Synthesis of 2‐Hydroxy‐1,4‐oxazin‐3‐ones through Ring Transformation of 3‐Hydroxy‐4‐(1,2‐dihydroxyethyl)‐β‐lactams and a Study of Their Reactivity

Formation of Fluorinated Amido Esters through Unexpected C3-C4 Bond Fission in 4-Trifluoromethyl-3-oxo-β-lactams

4-Trifluoromethyl-3-oxo-β-lactams were unexpectedly transformed into 2-[(2,2-difluorovinyl)amino]-2-oxoacetates as major products, accompanied by minor amounts of 2-oxo-2-[(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)amino]acetates, upon treatment with alkyl halides and triethylamine in DMSO. This peculiar C3-C4 bond fission reactivity was investigated in-depth, from both an experimental and a computational point of view, in order to shed light on the underlying reaction mechanism.

The conformations of new CF3 and CF3-CHF containing amides derived from carbohydrates: NMR, crystallographic and DFT study

A new convenient synthetic procedure for the preparation of tri- and tetrafluoropropanamides derived from sugars has been described.

A nitrilase-mediated entry to 4-carboxymethyl-β-lactams from chemically prepared 4-(cyanomethyl)azetidin-2-ones

4-(Cyanomethyl)azetidin-2-ones were efficiently prepared from 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-d-mannitol, followed by a nitrilase-catalyzed hydrolysis to 4-carboxymethyl β-lactams without affecting the sensitive four-membered ring system.

Synthesis of 2-aryl-3-(2-cyanoethyl)aziridines and their chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis towards γ-lactams and γ-lactones

Trans- andcis-2-aryl-3-(2-cyanoethyl)aziridines were transformed into 4-[aryl(alkylamino)methyl]butyrolactones and/or 5-[aryl(hydroxy)methyl]pyrrolidin-2-onesviachemical and enzymatic hydrolysis of the cyano group, followed by ring expansion.

Exploration of aziridine- and β-lactam-based hybrids as both bioactive substances and synthetic intermediates in medicinal chemistry

The concept of pharmacophore hybridization is attracting an increasing interest from medicinal chemists. Whereas the main motivation for the application of this methodology relates to the pharmacological advantages associated with hybrid molecules, molecular hybridization can also deliver a synthetic advantage through selective chemical modification of the more reactive entity within hybrid systems. Moreover, if both features are combined, new hybrid structures result displaying both a biological and a synthetic benefit, and elaboration of this methodology might culminate in structural diversity and chemical novelty. In this perspective, a new approach based on hybrid structures combining a biologically interesting yet rather chemically reactive nucleus with a privileged heterocyclic scaffold is discussed by means of β-lactam-purine chimeras useful in antiviral research and aziridine-(iso)quinoline hybrids for antimalarial purposes.