Search

The performance of a series of cobalt-based composites in catalytic amination of aromatic aldehydes by amines in the presence of hydrogen as well as hydrogenation of quinoline was studied. The composites were prepared by pyrolysis of CoII acetate, organic precursor (imidazole, 1,10-phenantroline, 1,2-diaminobenzene or melamine) deposited on aerosil (SiO2). These composites contained nanoparticles of metallic Co together with N-doped carboneous particles. Quantitative yields of the target amine in a reaction of p-methoxybenzaldehyde with n-butylamine were obtained at p(H2) = 150 bar, T = 150 °C for all composites. It was found that amination of p-methoxybenzaldehyde with n-butylamine and benzylamine at p(H2) = 100 bar, T = 100 °C led to the formation of the corresponding amines with the yields of 72–96%. In the case of diisopropylamine, amination did not occur, and p-methoxybenzyl alcohol was the sole or the major reaction product. Reaction of p-chlorobenzaldehyde with n-butylamine on the Co-containing composites at p(H2) = 100 bar, T = 100 °C resulted in the formation of N-butyl-N-p-chlorobenzylamine in 60–89% yields. Among the considered materials, the composite prepared by decomposition of CoII complex with 1,2-diaminobenzene on aerosil showed the highest yields of the target products and the best selectivity in all studied reactions.

Aim. To share our experience when working with the Pd-catalyzed hydrogenation and discuss reactions occurred contrary to our expectations, as well as express our vision of the causes for such an unusual reactivity. Results and discussion. Catalysis is a key technology and among the central themes of both petrochemical and fine chemical industries. Although extremely useful and reliable, it can sometimes astonish researchers. The paper discusses 17 intriguing cases of the catalytic hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis reactions from our practice in the High-pressure Synthesis Laboratory (Enamine Ltd.). All examples presented are characterized by peculiar performance of commercially sourced heterogeneous palladium-containing catalysts (Pd/C or Pd(OH)2). Thus, some cases were characterized by reduced activity of the catalyst (or even its complete loss), meaning that reaction conditions found before to be suitable for reduction appeared to be “broken”, and we had to search for a new, often harsher reaction setup. Curiously, it is a matter of classical Pd-catalyzed hydrogenations of N+–O– and C=C fragments. Apparently, these results indicate the heterogeneity of commercially available catalysts and are related to their fine internal structure, in particular the surface morphology. Another interesting issue the article deals with is chemoselectivity of the catalytic hydrogenation. Sometimes some reactions led to astonishing results going across theoretical views and expectations. Saturation of benzene rings instead of (or accompanying) debenzylation, breaking of the common order of hydrogenation for compounds containing several aromatic parts with different resonance energies, irreproducible experiment, obtaining of different products under the same conditions, uncommon results of Pd-catalyzed reactions is the list of interesting results, which we observed and discussed in the article. Analyzing the information available in the literature and considering all the results gathered we tend to believe that the presence of impurities of noble metals (Rh, Ru, Pt) in the catalysts used to be a possible reason for these strange findings. The study supports the general idea that commercial palladium catalysts differ in efficiency, resulting in significant differences in selectivity, reaction time, and yields. Elucidating the regularities behind such empirical results is undoubtedly an interesting area of research in the field of catalysis. Experimental part. All starting compounds exposed to hydrogenation were synthesized in Enamine Ltd. and had purity of not less than 95 %. The palladium-containing catalysts used in the experiment were purchased from 6 commercial sources within 2011 – 2022. The structure and purity of the compounds synthesized were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, liquid chromatography coupled with the mass spectrometry method, elemental analysis. Chromatographic experiments revealed the purity of all compounds obtained being not less than 95 %. Conclusions. In the paper we have summarized our experience with the Pd-catalyzed hydrogenation and presented cases of unusual reactivity or unexpected outcomes of the reactions encountered in our practice. In general, complications we faced were of three types: (1) irreproducibility of the procedures most likely as the result of a changeable activity of the catalysts; (2) chemoselectivity issues when two or multireducible functional groups were present in the substrate; (3) undesirable Pd-catalyzed defunctionalization reactions. In turn, these complications led to increase in production costs, loss of time and resources. Therefore, because of this variability in the efficiency of Pd catalysts, far more efforts are required to find out the key differences between commercial sources of Pd catalysts, as well as to create protocols clearly defining the catalytic activity of each batch of the catalyst allowing to identify high-quality catalysts immediately prior to the use without wasting precious time and synthetic materials.

A series of composites containing nanoparticles of NiO (from 1 to 10% by weight per Ni), deposited on NORIT charcoal, was prepared by the decomposition of the Ni0 complex Ni(cod)2 (cod = cis,cis-1,5-cyclooctadiene). Ni content in the composites was set by loading the appropriate quantities of the Ni(cod)2 precursor. The catalytic activity of the composites was associated with the in situ generation of active sites due to a reduction in NiO, hence the composites could be stored in air without a loss in their catalytic performance. The composites were analyzed by powder XRD, TEM, XPS, and adsorption methods. The hydrogenation of quinoline was used as a reference reaction for studies of the influence of temperature, P(H2), catalyst loading on the product yield, and for the selection of the composite possessing the highest performance. It was found that 3% Ni loading was the most optimal. This composite was used as an efficient catalyst for the hydrogenation of compounds with ethylene and acetylene bonds, nitro- and keto- groups as well as a series of substituted quinolines and analogs. The studied composites can be proposed as air-stable and efficient catalysts for the hydrogenation of a wide range of organic compounds.

A series of seven palladium-containing composites, i.e., four Pd/C and three Pd(OH)2/C (Pearlman’s catalysts), was prepared using modified common approaches to deposition of Pd or hydrated PdO on charcoal. All the composites were tested in the catalytic hydrogenation of diene carboxylates with the isolated-ring scaffold, e.g., 5,6-dihydropyridine-1(2H)-carboxylates with 2-(alkoxycarbonyl)cyclopent-1-en-1-yl and hex-1-en-1-yl substituents at the C(4)-position. The performance of the composites was also studied via the hydrogenation of quinoline as a model reaction. The composites were characterized by transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), powder X-ray diffraction, and low-temperature N2 adsorption. It was found that the composites containing Pd nanoparticles (NPs) of 5–40 nm size were the most efficient catalysts for the hydrogenation of dienes, providing the reduced products with up to 90% yields at p(H2) = 100 atm, T = 30 °C for 24 h. The method of Pd NPs formation had more effect on the catalyst performance than the size of the NPs. The catalytic performance of Pearlman’s catalysts (Pd(OH)2/C) in the hydrogenation of dienes was comparable to or lower than the performance of the Pd/C systems, though the Pearlman’s catalysts were more efficient in the hydrogenation of quinoline.

In this research, the oxidation of a series of benzoins, R-C(=O)-CH(OH)-R, where R = phenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 4-bromophenyl, and 2-naphthyl, by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of nanostructured HKUST-1 (suspension in acetonitrile/water mixture) was studied. The respective benzoic acids were the only products of the reactions. The initial average reaction rates were experimentally determined at different concentrations of benzoin, H2O2 and an effective concentration of HKUST-1. The sorption of the isotherms of benzoin, dimethoxybenzoin and benzoic acid on HKUST-1, as well as their sorption kinetic curves, were measured. The increase in H2O2 concentration expectedly led to an acceleration of the reaction. The dependencies of the benzoin oxidation rates on the concentrations of both benzoin and HKUST-1 passed through the maxima. This finding could be explained by a counterplay between the increasing reaction rate and increasing benzoin sorption on the catalyst with the increase in the concentration. The electronic effect of the substituent in benzoin had a significant influence on the reaction rate, while no relation between the size of the substrate molecule and the rate of its oxidation was found. It was confirmed by DFT modeling that the reaction could pass through the Baeyer–Villiger mechanism, involving an attack by the HOO− anion on the C atom of the activated C=O group.

New models for ACE2 receptor binding, based on QSAR and docking algorithms were developed, using XRD structural data and ChEMBL 26 database hits as training sets. The selectivity of the potential ACE2-binding ligands towards Neprilysin (NEP) and ACE was evaluated. The Enamine screening collection (3.2 million compounds) was virtually screened according to the above models, in order to find possible ACE2-chemical probes, useful for the study of SARS-CoV2-induced neurological disorders. An enzymology inhibition assay for ACE2 was optimized, and the combined diversified set of predicted selective ACE2-binding molecules from QSAR modeling, docking, and ultrafast docking was screened in vitro. The in vitro hits included two novel chemotypes suitable for further optimization.

We elaborate new models for ACE and ACE2 receptors with an excellent prediction power compared to previous models. We propose promising workflows for working with huge compound collections, thereby enabling us to discover optimized protocols for virtual screening management. The efficacy of elaborated roadmaps is demonstrated through the cost-effective molecular docking of 1.4 billion compounds. Savings of up to 10-fold in CPU time are demonstrated. These developments allowed us to evaluate ACE2/ACE selectivity in silico, which is a crucial checkpoint for developing chemical probes for ACE2.

The third generation Buchwald precatalysts Pd(ABP)(Phos)(OMs) (also known as Phos Pd G3)) with XPhos and RuPhos were prepared in multigram scale by a modified procedure (ABP = fragment of C-deprotonated 2-aminobiphenyl, XPhos = 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2′,4′,6′-triisopropylbiphenyl, RuPhos = 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2′,6′-diisopropoxybiphenyl, OMs− = CH3SO3−). The 1H- and 31P-NMR spectra of the title complexes and some impurities, measured by various 1D and 2D techniques, were analyzed in detail. The solvent-dependent isomerization of Pd(ABP)(XPhos)(OMs) was studied by NMR, and the X-ray structures of two isomers were determined. The impurities in precatalysts, such as Pd(ABP)(HABP)(OMs) (HABP—neutral 2-aminobiphenyl coordinated to Pd2+ in N-monodentate mode) and PdCl2(XPhos)2, were identified and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. A simple method for the quick quality control (QC) of the precatalysts, suitable for routine use, was proposed. The method was based on the assessment of the impurity content on the basis of the 1H-NMR spectra analysis.

A library of fused pyridine-4-carboxylic acids (including pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines, isoxazolo[5,4-b]pyridines, furo[2,3-b]pyridines, thieno[2,3-b]pyridines, and pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines) was generated by Combes-type reaction of acyl pyruvates and electron-rich amino heterocycles followed by hydrolysis of the ester. The library members were also demonstrated to undergo the standard combinatorial transformations including amide coupling and esterification, as well as less common heterocyclizations to 1,2,4-triazoles and 1,2,4-oxadiazoles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of ‘push-pull’ enamines having a methyl group at the α-position with methyl 3,3,3-trifluoropyruvate was investigated. As a result, unexpected addition of pyruvate to methyl group was found and a set of polyfunctionalized β-dicarbonyl compounds was obtained. Possible mechanism of the reaction is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of α-chloro-β,β,β-trifluoroethylisocyanates with ‘push-pull’ enamines having a methyl group at the α-position was investigated. As a result, a set of 4-dialkylamino-6-trifluoromethyl-5,6-dihydro-2-pyridinones was obtained. Structural sensitivity of the reaction was found and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1-Aryl-5-arylcarboxamidopyrazoles react with phos­phorus(III)halides giving the new heterocyclic system: pyrazolo[4,3-c][1,5,2]oxazaphosphinine.Treatment of pyrazolo[4,3-c][1,5,2]oxazaphosphinineswith nucleophilic or electrophilic reagents leads to a cleavageof the oxazaphosphinine ring yielding derivatives of (5-aminopyrazol-4-yl)phosphonicacid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorotrimethylsilane (TMSCl) has been utilized as an efficient promoter and water scavenger in the Knoevenagel condensations of aromatic aldehydes with various methylene active compounds. High yields and a simple workup of target compounds enables the facile generation of combinatorial libraries comprising 11 000 compounds of high structural and functional diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parallel solution-phase synthesis of substituted thieno[2,3- d]pyrimidin-6-carboxylic acids has been accomplished. This strategy relies on a cyclization of 2-aminothiophen-3,5-dicarboxylates with a set of nitriles, followed by hydrolysis to construct the library of corresponding acids. The convenient procedure for use and dosage of dry HCl for the reaction was elaborated and adapted for semiautomated solution-phase parallel synthesis. With the use of another (hetero)aromatic ortho-aminocarboxylate, mini-libraries of diverse fused pyrimidin-4-ones were synthesized. The scope and limitations of the approach are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parallel solution-phase synthesis of more than 230 substituted thieno2,3-dpyrimidin-2-ylmethanamines has been accomplished. This strategy is based on the cyclization of 2-aminothiophen-3-carboxylates with chloroacetonitrile to construct the thieno2,3-dpyrimidine core with two diversity points. Derivatization of the active chlorine and functionalization of C-4 position of the pyrimidine ring allow the introduction of other diversity points. The products containing ester groups at the 6-position of the thieno2,3-dpyrimidine were used in amide synthesis. Simple manual techniques for parallel reactions, coupled with simple purification procedures, gave highly pure final products. The scope and limitations of the approach are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]