A sustainable metal-free and additive-free olefination route to N-heteroazaarenes from methyl-substituted heterocycles and amines

A green and sustainable metal-free, additive-free olefination approach is proposed for the facile synthesis of various unsaturated N-heteroazaarenes from simple methyl-substituted heteroarenes and amines. The developed protocol employs only air as the sole oxidant and provides a useful strategy for obtaining various E-selective conjugated heterocyclic olefins. This provides a useful strategy for application in generating grams of a variety of unsaturated N-heteroazaarenes (up to 20.33 grams) and the synthetic imaging agents of STB-8 (2.40 gram) with high regioselectivity in one pot.

Catalyst-free C(sp3)-H functionalization of methyl azaarenes with heteroaromatic trifluoromethyl ketone hydrates: "all-water" synthesis of α-trifluoromethyl tertiary alcohols

An efficient catalyst-free C(sp³)-H bond functionalization of methyl azaarenes with heteroaromatic trifluoromethyl ketone hydrates in neat water has been developed for the synthesis of α-trifluoromethyl tertiary alcohols bearing N-heteroaromatics. This method not only features excellent efficiency, broad substrate scope, catalyst-free conditions, and easy gram-scale preparation but also represents a new and rare example of "all-water" synthesis of trifluoromethylated molecules.

Synthesis of 12-quinoline substituted andrographolide derivatives and their preliminary evaluation as anti-aggregation drugs

Based on the structure of the natural product andrographolide, a series of novel 12-quinoline substituted derivatives 9 were designed and synthesized. In preliminary biological evaluation, these synthesized compounds showed prominent anti-platelet aggregation activities in response to thrombin and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) agonists. Among them, compound 9o (inhibition rate 55.73%, IC50 0.36 µM/L) had the highest anti-platelet aggregation activity induced by ADP. Compound 9q (inhibition rate 54.31%, IC50 0.30 µM/L) showed the highest anti-platelet aggregation activity induced by thrombin. Most of the derivatives had no significant cytotoxicity. Our research results provide a novel candidate drug structure for anti-platelet aggregation and enrich the scope of application of andrographolide derivatives.

Highly Chemoselective Synthesis of Azaarene-Equipped CF3-Tertiary Alcohols under Metal-Free Conditions and Their Fungicidal Activities

A highly chemoselective reaction between α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones with azaarenes under metal-free conditions was carried out, affording a range of valuable azaarene-equipped CF₃-tertiary alcohols in moderate to excellent yields (up to 95% yield) with good tolerance of functional groups, and their structures were confirmed by NMR, HRMS, and X-ray diffraction for validation. This method features simple reaction conditions (only solvent), high atom- and step-economy, and broad substrate scope. Moreover, most of the target products exhibited promising fungicidal activities, and compound 3al exhibited 91.65% fungicidal activity against R. solani, with an EC₅₀ value of 0.18 mg/mL.

Metal-free, one-pot synthesis of 2-styrylquinolines via Friedländer annulation and sp3 C–H activation using 1,3-dimethylurea and l-tartaric acid (3 : 1) as a deep eutectic solvent

Functionalized 2-styrylquinolines are prepared using DMU + l-(+)-tartaric acid as deep eutectic solvent. DFT calculations supported the experimental results on role of DES as catalyst. The absorption-emission spectra indicating that these compounds can be useful as fluorescent probes.

NH4I-mediated sp3 C-H cross-dehydrogenative coupling of benzylamines with 2-methylquinoline for the synthesis of E-2-styrylquinolines

Without any metal catalyst, a simple and efficient method for the synthesis of E-2-styrylquinolines through sp3 C-H cross-dehydrogenative coupling of benzylamines with 2-methylquinolines mediated by NH4I under air is successfully developed. The oxidative olefination proceeded through deamination and sp3 C–H bond activation. A plausible mechanism is proposed for the construction of E-2-styrylquinolines.

Hf(OTf)4-Catalyzed 1,6-Conjugate Addition of 2-Alkyl-azaarenes to para-Quinone Methides

Herein we reported a Hf(OTf)₄-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond formation reaction between 2-alkyl-azaarenes and para-quinone methides (p-QMs). This 1,6-conjugate addition protocol offered rapid access to a large array of triarylethane products in good yields. The catalyst loading could be reduced to 1 mol %. Studies pertinent to scale-up reaction and product derivatization were also presented.

Design and Synthesis of π-Extended Resveratrol Analogues and In Vitro Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity Evaluation

The research on resveratrol (1) has been conducted intensively over a long time due to its proven antioxidant activity and disease-fighting capabilities. Many efforts have also been made to increase these biological effects. In the present study, six new extended aromatic resveratrol analogues containing naphthalene (2) and its bioisosteres quinoline (3 and 4), isoquinoline (5) quinoxaline (6) and quinazoline (7) scaffolds were designed and synthesized using an annulation strategy. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of these compounds were investigated. All compounds showed better antioxidant activity than resveratrol in ABTS assay. As for the anti-inflammatory test, 5 and 7 exhibited better activity than resveratrol. It is worth noting that nitrogen substitution on the extended aromatic resveratrol analogues has a significant impact on cell viability. Taking the antioxidant activities and NO inhibition activities into consideration, we conclude that isoquinoline analogue 5 may qualify for the further investigation of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory therapy. Furthermore, our study results suggest that in order to improve the biological activity of polyphenolic compounds, extended aromaticity and nitrogen substitution strategy could be a viable method for the design of future drug candidates.

Green Approach for Visible-Light-Induced Direct Functionalization of 2-Methylquinolines

A transition metal- and oxidant-free visible light-photoinduced protocol for direct functionalization of 2-methylquinolines has been developed. This protocol enabled the C-H functionalization of substituted 2-methylquinolines with diacetyl or ethyl pyruvate, under environmentally friendly conditions. A mechanistic investigation based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided details about the origins of reactivity and selectivity.

Recent trends in catalytic sp3 C-H functionalization of heterocycles

Heterocycles are a ubiquitous substructure in organic small molecules designed for use in materials and medicines. Recent work in catalysis has focused on enabling access to new heterocycle structures by sp³ C-H functionalization on alkyl side-chain substituents-especially at the heterobenzylic position-with more than two hundred manuscripts published just within the last ten years. Rather than describing in detail each of these reports, in this mini-review we attempt to highlight gaps in existing techniques. A semi-quantitative overview of ongoing work strongly suggests that several specific heterocycle types and bond formations outside of C-C, C-N, and C-O have been almost completely overlooked.

Microwave-assisted, rapid synthesis of 2-vinylquinolines and evaluation of their antimalarial activity

A rapid and efficient synthesis of 2-vinylquinolines via trifluoromethanesulfonamidemediated olefination of 2-methylquinoline and aldehyde under microwave irradiation is reported. Biological evaluation of these scaffolds demonstrates that 2-vinylquinolines 3x - 3z possess excellent antimalarial activities against chloroquine-resistant Dd2 strain of Plasmodium falciparum (IC50 < 100 nM).

Synthesis, biological evaluations and computational studies of N-(3-(-2-(7-Chloroquinolin-2-yl)vinyl) benzylidene)anilines as fungal biofilm inhibitors

In the present investigation, new chloroquinoline derivatives bearing vinyl benzylidene aniline substituents at 2nd position were synthesized and screed for biofilm inhibitory, antifungal and antibacterial activity. The result of biofilm inhibition of C. albicans suggested that compounds 5j (IC₅₀ value = 51.2 μM) and 5a (IC₅₀ value = 66.2 μM) possess promising antibiofilm inhibition when compared with the standard antifungal drug fluconazole (IC₅₀ = 40.0 μM). Two compounds 5a (MIC = 94.2 μg/mL) and 5f (MIC = 98.8 μg/mL) also exhibited good antifungal activity comparable to standard drug fluconazole (MIC = 50.0 μg/mL). The antibacterial screening against four strains of bacteria viz. E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis, and S. aureus suggested their potential antibacterial activity and especially all the compounds except 5g were found more active than the standard drug ciprofloxacin against B. subtilis. To further gain insights into the possible mechanism of these compounds in biofilm inhibition through the agglutinin like protein (Als), molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies were carried out. Molecular modeling studies suggested the clear role in inhibition of this protein and the resulting biofilm inhibitory activity.

Zinc-catalyzed chemoselective alkylation of α-keto amides with 2-alkylazaarenes

A zinc-catalyzed C(sp³)–H addition of 2-alkylazaarenes to α-keto amides to furnish azaarene incorporated α-hydroxy amides has been developed for the first time. Chemoselective alkylation of the keto functionality of the α-keto amides in the presence of isolated ketones is the key advantage of this Zn-catalyzed protocol.

Water-mediated and promoted eco-friendly one-pot synthesis of azaarene substituted isoxazoles

An efficient and green approach for the sp³ C–H bond functionalization of 2-methyl azaarenes to 3-methyl-4-nitro-5-styrylisoxazoles in water has been described.

Catalyst and solvent-free alkylation of quinoline N-oxides with olefins: A direct access to quinoline-substituted α-hydroxy carboxylic derivatives

A catalyst/solvent-free, one-pot and operationally simple method for the synthesis of quinoline-substituted α-hydroxy carboxylic derivatives by the hydroxyheteroarylation of olefins with quinoline N-oxides is reported.

Indium-catalyzed C(sp3)–H functionalization of 2-methylazaarenes through direct benzylic addition to trifluoromethyl ketones

The application of InCl₃ for the catalytic C(sp³)–H functionalization of 2-methylazaarenes leading to trifluoromethylated alcohols in up to 99% yield.