Concise and Efficient Synthesis of 4-Fluoro-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine

Forgotten and forbidden chemical reactions revitalised through continuous flow technology

Continuous flow technology has played an undeniable role in enabling modern chemical synthesis, whereby a myriad of reactions can now be performed with greater efficiency, safety and control. As flow chemistry furthermore delivers more sustainable and readily scalable routes to important target structures a growing number of industrial applications are being reported. In this review we highlight the impact of flow chemistry on revitalising important chemical reactions that were either forgotten soon after their initial report as necessary improvements were not realised due to a lack of available technology, or forbidden due to unacceptable safety concerns relating to the experimental procedure. In both cases flow processing in combination with further reaction optimisation has rendered a powerful set of tools that make such transformations not only highly efficient but moreover very desirable due to a more streamlined construction of desired scaffolds. This short review highlights important contributions from academic and industrial laboratories predominantly from the last 5 years allowing the reader to gain an appreciation of the impact of flow chemistry.

Recent advances in the global ring functionalization of 7-azaindoles

The 7-azaindole building block has attracted considerable interest in the field of drug discovery in the current portfolio. Because of their powerful medicinal properties, the development of synthetic, elegant techniques for the functionalization of 7-azaindoles continues to be an active area of research. Advances in metal-catalyzed chemistry have recently supported the successful development of a number of novel and effective methods for functionalization of the 7-azaindole template. This review reports state-of-the-art functionalization chemistry of 7-azaindoles with an aspiration to highlight the global ring functionalization of 7-azaindoles that are potential as pharmacophores for various therapeutic targets. Other relevant reviews focused on 7-azaindole synthesis, properties and applications have also been reported. However, none of these reviews have been dedicated to the results achieved in the field of metal-catalyzed cross-coupling/C-H bond functionalized reactions. So we wish to discuss and summarize the advances made since 2011 in this field toward 7-azaindole functionalization.

Expanding the Balz-Schiemann Reaction: Organotrifluoroborates Serve as Competent Sources of Fluoride Ion for Fluoro-Dediazoniation

The Balz-Schiemann reaction endures as a method for the preparation of (hetero)aryl fluorides yet is eschewed due to the need for harsh conditions or high temperatures along with the need to isolate potentially explosive diazonium salts. In a departure from these conditions, we show that various organotrifluoroborates (RBF₃ ^- s) may serve as fluoride ion sources for solution-phase fluoro-dediazoniation in organic solvents under mild conditions. This methodology was successfully extended to a one-pot process obviating aryl diazonium salt isolation. Sterically hindered (hetero)anilines are fluorinated under unprecedentedly mild conditions in good-to-excellent yields. Taken together, this work expands the repertoire of RBF₃ ^- s to act as fluorine ion sources in an update to the classic Balz-Schiemann reaction.

C-H Functionalization of Azines

Azines, which are six-membered aromatic compounds containing one or more nitrogen atoms, serve as ubiquitous structural cores of aromatic species with important applications in biological and materials sciences. Among a variety of synthetic approaches toward azines, C-H functionalization represents the most rapid and atom-economical transformation, and it is advantageous for the late-stage functionalization of azine-containing functional molecules. Since azines have several C-H bonds with different reactivities, the development of new reactions that allow for the functionalization of azines in a regioselective fashion has comprised a central issue. This review describes recent advances in the C-H functionalization of azines categorized as follows: (1) S_NAr reactions, (2) radical reactions, (3) deprotonation/functionalization, and (4) metal-catalyzed reactions.

Solution-phase parallel synthesis of ruxolitinib-derived Janus kinase inhibitors via copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition

A solution-phase parallel synthesis of triazole-derived ruxolitinib analogues was developed in the current study. The method employs copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition to build up the central triazole template. Product isolation by precipitation and centrifugation is straightforward and yields high purity compounds suited for biological profiling. A simple protocol for accessing the terminal alkyne precursors in high yields was established and a library of ruxolitinib-like triazoles featuring diverse functional groups was prepared. In addition, a model for the binding mode of ruxolitinib to Janus kinase (JAK) 2 is proposed. In contrast to previous models, the pose explains the compound selectivity for JAK1/JAK2 and is in accordance with published structure-activity data. On this basis, a structure-based design hypothesis for inverting the selectivity profile of ruxolitinib is deduced. Application of this strategy identified a moderately potent JAK3 inhibitor (35 nM) with high selectivity against other JAKs, potentially exploiting a covalent binding mode.

Regioselective bromination of fused heterocyclic N-oxides

A mild method for the regioselective C2-bromination of fused azine N-oxides is presented, employing tosic anhydride as the activator and tetra-n-butylammonium bromide as the nucleophilic bromide source. The C2-brominated compounds are produced in moderate to excellent yields and with excellent regioselectivity in most cases. The potential extension of this method to other halogens, effecting C2-chlorination with Ts(2)O/TBACl is also presented. Finally, this method could be incorporated into a viable one-pot oxidation/bromination process, using methyltrioxorhenium/urea hydropgen peroxide as the oxidant.

Palladium-catalyzed C-N and C-O bond formation of N-substituted 4-bromo-7-azaindoles with amides, amines, amino acid esters and phenols

Simple and efficient procedures for palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of N-substituted 4-bromo-7-azaindole (1H-pyrrole[2,3-b]pyridine), with amides, amines, amino acid esters and phenols through C-N and C-O bond formation have been developed. The C-N cross-coupling reaction of amides, amines and amino acid esters takes place rapidly by using the combination of Xantphos, Cs(2)CO(3), dioxane and palladium catalyst precursors Pd(OAc)(2)/Pd(2)(dba)(3). The combination of Pd(OAc)(2), Xantphos, K(2)CO(3) and dioxane was found to be crucial for the C-O cross-coupling reaction. This is the first report on coupling of amides, amino acid esters and phenols with N-protected 4-bromo-7-azaindole derivatives.

Palladium-catalyzed amination of unprotected halo-7-azaindoles

Simple and efficient procedures for the Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of primary and secondary amines with halo-7-azaindoles(pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine) are presented. Previously, no general method was available to ensure the highly selective reaction of the heteroaryl halide in the presence of the unprotected azaindole N-H. Using palladium precatalysts recently reported by our group, such reactions are easily accomplished under mild conditions that can be applied to cross-coupling reactions with a wide array of aliphatic and aromatic amines.

Discovery and optimization of 2-(4-substituted-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-3-yl)methylene-4-hydroxybenzofuran-3(2H)-ones as potent and selective ATP-competitive inhibitors of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)

We discovered 2-(4-substituted-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-3-yl)methylene-4-hydroxybenzofuran-3(2H)-ones as potent and selective ATP-competitive inhibitors of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Since phenolic OH groups pose metabolic liability, one of the two hydroxyl groups was selectively removed. The SAR data showed the structural features necessary for subnanomolar inhibitory activity against mTOR kinase as well as selectivity over PI3Kalpha. An X-ray co-crystal structure of one inhibitor with the mTOR-related PI3Kgamma revealed the key hydrogen bonding interactions.

Discovery and preclinical studies of 5-isopropyl-6-(5-methyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)-N-(2-methyl-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-5-yl)pyrrolo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-amine (BMS-645737), an in vivo active potent VEGFR-2 inhibitor

We report herein a series of substituted N-(1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-5-yl)pyrrolo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4-amines as inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 tyrosine kinase. Through structure-activity relationship studies, biochemical potency, pharmacokinetics, and kinase selectivity were optimized to afford BMS-645737 (13), a compound with good preclinical in vivo activity against human tumor xenograft models.

Biaryl phosphane ligands in palladium-catalyzed amination

Palladium-catalyzed amination reactions of aryl halides have undergone rapid development in the last 12 years, largely driven by the implementation of new classes of ligands. Biaryl phosphanes have proven to provide especially active catalysts in this context. This Review discusses the application of these catalysts in C-N cross-coupling reactions in the synthesis of heterocycles and pharmaceuticals, in materials science, and in natural product synthesis.

A practical synthesis of 2-((1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine-4-yl)methylamino)-5- fluoronicotinic acid

A practical synthesis of a key pharmaceutical intermediate, 2-[(1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine-4-yl)methylamino]-5-fluoronicotinic acid (1), is described. To introduce the aminomethyl moiety of 2 via a palladium-catalyzed cyanation/reduction sequence, a regioselective chlorination of 7-azaindole via the N-oxide was developed. A highly selective monodechlorination of 2,6-dichloro-5-fluoronicotinic acid was discovered to afford the nicotinic acid 3. The two building blocks 2 and 3 were then coupled to complete the preparation of 1.