Recent developments using malononitrile in ultrasound-assisted multicomponent synthesis of heterocycles

Ultrasonic irradiation serves as a vigorous and environmentally sustainable approach for augmenting multicomponent reactions (MCRs), offering benefits such as thermal enhancement, agitation, and activation, among others. Malononitrile emerges as a versatile reagent in this context, participating in a myriad of MCRs to produce structurally diverse heterocyclic frameworks. This review encapsulates the critical role of malononitrile in the sonochemical multicomponent synthesis of these heterocyclic structures. The paper further delves into the biochemical and pharmacological implications of these heterocycles, elucidating their reaction mechanisms as well as delineating the method's scope and limitations. We furnish an overview of the merits and challenges inherent to this synthetic approach and offer insights for potential avenues in future research.

Construction of 1,4-Dihydropyridines: The Evolution of C4 Source

The field of cascade cyclization for the construction of 1,4-dihydropyridines (1,4-DHPs) has been continuously expanding during the last decades because of their broad-spectrum biological and synthetic importance. To date, many methods have been developed, mainly including the Hantzsch reaction, Hantzsch-like reaction and newly developed cascade cyclization, in which various synthons have been successively developed as C4 sources of 1,4-DHPs. This review presents the cascade cyclization synthesis strategy for the construction of 1,4-DHPs according to various C4 sources from carbonyl compounds, alkenyl fragments, alcohols, aliphatic amines, glycines and other C4 sources.

Visible-light-induced organophotocatalytic and singlet oxygen-initiated domino construction of 1,4-dihydropyridines, C-3 functionalized spiro[indoline-3,4'-pyridines] and C-11 functionalized spiro[indeno-[1,2-b]quinoxaline-11,4'-pyridines]

A highly efficient pot, atom, and step economical method for the construction of pharmacologically potent structurally functionalized 1,4-dihydropyridines, quaternary centered C-3 functionalized spiro[indoline-3,4'-pyridines], and C-11 functionalized spiro[indeno[1,2-b]quinoxaline-11,4'-pyridines] via rose bengal photoredox catalysis under blue LED irradiation in an aqueous medium at room temperature has been developed. The products were isolated in excellent yields within a short reaction time for a variety of functional groups under transition metal- and ligand-free energy-efficient conditions in a green solvent system with high reaction mass efficiency and process mass intensity, which are the key advantages of the current work.

Sonochemical Protocols for Heterocyclic Synthesis: A Representative Review

In the present era of the industrial revolution, we all are familiar with ever-increasing environmental pollution released from various chemical processes. Chemical production has had a severe impact on the environment and human health. For the betterment of our environment, the chemical community has turned their interest to developing green, harmless and sustainable synthetic processes. To accomplish these goals of green chemistry, the extraordinary properties of sonication play an important role. It is well known that sonochemistry can make decisive contributions to creating high pressures of almost 1000 atm and very high temperatures in the range of 4500-5000 °C. The implementation of ultrasound in chemical transformations somehow fulfils the measures of green chemistry, as it reduces energy consumption, enhances product selectivity, and uses lesser amounts of hazardous chemicals and solvents. Furthermore, heterocyclic synthesis under ultrasonication offers several environmental and process-related advantages compared with conventional methods. The remarkable contribution of ultrasonics to the development of green and sustainable synthetic routes inspired us to write this article. Herein, we have discussed only some of the various synthetic methodologies developed for the construction of heterocyclic cores under ultrasonic irradiation, accompanied by mechanistic insights. In some cases, a comparison between sonochemical conditions and conventional conditions has also been investigated. We emphasized principally 'up to date' developments on various sono-accelerated chemical transformations comprising aza-Michael, aldol reactions, C-C couplings, oxidation, cycloadditions, multi-component reactions, etc. for the synthesis of heterocycles.

Green Synthesis of Oxoquinoline-1(2H)-Carboxamide as Antiproliferative and Antioxidant Agents: An Experimental and In-Silico Approach to High Altitude Related Disorders

At high altitudes, drops in oxygen concentration result in the creation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), which cause a variety of health concerns. We addressed these health concerns and reported the synthesis, characterization, and biological activities of a series of 10 oxoquinolines. N-Aryl-7-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoquinoline-1(2H)carboxamides (5a–j) were accessed in two steps under ultrasonicated irradiation, as per the reported method. The anticancer activity was tested at 10 µM against a total of 5 dozen cancer cell lines obtained from nine distinct panels, as per the National Cancer Institute (NCI US) protocol. The compounds 5a (TK-10 (renal cancer); %GI = 82.90) and 5j (CCRF-CEM (Leukemia); %GI = 58.61) showed the most promising anticancer activity. Compound 5a also demonstrated promising DPPH free radical scavenging activity with an IC₅₀ value of 14.16 ± 0.42 µM. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and carbonic anhydrase (CA), two prospective cancer inhibitor targets, were used in the molecular docking studies. Molecular docking studies of ligand 5a (docking score = −8.839) against the active site of EGFR revealed two H-bond interactions with the residues Asp855 and Thr854, whereas ligand 5a (docking = −5.337) interacted with three H-bond with the residues Gln92, Gln67, and Thr200 against the active site CA. The reported compounds exhibited significant anticancer and antioxidant activities, as well as displayed significant inhibition against cancer targets, EGFR and CA, in the molecular docking studies. The current discovery may aid in the development of novel compounds for the treatment of cancer and oxidative stress, and other high altitude-related disorders.

Alkynoates as Versatile and Powerful Chemical Tools for the Rapid Assembly of Diverse Heterocycles under Transition-Metal Catalysis: Recent Developments and Challenges

Heterocycles, heteroaromatics and spirocyclic entities are ubiquitous components of a wide plethora of synthetic drugs, biologically active natural products, marketed pharmaceuticals and agrochemical targets. Recognizing their high proportion in drugs and rich pharmacological potential, these invaluable structural motifs have garnered significant interest, thus enabling the development of efficient catalytic methodologies providing access to architecturally complex and diverse molecules with high atom-economy and low cost. These chemical processes not only allow the formation of diverse heterocycles but also utilize a range of flexible and easily accessible building units in a single operation to discover diversity-oriented synthetic approaches. Alkynoates are significantly important, diverse and powerful building blocks in organic chemistry due to their unique and inherent properties such as the electronic bias on carbon-carbon triple bonds posed by electron-withdrawing groups or the metallic coordination site provided by carbonyl groups. The present review highlights the comprehensive picture of the utility of alkynoates (2007-2019) for the synthesis of various heterocycles (> 50 types) using transition-metal catalysts (Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir, Ag, Au, Pt, Cu, Mn, Fe) in various forms. The valuable function of versatile alkynoates (bearing multifunctional groups) as simple and useful starting materials is explored, thus cyclizing with an array of coupling partners to deliver a broad range of oxygen-, nitrogen-, sulfur-containing heterocycles alongside fused-, and spiro-heterocyclic compounds. In addition, these examples will also focus the scope and reaction limitations, as well as mechanistic investigations into the synthesis of these heterocycles. The biological significance will also be discussed, citing relevant examples of drug molecules highlighting each class of heterocycles. This review summarizes the recent developments in the synthetic methods for the synthesis of various heterocycles using alkynoates as readily available starting materials under transition-metal catalysis.

Recent developments in the nanomaterial-catalyzed green synthesis of structurally diverse 1,4-dihydropyridines

1,4-Dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP), a privileged heterocyclic scaffold, has been extensively utilized in various biological and therapeutic applications. In this review article, we discussed the role of different nano-catalysts, nanoflakes, nanocomposites, and other green-supported nanomaterials in the synthesis of a biologically active and vital pharmaceutical precursor 1,4-DHP and its derivatives such as polyhydroquinoline, benzopyranopyridines, and dihydropyridine since 2015. It is evident that although the use of various tailored nanostructures under different conditions to optimize the synthesis of 1,4-DHP and its compounds has provided sustainable and efficient proposals, yet the development of greener practices in the synthesis of 1,4-DHPs, which can be applied to design new synthetic routes and sequences in process development, is a far-reaching task to be accomplished.

Single pot multicomponent approaches using different nanomaterials as green catalysts for synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP), a privileged heterocyclic scaffold with vital biological and therapeutic applications are reviewed.

Synergistic catalytic effect between ultrasound waves and pyrimidine-2,4-diamine-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles: Applied for synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridine pharmaceutical derivatives

A convenient strategy for synthesis of the various derivatives of 1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP), as one of the most important pharmaceutical compounds, is presented in this study. For this purpose, firstly, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs) were fabricated and suitably coated by silica network (SiO₂) and trimethoxy vinylsilane (TMVS). Then, their surfaces were well functionalized with pyrimidine-2,4-diamine (PDA) as the main active sites for catalyzing the synthesis reactions. In this regard, the performance of three different methods including reflux, microwave (MW) and ultrasound wave (USW) irradiations have been comparatively monitored via studying various analyses on the fabricated nanocatalyst (Fe₃O₄/SiO₂-PDA). Concisely, high efficiency of the USW irradiation (in an ultrasound cleaning bath with a frequency of 50 kHz and power of 250 W/L) has been well proven through the investigation of the main factors such as excellent surface-functionalization, core/shell structure conservation, particle uniformity, close size distribution of the particles, and great inhibition of the particle aggregation. Then, the effectiveness of the USW irradiation as a promising co-catalyst agent has been clearly demonstrated in the 1,4-DHP synthesis reactions. It has been concluded that the USW could provide more appropriate conditions for activation of the catalytic sites of Fe₃O₄/SiO₂-PDA NPs. However, high reaction yields (89%) have been obtained in the short reaction times (10 min) due to the substantial synergistic effect between the presented nanocatalyst and USW.

4-Aminoindoles as 1,4-bisnucleophiles for diversity-oriented synthesis of tricyclic indoles bearing 3,4-fused seven-membered rings

A straightforward access to tricyclic indoles bearing 3,4-fused seven-membered rings was established by using 4-aminoindoles as 1,4-bisnucleophiles in three-component reactions.

Sonochemistry – an innovative opportunity towards a one-pot three-component synthesis of novel pyridylpiperazine derivatives catalysed by meglumine in water

An unprecedented and expeditious synthetic strategy for rapid access to a diversity-oriented library of novel functionalized pyridyl piperazine derivatives is reported.

Selective synthesis of tetrahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine and pyrrolidine derivatives via a one-pot two-step reaction

In the presence of triethylamine, the addition reaction of substituted α-amino acid alkyl esters with dialkyl but-2-ynedioate afforded active β-enamino esters, which in turn reacted with aromatic aldehydes and malononitrile to give tetrahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives in moderate yields.