How Can Deep Eutectic Systems Promote Greener Processes in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery?

Chemists in the medicinal chemistry field are constantly searching for alternatives towards more sustainable and eco-friendly processes for the design and synthesis of drug candidates. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most polluting industries, having a high E-factor, which is driving the adoption of more sustainable processes not only for new drug candidates, but also in the production of well-established active pharmaceutical ingredients. Deep eutectic systems (DESs) have emerged as a greener alternative to ionic liquids, and their potential to substitute traditional organic solvents in drug discovery has raised interest among scientists. With the use of DESs as alternative solvents, the processes become more attractive in terms of eco-friendliness and recyclability. Furthermore, they might be more effective through making the process simpler, faster, and with maximum efficiency. This review will be focused on the role and application of deep eutectic systems in drug discovery, using biocatalytic processes and traditional organic chemical reactions, as new environmentally benign alternative solvents. Furthermore, herein we also show that DESs, if used in the pharmaceutical industry, may have a significant effect on lowering production costs and decreasing the impact of this industry on the quality of the environment.

Palladium-Catalyzed Selective Amino- and Alkoxycarbonylation of Iodoarenes with Aliphatic Aminoalcohols as Heterobifunctional O,N-Nucleophiles

Palladium-catalyzed amino- and alkoxycarbonylation reactions of aryl iodides were investigated in the presence of aliphatic heterobifunctional N,O-nucleophiles. Selective synthesis of amide alcohols and amide esters was realized, controlled by the base and substrate ratio. The effect of iodobenzene substituents was also studied with surprising results in terms of product selectivity. In addition to the model ethanolamine/iodobenzene system, various heteroaromatic substrates and numerous related nucleophiles were tested under optimized conditions, providing moderate to good yields of the target compounds. Reactions of serinol and 1,3-diamino-2-propanol as model trifunctional compounds showed particularly high chemoselectivity on amide ester products. Considering the coordinative properties of the applied nucleophiles, a rational catalytic cycle was proposed.

Nickel-catalyzed carbonylative domino cyclization of arylboronic acid pinacol esters with 2-alkynyl nitroarenes toward N-aroyl indoles

A nickel-catalyzed carbonylative domino cyclization of arylboronic acid pinacol esters with 2-alkynyl nitroarenes has been developed.

Nickel-catalyzed cascade carbonylative synthesis of N-benzoyl indoles from 2-nitroalkynes and aryl iodides

A nickel-catalyzed carbonylative cyclization of 2-nitroalkynes and aryl iodides has been developed for the expedite construction of N-benzoyl indole scaffolds.

Improved, gram-scale synthesis of sildenafil in water using arylacetic acid as the acyl source in the pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidin-7-one ring formation

An improved, gram-scale synthesis of the blockbuster drug sildenafil, used for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction, has been developed.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Quinazolines and Quinazolinones: An Overview

Microwave irradiation (MWI), as a unique, effective, sustainable, more economic, and greener source of energy compared to conventional heating, is applied in different organic transformations to result in the rapid formation of desired compounds due to thermal/kinetic effects. In this review, we try to underscore the applications of microwave irradiation (MWI) in the synthesis of quinazoline and quinazolinone derivatives that have been achieved and reported on in the last two decades.

Carbonylative synthesis of heterocycles involving diverse CO surrogates

Recent advances in the carbonylative synthesis of heterocycles by using diverse CO surrogates as sources of CO are summarized and discussed.

Featuring Xantphos

This review highlights the use of the bisphosphine ligand group in homogeneous catalysis.