High-Pressure-Mediated Asymmetric Organocatalytic Hydroxyalkylation of Indoles with Trifluoromethyl Ketones

High Hydrostatic Pressure in the Modulation of Enzymatic and Organocatalysis and Life under Pressure: A Review

The interest in high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) is mostly focused on the inactivation of deleterious enzymes, considering the quality-related issues associated with enzymes in foods. However, more recently, HHP has been increasingly studied for several biotechnological applications, including the possibility of carrying out enzyme-catalyzed reactions under high pressure. This review aims to comprehensively present and discuss the effects of HHP on the kinetic catalytic action of enzymes and the equilibrium of the reaction when enzymatic reactions take place under pressure. Each enzyme can respond differently to high pressure, mainly depending on the pressure range and temperature applied. In some cases, the enzymatic reaction remains significantly active at high pressure and temperature, while at ambient pressure it is already inactivated or possesses minor activity. Furthermore, the effect of temperature and pressure on the enzymatic activity indicated a faster decrease in activity when elevated pressure is applied. For most cases, the product concentration at equilibrium under pressure increased; however, in some cases, hydrolysis was preferred over synthesis when pressure increased. The compiled evidence of the effect of high pressure on enzymatic activity indicates that pressure is an effective reaction parameter and that its application for enzyme catalysis is promising.

Design, Catalyst-Free Synthesis of New Novel α-Trifluoromethylated Tertiary Alcohols Bearing Coumarins as Potential Antifungal Agents

A new method for the synthesis of α-trifluoromethylated tertiary alcohols bearing coumarins is described. The reaction of 3-(trifluoroacetyl)coumarin and pyrrole provided the target compounds with high yields under catalyst-free, mild conditions. The crystal structure of compound 3fa was investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis. The biological activities, such as in vitro antifungal activity of the α-trifluoromethylated tertiary alcohols against Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium moniliforme, Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, and Phytophthora parasitica var nicotianae, were investigated. The bioassay results indicated that compounds 3ad, 3gd, and 3hd showed broad-spectrum antifungal activity in vitro. Compound 3cd exhibited excellent fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, with an EC₅₀ value of 10.9 μg/mL, which was comparable to that of commercial fungicidal triadimefon (EC₅₀ = 6.1 μg/mL). Furthermore, molecular docking study suggested that 3cd had high binding affinities with 1W9U, like argifin.

One-pot synthesis of tri- and di-fluoromethylated bis(indolyl)methanols via Friedel-Crafts-type acylation and alkylation

A simple and efficient methodology for the first synthesis of tri- and di-fluoromethyl-bis(indolyl)methanols has been demonstrated through a one-pot Friedel-Crafts-type acylation-alkylation of readily available indoles and fluorinated acids. This simple protocol was successfully performed under metal-, additive-, toxic-solvent-, and protective-gas-free conditions, and delivered a wide range of tri- and di-fluoromethyl-bis(indolyl)methanols in moderate to high yields. Notably, this reaction can tolerate diverse vital and reactive functional groups. Furthermore, this one-pot Friedel-Crafts-type acylation-alkylation can be readily expanded to the gram scale with no obvious decrease in the yield, demonstrating its high application potential.

Hyperbaric reactions in organic synthesis. Progress from 2006 to 2020

This comprehensive review summarizes the published literature data concerning above 1 kbar reactions for the purposes of preparative organic synthesis (more then 50 mg of the initial substance) from 2006...

Iridium-catalyzed C3-selective asymmetric allylation of 7-azaindoles with secondary allylic alcohols

The development of efficient synthetic methods of 7-azaindoles has been desired due to the useful biological activities and physical properties. We report the first example of the iridium-catalyzed C3-selective asymmetric allylation of 7-azaindoles with racemic secondary allylic alcohols to give only branched allylation products in good to high yields with high enantioselectivity (up to >99.5% ee). Allylic alcohols and 7-azaindoles with a variety of functional groups including halogen and heteroaromatic groups are compatible with the reaction conditions. Furthermore, transformations of the obtained allylation products are demonstrated without a significant loss of enantiomeric excess.

TEMPO-Mediated Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling of Indoles and Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines with Fluorinated Alcohols

A simple and highly efficient metal-free method has been developed for hydroxyfluoroalkylation of indoles and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines via TEMPO-mediated C(sp³)-H and C(sp²)-H bond cross-dehydrogenative coupling of fluorinated alcohols and indoles. The protocol showed broad substrate scope, afforded good yields of hydroxyfluoroalkylated products, and was amenable for scale-up. Mechanistic investigation indicated involvement of the radical pathway.

Green Asymmetric Organocatalysis

Asymmetric organocatalysis is becoming one of the main tools for the synthesis of chiral compounds that are needed as medicines, crop protection agents, and other bioactive molecules. It can be effectively combined with various green chemistry methodologies. Intensification techniques, such as ball milling, flow, high pressure, or light, bring not only higher yields, faster reactions, and easier product isolation, but also new reactivities. More sustainable reaction media, such as ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, green solvent alternatives, and water, also considerably enhance the sustainability profile of many organocatalytic reactions.

Static Combinatorial Chemistry: A High-Pressure Approach to the Synthesis of Macrocyclic Benzoamide Libraries

We investigated the yield and distribution of macrocyclic products formed in combinatorial libraries (CLs) obtained via double-amidation reactions of methyl diesters with α,ω-diamines. The application of the static combinatorial chemistry (SCC) approach allowed us to generate a large number of macrocyclic diamides and tetraamides in single experiments. We show that high-pressure conditions accelerate the macrocyclization process but also have a great impact on the distribution of macrocyclic products in the presented libraries, promoting the formation of macrocyclic compounds and eliminating the linear ones. The distribution of macrocyclic products was also found to be strongly dependent on the structural features of the substrates employed. Furthermore, in three- and four-substrate CLs we observed the formation of a new type of hybrid tetraamides consisting of three different components.

Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Asymmetric Friedel-Crafts Alkylation of Indoles with Benzothiazole-Bearing Trifluoromethyl Ketone Hydrates

An efficient Brønsted acid-catalyzed asymmetric Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with benzothiazole-bearing trifluoromethyl ketone hydrates as electrophiles has been developed. The mild organocatalytic reactions proceeded well with low catalyst loading to afford a range of enantioenriched α-trifluoromethyl tertiary alcohols containing both benzothiazole and indole rings with excellent yields and enantioselectivities.

Functional changes of biomolecules and organocatalysts as a probe for pressure effects in solution

High pressure acts as a mild and non-destructive activation mode for chemical reactions. However, in the context of organo-/biocatalysis, high pressure activation, has not been investigated systematically, although there are significant benefits such as rate acceleration, increased selectivity and the possibility of suppressing side product formation. The influence of hydrostatic pressure in solution on the catalytic performance of enzymes and small molecule organocatalysts such as amino acids, peptides, amines, cinchona alkaloids and thioureas is evaluated in this review, taking reactivity and selectivity as a probe to identify pressure effects on biomolecules.

A General Method for High-Pressure-Promoted Postfunctionalization of Unclosed Cryptands: Potential Phase-Transfer Catalysts

We report a high-pressure approach to facile late-stage functionalization of unclosed cryptands (UCs) (11 examples, yield up to 99%). Direct comparison of classic and high-pressure conditions of the quaternization reaction in a sterically crowded intraannular position is investigated, and differences in the reactivity of tertiary amine substrates are discussed. Finally, we demonstrated the application of UCs as catalysts for synthetically important alkylation reactions under phase-transfer conditions.

Asymmetric Arylation of 2,2,2-Trifluoroacetophenones Catalyzed by Chiral Electrostatically-Enhanced Phosphoric Acids

A series of highly reactive metal-free chiral phosphoric acids possessing positively charged phosphonium ion substituents are reported and have been applied to Friedel-Crafts alkylations of indoles and 2,2,2-trifluoromethyl aryl ketones. These catalysts are orders-of-magnitude more active and have similar or better enantioselectivities than their noncharged analogues. High tolerance to a range of substrates with electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents was also observed.

High pressure-assisted low-loading asymmetric organocatalytic conjugate addition of nitroalkanes to chalcones

A highly enantioselective and relatively fast (1–5 h) Michael reaction with substantial reduction of organocatalyst loading (0.2–1 mol%) was developed under high-pressure conditions (up to 9 kbar) and at room temperature.