Polymer Mechanochemistry in Microbubbles.

Polymer mechanochemistry is a promising technology to convert mechanical energy into chemical functionality by breaking covalent and supramolecular bonds site-selectively. Yet, the mechanochemical reaction rates of covalent bonds in typically used ultrasonication setups lead to reasonable conversions only after comparably long sonication times. This can be accelerated by either increasing the reactivity of the mechanoresponsive moiety or by modifying the encompassing polymer topology. Here, a microbubble system with a tailored polymer shell consisting of an N2 gas core and a mechanoresponsive disulfide-containing polymer network is presented. It is found that the mechanochemical activation of the disulfides is greatly accelerated using these microbubbles compared to commensurate solid core particles or capsules filled with liquid. Aided by computational simulations, it is found that low shell thickness, low shell stiffness and crosslink density, and a size-dependent eigenfrequency close to the used ultrasound frequency maximize the mechanochemical yield over the course of the sonication process.

Activation of Antibiotic-Grafted Polymer Brushes by Ultrasound.

The ultrasound-mediated activation of drugs from macromolecular architectures using the principles of polymer mechanochemistry (sonopharmacology) is a promising strategy to gain spatiotemporal control over drug activity. Yet, conceptual challenges limit the applicability of this method. Especially low drug-loading content and low mechanochemical efficiency require the use of high carrier mass concentrations and prolonged exposure to ultrasound. Moreover, the activated drug is generally shielded by the hydrodynamic coil of the attached polymer fragment leading to a decreased drug potency. Here we present a carrier design for the ultrasound-induced activation of vancomycin, which is deactivated with its H-bond-complementary peptide target sequence. We show that the progression from mechanophore-centered linear chains to mechanophore-decorated polymer brushes increases drug-loading content, mechanochemical efficiency, and drug potency. These results may serve as a design guideline for future endeavors in the field of sonopharmacology.

Reversible regulation of metallo-base-pair interactions for DNA dehybridization by ultrasound.

Mechanical force applied by ultrasound in solution leads to the dissociation of DNA metallo-base-pair interactions when these motifs are functionalized with oligodeoxynucleotide sequences of sufficient length. The annealing and force-induced denaturing process is followed by the attachment of distance-sensitive fluorescent probes and is found to be reversible.

Mechanochemical bond scission for the activation of drugs.

Pharmaceutical drug therapy is often hindered by issues caused by poor drug selectivity, including unwanted side effects and drug resistance. Spatial and temporal control over drug activation in response to stimuli is a promising strategy to attenuate and circumvent these problems. Here we use ultrasound to activate drugs from inactive macromolecules or nano-assemblies through the controlled scission of mechanochemically labile covalent bonds and weak non-covalent bonds. We show that a polymer with a disulfide motif at the centre of the main chain releases an alkaloid-based anticancer drug from its ß-carbonate linker by a force-induced intramolecular 5-exo-trig cyclization. Second, aminoglycoside antibiotics complexed by a multi-aptamer RNA structure are activated by the mechanochemical opening and scission of the nucleic acid backbone. Lastly, nanoparticle-polymer and nanoparticle-nanoparticle assemblies held together by hydrogen bonds between the peptide antibiotic vancomycin and its complementary peptide target are activated by force-induced scission of hydrogen bonds. This work demonstrates the potential of ultrasound to activate mechanoresponsive prodrug systems.

Fe-Catalyzed Amination of (Hetero)Arenes with a Redox-Active Aminating Reagent under Mild Conditions.

A novel and efficient Fe-catalyzed direct C-H amination (NH2 ) of arenes is reported using a new redox-active aminating reagent. The reaction is simple, and can be performed under air, mild, and redox-neutral conditions. This protocol has a broad substrate scope and could be used in the late-stage modification of bioactive compounds. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that a radical pathway could be involved in this transformation.

Conversion of Simple Cyclohexanones into Catechols.

A novel I2-catalyzed direct conversion of cyclohexanones to substituted catechols under mild and simple conditions has been described. This novel transformation is remarkable with the multiple oxygenation and dehydrogenative aromatization processes enabled just by using DMSO as the solvent, oxidant, and oxygen source. This metal-free and simple system demonstrates a versatile protocol for the synthesis of highly valuable substituted catechols and therefore streamlines the synthesis and modification of biologically important molecules for drug discovery.

Rh-Catalyzed Direct Amination of Unactivated C(sp(3) )-H bond with Anthranils Under Mild Conditions.

C-N Bond formation is of great significance due to the ubiquity of nitrogen-containing compounds. Here, a mild and efficient Rh(III) -catalyzed C(sp(3) )-H aryl amination reaction is reported. Anthranil is employed as the nitrogen source with 100 % atom efficiency. This C-H amination reaction exhibits broad substrate scope without using any external oxidants. Mechanistic studies including rhodacycle intermediates, H-D exchange, kinetic isotope effect (KIE) experiments, and in situ IR are presented.

Rh-Catalyzed N-O Bond Cleavage of Anthranil: A C-H Amination Reagent for Simultaneous Incorporation of Amine and a Functional Group.

A novel Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H bond amination with the simultaneous release of a formyl group at distal positions is realized employing anthranil as a new type of C-H amination reagent. This chemistry provides an efficient protocol for the synthesis of 2-acyl diarylamines, which are important structural motifs in many bioactive compounds. This new type of C-H amination reagent possesses the advantages of high atom economy, avoids the use of external oxidants, and enables further transformation of the amination products.

Silver-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Azidation of Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids.

The catalytic decarboxylative nitrogenation of aliphatic carboxylic acids for the synthesis of alkyl azides is reported. A series of tertiary, secondary, and primary organoazides were prepared from easily available aliphatic carboxylic acids by using K2S2O8 as the oxidant and PhSO2N3 as the nitrogen source. The EPR experiment sufficiently proved that an alkyl radical process was generated in the process, and DFT calculations further supported the SET process followed by a stepwise SH2 reaction to afford azide product.

From ketones to esters by a Cu-catalyzed highly selective C(CO)-C(alkyl) bond cleavage: aerobic oxidation and oxygenation with air.

The Cu-catalyzed aerobic oxidative esterification of simple ketones via C-C bond cleavage has been developed. Varieties of common ketones, even inactive aryl long-chain alkyl ketones, are selectively converted into esters. The reaction tolerates a wide range of alcohols, including primary and secondary alcohols, chiral alcohols with retention of the configuration, electron-deficient phenols, as well as various natural alcohols. The usage of inexpensive copper catalyst, broad substrate scope, and neutral and open air conditions make this protocol very practical. (18)O labeling experiments reveal that oxygenation occurs during this transformation. Preliminary mechanism studies indicate that two novel pathways are mainly involved in this process.

Dehydrogenative N-incorporation: a direct approach to quinoxaline N-oxides under mild conditions.

An efficient method for the synthesis of quinoxaline N-oxides proceeds by the dehydrogenative N-incorporation of simple imines by C(sp(2))-H and C(sp(3))-H bond functionalization. The overall transformation involves the cleavage of three C-H bonds. The reaction is easily handled and proceeds under mild conditions. Simple and readily available tert-butyl nitrite (TBN) was employed as the NO source.