Preparation and characterization of polyimides containing triaryl imidazole side groups

A novel triaryl imidazole‐containing diamine, 3,5‐diamino‐N‐(4‐(4,5‐diphenyl‐1H‐imidazol)phenyl)benzamide, was successfully synthesized via the condensation of 4‐(4,5‐diphenyl‐1H‐imidazol)benzenamine and 3,5‐dinitrobenzoyl chloride, followed by reduction of the dinitro compound. A series of new aromatic polyimides with pendent triaryl imidazole moieties were prepared from the reaction of this diamine with various tetracarboxylic dianhydrides by a conventional two‐step polymerization process via thermal and chemical imidizations. The polyimides were obtained in quantitative yields with inherent viscosities of 0.21–0.44 dL/g. All the polymers are readily soluble in polar organic solvents. Flexible and strong films of polyimides were obtained by solution casting. The glass transition temperature of these polymers was in the range of 261–264°C. They were fairly stable up to a temperature around 300°C and lost 10% weight at 408°C under nitrogen. The ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra showed that all of the polymers had absorption maxima around 320 nm with a fluorescence emission maxima around 388–407 nm in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone solution. Cyclic voltammograms of the polyimides revealed an oxidation wave with a peak around 1.7 V. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fragment-similarity-based QSAR (FS-QSAR) algorithm for ligand biological activity predictions

Quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) studies are useful computational tools often used in drug discovery research and in many scientific disciplines. In this study, a robust fragment-similarity-based QSAR (FS-QSAR) algorithm was developed to correlate structures with biological activities by integrating fragment-based drug design concept and a multiple linear regression method. Similarity between any pair of training and testing fragments was determined by calculating the difference of lowest or highest eigenvalues of the chemistry space BCUT matrices of corresponding fragments. In addition to the BCUT-similarity function, molecular fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient (Tc) similarity function was also used as an alternative for comparison. For validation studies, the FS-QSAR algorithm was applied to several case studies, including a dataset of COX2 inhibitors and a dataset of cannabinoid CB2 triaryl bis-sulfone antagonist analogues, to build predictive models achieving average coefficient of determination (r ²) of 0.62 and 0.68, respectively. The developed FS-QSAR method is proved to give more accurate predictions than the traditional and one-nearest-neighbour QSAR methods and can be a useful tool in the fragment-based drug discovery for ligand activity prediction.     

Simple and Efficient One‐Pot Synthesis of 2,4‐Diaryl‐1,2,3‐triazoles

A general and efficient method for the preparation of 2,4‐diaryl‐1,2,3‐triazoles from α‐hydroxyacetophenones and phenylhydrazines is reported. The essential characteristics of this method include mild reaction conditions, a straightforward workup procedure, and comparatively higher yields.     

On the Reaction of Triaryl Trithioarsenites, (ArS)3As,with Iodine

Iodine in dry nonprotic solvents oxidizes triaryl trithioarsenites, (ArS)₃As, to As(III) iodide, AsI₃, and disulfides, ArSSAr. The reaction most likely involves arylsulfenyl iodide, ArSI, as an intermediate. With triphenyl and tris(4-chlorophenyl) trithioarsenites, AsI₃ is prepared in very good yields. When the disulfide, which is produced, has MeCONH─ or ─NH─CMe₂─OH groups, then it acts as a Lewis base towards AsI₃ forming complexes with stoichiometry 2AsI₃·3ArSSAr. Probable coordination modes of the AsI₃ are discussed.     

Catalyst‐Free One‐Pot Synthesis of 2,4,6‐Triaryl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines in Ionic Liquid and Their Catalyzed Activity on Two Simple Diels–Alder Reactions

A series of 2,4,6‐triaryl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines bearing a hydroxyl group was synthesized greenly by the cascade aldol/Michael/addition reaction of aromatic aldehyde, acetophenone, and NH₄OAc (1:2:excessive) in ionic liquid [BmIm][BF₄] without any catalyst. The results of their catalyzed activity on two simple Diels–Alder reactions indicated that this kind of compound containing a poly aryl ring can be used as an effective catalyst on the Diels–Alder reaction. This method, because of its environmental friendliness, simplicity, mild conditions, effectiveness, and lower costs, is suitable for the synthesis of arrays of compounds.     

Electrochemically induced processes of formation of phosphorus acid derivatives. 4. Synthesis of trialkyl phosphates from white phosphorus

The products of electrolysis in dipolar aprotic solvents on the background of tetraethylammonium iodide in the presence of white phosphorus are trialkyl phosphite (the primary product after splitting of all the P-P bonds in the phosphoric oligomers) and triaryl phosphate. It was found that the formation of triaryl phosphate from white phosphorus proceeds by way of electrochemical reduction of pentaaroxyphosphorane — an intermediate product of the reaction of triaryl phosphite with iodine and phenol. A strong dependence of the yields and distribution of the products on the composition of the electrolyte has been observed.A. E. Arbuzov Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Kazan' Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 420083 Kazan'. V. I. Ul'yanov-Lenin Kazan' State University, 420008 Kazan'. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2039–2043, September, 1992.