Synthesis of 9-phenol-substituted xanthenes by cascade O-insertion/1,6-conjugate addition of benzyne with ortho-hydroxyphenyl substituted para-quinone methides

Benzynes undergo O-insertion/1,6-conjugate addition reaction with ortho-hydroxyphenyl substituted para-quinone methides efficiently, producing 9-phenol substituted xanthenes in moderate to high yields.     

Enantioselective Catalytic [4+1]-Cyclization of ortho-Hydroxy-para-Quinone Methides with Allenoates

The first highly asymmetric catalytic synthesis of densely functionalized dihydrobenzofurans is reported, which starts from ortho-hydroxy-containing para-quinone methides. The reaction relies on an unprecedented formal [4+1]-annulation of these quinone methides with allenoates in the presence of a commercially available chiral phosphine catalyst. The chiral dihydrobenzofurans were obtained as single diastereomers in yields up to 90 % and with enantiomeric ratios up to 95:5.     

13C NMR study of ortho-, meta- and para- substituted phenyldiphenylamines: Substituent effect correlations

The ¹³C chemical shifts of 11 substituted triphenylamines have been determined and the assignment of these resonances made using intensities, ¹H and ¹⁹F couplings and predictions from bond additivity relationships. ¹³C chemical shifts at carbons bearing the substituent and at carbons ortho to the substituent correlated reasonably well with the Q parameter. A multiple regression analysis of chemical shifts with the field and resonance parameters of Swain and Lupton and the Q parameter produced significantly better correlations than those obtained when Q was omitted for these positions. ¹³C chemical shift correlations for carbons meta and para to the substituent were not significantly better than when Q was omitted. Significant correlations were obtained between field and resonance parameters and ¹³C chemical shifts of C-o and C-p, and C-i, C-o, C-m and C-p of the non-substituent bearing phenyl rings in ortho- and para-substituted phenyldiphenylamines, respectively.     

Aza-Ortho-Quinone Methides as Reactive Intermediates: Generation and Utility in Contemporary Asymmetric Synthesis

The aza-ortho-quinone methide (aza-o-QM) chemistry has overwhelmingly progressed in the past few decades. This review aims to integrate various transition metal-catalyzed and organocatalytic strategies in taming aza-o-QM intermediates, including the aza-ortho-vinylidene quinone methide (aza-o-VQM), aza-ortho-alkynyl quinone methide (aza-o-AQM), aza-para-quinone methide (aza-p-QM), and indole-based aza-o-QM analog. These transient species are often utilized for the direct and enantioselective synthesis of complex (hetero)polycyclic or fused-ring molecular scaffolds such as tetrahydroquinoline and indoline, among others, which are abundant in many natural products, bioactive compounds, and pharmaceuticals.     

A comparative study between para‐aminophenyl and ortho‐aminophenyl benzothiazoles using NMR and DFT calculations

Ortho‐substituted and para‐substituted aminophenyl benzothiazoles were synthesised and characterised using NMR spectroscopy. A comparison of the proton chemical shift values reveals significant differences in the observed chemical shift values for the NH protons indicating the presence of a hydrogen bond in all ortho‐substituted compounds as compared to the para compounds. The presence of intramolecular hydrogen bond in the ortho amino substituted aminophenyl benzothiazole forces the molecule to be planar which may be an additional advantage in developing these compounds as Alzheimer's imaging agent because the binding to amyloid fibrils prefers planar compounds. The splitting pattern of the methylene proton next to the amino group also showed significant coupling to the amino proton consistent with the notion of the existence of slow exchange and hydrogen bond in the ortho‐substituted compounds. This is further verified by density functional theory calculations which yielded a near planar low energy conformer for all the o‐aminophenyl benzothiazoles and displayed a hydrogen bond from the amine proton to the nitrogen of the thiazole ring. A detailed analysis of the ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts and density functional theory calculated structures of the compounds are described. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient construction of polycyclic chromans through 4-methylbenzenesulfonic acid mediated domino 1,6-addition/oxa-Mannich reaction of ortho-hydroxyphenyl substituted para-quinone methides and cyclic enamides

A practical TsOH promoted novel domino 1,6-addition/oxa-Mannich reaction of cyclic enamides and ortho-hydroxyphenyl substituted para-quinone methides was established smoothly under mild reaction conditions. With this developed protocol, sorts of polycyclic compounds with chroman motifs were obtained in high level of yields and moderate to excellent diastereoselectivities (up to >99% yield, >20:1 dr).     

Synthesis of new carbonyl and fluoroalkyl o-quinone methides from β-lapachone

The synthesis of new carbonyl and fluoroalkyl o-quinone methides from β-lapachone is reported.     

13C chemical shifts of phenol derivatives. A correlation with electronic structure

The ¹³C chemical shifts of twenty chloro- and nitro-substituted phenols have been measured in d-chloroform. The influence of substituents on the screening at C-1, on the total charge at this position and on the dipole moments is reported and analysed. The results of this study suggest that variations of the chemical shifts at C-1 for meta-methyl-, meta-chloro-, meta-nitro-, ortho- and para-methyl-, ortho- and para-chlorosubstituents mainly reflect charge density changes. The influence of ortho-nitro groups on the screening of C-1 is more complex.     

Asymmetric Catalytic [4+5] Annulation of ortho-Quinone Methides with Vinylethylene Carbonates and its Extension to Stereoselective Tandem Rearrangement

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric [4+5] annulation of ortho-quinone methides (o-QMs) with substituted vinylethylene carbonates (VECs) is described for the first time, giving a novel enantioselective approach to chiral nine-membered benzoheterocycles. Based on this designed [4+5] annulation, an unprecedented silica gel-promoted tandem rearrangement reaction featuring a unique asymmetric aromatic Claisen rearrangement is explored at room temperature, offering a new method for asymmetric construction of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters embedded in chiral functionalized homoallylic alcohols.     

Carbon-13 NMR studies of quinolines and isoquinolines. II. Chlorine–nitrogen interactions and N-oxide effects

Carbon-13 chemical shift assignments are reported for four chloroquinolines, six chloroisoquinolines, one dichloroquinoline, four dichloroisoquinolines, four methylchloroquinolines, two methylchloroisoquinolines, quinoline N-oxide, isoquinoline N-oxide, five methylquinoline N-oxides, two methylisoquinoline N-oxides and three chloroisoquinoline N-oxides. Chlorine substituent chemical shift (SCS) effects are reported for the alpha, ortho, meta, para and peri positions. Consistent patterns are observed for the para and peri positions, a vinylogous ortho pattern is reported and the additivity of these SCS effects is demonstrated. Alpha SCS effects vary widely from 1.1 ppm upfield in 1-chloroisoquinoline to 6.7 ppm downfield in 4-chloroquinoline. These results, together with those in the literature, permit the definition of steric and nitrogen lone-pair contributions which modify the ‘normal’ chlorine SCS effect, and these modifying contributions are shown to be roughly additive. Large (6–16 ppm) upfield shifts are observed for the carbons ortho and para to the N-oxide group. The individual magnitudes of these shifts and their sum are constant and the effects are additive in substituted systems. A 9.5 ppm upfield shift is also observed for C-8 in quinoline N-oxides which is attributed to a space–charge interaction. Substituent chemical shift (SCS) effects for the chloro and methyl groups and the chemical shifts of the methyl carbons are essentially the same in the N-oxides as in the parent heterocycles and are additive, except for those molecules where the substituent is adjacent to the N-oxide moiety, in which cases substantial interactions are observed.     

A correlation of substituent effects with proton chemical shifts in aromatic tetrazolic acids

The effect of substituents on the proton chemical shifts and spin–spin coupling constants in ortho-, meta- and para-substituted 5-phenyltetrazoles (tetrazolic acids) in DMSO–CH₃CN (1:1, v/v) was studied. With the meta- and para- substituted compounds the additivity rule of chemical shifts was obeyed, thereby enabling increments characterizing the effects of individual substituents in monosubstituted benzenes to be determined. By employing the Smith and Proulx equation, the chemical shifts of the aromatic protons were correlated with the F, R and Q substituent constants. The values of these constants are 1.02, ?0.004 and 5.49, respectively, for the tetrazolyl substituent.     

A dynamic surface prepared by electrochemical triggering of substituted methoxyphenol-terminated self-assembled monolayers for multi-functional purposes

We devised a methoxyphenol thiol derivative with an electron-withdrawing (–CHO) and an electron-donating (–CH₂OH) substituent for the preparation of a dynamic surface that can be used for multi-functional purposes. This molecule was electrochemically activated to an o-quinone form by the oxidative triggering through demethoxylation, followed by hydroxylation on para position upon potential cycling whose rate depended on the nature of substituents. An electron-withdrawing substituent facilitated nucleophilic addition of water, forming a 1,2,5-trihydroxy form, and only para-hydroquinone underwent a redox reaction. An electron-donating substituent, however, was not able to activate this process, leaving behind only an ortho form. The o-quinone showed catalytic activity toward ascorbic acid and NADH oxidation.     

Self-Accelerating Diels–Alder Reaction for Preparing Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity

It is a formidable challenge in polycondensation to simultaneously construct multiple covalent bonds to prepare double-stranded polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) with fused multicyclic linkages. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to develop a self-accelerating Diels–Alder reaction for successfully preparing double-stranded PIMs with fused multicyclic backbone structures. A self-accelerating Diels–Alder reaction was developed based on the [4+2] cycloaddition of sym-dibenzo-1,5-cyclooctadiene-3,7-diyne (DIBOD) and ortho-quinone compounds. In this reaction, the cycloaddition of ortho-quinone with the first alkyne of DIBOD activates the second alkyne, which reacts with ortho-quinone at a rate constant 192 times larger than that of the original alkyne. Using this self-accelerating reaction to polymerize DIBOD and spirocyclic/cyclic difunctional ortho-quinone monomers, a novel stoichiometric imbalance-promoted step-growth polymerization method was developed to prepare PIMs. The resultant PIMs possess intrinsic ultramicropores with pore sizes between 0.45 to 0.7 nm, high specific surface areas above 646 m² g⁻¹, and good H₂ separation performance.     

Band‐Gap Manipulations of Monolayer Graphene by Phenyl Radical Adsorptions: A Density Functional Theory Study

Phenyl radical (Ph^.) adsorption on monolayer graphene sheets is used to investigate the band‐gap manipulation of graphene through density functional theory. Adsorption of a single Ph^. on graphene breaks the aromatic π‐bond and generates an unpaired electron, which is delocalized to the ortho or para position. Adsorption of a second radical at the ortho or para position saturates the radical by electron pairing and results in semiconducting graphene. Adsorption of a second radical at the ortho position (ortho–ortho pairing) is found to be more favorable than adsorption at the para position (ortho–para pairing), and the ortho–ortho pairing has stronger effects on band‐gap opening compared with ortho–para pairing. Adsorption of even numbers of Ph^. on graphene by ortho–ortho and ortho–para pairings, in general, increases the band gap. Our study shows promise of band‐gap manipulation in monolayer graphene by Ph^. adsorption, leading to potential wider applications of graphene.     

Carbon Magnetic Resonance Spectra of α, β, γ, δ- and α, β, α′, β′- Unsaturated Ketones

Carbon-13 spectra of a series of 26 unsaturated ketones (ortho- and para-cyclo-hexadienones and corresponding open-chain analogues) have been measured by Fourier-transform. Pulse spectroscopy. A complete analysis has been achieved by means of double resonance experiments using noise-modulated and coherent off-resonance proton irradiation and with the aid of non-decoupled spectra. Chemical shifts are interpreted in terms of charge distribution in the dienone system and of methyl substituent effects. Carbon chemical shifts were also obtained for O-protonated ortho- and para-cyclohexadienones. One-bond and long-range carbon-proton and carbon-fluorine spin coupling constants are reported for several compounds.     

Investigation of substituent effects of chalcones by 13C n.m.r. spectroscopy

¹³C chemical shifts for 23 para- and meta-substituted chalcones of the types 1 and 2 have been determined. The aromatic shieldings are compared with previous results for other aromatic derivatives. Correlations of the ¹³C chemical shifts of vinyl carbons and carbonyl carbons as well as ring carbons with Hammett σ parameters, π electron densities and the reactivity parameters of Swain and Lupton provide a consistent picture of electronic effects transmitted through the carbon framework of the compounds studied.     

Dearomatization-Rearomatization Reaction of Metal-Polarized Aza-ortho-Quinone Methides

Metal-polarized aza-ortho-quinone methides (aza-o-QMs) are a unique and efficient handle for azaheterocycle synthesis. Despite great achievements, the potential of these reactive intermediates has not yet been fully exploited, especially the new reaction modes. Herein, we disclosed an unprecedented dearomatization process of metal-polarized aza-o-QMs, affording transient dearomatized spiroaziridine intermediates. Based on this serendipity, we accomplished three sequential dearomatization-rearomatization reactions of benzimidazolines with aza-sulfur ylides, enabling the divergent synthesis of bis-nitrogen heterocycles with high efficiency and flexibility. Moreover, experimental and theoretical studies were performed to explain the proposed mechanisms and observed selectivity. Further cellular evaluation of the dibenzodiazepine products identified a hit compound for new antitumor drugs.     

Chemistry of novolac resins. X. Polymerization studies of HMTA and strategically synthesized model compounds

The reactions between hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) and compounds which model novolac resins have been studied by ¹³C‐ and ¹⁵N‐NMR techniques. The dimer and tetramer compounds vary in molecular size and structure and react with HMTA to yield benzylamines and benzoxazine as the major initial‐formed intermediates and convert to methylene linked compounds at increased temperatures. The reaction of the compounds with only ortho reactive sites paralleled the 2,4‐xylenol–HMTA case reported by us previously; however, increasing molecular weight favored the formation of benzylamines and not benzoxazines. Those compounds with only para reactive sites paralleled the 2,6‐xylenol–HMTA case. The reactivity of the systems containing both ortho and para reactive sites depends on the ratio of ortho/para sites and various aspects such as the chemical structure and molecular weight of the compound, the HMTA level, and the melting point and pH of the system. These results parallel those obtained from novolac/HMTA systems. The xylenol/HMTA reactions formed similar products but showed quite different relative reaction rates by varying the HMTA ratio and structures of the materials. The importance of careful selection of model systems is also discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1347–1355, 1999     

Synthesis and oxidation of ‘non-annulated’ vitamin E-like compounds

Two model compounds (3 and 4) having the typical α-tocopherol-type substitution pattern of the aromatic ring, but lacking the annulated pyran ring, have been synthesized. Upon oxidation, the two possible ortho-quinone methides (oQMs) of each are formed in equal ratio. DFT calculations suggest that there is no angular strain in 3 and 4, and each of the oQM pairs is of similar energy. These results prove that the commonly observed regioselectivity in oxidations of vitamin E-type model compounds is not an electronic substitution effect, but a consequence of annulation.     

Zur Kenntnis des Chinoiden Zustandes—XX: 13CMR-Untersuchungen an Cyclohexadienonen

The ¹³C-NMR-chemical shifts of 19 para- and 5 ortho-cyclohexadienones are determined by ¹³C-Fourier-transformation spectroscopy and assigned. The effect of substituents on the chemical shift of the ring carbon atoms is discussed. The mutual dependence of the shifts of the olefinic ring carbons and the allylic carbon atom in the para-quinolid ring system is shown by computing regression lines. A frequently observed correlation between ¹³C-NMR and ¹H-NMR is examined in the case of cyclohexadienones.