Synthesis of iodoalkylidene lactones from alkenes

Decarboxylative elimination of enol triflates as a general synthesis of acetylenes

The enol trifluoromethanesulfonates 4, 8, 12, 17 and 20 of tert-butyl beta-ketodiesters and beta-ketoesters can be hydrolysed to the corresponding carboxylic acids by dissolution in trifluoroacetic acid. The dicarboxylic acids undergo mild decarboxylative elimination to give the acetylenic acids 4 and 9 in aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution at room temperature. Similarly, the monocarboxylic acids give the terminal and mid-chain acetylenes 13, 18, 21, and 24 by refluxing in acetone with potassium carbonate. One of the substituents on the acetylenes can be methyl, primary alkyl, secondary alkyl or ethynyl, and the other can be a carboxylic acid, hydrogen or primary alkyl, but the enol trifluoromethanesulfonates could not be prepared when one of the substituents was tert-butyl, nor when both substituents on the precursor to the acetylene were secondary alkyl.

Indium-Mediated Atom-Transfer and Reductive Radical Cyclizations of Iodoalkynes: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of HIV-Protease Inhibitors

Novel indium-mediated radical cyclization reactions of aliphatic iodoalkynes have been studied. Treatment of iodoalkynes with a catalytic amount of In (0.1 equiv) and I(2) (0.05 equiv) promotes atom-transfer 5-exo cyclization to give five-membered alkenyl iodides. In contrast, reaction with In (2 equiv) and I(2) (1 equiv) yields reductive 5-exo cyclization products via the same 5-exo cyclization. Both processes are most likely initiated by low-valent indium species. To demonstrate versatility of these reactions, optically active HIV protease inhibitors were synthesized by this reductive cyclization method. Among them, several products, which contain a hydroxyethylamine dipeptide isostere as a transition state-mimicking substructure, proved to possess potent activity (IC(50) = 5-39 nM) against a wide spectrum of HIV strains, including multidrug-resistant variants.

Solid phase chemical technologies for combinatorial chemistry

This article describes the exploration of synthetic methodologies on solid phase for combinatorial chemistry. Examples will cover various cyclisation strategies that include; the intramolecular Heck cyclisation leading to the formation of oxindoles, the radical cyclisation mechanism in the synthesis of furans, and a stereoselective cyclisation to form oxopiperazines.