Click Mechanochemistry: Quantitative Synthesis of “Ready to Use” Chiral Organocatalysts by Efficient Two‐Fold Thiourea Coupling to Vicinal Diamines

Mechanochemical methods of neat grinding and liquid‐assisted grinding have been applied to the synthesis of mono‐ and bis(thiourea)s by using the click coupling of aromatic and aliphatic diamines with aromatic isothiocyanates. The ability to modify the reaction conditions allowed the optimization of each reaction, leading to the quantitative formation of chiral bis(thiourea)s with known uses as organocatalysts or anion sensors. Quantitative reaction yields, combined with the fact that mechanochemical reaction conditions avoid the use of bulk solvents, enabled solution‐based purification methods (such as chromatography or recrystallization) to be completely avoided. Importantly, by using selected model reactions, we also show that the described mechanochemical reaction procedures can be readily scaled up to at least the one‐gram scale. In that way, mechanochemical synthesis provides a facile method to fully transform valuable enantiomerically pure reagents into useful products that can immediately be applied in their designed purpose. This was demonstrated by using some of the mechanochemically prepared reagents as organocatalysts in a model Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction and as cyanide ion sensors in organic solvents. The use of electronically and sterically hindered ortho‐phenylenediamine revealed that mechanochemical reaction conditions can be readily optimized to form either the 1:1 or the 1:2 click‐coupling product, demonstrating that reaction stoichiometry can be more efficiently controlled under these conditions than in solution‐based syntheses. In this way, it was shown that excellent stoichiometric control by mechanochemistry, previously established for mechanochemical syntheses of cocrystals and coordination polymers, can also be achieved in the context of covalent‐bond formation.     

Toward a Greener World—Cyclodextrin Derivatization by Mechanochemistry

Cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives are a challenge, mainly due to solubility problems. In many cases, the synthesis of CD derivatives requires high-boiling solvents, whereas the product isolation from the aqueous methods often requires energy-intensive processes. Complex formation faces similar challenges in that it involves interacting materials with conflicting properties. However, many authors also refer to the formation of non-covalent bonds, such as the formation of inclusion complexes or metal–organic networks, as reactions or synthesis, which makes it difficult to classify the technical papers. In many cases, the solubility of both the starting material and the product in the same solvent differs significantly. The sweetest point of mechanochemistry is the reduced demand or complete elimination of solvents from the synthesis. The lack of solvents can make syntheses more economical and greener. The limited molecular movements in solid-state allow the preparation of CD derivatives, which are difficult to produce under solvent reaction conditions. A mechanochemical reaction generally has a higher reagent utilization rate. When the reaction yields a good guest co-product, solvent-free conditions can be slower than in solution conditions. Regioselective syntheses of per-6-amino and alkylthio-CD derivatives or insoluble cyclodextrin polymers and nanosponges are good examples of what a greener technology can offer through solvent-free reaction conditions. In the case of thiolated CD derivatives, the absence of solvents results in significant suppression of the thiol group oxidation, too. The insoluble polymer synthesis is also more efficient when using the same molar ratio of the reagents as the solution reaction. Solid reactants not only reduce the chance of hydrolysis of multifunctional reactants or side reactions, but the spatial proximity of macrocycles also reduces the length of the spacing formed by the crosslinker. The structure of insoluble polymers of the mechanochemical reactions generally is more compact, with fewer and shorter hydrophilic arms than the products of the solution reactions.     

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions promoted by water-compatible organocatalysts bearing a pyrrolidinyl-camphor structural scaffold

Efficient synthetic routes have been developed for the synthesis of a series of pyrrolidinyl-camphor containing organocatalysts (1-10). Structural modifications were made by varying the stereo- and electronic properties of the camphor scaffold and the aromatic substituents. These readily tunable and amphiphilic organocatalysts were evaluated for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of various aromatic aldehydes and cyclohexanone either in organic solvents or in the presence of water. The aldol reaction proceeded smoothly with excellent chemical yields (up to 99%), enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee), and anti-diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1) with a catalytical amount of the bifunctional organocatalysts (20 mol %) under optimal reaction conditions. Mechanistic transition models are proposed and the stereochemical bias of the asymmetric aldol reaction is presented.     

Disiloxane-protected 2-deoxyribonolactone as an efficient precursor to 1,2-dideoxy-1-beta-aryl-D-ribofuranoses

[formula: see text] Aryl C-nucleosides are analogues of natural nucleosides where the bases have been replaced with aromatic moieties. Work herein describes the highly stereoselective syntheses of non-hydrogen-bonding carbocyclic derivatives using a disiloxane-protected 2-deoxy-D-ribono-1,4-lactone as a stable and readily accessible starting material. Unlike the bis(TBDMS)-protected congener, this compound enables the use of sterically congested ortho-substituted aryllithium reagents in the initial addition reaction.     

First mechanosynthesis of piperlotines A,C, and derivatives through solvent-free Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction

Piperlotines are natural products characterized by an α,β-unsaturated amide moiety. These compounds found wide applications in Medicinal Chemistry like antibacterials, cytotoxic agents, anticoagulants, among others. To date, diverse methods of synthesis have been reported for piperlotines, but involving the use of catalysts, hazard reagents, anhydrous media or coupling reagents. Thus, in this work, we developed a greener method of synthesis of piperlotines A, C, and derivatives, through mechanochemical activation under solvent-free conditions. The reaction of a β-amidophosphonate, K₂CO₃, and an aromatic aldehyde afforded target compounds in moderate to good yields (46–77%), in an open atmosphere by grinding. It is worth to mention that this mechanochemical process was under thermodynamic control because just E isomer was isolated for every reaction. Moreover, synthesized piperlotines have been predicted by means of chemoinformatic analysis as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of arthritis or cancer.     

Mechanochemical tools in the synthesis of organometallic compounds

In response to rising environmental concerns, chemistry is experiencing a considerable change in both concepts and practices to adopt more efficient and sustainable technologies. One of the alternative technologies that offer many advantages over the conventional solution-based techniques is mechanochemistry which utilizes mechanical energy to induce chemical reactions. Despite the fact that mechanochemistry has reached high significance in the creation of advanced materials, such as alloys, ceramics, electrode materials, and nanocomposites, in the field of small molecule synthesis its potential remains largely untapped. This review highlights the opportunities and prospects of different mechanochemical tools in the synthesis of organometallic compounds, including transition metal complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene, arene, and cyclopentadienyl ligands, monometallacyclic and pincer derivatives, as well as main group metal compounds (e.g., allyl complexes and the Grignard reagents). Many important organometallic transformations such as C–H bond metalation, transmetalation, and oxidative addition can be successfully implemented under mechanochemical conditions in a highly productive and energy-saving manner. Furthermore, the postmodification of metal-containing species upon grinding or milling is shown to be a powerful route to both new discrete metal complexes and different supramolecular architectures (metal-containing organic cages, macrocylces, networks).     

Choline Chloride/Urea Deep Eutectic Solvents: A Promising Reaction Medium for the Synthesis of Bio-Based Poly(hydroxyurethane)s

The development of more sustainable and eco-friendly polymers has attracted much attention from researchers over the past decades. Among the different strategies that can be implemented towards this goal, the substitution of the toxic reagents/monomers often used in polyurethane chemistry has stimulated much innovation leading to the development of the hydroxylated version of PURs, namely, the poly(hydroxyurethane)s (PHURs). However, some PHURs remain far from being sustainable as their synthesis may involve monomers and/or solvents displaying poor environmental impacts. Herein, we report on the use of more sustainable conditions to synthesize the biobased polycarbonates involved in the aminolysis reaction. In addition, we demonstrate that the use of renewable deep eutectic solvents (DESs) can act both as excellent solvents and organocatalysts to promote the aminolysis reaction.     

Mechanochemical Pretreatment for Efficient Solvent-Free Synthesis of SSZ-13 Zeolite

The economical and environmentally benign synthesis of SSZ-13 zeolite was possible due to the mechanochemical activation of dry reagents by planetary mill. Contrary to manual grinding in a mortar, the proposed automatized approach is scalable and reproducible. This solvent-free process provided a huge gain in product/gel ratios, significantly minimized reaction space and organic structure-directing agent use, and allowed for the elimination of agitation. Obtained materials were comparable to the product of “classical” syntheses. The use of different silica sources resulted in SSZ-13 zeolites with various characteristics: different Si/Al ratio and crystal size.     

Mechanochemical Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling with Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent as Liquid-Assisted Grinding Additive: Merging Two Fields for a Greener Strategy

The use of volatile solvents for organic synthesis is nowadays questioned due to their negative impact on the environnement. To develop sustainable and environmentally friendly methodologies, we propose to combine two green chemistry concepts: the use of bioinspired solvents: natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES), and mechanochemistry. Using the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling as a model reaction, we described an efficient mechanochemical method with NaDES as a LAG (liquid-assisted grinding) additive with short reaction times and without any ligand or additional heating. A mechanochemical extraction was also used to reduce the amounts of extraction solvents and the total time of the synthesis process.     

Recent applications of mechanochemistry in enantioselective synthesis

In recent years, sustainable organocatalysis has become a relevant target in asymmetric organic synthesis. Among the most successful strategies to achieve “greener” organocatalyzed processes are (1) the elimination of solvent from reaction media, and (2) the use of alternative activation energies such as solvent-free mechanochemistry in high speed ball mills. In recent years we have stepped up efforts in the pursuit of organocatalysts and biocatalysts that allow reactions to take place in the absence of solvent and under mechanochemical activation. In this article we present the application of small dipeptides as chiral organocatalysts under solvent-free and high-speed ball milling conditions, with focus on the asymmetric aldol addition reaction. Finally, we report on recent results using supported enzymes for the resolution of racemic β-amino acids and amines, under mechanochemical conditions.     

Practical synthesis of functionalized 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazole derivatives

A general approach for the synthesis of 1,5-disubstituted-1,2,4-triazole compounds is described. A series of new oxamide-derived amidine reagents can be accessed in excellent yield with minimal purification necessary. Typically, these amidine reagents are stable crystalline solids and in certain cases were found to exist in a cyclic form as determined by NMR spectroscopy. Under optimized conditions, the direct reaction of these prepared reagents with various hydrazine hydrochloride salts efficiently generates the target triazoles. Both aromatic and aliphatic hydrazines react readily with the amidine reagents under very mild reaction conditions, delivering desired 1,5-disubstituted-1,2,4-triazole derivatives in good yields.     

Thiourea dioxide promoted efficient organocatalytic one-pot synthesis of a library of novel heterocyclic compounds

The utility of thiourea dioxide as an efficient organocatalyst for the library synthesis of novel heterocyclic compounds via one-pot multicomponent coupling reactions is disclosed. Thiourea dioxide is an inexpensive and readily accessible catalyst, resulting in better product yields as compared to the corresponding thiourea as catalyst. Thiourea dioxide is found to be insoluble in various organic solvents and therefore at the end of the reaction products can be separated by extraction with diethyl ether and the recovered catalyst can be used several times with consistent catalytic activity.     

"Nonsolvent" applications of ionic liquids in biotransformations and organocatalysis

The application of room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) as (co)solvents and/or reagents is well documented. However, RTILS also have "nonsolvent" applications in biotransformations and organocatalysis. Examples are the anchoring of substrates to RTILs; ionic-liquid-coated enzymes (ILCE) and enzyme-IL colyophilization; the construction of biocatalytic ternary reaction systems; the combination of enzymes, RTILs, membranes, and (bio)electrochemistry; and ionic-liquid-supported organocatalysts. These strategies provide more robust, more efficient, and more enantioselective bio- and organocatalysts with many practical applications. As shown herein, RTILs offer a wide range of promising alternatives to conventional chemistry.     

A mild synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes using a deep eutectic solvent

Deep eutectic solvents (such as the combination of urea and choline chloride) are effective solvents/organocatalysts for the condensation of indole and aryl or alkenyl aldehydes to form bis(indolyl)methanes. The reaction conditions are quite mild and do not require additional Bronsted or Lewis acid catalyst, though they fail with ketones or aliphatic aldehydes. Given the inexpensive, non-toxic, and recyclable nature of the DES, these reaction conditions are simple and highly environmentally friendly.     

Efficient access to materials-oriented aromatic alkynes via the mechanochemical Sonogashira coupling of solid aryl halides with large polycyclic conjugated systems

Sonogashira coupling represents an indispensable tool for the preparation of organic materials that contain C(sp)–C(sp²) bonds. Improving the efficiency and generality of this methodology has long been an important research subject in materials science. Here, we show that a high-temperature ball-milling technique enables the highly efficient palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling of solid aryl halides that bear large polyaromatic structures including sparingly soluble substrates and unactivated aryl chlorides. In fact, this new protocol provides various materials-oriented polyaromatic alkynes in excellent yield within short reaction times in the absence of bulk reaction solvents. Notably, we synthesized a new luminescent material via the mechanochemical Sonogashira coupling of poorly soluble Vat Red 1 in a much higher yield compared to those obtained using solution-based conditions. The utility of this method was further demonstrated by the rapid synthesis of a fluorescent metal–organic framework (MOF) precursor via two sequential mechanochemical Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions. The present study illustrates the great potential of Sonogashira coupling using ball milling for the preparation of materials-oriented alkynes and for the discovery of novel functional materials.

Using a high-temperature ball-milling technique, a practical mechanochemical protocol for the Sonogashira cross-coupling of polyaromatic halides was achieved, which provides efficient access to materials-oriented aromatic alkynes.     

A parallel synthesis demonstration library of tri-substituted indazoles containing new antimutagenic/antioxidant hits related to benzydamine

A solution phase strategy for the multiple parallel synthesis of a demonstration library of indazoles is described by which regio-selectivity problems inherent to previous syntheses of this nucleus are largely overcome. Synthesis of selected components proceeded satisfactorily indicating that a fully realized library of indazole analogs could readily be produced using this methodology. Simple modifications of the basic nucleophilic aromatic substitution route unambiguously produce a range of N-1 substitutions (alkyl, aryl and aralkyl) in 50-75% yields. Next a range of substituents was introduced at the C-3 position in 50-80% yields by O-alkylation. Careful choice of reagents and reaction conditions were required to prevent by-product formation due to competing alkylation at N-2 (trace to 15% yields). When present, these contaminants were readily removed by chromofiltration. A third diversity site was sketched in at C-5 in 75-90% yield by reductive alkylation or acylation. Screening of some of the demonstration library members in vitro revealed highly active antioxidants suggesting that producing a full library would be worthwhile.     

Solvent-effects tuning the catalytic reactivity of prolinamides in asymmetric aldol reactions

Novel prolinamides were prepared and applied as organocatalysts in the asymmetric aldol reaction. Stable imidazolidinones were formed between prolinamides and aromatic aldehydes in organic solvents. It was found that aqueous conditions can significantly suppress the formation of the unwanted imidazolidinone intermediate and improve the catalytic activity of the prolinamides. As a consequence, high chemical yields (up to 99%) and good diastereoselectivity (up to >20:1 dr) and enantioselectivity (up to 95% ee) were achieved in 2-Me-THF or brine. This strategy could serve as a general solution to enhance the performance of prolinamides as organocatalysts.     

Studies on Enantioselective Effect of Chiral Titanate Reagents on the Synthesis of Substituted Benzhydrols

Chiral titanate reagents were prepared for inducing asymmetric syntheses of substituted benzhydrols from Grignard reagents and aldehydes. The solvents, reaction temperature and exchange of reactants by crossing experiments were investigated. Favorable attack of the nucleophile upon the aromatic aldehydes' prochiral face was proposed, the absolute configurations of the synthesized benzhydrols were suggested, and a preliminary reaction mechanism was described.     

Recyclable Merrifield resin-supported thiourea organocatalysts derived from l-proline for direct asymmetric aldol reaction

Four Merrifield resin-supported thiourea organocatalysts derived from l-proline were synthesized and found to be efficient catalysts for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction between ketone and aromatic aldehydes. The catalysts exhibited high catalytic activity, diastereoselectivity and excellent enantioselectivity at room temperature with a low loading (only 2 mol %). They also retained unchanged enantioselectivities even after being reused for at least four cycles.