Metal‐Free Cyclocarboamination of ortho ‐Formyl Phenylacetylenes with Secondary Amines: Access to 1,3‐Diamino‐1 H ‐Indenes and 3‐Amino‐1‐Indanones

Cascade Cyclization of o-(2-Acyl-1-ethynyl)benzaldehydes with Amino Acid Derivatives: Synthesis of Indeno[2,1-c]pyran-3-ones and 1-Oxazolonylisobenzofurans via the Erlenmeyer-Plöchl Azlactone Reaction

A highly regioselective divergent approach is reported for the synthesis of both indeno[2,1-c]pyran-3-one and 1-oxazolonylisobenzofuran derivatives using the Erlenmeyer-Plöchl azlactone (EPA) reaction. This approach involves the synthesis of o-(2-acyl-1-ethynyl)benzaldehydes, which reacted with various amino acids. Reaction with N-acylglycines resulted in the formation of indeno[2,1-c]pyran-3-ones, involving the sequential formation of two C-C bonds and two C-O bonds. Conversely, when the same conditions were applied to free amino acids, 1-oxazolonylisobenzofurans were obtained. This reaction involved the formation of a C-C bond between oxazolone and o-(2-acyl-1-ethynyl)benzaldehyde, followed by the formation of a C-O bond through a selective 5-exo-dig cyclization.

Synthesis of 3-aminoindenes and cis-1-aminoindanes by Zn(OTf)2-catalyzed cyclization of o-alkynylbenzaldehydes with tertiary alkyl primary amines

Using Zn(OTf)2 as catalyst, a highly regio- and chemo-selective cyclocarboamination of o-alkynylbenzaldehydes with tertiary alkyl primary amines was realized to access 3-aminoindenes with different substitution patterns from previously reported methods. The full reduction of the iminoindenone intermediates affords cis-1-amino-2-arylindanes with excellent diastereoselectivity. Mechanistically, the reaction involves the rearrangement of 1-amino-3-arylidene-isoindolines and isomerization of 1-aminoindenes to 3-aminoindenes.

1,2-Difunctionalizations of alkynes entailing concomitant C–C and C–N bond-forming carboamination reactions

Vicinal carboamination of alkynes is a highly reliable and efficient practical strategy for the quick preparation of valuable and diverse amine derivatives starting from simple synthons. The last decade has witnessed numerous practical methods employing transition-metal-based/metal-free carboamination approaches using alkynes for the synthesis of these N-bearing entities. Driven by the renaissance of transition metal catalysis, intermolecular and intramolecular carboamination of alkynes comprising concomitant C–N and C–C bond formation has been studied extensively. In contrast to metal catalysis, though analogous metal-free approaches have been relatively less explored in the literature, they serve as alternatives to these expensive approaches. Despite this significant progress, reviews documenting such examples are sporadic; as a result, most reports of this type remained scattered throughout the literature, thereby hampering further developments in this escalating field. In this review, different conceptual approaches will be discussed and examples from the literature will be presented. Further, the reader will get insight into the mechanisms of different transformations.

The 1,2-difunctionalization of alkynes happening through concomitant C–C and C–N bond formation strategies have provide an unified access to diversely functionalized N-bearing heterocycles.

Cleavage and Reassembly of the C═O Bond of 2-Alkynylbenzaldehydes: A Metal-Free Access to Inden-1-ones

A metal-free approach to inden-1-ones from 2-alkynylbenzaldehydes mediated by pyrrolidine has been developed. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions in a step- and atom-economy process by cleaving the C═O bond and constructing new C-C as well as C═O bonds. Oxygen-18 and deuterium labeling experiments revealed an aza-Petasis-Ferrier rearrangement of an intermediate 1-amino-3-methylene-dihydroisobenzofuran.

N-Terminal selective modification of peptides and proteins using 2-ethynylbenzaldehydes

Selective modification of the N-terminus of peptides and proteins is a promising strategy for single site modification methods. Here we report N-terminal selective modification of peptides and proteins by using 2-ethynylbenzaldehydes (2-EBA) for the production of well-defined bioconjugates. After reaction screening with a series of 2-EBA, excellent N-terminal selectivity is achieved by the reaction in slightly acidic phosphate-buffered saline using 2-EBA with electron-donating substituents. Selective modification of a library of peptides XSKFR (X = either one of 20 natural amino acids) by 2-ethynyl-4-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzaldehyde (2d) results in good-to-excellent N-terminal selectivity in peptides (up to >99:1). Lysozyme, ribonuclease A and a therapeutic recombinant Bacillus caldovelox arginase mutant (BCArg mutant) are N-terminally modified using alkyne- and fluorescein-linked 2-EBA. Alkyne-linked BCArg mutant is further modified by rhodamine azide via copper(I)-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition indicating that the reaction has high functional group compatibility. Moreover, the BCArg mutant modified by 2-ethynyl-5-methoxybenzaldehyde (2b) exhibits comparable activity in enzymatic and cytotoxic assays with the unmodified one.