The Influence of Imidazolylidene Ligands with Bulky Resorcinarenyl Substituents on Catalysts for ­Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling

PEPPSI complexes as potential prodrugs: enzyme inhibition, antioxidant activity, electrochemical characterization, molecular docking analysis

In this study, enzyme inhibition and antioxidant activity analyzes of previously characterized pyridine-enhanced precatalyst preparation stabilization and initiation (PEPPSI)-type Palladium(II) complexes with benzimidazole-type ligands {dichloro[L]pyridine palladium(II), L1: 1-(2-methyl-2-propenyl)-3-[benzylbenzimidazole]-2-ylidene, L2: 1-(2-methyl-2-propenyl)-3-[4-chloro benzylbenzimidazole]-2-ylidene, L3: 1-(2-methyl-2-propenyl)-3-[3-methylbenzylbenzimidazole]-2-ylidene, L4: 1-(2-methyl-2-propenyl)-3-[3,4,5-thrimethoxybenzylbenzimidazole]-2-ylidene, L5: 1-(2-methyl-2-propenyl)-3-[3-naphthylbenzylbenzimidazole]-2-ylidene, L6: 1-(2-methyl-2-propenyl)-3-[anthracen-9-ylmethylbenzimidazole]-2-ylidene} were performed and evaluated as potential drugs for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease. Inhibition of tyrosinase enzyme of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) complexes was determined for the first time in literature. Chelating activities of the complexes were determined and compared with EDTA. Electrochemical characterization was performed using cyclic voltammetry method. Moreover, global reactivity descriptors and electronic transitions were evaluated by DFT/TDDFT methods and molecular docking interactions with human acetylcholine esterase, human butyrylcholine esterase and oxidoreductase were studied.

Calixarene-supported Pd–NHC complexes as efficient catalysts for scalable Suzuki–Miyaura cross-couplings

Calixarene-supported PEPPSI-catalysts deliver high yielding and almost Pd trace-free Suzuki–Miyaura coupling products.

Catalytic Preparation of 1-Aryl-Substituted 1,2,4-Triazolium Salts

1,4-Diaryl- and 1-aryl-4-alkyl-substituted 1,2,4-triazolium salts are convenient air-stable precursors to carbenes used both as organocatalysts or as ligands for transition metal complexes. Traditionally, they are prepared via a multistep synthetic pathway with the low-yielding formation of the triazolium ring occurring in the last step. We have developed an alternative two-step synthesis involving the conversion of a primary amine or aniline derivative to the corresponding 4-substituted triazole followed by a copper-catalyzed arylation with diaryliodonium salts. This transition metal-catalyzed arylation can be carried out under mild conditions in acetonitrile and is tolerant toward both water and oxygen. Additionally, the high functional group tolerance of the protocol described here gives easy access to triazolium salts containing heterocyclic substituents or sulfides.

Synthesis of the First Resorcin[4]arene-Functionalized Triazolium Salts and Their Use in Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reactions

Two bulky triazolium salts, namely 1-{4(24),6(10),12(16),18(22)-tetramethylenedioxy- 2,8,14,20-tetrapentylresorcin[4]arene-5-yl}-4-phenyl-3-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazolium tetrafluoro borate (1) and 1,4-bis{4(24),6(10),12(16),18(22)-tetramethylenedioxy-2,8,14,20-tetrapentyl resorcin[4]arene-5-yl}-3-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazolium iodide (2), have been synthesized and assessed in the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of aryl chlorides, with aryl boronic acids. As a general trend, the reaction rates obtained with 1 were significantly higher (up to 5 times) than those observed for 2, this mainly reflected a sterically more accessible metal center in the catalytic intermediates formed with 1. The presence of flexible pentyl chains in these intermediates, which might sterically interact with the metal center, when the latter adopts an exo-orientation with respect to the cavity, were likely responsible for the observed good performance.

Metal Confinement through N-(9-Alkyl)fluorenyl-Substituted N-Heterocyclic Carbenes and Its Consequences in Gold-Catalysed Reactions Involving Enynes

A series of gold(I) and gold(III) complexes containing bulky bis-N,N'-(9-alkylfluorenyl) heterocyclic carbene (^R F-NHC) ligands have been prepared in high yields from appropriate imidazolinium, imidazolium and benzimidazolium salts. In all complexes, the carbene ligand provides high steric protection of the Au-X bond trans to the carbenic C atom. Irrespective of the metal oxidation state, the complexes showed high efficiency in a tandem 3,3-rearrangement/Nazarov reaction of an enynyl acetate. One of the Au^III complexes, [AuCl₃ (^R F-NHC)], was further found to be suitable for the efficient cyclisation of a propargylcarboxamide. Furthermore, unlike related NHC-gold(I) complexes based on conventional bulky N-heterocyclic carbenes (notably, 1,3-bis-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene (IPr), 1,3-bis-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene (IMes) and 1,3-(bis-tert-butyl)imidazol-2-ylidene (ItBu)), the studied [Au^I Cl(^R F-NHC)] complexes catalysed the conversion of a 1,6-enyne in the presence of indole into a single product; this arises from the embracing character of the ligand, which prevents indole addition on one of the catalytic intermediates. A structure/selectivity relationship was established for all carbenes tested that took into account percent buried volumes and topographic steric maps. The results illustrate the high potential of confining NHCs in organic synthesis.