Facile preparation of 3-substituted 2-quinazolinones via electrogenerated base

Furan-Dihydroquinazolinone Based Fluorescent Nanoprobe for Selective Recognition of 4-Nitrophenol: A Spectofluorimetric Approach

Fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONPs) have attracted much attention as a practicable and effective platform for detection applications. The present article describes the preparation of FONPs derived from the quinazolinone-based 2-(furan-2-yl)-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivative FHDQ. Self-assembly of FHDQ in an aqueous medium resulted in the formation of FONPs through H-type aggregation and showed excellent fluorescence properties. The presence of other coexisting species solutions did not affect the selective fluorescence quenching observed with the addition of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The photophysical properties, i.e., UV-Vis absorbance, fluorescence emission, and lifetime measurements together with zeta particle sizer, support excited-state complex formation followed by a dynamic fluorescence quenching phenomenon in the emission of FDHQNPs. In the concentration range of 0 to 36 μg.[Formula: see text], the detection limit of this turn-off sensor FDHQNPs against 4-NP was determined to be 0.01611 μM. Finally, the practicability of the FDHQNPs for the analysis of 4-NP in environmental samples was demonstrated.

Counter Electrode Reactions-Important Stumbling Blocks on the Way to a Working Electro-organic Synthesis

Over the past two decades, electro-organic synthesis has gained significant interest, both in technical and academic research as well as in terms of applications. The omission of stoichiometric oxidizers or reducing agents enables a more sustainable route for redox reactions in organic chemistry. Even if it is well-known that every electrochemical oxidation is only viable with an associated reduction reaction and vice versa, the relevance of the counter reaction is often less addressed. In this Review, the importance of the corresponding counter reaction in electro-organic synthesis is highlighted and how it can affect the performance and selectivity of the electrolytic conversion. A selection of common strategies and unique concepts to tackle this issue are surveyed to provide a guide to select appropriate counter reactions for electro-organic synthesis.

Sequential Oxidative Fragmentation and Skeletal Rearrangement of Peroxides for the Synthesis of Quinazolinone Derivatives

For the first time, the sequential reaction of peroxyoxindole that involves base-promoted oxidative fragmentation to isocyanate formation and primary amine or amino alcohol accelerated skeletal rearrangement to synthesize exo-olefinic-substituted quinazolinone or oxazoloquinazolinone is reported. The advantages of this new reaction include a broad substrate scope and transition-metal-free and room-temperature conditions. The formation of the isocyanate as a key intermediate that accelerates oxidative skeletal rearrangement has been confirmed by trapping experiments and spectroscopic evidence.

Organic Electrosynthesis Towards Sustainability: Fundamentals and Greener Methodologies

The adoption of new measures that preserve our environment, on which our survival depends, is a necessity. Electro-organic processes are sustainable per se, by producing the activation of a substrate by electron transfer at normal pressure and room temperature. In the recent years, a highly crescent number of works on organic electrosynthesis are available. Novel strategies at the electrode are being developed enabling the construction of a great variety of complex organic molecules. However, the possibility of being scaled-up is mandatory in terms of sustainability. Thus, some electrochemical methodologies have demonstrated to report the best results in reducing pollution and saving energy. In this personal account, these methods have been compiled, being organized as follows: • Direct discharge electrosynthesis • Paired electrochemical reactions. and • Organic transformations utilizing electrocatalysis (in absence of heavy metals). Selected protocols are herein presented and discussed with representative recent examples. Final perspectives and reflections are also considered.

Organic synthesis via Kolbe and related non-Kolbe electrolysis: an enabling electro-strategy

Herein, the electrolysis process, where the anodic oxidation of carboxylic acids leads to decarboxylation, has been discussed to synthesize organic molecules.

Formation of Synthetically Versatile 2-Aminobenzophenones from Readily Accessed Acyl Hydrazides

Herein, we report the transformation of readily accessed acyl hydrazides into protected 2-aminobenzophenones via a two-step process involving an aryne-based molecular rearrangement followed by a one-pot addition-elimination procedure. The assembly of the scaffold is tolerant of a wide variety of functional groups, and the carbamate group on the product can be facilely removed to afford highly valuable 2-aminobenzophenones. Application of the protocol was demonstrated in the synthesis of neurological medicine phenazepam.

The Electrogenerated Cyanomethyl Anion: An Old Base Still Smart

The cathodic reduction of acetonitrile solutions containing a tetraalkylammonium salt leads to the formation of the cyanomethyl anion (^-CH₂CN, cyanomethanide). This electrolysis can be carried out under very simple experimental conditions (constant-current electrolyses), using various cathodic materials, controlling the amount of base by simply controlling the amount of charge. Despite the fact that the mechanism for this electrochemical reaction is still debated (and it depends on the cathodic material), the outcome of the electrolysis is the formation of a strong base, ^-CH₂CN (pK_a 31.3 for acetonitrile in DMSO). The chemical behavior of this electrogenerated base (EGB) strongly depends on its counterion, which in this case is a tetraalkylammonium cation, with a low charge density and thus not coordinated. The very weak interaction between R₄N⁺ and ^-CH₂CN renders the cyanomethyl anion a "naked" ion, and thus highly reactive. In particular, the cyanomethyl anion can react as a base and as a nucleophile. In the first case, it behaves as a strong base and, after deprotonation of a weak acidic substrate, transforms itself into a solvent molecule, acetonitrile, thus generating no byproducts. In the second case, the reactivity as a nucleophile of the cyanomethyl anion obviously depends on the reaction partner. When an electrophile is present in the reaction mixture, a cyanomethylation is obtained (e.g., with aromatic aldehydes, possessing no acidic hydrogen atoms, which undergo nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon atom by ^-CH₂CN); on the contrary, when no reagent is present other than acetonitrile and tetraalkylammonium salt, an attack on the parent molecule leads to the acetonitrile dimer, 3-aminocrotononitrile, which in turn can behave as a base and/or as a nucleophile. In this regard, some authors report that it is preferable to carry out the electrogeneration of the cyanomethyl anion under different experimental conditions, i.e., using an undivided cell and a sacrificial magnesium anode. In this way, a Grignard-type reagent is formed (Mg(CH₂CN)₂) which highly stabilizes the cyanomethyl anion, preventing its dimerization. It should be noted that in our laboratory the electrogenerated tetraalkylammonium cyanomethanide was extensively used in various reactions (both acid-base and nucleophile-electrophile, vide infra), and in almost no case, the amount of acetonitrile dimer formed exceeded 5%, confirming the validity of this electrochemical methodology to generate a very efficient base. Moreover, when in the reaction mixture both a weak acid and an electrophile are present, the prevalent reactivity of the cyanomethyl anion is as a base, leaving the possibility of a cyanomethylation reaction to those cases in which no acidic substrate is present. We have successfully used the electrogenerated cyanomethyl anion in many base-induced reactions, as the synthesis of the β-lactam ring (chiral or not), the insertion of carbon dioxide into amines and amino alcohols, the activation of elemental sulfur and insertion into carbonyl compounds, the selective alkylation of difunctional compounds, etc.

A Simple Metal-Free Cyclization for the Synthesis of 4-Methylene-3-Substituted Quinazolinone and Quinazolinthione Derivatives: Experiment and Theory

A new series of 3-substituted 4-methylene-quinazolinthiones and 4-methylene-quinazolinones were synthesized in moderate to excellent yield through a simple reaction of 2-aminoacetophenones with isocyanates or isothiocyanates. The reaction shows good tolerance of many important functional groups in the presence of air and water under metal-free conditions. Only water is produced as a coproduct, rendering this “green” methodology a highly versatile and eco-friendly alternative to the existing methods for the construction of the quinazolinone/quinazolinthione framework. We have interpreted the reaction mechanism by use of quantum chemical calculations on the basis of state-of-the-art computational methods SMD-B3LYP-D3(BJ)/BS1//B3LYP/BS1.

Efficient synthetic procedure to new 2-imino-1,3-thiazolines and thiazolidin-4-ones promoted by acetonitrile electrogenerated base

Regioselective sulfur–carbon bond formation from disubstituted thioureas and 1,2-dielectrophiles.