A combined experimental and theoretical study of the thermal cycloaddition of aryl azides with activated alkenes

Reactions were performed from aryl azides on the one hand, and activated alkenes coming from β-dicarbonyl compounds or malonodinitrile on the other hand, either with recourse to conventional heating or to microwave activation, to afford 1-aryl-1H-1,2,3-triazoles. The mechanism and the regioselectivity of the reactions involving β-dicarbonyl compounds have been theoretically studied using DFT methods at the B3LYP/6-31G* level: they are domino processes comprising a tautomeric equilibrium of the β-dicarbonyl compounds with their enol forms, a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the enol forms with the aryl azides (high activation energy), and a dehydration process (lower activation energy). The effect of non-conventional activation methods on the degradation of 1,2,3-triazolines was next studied experimentally. Finally, some of the 1,2,3-triazoles such synthesized were evaluated for their bactericidal and cytotoxic activities.     

Deprotonative cadmation of functionalized aromatics

This communication describes the deproto-metalation of a large range of aromatics including heterocycles using a newly developed lithium-cadmium base; the reaction proceeds at room temperature with an excellent chemoselectivity and efficiency, and proved to be regioselective in most cases.     

Polar [3 + 2] cycloaddition of ketones with electrophilically activated carbonyl ylides. Synthesis of spirocyclic dioxolane indolinones

The [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between carbonyl ylides generated from epoxides and ketones (ethyl pyruvate, ethyl phenylglyoxylate, isatin, N-methylisatin and 5-chloroisatin) to give substituted dioxolanes and spirocyclic dioxolane indolinones was investigated. The effect of microwave irradiation on the outcome of the reaction was studied. The thermal reaction between 2,2-dicyano-3-phenyloxirane and N-methylisatin was theoretically studied using DFT methods. This reaction is a domino process that comprises two steps. The first is the thermal ring opening of the epoxide to yield a carbonyl ylide intermediate, whereas the second step is a polar [3 + 2] cycloaddition to yield the final spiro cycloadducts. The cycloaddition presents a low stereoselectivity and a large regio- and chemoselectivity. Analysis of the electrophilicity values and the Fukui functions of the reagents involved in the cycloaddition step allowed the chemical outcome to be explained.     

2-Aminophenones,a common precursor to N-aryl isatins and acridines endowed with bioactivities

Because N-arylation of isatin only worked with iodoferrocene (and in low yield), we employed N-arylation of 2-aminophenones and subsequent oxidative cyclization to access various N-arylated isatins. In the course of this work, we observed that N-arylation using 2-iodofuran, 2-iodobenzofuran and 2-iodobenzothiophene did not lead to the expected derivatives, but to (benzo)furo- and (benzo)thieno[2,3-b]quinolines. Separate cyclization was also performed under acidic conditions on 2-(arylamino)phenones in order to obtain acridines and related compounds. Most of the synthesized compounds were screened for their antiproliferative activity in A2058 melanoma cells, and against a panel of disease-relevant kinases such as mammalian CDK5/p25, PIM1, CLK1, DYRK1A, GSK3α/β, Haspin and leishmanial CK1. The biological results are reported.     

Deprotometalation-Iodolysis and Direct Iodination of 1-Arylated 7-Azaindoles: Reactivity Studies and Molecule Properties

Five protocols were first compared for the copper-catalyzed C-N bond formation between 7-azaindole and aryl/heteroaryl iodides/bromides. The 1-arylated 7-azaindoles thus obtained were subjected to deprotometalation-iodolysis sequences using lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide as the base and the corresponding zinc diamide as an in situ trap. The reactivity of the substrate was discussed in light of the calculated atomic charges and the pK_a values. The behavior of the 1-arylated 7-azaindoles in direct iodination was then studied, and the results explained by considering the HOMO orbital coefficients and the atomic charges. Finally, some of the iodides generated, generally original, were involved in the N-arylation of indole. While crystallographic data were collected for fifteen of the synthesized compounds, biological properties (antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant activity) were evaluated for others.     

Deprotonative Metalation of Functionalized Aromatics Using Mixed Lithium–Cadmium,Lithium–Indium,and Lithium–Zinc Species

In situ mixtures of CdCl₂?TMEDA (0.5 equiv; TMEDA=N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine) or InCl₃ (0.33 equiv) with [Li(tmp)] (tmp=2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidino; 1.5 or 1.3 equiv, respectively) were compared with the previously described mixture of ZnCl₂?TMEDA (0.5 equiv) and [Li(tmp)] (1.5 equiv) for their ability to deprotonate anisole, benzothiazole, and pyrimidine. [(tmp)₃CdLi] proved to be the best base when used in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature, as demonstrated by subsequent trapping with iodine. The Cd–Li base then proved suitable for the metalation of a large range of aromatics including benzenes bearing reactive functional groups (CONEt₂, CO₂Me, CN, COPh) or heavy halogens (Br, I), and heterocycles (from the furan, thiophene, pyrrole, oxazole, thiazole, pyridine, and diazine series). Five‐membered heterocycles benefiting from doubly activated positions were similarly dideprotonated at room temperature. The aromatic lithium cadmates thus obtained were involved in palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions or simply quenched with acid chlorides.     

1,3‐Dipolar Cycloadditions of Aldehydes or Imines with Carbonyl Ylides Generated from Epoxides: Classical Heating and Microwave Irradiation

Abstract

Cycloadditions of aldehydes with carbonyl ylides to give dioxolanes have been carried out without solvent under microwave irradiation. The reactions proceeded in similar yields and stereoselectivities, but in shorter reaction times, than those obtained in toluene at reflux using an oil bath. Cycloadditions conducted between imines and carbonyl ylides using the same protocol were less efficient because the oxazolidines formed proved unstable under the reaction conditions.     

Halogen Dance on 2-Iodobenzofuran and 2-Iodobenzothiophene and Related Reactions

When 2-iodobenzofuran was treated sequentially with lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide in tetrahydrofuran at −50 °C and an aldehyde, the 2-substituted 3-iodobenzofuran resulting from the halogen dance was the only isolated product. However, from 2-iodobenzothiophene, these conditions led to mixtures in which the 2-substituted 3-iodobenzothiophene was always accompanied by the 2-substituted benzothiophene. The use of 2-bromobenzothiophene as a catalyst made it possible to significantly reduce this competitive dehalogenation. To confirm the halogen dance reaction, the products were unambiguously synthesized by using direct halogenations and deprotolithiation-trapping sequences as key steps. Our efforts to access 2,7-disubstituted and 7-substituted derivatives of benzofuran and benzothiophene have also been reported.