Studies on the synthesis of trans-dihydrodiols of polycyclic aromatic thiaarenes as potential proximate carcinogenic metabolites: first synthesis of trans-10,11-dihydroxy-10,11-dihydroacenaphtho[1, 2-b]benzo[d]thiophene and 6,7-dihydroxy-6,7-dihydronaphtho[1, 2-b]thiophene

Modular, Metal-Catalyzed Cycloisomerization Approach to Angularly Fused Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Their Oxidized Derivatives

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of 2-bromobenzaldehyde and 6-bromo-2,3-dimethoxybenzaldehyde with 4-methyl-1-naphthaleneboronic acid and acenaphthene-5-boronic acid gave corresponding o-naphthyl benzaldehydes. Corey-Fuchs olefination followed by reaction with n-BuLi led to various 1-(2-ethynylphenyl)naphthalenes. Cycloisomerization of individual 1-(2-ethynylphenyl)naphthalenes to various benzo[c]phenanthrene (BcPh) analogues was accomplished smoothly with catalytic PtCl2 in PhMe. In the case of 4,5-dihydrobenzo[l]acephenanthrylene, oxidation with DDQ gave benzo[l]acephenanthrylene. The dimethoxy-substituted benzo[c]phenanthrenes were demethylated with BBr3 and oxidized to the o-quinones with PDC. Reduction of these quinones with NaBH4 in THF/EtOH in an oxygen atmosphere gave the respective dihydrodiols. Exposure of the dihydrodiols to N-bromoacetamide in THF-H2O led to bromohydrins that were cyclized with Amberlite IRA 400 HO(-) to yield the series 1 diol epoxides. Epoxidation of the dihydrodiols with mCPBA gave the isomeric series 2 diol epoxides. All of the hydrocarbons as well as the methoxy-substituted ones were crystallized and analyzed by X-ray crystallography, and these data are compared to other previously studied BcPh derivatives. The methodology described is highly modular and can be utilized for the synthesis of a wide variety of angularly fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their putative metabolites and/or other derivatives.

Quantitative and stereospecific dihydroxylations of δ(5)-steroids: a green synthesis of plant growth hormone intermediates

Dihydroxylated Δ(5)-steroids are key intermediates in preparing steroids bearing a 5α-hydroxy-6-oxo moiety, which are plant growth hormones. Quantitative and stereospecific dihydroxylations of Δ(5)-steroids have been realized, using H2O2 catalyzed by KI and H2SO4 at 80 °C in aqueous dioxane. The workup consisted only of concentrating the solvents and filtering the products; no chromatography was needed. The reaction conditions tolerate various functional groups on the Δ(5)-steroids. A mechanism for this reaction is proposed and the reason that the reaction is quantitative and stereospecific is explained.