Controlling Ion-Sensing Specificity of N-Amidothioureas: From Anion-Selective Sensors to Highly Zn2+-Selective Sensors by Tuning Electronic Effects

A selective “turn-on” sensor for recognizing In3+ and Zn2+ in respective systems based on imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole

An imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole-based compound (X) was designed and synthesized as an “off–on–off” sensor for the multiple recognition of In³⁺ and Zn²⁺ in different systems.

Isothiocyanyl Alanine as a Synthetic Intermediate for the Synthesis of Thioureayl Alanines and Subsequent Aminotetrazolyl Alanines

The synthesis of unnatural amino acids with small side-chain functionalities usable for further transformations is highly demanding for the expansion of the genetic code and other possible biotechnological applications. To this end, we wanted to report the utility of an unexplored unnatural amino acid, isothiocyanyl alanine (^NCSAla = Ita), for the synthesis of another class of unnatural amino acids, thioureayl alanines (^TUAla = Tua). The synthesis of a third class of unnatural amino acids, amino tetrazolyl alanines (^ATzAla = Ata), in a very good yield was subsequently achieved utilizing thioureayl alanines. Thus, a variety of aliphatic- and aromatic-substituted thioureayl alanines and aromatic-substituted amino tetrazolyl alanines were successfully synthesized in good to excellent yields. The photophysical properties of three of the fluorescent unnatural amino acids from two classes were also studied and presented herein.

Synthesis, X-ray crystal structure, thermal behavior and spectroscopic analysis of 1-(1-naphthoyl)-3-(halo-phenyl)-thioureas complemented with quantum chemical calculations

Two novel 1-(1-naphthoyl)-3-(halo-phenyl) substituted thioureas, namely 1-(1-naphthoyl)-3-(2,4-di-fluoro-phenyl)-thiourea (1) and 1-(1-naphthoyl)-3-(3-chloro-4-fluoro-phenyl)-thiourea (2), were synthesized and fully characterized. The X-ray crystal and molecular structures have been determined resulting in a planar acylthiourea group, with the C=O and C=S adopting a pseudo-antiperiplanar conformation. An intramolecular N-H⋯O=C hydrogen bond occurs between the thioamide and carbonyl groups. The crystal packing of both compounds is characterized by extended intermolecular N-H⋯S=C and N-H⋯O=C hydrogen-bonding interactions involving the acylthiourea moiety. Compound 2 is further stabilized by π-stacking between adjacent naphthalene and phenyl rings. The thermal behavior, as well as the vibrational properties, studied by infrared and Raman spectroscopy data complemented by quantum chemical calculations at the B3PW91/6-311++G(d,p) support the formation of these intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, the UV-Vis spectrum is interpreted in terms of TD-DFT quantum chemical calculations with the shapes of the simulated absorption spectra in good accordance with the experimental data.

Intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding and conformation in 1-acyl thioureas: an experimental and theoretical approach on 1-(2-chlorobenzoyl)thiourea

The vibrational analysis (FT-IR and FT-Raman) for the new 1-(2-chlorobenzoyl)thiourea species suggests that strong intramolecular interactions affect the conformational properties. The X-ray structure determination corroborates that an intramolecular N-H⋯OC hydrogen bond occurs between the carbonyl (-CO) and thioamide (-NH2) groups. Moreover, periodic system electron density and topological analysis have been applied to characterize the intermolecular interactions in the crystal. Extended N-H⋯SC hydrogen-bonding networks between both the thioamide (N-H) and carbamide (NH2) groups and the thiocarbonyl bond (CS) determine the crystal packing. The Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) population analysis demonstrates that strong hyperconjugative remote interactions are responsible for both, intra and intermolecular interactions. The Atom in Molecule (AIM) results also show that the N-H⋯Cl intramolecular hydrogen bond between the 2-Cl-phenyl ring and the amide group characterized in the free molecule changes to an N⋯Cl interaction as a consequence of crystal packing.

Intermolecular interactions in crystalline 1-(adamantane-1-carbonyl)-3-substituted thioureas with Hirshfeld surface analysis

The 1-acyl thiourea synthon is characterized through a complete Hirshfeld surface analysis for a series of six closely related 1-(adamantane-1-carbonyl) thioureas.

1,4-Disubstituted thiosemicarbazide derivatives are potent inhibitors of Toxoplasma gondii proliferation

A series of 4-arylthiosemicarbazides substituted at the N1 position with a 5-membered heteroaryl ring was synthesized and evaluated in vitro for T. gondii inhibition proliferation and host cell cytotoxicity. At non-toxic concentrations for the host cells all studied compounds displayed excellent anti-parasitic effects when compared to sulfadiazine, indicating a high selectivity of their anti-T. gondii activity. The differences in bioactivity investigated by DFT calculations suggest that the inhibitory activity of 4-aryl-thiosemicarbazides towards T. gondii proliferation is connected with the electronic structure of the molecule. Further, these compounds were tested as potential antibacterial agents. No growth-inhibiting effect on any of the test microorganisms was observed for all the compounds, even at high concentrations.