Bismuth trichloride–mediated cleavage of phenolic methoxymethyl ethers

Spectral and HPLC Analyses of Synthesized Butin and Butein

Butin and butein are significant bioactive flavanones derived from plants, existing as tautomers of each other. However, their physicochemical attributes, such as their spectral profiles under varying experimental conditions in aqueous solutions and established chromatographic methods for distinguishing between them, remain undetermined. In this study, we determined the basic properties of butin and butein using conventional spectroscopic, reversed-phase, and chiral HPLC analyses. The spectra of the synthesized butin and butein were analyzed using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer in several solvents with different polarities as well as in aqueous solutions at various pH values. Furthermore, the behavior of the measured spectra was reproduced by calculations to reveal the effects of the solvent and pH on the spectra of butin and butein in organic and aqueous solutions. Subsequently, we assessed the structural stability of butin and butein using reversed-phase HPLC, which revealed that butein is unstable compared with butin in a general culture medium. The synthesized butin was effectively separated into R- and S-isomers with positive and negative Cotton effects, respectively, via HPLC using a chiral column. These findings will aid in uncovering the individual properties of both butin and butein that may have been concealed by their tautomerism and enable the synthesis of S-butin, which is typically challenging and time-consuming to isolate.

Development of Potent 3-Br-isoxazoline-Based Antimalarial and Antileishmanial Compounds

Starting from the structure of previously reported 3-Br-isoxazoline-based covalent inhibitors of P. falciparum glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and with the intent to improve their metabolic stability and antimalarial activity, we designed and synthesized a series of simplified analogues that are characterized by the insertion of the oxadiazole ring as a bioisosteric replacement for the metabolically labile ester/amide function. We then further replaced the oxadiazole ring with a series of five-membered heterocycles and finally combined the most promising structural features. All the new derivatives were tested in vitro for antimalarial as well as antileishmanial activity. We identified two very promising new lead compounds, endowed with submicromolar antileishmanial activity and nanomolar antiplasmodial activity, respectively, and a very high selectivity index with respect to mammalian cells.

Enantiospecific Total Synthesis of (-)-Japonicol C

An efficient and convergent first total syntheses of (±)-japonicol B and (-)-japonicol C have been completed. The notable points of the synthetic route are Lewis-acid-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts reaction for one pot C-C and C-O bond formations resulting in construction of the tricyclic meroterpenoid skeleton, one pot Pd(OH)₂/C-catalyzed isomerization/hydrogenation, and site selective sp³ C-H oxidation.

BiCl3-Facilitated removal of methoxymethyl-ether/ester derivatives and DFT study of –O–C–O– bond cleavage

An experimental and DFT study of the cleavage of the MOM group mediated by an eco-friendly reagent, bismuth trichloride.