of the grooves, and the reduction in the twist. However, the analysis also reveals subtle structural effects related to the nature and sequence of benzo-fused bases in the duplex. On the other hand, electronic structure calculations performed for xxDNAs confirm the reduction in the HOMO-LUMO gap predicted from the analysis of the natural bases and their size-expanded counterparts, which suggests that pure size-expanded DNAs can be good conductors. A more complex situation is found for xDNAs, where fluctuations in the electrostatic interaction between base pairs exerts a decisive influence on the modulation of the energy gap.     

Synthesis of functionalized indole- and benzo-fused heterocyclic derivatives through anionic benzyne cyclization

The development of a new method for the regioselective synthesis of functionalized indoles and six-membered benzo-fused N-, O-, and S-heterocycles is reported. The key step involves the generation of a benzyne-tethered vinyl or aryllithium compound that undergoes a subsequent intramolecular anionic cyclization. Reaction of the organolithium intermediates with selected electrophiles allows the preparation of a wide variety of indole, tetrahydrocarbazole, dihydrofenantridine, dibenzopyran, and dibenzothiopyran derivatives. Finally, the application of this strategy to the appropriate starting materials allows the preparation of some tryptamine and serotonin analogues.     

Wacker oxidation methodology for the synthesis of the benzo-fused acetal core of marticin

Methodology for the synthesis of the benzo-fused acetal core of marticin is described in this paper. Condensation of readily available 1-(2-allyl-3,6-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanone with diethyl oxalate under Claisen condensation conditions furnished (Z)-ethyl 4-(2-allyl-3,6-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-hydroxy-4-oxobut-2-enoate. Treatment of this with LiAlH₄ resulted in the formation of the diol, 1-(2-allyl-3,6-dimethoxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydroxybutan-1-one. Conversion of primary alcohol of the diol into the TBDMS ether followed by further reaction with LiAlH₄ and exposure to Wacker oxidation conditions resulted in the formation of (3,6-dimethoxy-9-methyl-10,13-dioxatricyclo[7.3.1.0^2,7]trideca-2,4,6-trien-11-yl)methanol, the core of marticin.     

Synthesis of [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (BTBT) and its higher homologs through palladium-catalyzed intramolecular decarboxylative arylation

We report herein an effective method for the construction of 4- and 7-ring benzo-fused thieno[3,2-b]thiophenes, involving palladium-catalyzed intramolecular decarboxylative arylation as the key step.