Reactivity of γ-Hydroxy-α,β-acetylenic Esters with Amines: Facile Synthesis of the Optically Active 4-Amino-2(5H)-furanones

Synthesis and medicinal chemistry of tetronamides: Promising agrochemicals and antitumoral compounds

Butenolides and tetronic acids occupy a prominent position in synthetic chemistry due to their ubiquitous distribution in nature. This has stimulated investigations firstly in the synthesis of such systems and, laterly, the interest has turned to the understanding of the quantum structure of such systems, allowing a deeper understanding of the mechanism and reactivity of this cyclic scaffold. In contrast, tetronamides, which consist of compounds bearing a 4-aminofuran-2(5H)-one backbone, are relatively rare in nature and synthetic routes to such compounds are poorly explored. This review highlights both the importance of the tetronamide scaffold in medicinal chemistry and the most relevant recondite synthetic strategies for obtaining compounds of this class.

Synthesis of new tetronamides displaying inhibitory activity against bloom-forming cyanobacteria

BACKGROUND

The increasing frequency and intensity of cyanobacterial blooms pose a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems. These blooms produce potent toxins that can contaminate drinking water and endanger the life of wild and domestic animals as well as humans. Consequently, the development of effective methods for their control is a matter of high priority. We have previously shown that some γ-benzylidenebutenolides, related to the rubrolide family of natural products, are capable of inhibiting the photosynthetic electron transport chain (Hill reaction), a target of commercial herbicides. Here we report the synthesis and biological properties of a new class of rubrolide-inspired molecules featuring a tetronamide motif.

RESULTS

A total of 47 N-aryl tetronamides, including 38 aldol adducts, were prepared bearing phenyl, biphenyl, naphthyl, aliphatic and heteroaromatic groups. Some of the aldol adducts were dehydrated to the corresponding γ-benzylidenetetronamides, although satisfactory yields were obtained in only three cases (52-97%). None of the synthesized compounds were capable of blocking the Hill reaction. This notwithstanding, several aldol adducts equipped with a biphenyl substituent displayed excellent inhibitory activity against Synechococcus elongatus and other cyanobacterial strains (IC₅₀  = 1-5 μM). Further, these tetronamides were found to be essentially inactive against eukaryotic microorganisms.

CONCLUSION

Several newly synthesized biphenyl-containing tetronamides were shown to display potent and selective inhibitory activity against cyanobacteria. These compounds appear to exert their biological effects without interfering with the Hill reaction. As such, they represent novel leads in the search of environmentally benign agents for controlling cyanobacterial blooms. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

New frontiers in the transition-metal-free synthesis of heterocycles from alkynoates: an overview and current status

This review highlights the successful utilization of transition-metal-free approaches for the modular assembly of various heterocycles from alkynoates.

Thermodynamically driven, syn-selective vinylogous aldol reaction of tetronamides

A stereoselective vinylogous aldol reaction of N-monosubstituted tetronamides with aldehydes is described.

Asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-O-methylasparvenone, a rare nitrogen-free serotonin 2C receptor antagonist

The first enantioselective synthesis of the fungal metabolite (+)-O-methylasparvenone is reported.

One-step preparation of O-(α-bromoacyl) cyanohydrins by minor enantiomer recycling: synthesis of 4-amino-2(5H)-furanones

O-(α-Bromoacyl) cyanohydrins were prepared in a single step from a range of different aldehydes in combination with α-bromoacyl cyanides. By the use of a cyclic procedure where the two minor diastereoisomers from a chiral Lewis acid-catalyzed reaction undergo Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB)-catalyzed hydrolysis followed by dehydrocyanation to regenerate the starting material, the products were obtained in good to high yields and in most cases with excellent diastereoselectivites. The synthetic importance of these compounds was demonstrated by the synthesis of 4-amino-2(5H)-furanones, a class of compounds that have shown both biological activity and utility as synthetic intermediates. This transformation was achieved by an intramolecular Blaise reaction, which gave the products in high to excellent yields and enantiomeric ratios.

Development of Zn-ProPhenol-catalyzed asymmetric alkyne addition: synthesis of chiral propargylic alcohols

The development of a general and practical zinc-catalyzed enantioselective alkyne addition methodology is reported. The commercially available ProPhenol ligand (1) has facilitated the addition of a wide range of zinc alkynylides to aryl, aliphatic, and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes in high yield and enantioselectivity. New insights into the mechanism of this reaction have resulted in a significant reduction in reagent stoichiometry, enabling the use of precious alkynes and avoiding the use of excess dimethylzinc. The enantioenriched propargylic alcohols from this reaction serve as versatile synthetic intermediates and have enabled efficient syntheses of several complex natural products.

Asymmetric alkynylation of aldehydes with propiolates without high reagent loading and any additives

The asymmetric alkynylation of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes with propiolates was mediated by dialkylzinc and a novel prolinol catalyst without high reagent loading and any additives, such as Ti(Oi-Pr)(4), to give the corresponding γ-hydroxy-α,β-acetylenic esters with high enantiomeric excess of up to 95%.

3-Bromo-5-meth-oxy-4-(4-methyl-piperidin-1-yl)furan-2(5H)-one

There are two molecules in the asymmetric unit of title compound, C(11)H(16)BrNO(3), which was obtained via the tandem Michael addition-elimination reaction of 3,4-dibromo-5-meth-oxy-furan-2(5H)-one and 4-methyl-piperidine in the presence of potassium fluoride. The furan-one rings are approximately planar [maximum atomic deviations of 0.026 (2) and 0.015 (2) Å, respectively]. The packing is stabilized by weak inter-molecular C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Br inter-actions.