One-Pot Multistep Bohlmann−Rahtz Heteroannulation Reactions: Synthesis of Dimethyl Sulfomycinamate

Therapies from Thiopeptides

The first part of this contribution describes solutions that were developed to achieve progressively more efficient syntheses of the thiopeptide natural products, micrococcins P1 and P2 (MP1-MP2), with an eye toward exploring their potential as a source of new antibiotics. Such efforts enabled investigations on the medicinal chemistry of those antibiotics, and inspired the development of the kinase inhibitor, Masitinib®, two candidate oncology drugs, and new antibacterial agents. The studies that produced such therapeutic resources are detailed in the second part. True to the theme of this issue, "Organic Synthesis and Medicinal Chemistry: Two Inseparable Partners", an important message is that the above advances would have never materialized without the support of curiosity-driven, academic synthetic organic chemistry: a beleaguered science that nonetheless has been-and continues to be-instrumental to progress in the biomedical field.

Domino synthesis of functionalized pyridine carboxylates under gallium catalysis: Unravelling the reaction pathway and the role of the nitrogen source counter anion

The catalytic potential of various metal Lewis acid catalysts have been assessed to derive a high-yielding, multi-component domino synthesis of functionalized pyridines from (E)-3-(dimethylamino)-1-aryl/heteroaryl-prop-2-en-1-ones, 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, and an ammonium salt (as the nitrogen precursor). Amongst the various metal halides, tetrafluoroborates, perchlorates, and triflates used as the catalyst GaI3 proved to be the most effective. The mechanistic course of the most plausible pathway has been outlined as the intermediate formation of imine/enamine by the reaction of the 1,3-dicarbonyl compound with ammonia (liberated in situ from the ammonium salt used as the nitrogen source), which participates in the domino nucleophilic Michael reaction to the (2E)-3-(dimethylamino)-1-aryl/hetroarylprop-2-en-1-one by its active methylene carbon through its enamine form followed by intramolecular cyclization and aromatization. The effect of different ammonium salts as the nitrogen source has been investigated and NH4OAc was found to be best. The influence of the acetate counter anion of NH4OAc on the progress of the reaction was studied and its specific role in the cyclization and subsequent aromatization has been revealed. This work offers distinct advantages compared to the literature reported methodologies on the count of several green index parameters.

Regioselective Synthesis of 2,4-Diaryl-6-trifluoromethylated Pyridines through Copper-Catalyzed Cyclization of CF3-Ynones and Vinyl Azides

A novel copper-catalyzed cyclization of readily available vinyl azides with CF₃-ynones is steadily achieved under mild conditions to furnish the versatile 2,4-diaryl-6-trifluoromethylated pyridine products, which are of great interest in medicinal chemistry. The generation of the vinyl iminophosphorane intermediates from vinyl azides through the Staudinger-Meyer reaction ensures the subsequent 1,4-addition process with CF₃-ynones in this transformation.

Regiocontrolled synthesis of 2,4,6-triarylpyridines from methyl ketones, electron-deficient acetylenes and ammonium acetate

A novel one-pot two-step approach for the synthesis of 2,4,6-triarylpyridines via t-BuOK/DMSO-promoted C-vinylation of a variety of methyl ketones with electron-deficient acetylenes (alkynones) followed by a cyclization of the in situ generated unsaturated 1,5-dicarbonyl species with ammonium acetate has been developed. This approach possesses competitive advantages such as high regioselectivity, available starting materials and the absence of transition-metal catalysts, oxidants and undesirable byproducts. A wide synthetic utility of the developed approach was demonstrated by the synthesis of trisubstituted, tetrasubstituted and fused pyridines.

Synthesis of Polysubstituted Trifluoromethylpyridines from Trifluoromethyl-α,β-ynones

A novel and efficient method for synthesis of polysubstituted trifluoromethylpyridine derivatives by the Bohlmann-Rahtz heteroannulation reaction is described, which use trifluoromethyl-α,β-ynones as trifluoromethyl building blocks to react with β-enamino esters or β-enamino ketones in the presence of ZnBr₂ to form the trifluoromethylpyridine derivatives in good yields. The protocol has the advantages of readily available starting materials, mild reaction conditions, and high atom economy.

DABCO- and DBU-promoted one-pot reaction of N-sulfonyl ketimines with Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates: a sequential approach to (2-hydroxyaryl)nicotinate derivatives

An intriguing DABCO-catalyzed and DBU-promoted one-pot synthesis of an important class of (2-hydroxyaryl)pyridine derivatives bearing a carboxylate or a nitrile group suitably placed at C3 position of the aza-ring has been achieved in acceptable chemical yields with a broad functional group tolerance. This sequential C-C/C-N bond making process proceeds through a regioselective allylic alkylation/aza-Michael reaction between MBH carbonates derived from an acrylate/acrylonitrile and N-sulfonyl ketimines as C,N-binucleophiles catalyzed by DABCO, followed by elimination of SO2 under the influence of base and subsequent aromatization in an open atmosphere.

Domino reaction of cyclic sulfamidate imines with Morita–Baylis–Hillman acetates promoted by DABCO: a metal-free approach to functionalized nicotinic acid derivatives

A series of 4,6-diarylnicotinates have been prepared in good to excellent yields via a domino reaction of cyclic sulfamidate imines with MBH acetates in 2-MeTHF promoted by DABCO under an O₂ atmosphere.

Facile Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Polycyclic Pyridines and Their Cytotoxicity Effects in Human Cancer Cell Lines

A three-component cascade method has been developed for the direct synthesis of polysubstituted pyridines. This strategy provides a very convenient route to pyridines using a variety of β-bromo-α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, 1,3-diketones, and ammonium acetate without any additional catalyst or metal salt under mild conditions. A variety of β-ketoesters and 4-hydroxycoumarin were also used instead of 1,3-diketones for the diverse synthesis of polycyclic pyridines. One of the synthesized pyridines has been unambiguously established by a single crystal XRD study. All of the synthesized pyridine derivatives were evaluated for their antiproliferative properties in vitro against the human cancer cell lines HeLa, Me180, and ZR751. Compounds 4{4,1} and 4{2,4} showed significant cytotoxicity in the human breast cancer cell line ZR751 and cervical cancer cell line Me180, respectively, and a few other compounds were found to have moderate activities.

Theoretical investigations toward TMEDA-catalyzed [2 + 4] annulation of allenoate with 1-aza-1,3-diene: mechanism, regioselectivity, and role of the catalyst

A computational study on the reaction between allenoate and 1-aza-1,3-diene catalyzed by TMEDA has been performed using the DFT method.

Thiopeptide antibiotics: retrospective and recent advances

Thiopeptides, or thiazolyl peptides, are a relatively new family of antibiotics that already counts with more than one hundred different entities. Although they are mainly isolated from soil bacteria, during the last decade, new members have been isolated from marine samples. Far from being limited to their innate antibacterial activity, thiopeptides have been found to possess a wide range of biological properties, including anticancer, antiplasmodial, immunosuppressive, etc. In spite of their ribosomal origin, these highly posttranslationally processed peptides have posed a fascinating synthetic challenge, prompting the development of various methodologies and strategies. Regardless of their limited solubility, intensive investigations are bringing thiopeptide derivatives closer to the clinic, where they are likely to show their veritable therapeutic potential.

One-step synthesis of pyridines and dihydropyridines in a continuous flow microwave reactor

The Bohlmann-Rahtz pyridine synthesis and the Hantzsch dihydropyridine synthesis can be carried out in a microwave flow reactor or using a conductive heating flow platform for the continuous processing of material. In the Bohlmann-Rahtz reaction, the use of a Brønsted acid catalyst allows Michael addition and cyclodehydration to be carried out in a single step without isolation of intermediates to give the corresponding trisubstituted pyridine as a single regioisomer in good yield. Furthermore, 3-substituted propargyl aldehydes undergo Hantzsch dihydropyridine synthesis in preference to Bohlmann-Rahtz reaction in a very high yielding process that is readily transferred to continuous flow processing.

Facile diversity-oriented synthesis and antitubercular evaluation of novel aryl and heteroaryl tethered pyridines and dihydro-6H-quinolin-5-ones derived via variants of the Bohlmann-Rahtz Reaction

The diversity oriented synthesis of substituted pyridines and dihydro-6H-quinolin-5-ones tethered with aryls and heteroaryls was achieved in very good yields through CeCl(3)·7H(2)O-NaI catalyst via variants of the Bohlmann-Rahtz reaction. β-Enaminones derived from various aryl and heteroaryl methyl ketones were regioselectively reacted with ethyl acetoacetate or 5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione or 4,4-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione and ammonium acetate refluxing in 2-propanol. Applicability of nontoxic cerium catalyst, high reactivity with wide range of aryl and heteroaryl β-enaminones leading to diverse analogues, operational simplicity, and shorter reaction time at comparatively low temperatures are prominent features of the developed protocol. These synthesized substituted pyridines and dihydro-6H-quinolin-5-one analogues have been evaluated for their in vitro antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (MTB) by agar dilution method. Among the 48 compounds screened, six compounds 2-(5-chlorothiophen-2-yl)-7,7-dimethyl-7,8-dihydro-6H-quinolin-5-one 4{13,2}, 2-(5-bromothiophen-2-yl)-7,7-dimethyl-7,8-dihydro-6H-quinolin-5-one 4{14,2}, 2-(5-chloro thiophen-2-yl)-6,6-dimethyl-7,8-dihydroquinolin-5(6H)-one 4{13,3}, and 2-(5-bromothiophen-2-yl)-6,6-dimethyl-7,8-dihydroquinolin-5(6H)-one 4{14,3}, 7,7-dimethyl-2-(naphthalen-2-yl)-7,8-dihydroquinoline-5(6H)-one 4{6,2}, 6,6-dimethyl-2-(naphthalen-2-yl)-7,8-di hydroquinolin-5(6H)-one 4{6,3} resulted as the most promising antitubercular agents.

Total synthesis and complete structural assignment of thiocillin I

The total synthesis of the thiopeptide antibiotic, thiocillin I, is described. This work unequivocally defines the full structure (constitution and configuration) of the natural product as 1.

Bohlmann-Rahtz cyclodehydration of aminodienones to pyridines using N-iodosuccinimide

Cyclodehydration of Bohlmann-Rahtz aminodienone intermediates using N-iodosuccinimide as a Lewis acid proceeds at low temperature under very mild conditions to give the corresponding 2,3,6-trisubstituted pyridines in high yield and with total regiocontrol.

Cascade reactions during coronafacic acid biosynthesis: elongation, cyclization, and functionalization during Cfa7-catalyzed condensation

Herein, the biogenesis of the hydrindane ring system within coronafacic acid (CFA) has been investigated. These studies reveal that in addition to the canonical polyketide chain elongation and functionalization encoded by type I polyketide synthase (PKSs), cascade reactions can take place during assembly line-like biosynthesis. Indeed, upon Cfa7-catalyzed Claisen condensation between enzyme-bound malonate and an N-acetylcysteamine (SNAC) thioester, latent reactivity within the elongated enzyme-bound intermediate is unveiled. This reactivity translates into an intramolecular cyclization, which can proceed in a facile manner as observed by the enzyme-independent cyclization of a linear beta-ketothioester intermediate.

From Amino Acids to Heteroaromatics—Thiopeptide Antibiotics, Nature's Heterocyclic Peptides

Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, also serve as precursors to a wide range of other naturally occurring substances including alkaloids, antibiotics, and, the subject of this Review, heterocyclic peptides. Simple alpha-amino acids are converted into complex arrays of heteroaromatic rings that display interesting and potent biological activity. The thiopeptide antibiotics, with their complex molecular architectures, are wonderful examples. In this Review we show how organic chemists have developed innovative methods for the synthesis of the heterocyclic ring systems, including routes inspired by the likely biosynthetic processes, and successfully assembled such building blocks into the final target molecule by application of orthogonal protecting groups and coupling methodologies.