3-Fluoroalkyl (CF3, CHF2, CH2F) Cyclobutane-Derived Building Blocks for Medicinal Chemistry: Synthesis and Physicochemical Properties

Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of all possible cis- and trans-1,3-disubstituted cyclobutane-derived amines and carboxylic acids bearing mono-, di- and trifluoromethyl groups at the C-3 position is disclosed. Tetramethylammonium fluoride (TMAF)- or morpholinosulfur trifluoride (Morph-DAST)-mediated nucleophilic fluorination of appropriate cis- and trans-diastereomeric substrates was used as the key step for the preparation of CH₂F- and CHF₂-substituted derivatives. To obtain the corresponding cis- and trans-isomeric CF₃-substituted derivatives, resolution of known 3-(trifluoromethyl)cyclobutanecarboxylic acid (obtained as a mixture of diastereomers) was applied. The proposed procedures were suitable for the preparation of corresponding fluoroalkyl-substituted cyclobutane-derived amines and carboxylic acids on up to 50 g scale. All 12 building blocks obtained were characterized by measuring dissociation constants (pK_a) and lipophilicities (LogP, for model derivatives) to evaluate the effect of the fluoroalkyl substituents on their physicochemical properties relevant to further drug discovery applications.     

Triangular oxalate clusters [W(3)(mu(3)-S)(mu(2)-S(2))(3)(C(2)O(4))(3)](2)(-) as building blocks for coordination polymers and nanosized complexes

The reaction of aqueous [W3S7(C2O4)3](2-) with Ln(3+) and Th(4+) in a 1:1 molar ratio leads to oxalate-bridged heteropolynuclear molecular complexes and coordination polymers. La(3+) and Ce(3+) give a layered structure with big (about 1.8 nm) honeycomb pores which are filled with water molecules and lanthanide ions, in {[Ln(H2O)6]3[W3S7(C2O4)3]4}Br x xH2O (Ia and Ib). The smaller Pr(3+), Nd(3+), Sm(3+), Eu(3+), and Gd(3+) ions give discrete nanomolecules [(W3S7(C2O4)3Ln(H2O)5)2(mu-C2O4)] (with a separation of about 3.2 nm between the most distant parts of the molecule), which are further united into zigzag chains by specific S2...Br- contacts to achieve the overall stoichiometry K[(W3S7(C2O4)3Ln(H2O)5)2(mu-C2O4)]Br.xH2O (IIa-IId). Th(4+) gives K2[(W3S7(C2O4)3)4Th2(OH)2(H2O)10] x 14.33H2O (III) with a nanosized discrete anion (with a separation of about 2.7 nm between the most distant parts of the molecule), in which two thorium atoms are bound via two hydroxide groups into the Th2(OH)2(6+) unit, and each Th is further coordinated by five water molecules and two monodentate [W3S7(C2O4)](2-) cluster ligands. All compounds were characterized by X-ray structure analysis and IR spectroscopy. Magnetic susceptibility measurements in the temperature range of 2-300 K show weak antiferromagnetic interactions between two lanthanides atoms for compounds IIa, IIb, and IId. The thermal decomposition of Ia, Ib, and IIb was studied by thermogravimetry.     

Synthesis and structures of Mo3Se7Te2Br10, Mo3Se7TeI6, and Mo6Te21I22 containing TeX3- (X=Br, I) ligands coordinated to a triangular cluster core

New ternary and quaternary molybdenum cluster chalcohalides were obtained by high-temperature reactions between Mo, chalcogens, and halogens in evacuated ampules. The crystal structures of [Mo3Se7(TeBr3)Br2]2[Te2Br10] (1), [Mo3Se7(TeI3)I2]I (2), and [Mo3Te7(TeI3)3]2(I)(TeI3) (3) were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structures of 1 and 2 consist of positively charged zigzag chains infinity1 [Mo3Se7(TeX3)X4/2] (X=Br, I), with Te2Br102- and I-, respectively, as counterions. The TeI3- and TeBr3- ions function as bidentate ligands in 1 and 2. In 3, TeI3- is not coordinated to the metal but acts as a counterion to the [Mo3Te7(TeI3)3]+ cluster cation.     

One-step synthesis of heterocyclic privileged medicinal scaffolds by a multicomponent reaction of malononitrile with aldehydes and thiols

Heterocyclic privileged medicinal scaffolds involving pyridine, 1,4-dihydropyridine, chromeno[2,3-b]pyridine, and dihydro-1,4-dithiepine frameworks are prepared via a single-step multicomponent reaction of structurally diverse aldehydes with various thiols and malononitrile. Mechanistic studies of the synthetic pathway leading to pyridines reveal that 1,4-dihydropyridines undergo oxidation by the intermediate Knoevenagel adducts rather than by air oxygen. The use of o,o'-disubstituted aromatic aldehydes leads to the corresponding 1,4-dihydropyridines, whereas salicylic aldehydes result in chromeno[2,3-b]pyridines. Reactions of ethanedithiol as a thiol component produce dimeric pyridines with sterically unencumbered aldehydes, while o,o'-disubstituted aromatic aldehydes give dihydro-1,4-dithiepines. Thus, depending on the aldehyde and thiol types, diverse libraries of medicinally relevant compounds can be prepared by a simple one-step process involving no chromatography.     

Microphase separation in a mixture of ionic and nonionic liquids

We use a Flory-Huggins type approach and the random phase approximation (RPA) to describe a microphase separation in the mixture of ionic and nonionic liquids. The mixture is modeled as a "three-component" system including anions, cations, and neutral molecules. Each ion is considered to consist of a charged group surrounded by a neutral "bulky" shell. The shells of the anion and cation are assumed to have different affinities to the neutral molecules. We show that, if the difference of the Flory-Huggins parameters describing affinities of the anions and cations to the neutral molecules is higher than a certain value, the microphase separation can occur. The physical reason for the separation is a delicate balance between the short-range segregating interactions and the long-range Coulomb interactions.     

Complex Activity and Sensor Potential toward Metal Ions in Environmental Water Samples of N-Phthalimide Azo-Azomethine Dyes

Herein, the spectral and electrochemical characterizations of three different substituted N-phthalimide azo-azomethine (NAA) dyes (L) containing an o-hydroxy group and their NAA-M(II) chelates [M(II): Cu, Ni, Co, Pb] were reported by using UV–Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy and potentiometric and voltamperometric techniques. The pK value of the dyes as well as the stoichiometry and stability of the NAA-metal chelates were studied, and the stoichiometry was found to be mostly 1:2 (ML₂) with high complex stability constant values. The sensor activity of N-phthalimide azo-azomethine derivatives toward pH and metal ions has been also investigated and tested for indicator application in acid–base analysis and detection of Cu(II) ions in real samples of surface river water using voltamperometric detection. The results showed that one of the ligands possesses the highest electrochemical response upon binding to copper ions and could be successfully used in the analysis of copper in water at a concentration range of the analyte from 3.7 × 10⁻⁷ to 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, with analytical characteristics of the method being Sr = 1.5%, LOD = 3.58 µg L⁻¹ and LOQ =11.9 µg L⁻¹     

Embedding Subspaces of Lp into 𝓁Np, 0 < p < 1

It is shown that if X is an n – dimensional subspace of L_p, 0 < p < 1, then there exists a subspace Y of 𝓁^N_p such that d(X, Y) ≤ 1 + ε and N ≤ C(ε, p)n(log n)³.     

Automated discovery of noncovalent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease by consensus Deep Docking of 40 billion small molecules

Recent explosive growth of ‘make-on-demand’ chemical libraries brought unprecedented opportunities but also significant challenges to the field of computer-aided drug discovery. To address this expansion of the accessible chemical universe, molecular docking needs to accurately rank billions of chemical structures, calling for the development of automated hit-selecting protocols to minimize human intervention and error. Herein, we report the development of an artificial intelligence-driven virtual screening pipeline that utilizes Deep Docking with Autodock GPU, Glide SP, FRED, ICM and QuickVina2 programs to screen 40 billion molecules against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro). This campaign returned a significant number of experimentally confirmed inhibitors of Mpro enzyme, and also enabled to benchmark the performance of twenty-eight hit-selecting strategies of various degrees of stringency and automation. These findings provide new starting scaffolds for hit-to-lead optimization campaigns against Mpro and encourage the development of fully automated end-to-end drug discovery protocols integrating machine learning and human expertise.

Deep learning-accelerated docking coupled with computational hit selection strategies enable the identification of inhibitors for the SARS-CoV-2 main protease from a chemical library of 40 billion small molecules.     

The efficiency of ultrasonic oscillations transfer into the load

The results of ultrasonic action to the substances have been presented. It is examined, the correlation between the electrical parameters of ultrasonic equipment and acoustic performances of the ultrasonic field in treating the medium, the efficiency of ultrasonic technological facility, and the peculiarities of oscillations introduced into the load under cavitation development. The correlation between the acoustic powers of oscillations securing the needed level of cavitation and desired technological effect, and the electrical parameters of the ultrasonic facility, first of all, the power, is established. The peculiarities of cavitation development in liquids with different physical-chemical properties (including the molten low-melting metals) have been studied, and the acoustic power of oscillations introduced into the load under input variation of electric power to the generator has been also estimated.     

N‐Methylbenzoazacrown ethers with the nitrogen atom conjugated with the benzene ring: the improved synthesis and the reasons for the high stability of complexes with metal and ammonium cations

An improved method for the synthesis of formyl derivatives of N‐methylbenzoazacrown ethers is proposed. They are prepared in up to 68% yields over fewer steps and with a much shorter time required for the last step. The stability constants of complexes formed by N‐methylbenzoazacrown ethers and their structural analogs with alkali metal, alkaline‐earth metal and ammonium cations were determined by ¹H NMR titration in CD₃CN. High stability of complexes of N‐methyl derivatives of benzoazacrown ethers is demonstrated, comparable with or even exceeding the stability of benzocrown‐ether complexes and markedly exceeding the stability of complexes of phenylazacrown ethers with the same macrocycle size. The structures of azacrown ethers and their complexes with Ba(ClO₄)₂ were studied by X‐ray diffraction. A high degree of pre‐organization of N‐methylbenzoazacrown ethers toward the formation of complexes with metal and ammonium cations was noted, which is due to the clear‐cut pyramidal geometry of the nitrogen atom and the orientation of the lone electron pairs (LEPs) of most heteroatoms towards the centre of the macroheterocycle. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.