Multisubstituted benzo[b]furans through a copper- and/or palladium-catalyzed assembly and functionalization process

Synthesis of 3-substituted 2,3-dihydropyrazino[1,2-a]indol-4(1H)-ones by sequential reactions of 2-indolylmethyl acetates with α-amino acids†

The synthesis of 2,3-dihydropyrazino[1,2-a]indol-4(1H)-ones from the sequential reaction of amino acid methyl esters with readily available indole-2-ylmethyl acetates is described. The reaction proceeds in situ under basic conditions of highly unstable and reactive 2-alkylideneindolenines followed by Michael-type addition of α-amino acid methyl esters/intramolecular cyclization.

The synthesis of 2,3-dihydropyrazino[1,2-a]indol-4(1H)-ones through the in situ generation of 2-methide-2H-indole intermediate I starting from 2-indolylmethyl acetates under basic conditions/nucleophilic Michael addition/cyclization cascade reaction.

Synthesis of Polysubstituted 1,2-Dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-3-ones through Domino Palladium-Catalyzed Reactions of Indol-2-ylmethyl Acetates with 1,3-Dicarbonyl Derivatives

A straightforward assembly of polysubstituted 1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-3-ones through a domino palladium-catalyzed reaction of indol-2-ylmethyl acetates with 1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives is described. The key role of the features of the 1,3-dicarbonyls on the reaction outcome has been explored. The employment of 2-methylcyclohexan-1,3-dione as the dicarbonyl source could allow further challenging indole nucleus functionalizations.

New Mixed Bromine/Chlorine Transformation Products of Tetrabromobisphenol A: Synthesis and Identification in Dust Samples from an E-Waste Dismantling Site

The large-scale production and usage of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and its analogues have caused widespread contamination, raising concern about their potential endocrine disruption effects on both humans and ecosystems. In the present study, debromination and unknown mixed bromine/chlorine transformation products of TBBPA (X-BBPA) were screened in dust samples from an e-waste dismantling site. Five monochloro products (2-chloro-2',6,6'-TriBBPA, 2-chloro-2',6-DiBBPA, 2-chloro-2',6'-DiBBPA, 2-chloro-2'-MoBBPA, and 2-chloro-6-MoBBPA) and two dichloro products (2,2'-dichloro-6,6'-DiBBPA and 2,2'-dichloro-6-MoBBPA) were successfully synthesized and structurally identified. TBBPA and its transformation products were detected by comparison of their mass spectra and retention times with those of synthetic standards. The mean concentration of X-BBPA was 1.63 × 10⁴ ng/g in e-waste dismantling workshop dust samples based on dry weight, which was at a similar level to TBBPA. However, it was 1 order of magnitude lower than the concentrations of the debromination congeners. Thus, both debromination and chlorine-bromine exchange may be important reactions during the thermal processing of e-waste. The results on mixed chlorinated/brominated TBBPA transformation products provided new insights into TBBPA transformation. The elevated levels of the transformation products of TBBPA suggested that these products should be targeted to avoid underestimation of possible health risks.

Palladium complexes with an annellated mesoionic carbene (MIC) ligand: catalytic sequential Sonogashira coupling/cyclization reaction for one-pot synthesis of benzofuran, indole, isocoumarin and isoquinolone derivatives

A Pd(ii) complex containing a mesoionic carbene and phosphine ligands is an efficient catalyst for tandem coupling/cyclization reaction.

Synthesis, Evaluation for Cytotoxicity and Molecular Docking Studies of Benzo[c]furan-Chalcones for Potential to Inhibit Tubulin Polymerization and/or EGFR-Tyrosine Kinase Phosphorylation

A series of 2-arylbenzo[c]furan-chalcone hybrids 3a⁻y have been synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative effects against the human breast cancer (MCF-7) cell line and for its potential to induce apoptosis and also to inhibit tubulin polymerization and/or epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) phosphorylation. Most of these compounds exhibited moderate to significant antigrowth effects in vitro against the MCF-7 cell line when compared to the reference standard actinomycin D. The capabilities of the most cytotoxic benzofuran-chalcone hybrids 3b and 3i, to induce apoptosis, have been evaluated by Annexin V-Cy3 SYTOX staining and caspase-3 activation. The experimental and molecular docking results suggest that the title compounds have the potential to exhibit inhibitory effects against tubulin polymerization and epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) phosphorylation. The modeled structures of representative compounds displayed hydrophobic interactions as well as hydrogen and/or halogen bonding with the protein residues. These interactions are probably responsible for the observed increased binding affinity for the two receptors and their significant antigrowth effect against the MCF-7 cell line.

One-Pot Synthesis of Substituted Benzo[b]furans and Indoles from Dichlorophenols/Dichloroanilines Using a Palladium-Dihydroxyterphenylphosphine Catalyst

Disubstituted benzo[b]furans were synthesized by ortho-selective Sonogashira coupling of dichlorophenols and terminal alkynes, followed by cyclization and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling in one pot, using a palladium-dihydroxyterphenylphosphine (Cy-DHTP) catalyst. The use of substoichiometric amounts of tetrabutylammonium chloride was effective in accelerating the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling. This protocol was also successfully applied to the one-pot synthesis of disubstituted indoles from dichloroaniline derivatives.

New Copper, Palladium and Nickel Catalytic Systems: An Evolution towards More Efficient Procedures

Metal-catalysed reactions are a fundamental tool in synthetic chemistry. Increasingly challenging transformations can be accomplished only by means of certain metal catalysts. However, there still remains the need for a substantial decrease of the amount of catalyst, for better reuse or recycling of such active species, and for the avoidance of relatively toxic solvents in favour of environmentally friendly media. These facts apply to copper-, palladium-, and nickel-catalysed cross-coupling reactions, direct arylations, and oxidative processes. This account summarises our research on the last reactions, featuring an evolution towards more sustainable procedures in this field.

One-pot synthesis of 2-substituted benzo[b]furans via Pd-tetraphosphine catalyzed coupling of 2-halophenols with alkynes

A catalyst composed of [Pd(η(3)-C3H5)Cl]2 and N,N,N',N'-tetra(diphenylphosphinomethyl)pyridine-2,6-diamine (L) was found to be effective for one-pot synthesis of 2-substituted benzo[b]furans from 2-halophenols and alkynes. For 2-bromo-3-hydroxypyridine, the catalyst loading could be as low as 1 ppm and the turnover number (TON) was up to 870,000.