Facile synthesis of fluorescent active triazapentalenes through gold-catalyzed triazole-alkyne cyclization

Palladium-Catalyzed Arylations towards 3,6-Diaryl-1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes and Evaluation of Their Fluorescence Properties

Methyl 4-(1,3a,6a-triazapentalen-3-yl)benzoate (TAP1) shows interesting properties as a small molecule fluorophore. In the search for post-functionalization methods, palladium-catalyzed arylation reactions were demonstrated. Direct CH arylation reactions of TAP1 with various aryl halides resulted in 3,6-diaryltriazapentalenes TAP4, although mostly in poor yields. Bromination of TAP1 followed by Suzuki coupling, on the other hand, requires a more delicate procedure, but gave arylated products with the same regiochemistry (TAP4) in moderate to good yields. The structure of 6-phenyltriazapentalene TAP4a was confirmed by crystallographic analysis. In addition, the effect of the C6 arylation on the fluorescent properties of 3-aryl-1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes was studied in dichloromethane at room temperature and in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran at 77 K, while the photophysical properties of two saponified derivatives were measured in acetonitrile.

Facile preparation of polycyclic halogen-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles by using intramolecular Huisgen cycloaddition

When 1-(ω-azidoalkyl)-2-(2,2-dihalovinyl)arenes were heated in DMF, the intramolecular Huisgen cycloaddition of an azido group with a 1,1-dihalovinyl group afforded 5-halo-1,2,3-triazole-fused tricyclic benzo compounds. Based on the remaining bromo groups, carbon elongation by the Mizoroki-Heck or Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions, followed by an intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction, afforded polycyclic compounds with fused triazole rings. Thereafter, the bromo groups were converted into 2-nitrophenyl groups via the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction, which was followed by the Cadogan reaction; a fluorescent pentacyclic compound was obtained.

1,3a,6a-Triazapentalene derivatives as photo-induced cytotoxic small fluorescent dyes

1,3a,6a-Triazapentalene (TAP) is a compact fluorescent chromophore whose fluorescence properties vary greatly depending on the substituents on the TAP ring. This study investigated the photo-induced cytotoxicities of various TAP derivatives. Among the derivatives, 2-p-nitrophenyl-TAP showed significant cytotoxicity to HeLa cells under UV irradiation but no cytotoxicity without UV. In addition, the photo-induced cytotoxicity of 2-p-nitirophenyl-TAP was found to be cancer cell selective and effective against HeLa cells and HCT 116 cells. Under UV irradiation, 2-p-nitrophenyl-TAP generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) that induced an apoptosis and ferroptosis in cancer cells. Therefore, it was revealed that 2-p-nitrophenyl-TAP is the most compact dye that can generate ROS by photoirradiation.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluations of Novel Azothiazoles Based on Thioamide

Herein we studied the preparation of different thiazoles via the reaction of 2-(3,4-dimethoxybenzylidene)hydrazine-1-carbothioamide (1) with hydrazonoyl halides under base-catalyzed conditions. The reactions proceed through nucleophilic substitution attack at the halogen atom of the hydrazonoyl halides by the thiol nucleophile to form an S-alkylated intermediate. The latter intermediate undergoes cyclization by the loss of water to afford the final products. The structures of the azo compounds were confirmed by FTIR, MS, NMR, and elemental analyses. Indeed, the newly synthesized azo compounds were estimated for their potential anticancer activities by an MTT assay against different human cancer cells, such as lung adenocarcinoma (A549) and colorectal adenocarcinoma (DLD-1). The caspase-3 levels were also estimated using Western blotting and the dual staining technique to evaluate the potency of the titled compounds to promote apoptosis.

Facile synthesis of diverse hetero polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) via the styryl Diels–Alder reaction of conjugated diynes

The intramolecular styryl Diels–Alder reaction with conjugated diynes under thermally stable triazole-gold (TA–Au) catalytic conditions and the sequential transformation through alkyne activation to access various PAHs with high efficiency was reported for the first time.

Pyridazino-1,3a,6a-Triazapentalenes as Versatile Fluorescent Probes: Impact of Their Post-Functionalization and Application for Cellular Imaging

Pyridazino-1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes (PyTAP) are compact fused 6/5/5 tricyclic scaffolds which exhibit promising fluorescent properties. Chemically stable, they can be post-functionalized using standard Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling chemistry. Several original PyTAP bearing additional unsaturated substituents in positions 2 and 8 were synthetized and their spectroscopic properties analyzed. They have been successfully tested as fluorescent probes for cellular imaging.

Bicyclic 1,3a,6a-Triazapentalene Chromophores: Synthesis, Spectroscopy and Their Use as Fluorescent Sensors and Probes

The 1,3a,6a-triazapentalene (TAP) is an aromatic heterocyclic fluorescent dye with interesting features such as its small size, large Stokes shift, solvatochromism, and emission wavelengths that are spread across the visible spectrum. TAPs have been synthesized via different synthetic strategies involving click−cyclization−aromatization domino reactions, gold-catalyzed cyclization of propargyl triazoles or triazolization of acetophenones. As a result, TAPs with diverse substitution patterns were obtained, showing varying fluorescence properties. Based on these properties, several TAPs have been selected and studied as fluorescent imaging probes in living cells and as sensors. This mini review provides an overview of the research on the bicyclic TAPs and does not comment on the literature about benzo or otherwise fused systems. The synthetic methodologies for the preparation of TAPs, the substituent effects on the fluorescence properties, and the behavior of the TAP core as an element of biological imaging probes and sensors are discussed.

Ring-Degenerate Rearrangement Resulting from the Azo Coupling Reaction of a 3-Aryl-1,3a,6a-triazapentalene

The 3-(4-(methoxycarbonyl)phenyl)triazapentalene is a highly fluorescent small molecule which is readily accessible via a two-step synthesis. In the search for postfunctionalization methods, a radical CH-arylation with diazonium salts was attempted. However, azo coupling resulted in a ring-degenerate rearrangement toward a 2-aryl-4-azotriazapentalene, which was confirmed via crystallographic analysis. A mechanism involving the generation of a nitrilimine is proposed. In addition, reduction of the azo group led to cleavage of the triazapentalene core. The present results further demonstrate the sensitivity of the triazapentalene fluorophore.

Intramolecular Metal-Free N-N Bond Formation with Heteroaromatic Amines: Mild Access to Fused-Triazapentalene Derivatives

Formation of N-N bonds may offer an original approach to various nitrogen-containing heterocycles with numerous applications. For this purpose, we found that readily available heteroaromatic amines are appropriate substrates for providing an efficient and innovative approach for the formation of N-N bonds in the presence of iodine (III) reagent in very mild conditions. This method makes it possible to synthesize nitrogen rich triazapentalene derivatives exhibiting fluorescent properties, inaccessible with existing approaches.

Development of a 1,3a,6a-triazapentalene derivative as a compact and thiol-specific fluorescent labeling reagent

For the fluorescence imaging of biologically active small compounds, the development of compact fluorophores that do not perturb bioactivity is required. Here we report a compact derivative of fluorescent 1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes, 2-isobutenylcarbonyl-1,3a,6a-triazapentalene (TAP-VK1), as a fluorescent labeling reagent. The reaction of TAP-VK1 with various aliphatic thiols proceeds smoothly to afford the corresponding 1,4-adducts in high yields, and nucleophiles other than thiols do not react. After the addition of thiol groups in dichloromethane, the emission maximum of TAP-VK1 shifts to a shorter wavelength and the fluorescence intensity is substantially increased. The utility of TAP-VK1 as a compact fluorescent labeling reagent is clearly demonstrated by the labeling of Captopril, which is a small molecular drug for hypertension. The successful imaging of Captopril, one of the most compact drugs, in this study demonstrates the usefulness of compact fluorophores for mechanistic studies.

Construction of fluorescence active MOFs with symmetrical and conformationally rigid N-2-aryl-triazole ligands

1,4-Bis-triazole-substituted arene (NAT) was designed and synthesized for the construction of metal organic frameworks. Unlike the tri-phenyl analogs, which give a twisted conformation between three benzene rings due to the A-1,3 repulsion, the NAT-ligand gave the energetically favored co-planar conformation with the strong fluorescence emission. With this ligand, two new MOFs, NAT-MOF-Cd (2,3,4-c) and NAT-MOF-Cu (4-c), were successfully obtained with the structure confirmed by X-ray. With the six-coordinated Cd(ii) cluster, an interesting metal–ligand coordination and H-bonding hybridized porous polymeric structures were observed. In contrast, a typical Cu(ii) paddle wheel coordination was obtained with NAT and Cu, giving a new MOF structure with moderate stability in aqueous solution from pH 1–11 for 24 hours, which suggests a promising future for applications in fluorescence sensing and photocatalysis.

1,4-Bis-triazole-substituted arene (NAT) was designed and synthesized for the construction of fluorescent metal organic frameworks.

An original class of small sized molecules as versatile fluorescent probes for cellular imaging

An unusual class, compact in size, of fluorescent probes based on pyridazino-1,3a,6a-triazapentalene scaffolds exhibits promising fluorescent properties (quantum yield values up to 73%, large Stokes shifts, emission wavelengths located in the green-yellow range, excellent solubility) with good photostability suitable for optical imaging applications.

Click 1,2,3-triazole derived fluorescent scaffold by mesoionic carbene–nitrene cyclization: an experimental and theoretical study

Easily accessible compact triazole-based fluorescent compounds were characterized spectroscopically and their properties modeled by computational methods.

Substituent Effect at the C4-Position of 1,3a,6a-Triazapentalene

Various 2,4-disubstituted-1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes possessing methyl and phenyl groups at the C4-position were synthesized. Fluorescence observation of the synthetic 4-methyl- and 4-phenyl-1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes revealed that the introduction of a substituent at the C4-position allowed a long-wavelength shift of the fluorescence maximum. Furthermore, the phenyl group at the C4-position was found to induce a substantial increase in the extinction coefficient value.

Two-Step Synthesis of Fluorescent 3-Arylated 1,3a,6a-Triazapentalenes via a Three-Component Triazolization Reaction

Novel 3-arylated 1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes were synthesized using a metal-free three-component triazolization reaction followed by a triflate based cyclization step. This method starts from simple commercial starting materials and provides an easy functionalization strategy for the 3-position of the triazapentalenes. By introducing electron-withdrawing groups onto this position, stable and highly fluorescent dyes could be synthesized.

Functional 1,3a,6a-triazapentalene scaffold: Design of fluorescent probes for kinesin spindle protein (KSP)

1,3a,6a-Triazapentalene is a compact fluorescent chromophore. In this study, triazapentalene was used to modify a series of biphenyl-type inhibitors of kinesin spindle protein (KSP) to develop fluorescent probes for the intracellular visualization of this protein. Microscopic studies demonstrated that these novel triazapentalene-labeled compounds exhibited inhibitory activity towards KSP in cultured cells and provided important information concerning the intracellular distribution.

Synthesis of yellow and red fluorescent 1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes and the theoretical investigation of their optical properties

To expand the originally developed fluorescent 1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes as fluorescent labelling reagents, the fluorescence wavelength of the 1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes was extended to the red color region. Based on the noteworthy correlation of the fluorescence wavelength with the inductive effect of the 2-substituent, electron-deficient 2-(2-cyano-4-methoxycarbonylphenyl)-1,3a,6a-triazapentalene and 2-(2,6-dicyano-4-methoxycarbonylphenyl)-1,3a,6a-triazapentalene were synthesized. The former exhibited yellow fluorescence and the latter exhibited red fluorescence, and both compounds exhibited large Stokes shifts, and the 1,3a,6a-triazapentalene system enabled the same fluorescent chromophore to cover the entire region of visible wavelengths. The potential applications of the 1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes as fluorescent probes in the fields of the life sciences were investigated, and the 1,3a,6a-triazapentalene system was clearly proven to be useful as a fluorescent reagent for live cell imaging. Quantum chemical calculations were performed to investigate the optical properties of the 1,3a,6a-triazapentalenes. These calculations revealed that the excitation involves a significant charge-transfer from the 1,3a,6a-triazapentalene skeleton to the 2-substituent. The calculated absorption and fluorescence wavelengths showed a good correlation with the experimental ones, and thus the system could enable the theoretical design of substituents with the desired optical properties.

Facile synthesis and stereo-resolution of chiral 1,2,3-triazoles

We describe herein the first facile synthesis of chiral triazoles through side chain functionalization.

Copper-catalyzed aerobic carboxygenation and N-arylation of [1,2,3]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines towards pyridinium triazolinone ylides

Copper-catalyzed aerobic oxyarylation of [1,2,3]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines is developed.