Photochemistry of ω-(o-vinylphenyl)-ω′-(phenyl/2-furyl) butadienes: New approach to 4-substituted benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octadienes

Benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octene Derivatives as a New Class of Cholinesterase Inhibitors

A library of amine, oxime, ether, epoxy and acyl derivatives of the benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octene were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of both human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The majority of the tested compounds exhibited higher selectivity for BChE. Structural adjustment for AChE seems to have been achieved by acylation, and the furan ring opening of furo-benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene results for compound 51 with the highest AChE affinity (IC₅₀ = 8.3 µM). Interestingly, its analogue, an oxime ether with a benzobicyclo[3.2.1]-skeleton, compound 32 was one of the most potent BChE inhibitors in this study (IC₅₀ = 31 µM), but not as potent as endo-43, an ether derivative of the benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octene with an additional phenyl substituent (IC₅₀ = 17 µM). Therefore, we identified several cholinesterase inhibitors with a potential for further development as potential drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

A simple and easy to perform synthetic route to functionalized thienyl bicyclo[3.2.1]octadienes

In order to prepare novel polycyclic derivatives of bicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene systems fused with a thiophene ring, photochemical cyclization and aldol condensation reactions were carried out. The starting substrates were easily obtained by a Vilsmeier–Haack reaction of bicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene thiophene derivatives with dimethylformamide. From the obtained carbaldehydes, novel methyl, methoxy, and cyano-substituted styryl thienobenzobicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene derivatives were synthesized through Wittig reactions and subjected to photochemical cyclization, in terms of obtaining the new annulated structures. As part of this study, the aldol reaction of the starting 2-substituted carbaldehyde with acetone was also performed, which produced the thieno-fused benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene compound with an extended conjugation.

Synthesis, photochemistry, and photophysics of butadiene derivatives: influence of the methyl group on the molecular structure and photoinduced behavior

Novel butadiene derivatives display diverse photochemistry and photophysics. Excitation of 2-methyl-1-(o-vinylphenyl)-4-phenylbutadiene leads to the dihydronaphthalene derivative, whereas photolysis of the corresponding model o-methyl analogue results in the formation of the naphthalene-like derivative, deviating from the nonmethylated analogue of the prior starting compound and producing benzobi- and -tricyclic compounds. The effect of the methyl substituents is even more dramatic in the case of the dibutadienes. The parent unsubstituted compound undergoes photoinduced intramolecular cycloaddition giving benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene, whereas the photochemical reaction of the corresponding dimethylated derivative shows only geometrical isomerization due to the steric effect of the substituents. Methyl groups on the butadiene backbones reduce the extent of conjugation, causing a blue-shift of the characteristic absorption band. The fluorescence efficiency is dramatically decreased, as a consequence of nonplanarity and reduced rigidity of the molecules due to the crowding by the methyl and phenyl groups together. Four molecules of very similar structures show dramatically different photoinduced behavior, revealing how changes of the nature and position of the substituents are valuable in understanding the photophysics and photochemistry of these types of compounds.

Aromatic rings in chemical and biological recognition: energetics and structures

This review describes a multidimensional treatment of molecular recognition phenomena involving aromatic rings in chemical and biological systems. It summarizes new results reported since the appearance of an earlier review in 2003 in host-guest chemistry, biological affinity assays and biostructural analysis, data base mining in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) and the Protein Data Bank (PDB), and advanced computational studies. Topics addressed are arene-arene, perfluoroarene-arene, S⋅⋅⋅aromatic, cation-π, and anion-π interactions, as well as hydrogen bonding to π systems. The generated knowledge benefits, in particular, structure-based hit-to-lead development and lead optimization both in the pharmaceutical and in the crop protection industry. It equally facilitates the development of new advanced materials and supramolecular systems, and should inspire further utilization of interactions with aromatic rings to control the stereochemical outcome of synthetic transformations.