Indium-mediated alkynylation of Baylis-Hillman acetates: a novel route to 1,4-enynes

Baylis-Hillman acetates undergo smooth alkynylation with aryl-susbstituted iodoalkynes in the presence of indium metal in refluxing dichloromethane to furnish 1,4-enynes in high yields with (E)-stereoselectivity. In the absence of Lewis acid, the reaction follows both S_N2 and S_N2′ pathways affording 1:1 mixtures of 1,4-enynes. Upon addition of 10 mol % of InBr₃, the reaction proceeds preferably in the S_N2′ manner. In the case of adducts derived from acrylonitrile, the corresponding products are obtained in fairly good yields and with (Z)-stereoselectivity.     

Sulfoxide-controlled SN2′ displacements between cuprates and vinyl and alkynyl epoxy sulfoxides

The S_N2′ displacement of readily available vinyl epoxy sulfoxides with organocopper reagents takes place in good yields with high anti selectivity and a good degree of E/Z stereocontrol to produce enantiopure α-hydroxy vinyl sulfoxides. A second allylic displacement on the related mesyloxy vinyl sulfoxides allows for the asymmetric construction of two adjacent chiral centers. In addition, cuprate mediated S_N2′ addition to alkynyl epoxy sulfoxides affords α-hydroxy allenyl sulfoxides in good yields.     

Internal conversion of the anionic GFP chromophore: in and out of the I-twisted S1/S0 conical intersection seam

The functional diversity of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) family is intimately connected to the interplay between competing photo-induced transformations of the chromophore motif, anionic p-hydroxybenzylidene-2,3-dimethylimidazolinone (HBDI⁻). Its ability to undergo Z/E-isomerization is of particular importance for super-resolution microscopy and emerging opportunities in optogenetics. Yet, key dynamical features of the underlying internal conversion process in the native HBDI⁻ chromophore remain largely elusive. We investigate the intrinsic excited-state behavior of isolated HBDI⁻ to resolve competing decay pathways and map out the factors governing efficiency and the stereochemical outcome of photoisomerization. Based on non-adiabatic dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that non-selective progress along the two bridge-torsional (i.e., phenolate, P, or imidazolinone, I) pathways accounts for the three decay constants reported experimentally, leading to competing ultrafast relaxation primarily along the I-twisted pathway and S₁ trapping along the P-torsion. The majority of the population (∼70%) is transferred to S₀ in the vicinity of two approximately enantiomeric minima on the I-twisted intersection seam (MECI-Is). Despite their sloped, reactant-biased topographies (suggesting low photoproduct yields), we find that decay through these intersections leads to products with a surprisingly high quantum yield of ∼30%. This demonstrates that E-isomer generation results at least in part from direct isomerization on the excited state. A photoisomerization committor analysis reveals a difference in intrinsic photoreactivity of the two MECI-Is and that the observed photoisomerization is the combined result of two effects: early, non-statistical dynamics around the less reactive intersection followed by later, near-statistical behavior around the more reactive MECI-I. Our work offers new insight into internal conversion of HBDI⁻ that both establishes the intrinsic properties of the chromophore and enlightens principles for the design of chromophore derivatives and protein variants with improved photoswitching properties.

The Z–E photoisomerization quantum yield of the HBDI⁻ chromophore is a result of early, non-statistical dynamics around a less reactive I-twisted intersection and later, statistical behavior around the more reactive, near-enantiomeric counterpart.     

Some unusual reactivities in the SmI2-mediated reductive coupling of acrylamides and acrylates with imides

A serendipitous discovery of some intra-molecular enolate addition reactions following a SmI₂-mediated reductive cross-coupling between imides and electron-deficient olefins leading to some novel compounds was investigated to determine the generality of the protocol and the possible mechanistic pathways involved. This provided a Z-selective synthesis of γ-ketoenediamides in good yields, albeit as of now the substrate scope remains limited. It was also shown that the seemingly similar acrylate substrates can behave differently compared to the corresponding acrylamides in their SmI₂-mediated reductive cross-coupling reaction with imides, and it was argued that these diverging reactivities are dominated by the ability of the acrylates to coordinate the samarium metal centre.     

Photochemical and thermal addition of alcohols to 2-cyanofuran : 1-alkoxy-2-cyanocyclopropane-3-carboxaldehydes; 2-alkoxy-3-cyano-2, 3-dihydrofuran; 1-alkoxy-1-(2-furan)-methylenimine; photochemical ring contraction; cis-trans-isomerization of dihydrofurans

The photolysis of 2-cyanofuran in alcohols yields 1-alkoxy-2-cyanocyclopropane-3-carboxaldehydes as the major products, which rearrange thermally to trans-2-alkoxy-3-cyano-2,3-dihydrofurans and small amounts of cis-isomers. Thermal mutual rearrangements between trans- and cis-2- alkoxy-3-cyano-2, 3-dihydrofurans were studied. Liquid phase thermal addition of alcohols in a temperature range between 100° and 200° yields 1-alkoxy-1-(2-furan)-methylenimines, which rearrange photochemically to 2-furyl-methylamino-ketone in case of the methoxy derivative. 3-Cyano-furan does not yield photoaddition or thermal addition products. The different behaviors of 2- and 3-substituted furans are discussed.     

Functionalization of 2-(S)-isopropyl-5-iodo-pyrimidin-4-ones through Cu(I)-mediated 1,3-dipolar azide-alkyne cycloadditions

A series of 2-(S)-isopropyl-pyrimidinones functionalized at C5 with triazole rings, in which the substituents are found at N-1′ of the triazole ring, were synthesized. Through the azide-acetylene cycloaddition reaction, using CuI as a copper source and ultrasonic waves as an energy source it was possible to obtain products with yields ranging from 79% to 89% within 5 min or less. A preliminary study to gain further insight into the reaction was performed using in situ ReactIR technology.     

[3+2] Dipolar cycloadditions of an unstabilised azomethine ylide under continuous flow conditions

The [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition reactions of the unstabilised azomethine ylide precursor benzyl(methoxymethyl)(trimethylsilylmethyl)amine with 12 electron-deficient alkenes in the presence of catalytic trifluoroacetic acid are examined under continuous flow conditions (20-100 °C, 10-60 min residence time). The more reactive and hazardous alkenes such as ethyl acrylate, N-methylmaleimide and (E)-2-nitrostyrene afford substituted N-benzylpyrrolidine products in 77-83% yields, whereas less reactive dipolarophiles such as (E)-crotononitrile and ethyl methacrylate give lower yields (59-63%). Under optimised conditions, the reaction with ethyl acrylate is scaled up to afford ethyl N-benzylpyrrolidine-3-carboxylate (30 g, 87%) in 1 h.     

Biotransformations of steroids to testololactone by a multifunctional strain Penicillium simplicissimum WY134-2

The biotransformations of a range of steroidal compounds, including 17α-hydroxy progesterone, progesterone, testosterone, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (AD), pregnenolone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), by Penicillium simplicissimum WY134-2 have been investigated. In all the cases, testolic acid and testololactone were detected, and the acid was converted to the lactone when pH was adjusted to 1, leading to isolation of testololactone in 25%–96% yields. Especially for progesterone and testosterone, the isolated yields were 93% and 96% with substrate concentration being 3 g/L, suggesting that P. simplicissimum WY134-2 may be used for the synthesis of testololactone. The results revealed the multi-functional catalytic activity of P. simplicissimum WY134-2 toward steroids for the first time. The possible reaction pathways of steroids promoted by this strain were discussed.     

Highly diastereoselective reactions of 2-lithiated indoles with chiral N-tert-butanesulfinyl aldimines for the synthesis of chiral (2-indolyl) methanamine derivatives

Nucleophilic addition reactions of 2-lithiated N-phenylsulfonylindoles with (R)-N-tert-butanesulfinyl aldimines provided chiral (2-indolyl) methanamine derivatives in moderate to good yields (up to 100%) with excellent diastereoselectivities (>99:1), in which no additional Lewis acids were required.     

Nucleophilic reactivity of amines with an α-formylglycyl enol-tosylate fragment

The E-enol-tosylate of S-3-benzyl-6-formylpiperazine-2,5-dione reacts with 1°- and 2°-amines to yield its respective 3S-benzyl-6E-endiamine products while a 3°-amine, DABCO, exclusively yields a bis-3,6-ylidenepiperazine-2,5-dione product. These competitive reaction pathways with amine electron donors are shown to arise mechanistically via the same intermediate, or its tautomers, with an H-bond assisted nucleophilic substitution process being operative in the former case and an elimination reaction pathway in the latter instance.     

Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric radical additions of trialkylboranes to (1R,2S,5R)-2-(1-methyl-1-phenylethyl)-5-methylcyclohexyl-2H-azirine-3-carboxylate

The asymmetric addition of alkyl radicals to (1R,2S,5R)-2-(1-methyl-1-phenylethyl)-5-methylcyclohexyl-2H-azirine-3-carboxylate (1) yielding the corresponding 2-alkylaziridine-2-carboxylates has been investigated. High diastereoselectivities and good yields were obtained in the addition of primary alkyl radicals to azirine 1, while secondary radicals gave a lower dr. The influence of Lewis acids was also investigated; 10 mol% of CuCl were found to increase the dr.     

The high-pressure phase transition of TiS2 from first-principles calculations

The structural stability of TiS₂ under high pressures has been investigated by using first-principles plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory within the local density approximation (LDA). The obtained results predict that TiS₂ undergoes a pressure-induced first-order phase transition from its trigonal 1T-type structure to orthorhombic cotunnite-type structure at 16.20 GPa. The calculated transition pressure agrees quite well with the experimental finding of 20.7 GPa. The equation of state determined from our calculated results yields bulk moduli of 58.91 and 118.10 GPa for the 1T-type and cotunnite-type phases, respectively. This indicates higher incompressibility of the high-pressure phase of TiS₂. In addition, the electronic structures of the two phases of TiS₂ are also calculated and discussed. The results suggest the structural phase transition of TiS₂ at high pressure is followed by a semimetal to metal electronic transition.     

Enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by C2-symmetric chiral diols

Optically pure C₂-symmetric diols have been synthesized with moderate yields in a straightforward manner, and are used as catalysts in the enantioselective alkylation of aromatic aldehydes with diethylzinc. The addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde and sterically hindered 1-naphthaldehyde was achieved with excellent enantioselectivities (97–99% ee) under catalysis with (1R,2R)-1,2-bis(3,5-dibromophenyl)-ethane-1,2-diol and (1R,2R)-1,2-bis(3,5-diphenylphenyl)-ethane-1,2-diol.     

Beam-gas chemiluminescent reactions of Eu and Sm with O3, N2O,NO2 and F2

Studies are made of the visible chemiluminescence resulting from the reaction of an atomic beam of samarium or europium with O₃, N₂O, NO₂ and F₂ under single-collision conditions (～10^?4 torr). The spectra obtained for SmO, EuO, SmF, and EuF are considerably more extensive than previously observed. The variation of the chemiluminescent intensity with metal flux and with oxidant flux is investigated, and it's concluded that the reactions are bimolecular. From the short wavelength curoff of the chemiluminescent spectra, the following lower bounds to the ground state dissociation energies are obtained: D⁰₀(SmO) > 135.5 +- 0.7 kcal/mole, D⁰₀(EuO) > 131.4 ± 0.7 kcal/mole, D⁰₀(SmF) > 123.6 ± 2.1 kcal/mole, and D⁰₀(EuF) > 129.6 ± 2.1 kcal/mole. Using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, the latent heats of sublimation are found to be ΔH₁₀₅₂ (Eu) = 42.3 ± 0.7 kcal/mole for europium and ΔH₁₀₈₄(Sm) = 47.9 ± 0.7 kcal/mole for samarium. Total phenomena- logical cross sections are determined for metal atom removal. Relative photon yields per product molecule are calculated from the integrated chemiluminescent spectra and it is found that Sm + F₂ → SmF^* + F is the brightest reaction. The comparison of the photon yields under single-collision conditions with those at several torr shows that energy transfer collisons play an important role in the mechanism for chemiluminescence at the higher pressures. A simple model is presented which explains the larger photon yields of the Sm reactions compared to the Eu reactions in terms of the greater number of electronic states correlating with the reactants in the case of samarium.     

N-α-Benzyloxyacetyl derivatives of (S)-4-benzyl-5,5-dimethyloxazolidin-2-one for the asymmetric synthesis of differentially protected α,β-dihydroxyaldehydes

α-Dibenzylamino- and α-benzyloxy- derivatives of N-acetyl-(S)-4-benzyl-5,5-dimethyloxazolidin-2-one readily undergo highly stereoselective boron mediated syn-aldol reactions with a range of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes, generating the syn-aldol products in good to excellent yields as single diastereoisomers after purification. In the α-dibenzylamino series, deprotection of the functionalised aldol fragments to the corresponding α-amino-β-hydroxy methyl ester or α-amino-β-hydroxyaldehyde proved problematic, with a range of N- and O-protecting groups giving mixtures of products arising from endocyclic and exocyclic cleavage pathways. However, in the α-benzyloxy series, O-silyl protection of the aldol products, and subsequent DIBAL reduction gives stereoselectively the corresponding N-1′-hydroxyalkyloxazolidin-2-ones, which undergo base promoted fragmentation to the desired highly functionalised and differentially protected α,β-dihydroxyaldehydes in good yields and without loss of stereochemical integrity.     

Nucleophilic vinylic substitutions of (Z)-(2-aroyloxyvinyl)phenyl-λ-iodanes with tetrabutylammonium halides: vinylic SN2 reactions and ligand coupling on iodine(III)

Treatment of (Z)-(β-benzoyloxyvinyl)phenyl-λ³-iodanes, readily prepared from ethynyl(phenyl)(tetrafluoroborato)-λ³-iodane via stereoselective Michael-type addition of benzoic acids in methanol in the presence of sodium benzoates, with tetrabutylammonium halides in THF at 65 °C results in a vinylic S_N2 reaction to give the inverted (E)-β-benzoyloxyvinyl halides in high yields.     

3-(o-Trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic esters: common intermediates for the palladium-catalyzed synthesis of 2-aminomethyl-, 2-vinylic, and 2-alkylindoles

3-(o-Trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic esters have been used as common synthetic intermediates for the preparation of a variety of 3-unsubstituted 2-substituted indoles. Treating ethyl 3-(o-trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic carbonates unsubstituted or containing an aryl substituent at the propargylic carbon with piperazines and Pd(PPh₃)₄ in THF at 80 °C affords 2-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)indoles in excellent yields. Good to excellent yields of 2-aminomethylindoles are also obtained with other secondary amines. Ethyl 3-(o-trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic carbonates bearing an alkyl substituent at the propargylic carbon and ethyl 3-(o-trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic acetates disubstituted at the propargylic carbon give 2-vinylic indoles with the Pd(OAc)₂/PPh₃ combination and Et₃N in THF at 80 °C. Formation of 2-vinylic indoles is quite stereoselective, generating trans vinylic derivatives, at least with the substrates that we have investigated. In the presence of formic acid, Et₃N, and Pd(PPh₃)₄ in MeCN at 80 °C, ethyl 3-(o-trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic carbonates afford 2-alkylindoles in good to excellent yields.     

Synthesis of new fluorescent 2-(2′,2″-bithienyl)-1,3-benzothiazoles

Bithienyl-1,3-benzothiazole derivatives were synthesised by reacting various 5-formyl-5′-alkoxy- or 5-formyl-5′-N,N-dialkylamino-2,2′-bithiophenes with ortho-aminobenzenethiol in good to excellent yields. Evaluation of the fluorescence properties of these compounds was carried out. They show strong fluorescence in the 450-600 nm region, as well as high quantum yields and large Stokes’ shifts.     

4-Substituted 5-nitroisoquinolin-1-ones from intramolecular Pd-catalysed reaction of N-(2-alkenyl)-2-halo-3-nitrobenzamides

4-Methyl- and 4-benzyl-5-aminoisoquinolin-1-ones are close analogues of the water-soluble PARP-1 inhibitor 5-AIQ. Their synthesis was approached through Pd-catalysed cyclisations of N-(2-alkenyl)-2-iodo-3-nitrobenzamides. Reaction of N,N-diallyl-2-iodo-3-nitrobenzamide with Pd(PPh₃)₄ gave a mixture of 2-allyl-4-methyl-5-nitroisoquinolin-1-one and 2-allyl-4-methylene-5-nitro-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1-one. N-Benzhydryl-N-cinnamyl-2-iodo-3-nitrobenzamide similarly gave 2-benzhydryl-4-benzyl-5-nitroisoquinolin-1-one and 2-benzhydryl-4-benzylidene-5-nitro-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1-one. The isomeric products are not interconvertible. A deuterium-labelling study indicated that the isomers were formed by different pathways: a π-allyl-Pd route and the classical Heck route. The corresponding secondary amides N-allyl-2-iodo-3-nitrobenzamide and N-((substituted)-cinnamyl)-2-iodo-3-nitrobenzamide gave good yields of the required 4-methyl- and 4-((substituted)-benzyl)-5-nitroisoquinolin-1-ones, respectively, under optimised conditions (Pd(PPh₃)₄, Et₃N, Bu₄NCl, 150 °C, rapid heating). Hydrogenation of the nitro groups gave 4-methyl- and 4-benzyl-5-aminoisoquinolin-1-ones, which were potent inhibitors of PARP-1 activity.     

Mechanistic insight of KBiQ2 (Q = S,Se) using panoramic synthesis towards synthesis-by-design

Solid-state synthesis has historically focused on reactants and end products; however, knowledge of reaction pathways, intermediate phases and their formation may provide mechanistic insight of solid-state reactions. With an increased understanding of reaction progressions, design principles can be deduced, affording more predictive power in materials synthesis. In pursuit of this goal, in situ powder X-ray diffraction is employed to observe crystalline phase evolution over the course of the reaction, thereby constructing a “panoramic” view of the reaction from beginning to end. We conducted in situ diffraction studies in the K–Bi–Q (Q = S, Se) system to understand the formation of phases occurring in this system in the course of their reactions. Powder mixtures of K₂Q to Bi₂Q₃ in 1 : 1 and 1.5 : 1 ratios were heated to 800 °C or 650 °C, while simultaneously collecting diffraction data. Three new phases, K₃BiS₃, β-KBiS₂, and β-KBiSe₂, were discovered. Panoramic synthesis showed that K₃BiQ₃ serves an important mechanistic role as a structural intermediate in both chalcogen systems (Q = S, Se) in the path to form the KBiQ₂ structure. Thermal analysis and calculations at the density functional theory (DFT) level show that the cation-ordered β-KBiQ₂ polymorphs are the thermodynamically stable phase in this compositional space, while Pair Distribution Function (PDF) analysis shows that all α-KBiQ₂ structures have local disorder due to stereochemically active lone pair expression of the bismuth atoms. The formation of the β-KBiQ₂ structures, both of which crystallize in the α-NaFeO₂ structure type, show a boundary where the structure can be disordered or ordered with regards to the alkali metal and bismuth. A cation radius tolerance for six-coordinate cation site sharing of ∼ 1.3 is proposed. The mechanistic insight the panoramic synthesis technique provides in the K–Bi–Q system is progress towards the overarching goal of synthesis-by-design.

This work uses in situ powder X-ray diffraction studies to observe crystalline phase evolution over the course of multiple K-Bi-Q (Q = S, Se) reactions, thereby constructing a “panoramic” view of each reaction from beginning to end.