Imine Intermediates Research Articles

Balancing Activity and Stability in Halogen-Bonding Catalysis: Iodopyridinium-Catalyzed One-Pot Synthesis of 2,3-Dihydropyridinones.

A one-pot cascade reaction for 2,3-dihydropyridinone synthesis was accomplished with 3-fluoro-2-iodo-1-methylpyridinium triflate as the halogen bond catalyst. The desired [4+2] cycloaddition products, bearing aryl, heteroaryl, alkyl, and alicyclic substituents, were successfully furnished in 28-99% yields. Mechanistic investigations proved that a strong halogen-bonding interaction forged between the iodopyridinium catalyst and imine intermediate was essential to dynamically masking the vulnerable C-I bond on the catalyst and accelerating the following aza-Diels-Alder reaction.

4,6‐Dihydroxysalicylic Acid‐Catalyzed Oxidative Olefination of Methyl N‐Heteroarenes with Benzyl Amines

AbstractBenzyl amines were deaminated for the olefination of methyl N‐heteroarenes such as quinolines, benzothiazoles, and quinoxalines catalyzed by 4,6‐dihydroxysalicylic acid with only 1 mol % catalyst loading. A wide range of N‐heteroaryl stilbenoids were synthesized in yields of 42 to 96 % using oxygen (1 atm) as the sole oxidant. 4,6‐dihydroxysalicylic acid not only behaves as an organocatalyst for the oxidation of benzyl amines to the imine intermediates, but also provides an acidic reaction condition for the olefinations. Gram scale reaction and the synthesis of two pharmaceutically relevant conjugated olefins were also successful using this methodology.

Mechanism study of the N-butoxycarbonyl-2,5-dimethylpyrrole synthesis reaction based on in-situ FTIR monitoring

The reaction pathway of many Paal-Knorr reactions for pyrrolic compounds hasn’t been thoroughly studied and remains controversial. In this work, the synthesis of an important anti-ultraviolet agent N-butoxycarbonyl-2,5-dimethylpyrrole based on the Paal-Knorr reaction was studied via in-situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The online spectral data were analyzed using K-means clustering in order to find the characteristic wavenumbers of intermediates. It was found that the reaction with 2,5-hexadione and butyl carbamate are more favorable to form the imine and enamine intermediates by nucleophilic addition, which is different from another Paal-Knorr reaction with 2, 5-hexadione and ethanolamine. In addition, the reaction kinetic model was established through chemometric methods, with parameters of two rate-limiting reaction steps calculated. This approach of FTIR analysis is proven to be an effective tool for mechanism study of organic synthesis.

Synthesis of Polyethyleneimines from the Manganese‐Catalysed Coupling of Ethylene Glycol and Ethylenediamine

AbstractPolyethyleneimines find many applications in products such as detergents, adhesives, cosmetics, and for processes such as tissue culture, gene therapy, and CO2 capture. The current state‐of‐the‐art technology for the production of the branched polyethyleneimines involves aziridine feedstock which is a highly toxic, volatile and mutagenic chemical and raises significant concern to human health and environment. We report here a novel method for the synthesis of branched polyethyleneimine derivative from ethylene glycol and ethylenediamine which are much safer, environmentally benign, commercially available and potentially renewable feedstock. The polymerisation reaction is catalysed by a complex of an earth‐abundant metal, manganese and liberates H2O as the only by‐product. Our mechanistic studies using a combination of DFT computation and experiment suggest that the reaction proceeds by the formation and subsequent hydrogenation of imine intermediates.

Synthesis of Polyethyleneimines from the Manganese-Catalysed Coupling of Ethylene Glycol and Ethylenediamine.

Polyethyleneimines find many applications in products such as detergents, adhesives, cosmetics, and for processes such as tissue culture, gene therapy, and CO2 capture. The current state-of-the-art technology for the production of the branched polyethyleneimines involves aziridine feedstock which is a highly toxic, volatile and mutagenic chemical and raises significant concern to human health and environment. We report here a novel method for the synthesis of branched polyethyleneimine derivative from ethylene glycol and ethylenediamine which are much safer, environmentally benign, commercially available and potentially renewable feedstock. The polymerisation reaction is catalysed by a complex of an earth-abundant metal, manganese and liberates H2 O as the only by-product. Our mechanistic studies using a combination of DFT computation and experiment suggest that the reaction proceeds by the formation and subsequent hydrogenation of imine intermediates.

Metal-Pyridoxal Cooperativity in Nonenzymatic Transamination.

Coenzymes are involved in ≥30% of enzymatic reactions and likely predate enzymes, going back to prebiotic chemistry. However, they are considered poor organocatalysts, and thus their pre-enzymatic function remains unclear. Since metal ions are known to catalyze metabolic reactions in the absence of enzymes, here we explore the influence of metal ions on coenzyme catalysis under conditions relevant to the origin of life (20-75 °C, pH 5-7.5). Specifically, Fe or Al, the two most abundant metals in the Earth's crust, were found to exhibit substantial cooperative effects in transamination reactions catalyzed by pyridoxal (PL), a coenzyme scaffold used by roughly 4% of all enzymes. At 75 °C and 7.5 mol % loading of PL/metal ion, Fe3+-PL was found to be 90-fold faster at catalyzing transamination than PL alone and 174-fold faster than Fe3+ alone, whereas Al3+-PL was 85-fold faster than PL alone and 38-fold faster than Al3+ alone. Under milder conditions, reactions catalyzed by Al3+-PL were >1000 times faster than those catalyzed by PL alone. Pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) exhibited similar behavior to PL. Experimental and theoretical mechanistic studies indicate that the rate-determining step in the PL-metal-catalyzed transamination is different from metal-free and biological PL-based catalysis. Metal coordination to PL lowers the pKa of the PL-metal complex by several units and slows the hydrolysis of imine intermediates by up to 259-fold. Coenzymes, specifically pyridoxal derivatives, could have exhibited useful catalytic function even before enzymes.

Synthesis of Triazatriphenylene Derivative Through Multi‐Component Reaction of Aryl‐amine, Aldehyde, and Alkyne

AbstractThe Povarov reaction is a representative multicomponent reaction used for synthesizing nitrogen‐containing aromatic compounds from aromatic amines, aldehydes, and dienophiles, such as electron‐rich alkenes and alkynes. In this study, we investigated a triple Povarov reaction of 1,3,5‐triaminobenzne with aromatic aldehydes and phenylacetylene to obtain triazatriphenylene derivatives. Reactions with arylaldehydes containing electron‐donating groups proceeded smoothly to provide triazatriphenylene derivatives. In contrast, reactions with arylaldehydes containing electron‐withdrawing groups resulted in low yields. Reactions with electron‐rich arylaldehydes are probably more favorable in terms of high stability of imine intermediates and smooth electrophilic cyclization. Single‐crystal X‐ray structure analysis revealed that the aryl groups derived from the aldehydes had small dihedral angles between with the triazatriphenylene core. The derivative with tertiary butyl groups (tBu‐TaT) had a high glass transition temperature, while that without tertiary butyl groups (H‐TaT) had a lower highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level and served as an efficient hole‐blocking material with better electron transport properties than those of tBu‐TaT. This study provides insights into the scope and limitations of the multicomponent reactions based on the Povarov reaction, substituent dependence on the crystal structures, and physical properties of π‐extended nitrogen‐containing aromatic compounds.

One-pot synthesis of fuel precursor from acetoin fermentation broth using ionic liquid-based salting-out extraction system

BackgroundThe development of biofuels, especially liquid hydrocarbon fuels, has been widely concerned due to the depletion of fossil resources. In order to obtain fuel precursors, the reaction of C–C bond formation is usually carried out with biomass derived ketones/aldehydes as reactants. Acetoin and 2,3-butanediol are two platform chemicals, which are co-existed in fermentation broth and traditionally separated by distillation, and then acetoin could be use as C4 building block to prepare hydrocarbon fuels. In order to mitigate the process complexity, direct aldol condensation reaction of acetoin in fermentation broth was studied in this work.ResultsA one-pot process of product separation and acetoin derivative synthesis was proposed based on salting-out extraction (SOE). Aldol condensation reaction of acetoin and 5-methyl furfural in different SOE systems was compared, and the results showed that the synthesis of C10 fuel precursors and separation of C10 products and 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broth were achieved in one-pot with ethanolammonium butyrate (EOAB) and K2HPO4 as SOE reagents and catalysts. The SOE and reaction conditions such as the concentrations of EOAB and K2HPO4, reaction temperature and time were optimized. When the system was composed of 6 wt% EOAB-44 wt% K2HPO4 and the mixture was stirred for 6 h at 200 rpm, 40 ℃, the yield of C10 products was 80.7%, and 95.5% 2,3-butanediol was distributed to the top EOAB-rich phase. The exploration of reaction mechanism showed that an imine intermediate was rapidly formed and the subsequent C10 product formation was the key step for aldol condensation reaction.ConclusionsWith EOAB and K2HPO4 as SOE reagents and catalysts, one-pot synthesis of fuel precursor from acetoin fermentation broth was achieved without prior purification. A yield of 80.7% for C10 products was obtained which was accumulated at the interface of two aqueous-phase, and 95.5% 2,3-BD was distributed to the top EOAB-rich phase. This work provides a new integration process of product separation and derivative synthesis from fermentation broth based on ionic liquid SOE.Graphical

Reactive intermediates formation and bioactivation pathways of spebrutinib revealed by LC-MS/MS: In vitro and in silico metabolic study

Spebrutinib is a new Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor developed by Avila Therapeutics and Celgene. Spebrutinib (SPB) is currently in phase Ib clinical trials for the treatment of lymphoma in the United States. Preliminary in-silico studies were first performed to predict susceptible sites of metabolism, reactivity pathways and structural alerts for toxicities by StarDrop WhichP450™ module, Xenosite web predictor tool and DEREK software; respectively. SPB metabolites and adducts were characterized in vitro from rat liver microsomes (RLM) using LC-MS/MS. Formation of reactive intermediates was investigated using potassium cyanide (KCN), glutathione (GSH) and methoxylamine as trapping nucleophiles for the unstable and reactive iminium, iminoquinone and aldehyde intermediates, respectively, with the aim to produce stable adducts that can be detected and characterized using mass spectrometry. Fourteen phase I metabolites, four cyanide adducts, six GSH adducts and three methoxylamine adducts of SPB were identified and characterized. The proposed metabolic pathways involved in generation of phase I metabolites of SPB are oxidation, hydroxylation, o-dealkylation, epoxidation, defluorination and reduction. Several in vitro reactive intermediates were identified and characterized, the formation of which can aid in explaining the adverse drug reactions of SPB. Several iminium, 2-iminopyrimidin-5(2H)-one and aldehyde intermediates of SPB were revealed. Acrylamide is identified as a structural alert for toxicity by DEREK report and was found to be involved in the formation of several glycidamide and aldehyde reactive intermediates.

Investigation of Fenebrutinib Metabolism and Bioactivation Using MS3 Methodology in Ion Trap LC/MS.

Fenebrutinib is an orally available Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It is currently in multiple phase III clinical trials for the management of B-cell tumors and autoimmune disorders. Elementary in-silico studies were first performed to predict susceptible sites of metabolism and structural alerts for toxicities by StarDrop WhichP450™ module and DEREK software; respectively. Fenebrutinib metabolites and adducts were characterized in-vitro in rat liver microsomes (RLM) using MS3 method in Ion Trap LC-MS/MS. Formation of reactive and unstable intermediates was explored using potassium cyanide (KCN), glutathione (GSH) and methoxylamine as trapping nucleophiles to capture the transient and unstable iminium, 6-iminopyridin-3(6H)-one and aldehyde intermediates, respectively, to generate a stable adducts that can be investigated and analyzed using mass spectrometry. Ten phase I metabolites, four cyanide adducts, five GSH adducts and six methoxylamine adducts of fenebrutinib were identified. The proposed metabolic reactions involved in formation of these metabolites are hydroxylation, oxidation of primary alcohol to aldehyde, n-oxidation, and n-dealkylation. The mechanism of reactive intermediate formation of fenebrutinib can provide a justification of the cause of its adverse effects. Formation of iminium, iminoquinone and aldehyde intermediates of fenebrutinib was characterized. N-dealkylation followed by hydroxylation of the piperazine ring is proposed to cause the bioactivation to iminium intermediates captured by cyanide. Oxidation of the hydroxymethyl group on the pyridine moiety is proposed to cause the generation of reactive aldehyde intermediates captures by methoxylamine. N-dealkylation and hydroxylation of the pyridine ring is proposed to cause formation of iminoquinone reactive intermediates captured by glutathione. FBB and several phase I metabolites are bioactivated to fifteen reactive intermediates which might be the cause of adverse effects. In the future, drug discovery experiments utilizing this information could be performed, permitting the synthesis of new drugs with better safety profile. Overall, in silico software and in vitro metabolic incubation experiments were able to characterize the FBB metabolites and reactive intermediates using the multistep fragmentation capability of ion trap mass spectrometry.

Synthesis of meta-Aminophenol Derivatives via Cu-Catalyzed [1,3]-Rearrangement-Oxa-Michael Addition Cascade Reactions.

Cu-catalyzed reactions of N-alkoxy-2-methylanilines and alcohols in the presence of catalytic amounts of IPrCuBr and AgSbF6 afforded the corresponding meta-aminophenol derivatives in good to high yields. These reactions proceed via a [1,3]-rearrangement, in which the alkoxy group migrates from the nitrogen atom to the methyl-substituted ortho position, followed by an oxa-Michael reaction of the resulting ortho-quinol imine intermediate.

α-aminonitriles synthesis and kinetic investigation via photooxidative cyanation of amines in a visible LED-based photomicroreactor

α-aminonitriles (AN) are valuable intermediates and building blocks with versatile applications in organic synthesis. Herein, we presented a visible LED-based photomicroreactor for the AN synthesis with three amine substrates, i.e., dibenzylamine (DBA), pyrrolidine (PYR) and piperidiene (PIP), using meso‑tetraphenylporphyrin (m-TPP) and trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) as photosensitizer and cyanide source, respectively. The results showed that the photooxidative cyanation is a chromoselective and wavelength-selective photochemical transformation with the optimum AN yield and selectivity of 98.2% and 99.5% at a residence time of 2.69 min. Computational studies indicated that a high energy gap between the molecular orbitals of PYP, PIR and their imine intermediates potentially led to their higher reactivity than DBA and formation of by-products with larger molecular weight. Kinetic investigation showed that the apparent rate constants of the DBA photooxidative cyantaion were improved by rising the LED input power, and the applied photosensitizer exhibited high photostability. The overall photonic efficiency of this photomicroreactor was found to be 54.3% within the wavelength range of 400–440 nm, which is higher than previously used photoreactors. Finally, linear correlations were developed between the input power of LED and apparent rate constants of DBA photooxidative cyanation, which would be beneficial for the design, optimization, and scale-up of this photochemical process.

Rapid Assembly of Pyrrole-Ligated 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles and Excellent Antibacterial Activity of Iodophenol Substituents.

Pyrrole-ligated 1,3,4-oxadiazole is a very important pharmacophore which exhibits broad therapeutic effects such as anti-tuberculosis, anti-epileptic, anti-HIV, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities. A one-pot Maillard reaction between D-Ribose and an L-amino methyl ester in DMSO with oxalic acid at 2.5 atm and 80 °C expeditiously produced pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde platform chemicals in reasonable yields, which were utilized for the synthesis of pyrrole-ligated 1,3,4-oxadiazoles. Benzohydrazide reacted with the formyl group of the pyrrole platforms to provide the corresponding imine intermediates, which underwent I2-mediated oxidative cyclization to the pyrrole-ligated 1,3,4-oxadiazole skeleton. The structure and activity relationship (SAR) of the target compounds with varying alkyl or aryl substituents of the amino acids and electron-withdrawing or electron-donating substituents on the phenyl ring of benzohydrazide were evaluated for antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Acinetobacter baumannii as representative Gram(-) and Gram(+) bacteria. Branched alkyl groups from the amino acid showed better antibacterial activities. Absolutely superior activities were observed for 5f-1 with an iodophenol substituent against A. baumannii (MIC < 2 μg/mL), a bacterial pathogen that displays a high resistance to commonly used antibiotics.

On the Reaction Mechanism of the Selective C(sp3)–H Functionalization of N-Benzylpiperidines Mediated by TEMPO Oxoammonium Cation

AbstractThe selective and dual C(sp3)–H oxidation of N-heterocycles to their corresponding 3-alkoxyamino lactams mediated by TEMPO oxoammonium cation (TEMPO+) is turning into a convenient nonmetallic strategy for the rapid functionalization of piperidines and pyrrolidines to bioactive alkaloids. Mechanistic proposal suggests that TEMPO+ prefers to oxidize the endocyclic C–Hα bond of either N-substituted piperidines or pyrrolidines to their corresponding endocyclic iminium intermediates, which are transformed into enamine intermediates, and then trapped by oxoammonium cation. Although the product formation seems to be in concordance with this mechanistic rationale, neither experimental evidence nor theoretical calculations have been reported. Accordingly, the current investigation provides computational findings explaining that the origin of the selective C–Hα oxidation can be attributed to an unprecedented C–H···π interaction between two hydrogen atoms of TEMPO+ with the aromatic ring of the piperidine benzyl group. To prove the existence of the enamine intermediate, we developed an unprecedented transition-metal-free tetra C–H oxidation of two N-benzyl-4-methylenepiperidines. Accordingly, the existence of the elusive enamine intermediate was attained by generating a transitory dienamine intermediate, which was trapped by TEMPO+ and NaClO2­ to give the corresponding 4-(aminooxymethyl)-3,4-epoxy-2-piperidone.

Transformation of an Imine Cage to a Covalent Organic Framework Film at the Liquid-Liquid Interface.

Dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) opens up a fascinating route for the construction of well-organized supramolecular architectures, starting from organic molecular cages to crystalline macromolecular covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Herein, for the first time, we have manifested a facile room-temperature DCC-directed transformation of discrete organic imine cage-to-COF film at the liquid-liquid interface. The unfolding of the cage leading to the generation of imine intermediates, followed by their interface-assisted preorganization and subsequent growth of the COF film, are elucidated through detailed spectroscopic and microscopic investigations. The interfacial cage-to-COF transformation provides a facile route for the faster fabrication of free-standing COF films with high porosity and crystallinity, demonstrating excellent performance towards molecular sieving and high solvent permeance. Thus, the current study opens up a new route for structural interconversion between two crystalline entities with diverse dimensionality employing DCC at the confined interface.

Transformation of an Imine Cage to a Covalent Organic Framework Film at the Liquid–Liquid Interface

AbstractDynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) opens up a fascinating route for the construction of well‐organized supramolecular architectures, starting from organic molecular cages to crystalline macromolecular covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Herein, for the first time, we have manifested a facile room‐temperature DCC‐directed transformation of discrete organic imine cage‐to‐COF film at the liquid–liquid interface. The unfolding of the cage leading to the generation of imine intermediates, followed by their interface‐assisted preorganization and subsequent growth of the COF film, are elucidated through detailed spectroscopic and microscopic investigations. The interfacial cage‐to‐COF transformation provides a facile route for the faster fabrication of free‐standing COF films with high porosity and crystallinity, demonstrating excellent performance towards molecular sieving and high solvent permeance. Thus, the current study opens up a new route for structural interconversion between two crystalline entities with diverse dimensionality employing DCC at the confined interface.

Enantioselective Transformations from Nitriles to NH2 -α-Tertiary Amines.

Organic molecules, containing one or more amine chiral centers, are very common to see in natural products and medicines. Although a large number of methods have been developed to afford enantiopure amines, most of the known approaches are limited with various reasons. For example, many methodologies start from nitrogen protected and activated substrates, which usually need multistep operations and seriously decrease the atom economy. Here we disclose a new catalytic strategy from commercial nitriles to high enantioselective α-tertiary primary amines in up to 90 % yield and 95 % enantiomeric excess. This transformation firstly undergoes an addition process of organolithium reagents to nitriles to generate the imine intermediates in situ. Subsequently, the most challenging step is by employing copper catalytic enantioselective addition of AllylBpin to the imine intermediates to form the final amines in one pot.

Enzyme Grafting with a Cofactor-Decorated Metal-Organic Capsule for Solar-to-Chemical Conversion.

Semi-artificial approaches to solar-to-chemical conversion can achieve chemical transformations that are beyond the capability of natural enzymes, but face marked challenges to facilitate in vivo cascades, due to their inevitable need for cofactor shuttling and regeneration. Here, we report on an enzyme grafting strategy to build a metal-organic capsule-docking artificial enzyme (metal-organic-enzyme, MOE) that comprised the self-assembly of a cofactor-decorated capsule and the supramolecular enzyme-recognition features between the enzyme scaffold and the capsule to bypass cofactor shuttling and regeneration. The incorporated NADH mimics within the metal-organic capsule interacted with the imine intermediate that formed from the condensation of the amines and the dehydrogenation of alcohol substrates in the microenvironment to form complexes within the capsule and subsequently served as an in situ-generated photoresponsive cofactor. Upon illumination, the photoresponsive cofactor facilitates efficient proton/electron transport between the inner space (supramolecular hydrogenation) and outer space (enzymatic dehydrogenation) of the capsule to dehydrogenize the alcohols and hydrogenize the imine intermediates, respectively, circumventing the conventionally complex multistep cofactor shuttling and regeneration. The semi-artificial enzyme endows the conversion of diverse types of alcohol to amine products in both aqueous/organic solutions and Escherichia coli with high efficiency, offering a wide range of opportunities for sustainable and environmentally friendly biomanufacturing of commodity and fine chemicals.

Theoretical study on the solvent‐free self‐catalyzed coupling mechanism of a chiral vicinal diamine and isobutyraldehyde mediated by the outgrowth H2O

AbstractThe self‐catalyzed addition of a chiral vicinal diamine with two isobutyraldehyde molecules and the subsequent diaza‐Cope rearrangement between two diimines were investigated systematically by M06‐2X method in conjunction with the 6‐311+G(d) basis set. Our theoretical model shows that, 1) the solvent‐free coupling of the vicinal diamine and isobutyraldehyde molecules produces a relative stable compounds with an imidazolidine‐dihydro‐1,3‐oxazine fused ring instead of imine intermediates; 2) the assistance of a yielded water molecule can significantly decrease the free‐energy barriers of the ring‐recombination and ring‐opening processes by borrowing a hydrogen atom from it; 3) the two addition processes with the free‐energy barriers of 150.0 and 159.0 kJ/mol, respectively, and the successive formation of the five‐membered ring with a barrier of 164.1 kJ/mol control the whole reaction system.

Directing Group-Free Regioselective meta-C-H Functionalization of Pyridines.

The pyridine core is among the most common motifs found in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Consequently, the C-H functionalization of pyridine is a prized reaction, as it can help access a broad spectrum of valuable chemicals. However, the intrinsic electronic properties of pyridines hinder their meta-C-H functionalization, requiring drastic conditions affecting functional group compatibility. A synthetic manoeuvre to overcome this challenge involves the temporary conversion of pyridines into electron-rich intermediates and subsequent regioselective electrophilic functionalization. This was recently accomplished by a ring-opening ring-closing sequence via Zincke imine intermediates by McNally and co-workers, and a dearomatization-rearomatization sequence via oxazino-pyridine intermediates by the Studer group. The mildness and simplicity of these protocols enable them to work with complex molecular setups for synthesizing natural products and bioactive molecules.