An Atom-Economical Approach to Conformationally Constrained Tricyclic Nitrogen Heterocycles via Sequential and Tandem Ugi/Intramolecular Diels−Alder Reaction of Pyrrole1,2

Two decades of recent advances of Ugi reactions: synthetic and pharmaceutical applications

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) are powerful synthetic tools in which more than two starting materials couple with each other to form multi-functionalized compounds in a one-pot process, the so-called “tandem”, “domino” or “cascade” reaction, or utilizing an additional step without changing the solvent, the so-called a sequential-addition procedure, to limit the number of synthetic steps, while increasing the complexity and the molecular diversity, which are highly step-economical reactions. The Ugi reaction, one of the most common multicomponent reactions, has recently fascinated chemists with the high diversity brought by its four- or three-component-based isonitrile. The Ugi reaction has been introduced in organic synthesis as a novel, efficient and useful tool for the preparation of libraries of multifunctional peptides, natural products, and heterocyclic compounds with stereochemistry control. In this review, we highlight the recent advances of the Ugi reaction in the last two decades from 2000–2019, mainly in the synthesis of linear or cyclic peptides, heterocyclic compounds with versatile ring sizes, and natural products, as well as the enantioselective Ugi reactions. Meanwhile, the applications of these compounds in pharmaceutical trials are also discussed.

We highlight the recent advances of the Ugi reaction in the last two decades from 2000–2019, mainly in the synthesis of linear or cyclic peptides, heterocyclic compounds with versatile ring sizes, and natural products, as well as the enantioselective Ugi reactions.

Probing the hydrolytic reactivity of 2-difluoromethyl pyrroles

α-Difluoromethyl pyrroles were found to be stable while N-protected with an electron-withdrawing group. Due to the propensity of pyrroles to access azafulvenium-like intermediates, the C-F bonds of an α-difluoromethyl substituent are labile under hydrolytic conditions. The presence of certain electron-withdrawing substituents about the pyrrolic ring can accelerate this process, as determined through a kinetic comparison of the deprotection and subsequent hydrolysis reactions of N-protected β-aryl α-difluoromethyl pyrroles.

A facile route to segmented copolymers by fusing ambient temperature step-growth and RAFT polymerization

We introduce the facile synthesis of segmented copolymers by a catalyst-free Diels-Alder (DA) reaction at ambient temperature via step-growth and subsequent reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. High molecular weight step-growth polymers are readily obtained (M_w = 40 000 g mol^-1), featuring trithiocarbonate moieties in their chain, which allow monomer insertion via RAFT polymerization yielding high molecular weight species.

(3aR,6S,7aR)-7a-Chloro-2-[(4-nitro-phen-yl)sulfon-yl]-1,2,3,6,7,7a-hexa-hydro-3a,6-ep-oxy-iso-indole

In the title compound, C₁₄H₁₃ClN₂O₅S, the chlorine-substituted tetrahydrofuran ring adopts a twist conformation and the other tetra­hydro­furan ring an envelope conformation with the O atom as the flap. The pyrrolidine ring adopts a twist conformation. In the crystal, C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into zigzag chains running along the b-axis direction.

A direct method for the synthesis of indolizine derivatives from easily available aromatic ketones, pyridines, and acrylonitrile derivatives

A concise and efficient strategy has been proposed to synthesize indolizine derivatives from easily available aryl or heteroaryl methyl ketones, pyridines, and acrylonitriles. The mechanistic pathway involved the integration of iodination, pyridinium ylide synthesis, and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. The protocols were found to be highly efficient in terms of high yields, operational simplicity, mild reaction conditions, and easy workup. This method has provided an important supplement for the synthesis of indolizine derivatives via a novel tandem synthesis.

Highly efficient continuous flow reactions using singlet oxygen as a "green" reagent

Described is a new method for the efficient in situ production of singlet oxygen in a simple continuous flow photochemical reactor. The extremely large interfacial area generated by running the biphasic mixture in a narrow channel at a high flow rate ensures high throughput as well as fast and efficient oxidation of various alkenes, 1,3-dienes, and thioethers on a preparative scale.

Xanthate based radical cascade toward multicomponent formation of pyrrolopyrimidines

A short sequential synthesis of pyrrolidino- pyridines and pyrimidines illustrates the potential of combining Ugi-Smiles couplings with radical tin-free processes.

From Simple Ugi Adducts to Indanes and δ-Amidomalonates: New Manganese(III)-Induced Radical Cascades

A complete change of the traditional Ugi adducts framework has been obtained using new radical cascades as Ugi post-condensation reactions. Indanes and delta-amidomalonates were thus obtained in a one-pot procedure from aromatic aldehydes under a sequence involving Ugi addition followed by treatment of the adducts with Mn(III) and malonate or beta-ketoester. The radical step probably involves an intramolecular aryl transfer followed by an oxidative cleavage and final cyclization to indanes.

Rapid access to oxindoles by the combined use of an Ugi four-component reaction and a microwave-assisted intramolecular Buchwald-Hartwig amidation reaction

A two-step sequence involving an Ugi four-component reaction (Ugi-4CR) and a palladium-catalyzed intramolecular amidation of aryl iodide has been developed for rapid access to functionalized oxindole (1). Microwave heating was used to accelerate and to improve the efficiency of the intramolecular Buchwald-Hartwig reaction.

The Domino Way to Heterocycles

Sequential transformations enable the facile synthesis of complex target molecules from simple building blocks in a single preparative step. Their value is amplified if they also create multiple stereogenic centers. In the ongoing search for new domino processes, emphasis is usually placed on sequential reactions which occur cleanly and without forming by-products. As a prerequisite for an ideally proceeding one-pot sequential transformation, the reactivity pattern of all participating components has to be such that each building block gets involved in a reaction only when it is supposed to do so. The development of sequences that combine transformations of fundamentally different mechanisms broadens the scope of such procedures in synthetic chemistry. This mini review contains a representative sampling from the last 15 years on the kinds of reactions that have been sequenced into cascades to produce heterocyclic molecules.

A concise and diversity-oriented strategy for the synthesis of benzofurans and indoles via Ugi and Diels-Alder reactions

A one-pot synthesis of diverse benzofurans and indoles from readily available starting materials was achieved via the sequential Ugi four-component reaction, intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, and oxidative aromatization.

Multiple Component Approaches to C-Glycosyl β-Amino Acids by Complementary One-Pot Mannich-Type and Reformatsky-Type Reactions

The development of new methods for the preparation of C-glycosyl beta-amino acid libraries with chemical and stereochemical diversity levels was investigated and the results are described herein. Two complementary one-pot three-component Mannich-type and Reformatsky-type synthetic strategies have been developed for the construction of chiral 3-amino propanoate fragments (eventually bis-substituted at C-2) directly linked to the anomeric carbon of pyranose and furanose residues. Both methods involved as the initial step the coupling of a sugar aldehyde to p-methoxybenzylamine but differed in the nucleophile (a d(2) synthon equivalent) which was successively added: a ketene silyl acetal (Mannich route) or a bromozinc enolate (Reformatsky route). Individual C-glycosyl beta-amino esters were isolated as single 3R diastereoisomers in fair to excellent yield (60-90%) and their structure assigned by NMR spectroscopy (Riguera protocol) supported by X-ray crystallography. A tentative explanation of the observed stereochemical outcome based on transition-state models is provided. A preliminary study on the synthesis of alpha,alpha-difluoro C-glycosyl beta-amino acids via a more traditional Reformatsky route is also reported.

Natural products and combinatorial chemistry: back to the future

The introduction of high-throughput synthesis and combinatorial chemistry has precipitated a global decline in the screening of natural products by the pharmaceutical industry. Some companies terminated their natural products program, despite the unproven success of the new technologies. This was a premature decision, as natural products have a long history of providing important medicinal agents. Furthermore, they occupy a complementary region of chemical space compared with the typical synthetic compound library. For these reasons, the interest in natural products has been rekindled. Various approaches have evolved that combine the power of natural products and organic chemistry, ranging from the combinatorial total synthesis of analogues to the exploration of natural product scaffolds and the design of completely unnatural molecules that resemble natural products in their molecular characteristics.