Cross-coupling reactions of phenylmagnesium halides with fluoroazines and fluorodiazines

The first nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions between fluoroarenes and aryl organometallics using commercially available ligands are described. The nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions between aryl Grignard reagents and fluoroazines and -diazines occurred in THF at room temperature using commercially available 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane, or 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene as ligand. Various fluoro substrates such as pyridines, diazines (pyrazine, pyridazine), benzodiazines (quinoxaline), and quinolines were successfully involved in the reaction with phenylmagnesium halides (phenylmagnesium chloride, 2-methoxyphenylmagnesium bromide, and 4-methoxyphenylmagnesium bromide). The conditions used also allowed the cross-coupling of 4-fluorotoluene with arylmagnesium reagents.     

Transmetalation in the Suzuki–Miyaura Coupling: The Fork in the Trail

The Suzuki–Miyaura coupling is one of the few transition‐metal‐catalyzed C? C bond‐forming reactions that have been used in applications ranging from discovery chemistry to manufacturing processes. Although coupling proceeds through the generic three‐stage ‘oxidative addition, transmetalation, reductive elimination’ sequence, there are a number of features that differentiate the Suzuki–Miyaura process from other transition‐metal‐catalyzed cross‐couplings. Most of these features are centered around, or are a consequence of, activation of the boron reagent for transmetalation through one or both of two distinct pathways. This review focuses on the evidence that has been presented for this ‘fork in the trail′, and the potential to apply such mechanistic insight to the design of reaction conditions.     

Energetic and stereochemical effects of the protein environment on substrate: a theoretical study of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase

QM/MM methods were used to study the isomerization step from (2R)-methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA. A pathway via a "fragmentation-recombination" mechanism is ruled out on energetic grounds. For the other radicalic pathway, involving an addition recombination step, geometries and vibrational contributions have been determined, and a barrier height of 11.70 kcal/mol was found. The effect of adjacent hydrogen-donating groups was found to reduce the energy barrier by 1-2 kcal/mol each and thus to provide a significant catalytic effect for this reaction. By means of molecular dynamics studies, the stereochemistry of the methylmalonyl-CoA mutase catalyzed reaction was examined. It is shown that TYR89 is essential for maintaining stereoselectivity of the abstraction of a hydrogen in the backreaction. The subsequent selective formation of one isomer of methylmalonyl-CoA is probably due to the presence of a bulky side chain.     

Synthesis and deprotonation of 2-(pyridyl)phenols and 2-(pyridyl)anilines

2-(2- and 3-Pyridyl)anilines (1, 2), 2,2-dimethyl-N-[2-(2- and 3-pyridyl)phenyl]propanamides (3, 4), and 2-, 3- and 4-(2-methoxyphenyl)pyridines (7-9) are readily synthesized using cross-coupling reactions. Whereas the amines 1, 2 undergo side reactions, the corresponding amides 3, 4 are deprotonated with lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide (LTMP): the compound 3 at C6' under in situ quenching, and the compound 4 at C4'. When the ether 7 is subjected to the same reagent, lithiation occurs at C6'.     

Synthesis, biochemical properties and molecular modelling studies of organometallic specific estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), the ferrocifens and hydroxyferrocifens: evidence for an antiproliferative effect of hydroxyferrocifens on both hormone-dependent and hormone-independent breast cancer cell lines

A series of ferrocene derivatives based upon the structure of the antiestrogenic drug tamoxifen or of its active metabolite hydroxytamoxifen has been prepared and named by analogy ferrocifens and hydroxyferrocifens. This series includes 1-[4-(O(CH(2))(n)NMe(2))phenyl]-1-phenyl-2-ferrocenyl-but-1-ene and 1-[4-(-O(CH(2))(n)NMe(2))phenyl]-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-ferrocenyl-but-1-ene, with n=2, 3, 5 and 8, and 1-[4-(-O(CH(2))(2)NMe(2))phenyl]-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-ferrocenylethene. Most of these molecules have been synthesised by McMurry cross-coupling of the appropriate ketones, except for the ethene complexes, which were prepared by a four-step reaction sequence starting from the ferrocenylacetic acid. All these compounds were obtained as mixtures of Z and E isomers. The isomers were separated in the cases of the ferrocenyl derivatives of tamoxifen and hydroxytamoxifen (n=2). No isomerisation of the Z and E isomers occurred in DMSO after one day, while a 50:50 mixture of the isomers was obtained within one hour in chloroform. The X-ray structure of (E)-1-[4-(-O(CH(2))(2)NMe(2))phenyl]-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-ferrocenyl-but-1-ene has been determined. The relative binding affinity (RBA) values of the hydroxyferrocifens for the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) was good to moderate, with values decreasing progressively with the length of the basic chain. The RBA values found for the estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) are equal to or slightly less than those found for the alpha form. The lipophilicity of the hydroxyferrocifens are superior to the values found for estradiol and increase with lengthening of the chain. The antiproliferative effects of the four hydroxyferrocifens with n=2, 3, 5 and 8 were studied on four breast cancer cell lines (MCF7, MDA-MB231, RTx6 and TD5) possessing different levels of ERalpha. On MCF7 cells containing high levels of ERalpha, hydroxyferrocifens behave as antiestrogens. At a molarity of 1 microM the effect is close to that of hydroxytamoxifen (used for reference) when n=2 or 5, more marked when n=3, and weaker when n=8. Ferrocene alone has no effect. For the MDA-MB231 cells, classed as a hormone-independent breast cancer cell line, on the other hand, the hydroxyferrocifens show remarkable antiproliferative behaviour while the hydroxytamoxifen is completely inactive. Hydroxyferrocifens therefore show the unique property of being active both on hormone-dependent and on hormone-independent breast cancer cell lines. The molecular modelling study provides some clues for understanding of the antagonist effect of these molecules, while an additional cytotoxic effect due to the vectorised ferrocenyl unit is revealed in some occasions.     

Theoretical study of rhodium(I) carbene complexes: the structural versatility of phosphino- compared with aminocarbenes

Density functional calculations are reported for complexes of general formula [(carbene)RhClL(2)] featuring model phosphino- and aminocarbenes. Both the cis and trans isomers of the rhodium(I) eta(1)-complexes (1-9) were investigated, and the influence of the rhodium co-ligands (L=ethylene, phosphine, or carbon monoxide) was evaluated. In the case of phosphinocarbenes and carbon monoxide as a ligand, a somewhat unusual coordination mode was observed, in which a significant intramolecular Cl-->C(carbene) interaction is present. The propensity of phosphino- and aminocarbenes to behave as four electron donors was also investigated both structurally and energetically on the related eta(2)-complexes 10-18. These results as a whole emphasize the structural versatility of phosphino- compared with aminocarbene complexes.