1.3-Dipolare Cycloadditionen Rückschau und Ausblick

Alkynes and Nitrogen Compounds: Useful Substrates for the Synthesis of Pyrazoles

The easy preparation and functionalization of pyrazoles associated with their innumerable biological properties have made this class of N-heterocycles very attractive for the development of new synthetic routes and applications. The cyclization reactions of alkynes and nitrogen compounds represent a powerful tool for the preparation of pyrazoles. This Review covers the recent advances in the preparation of pyrazoles by reacting alkynes and nitrogen compounds under transition-metal-catalyzed or metal-free conditions.

DDX3X inhibitors, an effective way to overcome HIV-1 resistance targeting host proteins

The huge resources that had gone into Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) research led to the development of potent antivirals able to suppress viral load in the majority of treated patients, thus dramatically increasing the life expectancy of people living with HIV. However, life-long treatments could result in the emergence of drug-resistant viruses that can progressively reduce the number of therapeutic options, facilitating the progression of the disease. In this scenario, we previously demonstrated that inhibitors of the human DDX3X helicase can represent an innovative approach for the simultaneous treatment of HIV and other viral infections such as Hepatitis c virus (HCV). We reported herein 6b, a novel DDX3X inhibitor that thanks to its distinct target of action is effective against HIV-1 strains resistant to currently approved drugs. Its improved in vitro ADME properties allowed us to perform preliminary in vivo studies in mice, which highlighted optimal biocompatibility and an improved bioavailability. These results represent a significant advancement in the development of DDX3X inhibitors as a novel class of broad spectrum and safe anti-HIV-1 drugs.

Dipyrazolodioxadiazocines as shelf-stable "ready-to-use" precursors for an in situ generation of enolate-iminium 1,4-dipoles: a straightforward atom-economical approach to pyrazolo[5,1-d][1,3,5]dioxazines

An original, facile and highly efficient method for the in situ generation of cyclic enolate-iminium 1,4-dipoles via unique thermal decomposition of easily available dipyrazolodioxadiazocines has been developed. Various substituted pyrazolo[5,1-d][1,3,5]dioxazines have been prepared in high yields via unusual cycloconversion of dipyrazolodioxadiazocines in the presence of ketones. Furthermore, the developed method is 100% atom economical and proceeds under metal-, catalyst- and solvent-free conditions.

Silicon-Free SuFEx Reactions of Sulfonimidoyl Fluorides: Scope, Enantioselectivity, and Mechanism

SuFEx reactions, in which an S−F moiety reacts with a silyl‐protected phenol, have been developed as powerful click reactions. In the current paper we open up the potential of SuFEx reactions as enantioselective reactions, analyze the role of Si and outline the mechanism of this reaction. As a result, fast, high‐yielding, “Si‐free” and enantiospecific SuFEx reactions of sulfonimidoyl fluorides have been developed, and their mechanism shown, by both experimental and theoretical methods, to yield chiral products.

A Scalable Metal-, Azide-, and Halogen-Free Method for the Preparation of Triazoles

A scalable metal-, azide-, and halogen-free method for the synthesis of substituted 1,2,3-triazoles has been developed. The reaction proceeds through a 3-component coupling of α-ketoacetals, tosyl hydrazide, and a primary amine. The reaction shows outstanding functional-group tolerance with respect to both the α-ketoacetal and amine coupling partners, providing access to 4-, 1,4-, 1,5-, and 1,4,5-substituted triazoles in excellent yield. This robust method results in densely functionalised 1,2,3-triazoles that remain challenging to prepare by azide-alkyne cycloaddition (AAC, CuAAC, RuAAC) methods and can be scaled in either batch or flow reactors. Methods for the chemoselective reaction of either aliphatic amines or anilines are also described, revealing some of the potential of this novel and highly versatile transformation.

Single-Virus Tracking: From Imaging Methodologies to Virological Applications

Uncovering the mechanisms of virus infection and assembly is crucial for preventing the spread of viruses and treating viral disease. The technique of single-virus tracking (SVT), also known as single-virus tracing, allows one to follow individual viruses at different parts of their life cycle and thereby provides dynamic insights into fundamental processes of viruses occurring in live cells. SVT is typically based on fluorescence imaging and reveals insights into previously unreported infection mechanisms. In this review article, we provide the readers a broad overview of the SVT technique. We first summarize recent advances in SVT, from the choice of fluorescent labels and labeling strategies to imaging implementation and analytical methodologies. We then describe representative applications in detail to elucidate how SVT serves as a valuable tool in virological research. Finally, we present our perspectives regarding the future possibilities and challenges of SVT.

Pharmacological and Cellular Significance of Triazole-Surrogated Compounds

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Heterocyclic compounds have been at the hierarchy position in academia, and industrial arena, particularly the compounds containing triazole-core are found to be potent with a broad range of biological activities. The resistance of triazole ring towards chemical (acid and base) hydrolysis, oxidative and reductive reaction conditions, metabolic degradation and its higher aromatic stabilization energy makes it a better heterocyclic core as therapeutic agents. These triazole-linked compounds are used for clinical purposes for antifungal, anti-mycobacterium, anticancer, anti-migraine and antidepressant drugs. Triazole scaffolds are also found to act as a spacer for the sake of covalent attachment of the high molecular weight bio-macromolecules with an experimental building blocks to explore structure-function relationships. Herein, several methods and strategies for the synthesis of compounds with 1,2,3-triazole moiety exploring Hüisgen, Meldal and Sharpless 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction between azide and alkyne derivatives have been deliberated for a series of representative compounds. Moreover, this review article highlights in-depth applications of the [3+2]-cycloaddition reaction for the advances of triazole-containing antibacterial as well as metabolic labelling agents for the in vitro and in vivo studies on cellular level.

The [4+2]-Cycloaddition of α-Nitrosoalkenes with Thiochalcones as a Prototype of Periselective Hetero-Diels-Alder Reactions-Experimental and Computational Studies

The [4+2]-cycloadditions of α-nitrosoalkenes with thiochalcones occur with high selectivity at the thioketone moiety of the dienophile providing styryl-substituted 4H-1,5,2-oxathiazines in moderate to good yields. Of the eight conceivable hetero-Diels-Alder adducts only this isomer was observed, thus a prototype of a highly periselective and regioselective cycloaddition has been identified. Analysis of crude product mixtures revealed that the α-nitrosoalkene also adds competitively to the thioketone moiety of the thiochalcone dimer affording bis-heterocyclic [4+2]-cycloadducts. The experiments are supported by high-level DFT calculations that were also extended to related hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of other nitroso compounds and thioketones. These calculations reveal that the title cycloadditions are kinetically controlled processes confirming the role of thioketones as superdienophiles. The computational study was also applied to the experimentally studied thiochalcone dimerization, and showed that the 1,2-dithiin and 2H-thiopyran isomers are in equilibrium with the monomer. Again, the DFT calculations indicate kinetic control of this process.

A Chemical Proteomic Analysis of Illudin-Interacting Proteins

The illudin natural product family are fungal secondary metabolites with a characteristic spirocyclopropyl‐substituted fused 6,5‐bicyclic ring system. They have been extensively studied for their cytotoxicity in various tumor cell types, and semisynthetic derivatives with improved therapeutic characteristics have progressed to clinical trials. Although it is believed that this potent alkylating compound class acts mainly through DNA modification, little is known about its binding to protein sites in a cellular context. To reveal putative protein targets of the illudin family in live cancer cells, we employed a semisynthetic strategy to access a series of illudin‐based probes for activity‐based protein profiling (ABPP). While the probes largely retained potent cytotoxicity, proteomic profiling studies unraveled multiple protein hits, suggesting that illudins exert their mode of action not from addressing a specific protein target but rather from DNA modification and unselective protein binding.

Nucleophilic Iron Complexes in Proton-Transfer Catalysis: An Iron-Catalyzed Dimroth Cyclocondensation

The nucleophilic iron complex Bu₄ N[Fe(CO)₃ (NO)] (TBA[Fe]) is an active catalyst in C-H-amination but also in proton-transfer catalysis. Herein, we describe the successful use of this complex as a proton-transfer catalyst in the cyclocondensation reaction between azides and ketones to the corresponding 1,2,3-triazoles. Cross-experiments indicate that the proton-transfer catalysis is significantly faster than the nitrene-transfer catalysis, which would lead to the C-H amination product. An example of a successful sequential Dimroth triazole-indoline synthesis to the corresponding triazole-substituted indolines is presented.

Acid-induced intermolecular [3+2] cycloaddition/oxidation to synthesize polysubstituted benzo[f]isoindole-4,9-diones

A novel one-pot 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition/oxidation reaction of 1,4-quinones, aromatic aldehydes, and N-substituted amino esters to construct polysubstituted benzo[ f]isoindole-4,9-diones induced by benzoic acid is reported. Based on optimized reaction conditions, various polysubstituted benzo[ f]isoindole-4,9-diones derivatives are obtained in moderate yields. This straightforward methodology employs mild reaction conditions, a green oxidant, and readily available starting materials. Notably, a wide range of substrates is tolerated.

Ruthenium and Iron-Catalysed Decarboxylative N-alkylation of Cyclic α-Amino Acids with Alcohols: Sustainable Routes to Pyrrolidine and Piperidine Derivatives

A modular and waste-free strategy for constructing N-substituted cyclic amines via decarboxylative N-alkylation of α-amino acids employing ruthenium- and iron-based catalysts is presented. The reported method allows the synthesis of a wide range of five- and six-membered N-alkylated heterocycles in moderate-to-excellent yields starting from predominantly proline and a broad range of benzyl alcohols, and primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols. Examples using pipecolic acid for the construction of piperidine derivatives, as well as the one-pot synthesis of α-amino nitriles, are also shown.

1,2-(Bis)trifluoromethylation of Alkynes: A One-Step Reaction to Install an Underutilized Functional Group

Modifying the electronic properties of olefins is the quintessential approach to tuning alkene reactivity. In this context, the exploration of trifluoromethyl groups as divergent electronic modifiers has not been considered. In this work, we describe a copper-mediated 1,2-(bis)trifluoromethylation of acetylenes to create E-hexafluorobutenes (E-HFBs) under blue light in a single step. The reaction proceeds with high yield and E/Z selectivity. Since the alkyne captures two trifluoromethyl groups from each molecule of bpyCu(CF3 )3 , mechanistic studies were conducted to illuminate the role of the reactants. Interestingly, E-HFBs exhibit remarkable stability to standard olefin functionalization reactions in spite of the pendant trifluoromethyl groups. This finding has significant implications for medicine, agroscience, and materials.

Role of Water in the Reaction Mechanism and endo/exo Selectivity of 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions Elucidated by Quantum Chemistry and Machine Learning

Asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of azomethine ylides with activated olefins are among the most important and versatile methods for the synthesis of enantioenriched pyrroline and pyrrolidine derivatives. Despite both theoretical and practical importance, the role of water molecules in the reactivity and endo/exo selectivity remains unclear. To explore how water accelerates the reactions and improves the endo/exo selectivity of the cycloadditions of 1,3-dipole phthalazinium-2-dicyanomethanide (1) and two dipolarophiles, an ab initio-quality neural network potential that overcomes the computational bottleneck of explicitly considering water molecules was used. It is demonstrated that not only the nature of both the dipolarophile and the 1,3-dipole, but also the solvent medium, can perturb or even alter the reaction mechanism. An extreme case was found for the reaction of 1,3-dipole 1 with methyl vinyl ketone, in which the reaction mechanism changes from a concerted to a stepwise mode on going from MeCN to H₂ O as solvent, with formation of a zwitterionic intermediate that is a very shallow minimum on the energy surface. Thus, high stereocontrol can still be expected despite the stepwise nature of the mechanism. The results indicate that water can induce global polarization along the reaction coordinate and highlight the role of microsolvation effects and bulk-phase effects in reproducing the experimentally observed aqueous acceleration and enhanced endo/exo selectivity.

Facile Preparation and Properties of Crosslinked Copolyether Elastomers with 1,2,3-Triazole and Urethane Subunit via Click Polymerization

An azide terminated ethylene oxide‐tetrahydrofuran copolymer with urethane segments (ATUPET) as a novel binder pre‐polymer, has been prepared through ethylene oxide‐tetrahydrofuran random copolymer (PET) end‐capping modification via one‐pot method. The structure characterization of the modifier has been analyzed by FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and GPC. In comparison with PET, ATUPET has a slightly higher viscosity because it has additional hydrogen bonding interaction generated by the urethane in ATUPET. Triazole cross‐linked elastomers based on ATUPET with various functional molar ratios were prepared using tripropargylamine as a curing agent and cross‐linker. Mechanical properties indicate that the modulus E and tensile strength σ_b exhibit a parabolic dependence with the increase in R. At around the stoichiometric ratio, the modulus E and tensile strength σ_b reach a maximum and the elongation at break exhibit an acceptable value at the same time. Swelling tests demonstrate that the apparent cross‐linking densities (N₀) have a maximum value at the stoichiometric ratio. Thermal analysis shows that the ATUPET prepolymer and its polytriazoles elastomers exhibit a satisfactory stability. The results demonstrated that ATUPET might be a promising polymeric binder for future propellant formulations especially in the field of isocyanate‐free curing technology.

Surface functionality analysis by Boehm titration of graphene nanoplatelets functionalized via a solvent-free cycloaddition reaction

In this work, the functionalization of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) performed by a solvent-free cycloaddition reaction on GNPs with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and paraformaldehyde (PFA), and the functionality analysis of the resulting functionalized GNPs (f-GNPs) by Boehm titration are introduced. The f-GNPs synthesized at different temperatures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for structural and morphological properties. Back titration of the f-GNPs selectively identified 3 types of functional groups on the f-GNP surface, carboxylic, lactonic and phenolic, and suggested that 200 °C gives the highest carboxylic group functionality. With the reaction temperature increasing from 180 to 220 °C, a decrease in the phenolic functionality and an increase in that of lactonic are observed. In the case of 250 °C reactions, it was found that the carboxylic functionality is greatly reduced, while the phenolic functionality showed a significant increase. The f-GNP samples were further characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the results of which showed a good agreement with the titration analysis.

Structural Distortion of Cycloalkynes Influences Cycloaddition Rates both by Strain and Interaction Energies

The reactivities of 2‐butyne, cycloheptyne, cyclooctyne, and cyclononyne in the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction with methyl azide were evaluated through DFT calculations at the M06‐2X/6‐311++G(d)//M06‐2X/6‐31+G(d) level of theory. Computed activation free energies for the cycloadditions of cycloalkynes are 16.5–22.0 kcal mol⁻¹ lower in energy than that of the acyclic 2‐butyne. The strained or predistorted nature of cycloalkynes is often solely used to rationalize this significant rate enhancement. Our distortion/interaction–activation strain analysis has been revealed that the degree of geometrical predistortion of the cycloalkyne ground‐state geometries acts to enhance reactivity compared with that of acyclic alkynes through three distinct mechanisms, not only due to (i) a reduced strain or distortion energy, but also to (ii) a smaller HOMO–LUMO gap, and (iii) an enhanced orbital overlap, which both contribute to more stabilizing orbital interactions.

The potential of click reactions for the synthesis of bioactive triterpenes

Click reactions between alkynes and azides using the privileged scaffold of triterpenes have been of interest for biological chemistry. Many publications deal with the synthesis of novel bioactive molecules; these conjugates have also been used for bioanalytical and diagnostic purposes. As a result, conjugates of better physicochemical properties were obtained; even compounds of improved solubility in water and physiological fluids were made through the introduction of a triazol residue. "Hybrid-structures", i.e. molecules consisting of two independently bioactive subunits linked by a triazole residue were higher bioactive than their parent compounds but not as active as expected, and with a few exceptions the ultimate breakthrough has not yet been achieved. Only in the synthesis of compounds with anti-leishmanial activity some new and promising lead structures were found. As a consequence, triazole modified triterpenes seem to hold their greatest future prospect rather as diagnostic reagents and molecular probes than as drugs.

Synthesis of Fused Bicyclic [1,2,3]-Triazoles from γ-Amino Diazoketones

Triazoles are an important class of N-heterocycles that are well known for their broad biological activities. In this work, we would like to demonstrate a direct synthesis of the rare fused bicyclic [1,2,3]-triazoles, employing γ-N-protected amino diazoketones as useful synthetic platforms. The strategy was based on the deprotection of a trifluoroacetamide group for the intramolecular and in situ generation of an α-diazo imine intermediate, followed by a 5-endo-dig cyclization to construct the bicyclic unit. In this fashion, the synthesis of a series of fused bicyclic [1,2,3]-triazoles could be carried out in good to excellent yields (63-95%).