Novel Access to Known and Unknown Thiourea Catalyst via a Multicomponent‐Reaction Approach

Non-isocyanate polyurethanes synthesized from terpenes using thiourea organocatalysis and thiol-ene-chemistry

The depletion of fossil resources as well as environmental concerns contribute to an increasing focus on finding more sustainable approaches for the synthesis of polymeric materials. In this work, a synthesis route towards non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) using renewable starting materials is presented. Based on the terpenes limonene and carvone as renewable resources, five-membered cyclic carbonates are synthesized and ring-opened with allylamine, using thiourea compounds as benign and efficient organocatalysts. Thus, five renewable AA monomers are obtained, bearing one or two urethane units. Taking advantage of the terminal double bonds of these AA monomers, step-growth thiol-ene polymerization is performed using different dithiols, to yield NIPUs with molecular weights of above 10 kDa under mild conditions. Variation of the dithiol and amine leads to polymers with different properties, with Mn of up to 31 kDa and Tg's ranging from 1 to 29 °C.

Technetium Complexes with an Isocyano-alkyne Ligand and Its Reaction Products

The attachment of an ethyne substituent in the para position of phenylisocyanide, CNPh^pC≡CH, enables the isocyanide to replace carbonyl ligands in the coordination sphere of common technetium(I) starting materials such as (NBu₄)[Tc₂(μ-Cl)₃(CO)₆]. The ligand exchange proceeds under thermal conditions and finally forms the corresponding hexakis(isocyanide)technetium(I) complex. The product undergoes a copper-catalyzed cycloaddition ("Click" reaction), e.g., with benzyl azide, which gives the [Tc(CNPh^azole)₆]⁺ cation. The free, uncoordinated "Click" product is obtained from a reaction of the corresponding tetrakis(CNPh^azole)copper(I) complex and NaCN. It readily reacts with mer-[Tc(CO)₃(tht)(PPh₃)₂](BF₄) (tht = tetrahydrothiophene) under exchange of the thioether ligand. Alternatively, [Cu(CNPh^azole)₄]⁺ can be used as a transmetalation reagent for the synthesis of the hexakis(isocyanide)technetium(I) complex, which is the preferable approach for the synthesis of the technetium complex with the short-lived nuclear isomer ^99mTc, and a corresponding protocol for [^99mTc(CNPh^azole)₆]⁺ is reported. The ⁹⁹Tc and copper complexes have been studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and/or spectroscopic methods including IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy.

sp2-Iminosugars targeting human lysosomal β-hexosaminidase as pharmacological chaperone candidates for late-onset Tay-Sachs disease

The late-onset form of Tay-Sachs disease displays when the activity levels of human β-hexosaminidase A (HexA) fall below 10% of normal, due to mutations that destabilise the native folded form of the enzyme and impair its trafficking to the lysosome. Competitive inhibitors of HexA can rescue disease-causative mutant HexA, bearing potential as pharmacological chaperones, but often also inhibit the enzyme O-glucosaminidase (GlcNAcase; OGA), a serious drawback for translation into the clinic. We have designed sp²-iminosugar glycomimetics related to GalNAc that feature a neutral piperidine-derived thiourea or a basic piperidine-thiazolidine bicyclic core and behave as selective nanomolar competitive inhibitors of human Hex A at pH 7 with a ten-fold lower inhibitory potency at pH 5, a good indication for pharmacological chaperoning. They increased the levels of lysosomal HexA activity in Tay-Sachs patient fibroblasts having the G269S mutation, the highest prevalent in late-onset Tay-Sachs disease.

A more sustainable isothiocyanate synthesis by amine catalyzed sulfurization of isocyanides with elemental sulfur

Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are typically prepared using amines and highly toxic reagents such as thiophosgene, its derivatives, or CS2. In this work, an investigation of a multicomponent reaction (MCR) using isocyanides, elemental sulfur and amines revealed that isocyanides can be converted to isothiocyanates using sulfur and catalytic amounts of amine bases, especially DBU (down to 2 mol%). This new catalytic reaction was optimized in terms of sustainability, especially considering benign solvents such as Cyrene™ or γ-butyrolactone (GBL) under moderate heating (40 °C). Purification by column chromatography was further optimized to generate less waste by maintaining high purity of the product. Thus, E-factors as low as 0.989 were achieved and the versatility of this straightforward procedure was shown by converting 20 different isocyanides under catalytic conditions, while obtaining moderate to high yields (34-95%).

Continuous-Flow Synthesis of Thioureas, Enabled by Aqueous Polysulfide Solution

We have developed the continuous-flow synthesis of thioureas in a multicomponent reaction starting from isocyanides, amidines, or amines and sulfur. The aqueous polysulfide solution enabled the application of sulfur under homogeneous and mild conditions. The crystallized products were isolated by simple filtration after the removal of the co-solvent, and the sulfur retained in the mother liquid. Presenting a wide range of thioureas synthesized by this procedure confirms the utility of the convenient continuous-flow application of sulfur.