Chemoselective synthesis of multifunctional ferrocene-containing derivatives by the cross Rauhut-Currier reaction.

A simple protocol has been developed for the chemoselective synthesis of ferrocene-containing Rauhut-Currier adducts from 1-ferrocenyl-2-nitroethene and vinyl ketones using 20 mol% of triphenylphosphine. Multifunctional ferrocene derivatives were obtained in moderate to high yields (51-92%) by the coupling between the α-position of vinyl ketones and the ß-position of the nitroalkene. The study of the Rauhut-Currier reaction under the described conditions showed that the strong electron-donating group at the ß-position of nitroalkenes plays a significant role in the reaction outcome due to prevention of polymerization and stabilization of the zwitterionic intermediate. Additionally, a preparative synthesis of 4-ferrocenyl-3-methylene-5-nitropentan-2-one was carried out and its synthetic transformations showed easy conversion to other useful building blocks.

Electrochemical characterization and estimation of DNA-binding capacity of a series of novel ferrocene derivatives.

The synthesis of a series of methyl 2-alkyl-5-aryl-4-ferrocenoylpyrrolidine-2-carboxylates has been achieved by [3 + 2] dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides to acryloylferrocene. The electrochemical properties of novel products were examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). These techniques revealed the quasi-reversible one-electron oxidation process. The DNA-binding capacity of all the products was also studied using CV and DPV, and significant interactions between synthesized compounds and nucleic acid, mostly of the electrostatic type, were disclosed. DFT calculations and molecular docking tests were carried out to gain a more exhaustive insight into the interactions of the obtained products with nucleic acid. A detailed characterization of the new compounds was performed by IR, NMR and elemental analyses, followed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments for two representatives.

Essential-Oil Constituents and Alkanes of Cephalaria ambrosioides Roem. & Schult. (Family Caprifoliaceae, Subfamily Dipsacaceae) and (Chemo)taxonomic Discernment of the Subfamilies Dipsacaceae and Morinaceae.

Herein, the results of the first study of the volatile and alkane profiles of Cephalaria ambrosioides Roem. & Schult. (Caprifoliaceae, subfamily Dipsacaceae) were reported. The GC-FID and GC/MS analyses of the essential oils hydrodistilled from leaves and stems (CA1) and flowers (CA2) of C. ambrosioides allowed the identification of 284 different components. The main compounds of the studied oil samples were palmitic acid (24.3 and 32.5% for CA1 and CA2, resp.), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (1.4 and 10.8% for CA1 and CA2, resp.), (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (7.0 and <0.1% for CA1 and CA2, resp.), and linoleic acid (1.9 and 6.5% for CA1 and CA2, resp.). Essential-oil compositional data of selected plant species belonging to the Dipsacaceae (15) and Morinaceae (2) subfamilies were used to resolve taxonomical ambiguities regarding the genus Cephalaria and its infrageneric relations, especially concerning the subfamily Morinaceae (formerly a genus within Dipsacaceae). The results of multivariate statistical analyses (25 different essential-oil samples) supported the exclusion of Morina species from the Dipsacaceae subfamily. The relative abundances of alkanes from n-, iso-, and anteiso-series followed a (distorted) Gaussian-like distribution and suggested that the biosyntheses of n- and branched alkanes in C. ambrosioides are possibly not controlled by the same elongase. Also, the obtained results suggested that there was a difference in the biosynthesis/accumulation of alkanes in the vegetative and reproductive parts of C. ambrosioides.

Ferrier rearrangement promoted by an electrochemically generated zirconium catalyst.

In situ generated zirconium catalyst from a sacrificial zirconium anode was successfully applied to promote Ferrier rearrangement of 3,4,5-tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal and 6-deoxy-3,4-di-O-acetyl-L-glucal (3,4-di-O-acetyl-L-rhamnal) in the presence of three thiols and eleven thiophenols as nucleophiles. A simple constant current electrolysis (20 mA, 0.4 F mol(-1)) of an acetonitrile solution of lithium perchlorate (0.1 M) containing the corresponding glycal and S-nucleophiles, using a zirconium anode and a platinum cathode resulted in the successful synthesis of the corresponding 2,3-unsaturated peracetylated thioglycosides (with an average anomer ratio α/ß=4.129 in the case of peracetylated D-glucal and 8.740 in the case of L-rhamnal). The same procedure proved to be appropriate in synthesizing dihydropyran derivatives ('C-glycosides') using allyltrimethylsilane as the nucleophile (only 'α-anomers' were obtained). All new compounds were fully characterized by spectral data, whereas single-crystal X-ray analysis was performed for two thioglycosides.

Discovery of anxiolytic 2-ferrocenyl-1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones exerting GABAA receptor interaction via the benzodiazepine-binding site.

Herein, we report on the synthesis, spectral, crystallographic and electrochemical properties of a small library of N-substituted 2-ferrocenyl-1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones, designed as novel GABAA benzodiazepine-binding site ligands. The anxiolytic properties of the title compounds were evaluated in several different in vivo models, whereas the involvement of the GABAA receptor complex in the activity of the most potent compound, 2-ferrocenyl-3-(4-methoxyphenylethyl)-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one, was inferred from experiments with known GABAA-targeting agents. Ligand docking experiments revealed that the high, dose-dependent, anxiolytic activity of the new compounds might be due to their favorable interactions with the benzodiazepine-binding site of the GABAA receptor complex. The incorporation of the ferrocene core and fine tuning of the distance between the thiazolidinone core and an additional aromatic ring were judged to be crucial structural requirements for the observed anxiolytic effect.

Synthesis, characterization, and antimicrobial evaluation of a small library of ferrocene-containing acetoacetates and phenyl analogs: the discovery of a potent anticandidal agent.

A library of 16 2-substituted methyl acetoacetates containing ferrocenyl or phenyl units was designed to disclose differences in the antimicrobial activity of ferrocene-containing compounds and their phenyl analogs. Two methyl acetoacetates, whose structures do not contain an aromatic nucleus, were also included in order to probe the inherent activity of the scaffold itself. The acetoacetates were synthesized (low-to-good yields) and fully characterized by spectral (MS, IR, UV-Vis, 1D and 2D NMR) and electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry) techniques. Single-crystal X-ray analysis has been performed for methyl 2-acetyl-2-(ferrocenylmethyl)-5-methylhex-4-enoate. All compounds have demonstrated in vitro antimicrobial activity against six bacterial (three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative) and two fungal strains with minimal inhibitory concentration values of 0.0050-20.6 µmol mL(-1). The most active compound was 2-acetyl-2-(ferrocenylmethyl)-4-methylpent-4-enoate whose activity was comparable to that of nystatin against the yeast Candida albicans. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering statistical analysis of the antimicrobial assay data demonstrated that ferrocene-containing compounds have statistically different and greater antimicrobial activity when compared to their phenyl analogs.

4-[(4-Methyl-phen-yl)sulfan-yl]butan-2-one.

In the title compound, C11H14OS, all non-H atoms are essentially coplanar, with a mean deviation of 0.023 Å. In the crystal, centrosymmetrically related mol-ecules are weakly connected into dimers by pairs of C-H⋯O inter-actions. The dimers are further linked along the a axis by weak C-H⋯π and C-H⋯S inter-actions.

Sulfur-containing ferrocenyl alcohols and oximes: new promising antistaphylococcal agents.

A small library containing four different series of new ferrocene derivatives, 2-(alkylsulfanyl)-1-ferrocenylethan-1-ols, 3-(alkylsulfanyl)-1-ferrocenylpropan-1-ols, (E)- and (Z)-2-(alkylsulfanyl)-1-ferrocenylethan-1-one oximes, and (E)- and (Z)-3-(alkylsulfanyl)-1-ferrocenylpropan-1-one oximes (36 different compounds in total) was synthesized starting from ferrocene and the corresponding sulfanyl acids. All compounds were spectrally (IR and NMR) and electrochemically characterized. In general, the obtained compounds were found to exhibit very strong antimicrobial activities (broth microdilution assay) against the tested microorganisms (six common human pathogens). For the majority of the tested compounds, the determined MIC values were either under the 10 µg/ml MIC limit recognized to delimit efficient antimicrobials or were comparable to/lower than those of the used positive controls (tetracycline/nystatin). The most susceptible organism was found to be Staphylococcus aureus with MIC values even reaching 0.001 µg/ml. The presence of -CH(OH)(CH(2))(n)S- and -CH(=NOH)(CH(2))(n)S- (n=1 or 2) structural fragments seems to be essential for the observed strong activity (introduction of hydroxyimino and alcohol functionalities, instead of the keto function, resulted in a more than 10(5)-fold increase in antistaphylococcal activity in some instances). Nevertheless, a possible influence of the ferrocenyl-core redox chemistry (Fe(2+)/Fe(3+)) should not be disregarded. The studied alcohols exhibited a reversible one-electron redox couple at almost the same position as ferrocene, while the hydroxyimino group conjugated with cyclopentadienyl ring considerably shifted the redox potential of the ferrocene unit in oximes.

3-(3-Acetyl-anilino)-1-ferrocenylpropan-1-one.

The title ferrocene-containing Mannich base, [Fe(C(5)H(5))(C(16)H(16)NO(2))], crystallizes with two independent mol-ecules (A and B) in the asymmetric unit. Mol-ecules A and B have similar conformations. The dihedral angles between the best planes of the benzene and substituted cyclo-penta-dienyl rings are 88.59 (9) and 84.39 (10)° in A and B, respectively. In the crystal, the independent mol-ecules form centrosymmetric dimers via corresponding N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The dimers further arrange via C-H⋯π and C-H⋯O inter-actions. There are no significant inter-actions between the A and B mol-ecules.

A new polymorph of 1-ferrocenyl-3-(3-nitroanilino)propan-1-one.

Recrystallization of the title compound, [Fe(C(5)H(5))(C(14)H(13)N(2)O(3))], from a mixture of n-hexane and dichloromethane gave the new polymorph, denoted (I), which crystallizes in the same space group (P1) as the previously reported structure, denoted (II). The Fe-C distances in (I) range from 2.015 (3) to 2.048 (2) Å and the average value of the C-C bond lengths in the two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings is 1.403 (13) Å. As indicated by the smallest C-Cg1-Cg2-C torsion angle of 1.4° (Cg1 and Cg2 are the centroids of the two Cp rings), the orientation of the Cp rings in (I) is more eclipsed than in the case of (II), for which the value was 15.3°. Despite the pronounced conformational similarity between (I) and (II), the formation of self-complementary N-H···O hydrogen-bonded dimers represents the only structural motif common to the two polymorphs. In the extended structure, molecules of (I) utilize C-H···O hydrogen bonds and, unlike (II), an extensive set of intermolecular C-H···π interactions. Fingerprint plots based on Hirshfeld surfaces are used to compare the packing of the two polymorphs.

3-Anilino-1-ferrocenylpropan-1-one.

In the title ferrocene derivative, [Fe(C(5)H(5))(C(14)H(14)NO)], the dihedral angle between the mean planes of the phenyl ring and the substituted cyclo-penta-dienyl ring is 84.4 (1)°. The mol-ecules are connected into centrosymmetric dimers via N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. In addition, C-H⋯O and C-H⋯N contacts stabilize the crystal packing.

1-Ferrocenyl-3-(4-methyl-anilino)propan-1-one.

In the title ferrocene derivative, [Fe(C(5)H(5))(C(15)H(16)NO)], the dihedral angle between the best planes of the benzene and the substituted cyclo-penta-dienyl ring is 83.4 (1)°. The presence of a methyl substituent in the para position of the aniline group does not alter the crystal packing compared to that of 3-anilino-1-ferrocenylpropan-1-one [Leka et al. (2012 ▶). Acta Cryst. E68, m229]. The molecules are connected into centro-symmetric dimers via N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. In addition, C-H⋯O and C-H⋯N contacts stabilize the crystal packing.

Electrochemical bromochlorination of peracetylated glycals.

Peracetylated glycals-3,4,5-tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal (1a), 3,4,5-tri-O-acetyl-D-galactal (1b) and 3,4-di-O-acetyl-6-deoxy-L-glucal (1c)-have been bromochlorinated by a suitable halogenating agent, generated electrochemically from a mixture of bromides and chlorides in dichloromethane. The reaction was performed in two ways: (i) by a constant current electrolysis (2Fmol(-1)) of bromides and substrates in a milieu containing an excess of chlorides (Br(θ)/1/Cl(θ)=1:1:6.8) and (ii) by anodic generation of free chlorine from chlorides (2Fmol(-1)) and subsequent addition of bromides and substrates in a ratio Br(θ)/1=1:1. The corresponding 2-bromo-2-deoxy-glycopyranosyl chlorides were obtained in high yields.