Ethyl Isocyanoacetate Research Articles

Assessment of Conjugation Pathways in N-Methylporphyrins that Are Fused to Acenaphthylene, Phenanthrene, or Pyrene: Evidence for the Presence of Alternative Aromatic Circuits.

Acenaphtho-, phenanthro-, and pyrenopyrrole esters, readily available from Barton-Zard reactions of ethyl isocyanoacetate with nitroarenes, were reacted with methyl iodide and KOH in DMSO to give N-methylpyrroles and subsequent cleavage of the ester moieties was accomplished with KOH in ethylene glycol at 200 °C. Condensation with two equiv of an acetoxymethylpyrrole in refluxing acetic acid-2-propanol afforded a series of annulated tripyrranes. Cleavage of the terminal tert-butyl ester groups with trifluoroacetic acid, followed by condensation with a diformylpyrrole and oxidation with FeCl3, gave N-methyl acenaphtho-, phenanthro-, and pyrenoporphyrins. The N-methyl substituent effectively freezes the tautomeric equilibria to maximize interactions between the porphyrin nucleus and the fused aromatic substructures. Analysis of the proton NMR spectra provides evidence of the presence of extended aromatic circuits within these structures. Anisotropy of induced ring current (AICD) plots clearly shows the presence of 30π electron pathways in phenanthro- and pyrenoporphyrins that run around the exterior of the benzenoid fragments. These results demonstrate that N-alkylation can be used to relocate aromatic pathways in porphyrinoid systems.

Equipping Uridine with Three Dipeptide Motifs for the Inhibition of Radical-Induced DNA Oxidation.

We report the discovery and characterization of antioxidative effects of uridine linked with three dipeptide motifs against DNA oxidation induced by peroxyl radicals. First, the dipeptide motifs are constructed by using the Ugi four-component reaction (Ugi 4CR), in which caffeic, ferulic, sinapic, and syringic acids are used as the carboxylic acid resources, vanillin, benzaldehyde, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde are used as the aldehyde resources, tyramine- and dopamine-related isocyanides as well as ethyl isocyanoacetate are used as the isocyanide resources, and 2-(p-aminophenyl)ethanol is used as the amine component. We found that the antioxidative effects of the Ugi 4CR products are 1.3-2.8 times higher than those of caffeic, ferulic, sinapic, and syringic acids in the protection of DNA against peroxyl radical-induced oxidation. Moreover, when three Ugi 4CR products are linked with three hydroxyl groups of uridine by using three succinic anhydrides as the linkage, the inhibitory effects of the afforded uridine-dipeptide hybrids against the DNA oxidation increase 4.4-8.9 times (>3 times) compared to that of the Ugi 4CR product. This is due to the hybrid structure consisting of uridine and three motifs of the Ugi 4CR product enabling binding with the DNA strand more efficiently and quenching free radicals more rapidly. Therefore, the hybrid structure constructed by the nucleoside with antioxidative dipeptides offers an additional advantage for protecting DNA against radical-induced oxidation.

Isocyanide-Based Multicomponent Reaction: Cascade α-Acyloxylation/Carboxamidation and [3 + 1+1] Cyclization of I(III)/S(VI)-Ylides.

A metal-free cascade of α-acyloxylation/carboxamidation of I(III)/S(VI)-ylides, carboxylic acids, and isonitriles via a Passerini-like multicomponent reaction is reported. Unexpectedly, [3 + 1+1] cyclization involving I(III)/S(VI)-ylides and two molecules of ethyl isocyanoacetate was observed. The strategy allows for the synthesis of unsymmetrical α,α-disubstituted ketones and functionalized pyrroles with up to 99% yield and wide substrate compatibility. Notably, the procedure has been extended to the late-stage modification of drugs and natural products, offering an elegant complement to the classic Passerini reaction.

Access to Chromenopyrrole via Tandem [3 + 2] Cycloaddition and Intramolecular C-O Coupling.

A mild and concise method for the synthesis of chromenopyrrole from 2'-hydroxychalcone is devised. The reaction proceeds via an initial [3 + 2] cycloaddition on the C═C bond of 2'-hydroxychalcone and 1,3-dipolarophile, generated in situ by the reaction of ethyl isocyanoacetate and AgOAc. This is then followed by an intramolecular C-O bond formation with the -OH group and C5-H of the in situ generated pyrrole, leading to chromenopyrroles.

Synthesis of Chromenopyrroles (Azacoumestans) from Functionalized Enones and Alkyl Isocyanoacetates.

Elegant synthetic strategies for chromenopyrroles (azacoumestans) have been devised via cycloaddition of 2-hydroxychalcone/cyclic enones and alkyl isocyanoacetate, followed by lactonization. Herein, ethyl isocyanoacetate acts as a C-NH-C-C═O synthon contrary to its hitherto applications as a C-NH-C synthon. Subsequently, pentacyclic-fused pyrroles were also constructed from the o-iodo benzoyl chromenopyrroles using the Pd(II) catalyst.

Green and Efficient Construction of Chromeno[3,4-c]pyrrole Core via Barton–Zard Reaction from 3-Nitro-2H-chromenes and Ethyl Isocyanoacetate

A regioselective one-pot method for the synthesis of 1-ethyl 2,4-dihydrochromene[3,4-c]pyrroles in 63-94% yields from available 2-phenyl-, 2-trifluoro(trichloro)methyl- or 2-phenyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)-3-nitro-2H-chromenes and ethyl isocyanoacetate through the Barton-Zard reaction in ethanol at reflux for 0.5 h, using K2CO3 as a base, has been developed.

Synthesis of Chrysoporphyrins and a Related Benzopyrene-Fused System.

Reaction of 6-nitrochrysene with ethyl isocyanoacetate in the presence of a non-nucleophilic base gave a c-annulated pyrrole ethyl ester that was used to prepare chrysene-fused tripyrranes and a chrysopyrrole dialdehyde. Chrysene-fused tripyrranes were reacted with a pyrrole dialdehyde, but poor yields of chrysoporphyrins were obtained. However, condensation of the chrysopyrrole dialdehyde with a series of tripyrranes afforded excellent yields of chrysoporphyrins and an acenaphtho-chrysoporphyrin. Iron(III) chloride mediated oxidative cyclization of a dihexylchrysoporphyrin afforded a benzopyrene-fused porphyrin that exhibited a strongly red-shifted electronic absorption spectrum. DFT calculations show that both chrysoporphyrins and the benzopyrene-fused porphyrin have tautomers that possess 34π electron delocalization pathways that pass through the porphyrin nucleus and the fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) units. Protonation gave dications that favor 36-atom 34π electron circuits. c-Annulated pyrrole dialdehydes were also condensed with a carbatripyrrin to generate PAH-fused carbaporphyrins that retained fully aromatic properties.

2+1 Rhenium Tricarbonyl Complexes with N,N′-Bidentate Ligands and Ethyl Isocyanoacetate: Synthesis, Structure, and Properties

2+1 Rhenium Tricarbonyl Complexes with N,N′-Bidentate Ligands and Ethyl Isocyanoacetate: Synthesis, Structure, and Properties

The regioselective synthesis of 2,5- and 4,5-disubstituted thiazoles via the cyclization of 2-oxo-2-(amino)ethanedithioates with isocyanides.

The regioselective synthesis of 2-(methylthio)-N-aryl/alkylthiazole-5-carboxamides and ethyl-5-(aryl/alkyl carbamoyl)thiazole-4-carboxylates was carried out via the base-induced cyclization of methyl-2-oxo-2-(amino)ethanedithioates with TosMIC and ethyl isocyanoacetate, respectively, with high yields. The regioisomeric products were confirmed based on X-ray diffraction studies. An advantage of the present method is the wide-ranging isocyanide reactivity compared to earlier protocols, while the catalyst-free nature and rapid reaction times are noteworthy features.

Studies towards the Design and Synthesis of Novel 1,5-Diaryl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxylic Acids and 1,5-Diaryl-1H-imidazole-4-carbohydrazides as Host LEDGF/p75 and HIV-1 Integrase Interaction Inhibitors.

Two targeted sets of novel 1,5-diaryl-1H-imidazole-4-carboxylic acids 10 and carbohydrazides 11 were designed and synthesized from their corresponding ester intermediates 17, which were prepared via cycloaddition of ethyl isocyanoacetate 16 and diarylimidoyl chlorides 15. Evaluation of these new target scaffolds in the AlphaScreenTM HIV-1 IN-LEDGF/p75 inhibition assay identified seventeen compounds exceeding the pre-defined 50% inhibitory threshold at 100 µM concentration. Further evaluation of these compounds in the HIV-1 IN strand transfer assay at 100 μM showed that none of the compounds (with the exception of 10a, 10l, and 11k, with marginal inhibitory percentages) were actively bound to the active site, indicating that they are selectively binding to the LEDGF/p75-binding pocket. In a cell-based HIV-1 antiviral assay, compounds 11a, 11b, 11g, and 11h exhibited moderate antiviral percentage inhibition of 33–45% with cytotoxicity (CC50) values of >200 µM, 158.4 µM, >200 µM, and 50.4 µM, respectively. The antiviral inhibitory activity displayed by 11h was attributed to its toxicity. Upon further validation of their ability to induce multimerization in a Western blot gel assay, compounds 11a, 11b, and 11h appeared to increase higher-order forms of IN.

4-Fluoro-Threonine: From Diastereoselective Synthesis to pH-Dependent Conformational Equilibrium in Aqueous Solution.

4-Fluoro-threonine, the only fluoro amino acid of natural origin discovered so far, is an interesting target for both synthetic and theoretical investigations. In this work, we lay the foundation for spectroscopic characterization of 4-fluoro-threonine. First, we report a diastereoselective synthetic route, which is suitable to produce synthetic material for experimental characterization. The addition of the commercially available ethyl isocyanoacetate to benzyloxyacetaldehyde led to the corresponding benzyloxy-oxazoline, which was hydrolyzed and transformed into ethyl (4S*,5S*)-5-hydroxymethyl-2-oxo-4-oxazolidinecarboxylate in a few steps. Fluorination with diethylamino sulfur trifluoride (DAST) afforded ethyl (4S*,5S*)-5-fluoromethyl-2-oxo-4-oxazolidinecarboxylate, which was deprotected to give the desired diastereomerically pure 4-fluoro-threonine, in 8–10% overall yield. With the synthetic material in our hands, acid–base titrations have been carried out to determine acid dissociation constants and the isoelectric point, which is the testing ground for the theoretical analysis. We have used machine learning coupled with quantum chemistry at the state-of-the-art to analyze the conformational space of 4-fluoro-threonine, with the aim of gaining insights from the comparison of computational and experimental results. Indeed, we have demonstrated that our approach, which couples a last-generation double-hybrid density functional including empirical dispersion contributions with a model combining explicit first-shell molecules and a polarizable continuum for describing solvent effects, provides results and trends in remarkable agreement with experiments. Finally, the conformational analysis applied to fluoro amino acids represents an interesting study for the effect of fluorine on the stability and population of conformers.

Three-Component Reactions of 3-Arylidene-3H-Indolium Salts, Isocyanides and Amines

A multicomponent reaction of isocyanides with aryl(indol-3-yl)methylium salts and amines has been found. A series of aryl(indol-3-yl)acetimidamides was obtained in up to 96% yields. In the case of ethyl isocyanoacetate, the reaction is followed by cyclization to form 3,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol-4-one derivatives.

3+2] CYCLOADDITION REACTIONS OF 1-SUBSTITUTED 3,3,3-TRIFLUOROPROPENES WITH ISONITRILES – SYNTHESIS OF PYRROLES AND PYRROLINES

Cycloaddition reactions of 3,3,3-trifluoropropene derivatives containing an alkoxycarbonyl, sulfonyl, sulfoximine, or sulfamide substituent in position 1 with ethyl isocyanoacetate proceed with the formation of 3-(trifluoromethyl)-2,3-dihydro-1 H -pyrroles, whereas their reactions with tosylmethyl isocyanide lead to the formation of 4-(trifluoromethyl)-1 H -pyrroles.

Synthesis and antiproliferative properties of 3,4-diarylpyrrole-2-carboxamides

A series of 3,4-diarylpyrrole-2-carboxamides was synthesized using the Barton—Zard reaction of nitrostilbenes with ethyl isocyanoacetate in the key stage. The antiproliferative properties of these compounds were studied on a sea urchin embryo model, as well as on 60 human tumor cell lines.

3+2] Cycloaddition reactions of 1-substituted 3,3,3-trifluoropropenes with isonitriles – synthesis of pyrroles and pyrrolines

Cycloaddition reactions of 3,3,3-trifluoropropene derivatives containing an alkoxycarbonyl, sulfonyl, sulfoximine, or sulfamide substituent in position 1 with ethyl isocyanoacetate proceed with the formation of 3-(trifluoromethyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrroles, whereas their reactions with tosylmethyl isocyanide lead to the formation of 4-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrroles.

Dihydropyracyloporphyrins

A pyrrole ethyl ester with a fused dihydropyracylene unit was prepared by reacting 5-nitro-1,2-dihydropyracylene with ethyl isocyanoacetate in the presence of a phosphazene base. Cleavage of the ester moiety, followed by reaction with an acetoxymethylpyrrole and acetic acid in refluxing ethanol, afforded a tripyrrane, and subsequent ‘3 + 1’ condensation with a pyrrole dialdehyde gave a dihydropyracyloporphyrin. Cyclotetramerization of the dihydropyracylopyrrole with benzaldehyde and BF3·Et2O gave a sterically crowded tetrakis(dihydropyracylo)-porphyrin and the reduced five-membered rings proved to be an excellent NMR probe for conformational mobility. The new porphyrins and their nickel(II) complexes also showed potentially valuable highly red shifted UV–vis spectra.

Exploring the limitations of the MacDonald ‘3 + 1’ condensation in the preparation of porphyrins with fused electron-withdrawing heterocyclic rings: Synthesis of a bis(thiadiazolo)benzoporphyrin and a related benzocarbaporphyrin

A pyrrole ethyl ester with a fused bis(thiadiazolo)benzo unit was prepared by reacting 4-nitrobenzo[1,2-c:3,4-c’]bis(1,2,5)thiadiazole with ethyl isocyanoacetate in the presence of a non-nucleophilic base. Cleavage of the ester moiety, followed by reaction with a chloromethylpyrrole in refluxing pyridine, afforded a tripyrrane and subsequent acid-catalyzed condensation with pyrrole or indene dialdehydes gave porphyrinoids incorporating fused electron-deficient heterocyclic units.

Novel synthesis of 1-substituted-4-imidazolecarboxylates via solvent-free cycloaddition reaction between formamidines and isocyanides

A simple and efficient protocol for cyclization between formamidines and ethyl isocyanoacetate has been described in the absence of metal catalyst and solvent. A series of 1-substituted-4-imidazolecarboxylates were synthesized in moderate to good yields with DABCO as base additive.

Formation of 3,4‐Diarylpyrrole‐ and Pyrrolocoumarin Core of Natural Marine Products via Barton–Zard Reaction and Selective O‐Demethylation

A metal‐free approach to 3,4‐diarylpyrrole‐2‐carboxylate and pyrrolocoumarin cores of lamellarins and related natural products based on Barton–Zard reaction of nitrostilbenes with ethyl isocyanoacetate was developed. In the case of diarylpyrrole‐2‐carboxylates with a 3‐(o‐methoxyphenyl) fragment, treatment with 1 equiv. of. BBr3 resulted in selective O‐demethylation of the ortho‐methoxy group, while other methoxy groups in the molecule remained intact. The resulting 3‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)pyrrole‐2‐carboxylates underwent base‐induced lactonization to form the target pyrrolocoumarins.

Cyclization of Active Methylene Isocyanides with α-Oxodithioesters Induced by Base: An Expedient Synthesis of 4-Methylthio/Ethoxycarbonyl-5-acylthiazoles

Cyclization of tosylmethyl isocyanide with α-oxodithioesters in the presence of KOH is reported for the synthesis of 4-methylthio-5-acylthiazoles. Similarly, ethyl isocyanoacetate underwent cyclization with α-oxodithioesters to form 4-ethoxycarbonyl-5-acylthiazoles in the presence of DBU/EtOH. Mechanisms for the formation of thiazoles are proposed. These thiazoles can also be obtained by Takeda reaction, in which thiazole-4,5-anhydride is acylated with aromatic compounds followed by esterification; however, that approach requires two steps and suffers from the formation of a regioisomeric mixture of products.