Ultrasound accelerated synthesis of O-alkylated hydroximides under solvent- and metal-free conditions

N-Hydroxypiridinedione: A Privileged Heterocycle for Targeting the HBV RNase H

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a global health threat. Ribonuclease H (RNase H), part of the virus polymerase protein, cleaves the pgRNA template during viral genome replication. Inhibition of RNase H activity prevents (+) DNA strand synthesis and results in the accumulation of non-functional genomes, terminating the viral replication cycle. RNase H, though promising, remains an under-explored drug target against HBV. We previously reported the identification of a series of N-hydroxypyridinedione (HPD) imines that effectively inhibit the HBV RNase H. In our effort to further explore the HPD scaffold, we designed, synthesized, and evaluated 18 novel HPD oximes, as well as 4 structurally related minoxidil derivatives and 2 barbituric acid counterparts. The new analogs were docked on the RNase H active site and all proved able to coordinate the two Mg2+ ions in the catalytic site. All of the new HPDs effectively inhibited the viral replication in cell assays exhibiting EC50 values in the low μM range (1.1-7.7 μM) with low cytotoxicity, resulting in selectivity indexes (SI) of up to 92, one of the highest reported to date among HBV RNase H inhibitors. Our findings expand the structure-activity relationships on the HPD scaffold, facilitating the development of even more potent anti-HBV agents.

Organic Synthesis Using Nitroxides

Nitroxides, also known as nitroxyl radicals, are long-lived or stable radicals with the general structure R1R2N-O•. The spin distribution over the nitroxide N and O atoms contributes to the thermodynamic stability of these radicals. The presence of bulky N-substituents R1 and R2 prevents nitroxide radical dimerization, ensuring their kinetic stability. Despite their reactivity toward various transient C radicals, some nitroxides can be easily stored under air at room temperature. Furthermore, nitroxides can be oxidized to oxoammonium salts (R1R2N═O+) or reduced to anions (R1R2N-O-), enabling them to act as valuable oxidants or reductants depending on their oxidation state. Therefore, they exhibit interesting reactivity across all three oxidation states. Due to these fascinating properties, nitroxides find extensive applications in diverse fields such as biochemistry, medicinal chemistry, materials science, and organic synthesis. This review focuses on the versatile applications of nitroxides in organic synthesis. For their use in other important fields, we will refer to several review articles. The introductory part provides a brief overview of the history of nitroxide chemistry. Subsequently, the key methods for preparing nitroxides are discussed, followed by an examination of their structural diversity and physical properties. The main portion of this review is dedicated to oxidation reactions, wherein parent nitroxides or their corresponding oxoammonium salts serve as active species. It will be demonstrated that various functional groups (such as alcohols, amines, enolates, and alkanes among others) can be efficiently oxidized. These oxidations can be carried out using nitroxides as catalysts in combination with various stoichiometric terminal oxidants. By reducing nitroxides to their corresponding anions, they become effective reducing reagents with intriguing applications in organic synthesis. Nitroxides possess the ability to selectively react with transient radicals, making them useful for terminating radical cascade reactions by forming alkoxyamines. Depending on their structure, alkoxyamines exhibit weak C-O bonds, allowing for the thermal generation of C radicals through reversible C-O bond cleavage. Such thermally generated C radicals can participate in various radical transformations, as discussed toward the end of this review. Furthermore, the application of this strategy in natural product synthesis will be presented.

2-(2,5-Dimethoxyphenoxy)isoindoline-1,3-dione

In this work, the direct C-H functionalization reaction of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene with N-hydroxyphthalimide has been disclosed. A previously unknown product of the C-O coupling of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene and N-hydroxyphthalimide was obtained. The reaction proceeded under mild conditions, in which a commercially available manganese-based oxidizing agent was used for generation of a phthalimide-N-oxyl radical. The obtained compound is a promising valuable precursor of O-aryl hydroxylamine.

Pyrazinamide–isoniazid hybrid: synthesis optimisation, characterisation, and antituberculous activity

Over time, the effective resistance mechanisms to various first- and second-line drugs against the disease of tuberculosis make its treatment extremely difficult. This work presents a new approach to synthesizing a hybrid of antituberculosis medications: isoniazid (INH) and pyrazinamide (PZA). The synthesis was performed using ultrasound-assisted synthesis to obtain an overall yield of 70%, minimizing the reaction time from 7 to 1 h. The evaluation of the biological activity of the hybrid (compound 2) was tested using the tetrazolium microplate assay (TEMA), showing inhibition in the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv at a concentration of 0.025 mM at pH 6.0 and 6.7.

Ultrasound Accelerated Expedient and Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Aryl Sulfonates Using I2 As Catalyst At Ambient Conditions

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Aryl sulfonates were developed by ssing an energy-saving and eco-friendly approach, through ultrasound-assisted coupling reaction of readily sodium sulfinates with N-hydroxyphthalimide, under metal-free and mild conditions within 10 min at room temperature.

DTBP-mediated cross-dehydrogenative coupling of 3-aryl benzofuran-2(3H)-ones with toluenes/phenols for all-carbon quaternary centers

We have developed a transition-metal free protocol for efficient cross-dehydrogenative coupling of 3-aryl benzofuran-2(3H)-ones and toluenes/phenols using DTBP as an oxidant.

Ultrasound-Assisted Iodination of Imidazo[1,2-α]pyridines Via C-H Functionalization Mediated by tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide

A novel metal catalyst-free and environmentally friendly method for the regioselective iodination of imidazo[1,2-α]pyridines at their C3 position is disclosed, which has a wide substrate scope and could be sustainable. This reaction proceeds through ultrasound acceleration in the presence of a green alcohol solvent. Compared with a conventional heating system, the reaction efficiency and the rate are significantly improved and the iodine atom economy is maximized using ultrasound techniques.

Iodine(III) promotes cross-dehydrogenative coupling of N-hydroxyphthalimide and unactivated C(sp3)-H bonds

Cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions provide a method to construct new chemical bonds by direct C-H activation without any pre-functionalization. Compared to functionalization of a C-H bond α- to ether oxygen, α- to carbonyl, or at a benzylic position, functionalization of unactivated hydrocarbons is difficult and often requires high temperatures, a transition-metal catalyst, or a superstoichiometric quantity of volatile, toxic, and explosive tert-butylhydroperoxide. Here, a cross-dehydrogenative C-O coupling reaction of N-hydroxyphthalimide with unactivated alkanes, nitriles, ethers, and thioethers has been realized by using iodobenzene diacetate as the radical initiator. The current protocol enables efficient functionalization of unactivated hydrocarbons and nitriles through inert C(sp³)-H bond activation under mild reaction conditions. O-substituted NHPI derivatives are generated in good yields under metal-free conditions.