New Aspects of the Reaction of Thioacetamide and N-Substituted Maleimides

N-Arylmaleimides are universal substrates for the synthesis of various heterocyclic compounds with a wide spectrum of biological activity. However, their reactions with thioacetamides have not been comprehensively studied. We studied the reactions of thioacetamide with N-arylmaleimides under various conditions. We established for the first time that three types of products: epithiopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridines, pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridines and 3,3'-thiobis(1-arylpyrrolidine-2,5-diones) can be obtained in different conditions. In all cases, two maleimide molecules are involved in the reaction. 3,3'-Thiobis(1-arylpyrrolidine-2,5-diones) are the major products when the reaction is conducted at boiling in acetic acid. When thioacetamide and N-arylmaleimide are kept in dioxane at 50 °C, epithiopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridines can be isolated, which, when heated in dioxane, in acetic acid or in methanol in the presence of catalytic amounts of sodium methoxide, are converted into pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridines by eliminating hydrogen sulfide. The reaction of thioacetamide and N-arylmaleimide in dioxane at boiling temperature with the portioned addition of N-arylmaleimide leads predominantly to the formation of pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridines. The reaction of thioacetamide with N-alkylmaleimides under all the above conditions leads predominantly to the formation of the corresponding sulfides. The structure of the compounds obtained was characterized by a set of spectral analysis methods and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data.

A Green Approach to 2-Substituted Benzo- and Naphthothiazoles via N-bromosuccinimide/Bromide-Mediated C(aryl)-S Bond Formation

2-Substituted benzo- and naphthothiazoles have been conveniently prepared from the intramolecular cyclization of phenylthioureas and activated thiobenzanilides or the coupling of isothiocyanates with amines under mild conditions using N-bromosuccinimide/tetrabutylammonium bromide in 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) under ambient conditions. The reactions produce moderate to excellent yields with good functional group tolerance and avoid the use of harsh thermal conditions, corrosive reagents, halogenated solvents, toxic metal salts, and expensive metal catalysts, and are amenable to preparations on a gram-scale.

Recyclization of Maleimides by Binucleophiles as a General Approach for Building Hydrogenated Heterocyclic Systems

The building of heterocyclic systems containing hydrogenated fragments is an important step towards the creation of biologically-active compounds with a wide spectrum of pharmacological activity. Among the numerous methods for creating such systems, a special place is occupied by processes using N-substituted maleimides as the initial substrate. This molecule easily reacts in Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder reactions, Michael additions with various nucleophiles, and co-polymerization processes, as have been described in numerous detailed reviews. However, information on the use of maleimides in cascade heterocyclization reactions is currently limited. This study is devoted to a review and analysis of existing literature data on the processes of recyclization of N-substituted maleimides with various C,N-/N,N-/S,N-di- and polynucleophilic agents, such as amidines, guanidines, diamines, aliphatic ketazines, aminouracils, amino- and mercaptoazoles, aminothiourea, and thiocarbomoyl pyrazolines, among others. The significant structural diversity of the recyclization products described in this study illustrates the powerful potential of maleimides as a building block in the organic synthesis of biologically-active compounds with hydrogenated heterocyclic fragments.

Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Thiazolidine-2-imines via Microwave-Assisted One-Pot, Telescopic Approach and Its Interaction with Biomacromolecules

In this work, a one-pot, telescopic approach is described for the combinatorial library of thiazolidine-2-imines. The synthetic manipulation proceeds smoothly via the reaction of 2-aminopyridine/pyrazine/pyrimidine with substituted isothiocyanates followed by base catalyzed ring closure with 1,2-dibromoethane to obtain thiazolidine-2-imines with broad substrate scope and high functional group tolerance. The synthetic strategy merges well with the thiourea formation followed by base catalyzed ring closure reaction for the thiazolidine-2-imine synthesis in a more modular and straightforward approach. The synthetic procedure reported herein represents a cleaner route toward thiazolidine-2-imines as compared to traditional methodologies. Moreover, the biological significance of combinatorially synthesized thiazolidin-2-imines has been investigated for their use as possible inhibitors for acetyl cholinesterase through molecular docking studies.

Structural Effect of Thioureas on the Detection of Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants

The ability to rapidly detect, identify, and monitor chemical warfare agents (CWAs) is imperative for both military and civilian defense. Since most CWAs and their simulants have an organophosphonate group, which is a hydrogen (H)-bond acceptor, many H-bond donors have been developed to effectively bind to the organophosphonate group. Although thioureas have been actively studied as an organocatalyst, they are relatively less investigated in CWA detection. In addition, there is a lack of studies on the structure-property relationship for gas phase detection. In this study, we synthesized various thioureas of different chemical structures, and tested them for sensing dimethylmethylphosphonate (DMMP), a CWA simulant. Molecular interaction between DMMP and thiourea was measured by ¹H NMR titration and supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Strong H-bond donor ability of thiourea may cause self-aggregation, and CH-π interaction can play an important role in the DMMP detection. Gas-phase adsorption of DMMP was also measured using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and analyzed using the simple Langmuir isotherm, showing the importance of structure-induced morphology of thioureas on the surface.

Thiazol-4-one derivatives from the reaction of monosubstituted thioureas with maleimides: structures and factors determining the selectivity and tautomeric equilibrium in solution

2-(Alkyl(aryl)amino)thiazol-4(5H)-ones can regioselectively be prepared from monoalkyl(aryl)thioureas and maleimides. In solution, the former heterocycles exist in a tautomeric equilibrium with 2-(alkyl(aryl)imino)thiazolidin-4-ones and the substituent on the exocyclic nitrogen atom governs the ratio of these tautomers. Isomers with the alkyl group in the endocyclic position can be obtained from N-methyl(ethyl)thioureas. 2D NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations rationalize experimental results.

Design, synthesis, molecular docking and biological evaluation of thiophen-2-iminothiazolidine derivatives for use against Trypanosoma cruzi

In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of thiophen-2-iminothiazolidine derivatives from thiophen-2-thioureic with good anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity. Several of the final compounds displayed remarkable trypanocidal activity. The ability of the new compounds to inhibit the activity of the enzyme cruzain, the major cysteine protease of T. cruzi, was also explored. The compounds 3b, 4b, 8b and 8c were the most active derivatives against amastigote form, with significant IC50 values between 9.7 and 6.03μM. The 8c derivative showed the highest potency against cruzain (IC50=2.4μM). Molecular docking study showed that this compound can interact with subsites S1 and S2 simultaneously, and the negative values for the theoretical energy binding (Eb=-7.39kcal·mol(-1)) indicates interaction (via dipole-dipole) between the hybridized sulfur sp(3) atom at the thiazolidine ring and Gly66. Finally, the results suggest that the thiophen-2-iminothiazolidines synthesized are important lead compounds for the continuing battle against Chagas disease.