Ozone-Mediated Amine Oxidation and Beyond: A Solvent-Free, Flow-Chemistry Approach.

Ozone is a powerful oxidant, most commonly used for oxidation of alkenes to carbonyls. The synthetic utility of other ozone-mediated reactions is hindered by its high reactivity and propensity to overoxidize organic molecules, including most solvents. This challenge can largely be mitigated by adsorbing both substrate and ozone onto silica gel, providing a solvent-free oxidation method. In this manuscript, a flow-based packed bed reactor approach is described that provides exceptional control of reaction temperature and time to achieve improved control and chemoselectivity over this challenging transformation. A powerful method to oxidize primary amines into nitroalkanes is achieved. Examples of pyridine, C-H bond, and arene oxidations are also demonstrated, confirming the system is generalizable to diverse ozone-mediated processes.

Ketone Synthesis by a Nickel-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Cross-Coupling of Primary Alcohols.

An intermolecular coupling of primary alcohols and organotriflates has been developed to provide ketones by the action of a Ni(0) catalyst. This oxidative transformation is proposed to occur by the union of three distinct catalytic cycles. Two competitive oxidation processes generate aldehyde in situ via hydrogen transfer oxidation or (pseudo)dehalogenation pathways. As aldehyde forms, a Ni-catalyzed carbonyl-Heck process enables formation of the key carbon-carbon bond. The utility of this rare alcohol to ketone transformation is demonstrated through the synthesis of diverse complex and bioactive molecules.

Switchable Selectivity in the Pd-Catalyzed Alkylative Cross-Coupling of Esters.

The Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of phenyl esters and alkyl boranes is disclosed. Two reaction modes are rendered accessible in a selective fashion by interchange of the catalyst. With a Pd-NHC system, alkyl ketones can be prepared in good yields via a Suzuki-Miyaura reaction proceeding by activation of the C(acyl)-O bond. Use of a Pd-dcype catalyst enables alkylated arenes to be synthesized by a modified pathway with extrusion of CO. Applications of this divergent coupling strategy and the origin of the switchable selectivity are discussed.

A Nickel-Catalyzed Carbonyl-Heck Reaction.

The use of transition-metal catalysis to enable the coupling of readily available organic molecules has greatly enhanced the ability of chemists to access complex chemical structures. In this work, an intermolecular coupling reaction that unites organotriflates and aldehydes is presented. A unique catalyst system is identified to enable this reaction, featuring a Ni0 precatalyst, a tridentate Triphos ligand, and a bulky amine base. This transformation provides access to a variety of ketone-containing products without the selectivity- and reactivity-related challenges associated with more traditional Friedel-Crafts reactions. A Heck-type mechanism is postulated, wherein the π bond of the aldehyde takes the role of the olefin in the insertion/elimination steps.

Enhanced Catalytic Activity of Aluminum Complexes for the Ring-Opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone.

A series of dinuclear aluminum (Al2Pyr2) complexes bridged by two pyrazole ligands were synthesized, and their catalytic activity toward ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (CL) was investigated. Different types of the Al-N-N-Al-N-N skeletal ring were found among these Al2Pyr2 complexes. The butterfly form, LThio2Al2Me4, exerted the highest catalytic activity for CL polymerization. κ2-CL coordination with both Al centers within the butterfly form LThio2Al2Me4 facilitates the initiation process. Generally speaking, the Al2Pyr2 complexes exhibited substantially higher catalytic activity for CL polymerization than literature examples such as ß-diketiminate- or traiaza-bearing aluminum complexes. In fact, the Al2Pyr2 complexes can even carry out CL polymerization at room temperature.

Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling: Synthesis of Fused Imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines and Pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines.

A palladium-catalyzed intramolecular dehydrogenative coupling reaction was developed for the synthesis of fused imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines and pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines. The developed protocol provides a practical approach for the synthesis of biologically important substituted pyrimidines from easily available substrates, with a broad substrate scope under mild reaction conditions.

Metal-free cycloaddition to synthesize naphtho[2,3-d][1,2,3]triazole-4,9-diones.

A metal-free domino [3 + 2] cycloaddition is reported to construct naphtho[2,3-d][1,2,3]triazole-4,9-dione derivatives and provide an alternative approach to the azide-alkyne cycloadditions. The key features are easily available starting materials, mild reaction conditions, a good atom economy, eco-friendly characteristics and a broad substrate scope with high yields.

Au(I)-catalyzed synthesis of 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-2-enes and 9-oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nona-2,6-dienes from enynol via oxonium/Prins-type cyclization.

A sustainable and simple Au(I) catalytic system to synthesise 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-2-enes and 9-oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nona-2,6-dienes from enynol via oxonium/Prins-type cyclization is described. The key advantages of this reaction are selectivity, good functional group tolerance and a new approach for synthesis of oxabicyclic and oxatricyclic systems.

I2-TBHP-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling of N-sulfonyl hydrazones and isocyanides to 5-aminopyrazoles.

I2-TBHP-catalyzed oxidative cross coupling of N-sulfonyl hydrazones with isocyanides has been realized for the synthesis of 5-aminopyrazoles through formal [4 + 1] annulation via in situ azoalkene formation. Notable features are the metal/alkyne-free strategy, C-C and C-N bond formation, atom economy, catalytic I2, broad functional group tolerance, good reaction yields, shorter time, and also applicability to one-pot methodology.

An iron-catalyzed cascade approach to benzo[b]carbazole synthesis followed by 1,4-sulfonyl migration.

A simple and straightforward approach was developed to construct 5H-benzo[b]carbazole derivatives by iron catalysis in a cascade sequence. The notable features of this work include an atom-economical cascade sequence, unprecedented 1,4-sulfonyl migration, tolerance of a variety of functional groups, good yields, and an economical catalytic system.

A one-pot hypoiodite catalysed oxidative cycloetherification approach to benzoxazoles.

A practical one-pot hypoiodite catalysed oxidative cyclization approach to synthesize α-ketobenzoxazole derivatives was successfully developed. This operationally simple protocol utilizes easily-accessible starting materials and has a broad substrate scope with excellent yields.

A convenient method to construct (Z)-oxazines via 6-exo-dig iodocyclization and synthesis of indolin-3-one.

An efficient regio-, stereo- and chemo-specific synthesis of 1,3-benzoxazines via 6-exo-dig cyclization to afford the Z-isomer is reported. The structure and connectivity were confirmed unambiguously on the basis of (1)H NMR, NOESY, and ORTEP. Furthermore, DFT studies revealed that the Z-isomer was more stable than the E-isomer. Iodine substituted 1,3-benzoxazines were very useful precursors for cross coupling reactions. Suzuki reaction was carried out successfully and the resulting product was transformed to 1-(4-nitrobenzoyl)-2,2-diphenylindolin-3-one in the presence of a Lewis acid.

Facile, selective, and regiocontrolled synthesis of oxazolines and oxazoles mediated by ZnI2 and FeCl3.

An expedient method for a direct approach to the selective and regiocontrolled synthesis of 2-oxazolines and 2-oxazoles mediated by ZnI(2) and FeCl(3) is described. A Lewis acid promoted cyclization of acetylenic amide with various functionalities was well tolerated to give 2-oxazolines and 2-oxazoles in good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions.

A new approach to 1,4-oxazines and 1,4-oxazepines via base-promoted exo mode cyclization of alkynyl alcohols: mechanism and DFT studies.

A new approach was developed to synthesize 1,4-oxazine and 1,4-oxazepine derivatives without solvent and metal. Regioselective cyclization occurred to afford exclusively the exo-dig product, and stereochemistry was studied by circular dichroism and specific optical rotation techniques. The Grignard reaction is a key synthetic step to produce high diastereomeric compounds via Cram's rule and was well supported by DFT calculations. A hydroalkoxylation mechanism was proposed and supported by DFT calculations.

Synthesis of sulfur-sulfur bond formation from thioamides promoted by 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone.

A mild and efficient synthesis of sulfur-sulfur bond formation from thioformanilides with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ) is described. Functionality on the aromatic ring plays a key role in the formation of a sulfur-sulfur bond.

Novel quinoline and naphthalene derivatives as potent antimycobacterial agents.

We have designed and synthesized both the quinoline and naphthalene based molecules influenced by the unique structural make-up of mefloquine and TMC207, respectively. These compounds were evaluated for their anti-mycobacterial activity against drug sensitive Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv in vitro at single-dose concentration (6.25 microg/mL). The compounds 22, 23, 26 and 27 inhibited the growth of M. tuberculosis H37Rv 99%, 90%, 98% and 91% respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentration of compounds 22, 23, 26 and 27 was found to be 6.25 microg/mL. Our molecular modeling and docking studies of designed compounds showed hydrogen bonding with Glu-61, Tyr-64 and Asn-190 amino acid residues at the putative binding site of ATP synthase, these interactions were coherent as shown by Mefloquine and TMC207, where hydrogen bonding was found with Tyr-64 and Glu-61 respectively. SAR analysis indicates importance of hydroxyl group and nature of substituents on piperazinyl-phenyl ring was critical in dictating the biological activity of newly synthesized compounds.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel triazole, urea and thiourea derivatives of quinoline against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

A new series of 20 quinoline derivatives possessing triazolo, ureido and thioureido substituents have been synthesized and their antimycobacterial properties have been evaluated. Compounds 10, 22 and 24 inhibited Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv up to 96%, 98% and 94% respectively, at a fixed concentration of 6.25 microg/mL. Minimum inhibitory concentration of 3.125 microg/mL was obtained for compound 10 and 24, while for compound 22 it was 6.25 microg/mL. Molecular docking calculations suggest critical hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions between polar functional groups (such as quinoline-nitrogen, urea-carbonyl and hydroxyl) of anti-mycobacterial (anti-TB) compounds and amino acids (Arg186 and Glu61) of ATP-synthase of M. tuberculosis, could be the probable reason for observed anti-mycobacterial action.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modelling studies of novel quinoline derivatives against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

We herein describe the synthesis and antimycobacterial activity of a series of 27 different derivatives of 3-benzyl-6-bromo-2-methoxy-quinolines and amides of 2-[(6-bromo-2-methoxy-quinolin-3-yl)-phenyl-methyl]-malonic acid monomethyl ester. The antimycobacterial activity of these compounds was evaluated in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv for nine consecutive days upon a fixed concentration (6.25 microg/mL) at day one in Bactec assay and compared to untreated TB cell culture as well as one with isoniazide treated counterpart, under identical experimental conditions. The compounds 3, 8, 17 and 18 have shown 92-100% growth inhibition of mycobacterial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6.25 microg/mL. Based on our molecular modelling and docking studies on well-known diarylquinoline antitubercular drug R207910, the presence of phenyl, naphthyl and halogen moieties seem critical. Comparison of docking studies on different stereoisomers of R207910 as well as compounds from our data set, suggests importance of electrostatic interactions. Further structural analysis of docking studies on our compounds suggests attractive starting point to find new lead compounds with potential improvements.