Understanding the Aldo-Enediolate Tautomerism of Glycolaldehyde in Basic Aqueous Solutions

Acceptorless dehydrogenative condensation: synthesis of indoles and quinolines from diols and anilines

The use of diols and anilines as reagents for the preparation of indoles represents a challenge in organic synthesis. By means of acceptorless dehydrogenative condensation, heterocycles, such as indoles, can be obtained. Herein we present an experimental and theoretical study for this purpose employing heterogeneous catalysts Pt/Al2O3 and ZnO in combination with an acid catalyst (p-TSA) and NMP as solvent. Under our optimized conditions, the diol excess has been reduced down to 2 equivalents. This represents a major advance, and allows the use of other diols. 2,3-Butanediol or 1,2-cyclohexanediol has been employed affording 2,3-dimethyl indoles and tetrahydrocarbazoles. In addition, 1,3-propanediol has been employed to prepare quinolines or natural and synthetic julolidines.

Straight Access to Indoles from Anilines and Ethylene Glycol by Heterogeneous Acceptorless Dehydrogenative Condensation

The development of original strategies for the preparation of indole derivatives is a major goal in drug design. Herein, we report the first straight access to indoles from anilines and ethylene glycol by heterogeneous catalysis, based on an acceptorless dehydrogenative condensation, under noninert conditions. In order to achieve high selectivity, a combination of Pt/Al₂O₃ and ZnO have been found to slowly dehydrogenate ethylene glycol generating, after condensation with the amine and tautomeric equilibrium, the corresponding pyrrole-ring unsubstituted indoles.

Isomer activation controls stereospecificity of class I fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolases

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) aldolase, a glycolytic enzyme, catalyzes the reversible and stereospecific aldol addition of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and d-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (d-G3P) by an unresolved mechanism. To afford insight into the molecular determinants of FBP aldolase stereospecificity during aldol addition, a key ternary complex formed by DHAP and d-G3P, comprising 2% of the equilibrium population at physiological pH, was cryotrapped in the active site of Toxoplasma gondii aldolase crystals to high resolution. The growth of T. gondii aldolase crystals in acidic conditions enabled trapping of the ternary complex as a dominant population. The obligate 3(S)-4(R) stereochemistry at the nascent C3-C4 bond of FBP requires a si-face attack by the covalent DHAP nucleophile on the d-G3P aldehyde si-face in the active site. The cis-isomer of the d-G3P aldehyde, representing the dominant population trapped in the ternary complex, would lead to re-face attack on the aldehyde and yield tagatose 1,6-bisphosphate, a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme. We propose that unhindered rotational isomerization by the d-G3P aldehyde moiety in the ternary complex generates the active trans-isomer competent for carbonyl bond activation by active-site residues, thereby enabling si-face attack by the DHAP enamine. C-C bond formation by the cis-isomer is suppressed by hydrogen bonding of the cis-aldehyde carbonyl with the DHAP enamine phosphate dianion through a tetrahedrally coordinated water molecule. The active site geometry further suppresses C-C bond formation with the l-G3P enantiomer of d-G3P. Understanding C-C formation is of fundamental importance in biological reactions and has considerable relevance to biosynthetic reactions in organic chemistry.