Aromaticity and Aminopyrroles: Desmotropy and Solution Tautomerism of 1H-Pyrrol-3-aminium and 1H-Pyrrol-3(2H)-iminium Cation: A Stable σ-Complex

I2-catalyzed synthesis of 3-aminopyrrole with homopropargylic amines and nitrosoarenes

The synthesis of 3-aminopyrrole using the amination reagent nitrosoarenes and homopropargylic amines catalyzed by I2 through cyclization and amination has been developed. This protocol features excellent functional group tolerance and mild reaction conditions, yielding 3-aminopyrroles in moderate to good yields without a metal catalyst. This method realizes the construction and amination of the 3-aminopyrroles in which nitrosoarenes serve as the amine source and oxidant.

Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent bifunctional enzyme catalyzed biosynthesis of indolizidine alkaloids in fungi

Indolizidine alkaloids such as anticancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine are exceptionally attractive due to their widespread occurrence, prominent bioactivity, complex structure, and sophisticated involvement in the chemical defense for the producing organisms. However, the versatility of the indolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis remains incompletely addressed since the knowledge about such biosynthetic machineries is only limited to several representatives. Herein, we describe the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) for the biosynthesis of curvulamine, a skeletally unprecedented antibacterial indolizidine alkaloid from Curvularia sp. IFB-Z10. The molecular architecture of curvulamine results from the functional collaboration of a highly reducing polyketide synthase (CuaA), a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent aminotransferase (CuaB), an NADPH-dependent dehydrogenase (CuaC), and a FAD-dependent monooxygenase (CuaD), with its transportation and abundance regulated by a major facilitator superfamily permease (CuaE) and a Zn(II)Cys₆ transcription factor (CuaF), respectively. In contrast to expectations, CuaB is bifunctional and capable of catalyzing the Claisen condensation to form a new C-C bond and the α-hydroxylation of the alanine moiety in exposure to dioxygen. Inspired and guided by the distinct function of CuaB, our genome mining effort discovers bipolamines A-I (bipolamine G is more antibacterial than curvulamine), which represent a collection of previously undescribed polyketide alkaloids from a silent BGC in Bipolaris maydis ATCC48331. The work provides insight into nature's arsenal for the indolizidine-coined skeletal formation and adds evidence in support of the functional versatility of PLP-dependent enzymes in fungi.

Catalytic Reductive Synthesis and Direct Derivatization of Unprotected Aminoindoles, Aminopyrroles, and Iminoindolines

A titanium(III)-catalyzed radical cyclization to unprotected 3-aminoindoles, 3-aminopyrroles, or 3-iminoindolines is reported. The reaction is non-hazardous, scalable, and allows facile isolation of the free products by extraction. The method is demonstrated on a large substrate scope and it further allows the direct installation of various nitrogen protecting groups or the synthesis of building blocks for peptide chemistry in a single sequence. Fused bisindoles can be directly accessed from the cyclization products.

The Porphobilinogen Conundrum in Prebiotic Routes to Tetrapyrrole Macrocycles

Attempts to develop a credible prebiotic route to tetrapyrroles have relied on enzyme-free recapitulation of the extant biosynthesis, but this process has foundered from the inability to form the pyrrole porphobilinogen (PBG) in good yield by self-condensation of the precursor δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). PBG undergoes robust oligomerization in aqueous solution to give uroporphyrinogen (4 isomers) in good yield. ALA, PBG, and uroporphyrinogen III are universal precursors to all known tetrapyrrole macrocycles. The enzymic formation of PBG entails carbon-carbon bond formation between the less stable enolate/enamine of one ALA molecule (3-position) and the carbonyl/imine (4-position) of the second ALA molecule; without enzymes, the first ALA reacts at the more stable enolate/enamine (5-position) and gives the pyrrole pseudo-PBG. pseudo-PBG cannot self-condense, yet has one open α-pyrrole position and is proposed to be a terminator of oligopyrromethane chain-growth from PBG. Here, 23 analogues of ALA have been subjected to density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations, but no motif has been identified that directs reaction at the 3-position. Deuteriation experiments suggested 5-(phosphonooxy)levulinic acid would react preferentially at the 3- versus 5-position, but a hybrid condensation with ALA gave no observable uroporphyrin. The results suggest efforts toward a biomimetic, enzyme-free route to tetrapyrroles from ALA should turn away from structure-directed reactions and focus on catalysts that orient the two aminoketones to form PBG in a kinetically controlled process, thereby avoiding formation of pseudo-PBG.

Unprecedented Demonstration of Regioselective SE Ar Reaction giving Unsymmetrical Regioregular Oligothiophenes

Aromatization of 4-cyano-3-oxotetrahydrothiophene by sulfuryl chloride gives the new building block 4-cyano-3-pyrrolidylthiophene, which forms unsymmetrical regioregular oligothiophenes with a strict alternation of the donor and acceptor groups along the conjugated system. The self-coupling reactions that form the oligomers are shown to proceed by a regioselective electrophilic aromatic substitution mechanism involving a stabilized Wheland intermediate.

Effect of Bronsted Acids and Bases, and Lewis Acid (Sn(2+)) on the Regiochemistry of the Reaction of Amines with Trifluoromethyl-β-diketones: Reaction of 3-Aminopyrrole to Selectively Produce Regioisomeric 1H-Pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridines

Reaction of 3-aminopyrrole (as its salt) with trifluoromethyl-β-diketones gave γ-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridines via reaction at the less reactive carbonyl group. The trifluoromethyl group increased the electrophilicity of the adjacent carbonyl group and decreased the basicity of the hydroxyl group of the CF3 amino alcohol formed. This amino alcohol was formed faster, but its subsequent dehydration to the β-enaminone was slow resulting in the preferential formation of the γ-regioisomer. Reaction of 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-phenyl-1,3-butadione with 3-aminopyrrole was carried out using a series of 6 amine buffers. Yields of the α-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine increased as the pKa of the amine buffer decreased. Surprisingly the yield went down at higher pKas. There was a change in mechanism as the reaction mixture became more basic. With strong amines trifluoromethyl-β-diketones were present mainly or completely as the enolate. Under reductive conditions (3-nitropyrrole/Sn/AcOH/trifluoromethyl-β-diketone) the α-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine was the major product as a result of Lewis acid catalysis by Sn(2+). Similar α-regiochemistry was observed when the reaction of the 3-aminopyrrole salt with trifluoromethyl-β-diketones was carried out in the presence of base and tin(II) acetate.

Titanium-mediated cross-coupling reactions of 1,3-butadiynes with α-iminonitriles to 3-aminopyrroles: observation of an imino aza-Nazarov cyclization

Ti(OⁱPr)₄/2 ⁿBuLi-mediated highly efficient cross-coupling reactions of 1,3-butadiynes with α-iminonitriles are described, which provide convenient access to functionalized 3-aminopyrroles.