The tricyclo[2.1.0.0 2,5 ]pentan-3-one system: a new probe for the study of π-facial selectivity in nucleophilic additions

Three-dimensional saturated C(sp3)-rich bioisosteres for benzene

Benzenes, the most ubiquitous structural moiety in marketed small-molecule drugs, are frequently associated with poor 'drug-like' properties, including metabolic instability, and poor aqueous solubility. In an effort to overcome these limitations, recent developments in medicinal chemistry have demonstrated the improved physicochemical profiles of C(sp3)-rich bioisosteric scaffolds relative to arenes. In the past two decades, we have witnessed an exponential increase in synthetic methods for accessing saturated bioisosteres of monosubstituted and para-substituted benzenes. However, until recent discoveries, analogous three-dimensional ortho-substituted and meta-substituted biososteres have remained underexplored, owing to their ring strain and increased s-character hybridization. This Review summarizes the emerging synthetic methodologies to access such saturated motifs and their impact on the application of bioisosteres for ortho-substituted, meta-substituted and multi-substituted benzene rings. It concludes with a perspective on the development of next-generation bioisosteres, including those within novel chemical space.

The Nature and Extent of π-Stabilization within Foiled Carbenes

B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) computations of the stabilization energies, singlet-triplet energy gaps, and lowest transition states for a set of cyclic alkenylidenes were performed in order to find the strongest interactions between the C-C double bond and the carbene center. The results suggest that among the alkenylidenes investigated in this study, those with a norbornenylidene structure represent strongly stabilized carbenes with a reduced reactivity toward intermolecular reactions. Further stabilization is found when the double bond is electron-rich or pyramidalized. Thus, for the rearrangement of syn-34 to take place, an activation barrier of about 22 kcal/mol needs to be overcome. The inclination to undergo a retro-Skattebøl rearrangement, which to our knowledge has never been observed experimentally, is characteristic for highly stabilized foiled carbenes.