Sulfur-Fluoride Exchange (SuFEx)-Mediated Synthesis of Sterically Hindered and Electron-Deficient Secondary and Tertiary Amides via Acyl Fluoride Intermediates.

Amide bond formation is one of the most executed reactions in chemistry and biology. This is largely due to the ubiquity of the amide functional group in biological molecules, natural products and pharmaceutically important drugs. We report here the development of "SuFExAmide": a new sulfur-fluoride exchange (SuFEx) click chemistry based protocol for the efficient amidation of carboxylic acids via acyl fluoride intermediates. We have developed benzene-1,3-disulfonyl fluoride as a cost effective, powerful and versatile coupling agent, which delivers challenging secondary and tertiary amides in excellent yields from sterically hindered and electron-deficient amines. The straightforward method offers significant benefits over existing protocols in terms of substrate scope, efficiency and ease of operation and is demonstrated by the synthesis of 44 amides, including GNF6702, an antiprotozoal drug candidate. In the majority of cases, the amide products are obtained in high yield without the need for excess reagents or chromatographic purification.

Biomimetic Approaches Towards The Synthesis of Complex Dimeric Natural Products.

We present a selection of elegant and diverse biomimetic syntheses of complex natural product dimers. The dimerisation pathways discussed encompass the most prevalent strategies, including: Diels-Alder, Aldol, Mannich, conjugate addition, oxidative, radical and photochemical approaches; each underpinned through rational biosynthetic speculation.

A silver-mediated one-step synthesis of oxazoles.

A silver-mediated one-step procedure to 2,4-disubstituted and 2,4,5-trisubstituted oxazoles has been developed. The method is complementary to existing technologies, yet provides advantages with regard to simplicity, efficiency, and performance. The silver product can be readily recycled, thus minimizing waste.

Targeting glycolysis: a fragment based approach towards bifunctional inhibitors of hLDH-5.

hLDH-5 has emerged as a promising target for anti-glycolytic cancer chemotherapy. Here we report a first generation of bifunctional inhibitors, which show promising activity against hLDH-5.

New synthesis of 1-substituted-1H-indazoles via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of in situ generated nitrile imines and benzyne.

A new synthesis of 1-substituted-1H-indazoles via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile imines to benzyne is described. The reaction is completed within 5 min, affording the corresponding N(1)-C(3) disubstituted indazoles in moderate to excellent yields.

An improved synthesis of 1,2-benzisoxazoles: TBAF mediated 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides and benzyne.

An efficient synthesis of a range of 1,2-benzisoxazoles using an improved 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides and benzyne is described. Key to the procedure is the in situ generation of the reactive nitrile oxide and benzyne reaction partners mediated by TBAF. Reactions are complete within 30 s, giving the target products in good to excellent yield.

An efficient entry to 1,2-benzisoxazoles via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of in situ generated nitrile oxides and benzyne.

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of a range of 1,2-benzisoxazoles using an improved 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides and benzyne is described. Key to the procedure is the in situ generation of the reactive nitrile oxide and benzyne reactants simultaneously.