Ortho selectivity in SNAr substitutions of 2,4-dihaloaromatic compounds. Reactions with piperidine

Tetramethylammonium Fluoride Alcohol Adducts for SNAr Fluorination

Nucleophilic aromatic fluorination (S_NAr) is among the most common methods for the formation of C(sp²)-F bonds. Despite many recent advances, a long-standing limitation of these transformations is the requirement for rigorously dry, aprotic conditions to maintain the nucleophilicity of fluoride and suppress the generation of side products. This report addresses this challenge by leveraging tetramethylammonium fluoride alcohol adducts (Me₄NF·ROH) as fluoride sources for S_NAr fluorination. Through systematic tuning of the alcohol substituent (R), tetramethylammonium fluoride tert-amyl alcohol (Me₄NF·t-AmylOH) was identified as an inexpensive, practical, and bench-stable reagent for S_NAr fluorination under mild and convenient conditions (80 °C in DMSO, without the requirement for drying of reagents or solvent). A substrate scope of more than 50 (hetero) aryl halides and nitroarene electrophiles is demonstrated.

Discovery and Characterization of 2-Nitro-5-(4-(phenylsulfonyl)piperazin-1-yl)- N-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)anilines as Novel Inhibitors of the Aedes aegypti Kir1 ( AeKir1) Channel

Mosquito-borne arboviral diseases such as Zika, dengue fever, and chikungunya are transmitted to humans by infected adult female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and affect a large portion of the world's population. The Kir1 channel in Ae. aegypti ( AeKir1) is an important ion channel in the functioning of mosquito Malpighian (renal) tubules and one that can be manipulated in order to disrupt excretory functions in mosquitoes. We have previously reported the discovery of various scaffolds that are active against the AeKir1 channel. Herein we report the synthesis and biological characterization of a new 2-nitro-5-(4-(phenylsulfonyl) piperazin-1-yl)- N-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)anilines scaffold as inhibitors of AeKir1. This new scaffold is more potent in vitro compared to the previously reported scaffolds, and the molecules kill mosquito larvae.

Preparative-Scale Synthesis of Vedejs Chiral DMAP Catalysts

A scalable synthesis of chiral Vedejs-type DMAP catalysts is reported. The key step of the synthesis is amination of the enantiomerically pure 4-chloropyridine derivative using well-defined ZnCl₂(amine)₂ complexes. A series of Zn(II)-amine complexes have been synthesized to explore the scope of the ZnCl₂-mediated amination of 4-halopyridines. Mechanistic studies support a Zn(II)-facilitated nucleophilic aromatic substitution as a plausible mechanism for the chlorine-to-amine exchange.

Solvent effect on a model SNAr reaction in ionic liquid/water mixtures at different compositions

A biphasic behavior observed on the reaction rate of a model S_NAr reaction in ionic liquid/water mixtures was explained by preferential solvation effects in water rich mixtures, and an anion effect in mixtures with high ionic liquid content.

Accelerating effect of triazolyl and related heteroaryl substituents on SNAr reactions: evidence of hydrogen-bond stabilized transition states

The remarkable accelerating effect of 1,2,3-triazolyl substituents on SNAr reactions has been investigated through systematic experiments and density functional theory calculations. The lone pair electrons of an ortho-triazolo substituent play a key role in lowering the activation energy for nucleophilic addition via formation of a preferential hydrogen bond with the amine nucleophile at the transition state for addition. In an extension of this finding, a series of related heteroaryl groups with similar electron pair donor properties have also been found to facilitate SNAr reactions. The experimentally determined solvent effect provides further support for this rationale, which was utilized to achieve an ortho-selective substitution on a difluoroarene substrate.

Functionalization of fluorinated benzenesulfonamides and their inhibitory properties toward carbonic anhydrases

Substituted tri- and tetrafluorobenzenesulfonamides were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as high-affinity and isoform-selective carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors. Their binding affinities for recombinant human CA I, II, VA, VI, VII, XII, and XIII catalytic domains were determined by fluorescent thermal shift assay, isothermal titration calorimetry, and a stopped-flow CO2 hydration assay. Variation of the substituents at the 2-, 3-, and 4-positions yielded compounds with a broad range of binding affinities and isoform selectivities. Several 2,4-substituted-3,5,6-trifluorobenzenesulfonamides were effective CA XIII inhibitors with high selectivity over off-target CA I and CA II. 3,4-Disubstituted-2,5,6-trifluorobenzenesulfonamides bound CAs with higher affinity than 2,4-disubstituted-3,5,6-trifluorobenzenesulfonamides. Many such fluorinated benzenesulfonamides were found to be nanomolar inhibitors of CA II, CA VII, tumor-associated CA IX and CA XII, and CA XIII. X-ray crystal structures of inhibitors bound in the active sites of several CA isoforms provide structure-activity relationship information for inhibitor binding affinities and selectivity.

Site activation effects promoted by intramolecular hydrogen bond interactions in SNAr reactions

The nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of benzohydrazide derivatives towards 2-chloro-5-nitropyrimidine is used as model system to experimentally and theoretically show that intramolecular hydrogen-bond formation operates as a perturbation that elicits a dual response at the reaction center of the transition state (TS) structure.

Quinoline-derived two-photon sensitive quadrupolar probes

Quadrupolar 8-dimethylaminoquinoline-derived photosensitive probes underwent photolysis under UV (365 nm) and NIR (730 nm two-photon (TP)) irradiation conditions.