Automated stopped-flow library synthesis for rapid optimisation and machine learning directed experimentation.

For the discovery of new candidate molecules in the pharmaceutical industry, library synthesis is a critical step, in which library size, diversity, and time to synthesise are fundamental. In this work we propose stopped-flow synthesis as an intermediate alternative to traditional batch and flow chemistry approaches, suited for small molecule pharmaceutical discovery. This method exploits the advantages of both techniques enabling automated experimentation with access to high pressures and temperatures; flexibility of reaction times, with minimal use of reagents (µmol scale per reaction). In this study, we integrate a stopped-flow reactor into a high-throughput continuous platform designed for the synthesis of combinatory libraries with at-line reaction analysis. This approach allowed ∼900 reactions to be conducted in an accelerated timeframe (192 hours). The stopped flow approach used ∼10% of the reactants and solvents compared to a fully continuous approach. This methodology demonstrates a significantly improved synthesis success rate of smaller libraries by simplifying the implementation of cross-reaction optimisation strategies. The experimental datasets were used to train a feed-forward neural network (FFNN) model providing a framework to guide further experiments, which showed good model predictability and success when tested against an external set with fewer experiments. As a result, this work demonstrates that combining experimental automation with machine learning strategies can deliver optimised analyses and enhanced predictions, enabling more efficient drug discovery investigations across the design, make, test and analysis (DMTA) cycle.

Direct Synthesis of N-Alkyl Arylglycines by Organocatalytic Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation of N-Alkyl Aryl Imino Esters.

The organocatalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of N-alkyl aryl imino esters for the direct synthesis of N-alkylated arylglycinate esters is reported. High yields and enantiomeric ratios were obtained, and tolerance to a diverse set of functional groups facilitated the preparation of more complex molecules as well as intermediates for active pharmaceuticals. A simple recycling protocol was developed for the Brønsted acid catalyst which could be reused through five cycles with no loss of activity or selectivity.

Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Tandem Oxidative Acetoxylation/ortho C-H Activation/Carbocyclization of Arylallenes.

Herein we report an example of tandem oxidative acetoxylation/carbocyclization of arylallenes 1 using Pd(OAc)2. The catalytic protocol is highly selective and provides access to new C-C and C-O bonds leading to a carbocyclization. The reaction proceeds via C-H activation by Pd. Mechanistic investigations show that the C-H activation is not the rate-limiting step and indicate that the reaction proceeds via acetoxylation of the allene.

Palladium(II)/Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Enantioselective Oxidative Carbocyclization-Borylation of Enallenes.

An enantioselective oxidative carbocyclization-borylation of enallenes that is catalyzed by palladium(II) and a Brønsted acid was developed. Biphenol-type chiral phosphoric acids were superior co-catalysts for inducing the enantioselective cyclization. A number of chiral borylated carbocycles were synthesized in high enantiomeric excess.

A theoretically-guided optimization of a new family of modular P,S-ligands for iridium-catalyzed hydrogenation of minimally functionalized olefins.

A library of modular iridium complexes derived from thioether-phosphite/phosphinite ligands has been evaluated in the asymmetric iridium-catalyzed hydrogenation of minimally functionalized olefins. The modular ligand design has been shown to be crucial in finding highly selective catalysts for each substrate. A DFT study of the transition state responsible for the enantiocontrol in the Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation is also described and used for further optimization of the crucial stereodefining moieties. Excellent enantioselectivities (enantiomeric excess (ee) values up to 99 %) have been obtained for a range of substrates, including E- and Z-trisubstituted and disubstituted olefins, α,ß-unsaturated enones, tri- and disubstituted alkenylboronic esters, and olefins with trifluoromethyl substituents.

Palladium-catalyzed oxidative arylating carbocyclization of allenynes: control of selectivity and role of H2O.

Highly selective protocols for the carbocyclization/arylation of allenynes using arylboronic acids are reported. Arylated vinylallenes are obtained with the use of BF3⋅Et2O as an additive, whereas addition of water leads to arylated trienes. These conditions provide the respective products with excellent selectivities (generally >97:3) for a range of boronic acids and different allenynes. It has been revealed that water plays a crucial role for the product distribution.

Palladium-catalyzed oxidative carbocyclization-carbonylation of allenynes and enallenes.

A highly efficient oxidative carbocyclization-carbonylation reaction cascade of allenynes and enallenes has been developed using a Pd(II) salt in low catalytic amounts under ambient temperature and pressure (1 atm of carbon monoxide). The use of DMSO as an additive was found to be important for an efficient reaction. A wide range of alcohols as trapping reagents were used to give the corresponding esters in good yields.

A new modular phosphite-pyridine ligand library for asymmetric Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions: a study of the key Pd-π-allyl intermediates.

A library of phosphite-pyridine ligands L1-L12 a-g has been successfully applied for the first time in the Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions of several di- and trisubstituted substrates by using a wide range of C, N and O nucleophiles, among which are the little studied α-substituted malonates, ß-diketones, and alkyl alcohols. The highly modular nature of this ligand library enables the substituents/configuration at the ligand backbone, and the substituents/configurations at the biaryl phosphite moiety to be easily and systematically varied. We found that the introduction of an enantiopure biaryl phosphite moiety played an essential role in increasing the versatility of the Pd-catalytic systems. Enantioselectivities were therefore high for several hindered and unhindered di- and trisubstituted substrates by using a wide range of C, N and O nucleophiles. Of particular note were the high enantioselectivities (up to>99% ee) and high activities obtained for the trisubstituted substrates S6 and S7, which compare favorably with the best that have been reported in the literature. We have also extended the use of these new catalytic systems in alternative environmentally friendly solvents such as propylene carbonate and ionic liquids. Studies on the Pd-π-allyl intermediates provide a deeper understanding of the effect of ligand parameters on the origin of enantioselectivity.

Pyranoside phosphite-oxazoline ligands for the highly versatile and enantioselective ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of minimally functionalized olefins. A combined theoretical and experimental study.

A modular set of phosphite-oxazoline (P,N) ligands has been applied to the title reaction. Excellent ligands have been identified for a range of substrates, including previously challenging terminally disubstituted olefins, where we now have reached enantioselectivities of 99% for a range of substrates. The selectivity is best for minimally functionalized substrates with at least a moderate size difference between geminal groups. A DFT study has allowed identification of the preferred pathway. Computational prediction of enantioselectivities gave very good accuracy.

Phosphite-oxazole/imidazole ligands in asymmetric intermolecular Heck reaction.

We describe the application of a new class of ligands--the phosphite-oxazole/imidazole (L1-L5a-g)--in asymmetric intermolecular Pd-catalyzed Heck reactions under thermal and microwave conditions. These ligands combine the advantages of the oxazole/imidazole moiety with those of the phosphite moiety: they are more stable than their oxazoline counterparts, less sensitive to air and other oxidizing agents than phosphines and phosphinites, and easy to synthesize from readily available alcohols. The results indicate that activities, regio- and enantioselectivities, are highly influenced by the type of nitrogen donor group (oxazole or imidazole), the oxazole and biaryl-phosphite substituents and the axial chirality of the biaryl moiety of the ligand. By carefully selecting the ligand components, we achieved high activities, regio- (up to 99%) and enantioselectivities (up to 99%) using several triflate sources. Under microwave-irradiation conditions, reaction times were considerably shorter (from 24 h to 30 min) and regio- and enantioselectivities were still excellent.

Adaptative biaryl phosphite-oxazole and phosphite-thiazole ligands for asymmetric Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of alkenes.

A library of readily available phosphite-oxazole/thiazole ligands (L1 a-g-L7 a-g) was applied in the Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of several largely unfunctionalized E- and Z-trisubstituted and 1,1-disubstituted terminal alkenes. The ability of the catalysts to transfer chiral information to the product could be tuned by choosing suitable ligand components (bridge length, the substituents in the heterocyclic ring and the alkyl backbone chain, the configuration of the ligand backbone, and the substituents/configurations in the biaryl phosphite moiety), so that enantioselectivities could be maximized for each substrate as required. Enantioselectivities were therefore excellent (enantiomeric excess (ee) values up to >99 %) for a wide range of E- and Z-trisubstituted and 1,1-disubstituted terminal alkenes. The biaryl phosphite moiety was a very advantageous ligand component in terms of substrate versatility.

Biaryl phosphite-oxazoline ligands from the chiral pool: highly efficient modular ligands for the asymmetric Pd-catalyzed Heck reaction.

A highly modular library of readily available phosphite-oxazoline ligands L1-L21a-g was successfully applied in the asymmetric Pd-catalyzed Heck reactions of several substrates and triflates under thermal and microwave conditions. This ligand library contains three main ligand structures that have been designed by systematic modification of one of the most successful ligand families developed for this process. As well as studying the effect of these three ligand structures on the catalytic performance, we also evaluated the effect of modifying several ligand parameters in these ligand structures. The effectiveness of these ligands at transferring the chiral information into the product can be tuned by correctly choosing the ligand components. Both enantiomers of the Heck coupling products were obtained in excellent activities (conversion: >100% in 10 min), regioselectivities (>99%) and enantioselectivities (>99% ee). Under microwave-irradiation conditions, the reaction times were considerably shorter (full conversion was achieved in a few minutes) and the regio- and enantioselectivities were still excellent.

A new class of modular P,N-ligand library for asymmetric Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions: a study of the key Pd-pi-allyl intermediates.

A new class of modular P,N-ligand library has been synthesized and screened in the Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions of several substrate types. These series of ligands can be prepared efficiently from easily accessible hydroxyl-oxazole/thiazole derivatives. Their modular nature enables the bridge length, the substituents at the heterocyclic ring and in the alkyl backbone chain, the configuration of the ligand backbone, and the substituents/configurations in the biaryl phosphite moiety to be easily and systematically varied. By carefully selecting the ligand components, therefore, high regio- and enantioselectivities (ee values up to 96 %) and good activities are achieved in a broad range of mono-, di-, and trisubstituted linear hindered and unhindered substrates and cyclic substrates. The NMR spectroscopic and DFT studies on the Pd-pi-allyl intermediates provide a deeper understanding of the effect of ligand parameters on the origin of enantioselectivity.

Iridium phosphite-oxazoline catalysts for the highly enantioselective hydrogenation of terminal alkenes.

A modular library of readily available phosphite-oxazoline ligands (L1-L16a-f) has been successfully applied for the first time in the Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of a broad range of highly unfunctionalized 1,1,-disubstituted terminal alkenes. Enantioselectivities up to >99% and full conversions were obtained in several 1,1-disubstituted alkenes, including substrate classes that have never been asymmetrically hydrogenated before (i.e., 1,1-heteoraryl-alkyl, 1,1-diaryl, trifluoromethyl, etc.). The results indicated that these catalytic systems have high tolerance to the steric and electronic requirements of the substrate and also to the presence of a neighboring polar group. The asymmetric hydrogenations were also performed using propylene carbonate as solvent, which allowed the Ir catalyst to be reused and maintained the excellent enantioselectivities.

Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydroformylation of heterocyclic olefins using chiral diphosphite ligands. Scope and limitations.

We used a series of diphosphite ligands to study the effect of the ligand backbone, the length of the bridge, and the substituents of the biphenyl moieties and determine the scope of this type of ligand in the Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydroformylation of several hetereocylic olefins. By carefully selecting the ligand components, we achieved high chemo-, regio-, and enantioselectivities in different substrate types. Unprecedentedly high enantioselectivities for five-membered heterocyclic olefins were therefore obtained. Note that both enantiomers of the hydroformylation products can be synthesized using the same ligand by a simple substrate change. For the seven-membered heterocyclic dioxepines, our results are among the best obtained. Also, both enantiomers of the hydroformylation products can be obtained by using pseudoenantiomer ligands or by carefully tuning the ligand parameters.

Biaryl phosphite-oxazolines from hydroxyl aminoacid derivatives: highly efficient modular ligands for Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of alkenes.

High enantioselectivities and activities are achieved in the Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of several unfunctionalized olefins using modular biaryl phosphite-oxazoline ligands from hydroxyl aminoacid derivatives; the presence of a biaryl phosphite group is crucial to this success.

Chiral pyranoside phosphite-oxazolines: a new class of ligand for asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes.

We have described the first successful application of a phosphite-oxazoline ligand library in the asymmetric Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of several unfunctionalized olefins. The introduction of a bulky biaryl phosphite moiety in the ligand design is highly adventitious in the product outcome. By carefully selecting the ligand components, we obtained high activities (TOFs up to >1500 mol x (mol x h)(-1) at 1 bar of H2) and enantioselectivities (ee values up to >99%) and, at the same time, show a broad scope for different substrate types. So, this is an exceptional ligand class that competes favorably with a few other ligand series that also provide high ee values for tri- and disubstituted substrate types.