Search

A rigid tetracene dimer with a substantial interchromophore distance has been prepared through an application of the recently developed catalytic arene-norbornene annulation (CANAL) reaction. An iterative cycloaddition route was found to be unsuccessful, so a shorter route was adopted whereby fragments were coupled in the penultimate step to form a 13:1 mixture of two diastereomers, the major of which was isolated and crystallized. Constituent tetracene moieties are linked with a rigid, well-defined bridge and feature a near-co-planar mutual orientation of the acenes.

Polymyxins are important last resort antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens. However, pathogens have acquired resistance to polymyxins through a pathway that modifies lipid A with 4-amino-4-deoxy-l-arabinose (Ara4N). Inhibition of this pathway is, therefore, a desirable strategy to combat polymyxin resistance. The first pathway-specific reaction is an NAD + -dependent oxidative decarboxylation of UDP-glucuronic acid (UDP-GlcA) catalyzed by the dehydrogenase domain of ArnA (ArnA_DH). We present the crystal structure of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium ArnA in complex with UDP-GlcA showing that binding of the sugar nucleotide is sufficient to trigger a conformational change conserved in bacterial ArnA_DHs but absent in its human homologs, as confirmed by structure and sequence analysis. Ligand binding assays show that the conformational change is essential for NAD + binding and catalysis. Enzyme activity and binding assays show that (i) UDP-GlcA analogs lacking the 6' carboxylic acid bind the enzyme but fail to trigger the conformational change, resulting in poor inhibition, and (ii) the uridine monophosphate moiety of the substrate provides most of the ligand binding energy. Mutation of asparagine 492 to alanine (N492A) disrupts the ability of ArnA_DH to undergo the conformational change while retaining substrate binding, suggesting that N492 is involved in sensing the 6' carboxylate in the substrate. These results identify the UDP-GlcA-induced conformational change in ArnA_DH as an essential mechanistic step in bacterial enzymes, providing a platform for selective inhibition.

Structurally well-defined TIPS-acetylene substituted tetracene (TIPS-BT1') and pentacene (TIPS-BP1') dimers utilizing a [2.2.1] bicyclic norbornyl bridge have been studied-primarily using time-resolved spectroscopic methods-to uncover mechanistic details about primary steps in singlet fission leading to formation of the biexcitonic 1 TT state as well as decay pathways to the ground state. For TIPS-BP1' in room-temperature toluene, 1 TT formation is rapid and complete, occurring in 4.4 ps. Decay to the ground state in 100 ns is the primary loss pathway for 1 TT in this system. For TIPS-BT1', the 1 TT is also observed to form rapidly (with a time constant of 5 ps), but in this case it occurs in concert with establishment of an excited-state equilibrium ( K ∼ 1) with the singlet exciton state S 1 at an energy of 2.3 eV above the ground state. The equilibrated states survive for 36 ns and are lost to ground state through both radiative and nonradiative pathways via the S 1 and nonradiative pathways via the 1 TT. The rapidity of 1 TT formation in TIPS-BT1' is at first glance surprising. However, our analysis suggests that the few-parameter rate constant expression of Marcus theory explains both individual and comparative findings in the set of systems, thus establishing benchmarks for diabatic coupling and reorganization energy needed for efficient 1 TT formation. Finally, a comparison of TIPS-BT1' with previous results obtained for a close constitutional isomer (TIPS-BT1) differing in the placement of TIPS-acetylene side groups suggests that the magnitude of exchange interaction in the correlated triplet manifold plays a critical role dictating 1 TT yield in the tetracenic systems.

An improved, modular synthesis of rigid, geometrically well-defined, alkyne-substituted tetracene (1) and pentacene (2) dimers is reported. The synthesis is rooted in sequential Diels-Alder reactions of a norbornyl tetraene with triisopropylsilylacetylene-substituted (TIPS-acetylene) quinone dienophiles. The incorporation of solubilizing and stabilizing TIPS-acetylene groups early in the synthesis affords a mild and reliable route, providing access, for the first time, to norbornyl-bridged pentacene dimers. A preliminary exploration of the excited state behavior of these molecules is also described.

We report the first synthesis of norbornyl-bridged acene dimers (2 and 3) with well-defined and controlled spatial relationships between the acene chromophore subunits. We employ a modular 2-D strategy wherein the central module, common to all our compounds, is a norbornyl moiety. The acenes are attached to this module using the Diels-Alder reaction, which also forms one of the acene rings. Manipulation of the Diels-Alder adducts provides the desired geometrically defined bis-acenes. The modular nature of this synthesis affords flexibility and allows for the preparation of a variety of acene dimers, including functionalized tetracene dimers.

The reaction of tert-butyl esters with SOCl 2 at room temperature provides acid chlorides in unpurified yields of 89% or greater. Benzyl, methyl, ethyl, and isopropyl esters are essentially unreactive under these conditions, allowing for the selective conversion of tert-butyl esters to acid chlorides in the presence of other esters.

The use of bulky Lewis acids, aluminum tris(2,6-diphenylphenoxide) (ATPH) and aluminum tris(2,6-di-2-naphthylphenoxide) (ATNP), in the doubly vinylogous aldol reaction between methyl-5-methyl-2-furoate and aldehydes or ketones is described. These reactions proceed smoothly and in high yields with both enolizable and non-enolizable substrates. This C-C bond-forming reaction enables a new bond construction for the synthesis of functionalized furans.

The selective alkyl lithium-induced ring opening of 1,3-di-isopropylsilylenes is described. The reaction affords a differentially substituted 1,3-diol bearing a silane that resides at the oxygen in the more sterically demanding position. The reaction can be highly selective with a regiochemical preference up to >50:1 and likely proceeds via an alkoxy-silane intermediate. This intermediate can by trapped by methyl iodide to provide the corresponding silyl methyl ether, wherein the silane again resides at the oxygen in the more sterically demanding position.

A number of structurally and electronically diverse N-vinyl nitrones have been synthesized by a two-step method. The sequence consists of condensation of an α-chloroaldehyde or an α-phenoxy- or α-acetoxy ketone with a substituted benzyl hydroxylamine to provide the corresponding nitrone. Treatment of these species with a base induces a 1,4-elimination to provide the desired N-vinyl nitrone in good to excellent yields.

The synthesis of the novel Lewis acid, aluminum tris(2,6-di-2-naphthylphenoxide) (ATNP), and its use in the vinylogous aldol reaction between methyl crotonate and enolizable aldehydes are described. ATNP is related to Yamamoto's Lewis acid, aluminum tris(2,6-diphenylphenoxide) (ATPH), but the 2-naphthyl groups more effectively block the α-position of aldehydes, enabling the selective enolization of crotonate esters in the presence of enolizable aldehydes. Vinylogous aldol reactions then proceed smoothly and in high yields with a variety of substrates.

The use of the intramolecular vinylogous aldol reaction for the preparation of an advanced intermediate for the synthesis of peloruside A is described. The reaction was applied to compound 19 and proceeds in high yield and good levels of diastereoselectivity. Application of the Achmatowicz reaction to this intermediate provided the corresponding pyranone, a late stage intermediate well positioned for conversion to the natural product., (© 2011 American Chemical Society)

The concise total synthesis of dermostatin A is described. Highlights include a two-directional application of the asymmetric acetate aldol method developed in our lab, a novel diastereotopic-group-selective acetal isomerization for terminus differentiation, and a selective cross-metathesis reaction between a terminal olefin and a trienal. A study of the scope and viability of similar cross-metathesis reactions is also described. The synthesis is convergent and utilizes fragments of roughly equal complexity.

A trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) mediated Hofmann rearrangement was utilized to synthesize methyl-1-(tert-butoxycarbonylamino)-2-vinylcyclopropanecarboxylate. A variety of functional groups are tolerated in this reaction including vinyl, cyclopropyl, pyridyl, aryl, benzyl, and nitro groups.

A versatile method for the synthesis of 3,3-diaryloxindoles via Pd-catalyzed alpha-arylations or an S(N)Ar reaction is described. The reaction proceeds using mild base, is tolerant of a variety of functional groups, and is capable of preparing hindered all-carbon quaternary centers.

An intramolecular version of the Yamamoto vinylogous aldol reaction, a method that employs the bulky Lewis acid ATPH to control the site of aldolization, is described. This macrocyclization process is effective for the construction of 10-, 12-, and 14-membered macrolides. The yields are high (70-90%), and the reaction can proceed with excellent remote stereocontrol (dr > or = 20:1) with chiral substrates.

Double diastereoselective acetate aldol reactions using the N-acetyl thiazolidinethione-based chiral auxiliaries 1 and 2 and chiral aldehydes are described. Aldehydes that bear alpha-alkyl stereocenters exhibit moderate levels of double diastereoselection, while those that bear alpha- or beta-alkoxy substitution exhibit little to no double diastereoselection. In all cases studied, the stereoselectivity of the reaction is dictated by the reagent, not the substrate.

The kinetic resolution of alpha-trifluoroacetamido N-acyl oxazolidinethiones using 5-10% of the chiral, nonracemic O-nucleophilic acyl transfer catalyst 2 is described. A variety of substrates participate in this reaction in excellent yields, with s-factors ranging from 20 to 86.

The kinetic resolution of alpha-acetoxy N-acyl oxazolidinethiones using the chiral, nonracemic O-nucleophilic acyl transfer catalyst 8 is described. The reaction proceeds on a variety of substrates in excellent yields, with s-factors ranging from 17 to 31.

The total synthesis of (+)-dihydrocompactin via an intramolecular ionic Diels-Alder reaction that proceeds with remote stereocontrol is described. This reaction proceeds by an intermediate vinyl-oxocarbenium ion (6), the conformational constraints of which lead to the observed asymmetric induction. The sense of asymmetric induction appears contrasteric and is explained by the proposed reactive conformation shown in Figure 1.

[reaction: see text] The conversion of 1-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl-protected beta-hydroxy ketones to syn-1,3-ethylidene acetals is effected by Et(3)SiH and SnCl(4). This reaction is proposed to proceed via a cyclic oxocarbenium ion intermediate and provides the products in yields that range from 69 to 94% and with diastereoselectivities that are >200:1.

[reaction: see text] A new N-acetyl thiazolidinethione reagent, which undergoes highly diastereoselective aldol reactions upon enolization with dichlorophenylborane and (-)-sparteine and subsequent treatment with a variety of aldehydes, is described. This reagent is pseudoenantiomeric to an L-tert-leucine-derived reagent recently described by us and is useful because it avoids the prohibitively costly D-tert-leucine.

The total synthesis of the pyridine-thiazole-containing natural product WS75624 B (1) is described. This synthesis proceeds via the Stille coupling of appropriately functionalized pyridine and thiazole components, and this paper details our studies on the use of the halogen dance reaction to prepare the desired thiazole. Various halogen dance reactions on thizoles are described, including a novel one-pot multistep reaction in which 2-bromothiazole is treated with LDA in the presence of a silyl chloride at -78 degrees C and quenched with an electrophile to provide the highly functionalized thiazole derivatives 27.

[reaction: see text] A highly diastereoselective acetate aldol reaction that uses a tert-leucine-derived thiazolidinethione auxiliary and dichlorophenylborane has been developed. The reaction proceeds in excellent yields and with high diastereoselectivities (drs range from 9.5:1 to >100:1).

[reaction: see text]. Amino alcohol-derived acyl-transfer catalysts are shown to operate by an O-nucleophilic mechanism, and catalysts bearing electron-withdrawing groups in proximity to the hydroxyl group are found to be more active. This is attributed to an increase in the acidity of the hydroxyl group of the catalyst.

[reaction: see text] The total synthesis of caerulomycin C is described. Key steps in this synthesis utilize 1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,4-halogen dance reactions for the functionalization of the pyridine ring.

In this paper we describe the preparation of a series of 2-acyl-4-aminopyridines, and their use as catalysts for the hydroxyl-directed methanolysis of alpha-hydroxy esters in preference to alpha-methoxy esters. Hydroxyl-direction with these catalysts, which contain ketones at the 2-position of the pyridine, is achieved by reversible addition of the alcohol of the hydroxy ester to the ketone to provide the corresponding hemiketal. Their activity is compared to that of the previously described catalyst 2-formyl-4-pyrrolidinopyridine (FPP), which contains an aldehyde at the 2-position of the pyridine. The catalysts which contain ketones at the 2-position range in reactivity from 10 times slower to slightly faster than FPP, and certain of these are much more selective for the methanolysis of hydroxy esters than FPP. This increase in selectivity is ascribed to a decrease in the rate of the nondirected methanolysis reaction with the ketone-derived catalysts. The evidence suggests that the nondirected reaction does not proceed by an intermolecular general base mechanism, but rather via a nucleophilic catalysis mechanism in which the hydroxyl group of the hemiacetal formed upon addition of methanol to the aldehyde of FPP acts as the nucleophile. Since the hydroxyl group derived from a hemiketal is more hindered and less nucleophilic than that derived from a hemiacetal, the nondirected reaction is much slower for the catalysts containing ketones as binding sites.

This paper describes the mechanism of action of 2-formyl-4-pyrrolidinopyridine (FPP, 1a) which is a catalyst for the hydroxyl-directed methanolysis of alpha-hydroxy esters. This species was initially designed to act as a nucleophilic catalyst; however, we have ruled out a nucleophilic mechanism by examining the activity of 6-substituted-FPP derivatives. These compounds are more hindered in the vicinity of the pyridine nitrogen than FPP itself but are also more active catalysts. Furthermore, the presence of p-nitrophenol, a mild acid, was found to accelerate the catalytic reaction. These results are inconsistent with a nucleophilic catalysis mechanism. We provide evidence that the reaction instead proceeds via dioxolanone intermediate 10. Dioxolanone 10 can be obtained by treating either the p-nitrophenyl ester or the pentafluorophenyl ester of glycolic acid with FPP in chloroform in the absence of methanol. It has been isolated, characterized, and shown to be kinetically competent when subjected to the conditions of the catalytic reaction.

We recently described a method for the synthesis of ferrocene complexes possessing planar chirality which relies on the asymmetric deprotonation of chiral ferrocenyloxazolines. The unexpected stereochemical outcome of these reactions led us to examine whether the metalation is directed by the oxygen or the nitrogen of the oxazoline. In this paper, we describe the synthesis of a constrained ferrocenyloxazoline (compound 13) in which oxygen- and nitrogen-directed metalations provide different stereochemical outcomes. Our results show that nitrogen is responsible for the directive effects of the oxazoline when alkyllithium reagents are used to deprotonate the ferrocene. The implications of this result on the origin of asymmetric induction in the metalation of the unconstrained ferrocenyloxazolines 19 and 20 are discussed.