Identification of potent, highly constrained CGRP receptor antagonists

Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Hydantoins: The State of the Art of a Valuable Scaffold

The review highlights the hydantoin syntheses presented from the point of view of the preparation methods. Novel synthetic routes to various hydantoin structures, the advances brought to the classical methods in the aim of producing more sustainable and environmentally friendly procedures for the preparation of these biomolecules, and a critical comparison of the different synthetic approaches developed in the last twelve years are also described. The review is composed of 95 schemes, 8 figures and 528 references for the last 12 years and includes the description of the hydantoin-based marketed drugs and clinical candidates.

Applications of Fluorine in Medicinal Chemistry

The role of fluorine in drug design and development is expanding rapidly as we learn more about the unique properties associated with this unusual element and how to deploy it with greater sophistication. The judicious introduction of fluorine into a molecule can productively influence conformation, pKa, intrinsic potency, membrane permeability, metabolic pathways, and pharmacokinetic properties. In addition, (18)F has been established as a useful positron emitting isotope for use with in vivo imaging technology that potentially has extensive application in drug discovery and development, often limited only by convenient synthetic accessibility to labeled compounds. The wide ranging applications of fluorine in drug design are providing a strong stimulus for the development of new synthetic methodologies that allow more facile access to a wide range of fluorinated compounds. In this review, we provide an update on the effects of the strategic incorporation of fluorine in drug molecules and applications in positron emission tomography.

Enantioselective α-Amination Enabled by a BINAM-Derived Phase-Transfer Catalyst

The enantioselective amination of carbonyl derivatives is achieved via phase-transfer of aryldiazonium salts by BINAM-derived phosphoric acids.

Chiral anion phase-transfer of aryldiazonium cations was utilized to achieve highly enantioselective α-amination of carbonyl compounds. A broad scope of indanone- and benzosuberone-derived substrates was amenable to this strategy. Critical to obtaining high levels of enantioselectivity was the use of BINAM-derived phosphoric acids. The utility of this transformation was demonstrated through facile conversion of diazene products to valuable α-amino acid derivatives.

What has polar surface area ever done for drug discovery?

Over the last decade, polar surface area (PSA) has become a ubiquitous term in medicinal and computational chemistry circles. This article charts the development of the increasingly efficient methods for the calculation of PSA before illustrating its usefulness through selected examples drawn from the medicinal chemistry literature. Consideration of PSA is shown to assist in the improvement of cellular potency, intestinal absorption and blood-brain barrier permeation or restriction to the peripheral circulation.