General synthesis of 2,1-benzisoxazoles (anthranils) from nitroarenes and benzylic C-H acids in aprotic media promoted by combination of strong bases and silylating agents

Simple and versatile electrochemical synthesis of highly substituted 2,1-benzisoxazoles

A sustainable, general and scalable electrochemical protocol for direct access to 3-(acylamidoalkyl)-2,1-benzisoxazoles by cathodic reduction of widely accessible nitro arenes is established. The method is characterised by a simple undivided set-up under constant current conditions, inexpensive and reusable carbon-based electrodes, and environmentally benign reaction conditions. The versatility of the developed protocol is demonstrated on 39 highly diverse examples with up to 81% yield. A 50-fold scale-up electrolysis highlights its relevance for preparative applications.

Exploiting Nitroreductases for the Tailored Photoenzymatic Synthesis of Structurally Diverse Heterocyclic Compounds

N-heterocyclic compounds have a broad range of applications and their selective synthesis is very appealing for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Herein we report the usage of the flavin-dependent nitroreductase BaNTR1 for the photoenzymatic synthesis of various anthranils and quinolines from retro-synthetically designed o-nitrophenyl-substituted carbonyl substrates, achieving high conversions (up to >99 %) and good product yields (up to 96 %). Whereas the effective production of anthranils required the inclusion of H2O2 in the reaction mixtures to accumulate the needed hydroxylamine intermediates, the formation of quinolines required the use of anaerobic or reducing conditions to efficiently generate the essential amine intermediates. Critical to our success was the high chemoselectivity of BaNTR1, performing selective reduction of the nitro group without reduction of the carbonyl moiety or the activated carbon-carbon double bond. The results highlight the usefulness of an innocuous chlorophyll- and nitroreductase-based photoenzymatic system for the tailored synthesis of diverse N-heterocycles from simple nitro compounds.

Monoamine oxidase inhibition properties of 2,1-benzisoxazole derivatives

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) are flavoenzymes that metabolize neurotransmitter, dietary and xenobiotic amines to their corresponding aldehydes with the production of hydrogen peroxide. Two isoforms, MAO-A and MAO-B, are expressed in humans and mammals, and display different substrate and inhibitor specificities as well as different physiological roles. MAO inhibitors are of much therapeutic value and are used for the treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, and Parkinson's disease. To discover MAO inhibitors with good potencies and interesting isoform specificities, the present study synthesized a series of 2,1-benzisoxazole (anthranil) derivatives and evaluated them as in vitro inhibitors of human MAO. The compounds were in most instances specific inhibitors of MAO-B with the most potent MAO-B inhibition observed for 7a (IC50 = 0.017 µM) and 7b (IC50 = 0.098 µM). The most potent MAO-A inhibition was observed for 3l (IC50 = 5.35 µM) and 5 (IC50 = 3.29 µM). It is interesting to note that 3-(2-aminoethoxy)-1,2-benzisoxazole derivatives, the 1,2-benzisoxazole, zonisamide, as well as the isoxazole compound, leflunomide, have been described as MAO inhibitors. This is however the first report of MAO inhibition by derivatives of the 2,1-benzisoxazole structural isomer.

Analogy of the Reactions of Aromatic and Aliphatic π-Electrophiles with Nucleophiles

The aim of this essay is to disclose the similarity of a great variety of reactions that proceed between nucleophiles and π-electrophiles-both aromatic and aliphatic. These reactions proceed via initial reversible addition, followed by a variety of transformations that are common for the adducts of both aliphatic and aromatic electrophiles. We hope that understanding of this analogy should help to expand the scope of the known reactions and inspire the search for new reactions that were overlooked.

TfOH-Promoted Decyanative Cyclization toward the Synthesis of 2,1-Benzisoxazoles

A novel solvent-free, TfOH-promoted decyanative cyclization approach for the synthesis of 2,1-benzisoxazoles has been developed. The reactions are complete instantly at room temperature and result in the formation of the desired 2,1-benzisoxazoles in a 34-97% isolated yield.

Metal-free tandem reactions of 2-iodoaryl ynones with sodium azide for the synthesis of benzoisoxazole containing 1,2,3-triazoles

A metal-free approach has been developed for the synthesis of benzo[c]isoxazole (anthranils) containing 1,2,3-triazoles. The reaction proceeded efficiently through a [3 + 2] azide-alkyne cycloaddition, SNAr azidation and denitrogenative cyclization sequence. The metal-free protocol enabled effective construction of one N-O and three C-N bonds in one pot. In addition, the synthetic utility of the current methodology was further demonstrated by late stage modification of the obtained products.

Electrophilic and Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitutions are Mechanistically Similar with Opposite Polarity

Confrontation of the recently formulated general mechanism of nucleophilic substitution in electron-deficient arenes with the well-known mechanism of electrophilic substitution revealed that these fundamental processes are mechanistically identical but proceed according to opposite polarity-an Umpolung relation. In this viewpoint this apparently controversial concept is supported by discussion of a variety of experimental results.

Introduction of Carbon Substituents into Nitroarenes via Nucleophilic Substitution of Hydrogen: New Developments

Nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen in nitroarenes has become a powerful synthetic tool for functionalization of these important organic substrates, complementary to other modern methods. In this review we present new developments in the area of introduction of alkyl and functionalized alkyl substituents into nitroarene rings via nucleo­philic substitution of hydrogen, followed by application of these processes in the construction of carbo- and heterocyclic rings. Finally, new developments in the investigation of the mechanism of SNArH are summarized.

1 Introduction

2 Alkylation and Haloalkylation

3 Functionalized Carbon Substituents

4 Formation of Carbo- and Heterocyclic Rings

5 Mechanistic Aspects of SNArH

6 Conclusion

Transition-metal-free [3 + 3] annulation of indol-2-ylmethyl carbanions to nitroarenes. A novel synthesis of indolo[3,2-b]quinolines (quindolines)

Indol-2-ylmethyl carbanions stabilized by alkoxycarbonyl, cyano or benzenesulfonyl groups react with nitroarenes to form σ^H-adducts, which in the presence of base (triethylamine or DBU) and trimethylchlorosilane transform into indolo[3,2-b]quinoline derivatives in moderate to good yields.

Diverting Reactive Intermediates Toward Unusual Chemistry: Unexpected Anthranil Products from Davis-Beirut Reaction

The discovery of a new variation on the Davis-Beirut reaction is described in which an atypical heterocyclic framework (the anthranil or benzo[c]isoxazole framework) is formed as the result of diversion of a key reactive intermediate away from its expected reactivity-a potentially general approach to reaction design and development. Experimental and computational support for the proposed mechanism and origins of altered reactivity are described.

Synthesis of 2,1-benzisoxazole-3(1H)-ones by base-mediated photochemical N-O bond-forming cyclization of 2-azidobenzoic acids

The base-mediated photochemical cyclization of 2-azidobenzoic acids with the formation of 2,1-benzisoxazole-3(1H)-ones is reported. The optimization and scope of this cyclization reaction is discussed. It is shown that an essential step of the ring closure of 2-azidobenzoic acids is the formation and photolysis of 2-azidobenzoate anions.

Simple synthesis 11-substituted norcryptotackieine derivatives

11-Substituted indolo[2,3-b]quinolines were obtained in reactions ofN-protected indol-3-yl-acetonitrile, -acetate, and -methylsulfone with nitrobenzene derivatives in presence of base and trialkylchlorosilanes.