Pyridone Directed Ru-Catalyzed Olefination of sp2(C-H) Bond Using Michael Acceptors: Creation of Drug Analogues

Co(III) or Ru(II)-Catalyzed Selective C-H Alkynylation of 2-Pyridones and Their Derivatives with Bromoalkynes

We successfully reported selective C-H alkynylation of 2-pyridones with bromoalkynes under the catalysis of Co(III) or Ru(II). The alkynylation reaction used easily accessible bromoalkynes instead of high-valent iodine alkynes. There is a broad substrate scope of 2-pyridones with good yields. In addition, 2-pyridone can be used as a weakly directing group for C-H alkynylation of the proximal aryl C-H bond. This method offers an efficient approach for synthesizing diverse 2-pyridone derivatives, yielding alkynylated products up to 95% yield (>40 examples).

Ruthenium(ii) catalyzed C-3 site selective alkenylation of indole derivatives via C-H activation

An efficient synthetic method has been developed for C-3 site-selective alkenylation of indole derivatives under ruthenium(ii) catalysis with an ester as a directing group. Besides the presence of two potential C(sp2)-H sites available for functionalization in the substrates, exclusive C3 selectivity was achieved in a selective manner as only mono-functionalized products were formed. The high site selectivity is attributed to the formation of an uncommon six-membered metallacycle intermediate between the ruthenium catalyst and ester directing group, enabled by the selective alkenylation at the C3 position of indole derivatives. This protocol features high site selectivity, operational simplicity, broad substrate scope, and moderate to high yields.

Biorelevant Weakly Coordinating Directing Group Assisted C-H Alkenylation with Cyclopropanols via Sequential C-H/C-C Activation

A weakly coordinating biorelevant intrinsic directing group (DG) assisted site-selective C-H alkenylation via sequential C-H/C-C bond activation has been accomplished under Ru(II)-catalysis using readily accessible cyclopropyl alcohol as an alkenyl surrogate. Utilization of an intrinsic DG, exclusive regioselectivity, functional group diversity, late-stage natural product and drug mutations are the important practical features.

Novel pirfenidone derivatives: synthesis and biological evaluation

In order to discover novel anti-pulmonary fibrosis agents, a series of novel pirfenidone derivatives were designed and synthesized. All compounds were investigated for their anti-pulmonary activity and characterized by 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Preliminary studies on their biological activity showed that all target compounds showed different degrees of inhibition on pulmonary fibrosis, and most of the derivatives were significantly better than pirfenidone.