Aromatic Scaffold Research Articles

Bisphosphonium Benzene Diimides.

The incorporation of cationic groups onto electron-poor compounds is a viable strategy for achieving potent electron acceptors, as evidenced by reports of air-stable radical forms of large aromatic diimides such as naphthalene and perylene diimides. These ions have also been observed to exhibit anion-π interaction tendencies of interest in molecular recognition applications. The benefits of phosphonium incorporation, however, have not yet been extended to the smallest benzene diimides. Here, we report that dibrominated pyromellitic diimide and mellophanic diimide both readily undergo substitution reactions with phosphine sources to yield bisphosphonium compounds. In the single crystalline form, these dications display anion-π interactions and, in the case of mellophanic diimide, the stabilization of a bromide-water H-bonding ring pattern. The reaction of these dications with chemical reductants readily provides the singly and doubly reduced redox states, which were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and found to exhibit intense absorptions extending into the near-IR region. Taken together, this work demonstrates that phosphonium incorporation onto congested aromatic diimide scaffolds is synthetically viable and produces unusual electron-poor compounds.

Amine-Borane-Mediated, Nickel/Photoredox-Catalyzed Cross-Electrophile Coupling between Alkyl and Aryl Bromides.

Nickel/photoredox catalysis has emerged as a powerful platform for exploring nontraditional and challenging cross-couplings. Herein, a metallaphotoredox catalytic protocol has been developed on the basis of a tertiary amine-ligated boryl radical-induced halogen atom transfer process under blue-light irradiation. A wide variety of aryl and heteroaryl bromides featuring different functional groups and pharmaceutical moieties were facilely coupled to rapidly install C(sp3)-enriched aromatic scaffolds. The compatibility of Lewis base-ligated borane with nickel catalysis was well exemplified to extend the chemical space for Ni-catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling.

Transition Metals Catalyzed Direct C-H Chalcogenation of Arenes and Heteroarenes

Abstract: Transition metals catalyzed C-H bond activation reactions have appeared as an emerg-ing field to introduce different functional groups in the inactivated saturated and unsaturated C-H bonds. C-S and C-Se bond constructions in aromatic scaffolds are very interesting due to the im-portant applications of organochalcogen reagents in pharmaceutical chemistry and the material world. The introduction of sulphur or selenium moiety to an inert C-H functionality of an arene under transition metal catalysis has become one of the prime challenges and targets in recent years. In this perspective, various transition metals such as Cu, Ni, Co, Pd, Rh, Ru etc. have been extensively studied. Aromatic arenes owning bearing suitable directing groups appeared as the most promising coupling partners to selectively synthesize differently substituted aryl sulfones and aryl sulfides/selenides. The synthetic strategies were highly convenient owing to the regiose-lectivity of products, broad substrate scope, mild reaction conditions and excellent functional group tolerance. The current review article comprehensively summarizes the extent of C-S/Se bond formation via transition metal-catalyzed C-H bond activation with the assistance of directing groups to govern the site selectivity.

The Tribological Properties of Novel Sulfoximine Derivatives as Lubricant Additives.

Introducing an additive is a practical approach to improve the lubrication performance of base oil in the field of tribology. Herein, a series of sulfoximine derivatives was synthesized and incorporated into base oil A51 as additives. The tribological properties of these lubricants were evaluated at both room and high temperatures, and the result demonstrated that they displayed excellent friction reduction and wear resistance in the friction process under both test conditions. Moreover, the chemical composition of the worn scar surface was inspected using EDS, XPS and TOF-SIMS to explore the lubricating mechanism. It is reasonable to conclude that the synergistic interaction between the aromatic ring scaffolds and elements like N, F, and S facilitated the adsorption of lubricant on the steel block surfaces and forming a tribofilm during the friction process. This tribofilm has a dominant impact on the system's lubrication performance. This research provides novel oil-soluble lubricant additives, offering a facile approach to formulating high-quality lubricants.

Total Synthesis of Ganoapplanin Enabled by a Radical Addition/Aldol Reaction Cascade.

The total synthesis of the Ganoderma meroterpenoid ganoapplanin, an inhibitor of T-type voltage-gated calcium channels, is reported. Our synthetic approach is based on the convergent coupling of a readily available aromatic polyketide scaffold with a bicyclic terpenoid fragment. The three contiguous stereocenters of the terpenoid fragment, two of which are quaternary, were constructed by a diastereoselective, titanium-mediated iodolactonization. For the fusion of the two fragments and to simultaneously install the crucial biaryl bond, we devised a highly effective two-component coupling strategy. This event involves an intramolecular 6-exo-trig radical addition of a quinone monoacetal followed by an intermolecular aldol reaction. A strategic late-stage oxidation sequence allowed the selective installation of the remaining oxygen functionalities and the introduction of the characteristic spiro bisacetal structure of ganoapplanin.

Redox-Switchable Aromaticity in a Helically Extended Indeno[2,1-c]fluorene.

Molecular switches have received major attention to enable the reversible modulation of various molecular properties and have been extensively used as trigger elements in diverse fields, including molecular machines, responsive materials, and photopharmacology. Antiaromaticity is a fascinating property that has attracted not only significant fundamental interest but is also increasingly relevant in different applications, in particular organic (opto)electronics. However, designing systems in which (anti)aromaticity can be judiciously and reversibly switched ON and OFF remains challenging. Herein, we report a helicene featuring an indenofluorene-bridged bisthioxanthylidene as a novel switch wherein a simultaneous two-electron (electro)chemical redox process allows highly reversible modulation of its (anti)aromatic character. Specifically, the two thioxanthylidene rotors, attached to the initially aromatic indenofluorene scaffold via overcrowded alkenes, adopt an anti-folded structure, which upon oxidation convert to singly bonded, twisted conformations. This is not only associated with significant (chir)optical changes but importantly also results in formation of the fully conjugated, formally antiaromatic as-indacene motif in the helical core of the switch. This process proceeds without the buildup of radical cation intermediates and thus enables highly reversible switching of molecular geometry, aromaticity, absorbance, and chiral expression under ambient conditions, as evidenced by NMR, UV-vis, CD, and (spectro)electrochemical analyses, supported by DFT calculations. We expect this concept to be extendable to a wide range of robust antiaromatic-aromatic switches and to provide a basis for modulation of the structure and properties of these fascinating inherently chiral polycyclic π-scaffolds.

Transition Metal-Catalyzed Dual C-H Activation/Annulation Reactions Involving Internal Alkynes.

Recently, transition metal-catalyzed ortho-C-H bond activation/annulations involving two internal alkyne molecules have been extensively used to synthesize highly substituted polycyclic aromatic scaffolds. Such reactions have emerged as a powerful atom and step-economical strategy for the assembly of multifunctional bioactive molecules. In this context, we focused on the recent achievements of dual C-H bond activation/annulations, as well as functionalization reactions involving diaryl/alkyl alkynes.

Significance of Chalcone Scaffolds in Medicinal Chemistry.

Chalcone is a simple naturally occurring α,β-unsaturated ketone with biological importance, which can also be easily synthesized in laboratories by reaction between two aromatic scaffolds. In plants, chalcones occur as polyphenolic compounds of different frameworks which are bioactive molecules that have been in traditional medicinal practice for many years. Chalcone-based lead molecules have been developed, possessing varied potentials such as antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-oxidant, antidiabetic, antihyperurecemic, and anti-ulcer effects. Chalcones contribute considerable fragments to give important heterocyclic molecules with therapeutic utilities targeting various diseases. These characteristic features have made chalcone a topic of interest among researchers and have attracted investigations into this widely applicable structure. This review highlights the extensive exploration carried out on the synthesis, biotransformations, chemical reactions, hybridization, and pharmacological potentials of chalcones, and aims to provide an extensive, thorough, and critical review of their importance, with emphasis on their properties, chemistry, and biomedical applications to boost future investigations into this potential scaffold in medicinal chemistry.

Elektrokatalytische formale C(sp2)−H Alkylierung via Nickel‐katalysierter elektrophiler Kreuzkupplung mit vielseitigen Arylsulfoniumsalzen

AbstractDie Synthese sp3‐hybridsierter kohlenstoffreicher Moleküle ist aufgrund ihrer Bedeutung und ihres Erfolgs insbesondere in klinischen Studien von besonderem Interesse. In dieser Arbeit wurde das Einbringen von aliphatischen Ketten auf ein aromatisches Gerüst durch eine Nickel‐katalysierte C(sp2)−C(sp3) elektrophile Kreuzkupplungen mit Arylsulfoniumsalzen erreicht. So konnten einfach, nichtpräfunktionalisiere Arene durch die Bildung von Aryldibenzothiopheniumsalze alkyliert werden. Durch den elektrochemischen Ansatz können potenziell gefährliche chemische Redoxreagenzien vermieden werden. Insbesondere die Ein‐Topf Alkylierung erwies sich als praktikabel, was die Robustheit unseres Ansatzes unterstreicht.

Electrocatalytic Formal C(sp2)-H Alkylations via Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Electrophile Coupling with Versatile Arylsulfonium Salts.

Producing sp3-hybridized carbon-enriched molecules is of particular interest due to their high success rate in clinical trials. The installation of aliphatic chains onto aromatic scaffolds was accomplished by nickel-catalyzed C(sp2)-C(sp3) cross-electrophile coupling with arylsulfonium salts. Thus, simple non-prefunctionalized arenes could be alkylated through the formation of aryldibenzothiophenium salts. The reaction employs an electrochemical approach to avoid potentially hazardous chemical redox agents, and importantly, the one-pot alkylation proved also viable, highlighting the robustness of our approach.

Polyketide Trimming Shapes Dihydroxynaphthalene-Melanin and Anthraquinone Pigments.

Pigments such as anthraquinones (AQs) and melanins are antioxidants, protectants, or virulence factors. AQs from the entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus laumondii are produced by a modular type II polyketide synthase system. A key enzyme involved in AQ biosynthesis is PlAntI, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of the bicyclic-intermediate-loaded acyl carrier protein, polyketide trimming, and assembly of the aromatic AQ scaffold. Here, multiple crystal structures of PlAntI in various conformations and with bound substrate surrogates or inhibitors are reported. Structure-based mutagenesis and activity assays provide experimental insights into the three sequential reaction steps to yield the natural product AQ-256. For comparison, a series of ligand-complex structures of two functionally related hydrolases involved in the biosynthesis of 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene-melanin in pathogenic fungi is determined. These data provide fundamental insights into the mechanism of polyketide trimming that shapes pigments in pro- and eukaryotes.

Photochemical Reduction of Quinolines with γ-Terpinene.

The saturation of aromatic scaffolds is valuable for the synthesis of complex rings. Herein, we demonstrate a process for photochemical dearomative reduction of quinolines. The process involves capture of a quinoline excited state with γ-terpinene. Importantly, the reaction is chemoselective as other easily reduced functionalities such as halogens or alkenes do not undergo reduction. The mechanism of the reaction has also been investigated. Finally, the generality of the approach towards other substrates is demonstrated.

Design and synthesis of fluorine aromatic scaffolds containing drugs approved by the US FDA from 2002 to 2022

There are totally 93 fluorine aromatic scaffolds containing drugs approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration from 2002 to 2022. The proportion of drugs containing fluorinated aromatic skeleton in approved drugs is increasing in recent ten years, which indicates the unique and important attributes of the fluorine atom. The introduction of fluorinated fragments into molecules can influence structure conformation, intrinsic potency and selectivity and pharmacokinetic properties productively. Additionally, 18F has been applied as a significant and useful positron emission tomography isotope for in vivo imaging technology. This review is mainly concentrated on the application and synthesis methods of 93 fluorine aromatic scaffolds containing drugs approved by the US FDA from 2002 to 2022. We hoped that this deep insight perspective into the synthetic methods for the delivery of these fluorine aromatic scaffolds containing drugs could offer practical and creative inspirations for the application and development of fluorine atom in new drug discovery.

Controlling rates and reversibilities of elimination reactions of hydroxybenzylammoniums by tuning dearomatization energies.

Hydroxybenzylammonium compounds can undergo a reversible 1,4- or 1,6-elimination to afford quinone methide intermediates after release of the amine. These molecules are useful for the reversible conjugation of payloads to amines. We hypothesized that aromaticity could be used to alter the rate of reversibility as a distinct thermodynamic driving force. We describe the use of density functional theory (DFT) calculations to determine the effect of aromaticity on the rate of release of the amine from hydroxybenzylammonium compounds. Namely, the aromatic scaffold affects the dearomatization reaction to reduce the kinetic barrier and prevent the reversibility of the amine elimination. We consequently synthesized a small library of polycyclic hydroxybenzylammoniums, which resulted in a range of release half-lives from 18 minutes to 350 hours. The novel mechanistic insight provided herein significantly expands the range of release rates amenable to hydroxybenzylammonium-containing compounds. This work provides another way to affect the rate of payload release in hydroxybenzylammoniums.

A Review on 1,2,3 - Triazole & Piperazine Derivatives with Various Biological Activities

The largest family of organic molecules in organic chemistry are heterocyclic compounds. A heterocyclic compound is created when an oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, or atom of a similar element is included in place of a carbon atom. Heterocyclic compounds play a crucial role in daily living. It has a wide scope of uses in agrochemicals and medicinal chemistry. One of a pair of chemical compounds known as triazoles and Piperazine, with the molecular formula C2H3N3 and C5H5N. A fundamental aromatic heterocyclic scaffold is 1,2,3-triazole and piperazine. Because of its structural characteristics, these moiety’s are valuable in material science and due to its extensive application in chemistry, these can also be synthesized from readily available compounds. This literature review sheds light on the fact that 1,2,3-triazole and piperazine of hetero compounds are profoundly receptive and are known to possess potent diverse activities like, analgesic, anti-HIV, antimalarial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic, and so forth. In conclusion numerous biological actions of the Piperazine and 1,2,3-Triazole derivatives of heterocyclic compounds were detailed and reviewed in this review. Keywords: 1,2,3 - Triazole; Biological activities; Piperazine; Anticancer Activity

Electroreductive Radical Addition-Polar Cyclization Cascade to Access Cycloalkanes.

Compared with flat aromatic scaffolds, three-dimensional aliphatic ring systems feature high structural complexity and topological diversity and, thus, have received increasing attention in drug discovery. Herein, we describe a mild and general electrochemical method for the modular synthesis of structurally distinct cyclic compounds, including monocyclic alkanes, benzo-fused ring systems, and spirocycles, from readily available alkenes and alkyl halides via a radical-polar crossover mechanism.

Fluorescent 2′-Deoxyuridine (dU) Analogue: Tropolonyl triazolyl-dU (tt-dU) Exhibits Solvatochromism/HeLa Cell Internalization and Its Triphosphate (tt-dUTP) Is Incorporated into DNA Enzymatically

AbstractThis era has witnessed the development and extensive application of modified nucleosides, including fluorescent nucleosides that clinically served humankind. Most fluorescent nucleoside analogues are derived from benzenoid aromatic scaffolds. However, the non-benzenoid aromatic moiety, tropolone, which exhibits unique hydrogen bonding and metal chelating properties, also occurs in nature. Recently, we introduced the tropolone unit at deoxyuridine through an ethyne linker and prepared its DNA analogues, which are fluorescent. This report describes the synthesis of a new troponyl triazolyl-dU (tt-dU) analogue, possessing a triazolyl linker, through click chemistry. tt-dU exhibits fluorescence with solvatochromism and enters into Hela cells without any cytotoxicity. Its triphosphate (tt-dUTP) was also synthesized and incorporated enzymatically into DNA, as shown in primer extension experiments. The unique photophysical properties and metal-chelating ability of the tropolone group make tt-dU a promising modified nucleoside.

Fungus reinforced sustainable gold nanoparticles: An efficient heterogeneous catalyst for reduction of nitro aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic scaffolds

Heterogeneous catalyst is essential for an efficient and environmental friendly process development in chemical industries. As a green chemistry prospective, recovery and reusability of catalyst is in great demand for industrial processes. Herein this report, a robust protocol with novel catalyst has been developed for the selective reduction of nitro functionality on aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic scaffolds using sodium borohydride in water. Aspergillus trinidadensis (VM ST01′ OL587588) supported gold nano heterogeneous catalyst (AtGNHC) has efficiently and selectively reduced the nitro group in the presence of different other functional groups like olefins, esters, amide, nitriles, carboxylic and halides (-F, -Cl, -Br). The amino products with industrial importance for the preparation of pharmaceuticals, polymers and agrochemicals are obtained in good isolated yields (up to >95 %) under mild conditions. AtGNHC is lyophilized to make it as a robust free flowing powder, which can be used as regular chemicals. As a requirement of sustainable chemistry, the catalyst reusability has been also investigated and it has shown almost same efficiency all the time (10 cycles are performed). A storage stability of lyophilized AtGNHC has been also performed and it has shown excellent catalytic activity even after one year of storage at normal conditions. AtGNHC has demonstrated its efficacy in scale-up process (tried up to 5gm batch) also with same reactivity. Results presented and discussed in this report are clearly showing the potency of AtGNHC as a choice for chemical industries with commercial value.

Programmable late-stage functionalization of bridge-substituted bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane bis-boronates.

Modular functionalization enables versatile exploration of chemical space and has been broadly applied in structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of aromatic scaffolds during drug discovery. Recently, the bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane (BCP) motif has increasingly received attention as a bioisosteric replacement of benzene rings due to its ability to improve the physicochemical properties of prospective drug candidates, but studying the SARs of C2-substituted BCPs has been heavily restricted by the need for multistep de novo synthesis of each analogue of interest. Here we report a programmable bis-functionalization strategy to enable late-stage sequential derivatization of BCP bis-boronates, opening up opportunities to explore the SARs of drug candidates possessing multisubstituted BCP motifs. Our approach capitalizes on the inherent chemoselectivity exhibited by BCP bis-boronates, enabling highly selective activation and functionalization of bridgehead (C3)-boronic pinacol esters (Bpin), leaving the C2-Bpin intact and primed for subsequent derivatization. These selective transformations of both BCP bridgehead (C3) and bridge (C2) positions enable access to C1,C2-disubstituted and C1,C2,C3-trisubstituted BCPs that encompass previously unexplored chemical space.

Dihydroxyphenyl- and Heteroaromatic-Based Thienopyrimidinones to Tackle HIV-1 LEDGF/p75-Dependent IN Activity.

The spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) still represents a global public health issue of major concern, and would benefit from unveiling unique viral features as targets for drug design. In this respect, HIV-1 integrase (IN), due to the absence of homologs in human cells, is a popular target for the synthesis of novel selective compounds. Moreover, as drug-resistant viral strains are rapidly evolving, the development of novel allosteric inhibitors is acutely required. Recently, we have observed that Kuwanon-L, quinazolinones and thienopyrimidinones containing at least one polyphenol unit, effectively inhibited HIV-1 IN activity. Thus, in the present research, novel dihydroxyphenyl-based thienopyrimidinone derivatives were investigated for their LEDGF/p75-dependent IN inhibitory activity. Our findings indicated a close correlation between the position of the OH group on the phenyl moiety and IN inhibitory activity of these compounds. As catechol may be involved in cytotoxicity, its replacement by other aromatic scaffolds was also exploited. As a result, compounds 21-23, 25 and 26 with enhanced IN inhibitory activity provided good lead candidates, with 25 being the most selective for IN. Lastly, UV spectrometric experiments suggested a plausible allosteric mode of action, as none of the thienopirimidinones showed Mg2+ chelation properties otherwise typical of IN strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs).