How Electrophilic Are Cobalt Carbonyl Stabilized Propargylium Ions?

Cationic indium catalysis as a powerful tool for generating α-alkyl propargyl cations for SN1 reactions

Dehydration is an abundant and promising process in chemical, biochemical, and industrial fields. Dehydration methods can contribute to building a modern and sustainable society with minimal environmental impact. Breakthrough advances in the dehydrative SN1 reaction can be achieved through the discovery of new cationic indium catalysts. Here we show that the breakthrough advances in the dehydrative SN1 reaction can be achieved using the cationic indium catalysts. The dehydrative carbon-carbon bond formation of α-alkyl propargyl alcohols afforded a wide variety of α-aryl- and heteroaryl-propargyl compounds. Mechanistic investigations into this process revealed that the InCl3/AgClO4/Bu4NPF6/1,1'-binaphthol catalytic system generated a powerful cationic indium catalyst that could promote the dehydration of alcohols. Labile α-alkyl propargyl cations were found to self-condense, and the catalyst system efficiently regenerated propargyl cations for reaction with nucleophiles. This propargylation reaction directly proceeded from the corresponding alcohols under mild and open-air conditions and tolerated a broad scope of functional groups. Furthermore, a wide variety of nucleophiles, including aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds, phenols, alcohols, and sulfonamides, reacted with the corresponding cations to afford the propargyl compounds in good to high yields. Finally, the synthetic utility of this reaction was demonstrated by the synthesis of colchicine and allocolchicine analogues. The dehydration process could help create new compounds that were previously impossible to synthesize and is more eco-friendly and efficient than conventional methods.

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Cephalotaxus Diterpenoids: Cephinoid P, Cephafortoid A, 14-epi-Cephafortoid A and Fortalpinoids M-N, P

The asymmetric total syntheses of cephalotaxus C19 diterpenoids, bearing a unique cycloheptene A ring with a chiral methyl group at C-12, were disclosed based on a universal strategy. Six members, including cephinoid P, cephafortoid A, 14-epi-cephafortoid A and fortalpinoids M-N, P, were accomplished for the first time. The concise approach relies on two crucial steps: (1) a Nicholas/Hosomi-Sakurai cascade reaction was developed to efficiently generate the cycloheptene ring bearing a chiral methyl group; (2) an intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction was followed to facilitate the construction of the complete skeleton of target molecules. Our studies provide a new strategy for the synthetic analysis of cephalotaxus diterpenoids and structurally related polycyclic natural products.

Electrophilicity index revisited

This review aims to be a comprehensive, authoritative, critical, and accessible review of general interest to the chemistry community; because the electrophilicity index is a very useful global reactivity descriptor defined within a conceptual density functional theory framework. Our group has also introduced electrophilicity based new global and local reactivity descriptors and also new associated electronic structure principles, which are important indicators of structure, stability, bonding, reactivity, interactions, and dynamics in a wide variety of physico-chemical systems and processes. This index along with its local counterpart augmented by the associated electronic structure principles could properly explain molecular vibrations, internal rotations and various types of chemical reactions. The concept of the electrophilicity index has been extended to dynamical processes, excited states, confined environment, spin-dependent and temperature-dependent situations, biological activity, site selectivity, aromaticity, charge removal and acceptance, presence of external perturbation through solvents, external electric and magnetic fields, and so forth. Although electrophilicity and its local variant can adequately interpret the behavior of a wide variety of systems and different physico-chemical processes involving them, their predictive potential remains to be explored. An exhaustive review on all these aspects will set the tone of the future research in that direction.

Reaction of Alkynyl- and Alkenyltrifluoroborates with Propargyldicobalt Cations: Alkynylation, Alkenylation, and Cyclopropanation Product Pathways

The Lewis acid-mediated Nicholas reactions of propargyl acetate-Co₂(CO)₆ complexes with a series of potassium alkynyltrifluoroborates and potassium alkenyltrifluoroborates are described. Alkynyltrifluoroborates directly alkynylate the intermediate propargyldicobalt cations. In contrast, alkenyltrifluoroborates proceed through one of the three modes of dominant reactivity: C-2-substituted alkenyltrifluorobrates directly alkenylate, predominantly with the retention of stereochemistry. C-1-substituted alkenyltrifluoroborates alkenylate at C-2. Potassium vinyltrifluoroborate incorporates a cyclopropane at the site propargyl to alkynedicobalt. Computational analysis of these systems explains the differential modes of reactivity of alkenyltrifluoroborates and outlines the probable mechanisms for the formation of each product.

Highly Chemoselective gem-Difluoropropargylation of Aliphatic Alcohols

Despite the potential of α-fluoroethers in medicinal chemistry, their synthetic methods, especially etherification of aliphatic alcohols, have been limited. Herein, we developed two- and three-step gem-difluoropropargylation of aliphatic alcohols including amino acid derivatives and naturally occurring bioactive molecules. Highly chemoselective etherification proceeded by using the gem-difluoropropargyl bromide dicobalt complex in the presence of silver triflate and triethylamine. Decomplexation of dicobalt complexes was achieved by using cerium ammonium nitrate or N,N,N'-trimethylethylenediamine. The thus obtained gem-difluoropropargyl ethers were converted to various α-difluoroethers which are expected to be useful for medicinal chemistry.

Gold(i)-catalyzed Nicholas reaction with aromatic molecules utilizing a bifunctional propargyl dicobalt hexacarbonyl complex

A benchtop-stable reagent for the catalytic Nicholas reaction with aromatic molecules was developed.

Design and synthesis of new antitumor agents with the 1,7-epoxycyclononane framework. Study of their anticancer action mechanism by a model compound

This article describes the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a new family of antitumor agents having the 1,7-epoxycyclononane framework. We have developed a versatile synthetic methodology that allows the preparation of a chemical library with structural diversity and in good yield. The synthetic methodology has been scaled up to the multigram level and can be developed in an enantioselective fashion. The study in vitro of a model compound, in front of the cancer cell lines HL-60 and MCF-7, showed a growth inhibitory effect better than that of cisplatin. The observation of cancer cells by fluorescence microscopy showed the presence of apoptotic bodies and a degradation of microtubules. The study of cell cycle and mechanism of death of cancer cells by flow cytometry indicates that the cell cycle arrested at the G₀/G₁ phase and that the cells died by apoptosis preferably over necrosis. A high percentage of apoptotic cells at the subG₀/G₁ level was observed. This indicates that our model compound does not behave as an antimitotic agent like nocodazole, used as a reference, which arrests the cell cycle at G₂/M phase. The interaction of anticancer agents with DNA molecules was evaluated by atomic force microscopy, circular dichroism and electrophoresis on agarose gel. The results indicate that the model compound has not DNA as a target molecule. The in silico study of the model compound showed a potential good oral bioavailability.

Synthesis of the 10-oxabicyclo[5.2.1]decane framework present in bioactive natural products

The present work deals with the synthesis of the 10-oxabicyclo[5.2.1]decane framework present in bioactive natural products like physalins, with potential as antitumor agents. This synthetic methodology involves several key reactions: (a) synthesis of polyfunctionalized cycloheptenones by [4 + 3] cycloaddition reactions of furan precursors with oxyallyl cations; (b) Nicholas reaction with propargyl cations stabilized as dicobalt hexacarbonyl complexes; (c) demetallation and hydration of the resulting acetylenes; (d) stereoconvergent aldol cyclization to generate a key oxatricyclic intermediate and (e) a β-fragmentation process that affords, under hypoiodite photolysis, the desired product with moderate to good yield. The final compounds are the result of a radicalary β-fragmentation at the level of C2-C6 with respect to the tertiary hydroxyl group on C6, with an unexpected contraction from a ten- to a nine-membered ring system, via a radical addition to the carbonyl group on C4. The synthetic methodology has been scaled up to multigram level with good overall yield. Further biological, biochemical and biophysical studies are being carried out in our laboratory on these 1,7-epoxycyclononane derivatives to determine the potential of this kind of oxabicyclic compound as future hits and/or leads for the development of new anticancer drugs. The preliminary evaluation of the anticancer activity of the representative synthesized compounds, against the leukaemia cancer cell lines K-562 and SR, shows a promising activity with a GI₅₀ = 0.01 μM and a LC₅₀ = 7.4 μM for a conveniently functionalized 10-oxabicyclo[5.2.1]decane.

Stereoselective and Catalytic Synthesis of anti-β-Alkoxy-α-azido Carboxylic Derivatives

Direct addition of a chiral N-azidoacetyl thiazolidinethione to a variety of dialkyl acetals catalyzed by a commercially available and structurally simple nickel(II) complex gives access in good yields and a highly stereocontrolled manner to anti-β-alkoxy-α-azido carboxylic derivatives which, in turn, can be easily converted into a wide array of enantiomerically pure compounds.

A mild two-step propargylation of aromatic bioactive small molecules

A mild 2-step propargylation strategy for aromatic bioactive small molecules has been developed.

Vinylogous Nicholas reactions in the synthesis of bi- and tricyclic cycloheptynedicobalt complexes

The Lewis acid mediated intramolecular Nicholas reactions of allylic acetate enyne-Co₂(CO)₆ complexes afford bicyclic- and tricyclic cycloheptenyne-Co₂(CO)₆ complexes.

Dehydrotropylium-Co2(CO)6 ion: generation, reactivity and evaluation of cation stability

The dehydrotropylium-Co(2)(CO)(6) ion was generated by the action of HBF(4) or BF(3)⋅OEt(2) on the corresponding cycloheptadienynol complex, which in turn has been prepared in four steps from a known diacetoxycycloheptenyne complex. The reaction of the cycloheptadienynol complex via the dehydrotropylium-Co(2)(CO)(6) ion with several nucleophiles results in substitution reactions with reactive nucleophiles (N>1) under normal conditions, and a radical dimerisation reaction in the presence of less reactive nucleophiles. Competitive reactions of the cycloheptadienynol complex with an acyclic trienynol complex show no preference for generation of the dehydrotropylium-Co(2)(CO)(6) ion over an acyclic cation. DFT studies on the dehydrotropylium-Co(2)(CO)(6) ion, specifically evaluation of its harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA) value (+0.95), its homodesmotic-reaction-based stabilisation energy (≈2.8 kcal mol(-1)) and its NICS(1) value (-2.9), taken together with the experimental studies suggest that the dehydrotropylium-Co(2)(CO)(6) ion is weakly aromatic.

Nicholas reactions in the construction of cyclohepta[de]naphthalenes and cyclohepta[de]naphthalenones. The total synthesis of microstegiol

The application of the Nicholas reaction chemistry of 2,7-dioxygenated naphthalenes in the synthesis of cyclohepta[de]napthalenes and in the synthesis of (±)-microstegiol (1) is presented. The substitution profile of Nicholas monosubstitution (predominantly C-1) and disubstitution reactions (predominantly 1,6-) on 2,7-dioxygenated napthalenes is reported. Application of a 1,8-dicondensation product and selected C-1 monocondensation products to the construction of cyclohepta[de]naphthalenes by way of ring closing metathesis and intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reactions, respectively, is described. Deprotection of the C-7 oxygen function to the corresponding naphthol allows tautomerization to cyclohepta[de]naphthalene-1-ones upon seven-membered-ring closure in most cases, and replacement of the C-2 oxygen function in the naphthalene by a methyl group ultimately allows the synthesis of (±)-microstegiol.

Intramolecular Nicholas reactions in the synthesis of dibenzocycloheptanes. Synthesis of allocolchicine NSC 51046 and analogues and the formal synthesis of (-)-allocolchicine

The preparation of dibenzocycloheptyne-Co(2)(CO)(6) complexes by intramolecular Nicholas reactions of biaryl-2-propargyl alcohol-Co(2)(CO)(6) derivatives is described. Reductive decomplexation of the dibenzocycloheptyne-Co(2)(CO)(6) complexes affords the corresponding dibenzocycloheptenes, individual members of which have been employed in a formal total synthesis of (-)-allocolchicine, the preparation of 6,7-dihydro-3,4,9,10,11-pentamethoxy-5H-dibenzo[a,c]cyclohepten-5-one, and the enantioselective total syntheses of NSC 51046 and its 3,8,9,10-tetramethoxy regioisomer.

Mayr electrophilicity predicts the dual Diels–Alder and σ-adduct formation behaviour of heteroaromatic super-electrophiles

We report on the dual reactivity, i.e. anionic Meisenheimer sigma adduct formation and Diels-Alder adduct formation, of a series of heteroaromatic super-electrophiles, including 4,6-dinitro-benzofuroxan, -N-arylbenzotriazoles (4), -benzothiadiazole and -benzoselenadiazole. Measured pK(a)(H(2)O) values for sigma adduct formation provide a quantitative measure of super-electrophilic reactivity with a satisfactory correlation between the Mayr E electrophilicity parameter and pK(a)(H(2)O): E = -0.662 pK(a)(H(2)O) (or pK(R+) -3.20 (r(2) = 0.987). The most highly electrophilic, pre-eminent super-electrophile is 4,6-dinitrotetrazolopyridine (E = -4.67, pK(a)(H(2)O) = 0.4), which supercedes the reference Meisenheimer super-electrophile, 4,6-dinitrobenzofuroxan (E = -5.06, pK(a) = 3.75), having itself an E value superior by 8 orders of magnitude compared to 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene as the benchmark normal Meisenheimer electrophile (E = -13.19, pK(a)(H(2)O) = 13.43). (For relevant kinetic parameters as well as E and pK(a) values, see .) In a parallel study we have investigated Diels-Alder (normal and inverse electron demand) reactivity of this series of heteroaromatic electrophiles and have shown that Mayr E values are valid predictors of whether DA adducts will form and how rapidly. The observed order of pericyclic reactivity corresponds to E = -8.5 as the demarcation E value, in close agreement with sigma complexation; thus pointing to a common origin for the two processes, i.e. an inverse relationship between the degree of aromaticity of the carbocyclic ring and ease of sigma complexation, or DA reactivity, respectively.