Synthesis of N-2(5H)-furanonyl sulfonyl hydrazone derivatives and their biological evaluation in vitro and in vivo activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells

A series of (E)-N-2(5H)-furanonyl sulfonyl hydrazone derivatives have been rationally designed and efficiently synthesized by one-pot reaction with good yields for the first time. This green approach with wide substrate range and good selectivity can be achieved at room temperature in a short time in the presence of metal-free catalyst. The cytotoxic activities against three human cancer cell lines of all newly obtained compounds have been evaluated by MTT assay. Among them, compound 5 k exhibits high cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells with an IC₅₀ value of 14.35 μM. The cytotoxic mechanism may involve G2/M phase arrest pathway, which is probably caused by activating DNA damage. Comet test and immunofluorescence results show that compound 5 k can induce DNA damage in time- and dose-dependent manner. Importantly, 5 k also can effectively inhibit the proliferation of MCF-7 cells and angiogenesis in the zebrafish xenograft model. It is potential to further develop N-2(5H)-furanonyl sulfonyl hydrazone derivatives as potent drugs for breast cancer treatment with higher cytotoxic activity by modifying the structure of the compound.

Chemoselective Rearrangement Reactions of Sulfur Ylide Derived from Diazoquinones and Allyl/Propargyl Sulfides

Here, we describe three types of rearrangement reactions of sulfur ylide derived from diazoquinones and allyl/propargyl sulfides. With Rh₂(esp)₂ as the catalyst, diazoquinones react with allyl/propargyl sulfides to form a sulfur ylide, which undergoes a chemoselective tautomerization/[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement reaction, a Doyle-Kirmse rearrangement/Cope rearrangement cascade reaction, or a Doyle-Kirmse rearrangement/elimination reaction, depending on the substituent of the sulfides. The protocol provides alkenyl and allenyl sulfides and multisubstituted phenols with moderate and high yields.

Desymmetrization of meso-Dicarbonatecyclohexene with β-Hydrazino Carboxylic Esters via a Pd-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution Cascade

The desymmetrization of meso-dicarbonatecyclohexene with β-hydrazino carboxylic esters has been achieved via a RuPHOX/Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution cascade for the construction of chiral hexahydrocinnoline derivatives with high performance. Mechanistic studies reveal that the reaction exploits a pathway different from that of our previous work and that the first nitrogen nucleophilic process is the rate-determining step. The protocol could be conducted on a gram scale without any loss of catalytic behavior, and the corresponding chiral hexahydrocinnolines can undergo diverse transformations.

Sequential One-Pot Synthesis of 3-Arylbenzofurans from N-Tosylhydrazones and Bromophenol Derivatives

A divergent and efficient one-pot sequence allowing direct access to 3-arylbenzofuran derivatives has been developed. The process, involving N-tosylhydrazones and bromophenols, proceeds via a palladium-catalyzed Barluenga-Valdés cross-coupling, followed by an aerobic, copper-catalyzed, radical cyclization to form Csp²-Csp² and O-Csp² bonds. 3-Arylated benzofurans bearing various substituents were obtained with good to excellent yields (up to 90%). Mechanistic investigation strongly supports a radical process for the cyclization step.

Gold-Catalyzed Synthesis of Small Rings

Three- and four-membered rings, widespread motifs in nature and medicinal chemistry, have fascinated chemists ever since their discovery. However, due to energetic considerations, small rings are often difficult to assemble. In this regard, homogeneous gold catalysis has emerged as a powerful tool to construct these highly strained carbocycles. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of all the major advances and discoveries made in the gold-catalyzed synthesis of cyclopropanes, cyclopropenes, cyclobutanes, cyclobutenes, and their corresponding heterocyclic or heterosubstituted analogs.

Copper-Catalyzed Aerobic Cyclization of β,γ-Unsaturated Hydrazones with Concomitant C═C Bond Cleavage

A Cu-catalyzed aerobic oxidative cyclization of β,γ-unsaturated hydrazones for the preparation of pyrazole derivatives has been developed. The hydrazonyl radical promoted the cyclization, along with a concomitant C═C bond cleavage of β,γ-unsaturated hydrazones. This process has been verified via several control experiments, including a radical-trapping study, an ¹⁸O-labeling method, and the identification of the possible byproducts. The advantages of this reaction include operational simplicity, a broad reaction scope, and a mild selective reaction process.

Cu-Catalyzed o-Amino Benzofuranthioether Formation from N-Tosylhydrazone-Bearing Thiocarbamates and Arylative Electrophiles

An important framework of o-amino benzofuranthioethers was constructed by Cu-catalyzed arylative cyclization of N-tosylhydrazone-bearing thiocarbamates with silylaryl triflates or ArI. This transformation provides a novel strategy for the synthesis of valuable arylative o-amino benzofuranthioethers in moderate yields which could not be obtained from known methods. The reaction features smart design, efficient construction, and mild reaction conditions.

Base-Mediated Denitrogenative Sulfonylation/Benzannulation of Conjugated N-Sulfonylhydrazones with 3-Formylchromones for the Construction of Polyfunctionalized Biaryl Sulfones

Base-promoted benzannulation of conjugated N-sulfonylhydrazones and 3-formylchromones for the synthesis of diverse biaryl sulfones is described. The approach facilitates new C-C and C-S bond formation via the cascade diazo formation/Michael addition/ring opening/denitrogenative sulfonylation/intramolecular cycloaddition/dehydration and introduces diverse functional groups onto biaryl sulfones. The synthesized compounds are converted to aryl sulfones bearing bioactive benzisoxazole and benzofuran frameworks. Moreover, the synthesized biaryl sulfones possess potent turn-on fluorescence sensing and UV absorbance properties.

Divergent synthesis of 1,3,5-tri and 1,3-disubstituted pyrazoles under transition metal-free conditions

Pyrazole cores are common structural motifs existing in various agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Herein, a transition metal-free, three-component reaction of arylaldehydes, ethyl acrylate and N-tosylhydrazones is described, which leads to the formation of 1,3,5-trisubstituted and 1,3-disubstituted pyrazoles divergently under slightly different conditions.

Hemin-Catalyzed Oxidative Phenol-Hydrazone [3+3] Cycloaddition Enables Rapid Construction of 1,3,4-Oxadiazines

Herein, we present a hemin-catalyzed oxidative phenol-hydrazone [3+3] cycloaddition that accommodates a broad spectrum of N-arylhydrazones, a class of less exploited 1,3-dipoles due to their significant Lewis basicity and weak tendency to undergo 1,2-prototropy to form azomethine imines. It renders expedient assembly of diversely functionalized 1,3,4-oxadiazines with excellent atom and step economy. Preliminary mechanistic studies point to the involvement of a one-electron oxidation pathway, which likely differs from the base-promoted aerobic oxidative scenario.

Diverting β-Hydride Elimination of a π-Allyl PdII Carbene Complex for the Assembly of Disubstituted Indolines via a Highly Diastereoselective (4 + 1)-Cycloaddition

A Pd⁰-catalyzed formal (4 + 1)-cycloaddition approach to 2,3-disubstituted dihydroindoles is described. The diastereoselective formation of dihydroindoles that is highlighted by a carbene migratory insertion/reductive elimination sequence proceeding via a π-allyl Pd^II-species compliments existing methods of indoline assembly.

Denitrative imino-diaza-Nazarov cyclization: synthesis of pyrazoles

An iodine-catalyzed denitrative imino-diaza-Nazarov cyclization (DIDAN) methodology has been developed for the synthesis of pyrazoles with high to excellent yields by using α-nitroacetophenone derivatives and in situ generated hydrazones. The key transformation of this oxidative 4π-electrocyclization proceeds through an enamine-iminium ion intermediate. This rapid one-pot DIDAN protocol results in the selective generation of C-C and C-N bonds and cleavage of a C-N bond.

K2CO3-Catalyzed Rapid Conversion of N-Sulfonylhydrazones to Sulfinates

N-Sulfonylhydrazones derived from alkyl, aryl, and heteroaryl aldehydes and ketones undergo rapid conversion into the corresponding sulfinates when heated with 10 mol % K₂CO₃ in N,N'-dimethylethylene urea (DMEU) at elevated temperature. The reaction conditions are amenable to several functional groups and suitable for gram-scale synthesis. Under these base-catalyzed conditions, N-tosylhydrazones derived from O-allylated and O-propargylated 2-hydroxyarylaldehydes do not undergo the well-established intramolecular [3 + 2]-cycloaddition reactions and generate corresponding sulfinates in good yields. The base-catalyzed transformation proceeds via crucial rapid intermolecular protonation of the diazo intermediate 11 to generate diazonium ion 12, which upon nucleophilic displacement by the sulfonyl ion 10 provides the desired sulfinate selectively.

Assembly of Thiosubstituted Benzoxazoles via Copper-Catalyzed Coupling of Thiols with 5-Iodotriazoles Serving as Diazo Surrogates

An efficient cascade approach to thiosubstituted benzoxazoles has been developed. The transformation starts with in situ generation of a diazo compound via annulation-triggered electrocyclic opening of the 1,2,3-triazole ring. The subsequent Cu-catalyzed trapping of diazo intermediates by various thiols affords the desired heterocycles in generally good yields of up to 91%. The protocol features very good functional group tolerance and is applicable to substrates with different electronic properties.

Facile access to 2,2-diaryl 2H-chromenes through a palladium-catalyzed cascade reaction of ortho-vinyl bromobenzenes with N-tosylhydrazones

A palladium-catalyzed cascade reaction of ortho-vinyl bromobenzenes with N-tosylhydrazones has been developed, which provides a facile approach to 2,2-disubstituted 2H-chromenes. The migration of palladium from the aryl to vinyl position is crucial, as the in situ produced vinyl palladium intermediate could further react with diazo compounds to generate the reactive species for the sequential annulation.

Blue Light-promoted Carbene Transfer Reactions of Tosylhydrazones

Metal-free photochemical carbene-transfer reactions of tosylhydrazones were developed under blue light irradiation at room temperature. This reaction constructs C-X (X=C, N, O, S) bonds and cyclopropanes from readily available and stable starting materials.

Catalytic Synthesis of 8-Membered Ring Compounds via Cobalt(III)-Carbene Radicals

The metalloradical activation of o-aryl aldehydes with tosylhydrazide and a cobalt(II) porphyrin catalyst produces cobalt(III)-carbene radical intermediates, providing a new and powerful strategy for the synthesis of medium-sized ring structures. Herein we make use of the intrinsic radical-type reactivity of cobalt(III)-carbene radical intermediates in the [CoII (TPP)]-catalyzed (TPP=tetraphenylporphyrin) synthesis of two types of 8-membered ring compounds; novel dibenzocyclooctenes and unprecedented monobenzocyclooctadienes. The method was successfully applied to afford a variety of 8-membered ring compounds in good yields and with excellent substituent tolerance. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental results suggest that the reactions proceed via hydrogen atom transfer from the bis-allylic/benzallylic C-H bond to the carbene radical, followed by two divergent processes for ring-closure to the two different types of 8-membered ring products. While the dibenzocyclooctenes are most likely formed by dissociation of o-quinodimethanes (o-QDMs) which undergo a non-catalyzed 8π-cyclization, DFT calculations suggest that ring-closure to the monobenzocyclooctadienes involves a radical-rebound step in the coordination sphere of cobalt. The latter mechanism implies that unprecedented enantioselective ring-closure reactions to chiral monobenzocyclooctadienes should be possible, as was confirmed for reactions mediated by a chiral cobalt-porphyrin catalyst.

I2/DMSO-Catalyzed Transformation of N-tosylhydrazones to 1,2,3-thiadiazoles

An iodine/DMSO catalyzed selective cyclization of N-tosylhydrazones with sulfur without adding external oxidant was developed for the synthesis of 4-aryl-1,2,3-thiadiazoles. In this reaction, oxidation of HI by using DMSO as dual oxidant and solvent is the key, which allowed the regeneration of I₂, ensuring thus the success of the synthesis. This protocol features by simple operation, high step-economy (one-pot fashion), broad substrate scope as well as scale-up ability.

Transition-metal mediated carbon-sulfur bond activation and transformations: an update

Carbon-sulfur bond cross-coupling has become more and more attractive as an alternative protocol to establish carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. Diverse transformations through transition-metal-catalyzed C-S bond activation and cleavage have recently been developed. This review summarizes the advances in transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling via carbon-sulfur bond activation and cleavage since late 2012 as an update of the critical review on the same topic published in early 2013 (Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 599-621), which is presented by the categories of organosulfur compounds, that is, thioesters, thioethers including heteroaryl, aryl, vinyl, alkyl, and alkynyl sulfides, ketene dithioacetals, sulfoxides including DMSO, sulfones, sulfonyl chlorides, sulfinates, thiocyanates, sulfonium salts, sulfonyl hydrazides, sulfonates, thiophene-based compounds, and C[double bond, length as m-dash]S functionality-bearing compounds such as thioureas, thioamides, and carbon disulfide, as well as the mechanistic insights. An overview of C-S bond cleavage reactions with stoichiometric transition-metal reagents is briefly given. Theoretical studies on the reactivity of carbon-sulfur bonds by DFT calculations are also discussed.

Understanding the Chemoselectivity in Palladium-Catalyzed Three-Component Reaction of o-Bromobenzaldehyde, N-Tosylhydrazone, and Methanol

To understand the ligand-controlled palladium-catalyzed coupling of o-bromobenzaldehyde, N-tosylhydrazone, and methanol to give methyl 2-benzylbenzoic ester or methyl ether, we herein investigated the mechanisms which account for how C-C and C-O bonds are formed and why bidentate dppf/dppb ligands afford ester, whereas P(o-tolyl)₃ ligand gives ether. The ester chemoselectivity of the bidentate ligands is attributed to the strong electron-donating effect that disfavors the C,Br-reductive elimination of the coupling intermediate of o-bromobenzaldehyde and N-tosylhydrazone.

Recent progress on donor and donor-donor carbenes

Donor and donor-donor carbenes are two important kinds of carbenes, which have experienced tremendous growth in the past two decades. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent development of donor and donor-donor carbene chemistry. The development of this chemistry offers efficient protocols to construct a wide variety of C-C and C-X bonds in organic synthesis. This review is organized based on the different types of carbene precursors, including diazo compounds, hydrazones, enynones, cycloheptatrienes and cyclopropenes. The typical transformations, the reaction mechanisms, as well as their subsequent applications in the synthesis of complex natural products and bioactive molecules are discussed. Due to the rapidly increasing interest in this area, we believe that this review will provide a timely and comprehensive discussion of recent progress in donor and donor-donor carbene chemistry.

Difluoroacetaldehyde N-Triftosylhydrazone (DFHZ-Tfs) as a Bench-Stable Crystalline Diazo Surrogate for Diazoacetaldehyde and Difluorodiazoethane

Despite the growing importance of volatile functionalized diazoalkanes in organic synthesis, their safe generation and utilization remain a formidable challenge because of their difficult handling along with storage and security issues. In this study, we developed a bench-stable difluoroacetaldehyde N-triftosylhydrazone (DFHZ-Tfs) as an operationally safe diazo surrogate that can release in situ two low-molecular-weight diazoalkanes, diazoacetaldehyde (CHOCHN₂ ) or difluorodiazoethane (CF₂ HCHN₂ ), in a controlled fashion under specific conditions. DFHZ-Tfs has been successfully employed in the Fe-catalyzed cyclopropanation and Doyle-Kirmse reactions, thus highlighting the synthetic utility of DFHZ-Tfs in the efficient construction of molecule frameworks containing CHO or CF₂ H groups. Moreover, the reaction mechanism for the generation of CHOCHN₂ from CF₂ HCHN₂ was elucidated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Stoichiometric Photochemical Carbene Transfer by Bamford-Stevens Reaction

The photolysis of diazoalkanes is a timely strategy to conduct carbene-transfer reactions under mild and metal-free reaction conditions, and has developed as an important alternative to conventional metal-catalyzed carbene-transfer reactions. One of the major limitations lies within the rapidly occurring side reaction of the carbene intermediate with remaining diazoalkane molecules that result in the use of an excess of the reaction partner and thus impacts on the reaction efficiency. Herein, we describe a protocol that takes advantage of the in situ generation of donor-acceptor diazoalkanes by Bamford-Stevens reaction. Following this strategy, the concentration of the diazoalkane reaction partner can be minimized to reduce unwanted side reactions and to now conduct photochemical carbene transfer reactions under stoichiometric reaction conditions. We have explored this approach in the C-H and N-H functionalization and cyclopropanation reaction of N-heterocycles and could demonstrate the applicability of this method in 51 examples.

Easy access to medium-sized lactones through metal carbene migratory insertion enabled 1,4-palladium shift

Reactions that efficiently construct medium-sized lactones are significant, as they overcome the unfavorable entropic factor and transannular interactions for ring closure, and the lactones produced are common structural motifs recurring in many biologically active compounds. Herein, we describe a valuable strategy for medium-sized lactone synthesis by accomplishing site-selective C–H bond functionalization via a palladium carbene migratory insertion enabled 1,4-palladium shift. The overall process achieves the formal dimerization of two readily available benzaldehyde derivatives, providing value-added products medium-sized lactones. Our method is amenable to late-stage modification of approved drugs and other complex molecules. Mechanistic studies including deuterium-labeling experiments and DFT calculation shed light on the reaction pathways.

Transannular construction of medium-sized lactones is entropically unfavoured. Herein, the authors describe a strategy for valuable medium-sized lactone synthesis from available benzaldehydes by selective C-H bond functionalization via palladium carbene migratory insertion-enabled 1,4-palladium shift.

Regioselective Synthesis of 3-Trifluoromethylpyrazole by Coupling of Aldehydes, Sulfonyl Hydrazides, and 2-Bromo-3,3,3-trifluoropropene

A general and practical strategy for 3-trifluoromethylpyrazole synthesis is reported that occurs by the three-component coupling of environmentally friendly and large-tonnage industrial feedstock 2-bromo-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (BTP), aldehydes, and sulfonyl hydrazides. This highly regioselective three-component reaction is metal-free, catalyst-free, and operationally simple and features mild conditions, a broad substrate scope, high yields, and valuable functional group tolerance. Remarkably, the reactions could be performed on a 100 mmol scale and smoothly afforded the key intermediates for the synthesis of celecoxib, mavacoxib, SC-560, and AS-136A. Preliminary mechanism studies indicated that a 1,3-hydrogen atom transfer process was involved in this transformation.

Copper-mediated tandem ring-opening/cyclization reactions of cyclopropanols with aryldiazonium salts: synthesis of N-arylpyrazoles

A general method for the synthesis of structurally diverse N-arylpyrazoles from readily available cyclopropanols and aryldiazonium salts is disclosed.