Abstract: | A series of nonpeptide angiotensin II receptor antagonists was synthesized via palladium-assisted cross coupling of aryl stannane and cycloalkenyl triflates and subsequent alkylation of silyl-protected imidazole. Our compounds, which have a terminal five- to seven-membered cycloalkenyl ring, are compared to DuPont EXP7711, an N-(2′-carboxybiphenylyl)methyl]imidazole, which has a terminal phenyl moiety. Physicochemical properties of the compounds, such as lipophilicity, steric bulk, conformation, and the relative spatial proximity of the 2-carboxyl and the middle phenyl, are quantitated by computational chemistry. Potency in terms of binding affinity to AT1 receptors in rat adrenal glomerulosa and rabbit aorta is maximized when the terminal ring is aromatic. |