One-Pot Synthesis of Chiral Spiro-Imidazolidinone Cyclohexenones

We have developed a simple and straightforward synthesis of chiral spiro-imidazolidinone cyclohexenones, featuring six contiguous stereocenters, from feedstock chemicals such as aminophenols, α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, and α-amino acids. Remarkably, this one-pot multicomponent reaction exhibits exceptional diastereoselectivity (>20:1 dr) and relies solely on an amino acid precursor as the chiral source, avoiding the use of transition metals or additional organocatalysts. This reaction is efficient and scalable, enabling synthesis on a gram-scale.

Reaction of Picolinamides with Ketones Producing a New Type of Heterocyclic Salts with an Imidazolidin-4-One Ring

Reactions of picolinamides with 1,3-propanesultone in methanol followed by the treatment with ketones led to a series of previously unknown chemical transformations, yielding first pyridinium salts (2a-f), with a protonated endocyclic nitrogen atom, and then heterocyclic salts (3a-j) containing an imidazolidin-4-one ring. The structures of intermediate and final products were determined by IR and 1H, 13C NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray study. The effects of the ketone and alcohol structures on the product yield were studied by quantum-chemical calculations. The stability of salts 3a-j towards hydrolysis and alcoholysis makes them excellent candidates for the search for new types of biologically active compounds.

Diastereo- and Enantioselective Palladium-Catalyzed Cycloadditions of 5-Vinyloxazolidine-2,4-diones with Electrophilic Imines

Despite the importance of the 4-imidazolidinone scaffold in bioactive compounds or organocatalysts, methodologies to access these nitrogenated heterocycles remain scarce. This manuscript describes a novel preparation of 4-imidazolidinones via a diastereo- and enantioselective (3 + 2) cycloaddition between 5-vinyloxazolidine-2,4-diones (VOxD) and electrophilic imines under palladium catalysis. This work supports the synthetic potential of VOxD as a promising equivalent of the C-C(═O)-N synthon.

Release of Volatile Cyclopentanone Derivatives from Imidazolidin-4-One Profragrances in a Fabric Softener Application

Imidazolidin-4-ones were investigated as hydrolytically cleavable profragrances to increase the long-lastingness of perfume perception in a fabric softener application. The reaction of different amino acid amides with 2-alkyl- or 2-alkenylcyclopentanones as the model fragrances to be released afforded the corresponding bi- or tricyclic imidazolidin-4-ones as mixtures of diastereoisomers, which were separated by column chromatography. In polar solution, the different stereoisomers equilibrated under thermodynamic conditions to form mixtures with constant isomeric distributions, as shown by NMR spectroscopy. Dynamic headspace analysis on dry cotton demonstrated the controlled fragrance release from the precursors in practical application. Under non-equilibrium conditions (continuous evaporation of the fragrance) and depending on the structure and stereochemistry of the profragrances, the recorded headspace concentrations of the fragrance released from the precursors increased by a factor of 2 up to 100 with respect to the unmodified reference. Prolinamide-based precursors released the highest amount of fragrance and were thus found to be particularly suitable for prolonging the evaporation of cyclopentanone-derived fragrances on a dry cotton surface.

Synthesis of Polycyclic Aminal Heterocycles via Decarboxylative Cyclisation of Dipeptide Derivatives

An oxidative-decarboxylative intramolecular cyclisation of dipeptide derivatives is reported. This transformation is promoted by phenyl iodine (III) diacetate (PIDA) in combination with BF3·OEt2. The reaction gives access to a variety...

Tricyclic Imidazolidin-4-ones by Witkop Oxidation of Tetrahydro-β-carbolines

1-Substituted and 1,1-disubstituted tetrahydro-β-carbolines undergo sodium periodate oxidative ring expansion in the presence of formaldehyde and other aldehydes to form 5,6-dihydro-7H-1,4-methanobenzo[e][1,4]diazonine-2,7(3H)-diones in 30-81% yield. In most cases, the reaction to form this new 6/8/5-tricyclic ring system proceeds with high diastereoselectivity. These benzannulated medium-ring keto imidazolidin-4-ones expand the menu of tetrahydro-β-carboline oxidation products.

Crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and PIXEL calculations of a 1:1 epimeric mixture of 3-[(4-nitro-benzyl-idene)amino]-2(R,S)-(4-nitro-phenyl)-5(S)-(propan-2-yl)imidazolidin-4-one

A 1:1 epimeric mixture of 3-[(4-nitro-benzyl-idene)amino]-2(R,S)-(4-nitro-phen-yl)-5(S)-(propan-2-yl)imidazolidin-4-one, C19H19N5O5, was isolated from a reaction mixture of 2(S)-amino-3-methyl-1-oxo-butane-hydrazine and 4-nitro-benz-alde-hyde in ethanol. The product was derived from an initial reaction of 2(S)-amino-3-methyl-1-oxo-butane-hydrazine at its hydrazine group to provide a 4-nitro-benzyl-idene derivative, followed by a cyclization reaction with another mol-ecule of 4-nitro-benzaldehyde to form the chiral five-membered imidazolidin-4-one ring. The formation of the five-membered imidazolidin-4-one ring occurred with retention of the configuration at the 5-position, but with racemization at the 2-position. In the crystal, N-H⋯O(nitro) hydrogen bonds, weak C-H⋯O(carbon-yl) and C-H⋯O(nitro) hydrogen bonds, as well as C-H⋯π, N-H⋯π and π-π inter-actions, are present. These combine to generate a three-dimensional array. Hirshfeld surface analysis and PIXEL calculations are also reported.

Glucopyranosylidene-spiro-imidazolinones, a New Ring System: Synthesis and Evaluation as Glycogen Phosphorylase Inhibitors by Enzyme Kinetics and X-ray Crystallography

Epimeric series of aryl-substituted glucopyranosylidene-spiro-imidazolinones, an unprecedented new ring system, were synthesized from the corresponding Schiff bases of O-perbenzoylated (gluculopyranosylamine)onamides by intramolecular ring closure of the aldimine moieties with the carboxamide group elicited by N-bromosuccinimide in pyridine. Test compounds were obtained by Zemplén O-debenzoylation. Stereochemistry and ring tautomers of the new compounds were investigated by NMR, time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT)-electronic circular dichroism, and DFT-NMR methods. Kinetic studies with rabbit muscle and human liver glycogen phosphorylases showed that the (R)-imidazolinones were 14-216 times more potent than the (S) epimers. The 2-naphthyl-substituted (R)-imidazolinone was the best inhibitor of the human enzyme (K_i 1.7 μM) and also acted on HepG2 cells (IC₅₀ 177 μM). X-ray crystallography revealed that only the (R) epimers bound in the crystal. Their inhibitory efficacy is based on the hydrogen-bonding interactions of the carbonyl oxygen and the NH of the imidazolinone ring.

Synthesis of Polycyclic Imidazolidinones via Amine Redox-Annulation

α-Ketoamides undergo redox-annulations with cyclic secondary amines, such as 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline, pyrrolidine, piperidine, and morpholine. Catalytic amounts of benzoic acid significantly accelerate these transformations. This approach provides polycyclic imidazolidinone derivatives in typically good yields.

N-Methylimidazolidin-4-one organocatalysts: gas-phase fragmentations of radical cations by experiment and theory

Electron ionisation mass spectra of N-methylimidazolidin-4-one organocatalysts were studied by experimental and theoretical means. The molecular ions mostly undergo alpha cleavages of exocyclic substituents that leave the five-membered ring intact. The type of substituent strongly dominates the appearance of the spectra. Fragmentation cascades are corroborated by metastable ion mass spectra. Quantum Chemistry Electron Ionisation Mass Spectra calculations correlate reasonably well with the experimental electron ionisation spectra and reveal mechanistic details of fragmentation pathways. The drawbacks and benefits of such calculations are discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Gas-phase fragmentations of N-methylimidazolidin-4-one organocatalysts

N-methylimidazolidin-4-one organocatalysts were studied in the gas phase. Protonated and sodium-cationized (sodiated) molecules are conveniently accessible by electrospray mass spectrometry. Protonation enables three different closed-shell paths of ring cleavage leading to iminium ions. The fragmentation pattern is largely unaffected by exocyclic substituents and thus is valuable to characterize the substance type as N-methylimidazolidin-4-ones. Sodiated species show a distinctly different fragmentation that is less useful for characterization purposes: apart from signal loss due to dissociation of Na⁺ , the observation of benzyl radical loss is by far predominant. Only in absence of a benzyl substituent, an analogue of the third ring cleavage (loss of [C₂ H₅ NO]) is observed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dehydrogenative cyclization of N-acyl dipeptide esters for the synthesis of imidazolidin-4-ones

Dehydrogenative cyclization of N-acyl dipeptide esters was developed and imidazolidin-4-ones were obtained in moderate to good yields by using TBHP as oxidant and KI as catalyst under mild conditions.