Metal-free Decarboxylative Amination: An Alternative Approach Towards Regioselective Synthesis of β-CarbolineN-fused Imidazoles

Sustainable protocol for Cu-catalysed A3-coupling under solvent-free conditions

A Cu-catalyzed three-component cascade reaction has been developed, involving ortho-alkynylaryl aldehydes, terminal alkynes and aliphatic/aromatic amines or diamines. This diversity oriented methodology successfully delivered a rich library of 72 molecules in good to excellent yields (yields up to 99%) through the application of an A3-coupling reaction. This method is green, straightforward to execute, requires a short reaction time (2 min-4 h), does not require solvents or harsh or inert conditions, i.e. can be performed in open air, and utilizes only a small amount of a cheap and readily available catalyst (2.5 to 10 mol% CuI). It proficiently produced a variety of biphenylacetylene tethered propargylamines, alkyne tethered dihydroisoquinolines, and N-fused benzimidazoles with excellent regioselectivity.

Recent advances in the synthesis of N-heterocycles from α-amino acids mediated by iodine

The synthesis of N-heterocycles has received extensive attention from scientists considering their important role in organic synthesis, pharmaceuticals, and materials chemistry. α-Amino acids (α-AAs), both natural and non-natural, are structurally diverse, containing basic amino groups, acidic carboxyl groups, and various side-chain R groups in a single molecule. Given their structural properties and wide range of sources, they have undoubtedly become suitable synthetic building blocks for organic synthesis. However, conventional transformations of amino acids (AAs) focus on the amino and carboxyl groups independently. Conversions for these two prominent functional groups generally do not affect both their alpha positions and their branched chains. Over the past decade, with the application of iodine (I2) in the field of heterocyclic synthesis, the use of α-AAs for diverse construction of complex N-heterocyclic structures has gained increasing attention. This synthetic strategy relies on the I2-mediated Strecker degradation, which introduces α-AAs as electrophilic carbon species into the domino reaction sequence via decarboxylation and deamination processes. In this review, we have summarized recent advances in this emerging area.

Catalytic Cycloisomerization-Oxidative Cyclization Reaction Sequence of Enyne Diesters Derived from 2-Propargyloxyarylaldehydes

Enyne diesters derived from 2-propargyloxyarylaldehydes are converted into 2-oxopyranochromenes via In(OTf)3-catalyzed cycloisomerization and 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ)-mediated oxidative cyclization reaction sequence in one pot. The process possesses broad substrate scope and good functional group compatibility and generates various 4-(hetero)aryl-substituted 2-oxopyranochromenes in 32-79% yields (over two steps). 2-Oxopyranochromenes undergo selective decarboxylation under Krapcho conditions. When treated with aliphatic secondary amines in DMF, 2-oxopyranochromenes undergo decarboxylative amination at ambient temperature to generate 2-amino-substituted functionalized chromenes in good yields.

Transition metal-free efficient synthesis of bis(indolyl)propynes (BIPs)

A transition metal-free approach has been devised for the synthesis of a variety of bis(indolyl)propyne (BIP) derivatives. The strategy involves an iodine-catalyzed cascade condensation of α,β-unsaturated acetylenic aldehydes with diversely substituted indoles. The strategy was applicable to gram scale synthesis and a library of 50 molecules, which were afforded in good to excellent yields (up to 96%), was developed. The salient features of the reaction involve the synthesis of indole based privileged scaffolds in a short reaction time under transition metal-free conditions, with a wide substrate scope and excellent yields under ambient conditions.

Synthesis of α-, β-, and γ-Carbolines via Intramolecular Cyclization of Azidomethyl(indolyl)acrylates Involving PIFA-BF3·OEt2/DBU-Mediated Cyclization as well as Thermolysis Approaches

In this study, we present our findings on the synthesis of α-, β-, γ-carbolines via PIFA/BF3·OEt2-mediated intramolecular cyclization of isomeric azidomethyl(indolyl)acrylates. Alternately, 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene/1,8-diazabicyclo(5.4.0)undec-7-ene (TBD/DBU)-mediated Michael addition followed by intramolecular cyclization of isomeric 2/3-(azidomethyl)indol-3/2-yl)acrylates also furnished the respective β- and γ-carboline derivatives. Unexpectedly, the thermolysis of 2-(azidomethyl)-3-(indol-3-yl)acrylates led to the formation of ethyl 5-(2-(phenylsulfonamido)aryl)nicotinates along with γ-carbolines, via nitrene insertion followed by rearrangement and cyclization. The isomeric 2-(azidomethyl)-3-(indol-2-yl)acrylate upon thermolysis led to the expected δ-carboline. Thermal intramolecular nitrene insertion reaction could also be extended for accessing pyrido benzothiophene, pyrido thiophene, and quinoline.

Novel Canthin-6-one Derivatives: Design, Synthesis, and Their Antiproliferative Activities via Inducing Apoptosis, Deoxyribonucleic Acid Damage, and Ferroptosis

A series of novel canthin-6-one (CO) derivatives (8a-l) were designed and synthesized by introducing different amide side chains at the C-2 position, and their water solubility, antiproliferative activity, and preliminary mechanism were investigated. Most compounds displayed high cytotoxicity exhibiting low-micromolar IC50 values against four human cancer cell lines, especially HT29 cells. Meanwhile, the water solubility of active CO derivatives was significantly improved. Among these compounds, compound 8h with the N-methyl piperazine group exhibiting the highest antiproliferative capability with an IC50 value of 1.0 μM against HT29 cells, which was 8.6-fold lower than that of CO. Furthermore, 8h could upregulate the levels of reactive oxygen species, leading to mitochondrial damage. In addition, 8h could promote cell apoptosis and DNA damage by regulating the expression of apoptosis-associated proteins (Bcl-2 and cleaved-caspase 3) and the DNA damage-associated protein (H2AX). Most importantly, 8h also exerted ferroptosis by reducing the GSH level and GPX4 expression as well as increasing the lipid peroxidation level. Thus, the novel CO derivative 8h with N-methylpiperazine represents a promising anticancer candidate and warrants a more intensive study.

Recent synthetic methodologies for imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines and related heterocycles

Imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine is a significant structural component of a large number of agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. The synthesis of imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine has been a subject of intense research for numerous decades. A large number of transformations are now available to conveniently access imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine from readily available starting materials. This review details the recent development in imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine construction involving cyclocondensation, cycloaddition, oxidative cyclization, and transannulation reactions.

(±)-Pheharmines A–B, two pairs of racemic alkaloids with a morpholino[4,3,2-hi]β-carboline core, from the roots of Peganum harmala

Two pairs of unprecedented β-carboline-phenylpropanoid alkaloids, (±)-pheharmines A–B (1–4), characterized by a morpholino[4,3,2-hi]β-carboline core with two chiral centers, were isolated from the roots of Peganum harmala.

Exo-Cyclization: Intermolecular Methylene Transfer Sequence in Au-Catalyzed Reactions of O-Homopropargylic Oximes

The Au-catalyzed reactions of O-homopropaylic oximes afforded the 3-alkenylated isoxazolines in good to high yields. The mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds through an exo-cyclization followed by intermolecular methylene group transfer. In addition, oligomeric species of the starting material were observed in the reaction mixture by mass spectra, supporting our proposed mechanism, which proceeds through a repeated intermolecular C-C bond forming process.

Synthesis of imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines via cyclocondensation of 2-(aminomethyl)pyridines with electrophilically activated nitroalkanes

Imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines were efficiently prepared via the cyclization of 2-picolylamines with nitroalkanes electrophilically activated in the presence of phosphorous acid in polyphosphoric acid (PPA) medium.

Et3N/DMSO-supported one-pot synthesis of highly fluorescent β-carboline-linked benzothiophenones via sulfur insertion and estimation of the photophysical properties

A robust transition-metal-free strategy is presented to access novel β-carboline-tethered benzothiophenone derivatives from 1(3)-formyl-β-carbolines using elemental sulfur activated by Et3N/DMSO. This expeditious catalyst-free reaction proceeds through the formation of β-carboline-based 2-nitrochalcones followed by an incorporation of sulfur to generate multifunctional β-carboline-linked benzothiophenones in good to excellent yields. The synthetic strategy could also be extended towards the synthesis of β-carboline-linked benzothiophenes. Moreover, the afforded products emerged as promising fluorophores and displayed excellent light-emitting properties with quantum yields (ΦF) up to 47%.

A transition metal-free approach towards the regioselective synthesis of β-carboline tethered pyrroles and 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrroles

A transition metal-free one-pot sequential approach has been unfolded for the synthesis of β-carboline tethered pyrroles and 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrroles by using highly diverse 1-formyl-9H-β-carbolines as a template.

A transition metal-free approach towards synthesis of β-carboline tethered 1,3,4-oxadiazoles via oxidative C–O bond formation

An efficient protocol has been developed for one-pot synthesis of biologically interesting β-carboline substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles via an I₂-assisted oxidative C–O bond formation strategy.

An AcOH-mediated metal free approach towards the synthesis of bis-carbolines and imidazopyridoindole derivatives and assessment of their photophysical properties

A concise, atom-economical and environmentally sustainable tandem strategy has been formulated to access highly fluorescent (Φ_F up to 40%) target molecules via the formation of three C–N bonds in a single operation.

ZnO-NP assisted synthesis of fluorescent β-carboline C-1 tethered benzimidazole/benzothiazole/benzoxazole derivatives and assessment of their photophysical properties

A facile transformation of 1-formyl β-carboline into fluorescent β-carboline C-1 tethered benzazole derivatives is described under the catalysis of ZnO nanoparticles.

The synthesis of imidazo[1,5-a]quinolinesviaa decarboxylative cyclization under metal-free conditions

An iodine-mediated decarboxylative cyclization was developed from α-amino acids and 2-methyl quinolines under metal-free conditions, affording a variety of imidazo[1,5-a]quinolines with moderate to good yields.

An iodine-mediated decarboxylative cyclization was developed from α-amino acids and 2-methyl quinolines under metal-free conditions, affording a variety of imidazo[1,5-a]quinolines with moderate to good yields.

Application of α-amino acids for the transition-metal-free synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines

A practical and concise protocol for the efficient synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines from readily available α-amino acids and 2-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)anilines under transition metal-free conditions has been established. This protocol, which includes the formation of new C–C and C–N bonds, features a wide substrate scope with a broad range of functional group tolerance.