Copper-catalyzed three-component reaction of N-heteroaryl aldehydes, nitriles, and water

An efficient and straightforward method for the synthesis of N-heteroaroyl imides has been successfully developed involving a copper-catalyzed radical-triggered three-component reaction of N-heteroaryl aldehydes, nitriles, and water. Mechanistic studies indicate that the reaction may undergo a radical-triggered Ritter-type reaction in which water serves as the oxygen source for the formation of the C-O bond. The reaction has advantages such as a broad substrate scope for the N-heteroaryl aldehydes, atom economy, and simple operation.

A pair of dinuclear Re(i) enantiomers: synthesis, crystal structures, chiroptical and ferroelectric properties

A pair of dinuclear Re(i) enantiomers have been successfully synthesized, representing the first example of polynuclear Re(i) complexes with ferroelectric properties and possessing a multifunctional feature combining chirality, NLO-activity and ferroelectricity within one molecule.

Deformative transition of the Menschutkin reaction and helical atropisomers in a congested polyheterocyclic system

A 4,7-phenanthroline polycyclic 1A designed for probing the limits of the Menschutkin reaction was synthesized in a six-step sequence. The rotational barrier of the phenyl ring nearby the N-methyl group in rac-2A was estimated to be ≫ 18.1 kcal/mol from VT-NMR experiments, making them a new type of helical atropisomer. The methylation rate constants of 9 and 1A with MeI was found to be 2.22 × 10(-4) and 9.62 × 10(-6) s(-1) mol(-1) L, respectively; thus, the formation rate of (P/M)-2A is one of the slowest rates ever reported for a Menschutkin reaction. The N-methyl protons in (P/M)-2A exhibit a significant upfield shift (Δδ 1.0 ppm) in its (1)H NMR, compared to those without a nearby phenyl, indicating a strong CH-π interaction is involved. Conformational flexibility in dipyridylethene 9 is clearly shown by its complexation with BH3 to form helical atropisomers (P,P/M,M)-10. The pKa values of the conjugate acids of 1A and 9 in acetonitrile were determined to be 4.65 and 5.07, respectively, which are much smaller compared to that of pyridine 14a (pKa = 12.33), implying that the basicity, nucleophilicity, and amine alkylation rates of 1A and 9 are markedly decreased by the severe steric hindrance of the flanking phenyl rings in the polyheterocycles.

Unusual Friedlander reactions: a route to novel quinoxaline-based heterocycles

Acid catalyzed Friedlander reactions of a number of 2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[b]quinoxaline-1-ones with 2-aminobenzaldehyde yield, unexpectedly, 8H-indolo[3,2-a]phenazine and quinolino[2,3-c]cyclopentadienone[2,3-b]quinoxalines, the structures of derivatives of which were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Easy routes to novel quinoxaline-based indoles, quinolones, and quinoxaline-1,4-dioxides are reported, and proposed mechanisms for the unexpected products are discussed.

A New Quinoxalinyl-Substituted Nitronyl Nitroxide Radical and its Five-Spin CuII and Four-Spin MnII Complexes: Syntheses, Crystal Structures, and Magnetic Properties

A new radical of QNXL-2NIT (1) (QNXL-2NIT = 2-(2-quinoxalinyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-imidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) and its complexes [Cu(hfac)2]3(QNXL-2NIT)2·2CHCl3 (2) and [Mn(hfac)2]2(QNXL-2NIT)2 (3) (hfac = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexfluoroacetylacetone) were first reasonably designed and synthesised in this paper. The X-ray structure determination revealed that by introducing the quinoxalinyl ring group to the nitronyl nitroxide radical, QNXL-2NIT affords more coordination sites for metal ions. We successfully obtained its copper complex with linear tri-nuclear five-spin structure. However, when we substituted MnII as the central metal, complex 3 exhibits a rectangle-like four-spin framework containing two MnII ions and two radicals in one molecule. The magnetic study of the two complexes shows that there are strong antiferromagnetic interactions between the radical and the terminal CuII ions with g = 2.25, J = –291.67 cm–1 and zJ′ = –0.25 cm–1 and the dominating interactions between the MnII ion and the radical in complex 3 are also antiferromagnetic with the parameters of g = 1.99, J 1 = –77.00 cm–1 and J 2 = 0.34 cm–1.

2,3-Bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)quinoxaline (bmiq), a new ligand with decoupled electron transfer and metal coordination sites: the very different redox behaviour of isoelectronic complexes with [PtCl2] and [AuCl2]+

The new, potentially ambidentate heterocyclic ligand 2,3-bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)quinoxaline (bmiq) was obtained from 2,3-bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)glyoxal and 1,2-diaminobenzene. Its coordination to PtCl(2) and to the isoelectronic [AuCl(2)](+) in [AuCl(2)(bmiq)](AuCl(4)) occurs via the imine N donors of the imidazolyl groups, leading to the formation of seven-membered chelate rings with boat conformation. According to the spectroelectrochemistry (UV-vis-NIR, EPR), the reversible electron addition to the [PtCl(2)(bmiq)] and the free ligand takes place in the (non-coordinated) quinoxaline part of the molecule, similarly as for related complexes of dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazines (dppz), 2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)quinoxalines (bpq) and 2,3-bis(dialkylphosphino)quinoxalines (QuinoxP). DFT calculations confirm the experimental results (structures, spectroscopy) and also point to the coordination potential of the quinoxaline N atoms. The electron addition to [AuCl(2)(bmiq)](+) takes place not at the ligand but at the metal site, according to experimental and DFT results.

Towards echinomycin mimetics by grafting quinoxaline residues on glycophane scaffolds

Echinomycin is a natural depsipeptide, which is a bisintercalator, inserting quinoxaline units preferentially adjacent to CG base pairs of DNA. Herein the design and synthesis of echinomycin mimetics based on grafting of two quinoxaline residues onto a macrocyclic scaffold (glycophane) is addressed. Binding of the compounds to calf-thymus DNA was studied using UV-vis and steady state fluorescence spectroscopy, as well as thermal denaturation. An interesting observation was enhancement of fluorescence emission for the peptidomimetics on binding to DNA, which contrasted with observations for echinomycin. Molecular dynamics simulations were exploited to explore in more detail if bis-intercalation to DNA was possible for one of the glycophanes. Bis-intercalating echinomycin complexes with DNA were found to be stable during 20ns simulations at 298K. However, the MD simulations of a glycophane complexed with a DNA octamer displayed very different behaviour to echinomycin and its quinoxaline units were found to rapidly migrate out from the intercalation site. Release of bis-intercalation strain occurred with only one of the quinoxaline chromophores remaining intercalated throughout the simulation. The distance between the quinoxaline residues in the glycophane at the end of the MD simulation was 7.3-7.5Å, whereas in echinomycin, the distance between the residues was ∼11Å, suggesting that longer glycophane scaffolds would be required to generate bis-intercalating echinomycin mimetics.

Picosecond time-resolved infrared spectroscopic investigation into electron localisation in the excited states of Re(i) polypyridyl complexes with bridging ligands

Mono- and binuclear complexes of (Re(CO)3Cl) with dipyrido[2,3-a:3',2'-c]-6,7-dimethylphenazine (ppbMe2) were synthesised and their photophysical properties probed using picosecond time-resolved infrared spectroscopy (TRIR). Excitation of these complexes in solution at 400 nm produces short-lived excited states. The IR spectrum of the excited state of the mononuclear [Re(CO)3Cl(ppbMe2)] have nu(CO) bands shifted to higher wavenumber relative to those of the ground state. This is consistent with formation of a (3)MLCT excited state. The IR spectrum of the excited state of the bimetallic [(Re(CO)3Cl)2(micro-ppbMe2)] shows the formation of two distinct groups of nu(CO) bands. This is interpreted as the formation of two distinct Re sites arising from a localised MLCT state with formally oxidised Re centre and a formally reduced bridging ligand. The nu(CO) bands of the adjacent Re centre are affected by the reduction of the bridging ligand. On the IR timescale the excited state structure is best formulated as [Cl(CO)3Re(II)(micro-ppbMe2 *-)Re(I)(CO)3Cl].