The Reactivity of 2-Fluoro- and 2-Chloropyridines toward Sodium Ethoxide: Factors Governing the Rates of Nucleophilic (Het)Aromatic Substitutions

A General Synthesis of Dihydronaphthyridinones with Aryl-Substituted Quaternary Benzylic Centers

A variety of 7,8-dihydro-1,6-naphthyridin-5(6H)-ones and 3,4-dihydro-2,7-naphthyridin-1(2H)-ones with quaternary centers and aryl substitutions at the benzylic carbon were synthesized with a new 3-step, 2-pot method. The first step is an S_NAr using widely available 2- and 4-chloronicotinate esters and tertiary benzylic nitriles. The last two steps are a one-pot selective nitrile reduction in the presence of various heterocycles followed by a lactam ring closure of the free amine on the ester.

An Orthogonal Synthetic Approach to Nonsymmetrical Bisazolyl 2,4,6-Trisubstituted Pyridines

A three-step synthetic route giving access to nonsymmetrical bisazolyl 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyridines with different substituents on the pyrazole, indazole, and pyridine heterocycles is described. From the readily available 4-bromo-2,6-difluoropyridine, both fluorine atoms allow for easy selective stepwise substitution, and the bromine atom provides easy access to additional functionalities through both Suzuki and Sonogashira Pd(0) cross-coupling reactions. These synthons represent optimal structures as building blocks in complexation and metalloorganic structures for the tuning of their chelating and photophysical properties.

Ruthenium (II) and Iridium (III) Complexes of N-Heterocyclic Carbene and Pyridinol Derived Bidentate Chelates: Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity

We report the synthesis and characterization of new ruthenium(II) and iridium(III) complexes of a new bidentate chelate, NHCR'-pyOR (OR = OMe, OtBu, OH and R' = Me, Et). Synthesis and characterization studies were done on the following compounds: four ligand precursors (1-4); two silver complexes of these NHCR'-pyOR ligands (5-7); six ruthenium complexes of the type [η6-(p-cymene)Ru(NHCR'-pyOR)Cl]X with R' = Me, Et and R = Me, tBu, H and X = OTf-, PF6- and PO2F2- (8-13); and two iridium complexes, [Cp*Ir(NHCMe-pyOtBu)Cl]PF6 (14) and [Cp*Ir(NHCMe-pyOH)Cl]PO2F2 (15). The complexes are air stable and were isolated in moderate yield. However, for the PF6- salts, hydrolysis of the PF6- counter anion to PO2F2- during t-butyl ether deprotection was observed. Most of the complexes were characterized by 1H and 13C-NMR, MS, IR, and X-ray diffraction. The ruthenium complexes [η6-(p-cymene)Ru(NHCMe-pyOR)Cl]OTf (R = Me (8) and tBu (9)) were tested for their ability to accelerate CO2 hydrogenation and formic acid dehydrogenation. However, our studies show that the complexes transform during the reaction and these complexes are best thought of as pre-catalysts.

Practical application of 3-substituted-2,6-difluoropyridines in drug discovery: Facile synthesis of novel protein kinase C theta inhibitors

We previously reported a facile preparation method of 3-substituted-2,6-difluoropyridines, which were easily converted to 2,3,6-trisubstituted pyridines by nucleophilic aromatic substitution with good regioselectivity and yield. In this study, we demonstrate the synthetic utility of 3-substituted-2,6-difluoropyridines in drug discovery via their application in the synthesis of various 2,3,6-trisubstituted pyridines, including macrocyclic derivatives, as novel protein kinase C theta inhibitors in a moderate to good yield. This synthetic approach is useful for the preparation of 2,3,6-trisubstituted pyridines, which are a popular scaffold for drug candidates and biologically attractive compounds.

Iridium and Ruthenium Complexes of N-Heterocyclic Carbene- and Pyridinol-Derived Chelates as Catalysts for Aqueous Carbon Dioxide Hydrogenation and Formic Acid Dehydrogenation: The Role of the Alkali Metal

Hydrogenation reactions can be used to store energy in chemical bonds, and if these reactions are reversible, that energy can be released on demand. Some of the most effective transition metal catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation have featured pyridin-2-ol-based ligands (e.g., 6,6'-dihydroxybipyridine (6,6'-dhbp)) for both their proton-responsive features and for metal-ligand bifunctional catalysis. We aimed to compare bidentate pyridin-2-ol based ligands with a new scaffold featuring an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) bound to pyridin-2-ol. Toward this aim, we have synthesized a series of [Cp*Ir(NHC-pyOR)Cl]OTf complexes where R = t Bu (1), H (2), or Me (3). For comparison, we tested analogous bipy-derived iridium complexes as catalysts, specifically [Cp*Ir(6,6'-dxbp)Cl]OTf, where x = hydroxy (4Ir ) or methoxy (5Ir ); 4Ir was reported previously, but 5Ir is new. The analogous ruthenium complexes were also tested using [(η6-cymene)Ru(6,6'-dxbp)Cl]OTf, where x = hydroxy (4Ru ) or methoxy (5Ru ); 4Ru and 5Ru were both reported previously. All new complexes were fully characterized by spectroscopic and analytical methods and by single-crystal X-ray diffraction for 1, 2, 3, 5Ir , and for two [Ag(NHC-pyOR)2]OTf complexes 6 (R = t Bu) and 7 (R = Me). The aqueous catalytic studies of both CO2 hydrogenation and formic acid dehydrogenation were performed with catalysts 1-5. In general, NHC-pyOR complexes 1-3 were modest precatalysts for both reactions. NHC complexes 1-3 all underwent transformations under basic CO2 hydrogenation conditions, and for 3, we trapped a product of its transformation, 3SP , which we characterized crystallographically. For CO2 hydrogenation with base and dxbp-based catalysts, we observed that x = hydroxy (4Ir ) is 5-8 times more active than x = methoxy (5Ir ). Notably, ruthenium complex 4Ru showed 95% of the activity of 4Ir . For formic acid dehydrogenation, the trends were quite different with catalytic activity showing 4Ir ≫ 4Ru and 4Ir ≈ 5Ir . Secondary coordination sphere effects are important under basic hydrogenation conditions where the OH groups of 6,6'-dhbp are deprotonated and alkali metals can bind and help to activate CO2. Computational DFT studies have confirmed these trends and have been used to study the mechanisms of both CO2 hydrogenation and formic acid dehydrogenation.

Synthesis and electronic investigation of mono- and di-substituted 4-nitro- and 4-amino-pyrazol-1-yl bis(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine-type ligands and luminescent Eu(iii) derivatives

The synthesis of nitro- and amino-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridines was achieved, allowing for tuning of frontier orbital energies and Eu(iii) complex spectroscopic investigations.

Synthesis and late-stage functionalization of complex molecules through C-H fluorination and nucleophilic aromatic substitution

We report the late-stage functionalization of multisubstituted pyridines and diazines at the position α to nitrogen. By this process, a series of functional groups and substituents bound to the ring through nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, or carbon are installed. This functionalization is accomplished by a combination of fluorination and nucleophilic aromatic substitution of the installed fluoride. A diverse array of functionalities can be installed because of the mild reaction conditions revealed for nucleophilic aromatic substitutions (S(N)Ar) of the 2-fluoroheteroarenes. An evaluation of the rates for substitution versus the rates for competitive processes provides a framework for planning this functionalization sequence. This process is illustrated by the modification of a series of medicinally important compounds, as well as the increase in efficiency of synthesis of several existing pharmaceuticals.

Synthesis and radical coupling of pyridine-bridged π-extended tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-type donors and push–pull analogues

A new family of pi-extended TTF analogues (3a-c) and D-pi-A chromophores (5a-c), in which the electroactive units (1,3-dithiole rings and 2,2-dicyanovinyl groups) are connected through a pyridine bridge with a meta substitution pattern, is reported. The redox behavior of these compounds has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and theoretical calculations performed at the B3P86/6-31G** level. Unlike many pi-extended TTF derivatives, the 1,3-dithiole rings in compounds 3a-c do not behave independently and two oxidation processes are observed with an anodic separation ranging from 50 to 150 mV. Calculations show that electrons are equally extracted from both dithiole rings. A biradical structure is predicted for the dication state due to the near-degeneracy of the HOMO and HOMO - 1 orbitals. The presence of both donor (D) and acceptor (A) fragments in conjugates results in irreversible oxidation and reduction processes associated with the 1,3-dithiole ring and with the 2,2-dicyanovinyl moiety, respectively. An electrochemical-chemical-electrochemical (ECE) process takes place for all the compounds reported. The chemical process implies the dimerization of the radical cation for compounds 5 and the oligomerization of the biradical dication for compounds 3. The ECE process therefore generates new neutral dimeric (5) or oligomeric (3) species that incorporate the TTF vinylogue core.