Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Dysiherbols A, C, and D

Herein, we report the enantioselective total synthesis of dysiherbols A, C, and D, a unique group of 6/6/5/6/6 pentacyclic quinone/hydroquinone sesquiterpenes, featuring a photo-induced quinone-alkene [2 + 2] cycloaddition and a tandem [1,2]-anionic rearrangement/cyclopropane fragmentation as key elements. Based on our total synthesis, the originally proposed structures of dysiherbols C and D have been revised. Detailed computational studies were carried out to gain deep insight into the unprecedented [1,2]-anionic rearrangement, which revealed that the transformation, albeit a symmetry-forbidden process, proceeded through a concerted manner owing to the release of high ring-strain energy and the evolution of local aromaticity in the transition state. Taking all, the present work offers a mechanistically interesting and synthetically useful approach to accessing dysiherbols and related congeners.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Hydroquinone Sulfonate-Based Redox Active Ionic Liquid

Introducing redox-active moieties into an ionic liquid (IL) structure is an exciting and attractive approach that has received increasing interest over recent years for a various range of energy applications. The so-called redox-active ionic liquids (RAILs) provide a highly versatile platform to potentially create multifunctional electroactive materials. Ionic liquids are molten salts consisting of ionic species, often having a melting point lower than 100 °C. Such liquids are obtained by combining a bulky asymmetric organic cation and a small anion. Here, we report on the synthesis of a novel RAIL, namely 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydroquinone sulfonate ((BMIM)(HQS)). (BMIM)(HQS) was synthesized in a two-step procedure, starting by the quaternization of methylimidazole using butylchloride to produce 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ((BMIM)(Cl)), and followed by the anion exchange reaction, where the chloride anion is exchanged with hydroquinone sulfonate. The resulting product was characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy, themogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry, and shows a high stability up to 340 °C. Its electrochemical behavior was investigated using cyclic voltammetry at different temperatures and its viscosity analysis was also performed at variable temperatures. The electrochemical response of the presented RAIL was found to be temperature dependent and diffusion controlled. Overall, our results demonstrated that (BMIM)(mix of HQS and HSQ) is redox active and possesses high stability and low volatility, leading to the employment of this RAIL without any additional supporting electrolyte or additives.

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of acylhydroquinone derivatives as potent antiplatelet agents

Platelets are the smallest blood cells, and their activation (platelet cohesion or aggregation) at sites of vascular injury is essential for thrombus formation. Since the use of antiplatelet therapy is an unsolved problem, there are now focused and innovative efforts to develop novel antiplatelet compounds. In this context, we assessed the antiplatelet effect of an acylhydroquinone series, synthesized by Fries rearrangement under microwave irradiation, evaluating the effect of diverse acyl chain lengths, their chlorinated derivatives, and their dimethylated derivatives both in the aromatic ring and also the effect of the introduction of a bromine atom at the terminus of the acyl chain. Findings from a primary screening of cytotoxic activity on platelets by lactate dehydrogenase assay identified 19 non-toxic compounds from the 27 acylhydroquinones evaluated. A large number of them showed IC₅₀ values less than 10 µM acting against specific pathways of platelet aggregation. The highest activity was obtained with compound 38, it exhibited sub-micromolar IC₅₀ of 0.98 ± 0.40, 1.10 ± 0.26, 3.98 ± 0.46, 6.79 ± 3.02 and 42.01 ± 3.48 µM against convulxin-, collagen-, TRAP-6-, PMA- and arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation, respectively. It also inhibited P-selectin and granulophysin expression. We demonstrated that the antiplatelet mechanism of compound 38 was through a decrease in a central target in human platelet activation as in mitochondrial function, and this could modulate a lower response of platelets to activating agonists. The results of this study show that the chemical space around ortho-carbonyl hydroquinone moiety is a rich source of biologically active compounds, signaling that the acylhydroquinone scaffold has a promising role in antiplatelet drug research.

Influence of phenylpropanoid units of lignin and its oxidized derivatives on the stability and βO4 binding properties: DFT and QTAIM approach

Obtaining lignin products is currently one of the great challenges, mainly because of its stable and poorly reactive structure. This work used a DFT and QTAIM approach, seeking to understand the influence of lignin structure on the reactivity and βO4 binding properties of 18 model structures. The computational modeling used confirmed that lignins derived from more oxygenated monomers have a smaller HOMO-LUMO gap, and therefore are less stable. In the developed study, the replacement of alpha hydroxyl with a carbonyl was able to abruptly change the electron topology, reducing binding energy in βO4 indicating which SHOX model is more susceptible to breakage.

Prussian blue-doped nanosized polyaniline for electrochemical detection of benzenediol isomers

Simultaneous speciation of benzenediol isomers (BDIs), 1,2-benzenediol (catechol, CC), 1,3-benzenediol (resorcinol, RS), and 1,4-benzenediol (hydroquinone, HQ), was investigated by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using a graphite paste electrode (GPE) modified with Prussian blue-polyaniline nanocomposite. The modified GPE showed good stability, sensitivity, and selectivity properties for all the three BDIs. Prussian blue-doped nanosized polyaniline (PBNS-PANI) was synthesized first by using mechanochemical reactions between aniline and ferric chloride hexahydrate as the oxidants and then followed by the addition of potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) in a solid-state and template-free technique. The material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The DPV measurements are performed in phosphate electrolyte solution with pH 4.0 at a potential range of - 0.1 to 1.0 V. The proposed modified electrode displayed a strong, stable, and continuous three well-separated oxidation peaks towards electrooxidation at potentials 0.20, 0.31, and 0.76 V for HQ, CC, and RS, respectively. The calibration curves were linear from 1 to 350.5 μM for both HQ and CC, while for RS, it was from 2 to 350.5 μM. The limit of detection was determined to be 0.18, 0.01, and 0.02 μM for HQ, CC, and RS, respectively. The analytical performance of the PBNS-PANI/GPE has been evaluated for simultaneous determination of HQ, CC, and RS in creek water, commercial hair dye, and skin whitening cream samples with satisfactory recoveries between 90 and 106%. Overall, we demonstrated that the presence of NS-PANI and PB resulted in a large redox-active surface area that enabled a promising analytical platform for simultaneous detection of BDIs. Graphical abstract.

Electrochemical characterization of natural organic matter by direct voltammetry in an aprotic solvent

The complex and indeterminant composition of NOM makes characterization of its redox properties challenging. Approaches that have been taken to address this challenge include chemical probe reactions, potentiometric titrations, chronocoulometry, and voltammetry. In this study, we revisit the use of direct voltammetric methods in aprotic solvents by applying an expanded and refined suite of methods to a large set of NOM samples and model compounds (54 NOM samples from 10 different sources, 7 NOM model compounds, and 2 fresh extracts of plant materials that are high in redox-active quinonoid model compounds dissolved in DMSO). Refinements in the methods of fitting the data obtained by staircase cyclic voltammetry (SCV) provided improved definition of peaks, and square wave voltammetry (SWV), performed under the same conditions as SCV, provided even more reliable identification and quantitation of peaks. Further evidence is provided that DMSO improves the electrode response by unfolding some of the tertiary structure of NOM polymers, thereby allowing greater contact between redox active functional groups and the electrode surface. We averaged experimental peak potentials for all NOM compounds and calculated potentials in water. Average values for Epa1, Epc1, and Ep1 in DMSO were -0.866 ± 0.069, -1.35 ± 0.071, and -0.831 ± 0.051 V vs. Ag/Ag+, and -0.128, -0.613, and -0.0930 V vs. SHE in water. In addition to peak potentials, the breadth of SCV peaks was quantified as a way to characterize the degree to which the redox activity of NOM is due to a continuum of contributing functional groups. The average breadth values were 1.63 ± 0.24, 1.28 ± 0.34, and 0.648 ± 0.15 V for Epa1, Epc1, and Ep1 respectively. Comparative analysis of the overall dataset-from SCV and SWV on all NOMs and model compounds-revealed that NOM redox properties vary over a narrower range than expected based on model compound properties. This lack of diversity in redox properties of NOM is similar to conclusions from other recent work on the molecular structure of NOM, all of which could be the result of selectivity in the common extraction methods used to obtain the materials.

Assessing Parameter Suitability for the Strength Evaluation of Intramolecular Resonance Assisted Hydrogen Bonding in o-Carbonyl Hydroquinones

Intramolecular hydrogen bond (IMHB) interactions have attracted considerable attention due to their central role in molecular structure, chemical reactivity, and interactions of biologically active molecules. Precise correlations of the strength of IMHB's with experimental parameters are a key goal in order to model compounds for drug discovery. In this work, we carry out an experimental (NMR) and theoretical (DFT) study of the IMHB in a series of structurally similar o-carbonyl hydroquinones. Geometrical parameters, as well as Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) and Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) parameters for IMHB were compared with experimental NMR data. Three DFT functionals were employed to calculated theoretical parameters: B3LYP, M06-2X, and ωB97XD. O…H distance is the most suitable geometrical parameter to distinguish among similar IMHBs. Second order stabilization energies ΔEij(2) from NBO analysis and hydrogen bond energy (EHB) obtained from QTAIM analysis also properly distinguishes the order in strength of the studied IMHB. ΔEij(2) from NBO give values for the IMHB below 30 kcal/mol, while EHB from QTAIM analysis give values above 30 kcal/mol. In all cases, the calculated parameters using ωB97XD give the best correlations with experimental ¹H-NMR chemical shifts for the IMHB, with R² values around 0.89. Although the results show that these parameters correctly reflect the strength of the IMHB, when the weakest one is removed from the analysis, arguing experimental considerations, correlations improve significantly to values around 0.95 for R².

Electrochemical measurements and theoretical studies for understanding the behavior of catechol, resorcinol and hydroquinone on the boron doped diamond surface

Using electrochemical techniques (cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV)) with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode it was possible to study the behavior of hydroquinone (HQ), catechol (CT) and resorcinol (RS), in aqueous solutions as well as to associate the electrochemical profiles with computational simulations. It led to understanding the factors that influence the direct electrooxidation of HQ, CT and RS on the BDD surface. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that the compounds with lower HOMO energy and high ionization potential (IP) are more stable, showing a higher E_pa, denoting that HOMO energies and IP are related to the difficulty of oxidizing (losing an electron) a specific compound. Analyzing the electro-oxidation reactions of HQ, CT and RS by using computational calculations, it was possible to verify the reversibility behavior, direct oxidation pathway and the possible intermediates formed during electron-transfer. The results clearly demonstrated that the reversibility was attained for HQ and CT, while this behavior is not feasible, thermodynamically speaking, for RS and this was confirmed by DFT calculations. For direct oxidation mechanisms, HQ and CT are quickly oxidized, but RS produces stable intermediates. These experimental and theoretical results also explain the behavior when the compounds were analyzed by electroanalytical techniques, suggesting that the interactions by direct electron-transfer determine the stability of response (sensitivity) as well as the limit of detection. The results are described and discussed in light of the existing literature.

Using electrochemical techniques it was possible to study the behavior of hydroquinone, catechol and resorcinol, at boron doped diamond surface in aqueous solutions as well as to associate the electrochemical profiles with computational simulations.

Intermolecular hydrogen bonds between 1,4-benzoquinones and HF molecule: Synergetic effects, reduction potentials and electron affinities

Some biological activities of quinones can be attributed to the H-bonding ability of acceptor oxygen atoms. According to the results obtained from the quantum mechanical calculations performed on a wide variety of complexes between the 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ) derivatives and HF molecules, the interplay between H-bonds and individual H-bond interaction energies (E_HB) can be affected by the substituents placed on the six-membered ring of BQ. The total binding energies of complexes become more negative by the electron donating substituents (EDSs) while the changes are reversed by the electron withdrawing substituents (EWSs). The mutual interplay between the X-BQ⋯(HF)_n (n=1-3) interactions has been investigated using the geometrical parameters, synergetic energies (SE) and the E_HB values. Hydrogen bonding decreases the reduction potentials (E⁰_red) and increases the electron affinities (EA) of X-BQ derivatives. Linear relationships have been observed between the E⁰_red (and EA) values and the Hammett constants of substituents.

A Study about Regioisomeric Hydroquinones with Multiple Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding

A theoretical exploration about hydrogen bonding in a series of synthetic regioisomeric antitumor tricyclic hydroquinones is presented. The stabilization energy for the intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) formation in four structurally different situations were evaluated: (a) IHB between the proton of a phenolic hydroxyl group and an ortho-carbonyl group (forming a six-membered ring); (b) between the oxygen atom of a phenolic hydroxyl group and the proton of an hydroxyalkyl group (seven membered ring); (c) between the proton of a phenolic hydroxyl group with the oxygen atom of the hydroxyl group of a hydroxyalkyl moiety (seven-membered ring); and (d) between the proton of a phenolic hydroxyl group and an oxygen atom directly bonded to the aromatic ring in ortho position (five-membered ring). A conformational analysis for the rotation around the hydroxyalkyl substituent is also performed. It is observed that there is a correspondence between the conformational energies and the IHB. The strongest intramolecular hydrogen bonds are those involving a phenolic proton and a carbonyl oxygen atom, forming a six-membered ring, and the weakest are those involving a phenolic proton with the oxygen atom of the chromenone, forming five-membered rings. Additionally, the synthesis and structural assignment of two pairs of regioisomeric hydroquinones, by 2D-NMR experiments, are reported. These results can be useful in the design of biologically-active molecules.

Protonation Sites, Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Computational Calculations of o-Carbonyl Carbazolequinone Derivatives

A series of a new type of tetracyclic carbazolequinones incorporating a carbonyl group at the ortho position relative to the quinone moiety was synthesized and analyzed by tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI/MS-MS), using Collision-Induced Dissociation (CID) to dissociate the protonated species. Theoretical parameters such as molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), local Fukui functions and local Parr function for electrophilic attack as well as proton affinity (PA) and gas phase basicity (GB), were used to explain the preferred protonation sites. Transition states of some main fragmentation routes were obtained and the energies calculated at density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP level were compared with the obtained by ab initio quadratic configuration interaction with single and double excitation (QCISD). The results are in accordance with the observed distribution of ions. The nature of the substituents in the aromatic ring has a notable impact on the fragmentation routes of the molecules.

Computational electrochemistry study of derivatives of anthraquinone and phenanthraquinone analogues: the substitution effect

Effects of functional group position on the calculated redox potential for the single electron-withdrawing group substitution of phenanthraquinone analogues.

Electrochemical synthesis of α-enaminones from aryl ketones

A novel approach to realize the synthesis of α-enaminones via electrochemical oxidation was developed under mild conditions.

Correlating experimental electrochemistry and theoretical calculations in 2′-hydroxy chalcones: the role of the intramolecular hydrogen bond

The molecular structure and electrochemical behaviour of a series of 2′-hydroxychalcones were studied. Results show the importance of the intramolecular hydrogen bond and the methoxy substituent pattern on the redox properties of these compounds.