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Buchwald–Hartwig amination of chloroheteroarenes has been a challenging synthetic process, with very few protocols promoting this important transformation at ambient temperature. The current report discusses about an efficient copper-based catalytic system (Cu/PTABS) for the amination of chloroheteroarenes at ambient temperature in water as the sole reaction solvent, a combination that is first to be reported. A wide variety of chloroheteroarenes could be coupled efficiently with primary and secondary amines as well as selected amino acid esters under mild reaction conditions. Catalytic efficiency of the developed protocol also promotes late-stage functionalization of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) such as antibiotics (floxacins) and anticancer drugs. The catalytic system also performs efficiently at a very low concentration of 0.0001 mol % (TON = 980,000) and can be recycled 12 times without any appreciable loss in activity. Theoretical calculations reveal that the π-acceptor ability of the ligand PTABS is the main reason for the appreciably high reactivity of the catalytic system. Preliminary characterization of the catalytic species in the reaction was carried out using UV–VIS and ESR spectroscopy, providing evidence for the Cu(II) oxidation state.

Monobenzone, a mono benzyl ether of hydroquinone, is used as a topical drug for skin depigmentation. It increases the excretion of melanin from melanocytes. A novel stability-indicating high performance liquid chromatographic approach has been established in the current study to identify related compounds and assay of Monobenzone. The Agilent 1260 system was used for the HPLC analysis, and a gradient method using 0.1% orthophosphoric acid in water and acetonitrile as the eluent was used to separate Monobenzone from known contaminants and degradation products on a Zorbax SB-phenyl (250 mm x 4.6 mm) 5 μm column. The flow rate was set at 0.8 mL/min, the column oven temperature was 30 °C, and the detector wavelength was maintained at 215 nm. The relative retention times for Hydroquinone and Monobenzone dimer were around 0.35 and 1.86 respectively, while the Monobenzone retention time was approximately 10.4 min. The total run time was 30 min. For all known analytes spanning the concentration range from LOQ to 200% of the specification level, the calibration plot revealed a linear relationship (minimum r=0.999). All known analytes' LOD and LOQ were found to be within 0.06–0.10 μg/mL and 0.15–0.24 μg/mL, respectively. A recovery study determined the accuracy of the proposed method. For Hydroquinone and Monobenzone dimer, mean recovery was found to be in the range of 95.86%–99.89% and 93.02%–99.84% respectively. The repeatability study showed that the method is precise enough within acceptable limits. Studies on solution stability and robustness produced results that fell within acceptable bounds. The proposed method shows excellent linearity, accuracy, precision, specificity, robustness, LOD, LOQ and system suitability findings. Additionally, the forced degradation study showed that the approach was stability indicating in nature.

An extended study of the scope and mechanism of the catalytic asymmetric aziridination of imines with ethyl diazoacetate mediated by catalysts prepared from the VANOL and VAPOL ligands and triphenylborate is described. Nonlinear studies with scalemic VANOL and VAPOL reveal an essentially linear relationship between the optical purity of the ligand and the product suggesting that the catalyst incorporates a single molecule of the ligand. Two species are present in the catalyst prepared from B(OPh)3and either VANOL or VAPOL as revealed by 1H NMR studies. Mass spectral analysis of the catalyst mixture suggests that one of the species involves one ligand molecule and one boron atom (B1) and the other involves one ligand and two boron atoms (B2). The latter can be formulated as either a linear or cyclic pyroborate and the 11B NMR spectrum is most consistent with the linear pyroborate structure. Several new protocols for catalyst preparation are developed which allow for the generation of mixtures of the B1 and B2 catalysts in ratios that range from 10:1 to 1:20. Studies with catalysts enriched in the B1 and B2 species reveal that the B2 catalyst is the active catalyst in the VAPOL catalyzed asymmetric aziridination reaction giving significantly higher asymmetric inductions and rates than the B1 catalyst. The difference is not as pronounced in the VANOL series. A series of 12 different imines were surveyed with the optimal catalyst preparation procedure with the finding that the asymmetric inductions are in the low to mid 90s for aromatic imines and in the mid 80s to low 90s for aliphatic imines for both VANOL and VAPOL catalysts. Nonetheless, the crystallinity of the N‐benzhydryl aziridines is such that nearly all of the 12 aziridine products screened can be brought to >99 % eewith a single recrystallization.

Generation gap: Three generations of process research and development towards the industrial manufacture of sitagliptin phosphate (1), a leading drug for type 2 diabetes, are highlighted.

Generationsunterschied: Drei Generationen Verfahrensforschung und ‐entwicklung mündeten in einem hocheffizienten Prozess zur industriellen Herstellung von Sitagliptinphosphat (1), einem führenden Wirkstoff gegen Diabetes Typ 2. Das Projekt zeigt, wie erfolgreich Kooperationen in der Industrie dank sich ergänzender Kompetenzfelder sein können.

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In connection with previously published results this protocol provides selective access to both trans and cis aziridines, respectively, using the same catalyst.