Large scale Biginelli reaction via water-based biphasic media: a green chemistry strategy

An important stage in process development is kilo scale preparation of the target compound. For this reason, a procedure involving water-based biphasic reaction media has been developed for conducting some exothermic reactions on a large scale. This protocol is illustrated by the energy-efficient and rapid preparation of dihydropyrimidinones by a solvent-free, green chemistry procedure applied to the Biginelli reaction using p-toluenesulfonic acid as catalyst.     

Studies on the [2,3]-Stevens rearrangement of aziridinium ions

The aziridinium ylide generated by the intramolecular reaction of a metal carbenoid tethered to a vinylaziridine undergoes [2,3]-Stevens rearrangement to furnish the indolizidine skeleton. It is essential that the correct nitrogen invertomer is used or a competing [1,5]-hydrogen shift predominates. During the preparation of a second system a `one-pot' acylation-[3,3]-Claisen rearrangement was observed, delivering a seven-membered lactam.     

Computation of the physio-chemical properties and data mining of large molecular collections

Very large data sets of molecules screened against a broad range of targets have become available due to the advent of combinatorial chemistry. This information has led to the realization that ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) and toxicity issues are important to consider prior to library synthesis. Furthermore, these large data sets provide a unique and important source of information regarding what types of molecular shapes may interact with specific receptor or target classes. Thus, the requirement for rapid and accurate data mining tools became paramount. To address these issues Pharmacopeia, Inc. formed a computational research group, The Center for Informatics and Drug Discovery (CIDD).* In this review we cover the work done by this group to address both in silico ADME modeling and data mining issues faced by Pharmacopeia because of the availability of a large and diverse collection (over 6 million discrete compounds) of drug-like molecules. In particular, in the data mining arena we discuss rapid docking tools and how we employ them, and we describe a novel data mining tool based on a ID representation of a molecule followed by a molecular sequence alignment step. For the ADME area we discuss the development and application of absorption, blood-brain barrier (BBB) and solubility models. Finally, we summarize the impact the tools and approaches might have on the drug discovery process.     

Nanoclusters of Silicon and Germanium

Synthetic routes for the preparation of Si or Ge nanoclusters as gaseous species, colloids, supported composites, or as unsupported powders are reviewed along with selected characterization data. The optical properties of these and related materials, such as porous Si, are summarized with particular emphasis on photo- or electroluminescence phenomena. Research opportunities related to Si and Ge cluster chemistry are suggested.     

Fluorogenic reaction between adenine derivatives and chloroacetaldehyde and its application to the determination of 9-(2-chloro-6-fluorobenzyl)adenine in human plasma

A sensitive (1 ng ml^?1) liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection is described for the determination of arprinocid and analogous compounds in human plasma. The method is based on chemical derivatization with chloroacetaldehyde to form highly fluorescent derivatives. Extraction of the drug from plasma and separation of the derivative from the reaction mixture are accomplished by solid-phase extraction with two silica cartridges. The effects of pH, solvent, and concentration of the reagents on the efficiency of derivatization were studied. The assay in plasma was validated in the 1–50 ng ml^?1 range. The fluorescent derivatives were synthesized and fully characterized. The derivatives were also found to be efficient as energy acceptors in the oxalate ester/hydrogen peroxide chemiluminescent system.     

Solubility of benzil in binary alkane + dibutyl ether solvent mixtures. Comparison of predictive expressions derived from the nearly ideal binary solvent model

Experimental solubilities are reported for benzil dissolved in six binary mixtures containing dibutyl ether with hexane, heptane, octane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane at 25°C. Results of these measurements are compared to the predictions of equations developed previously for solubility in systems of nonspecific interactions. The most successful equation in terms of goodness of fit involved a volume fraction average of the excess Gibbs energies relative to the Flory-Huggins model, and predicted the experimental solubilities in the six systems studied to within an overall average absolute deviation of 3.4% and with a maximum deviation of 6.0%.     

Preparation and polymerization of some N-(dialkylaminoalkyl)acrylamides

A series of N-(dialkylaminoalkyl)acrylamides was synthesized by reductive amination of N-(1,1-dimethyl-3-oxobutyl)acrylamide (diacetone acrylamide) and by the reaction of either an alkenylamine or an amino alcohol with acrylonitrile. These monomers homopolymerize and copolymerize readily to form high molecular weight products. The solubility of the monomers and their homopolymers in water ranges from soluble to insoluble at room temperature. The insoluble materials can be quaternized readily to produce water-soluble products. The solubility of the homopolymers in water decreases with increasing temperature. Glass transition and decomposition temperatures of the homopolymers are reported.