Sulfur-containing Heterocycles Research Articles

Advances in the Synthesis of S-containing Cyclic Architectures via Insertion of SO2

Sulfur-containing heterocycles, where the S(R) moiety is in the cyclic structures, have been found tremendous applications in the field of chemistry, pharmaceutical, and materials sciences due to the unique chemical, biological and pharmaceutical activities. The recent years have witnessed an increasing interest in sulfur-containing heterocycles preparation and new methods were reported with modern methodologies and technologies through insertion of sulfur dioxide. The main objective of this mini-review is to overview the latest major developments for the synthesis of sulfur-containing heterocycles systems, mainly covering thermoinduced cyclization, photoinduced cyclization and electroninduced cyclization through the insertion of SO2. We wish to bring readers a comprehensive understanding and provide a positive outlook for the promising future of this field.

Crystallinity regulation induced organics degradation on Ultra-thin 2D Co3O4/SiO2 Nanosheets: the critical trigger of oxygen vacancy

As an antibiotic drug, sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is a nitrogen-containing and sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound, which is an endocrine disruptor and difficult to be biodegraded. Not only can it exist stably in...

Evolution behavior of volatile components of shiitake mushrooms during infrared-assisted spouted bed drying

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of different drying temperatures and airflow speeds on the number and species of volatile components in infrared-assisted spouted bed dried (IRSBD) Shiitake mushrooms. The dynamics changes in volatile components (determined by HS-SPME-GC-MS) during drying under optimal conditions were also monitored. Results revealed that the maximum number of volatile components (69 species) was observed at a temperature of 55 °C and airflow speed of 8.0 m/s, of which the volatile components in Shiitake mushrooms varied significantly over the drying process at this condition. Fresh Shiitake mushrooms mainly composed of volatile substances such as alcohols, ketones and acids. During the early drying stage (0–40 min), the levels of alcohols and ketones gradually decreased, while the species and levels of aldehydes, esters, and volatile sulfur-containing compounds (VSCs) increased. In the middle stage (40–120 min), levels of alcohols, esters, aldehydes, acids, and alkanes species increased, while the levels of VSCs decreased. For the last stage (120–200 min), the levels of sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds, aldehydes, esters, acids, pyrazines, and alkanes were all increased. The findings of this study provide insights into the flavor formation mechanism during IRSBD of Shiitake mushrooms and offer a theoretical reference for the production of industrial flavorful dried goods.

Imidazophenothiazine-Based Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Materials with Ultra-Long-Lived Excited States for Energy Transfer Photocatalysis.

Triplet-triplet energy transfer (EnT) is a powerful activation pathway in photocatalysis that unlocks new organic transformations and improves the sustainability of organic synthesis. Many current examples, however, still rely on platinum-group metal complexes as photosensitizers, with associated high costs and environmental impacts. Photosensitizers that exhibit thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) are attractive fully organic alternatives in EnT photocatalysis. However, TADF photocatalysts incorporating heavy atoms remain rare, despite their utility in inducing efficient spin-orbit-coupling, intersystem-crossing, and consequently a high triplet population. Here, we describe the synthesis of imidazo-phenothiazine (IPTZ), a sulfur-containing heterocycle with a locked planar structure and a shallow LUMO level. This acceptor is used to prepare seven TADF-active photocatalysts with triplet energies up to 63.9 kcal mol-1. We show that sulfur incorporation improves spin-orbit coupling and increases triplet lifetimes up to 3.64 ms, while also allowing for tuning of photophysical properties via oxidation at the sulfur atom. These IPTZ materials are applied as photocatalysts in five seminal EnT reactions: [2 + 2] cycloaddition, the disulfide-ene reaction, and Ni-mediated C-O and C-N cross-coupling to afford etherification, esterification, and amination products, outcompeting the industry-standard TADF photocatalyst 2CzPN in four of the five studied scenarios. Detailed photophysical and theoretical studies are used to understand structure-activity relationships and to demonstrate the key role of the heavy atom effect in the design of TADF materials with superior photocatalytic performance.

The Oxidation of Oxygen and Sulfur-Containing Heterocycles by Cytochrome P450 Enzymes.

The cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily of monooxygenase enzymes play important roles in the metabolism of molecules which contain heterocyclic, aromatic functional groups. Here we study how oxygen- and sulfur-containing heterocyclic groups interact with and are oxidized using the bacterial enzyme CYP199A4. This enzyme oxidized both 4-(thiophen-2-yl)benzoic acid and 4-(thiophen-3-yl)benzoic acid almost exclusively via sulfoxidation. The thiophene oxides produced were activated towards Diels-Alder dimerization after sulfoxidation, forming dimeric metabolites. Despite X-ray crystal structures demonstrating that the aromatic carbon atoms of the thiophene ring were located closer to the heme than the sulfur, sulfoxidation was still favoured with 4-(thiophen-3-yl)benzoic acid. These results highlight a preference of this cytochrome P450 enzyme for sulfoxidation over aromatic hydroxylation. Calculations predict a strong preference for homodimerization of the enantiomers of the thiophene oxides and the formation of a single major product, in broad agreement with the experimental data. 4-(Furan-2-yl)benzoic acid was oxidized to 4-(4'-hydroxybutanoyl)benzoic acid using a whole-cell system. This reaction proceeded via a γ-keto-α,β-unsaturated aldehyde species which could be trapped in vitro using semicarbazide to generate a pyridazine species. The combination of the enzyme structures, the biochemical data and theoretical calculations provides detailed insight into the formation of the metabolites formed from these heterocyclic compounds.

NMR and FT-IR Investigation Study and Topological Analysis of Various Conformations of 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-dihydroxyl-1,4-dithian using Density Functional Theory Method

Abstract: 1,4-dithian-2,5-dihydroxyl is the major source for the synthesis of sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds such as thiophene and 1,3-thiazole derivatives, which these compounds are widely used in pharmaceuticals and agricultural industries. Sulfur-containing heterocycles, such as 2-aminothiophene, thiazolidine, oxothiazolidine, and thiazoles, can be comprehensively synthesized from dimerization of the derivatives of 1,4-dithian-2,5- dihydroxyl. FT-IR and NMR spectra of axial and equatorial conformations of 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-dihydroxyl-1,4- dithian compound were investigated by density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP/6-311++G** and M06- 2X/aug-cc-pVDZ computational methods. The topological properties of the electron charge density were calculated by the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and non-covalent interactions/reduced electron density gradient (NCI-RDG) theoretical methods. The obtained results of the analyses were also discussed in more detail. The results showed that the steric interactions are more prominent than the van der Waals interactions, and in both conformations, steric interactions are included in the middle of the 1,4-dithian ring and there is hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl groups and 1,4-dithian ring structure heteroatoms in the axial conformation while this interaction is not observed in the case of equatorial conformation. The presence of these interactions was confirmed using NBO analysis.

Base-Mediated Rearrangement of α-Dithioacetyl Propargylamines via Expansion of Dithioacetyl Ring: Synthesis of Medium-Sized S,S-Heterocycles.

Base-mediated rearrangement of 1,3-dithianyl-substituted propargylamines in DMF via expansion of the dithiane ring has been reported. The rearrangement provided 9-membered amino-functionalized sulfur-containing heterocycles (dithionine derivatives) in good yields under mild conditions. Propargylamines bearing 5-membered 1,3-dithiolane and 7-membered 1,3-dithiepane rings rearranged in a similar manner yielding 8- and 10-membered S,S-heterocycles, respectively.

Copper-Catalyzed Formal [4 + 1] Annulation toward Diverse Trifunctionalized Indolizines from Pyridinium 1,4-Zwitterionic Thiolates and Diazos

Pyridinium 1,4-zwitterionic thiolates were regarded as powerful and versatile building blocks to prepare nitrogen- and sulfur-containing heterocycles. Herein, we reported a copper-catalyzed formal [4 + 1] annulation of pyridinium 1,4-zwitterionic thiolates and diazo compounds without any additives to access a library of trifunctionalized indolizines in good yields. Besides, isoquinolinium 1,4-zwitterionic thiolates and imidazolium 1,4-zwitterionic thiolates were also applied to this formal [4 + 1] annulation reaction. Of particular note is that various functional groups such as -CO2R, -CO2NR2, -CF3, -CN, and -(O)P(OR)2 could be easily introduced into cycloaddition products indolizines by this strategy.

Progress on the Cu-Catalyzed 1,4-Conjugate Addition to Thiochromones.

Carbon-carbon bond formation is one of the most important tools in synthetic organic chemists' toolbox. It is a fundamental transformation that allows synthetic chemists to synthesize the carbon framework of complex molecules from inexpensive simple starting materials. Among the many synthetic methodologies developed for the construction of carbon-carbon bonds, organocopper reagents are one of the most reliable organometallic reagents for this purpose. The versatility of organocuprate reagents or the reactions catalyzed by organocopper reagents were demonstrated by their applications in a variety of synthetic transformations including the 1,4-conjugate addition reactions. Sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds are a much less studied area compared to oxygen-containing heterocycles but have gained more and more attention in recent years due to their rich biological activities and widespread applications in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and material science. This paper will provide a brief review on recent progress on the synthesis of an important class of sulfur-heterocycles-2-alkylthiochroman-4-ones and thioflavanones via the conjugate additions of Grignard reagents to thiochromones catalyzed by copper catalysts. Recent progress on the synthesis of 2-substituted thiochroman-4-ones via alkynylation and alkenylation of thiochromones will also be covered in this review.

Incorporating sulfur into redox-active reagents and materials

Small sulfur-containing heterocycles, like thianthrenes and tetrathiafulvalenes, together with their larger π-extended counterparts, represent a long-known structural motif and offer reversible redox chemistry at low potentials. Recently these motifs gained an increasing interest in a variety of fields circulating organic chemistry ranging from molecular switches and redox reagents in synthesis to supramolecular aggregates. We anticipate fruitful developments from these versatile building blocks in modern technologies based on their reversible redox properties.

Contemporary progress in the green synthesis of spiro-thiazolidines and their medicinal significance: a review.

The development of new strategies for the production of nitrogen and sulfur-containing heterocycles remains an extremely alluring but challenging proposition. Among these heterocyclic compounds, spiro-thiazolidines are a distinct class of heterocyclic motifs with an all-encompassing range of pharmaceutical activities such as anti-histaminic, anti-proliferative, anesthetic, hypnotic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV, anthelmintic, CNS stimulant, and anti-viral potentials. Consequently, investigators have produced these heterocycles through diversified intricate pathways as object structures for medicinal studies. Notwithstanding their innumerable manmade solicitations, there is yet no special periodical on MCRs concerning spiro-thiazolidine via green synthesis. Thus, this in-depth review encompasses the excursion of MCRs to spiro-thiazolidines, including the environment-friendly synthetic approaches, reaction situations, rationale behind the optimal selection of catalyst, scope, anticipated mechanism, and biological activities. In this review, we have focussed on the furthermost current developments in spiro-thiazolidine creation under different conditions, such as ionic liquid-assisted, microwave-assisted, on-water, solid-supported acid-catalyzed, asymmetric, and nanocatalyst-assisted syntheses, developed over the last 8 years. This study details works regarding the total amalgamation of spiro-thiazolidines under N- and S-containing heterocycles. Furthermore, this article summarizes the developments of artificially and pharmaceutically important spiro-thiazolidine candidates.

A decade update on the application of β-oxodithioesters in heterocyclic synthesis.

The diverse synthesis of heterocyclic compounds has always been one of the popular subjects of organic chemistry. To this end, great efforts have been devoted to developing new reagents and establishing new strategies and methods concerning efficiency, selectivity and sustainability. β-Oxodithioesters and their enol tautomers (i.e., α-enolic dithioesters), as a class of simple and readily accessible sulfur-containing synthons, have been widely applied in the construction of various five- and six-membered heterocycles (e.g., thiophenes, thiopyrans, thiazoles, pyridines and quinolines) and other useful open-chain frameworks. Due to their unique chemical structures, β-oxodithioesters bear multiple reaction sites, which enable them to participate in two-component or multicomponent reactions to construct various heterocyclic compounds. In the past decade, the application of β-oxodithioesters in the synthesis of heterocycles has made remarkable progress. Herein, an update on the recent advances in the application of β-oxodithioesters in the synthesis of heterocycles during the period from 2013 to 2023/06 is provided. According to the different types of rings concerning heteroatoms in products, this review is divided into five sections under discussion including (i) synthesis of sulfur-containing heterocycles, (ii) synthesis of sulfur and nitrogen-containing heterocycles, (iii) synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles, (iv) synthesis of nitrogen and oxygen-containing heterocycles, and (v) modification to other open-chain frameworks.

From CO2 to CS2: a theoretical investigation of the cycloaddition to aziridines mediated by metal-free porphyrin-based catalytic systems

DFT studies revealed mechanistic similarities between CO2 and CS2 cycloaddition to aziridines for the synthesis of added-value sulfur-containing heterocycles.

A general electron donor–acceptor complex enabled cascade cyclization of alkynes to access sulfur-containing heterocycles

A general visible light-promoted and electron–donor–acceptor complex-enabled cascade reaction of alkynes to produce functionalized sulfur-containing heterocycles under photocatalyst-, base-, oxidant- and metal-free conditions was developed.

Design, Synthesis and Fungicidal Activity of N-(thiophen-2-yl) Nicotinamide Derivatives

Based on the modification of natural products and the active substructure splicing method, a series of new N-(thiophen-2-yl) nicotinamide derivatives were designed and synthesized by splicing the nitrogen-containing heterocycle natural molecule nicotinic acid and the sulfur-containing heterocycle thiophene. The structures of the target compounds were identified through 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS spectra. The in vivo bioassay results of all the compounds against cucumber downy mildew (CDM, Pseudoperonospora cubensis (Berk.et Curt.) Rostov.) in a greenhouse indicated that compounds 4a (EC50 = 4.69 mg/L) and 4f (EC50 = 1.96 mg/L) exhibited excellent fungicidal activities which were higher than both diflumetorim (EC50 = 21.44 mg/L) and flumorph (EC50 = 7.55 mg/L). The bioassay results of the field trial against CDM demonstrated that the 10% EC formulation of compound 4f displayed excellent efficacies (70% and 79% control efficacies, respectively, each at 100 mg/L and 200 mg/L) which were superior to those of the two commercial fungicides flumorph (56% control efficacy at 200 mg/L) and mancozeb (76% control efficacy at 1000 mg/L). N-(thiophen-2-yl) nicotinamide derivatives are significant lead compounds that can be used for further structural optimization, and compound 4f is also a promising fungicide candidate against CDM that can be used for further development.

Enhanced Adsorption Selectivity of Carbon Dioxide and Ethane on Porous Metal–Organic Framework Functionalized by a Sulfur-Rich Heterocycle

Porous metal-organic framework [Zn2(ttdc)2(bpy)] (1) based on thieno [3,2-b]thiophenedicarboxylate (ttdc) was synthesized and characterized. The structure contains intersected zig-zag channels with an average aperture of 4 × 6 Å and a 49% (v/v) guest-accessible pore volume. Gas adsorption studies confirmed the microporous nature of 1 with a specific surface area (BET model) of 952 m2·g-1 and a pore volume of 0.37 cm3·g-1. Extensive CO2, N2, O2, CO, CH4, C2H2, C2H4 and C2H6 gas adsorption experiments at 273 K and 298 K were carried out, which revealed the great adsorption selectivity of C2H6 over CH4 (IAST selectivity factor 14.8 at 298 K). The sulfur-rich ligands and double framework interpenetration in 1 result in a dense decoration of the inner surface by thiophene heterocyclic moieties, which are known to be effective secondary adsorption sites for carbon dioxide. As a result, remarkable CO2 adsorption selectivities were obtained for CO2/CH4 (11.7) and CO2/N2 (27.2 for CO2:N2 = 1:1, 56.4 for CO2:N2 = 15:85 gas mixtures). The computational DFT calculations revealed the decisive role of the sulfur-containing heterocycle moieties in the adsorption of CO2 and C2H6. High CO2 adsorption selectivity values and a relatively low isosteric heat of CO2 adsorption (31.4 kJ·mol-1) make the porous material 1 a promising candidate for practical separation of biogas as well as for CO2 sequestration from flue gas or natural gas.

Analysis of sulfur compounds for crude oil fingerprinting using gas chromatography with sulfur chemiluminescence detector

Oil spills are a severe problem worldwide due to the resulting damage to marine and coastal ecosystems and to local economies. Identification of the source of spilled oils can be challenging, especially if the oils have undergone severe weathering. Due to their high durability, biomarker compounds (e.g. hopanes, steranes) are widely used for oil fingerprinting. Some sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds e.g. alkylated dibenzothiophenes are also considered to be highly resistant. In this study, the use of Gas Chromatography with Sulfur Chemiluminescence Detection was investigated as a means of oil fingerprinting using the distribution the sulfur compounds in five different fresh and weathered crude oils. Chemometric analysis was also performed. The results indicate that the sulfur compounds distribution is unique for each crude oil. The distributions of the heavy sulfur compounds (i.e., C2DBTs and C3DBTs) are unchanged after weathering. Therefore, the GC-SCD technique can be considered to support the oil spill identification.

Biocatalytic Thionation of Epoxides for Enantioselective Synthesis of Thiiranes.

Expanding the enzymatic toolbox for the green synthesis of valuable molecules is still of high interest in synthetic chemistry and the pharmaceutical industry. Chiral thiiranes are valuable sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds, but relevant methods for their enantioselective synthesis are limited. Herein, we report a biocatalytic thionation strategy for the enantioselective synthesis of thiiranes, which was developed based on the halohydrin dehalogenase (HHDH)-catalyzed enantioselective ring-opening reaction of epoxides with thiocyanate and a subsequent nonenzymatic rearrangement process. A novel HHDH was identified and engineered for enantioselective biocatalytic thionation of various aryl- and alkyl-substituted epoxides on a preparative scale, affording the corresponding thiiranes in up to 43 % isolated yield and 98 % ee. Large-scale synthesis and useful transformations of chiral thiiranes were also performed to demonstrate the utility and scalability of the biocatalytic thionation strategy.

Green Chemistry in Organic Synthesis: Recent Update on Green Catalytic Approaches in Synthesis of 1,2,4-Thiadiazoles

Green (sustainable) chemistry provides a framework for chemists, pharmacists, medicinal chemists and chemical engineers to design processes, protocols and synthetic methodologies to make their contribution to the broad spectrum of global sustainability. Green synthetic conditions, especially catalysis, are the pillar of green chemistry. Green chemistry principles help synthetic chemists overcome the problems of conventional synthesis, such as slow reaction rates, unhealthy solvents and catalysts and the long duration of reaction completion time, and envision solutions by developing environmentally benign catalysts, green solvents, use of microwave and ultrasonic radiations, solvent-free, grinding and chemo-mechanical approaches. 1,2,4-thiadiazole is a privileged structural motif that belongs to the class of nitrogen–sulfur-containing heterocycles with diverse medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. This comprehensive review systemizes types of green solvents, green catalysts, ideal green organic synthesis characteristics and the green synthetic approaches, such as microwave irradiation, ultrasound, ionic liquids, solvent-free, metal-free conditions, green solvents and heterogeneous catalysis to construct different 1,2,4-thiadiazoles scaffolds.

Recent Advances in Organic Room-Temperature Phosphorescence of Heteroatom (B/S/P)-Containing Chromophores

Recent Advances in Organic Room-Temperature Phosphorescence of Heteroatom (B/S/P)-Containing Chromophores