Synthesis of sapphyrins, heterosapphyrins, and carbasapphyrins by a "4 + 1" approach

Sapphyrins are an important group of expanded porphyrins that show valuable anion binding characteristics. In this study, a "4 + 1" route to sapphyrin systems has been developed. Reaction of dialdehydes with a known tetrapyrrole intermediate 11b incorporating a bipyrrolic subunit afforded a wide range of sapphyrin-type products. The best conditions for these reactions involved carrying out the condensation of the dialdehydes with the tetrapyrrole in TFA-dichloromethane, followed by oxidation with dilute aqueous solutions of ferric chloride. A pyrrole dialdehyde reacted under these conditions to give sapphyrin in 50% yield, while furan and thiophene dialdehydes afforded the corresponding oxa- and thiasapphyrins in 66-90% yield. Pyrrole dialdehydes with fused phenanthrene or acenaphthylene rings also reacted with 11b to give the related phenanthro- and acenaphthosapphyrins in excellent yields. As was the case for acenaphthoporphyrins, the acenaphthosapphyrin gave longer wavelength absorptions than the corresponding phenanthrene fused structure, although the differences were not as marked as those seen in the porphyrin series. Reaction of 11b with 1,3-diformylindene gave a benzocarbasapphyrin in 38% yield, while a triformyl cyclopentadiene reacted with the tetrapyrrole to give a carbasapphyrin aldehyde in 7-12% yield. The free base carbasapphyrins were unstable but the monoprotonated hydrochloride salts could easily be isolated and characterized. Carbasapphyrins retain a strong diatropic ring current due to the presence of 22pi electron delocalization pathways. In the presence of trifluoroacetic acid, C-protonated dications are generated. Condensation of 1,3-azulenedicarbaldehyde with 11b gave an azulisapphyrin dihydrochloride salt in 35% yield, and this also showed a strong diatropic ring current. Addition of base gave the unstable free base form, while pyrrolidine formed an unstable adduct that showed an intense Soret band at 480 nm. These results demonstrate that many of the themes observed for modified porphyrins and carbaporphyrins also apply to the sapphyrin series, although in some cases reduced stability hampers these investigations.     

Catalytic and highly enantioselective Friedel–Crafts type reactions of heteroaromatic compounds with trifluoropyruvate and glyoxylate by a dicationic palladium complex

The highly enantioselective Friedel–Crafts alkylation of furan and thiophene derivatives with trifluoropyruvate, which have never provided the high level of asymmetric induction and yield until now, was achieved by using dicationic palladium complexes as Lewis acid catalysts. Moreover, glyoxylate instead of trifluoropyruvate as an electrophile led to complete change of regioselectivity with 2-trimethylsilylated furan, thiophene, and pyrrole derivatives to give the corresponding heteroarylated products in high yields and enantioselectivities. The respective products with trifluoropyruvate and glyoxylate could also be obtained via sequential catalytic reaction; intramolecular cyclization of alkynyldiols using cationic Au catalyst followed by Friedel–Crafts type reactions using dicationic Pd catalyst.     

Preparation of azulene-derived fulvenedialdehydes and their application to the synthesis of stable adj-dicarbaporphyrinoids

A "2 + 2" strategy for synthesizing adj-dicarbaporphyrinoid systems has been developed. In a model study, an azulenylmethylpyrrole dialdehyde was condensed with a dipyrrylmethane in the presence of HCl, followed by oxidation with ferric chloride, to give a modest yield of an azuliporphyrin. Fulvene aldehydes were prepared by reacting an indene-derived enamine with azulene aldehydes in the presence of Bu(2)BOTf, and azulene dialdehydes similarly reacted to give fulvene dialdehydes. The dialdehydes were condensed with dipyrrylmethanes in TFA/dichloromethane to afford good to excellent yields of dicarbaporphyrinoids with adjacent indene and azulene subunits. These 22-carbaazuliporphyrins exhibited significant diatropic character, and this property was magnified upon protonation. These characteristics are attributed to tropylium-containing resonance contributors that possess 18π electron delocalization pathways. Protonation studies demonstrated that C-protonation readily occurred at the interior indene carbon, but deuterium exchange also occurred at the internal azulene CH as well as at the meso-positions with TFA-d. Reaction of a carbaazuliporphyrin with silver(I) acetate in methanol or ethanol solutions also gave unusual nonaromatic dialkoxy derivatives.     

Synthesis,spectroscopy and metallation of mixed carbaporphyrinoid systems

Modified tripyrranes incorporating furan and thiophene rings were found to condense with benzene, pyridine and indene dialdehydes to give a series of novel porphyrin analogues, including thia- and oxa-carbaporphyrins; the latter readily forms nickel(II) and palladium(II) organometallic complexes.     

Ene Réaction et Réaction de Substitution sur Des Hétérocycles Catalysées par les Sels de Bi(III)

Carbonylated electrophiles react with furan, thiophene, or pyrrole derivatives in the presence of catalytic amounts of bismuth triflate or chloride, leading to either electrophilic substitution or ene reaction products.     

The direction of the dipole moments of furan,thiophen, and pyrrole: A controversial question

The report that the dipole moment in the five-membered heterocyclic rings, furan, thiophene, and pyrrole has the positive pole on the heteroatom is contradicted with arguments based on reactivity data, theoretical calculations and moment values of substituted derivatives. In actuality, the dipole moment in furan and thiophene is directed from the ring (positive pole) to the heteroatom (negative pole).     

The magnetic circular dichroism of five-membered ring heterocycles

The MCD spectra of pyrrole, furan, thiophene, selenophene and teburophene and some of their derivatives are reported and the corresponding energies, oscillator strengths, transition moment directions, and MCD terms are calculated from semi-empirical quantum mechanical calculations hi the π-electron approximation. The MCD spectrum of thiophene is only slightly perturbed by substituents, and this is also expected to be true of the quite similar MCD spectra of selenophene and tellurophene. These molecules can then be classified as “hard” chromophores. On the other hand, pyrrole and furan have different and much weaker MCD spectra which change shape considerably when substituents are introduced. The implications of these observations are further discussed.     

Cyclopentadienes Annelated with Five-membered Heterocycles: Methods of Synthesis, Heteroorganic Derivatives, and Synthetic Precursors. (Review)

The review is devoted to cyclopentadienes annelated with five-membered heterocycles (furan, pyrrole, thiophene, and their benzo analogs) (hetarenocyclopentadienes), their heteroorganic derivatives, and the synthetic precursors (hetarenocyclopentanones).     

Electron-rich heteroaroylphosphonates and their reaction with trimethyl phosphite

Dialkyl heteroaroylphosphonates based on thiophene, pyrrole or furan have been prepared and their reactions with trimethyl phosphite investigated. Deoxygenation of the carbonyl groups in these heteroaroylphosphonates occurs to give carbene intermediates, which then undergo further reaction. In the case of the furan-3-oylphosphonates and those systems containing a thiophene or pyrrole ring, the major reaction pathway involves intermolecular trapping of the carbene intermediates by the trimethyl phosphite, leading to the formation of ylidic phosphonates that can be readily converted into the corresponding 1,1-bisphosphonates. However, in some furan-2-oylphosphonates the carbenes generated undergo ring-opening to initially give acyclic alkynylphosphonates which may react further to give other novel phosphorus compounds. The effects of substituents on the extent to which intermolecular trapping of the initially formed carbene competes with intramolecular rearrangement has been investigated. The latter process appears to be suppressed by a substituent at the 5-position of the furan ring, the resulting ylidic phosphonates being a rare example of an efficient intermolecular trapping of a furan-2-yl carbene.     

Imine Oligomers and Polymers

Abstract

In the last few years, polymers with highly conjugated chains have attracted much attention because of their wide variety of applications in the field of electronics, opto‐electronics, and photonics. Polyimines (PIs) (polymeric Schiff bases) is a class of polymer family, which has been less reviewed. In this paper, we focus on the synthesis methods of PIs by polycondensation, using diamines or hydrazine and dialdehydes, diketones or quinone compounds, or by chemical and electrochemical polymerization of imine oligomers containing terminal oxidable groups (pyrrole, thiophene, furan, naphthalene, etc). PIs with liquid crystalline behavior or having rotaxane and dendrimer architectures are also discussed. Structure, thermal, opto‐electronic, electrical, and mechanical properties and some potential applications of this class of polymers are presented in the last chapters.     

Differences in reactions of vinyl derivatives of pyrrole and thiophene with acetylenic esters

1-Methyl-2-vinylpyrrole and 2-vinylthiophene showed remarkable differences in reactivity and regioselectivity upon reaction with methyl propiolate, respectively forming dimethyl 1-methylindole-4,7-dicarboxylate and dimethyl benzo[b]thiophene-4,6-dicarboxylate. 1-Methyl-2-(1-propenyl)pyrrole reacted with dimethyl ace-tylenedicarboxylate to give Diels-Alder and Michael-type adducts. On the other hand, 2-(1-propenyl)thiophene gave a 1:2 adduct which results via an initial cycloaddition and subsequent ene reaction.     

Pyrazole analogues of porphyrins and oxophlorins

A series of porphyrin analogues with pyrazole rings replacing one of the usual pyrrole subunits have been synthesized. This was accomplished by reacting 1-phenyl, 1-methyl and 1-ethyl pyrazole-1,3-dicarbaldehydes with a tripyrrane in the presence of TFA, followed by an oxidation step. The initially formed phlorin product was sufficiently stable for the N-phenyl system to be isolated and characterized, although the related N-alkyl phlorin analogues were less stable. Attempts to dehydrogenate the intermediary phlorins with DDQ resulted in decomposition, but the N-alkylphlorins could be oxidized with 0.2% aqueous ferric chloride solutions. Although the phenyl-substituted phlorin could not be oxidized under these conditions, it did afford the pyrazoloporphyrin upon treatment with silver acetate under acidic conditions. Oxidations with silver acetate also afforded oxophlorin analogues where the oxo-linkage was selectively formed at the 5-position. The pyrazole-containing porphyrin analogues are cross-conjugated and exhibit only a small degree of diatropic character. The internal CH resonances were observed between 5.27 and 5.87 ppm, while the external meso-protons fell into a range of 6.84-7.88 ppm. The borderline overall aromatic character was attributed to dipolar resonance contributors. Protonation considerably increased the diatropicity and the diprotonated dications formed from these porphyrin analogues gave the internal CH resonance at upfield values of 2.65-3.20 ppm. The aromatic character was enhanced by the presence of an electron-donating alkyl substituent on the nitrogen compared to the phenyl-substituted species. The pyrazoloporphyrins reacted with nickel(II) acetate in DMF, or palladium(II) acetate in acetonitrile, to give the corresponding organometallic derivatives. The metal complexes showed increased diatropic character but protonation afforded nonaromatic cations. The oxophlorin analogues were also nonaromatic in the free base and protonated forms. This work extends our understanding of carbaporphyrinoid systems and provides the first detailed studies on pyrazole-containing porphyrin analogues.     

Tetraaryldimethoxybenziporphyrins. At the edge of carbaporphyrinoid aromaticity

A series of eight dimethoxybenziporphyrins were prepared in three steps from 1,3-dimethoxybenzene or 2,6-dimethoxytoluene. Dibromination, followed by lithium-halogen exchange and reaction with benzaldehyde gave dicarbinol intermediates. These reacted with pyrrole and aryl aldehydes in the presence of BF3.Et2O in chloroform, followed by oxidation with DDQ, to give the benziporphyrins in 15-25% yield. These compounds readily gave nickel(II) and palladium(II) organometallic derivatives and could be selectively reduced with sodium borohydride to give unstable benziphlorins. Regioselective oxidation with silver acetate afforded the related 22-acetoxybenziporphyrins in 52-64% yield. The dimethoxybenziporphyrins showed chemical shifts by proton NMR spectroscopy that were consistent with weakly diatropic macrocycles. However, addition of TFA gave dications that showed far more significant shifts that are attributed to the presence of a more substantial diatropic ring current. The internal CH for 11H2(2+) was observed at 3.5 ppm, but this effect was diminished for the 3-methylbenziporphyrins 12H2(2+) where this resonance appears at 4.7 ppm. Even in the absence of the methoxy substituents, the dication derived from tetraphenylbenziporphyrin 8H2(2+) shows an upfield shift for this resonance to 5.5 ppm. The dications of the 22-acetoxybenziporphyrins also show similar effects despite the presence of an internal ester moiety. These results demonstrate that a spectrum of diatropic character can manifest even in highly crowded benziporphyrin derivatives.     

Synthesis and Properties of 2-(2-Furyl)- and 2-(2-Thienyl)-1-methylphenanthro[9,10-d]imidazoles

Condensation of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone with 2-furaldehyde and 2-thiophenecarbaldehyde in glacial acetic acid in the presence of ammonium acetate gave 2-(2-furyl)- and 2-(2-thienyl)phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazoles which were converted into the corresponding 1-methyl derivatives. The furan and thiophene rings in the products lose their acidophobic properties. Depending on the conditions, electrophilic substitution reactions in 2-(2-furyl)- and 2-(2-thienyl)phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazoles occur both at the furan (thiophene) and phenanthrene moieties.     

Copper‐Catalyzed C(sp3)−H/C(sp3)−H Cross‐Dehydrogenative Coupling with Internal Oxidants: Synthesis of 2‐Trifluoromethyl‐Substituted Dihydropyrrol‐2‐ols

The first oxidative C(sp³)−H/C(sp³)−H cross‐dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction promoted by an internal oxidant is reported. This copper‐catalyzed CDC reaction of oxime acetates and trifluoromethyl ketones provides a simple and efficient approach towards 2‐trifluoromethyldihydropyrrol‐2‐ol derivatives in a highly diastereoselective manner by cascade C(sp³)−C(sp³) bond formation and cyclization. These products were further transformed into various significant and useful trifluoromethylated heterocyclic compounds, such as trifluoromethylated furan, thiophene, pyrrole, dihydropyridazine, and pyridazine derivatives. A trifluoromethylated analogue of an Aβ₄₂ lowering agent was also synthesized smoothly. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that this reaction involves a copper(I)/copper(III) catalytic cycle with the oxime acetate acting as an internal oxidant.     

Porphyrins with exocyclic rings. Part 21: Influence of pyrrolic and carbocyclic ring alkyl substituents on the synthesis of porphyrins bearing six-membered exocyclic rings

A series of 5-substituted 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindoles were prepared by reacting 4-substituted cyclohexanones with phenylhydrazones derived from esters of acetoacetic acid under Knorr-type reaction conditions. Related 6,6-dimethyltetrahydroindoles were also prepared by reacting dimedone with oximes by the Knorr pyrrole syntheses, followed by selective reduction of the remaining ketone moiety with diborane. The substituted tetrahydroindoles were regioselectively oxidized with lead tetraacetate to give the related 7-acetoxy derivatives, and these reacted with 5-unsubstituted pyrrole esters to give pyrrolyltetrahydroindoles. In one case, a bromo substituent was used to protect the β-position of the pyrrole reactant. Cleavage of the benzyl ester protective groups with hydrogen over Pd/C, which also removes the bromo-protective group, gave four dipyrrole carboxylic acids. These were condensed with a dipyrrylmethane dialdehyde using the MacDonald ‘2+2’ condensation to give substituted porphyrins with six-membered exocyclic rings. These structures are useful for comparison to porphyrin samples found in organic-rich sediments such as oil shales and petroleum. The presence of methyl substituents on the six-membered ring for the tetrahydroindole precursors slightly decreases the yields for porphyrin synthesis, and this effect is enhanced when the system becomes more sterically crowded due to the presence of an ethyl group of the adjacent pyrrole ring. 5-Alkyl substituted tetrahydroindoles were also converted to tetrapropanoporphyrins via a cyclotetramerization procedure. The alkyl substituents again decreased the yields, although 5-alkyl substituents were found to have a far less deleterious effect than 6-alkyl groups. In addition to providing samples to help assign the vibrational spectra of geoporphyrin samples, these results demonstrate that highly substituted porphyrin systems can be prepared from tetrahydroindole derivatives.     

Spatial extension of the bipolaronic defect in highly conducting polymers based on five-membered aromatic rings

The molecular geometries of neutral and dicationic oligomers comprising 7, 10, 13 and 16 rings of thiophene, furan and pyrrole were determined using quantum mechanical calculations. The usual benzenoid structure was characterized for neutral oligomers, whereas a quinoid structural defect which extends over six rings was found for dications. Analysis of the transition region, where the quinoid structure changes to the benzenoid one, revealed structural differences between thiophene, furan and pyrrole derivatives.     

De Novo and Divergent Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Furans by Cascade Reactions of 2-Hydroxy-1,4-diones with Nucleophiles

Herein, a divergent synthesis of a variety of 2α- and 5α-substituted furan derivatives from 2-hydroxy-1,4-diones is reported. By using appropriate substrates and an acid catalyst, the reactions occurred selectively through cyclization/1,6-conjugate addition or cyclization/Friedel–Crafts-type cascade reactions. A broad range of nucleophilic reagents (>10 types for the 1,6-conjugate addition for 5α substitution and >20 types for the Friedel–Crafts-type cascade reaction for 2α substitution), including alcohols, amides, furan, thiophene, pyrrole, indole, phenols, and many others, can successfully participate in the reactions, providing a universal strategy for a diversity-oriented synthesis of α-substituted furan derivatives. Deuteriation experiments and DFT calculations were carried out to support the proposed reaction mechanisms. Antifungal activity experiments revealed that products with an indole or 4-hydroxycoumarin core substituted at the 2α position showed moderate activities against Rhizoctorzia solani and Botrytis cinerea, respectively.     

Preparation of stable fulvene and difulvene aldehydes from benzaldehydes and an indene-derived enamine: formation of novel indene-fused benzodiazepines and attempted syntheses of di- and tricarbaporphyrinoid systems

Although carbaporphyrins and related systems have been widely studied, far less work has been carried out on the synthesis of porphyrin analogues with more than one carbocyclic subunit. Fulvene aldehydes are potentially valuable intermediates for studies of this type. A versatile methodology has been developed where benzaldehydes are reacted with an indene-derived enamine in the presence of dibutylboron triflate to give fulvene monoaldehydes. This chemistry allows halo, alkyl, methoxy or cyanovinyl units to be introduced and the resulting fulvenes are stable compounds that are easily purified by column chromatography. Isophthalaldehydes afford difulvene dialdehydes that are equally stable and these can be reduced with CeCl₃-NaBH₄ to give the related dicarbinols. The difulvene dialdehydes failed to give macrocyclic products when reacted with o-phenylenediamine in the presence of CeCl₃ but instead gave unprecedented bis-indene-fused benzodiazepines. Fulvene monoaldehydes also reacted under these conditions to give benzodiazepine products in good yields. These results highlight the potential utility of fulvene aldehydes for synthetic applications both inside and outside of the area of porphyrin analogue chemistry.     

Chiral Calix[3]pyrrole Derivatives: Synthesis,Racemization Kinetics,and Ring Expansion to Calix[9]- and Calix[12]pyrrole Analogues

Chiral pyrrolic macrocycles continue to attract interest. However, their molecular design remains challenging. Here, we report a calixpyrrole-based chiral macrocyclic system, calix[1]furan[1]pyrrole[1]thiophene ( 1 ), synthesized from an oligoketone. Macrocycle 1 adopts a partial cone conformation in the solid state, and undergoes racemization via ring inversion. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that inversion of the thiophene is the rate determining step. Pyrrole N-methylation suppressed racemization and permitted chiral resolution. Enantioselective N-methylation also occurred in the presence of a chiral ammonium salt, although the stereoselectivity is modest. A unique feature of 1 is that it acts as a useful synthetic precursor to yield several calix[n]furan[n]pyrrole[n]thiophene products (n=2–4), including a calix[12]pyrrole analogue that to our knowledge constitutes the largest calix[n]pyrrole-like species to be structurally characterized.