A study of Heck cyclization reactions to form phenanthridine ring systems

Visible-light-induced sulfonylation/cyclization of vinyl azides: one-pot construction of 6-(sulfonylmethyl)phenanthridines

A facile and efficient protocol has been developed for sulfonylation/cyclization of vinyl azides under photoredox conditions.

Synthesis of 6-(sulfonylmethyl)phenanthridines through a reaction of aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates, sulfur dioxide, and vinyl azides

Synthesis of 6-(sulfonylmethyl)phenanthridines through a three-component reaction of aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates, a sulfur dioxide surrogate of DABCO·(SO₂)₂, and vinyl azides under metal- and additive-free conditions is achieved.

Visible light-mediated intramolecular C–H arylation of diazonium salts of N-(2-aminoaryl)benzoimines: a facile synthesis of 6-arylphenanthridines

6-Arylphenanthridines were synthesized in good to excellent yields from inexpensive and environmentally benign N-(2-aminoaryl)-diphenylmethanimine as a starting material under visible light-photocatalyzed conditions.

Preparation of amino-substituted indenes and 1,4-dihydronaphthalenes using a one-pot multireaction approach: total synthesis of oxybenzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids

Allylic trichloroacetimidates bearing a 2-vinyl or 2-allylaryl group have been designed as substrates for a one-pot, two-step multi-bond-forming process leading to the general preparation of aminoindenes and amino-substituted 1,4-dihydronaphthalenes. The synthetic utility of the privileged structures formed from this one-pot process was demonstrated with the total synthesis of four oxybenzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids, oxychelerythrine, oxysanguinarine, oxynitidine, and oxyavicine. An intramolecular biaryl Heck coupling reaction, catalyzed using the Hermann-Beller palladacycle was used to effect the key step during the synthesis of the natural products.

Synthesis of phenanthridines via palladium-catalyzed picolinamide-directed sequential C-H functionalization

We report a new synthesis of phenanthridines based on palladium-catalyzed picolinamide-directed sequential C-H functionalization reactions starting from readily available benzylamine and aryl iodide precursors. Under the catalysis of Pd(OAc)2, the ortho-C-H bond of benzylpicolinamides is first arylated with an aryl iodide. The resulting biaryl compound is then subjected to palladium-catalyzed picolinamide-directed intramolecular dehydrogenative C-H amination with PhI(OAc)2 oxidant to form the corresponding cyclized dihydrophenanthridines. The benzylic position of these dihydrophenanthridines could be further oxidized with Cu(OAc)2, removing the picolinamide group and providing phenathridine products. The cyclization and oxidation could be carried out in a single step and afford phenathridines in moderate to good yields.

Rapid synthesis and zebrafish evaluation of a phenanthridine-based small molecule library

A Heck cyclisation approach is described for the rapid synthesis of a library of natural product-like small molecules, based on the phenanthridine core. The synthesis of a range of substituted benzylamine building blocks and their incorporation into the library is reported, together with a highly selective cis-dihydroxylation protocol that enables access to the target compounds in an efficient manner. Biological evaluation of the library using zebrafish phenotyping has led to the discovery of compound 20c, a novel inhibitor of early-stage zebrafish embryo development.