P-substituted Benzoic Acids Research Articles

Plasmodium falciparum COQ2 gene encodes a functional 4-hydroxybenzoate polyprenyltransferase.

Ubiquinone (UQ) is a fundamental mitochondrial electron transport chain component. This compound is synthesized as the condensation of a p-substituted benzoic acid and a polyisoprenic moiety catalyzed by the enzyme 4-hydroxybenzoate polyprenyltransferase (EC 2.5.1.39). In Plasmodium spp., this enzyme is still uncharacterized. In this work, we expressed the sequence of the Plasmodium falciparum PF3D7_0607500 gene (abbreviated as PfCOQ2) in a coq2Δ mutant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and studied the functionality of its gene product. This open reading frame could complement S. cerevisiae coq2Δ mutant growth defect on media with glycerol as a carbon source. Further, UQ was unequivocally identified in lipid extracts from this coq2Δ mutant when expressing PfCOQ2. Remarkably, UQ was detected under those conditions when S. cerevisiae cells were metabolically labeled with either [ring-14C(U)]-p-aminobenzoic acid or [ring-14C(U)]-4-hydroxybenzoic acid. However, no UQ was detected in P. falciparum if labeled with p-aminobenzoic acid. These results indicate that PfCOQ2 is a 4-hydroxybenzoate polyprenyltransferase. Further, its substrate profile seems not dissimilar to that of S. cerevisiae, but, as in other organisms, p-aminobenzoic acid does not act as an aromatic precursor in UQ biosynthesis in P. falciparum. The reason for this last feature remains to be established, but may lie upstream of PfCOQ2.

Occurrence of unknown reactive species in UV/H2O2 system leading to false interpretation of hydroxyl radical probe reactions

The UV/H2O2 process is a benchmark advanced oxidation process (AOP) that in situ generates highly reactive and nonselective hydroxyl radical (•OH) to oxidatively destroy a wide range of organic compounds. Accurately quantifying the concentration of short-lived •OH is essential to predict process performance, optimize the operation parameters, and compare with other process options. The •OH concentration is typically measured using organic probe molecules that react with •OH but not with other oxidants. In the extremely well-characterized UV/H2O2 system in which •OH is proven to be the dominant oxidant, using photolysis-resistant probes such as benzoic acid and its derivatives is a widely agreed and practiced norm. We herein report that certain •OH probe compounds can be degraded in UV/H2O2 system by unknown reactive species that has not been reported in the past. Several common organic probes, particularly p-substituted benzoic acid compounds (i.e., p-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-chlorobenzoic acid, and p-phthalic acid), were found to be vulnerable to attack by the unknown reactive species, leading to false quantification of •OH concentration under high radical scavenging conditions. Lines of evidence obtained from a series of •OH scavenging experiments performed under various conditions (i.e., different concentrations of H2O2, •OH probe compounds, and dissolved oxygen) point toward excited state H2O2. The results from this study suggest the importance of using appropriate •OH probe compounds in mechanistic studies and needs for considering the unidentified role of excited state of H2O2 on the UV/H2O2 process and related AOPs.

“Half-Sandwich”/RuII Anticancer Complexes Containing Triphenylphosphine and p-Substituted Benzoic Acids

Mononuclear and binuclear RuII/arene/triphenylphosphine complexes with p-substituted benzoic acid derivatives were prepared and characterized. These monocationic complexes of type [Ru(η6-p-cymene)(PPh3)L] (L = benzoic acid (1), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (2), p-nitrobenzoic acid (3) and terephthalic acid (4)) were characterized using various techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, and the crystal structure of 1, 3 and 4 were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The cytotoxicity of the complexes was evaluated, in vitro, against tumorigenic [MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 (breast), A549 (lung) and DU-145 (prostate)] and non-tumorigenic [MCF-10A (breast), MRC-5 (lung) and PNT-2 (prostate)] cells. The binuclear complex (4) was inactive due to its low solubility. Complexes 1, 2 and 3 showed similar cytotoxicity, however, complex 1 presented better selectivity index against MDA-MB-231 than compounds 2 and 3. Cellular ruthenium absorption was explored by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analyzing the whole cells and the culture medium. Complementary studies showed that complex 1 inhibited colony formation, induced morphology changes in cells and promoted cell cycle arrest in the Sub-G1 phase for the MDA-MB-231 cells.

A catalyst-free and highly efficient approach to ozonation of benzyl alcohol to benzoic acid in a rotating packed bed

Abstract In this study, benzyl alcohol was ozonized to benzoic acid in a rotating packed bed (RPB-O3) by a catalyst-free and highly efficient approach, which is the most significant transformations in synthetic organic chemistry, and the RPB-O3 process was compared with the process in a stirred tank reactor (STR-O3). The results show that the RPB-O3 process produces more benzoic acid (64%) than the STR-O3 process (28%) in 30 min. The effects of different operating conditions of high gravity factor, liquid flow rate, solvent and reaction time on the yield of benzoic acid in the RPB-O3 process were investigated. The results reveal that the optimal yield is obtained using ethyl acetate as the solvent at a high gravity factor of 40, a liquid flow rate of 120 L/h, and a reaction time of 60 min. Under the optimal conditions, p-substituted benzoic acid is obtained in good to excellent yields (82–98%) in 60 min. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was performed to characterize radical species formed by the self-decomposition of ozone in nonaqueous solvents, and DMPO-·OH, DMPO-O2·ˉ and DMPO-·CH(OH)Ph were found. The possible ozonization mechanism is proposed based on the EPR results.

Some reactions of 2-(4-substitutedphenyl)-2-(N-methyl-N-4-substitutedbenzamido) acetic acids

In situ generated 2,4-diaryl substituted münchnones from 2-(4-substitutedphenyl)-2-(N-methyl-N-4-substitutedbenzamido)acetic acids react with acetic anhydride in the presence of 2-nitromethylene thiazolidine, which is most likely acting as a base, and unexpectedly undergo a Dakin–West type reaction and a concurrent autoxidation reaction leading to the formation of (E)-1-(N,4-dimethylbenzamido)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)prop-1-en-2-yl acetate, 4-substitutedphenyl-N-methyl-N-(4-substitutedbenzoyl) benzamides and p-substituted benzoic acids. In addition, a novel and efficient access to N-acyl urea derivatives is described by the reaction between 2-(4-substitutedphenyl)-2-(N-methyl-N-4-substitutedbenzamido)acetic acids and cyclohexyl, isopropyl carbodiimides in the presence of a base. The structures of all new products were identified on the basis of NMR and IR spectra, along with X-ray diffraction data and HRMS measurements.

Aryl carboxylic acid reduction and further reactions with GABA and glucose promoted by whole cells of Xylaria arbuscula

Xylaria arbuscula was collected from a “Cypress” tree, Cupressus lusitanica. The whole cells of this endophytic fungus were used in screening for microbial bioreduction of aryl acids. Different p-substituted benzoic acids were evaluated. However, only p-bromobenzoic acid, p-chlorobenzoic acid and p-nitrobenzoic acid were converted to their corresponding alcohols. Aryl acid metabolism of X. arbuscula included GABA incorporation and glycosylation when the substrates were p-bromobenzoic and p-chlorobenzoic acids were also observed. The substrates p-hydroxybenzoic and p-aminobenzoic acids were not transformed. These results could suggest that electron-withdrawing groups at para orientation activate the substrate for reduction.

Orthogonal H-bonding synthons, actual and virtual structures in molecular crystals: a case study

Semicarbazides of p-substituted benzoic acids are a class of simple molecules endowed with H-bonding donor and acceptor groups capable of forming H-bonded rows along three linearly independent directions (orthogonal H-bonding synthons). When the acceptor group at the para position is strong (–NO2, –CN, –N) the same crystal packing is observed, in which three linearly independent chains are formed, and the lattice parameters are easily predictable. In the case of halogen atoms at the para position (–F, –Cl) two different packings are observed in which only one or two H-bonded chains are present. Through ab initio periodic DFT-LCAO computations, we have calculated the lattice energy and density of each semicarbazide in each of the three packings, constructing the matrices Uij and ρij of the lattice energy and density. It is found that all of the different modes of packing observed experimentally for single members of the class correspond to minima of the lattice energy and to acceptable lattice densities for every member of the class.

Synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles with aromatic ester functionality

A series of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles having p-substituted aromatic ester functionality were synthesized via Cu(I) catalysed click reaction between p-substituted benzoic acid prop-2-ynyl esters and aralkyl azides. The synthesized triazoles were characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectral techniques. These compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus by two fold serial dilution method. Some of the synthesized 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles possess comparable or even better antibacterial, antitubercular and antifungal activities than reference drugs against tested bacterial, mycobacterial and fungal strains, respectively.

Tetraplatinum cluster complexes bearing hydrophilic anchors as precursors for γ-Al2O3-supported platinum nanoparticles

Tetraplatinum cluster complexes bearing hydrophilic anchors, [Pt4(μ-OCOCH3)4(μ-OCOC6H4OH-4)4] (2a), [Pt4(μ-OCOCH3)4(μ-OCOC6H4B(OH)2-4)4] (2b), and [Pt4(μ-OCOCH3)4(μ-OCOC6H4NH2-4)4] (2c), were successfully prepared by a selective substitution reaction of four in-plane acetates of [Pt4(μ-OCOCH3)8] (1) with the corresponding p-substituted benzoic acids. Solid-state structure determination of 2a revealed the 3D network structure through intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the hydroxy group of the p-hydroxybenzoate ligand and the oxygen atom of the carboxylate ligand of 2a. UV-vis analysis of 2a–c in CH3CN or CH3CN–H2O in the presence of γ-Al2O3 clearly indicated the adsorption efficiency of these platinum clusters on γ-Al2O3: 2a bearing a hydroxyl group and 2b bearing a B(OH)2 group were effectively deposited onto γ-Al2O3 from CH3CN solution, whereas less than 40% of 1 and 2c were chemically adsorbed onto γ-Al2O3. Highly dispersed and very small platinum nanoparticles (less than 1 nm) on γ-Al2O3 were obtained by thermal treatment of Pt4-deposited γ-Al2O3 at 500 °C.

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of some d-mannose click conjugates with aminobenzoic acid derivatives

Two sets of new conjugates obtained from d-mannose derivatives and o-, m-, and p-substituted benzoic acid esters interconnected through a triazole ring were synthesized by Cu(I) catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition. All synthesized compounds were tested for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against seven cancer cell lines with/without multidrug resistance phenotype as well as non-tumor MRC-5 and BJ fibroblasts. Butyl ester of 4-aminobenzoic acid 6c showed the highest activity among all tested compounds, however, it was active only against K562 myeloid leukemia cells. N-Glycosyltriazole conjugates, both acetylated and nonacetylated at mannose moiety, were almost completely inactive. In contrast, some of the acetylated O-glycosyl conjugates showed cytotoxic activity which was cell line dependent and strongly affected by position of benzoic acid substitution as well as a length of its ester alkyl chain; the most potent compound was acetylated mannoside conjugated with octyl ester of m-substituted benzoic acid. However, deacetylation resulting in hydrophilicity increase of the glycosides almost completely abolished their cytotoxic potency.

The role of benzoic acid in proline-catalyzed asymmetric michael addition: A density functional theory study

In asymmetric Michael addition between ketones and nitroolefins catalyzed by L-proline, we observed that it was benzoic acid or its derivatives rather than other proton acid that could accelerate the reaction greatly, and different benzoic acid derivatives brought different yields. To explain the experimental phenomena, a density functional theory study was performed to elucidate the mechanism of proline-catalyzed asymmetric Michael addition with benzoic acid. The results of the theoretical calculation at the level of B3LYP/6-311+G(2df,p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d) demonstrated that benzoic acid played two major roles in the formation of nitroalkane: assisting proton transfer and activating the nitro group. In the stage of enamine formation from imine, the energy profiles of benzoic acid derivatives were also calculated to investigate the reasons why different benzoic acid derivatives caused different yields. The results demonstrated that the pKa value was the major factor for p-substituted benzoic acid derivatives to improve the yields, whereas for m/o-substituted benzoic acid derivatives, both pKa value and electronic and steric effects could significantly increase the yields. The calculated results would be very helpful for understanding the reaction mechanism of Michael addition and provide some insights into the selection of efficient additives for similar experiments. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Synthesis of Novel Tri-Arm Star Shaped 1,3,5-triazine Hydrazones from 2,4,6-tris(4-acetylphenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine Core

A series of novel symmetric triazine hydrazones [N3C3(-OC6H4-p-C(CH3)=N-NH-C(O)-C6H4-p-X)3] (X = H, Br, Cl, F, OH, OCH3, CH3, NO2, NH2) were prepared in excellent yields by a three-fold condensation reaction of 2,4,6- tris(4-acetylphenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine with p-substituted benzoic acid hydrazides [NH2-NH-C(O)-C6H4-p-X]. The structures were confirmed by FT-IR, 1H, 13C, 2D-HMQC NMR and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF).

Synthesis, characterization and anticancer evaluation of novel tri-arm star shaped 1,3,5-triazine hydrazones

A series of novel trisubstituted triazine hydrazones [N3C3(single bondOC6H4-p-CHdouble bond; length as m-dashNsingle bondNHsingle bondC(O)single bondC6H4-p-X)3] (X = H, Br, Cl, F, OH, OCH3, CH3, NO2, NH2) were prepared by a three-fold condensation reaction of 2,4,6-tris(4-formylphenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine with p-substituted benzoic acid hydrazides [NH2single bondNHsingle bondC(O)single bondC6H4-p-X] with excellent yields. The structures were confirmed by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H, 13C, 2D-HSQC NMR and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). These derivatives bearing hydrolysable hydrazone linkages were evaluated for their invitro antiproliferative activity against the human liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2) and human cervix carcinoma cell line (HeLa).

Excited state substituent constants: to Hammett or not?

In this study, an answer has been sought to several questions: Can substituents’ impact on the electronic properties of molecules in the excited singlet states be summed up by a set of substituent constants? Are the well known, ground state Hammett σ constants practical for this purpose? To answer these questions, the potentials and charges on atoms of the functional groups in two classes of compounds, p-substituted benzoic acids and p-substituted nitrosobenzenes, were regressed against σp. It appeared that all correlations found in the ground state of the molecules also hold in the excited state, with lower correlation coefficients in the latter. An attempt has also been made to find a molecular characteristic which could be useful in a comparison of the acidic properties of benzoic acids (in gas phase) in the first excited and ground states.

The influence of cosolvents and substrate substituents on the sorption of benzoic acid derivatives by polyamides

The sorption of some substituted benzoic acid derivatives by polyamides (nylons) from aqueous solution has been examined and the influence of their nature together with those of the cosolvent and polymer have been assessed. In all cases the sorption isotherms were linear and could be expressed by a simple distribution law, enabling the influence of cosolvent concentration to be predicted. The sorption of a series of p-substituted benzoic acids and some of their esters is related to their solubility except where the p-substituent is capable of hydrogen-bonding with the polymer. The extent of the interaction is also dependent upon the amide frequency of the polymer.

Synthesis of 1,4,5,6-tetrachloro-7,7-dimethoxybicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-dienylmethyl esters of p-substituted benzoic acids

The possibility of preparing 1,4,5,6-tetrachloro-7,7-dimethoxybicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-dienyl-methyl esters of p-substituted benzoic acids by [4+2]cycloaddition of tetrachlorodimethoxycyclo-pentadine to propargyl esters of the corresponding acids was examined. The optimal synthesis conditions were found. The structure of the compounds synthesized was confirmed by independent synthesis and by IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Generation and Analysis of Interaction Energy Maps of p-Substituted Benzoic Acid N'-(5-Nitrothiophen-2-yl)Methylenehydrazides Active Against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Studies in 3D molecular fields generally contain a large amount of data, some of which are redundant or not relevant. The program Volsurf, a quite fast method, is able to compress the relevant information present in 3D molecular structures into a few descriptors that represent the physicochemical properties. In this study eighteen p-substituted benzoic acid N-(5-nitrothiophen-2-yl)methylenehydrazides with antimicrobial activity were evaluated against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, correlating the three-dimensional characteristics of the ligands with their respective bioactivities. Structures were obtained by CORINA program, and using a GRID force field, the following probes have been used to generate their corresponding 3D interaction energies (MIFs): water, DRY, carbonyl oxygen atom and amide NH group. Calculations using Volsurf resulted in a statistically consistent model with 48 structural descriptors showing that hydrophobicity is a fundamental property in the analyzed biological response. Results have shown the potential of studied compounds as alternatives to the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Keywords: 3D QSAR, volsurf, nifuroxazide, MRSA, antimicrobials

Structure−Activity Relationships for the Degradation Reaction of 1-β-O-Acyl Glucuronides. Part 3: Electronic and Steric Descriptors Predicting the Reactivity of Aralkyl Carboxylic Acid 1-β-O-Acyl Glucuronides

Since 1-beta-O-acyl glucuronides (betaGAs) are thought to be chemically reactive metabolites capable of binding to tissue proteins, possibly leading to adverse drug reactions of the parent carboxylic acid drugs, we have initiated research efforts to derive structure-activity relationships (SARs) of betaGAs, with a focus on finding appropriate descriptors that predict their intrinsic electrophilic reactivity or degradation rate constants (k values). Our previous SAR studies on the k values of betaGAs derived from o-, m-, and p-substituted benzoic acids demonstrated that the diversity and complexity of the k values were controlled by the electronic and/or steric effects of the parent carboxylic acids. In the present study, we performed further SAR studies on the k values of 13 betaGAs derived from aralkyl carboxylic acids, focusing on the substituents and stereochemistry at the alpha-position of the parent carboxylic acids. In single regression analyses, the pKa and (1)H NMR chemical shifts (delta(COOH)) of the parent carboxylic acids correlated well with the log k values of seven betaGAs derived from five arylacetic and two (R)-2-arylpropionic acids, whereas the (13)C NMR chemical shifts [delta(C horizontal lineO) and delta((C horizontal lineO)OH)] correlated with the log k values of another seven betaGAs derived from the five arylacetic and two (S)-2-arylpropionic acids. Excellent correlations were also obtained between the log k values of four betaGAs with a common 4-phenylbenzyl moiety and the partial atomic charges (natural type) of the corresponding carboxylic hydrogen atoms (Hpac), the molar volume (MV), and the molar refractivity (MR). In multiple regression analyses, appropriate combinations of electronic (delta(COOH) or pKa) and steric [Taft's steric constant (Es) or delta((C horizontal lineO)OH)] descriptors could predict the log k values of betaGAs; electron-withdrawing 1-beta-O-acyl groups increased the k values, while increasing steric hindrance around the linkages decreased them. The standard partial regression coefficients indicated that the steric effects of the 1-beta-O-acyl groups of betaGAs affected the k values as strongly as the electronic effects. External validation of the derived SAR models is also discussed.

Structure−Activity Relationships for Degradation Reaction of 1-β-O-Acyl Glucuronides: Kinetic Description and Prediction of Intrinsic Electrophilic Reactivity under Physiological Conditions

1-beta-O-Acyl glucuronides (betaGAs) are potentially reactive metabolites capable of binding to proteins, and they have been implicated in adverse drug reactions of the carboxylic acid drugs. To explore their electrophilic reactivity, we studied structure-activity relationships (SARs) to characterize the factors affecting the degradation rate constants (k values) of betaGAs and ultimately to predict k values of structurally diverse betaGAs. Twenty-seven betaGAs and four related compounds were synthesized, and their k values were determined under physiological conditions (pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C). 1-beta-O-Benzoyl glucuronide (BAGA) and glucopyranoside (BAG) showed almost the same k values, whereas their 1-alpha-O-benzoyl isomers degraded approximately 40-fold faster than BAGA and BAG. BAGA methyl ester showed almost the same rate constant as BAGA in the cleavage of their 1-beta-O-benzoyl linkages. A pH-log k profile obtained indicated kinetics catalyzed by both specific and general bases. The log k of betaGAs derived from m- and p-substituted benzoic acids correlated with Hammett's sigma constants. A similar correlation was observed with delta(COOH), (1)H NMR chemical shifts of the parent benzoic acids including ones with less sterically bulky o-substituents. Alternative descriptors of delta(CO) and delta((CO)OH), (13)C chemical shifts for ester carbonyl carbons of betaGAs and for carbonyl carbons of the parent benzoic acids, respectively, correlated well with the log k of all 16 betaGAs derived from benzoic acids including ones with bulkier o-substituents. Of the betaGA isomers derived from (2R)- and (2S)-alpha-methyl-4-biphenylylacetic acid, the (2R)-isomer degraded approximately 2-fold faster than the (2S)-isomer. The alpha-methyl group in the (2S)-isomer would encumber the intramolecular acyl migration. The log k of betaGAs derived from n-aralkyl carboxylic acids and of the (2R)-isomer correlated with their delta(COOH). However, the log k of betaGAs derived from alpha,alpha-dimethyl- and alpha,alpha-diethyl-4-biphenylylacetic acids deviated downward from the regression line, probably due to a steric effect. The diversity and complexity of k values were discussed with respect to the electrophilicity of the ester carbonyl carbons of betaGAs and the steric hindrance around them.

Carbonic anhydrase as a model for biophysical and physical-organic studies of proteins and protein-ligand binding.

Carbonic anhydrase as a model for biophysical and physical-organic studies of proteins and protein-ligand binding.