Proton-in-flight mechanism for the spontaneous hydrolysis of N-methyl O-phenyl sulfamate: implications for the design of steroid sulfatase inhibitors

Advances in the construction of diverse SuFEx linkers

Sulfur fluoride exchange (SuFEx), a new generation of click chemistry, was first presented by Sharpless, Dong and co-workers in 2014. Owing to the high stability and yet efficient reactivity of the S^VI-F bond, SuFEx has found widespread applications in organic synthesis, materials science, chemical biology and drug discovery. A diverse collection of SuFEx linkers has emerged, involving gaseous SO₂F₂ and SOF₄ hubs; SOF₄-derived iminosulfur oxydifluorides; O-, N- and C-attached sulfonyl fluorides and sulfonimidoyl fluorides; and novel sulfondiimidoyl fluorides. This review summarizes the progress of these SuFEx connectors, with an emphasis on analysing the advantages and disadvantages of synthetic strategies of these connectors based on the SuFEx concept, and it is expected to be beneficial to researchers to rapidly and correctly understand this field, thus inspiring further development in SuFEx chemistry.

Sulfur(VI) fluorides as tools in biomolecular and medicinal chemistry

Recent advances in the synthesis of sulfur(VI)-fluorides has enabled incredible growth in their application in biomolecular chemistry. This review aims to serve as a primer highlighting synthetic strategies toward a diversity of S(VI) fluorides and their application in chemical biology, bioconjugation, and medicinal chemistry.

SuFEx Activation with Ca(NTf2)2: A Unified Strategy to Access Sulfamides, Sulfamates, and Sulfonamides from S(VI) Fluorides

A method to activate sulfamoyl fluorides, fluorosulfates, and sulfonyl fluorides with calcium triflimide and DABCO for SuFEx with amines is described. The reaction was applied to a diverse set of sulfamides, sulfamates, and sulfonamides at room temperature under mild conditions. Additionally, we highlight this transformation to parallel medicinal chemistry to generate a broad array of nitrogen-based S(VI) compounds.

Catalytic Sulfamoylation of Alcohols with Activated Aryl Sulfamates

We report a new catalytic method for alcohol sulfamoylation that deploys electron-deficient aryl sulfamates as activated group transfer reagents. The reaction utilizes the simple organic base N-methylimidazole, proceeds under mild conditions, and provides intrinsic selectivity for 1° over 2° alcohols (up to >40:1 for certain nucleosides). The requisite aryl sulfamate donors are stable crystalline solids that can be readily prepared on a large scale. Mechanistic considerations support the intermediacy of HNSO₂ "aza-sulfene" in the transfer reaction.

Novel Approaches to Access Arylfluorosulfates and Sulfamoyl Fluorides Based on Sulfur (VI) Fluoride Exchange

Sulfur (VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) is a new family of click chemistry reactions that relies on readily available sulfuryl fluoride (SO₂ F₂ ) and ethenesulfonyl fluoride to build diverse chemical structures bearing the S^VI -F motif, such as fluorosulfate (-OSO₂ F) and sulfonyl fluoride (-SO₂ F). These motifs could be useful functional groups and connective linkers in organic synthesis. This unit describes two protocols for performing SuFEx. The first protocol describes an in situ method for rapid generation of arylfluorosulfates in 96-well plates for high-throughput screening. The second protocol outlines use of a shelf-stable fluorosulfuryl imidazolium salt for generating arylfluorosulfates and sulfamoyl fluorides. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Applications of sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2) in chemical transformations

A number of novel methodologies concerning the chemical, biological and medicinal applications of sulfuryl fluoride (SO₂F₂) gas have dramatically improved year by year.

Sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx): another good reaction for click chemistry

Aryl sulfonyl chlorides (e.g. Ts-Cl) are beloved of organic chemists as the most commonly used S(VI) electrophiles, and the parent sulfuryl chloride, O2 S(VI) Cl2 , has also been relied on to create sulfates and sulfamides. However, the desired halide substitution event is often defeated by destruction of the sulfur electrophile because the S(VI) Cl bond is exceedingly sensitive to reductive collapse yielding S(IV) species and Cl(-) . Fortunately, the use of sulfur(VI) fluorides (e.g., R-SO2 -F and SO2 F2 ) leaves only the substitution pathway open. As with most of click chemistry, many essential features of sulfur(VI) fluoride reactivity were discovered long ago in Germany.6a Surprisingly, this extraordinary work faded from view rather abruptly in the mid-20th century. Here we seek to revive it, along with John Hyatt's unnoticed 1979 full paper exposition on CH2 CH-SO2 -F, the most perfect Michael acceptor ever found.98 To this history we add several new observations, including that the otherwise very stable gas SO2 F2 has excellent reactivity under the right circumstances. We also show that proton or silicon centers can activate the exchange of SF bonds for SO bonds to make functional products, and that the sulfate connector is surprisingly stable toward hydrolysis. Applications of this controllable ligation chemistry to small molecules, polymers, and biomolecules are discussed.

Experimental and theoretical insights into the mechanisms of sulfate and sulfamate ester hydrolysis and the end products of type I sulfatase inactivation by aryl sulfamates

Type I sulfatases catalyze the hydrolysis of sulfate esters through S-O bond cleavage and possess a catalytically essential formylglycine (FGly) active-site residue that is post-translationally derived from either cysteine or serine. Type I sulfatases are inactivated by aryl sulfamates in a time-dependent, irreversible, and active-site directed manner consistent with covalent modification of the active site. We report a theoretical (SCS-MP2//B3LYP) and experimental study of the uncatalyzed and enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of aryl sulfates and sulfamates. In solution, aryl sulfate monoanions undergo hydrolysis by an S(N)2 mechanism whereas aryl sulfamate monoanions follow an S(N)1 pathway with SO2NH as an intermediate; theory traces this difference to the markedly greater stability of SO2NH versus SO3. For Pseudomonas aeruginosa arylsulfatase-catalyzed aryl sulfate hydrolysis, Brønsted analysis (log(V(max)/K(M)) versus leaving group pK(a) value) reveals β(LG) = -0.86 ± 0.23, consistent with an S(N)2 at sulfur reaction but substantially smaller than that reported for uncatalyzed hydrolysis (β(LG) = -1.81). Common to all proposed mechanisms of sulfatase catalysis is a sulfated FGly intermediate. Theory indicates a ≥26 kcal/mol preference for the intermediate to release HSO4(-) by an E2 mechanism, rather than alkaline phosphatase-like S(N)2 substitution by water. An evaluation of the stabilities of various proposed end-products of sulfamate-induced sulfatase inactivation highlights that an imine N-sulfate derived from FGly is the most likely irreversible adduct.