Nicotine chemistry

Synthesis of Nicotine Derivatives via Reductive Disilylation of (S)-Nicotine

[reaction: see text] A variety of novel nicotine derivatives were prepared via reductive disilylation of (S)-nicotine. Treatment of nicotine with lithium powder and chlorotrimethylsilane afforded 1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-dihydronicotine in high yield. Addition of various carbonyl electrophiles and a catalytic amount of TBAF provided either C-5 substituted nicotines or 1,4-dihydronicotine derivatives.

(−)6-n-Propylnicotine antagonizes the antinociceptive effects of (−)Nicotine

Several 6-alkyl analogues of nicotine were examined in radioligand binding and in vivo functional assays. Although (-)6-ethylnicotine (3) binds with high affinity at nACh receptors (Ki=5.6 nM) and produces nicotine-like actions, its n-propyl homologue (-)4 (Ki=22 nM) failed to produce such effects. In fact, (-)4 antagonized the antinociceptive effects of (-)nicotine in the tail-flick assay in mice, but not the spontaneous activity or discriminative stimulus effects of (-)nicotine. Compound (-)4 appears to selectively antagonize only one of the three effects examined and is an interesting cholinergic agent for subsequent investigation.