Indium(0)-Mediated C sp 3-S/O Cross-Coupling Approach Towards the Regioselective Alkylation of α-Enolic Esters/Dithioesters: A Mechanistic Insight

A decade update on the application of β-oxodithioesters in heterocyclic synthesis

The diverse synthesis of heterocyclic compounds has always been one of the popular subjects of organic chemistry. To this end, great efforts have been devoted to developing new reagents and establishing new strategies and methods concerning efficiency, selectivity and sustainability. β-Oxodithioesters and their enol tautomers (i.e., α-enolic dithioesters), as a class of simple and readily accessible sulfur-containing synthons, have been widely applied in the construction of various five- and six-membered heterocycles (e.g., thiophenes, thiopyrans, thiazoles, pyridines and quinolines) and other useful open-chain frameworks. Due to their unique chemical structures, β-oxodithioesters bear multiple reaction sites, which enable them to participate in two-component or multicomponent reactions to construct various heterocyclic compounds. In the past decade, the application of β-oxodithioesters in the synthesis of heterocycles has made remarkable progress. Herein, an update on the recent advances in the application of β-oxodithioesters in the synthesis of heterocycles during the period from 2013 to 2023/06 is provided. According to the different types of rings concerning heteroatoms in products, this review is divided into five sections under discussion including (i) synthesis of sulfur-containing heterocycles, (ii) synthesis of sulfur and nitrogen-containing heterocycles, (iii) synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles, (iv) synthesis of nitrogen and oxygen-containing heterocycles, and (v) modification to other open-chain frameworks.

Magnesium catalyzed [3 + 3] heteroannulation of α-enolic dithioesters with MBH acetate: access to functionalized 3,4-dihydro-2H-thiopyrans

Magnesium catalysis proved to be efficient towards [3 + 3] chemo- and diastereoselective heteroannulation employing racemic Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) acetate as the C3 unit and α-enolic dithioester as the C2S1 unit, leading to highly substituted 3,4-dihydro-2H-thiopyrans in excellent yields. The compatibility with a wide range of functional groups makes this domino formation of C-C and C-S bonds interesting. DFT analyses for the regioselective formation of the intermediate was performed.

Synthesis of Coumarin and Homoisoflavonoid Derivatives and Analogs: The Search for New Antifungal Agents

A set of twenty-four synthetic derivatives, with coumarin and homoisoflavonoid cores and structural analogs, were submitted for evaluation of antifungal activity against various species of Candida. The broth microdilution test was used to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the compounds and to verify the possible antifungal action mechanisms. The synthetic derivatives were obtained using various reaction methods, and six new compounds were obtained. The structures of the synthesized products were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy: ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and HRMS. The coumarin derivative 8 presented the best antifungal profile, suggesting that the pentyloxy substituent at the C-7 position of coumarin ring could potentiate the bioactivity. Compound 8 was then evaluated against the biofilm of C. tropicalis ATCC 13803, which showed a statistically significant reduction in biofilm at concentrations of 0.268 µmol/mL and 0.067 µmol/mL, when compared to the growth control group. For a better understanding of their antifungal activity, compounds 8 and 21 were submitted to a study of the mode of action on the fungal cell wall and plasma membrane. It was observed that neither compound interacted directly with ergosterol present in the fungal plasma membrane or with the fungal cell wall. This suggests that their bioactivity was due to interaction involving other pharmacological targets. Compound 8 was also subjected to a molecular modeling study, which showed that its antifungal action mechanism occurred mainly through interference in the redox balance of the fungal cell, and by compromising the plasma membrane; not by direct interaction, but by interference in ergosterol synthesis. Another important finding was the antifungal capacity of homoisoflavonoids 23 and 24. Derivative 23 presented slightly higher antifungal activity, possibly due to the presence of the methoxyl substituent in the meta position in ring B.

Synthesis and characterization of new square planar heteroleptic cationic complexes [Ni(ii) β-oxodithioester-dppe]+; their use as a catalyst for Chan–Lam coupling

Six new structurally characterized heteroleptic cationic [Ni(ii) β-oxodithioester-dppe]⁺PF₆⁻ complexes as efficient catalysts for Chan–Lam coupling reaction affording N-arylated products with significant functional group tolerance.

Access to Fully Substituted Thiazoles and 2,3-Dihydrothiazoles via Copper-Catalyzed [4 + 1] Heterocyclization of α-(N-Hydroxy/aryl)imino-β-oxodithioesters with α-Diazocarbonyls

An efficient chemoselective practical route to fully substituted thiazoles and 2,3-dihydrothiazoles has been devised by [4 + 1] heterocyclization of α-(N-hydroxy/aryl)imino-β-oxodithioesters with in situ generated Cu-carbenoids of diazocarbonyls. The α-(N-hydroxy/aryl)imino-β-oxodithioesters are readily accessible by the reaction of β-oxodithioesters with nitrous acid/nitrosoarenes. The overall transformation involves sequential N-O/C-N bonds cleavage followed by cascade C-N/C-S bonds formation in one-pot. This new strategy allows full control over the introduction of various sensitive functional groups at different positions of the thiazole ring, broadening the arsenal of synthetic methods to obtain such scaffolds.

Influence of the ligand frameworks on the coordination environment and properties of new phenylmercury(ii) β-oxodithioester complexes

New luminescent PhHg(ii) dithioester complexes1–3have been synthesized and their crystal structures revealed O,S-coordination in1and2whereas less preferred S,S-coordination is observed in3. The keto-form of β-oxodithioester ligands is stabilized in these complexes.