Sterically Congested 2,6-Disubstituted Anilines from Direct C-N Bond Formation at an Iodine(III) Center

2,6-Disubstituted anilines are readily prepared from the direct reaction between amides and diaryliodonium salts. As demonstrated for 24 different examples, the reaction is of unusually broad scope with respect to the sterically congested arene and the nitrogen source, occurs without the requirement for any additional promoter, and proceeds through a direct reductive elimination at the iodine(III) center. The efficiency of the coupling procedure is further demonstrated within the short synthesis of a chemerin binding inhibitor.

Microphotochemistry: 4,4'-Dimethoxybenzophenone mediated photodecarboxylation reactions involving phthalimides

A series of 4,4'-dimethoxybenzophenone mediated intra- and intermolecular photodecarboxylation reactions involving phthalimides have been examined under microflow conditions. Conversion rates, isolated yields and chemoselectivities were compared to analogous reactions in a batch photoreactor. In all cases investigated, the microreactions gave superior results thus proving the superiority of microphotochemistry over conventional technologies.

Novel Potent and Selective DPP-4 Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis and Molecular Docking Study of Dihydropyrimidine Phthalimide Hybrids

BACKGROUND

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors have emerged as anti-hyperglycemic agents that improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients, either as monotherapy or in combination with other antidiabetic drugs.

METHODS

A novel series of dihydropyrimidine phthalimide hybrids was synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro and in vivo DPP-4 inhibition activity and selectivity using alogliptin as reference. Oral glucose tolerance test was assessed in type 2 diabetic rats after chronic treatment with the synthesized hybrids ± metformin. Cytotoxicity and antioxidant assays were performed. Additionally, molecular docking study with DPP-4 and structure activity relationship of the novel hybrids were also studied.

RESULTS

Among the synthesized hybrids, 10g, 10i, 10e, 10d and 10b had stronger in vitro DPP-4 inhibitory activity than alogliptin. Moreover, an in vivo DPP-4 inhibition assay revealed that 10g and 10i have the strongest and the most extended blood DPP-4 inhibitory activity compared to alogliptin. In type 2 diabetic rats, hybrids 10g, 10i and 10e exhibited better glycemic control than alogliptin, an effect that further supported by metformin combination. Finally, 10j, 10e, 10h and 10d had the highest radical scavenging activity in DPPH assay.

CONCLUSIONS

Hybrids 10g, 10i and 10e are potent DPP-4 inhibitors which may be beneficial for T2DM treatment.

Irreversible endo-selective diels-alder reactions of substituted alkoxyfurans: a general synthesis of endo-cantharimides

The [4+2] cycloaddition of 3-alkoxyfurans with N-substituted maleimides provides the first general route for preparing endo-cantharimides. Unlike the corresponding reaction with 3H furans, the reaction can tolerate a broad range of 2-substitued furans including alkyl, aromatic, and heteroaromatic groups. The cycloaddition products were converted into a range of cantharimide products with promising lead-like properties for medicinal chemistry programs. Furthermore, the electron-rich furans are shown to react with a variety of alternative dienophiles to generate 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane derivatives under mild conditions. DFT calculations have been performed to rationalize the activation effect of the 3-alkoxy group on a furan Diels-Alder reaction.

Potent Anti-Cancer Properties of Phthalimide-Based Curcumin Derivatives on Prostate Tumor Cells

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer is commonly treated with chemotherapy, whose effect is less than satisfactory. This raised the need for novel agents for the treatment of prostate cancer. In the present study, five phthalimide-based curcumin derivatives were synthesized and completely characterized to assess improved stability, pharmacodynamics, and radical scavenging ability. To investigate the potential application in anti-cancer therapy, the anti-proliferative activity of the synthesized molecules was determined on aggressive prostate tumor cells. We demonstrated that the K3F21 derivative has increased potency compared to curcumin, in terms of GI50, anti-proliferative and anti-migrating activities. K3F21 inhibits anchorage-dependent and -independent growth of prostate cancer cells by altering the expression of key genes controlling cell proliferation, such as Cylins D1, B1 and B2, and apoptosis, among which Puma, Noxa, and Bcl-2 family members. Finally, the anti-cancer activity of K3F21 was demonstrated by the analysis of cancer-associated PI3K/AKT, ERK, and p38 signaling pathways.

Phthalimide-Based High Mobility Polymer Semiconductors for Efficient Nonfullerene Solar Cells with Power Conversion Efficiencies over 13

Highly efficient nonfullerene polymer solar cells (PSCs) are developed based on two new phthalimide-based polymers phthalimide-difluorobenzothiadiazole (PhI-ffBT) and fluorinated phthalimide-ffBT (ffPhI-ffBT). Compared to all high-performance polymers reported, which are exclusively based on benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT), both PhI-ffBT and ffPhI-ffBT are BDT-free and feature a D-A1-D-A2 type backbone. Incorporating a second acceptor unit difluorobenzothiadiazole leads to polymers with low-lying highest occupied molecular orbital levels (≈-5.6 eV) and a complementary absorption with the narrow bandgap nonfullerene acceptor IT-4F. Moreover, these BDT-free polymers show substantially higher hole mobilities than BDT-based polymers, which are beneficial to charge transport and extraction in solar cells. The PSCs containing difluorinated phthalimide-based polymer ffPhI-ffBT achieve a substantial PCE of 12.74% and a large V oc of 0.94 V, and the PSCs containing phthalimide-based polymer PhI-ffBT show a further increased PCE of 13.31% with a higher J sc of 19.41 mA cm-2 and a larger fill factor of 0.76. The 13.31% PCE is the highest value except the widely studied BDT-based polymers and is also the highest among all benzothiadiazole-based polymers. The results demonstrate that phthalimides are excellent building blocks for enabling donor polymers with the state-of-the-art performance in nonfullerene PSCs and the BDT is not necessary for constructing such donor polymers.

Design, Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and Cholinesterase Inhibitory Potential of Phthalimide-Dithiocarbamate Hybrids as New Agents for Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

A novel series of phthalimide-dithiocarbamate hybrids was synthesized and evaluated for in vitro inhibitory potentials against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). The anti-cholinesterase results indicated that among the synthesized compounds, the compounds 7g and 7h showed the most potent anti-AChE and anti-BuChE activities, respectively. Molecular docking and dynamic studies of the compounds 7g and 7h, respectively, in the active site of AChE and BuChE revealed that these compounds as well interacted with studied cholinesterases. These compounds also possessed drug-like properties and were able to cross the BBB.

Identification of 1,2,3-triazole-phthalimide derivatives as potential drugs against COVID-19: a virtual screening, docking and molecular dynamic study

In this work we aimed to perform an in silico predictive screening, docking and molecular dynamic study to identify 1,2,3-triazole-phthalimide derivatives as drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2. The in silico prediction of pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of hundred one 1,2,3-triazole-phtalimide derivatives, obtained from SciFinder® library, were investigated. Compounds that did not show good gastrointestinal absorption, violated the Lipinski's rules, proved to be positive for the AMES test, and showed to be hepatotoxic or immunotoxic in our ADMET analysis, were filtered out of our study. The hit compounds were further subjected to molecular docking on SARS-CoV-2 target proteins. The ADMET analysis revealed that 43 derivatives violated the Lipinski's rules and 51 other compounds showed to be positive for the toxicity test. Seven 1,2,3-triazole-phthalimide derivatives (A7, A8, B05, E35, E38, E39, and E40) were selected for molecular docking and MFCC-ab initio analysis. The results of molecular docking pointed the derivative E40 as a promising compound interacting with multiple target proteins of SARS-CoV-2. The complex E40-Mpro was found to have minimum binding energy of -10.26 kcal/mol and a general energy balance, calculated by the quantum mechanical analysis, of -8.63 eV. MD simulation and MMGBSA calculations confirmed that the derivatives E38 and E40 have high binding energies of -63.47 ± 3 and -63.31 ± 7 kcal/mol against SARS-CoV-2 main protease. In addition, the derivative E40 exhibited excellent interaction values and inhibitory potential against SAR-Cov-2 main protease and viral nucleocapsid proteins, suggesting this derivative as a potent antiviral for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of COVID-19.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Synthesis and molecular docking studies of some 4-phthalimidobenzenesulfonamide derivatives as acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors

A series of 4-phthalimidobenzenesulfonamide derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for the inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). Structures of the title compounds were confirmed by spectral and elemental analyses. The cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitory activity studies were carried out using Ellman's colorimetric method. The biological activity results revealed that all of the title compounds (except for compound 8) displayed high selectivity against AChE. Among the tested compounds, compound 7 was found to be the most potent against AChE (IC50= 1.35 ± 0.08 μM), while compound 3 exhibited the highest inhibition against BuChE (IC50= 13.41 ± 0.62 μM). Molecular docking studies of the most active compound 7 in AChE showed that this compound can interact with both the catalytic active site (CAS) and the peripheral anionic site (PAS) of AChE.

Fast-Acting Small Molecules Targeting Malarial Aspartyl Proteases, Plasmepsins, Inhibit Malaria Infection at Multiple Life Stages

The eradication of malaria remains challenging due to the complex life cycle of Plasmodium and the rapid emergence of drug-resistant forms of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. New, effective, and inexpensive antimalarials against multiple life stages of the parasite are urgently needed to combat the spread of malaria. Here, we synthesized a set of novel hydroxyethylamines and investigated their activities in vitro and in vivo. All of the compounds tested had an inhibitory effect on the blood stage of P. falciparum at submicromolar concentrations, with the best showing 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) of around 500 nM against drug-resistant P. falciparum parasites. These compounds showed inhibitory actions against plasmepsins, a family of malarial aspartyl proteases, and exhibited a marked killing effect on blood stage Plasmodium. In chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium berghei and P. berghei ANKA infected mouse models, treating mice with both compounds led to a significant decrease in blood parasite load. Importantly, two of the compounds displayed an inhibitory effect on the gametocyte stages (III-V) of P. falciparum in culture and the liver-stage infection of P. berghei both in in vitro and in vivo. Altogether, our findings suggest that fast-acting hydroxyethylamine-phthalimide analogs targeting multiple life stages of the parasite could be a valuable chemical lead for the development of novel antimalarial drugs.

The photodecarboxylative addition of carboxylates to phthalimides as a key-step in the synthesis of biologically active 3-arylmethylene-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindolin-1-ones

The synthesis of various 3-arylmethylene-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindolin-1-ones was realized following a simple three-step process. The protocol utilized the photodecarboxylative addition of readily available carboxylates to N-(bromoalkyl)phthalimides as a versatile and efficient key step. The initially obtained hydroxyphthalimidines were readily converted to the desired N-diaminoalkylated 3-arylmethylene-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindolin-1-ones via acid-catalyzed dehydration and subsequent nucleophilic substitution with the corresponding secondary amines. The procedure was successfully applied to the synthesis of known local anesthetics (AL-12, AL-12B and AL-5) in their neutral forms.

Phthalimide-derived strigolactone mimics as germinating agents for seeds of parasitic weeds

BACKGROUND

Broomrapes attack important crops, cause severe yield losses and are difficult to eliminate because their seed bank is virtually indestructible. In the absence of a host, the induction of seed germination leads to inevitable death due to nutrient starvation. Synthetic analogues of germination-inducing factors may constitute a cheap and feasible strategy to control the seed bank. These compounds should be easy and cheap to synthesise, as this will allow their mass production. The aim of this work is to obtain new synthethic germinating agents.

RESULTS

Nineteen N-substituted phthalimides containing a butenolide ring and different substituents in the aromatic ring were synthesised. The synthesis started with commercially available phthalimides. The complete collection was assayed against the parasitic weeds Orobanche minor, O. cumana, Phelipanche ramosa and P. aegyptiaca, with the synthetic strigolactone analogue GR24 used as a positive control. These compounds offered low EC₅₀ values: O. cumana 38.3 μM, O. minor 3.77 μM, P. aegyptiaca 1.35 μM and P. ramosa 1.49 μM.

CONCLUSIONS

The synthesis was carried out in a few steps and provided the target compounds in good yields. The compounds tested showed great selectivity, and low EC₅₀ values were obtained for structures that were simpler than GR24. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Synthesis of Phthalimide Derivatives as Potential PPAR-γ Ligands

Paecilocin A, a phthalide derivative isolated from the jellyfish-derived fungus Paecilomyces variotii, activates PPAR-γ (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma) in rat liver Ac2F cells. Based on a SAR (Structure-activity relationships) study and in silico analysis of paecilocin A-mimetic derivatives, additional N-substituted phthalimide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for PPAR-γ agonistic activity in both murine liver Ac2F cells and in human liver HepG2 cells by luciferase assay, and for adipogenic activity in 3T3-L1 cells. Docking simulation indicated PD6 was likely to bind most strongly to the ligand binding domain of PPAR-γ by establishing crucial H-bonds with key amino acid residues. However, in in vitro assays, PD1 and PD2 consistently displayed significant PPAR-γ activation in Ac2F and HepG2 cells, and adipogenic activity in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

Synthesis and Bioactivity of Phthalimide Analogs as Potential Drugs to Treat Schistosomiasis, a Neglected Disease of Poverty

The neglected tropical disease, schistosomiasis, is caused by trematode blood flukes of the Schistosoma genus and infects approximately 200 million people worldwide. With just one partially effective drug available for disease treatment, new drugs are urgently needed. Herein, a series of 47 phthalimide (Pht) analogues possessing high-value bioactive scaffolds (i.e., benzimidazole and 1,2,3,-triazoles) was synthesized by click-chemistry. Compounds were evaluated for anti-schistosomal activity in culture against somules (post-infective larvae) and adults of Schistosoma mansoni, their predicted ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) properties, and toxicity vs. HepG2 cells. The majority showed favorable parameters for surface area, lipophilicity, bioavailability and Lipinski score. Thirteen compounds were active at 10 µM against both somules and adults (6d, 6f, 6i–6l, 6n–6p, 6s, 6r’, 6t’ and 6w). Against somules, the majority caused degeneracy and/or death after 72 h; whereas against adult parasites, five compounds (6l, 6d, 6f, 6r’ and 6s) elicited degeneracy, tegumental (surface) damage and/or death. Strongest potency against both developmental stages was recorded for compounds possessing n-butyl or isobutyl as a linker, and a pentafluorophenyl group on triazole. Apart from five compounds for which anti-parasite activity tracked with toxicity to HepG2 cells, there was apparently no toxicity to HepG2 cells (EC₅₀ values ≥50 µM). The data overall suggest that phthaloyl-triazole compounds are favorable synthons for additional studies as anti-schistosomals.

Novel Conjugated Polymers Prepared by Direct (Hetero) arylation: An Eco-Friendly Tool for Organic Electronics

The phthalimide (PhI) moiety has been attracting more attention as an excellent acceptor building block in donor-acceptor (D-A) conjugated polymers. In this paper; three D-A conjugated polymers with or without thiocarbonyl moieties are successfully prepared by the direct (hetero)-arylation polymerization (DHAP), which is an atom efficient and facile synthetic strategy to obtain polymer materials. Compared with the traditional carbon-carbon coupling reactions, this method possesses more advantages, including: fewer synthetic steps, avoidance of the preparation of the organometallic reagents, higher atom economy and fewer toxic byproducts, better compatibility with chemically sensitive functional groups and so on. All three of these designed PhI-based polymers exhibited favourable optoelectronic and thermal performance. The optical, thermodynamic and electrochemical properties of the synthesized polymers were systematically investigated using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results of these three polymers indicated that thionation of the carbonyl was a highly effective methods to improve the properties of PhI-based polymers; and provided impetus for the development of thionated PhI derivatives for organic electronic applications.

Synthesis of PPAR-γ activators inspired by the marine natural product, paecilocin A

A series of N-substituted phthalimide derivatives were synthesized based on a pharmacophore study of paecilocin A (a natural PPAR-γ agonist) and synthetic leads. The introduction of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups to the phthalimide skeleton yielded compounds 3-14. Compound 7 showed significant PPAR-γ activation in a luciferase assay using rat liver Ac2F cells. Docking simulations showed that a free hydroxyl group on the phthalimide head and a suitable hydrophilic tail, including a phenyl linker, were beneficial for PPAR-γ activation. Compound 7 and rosiglitazone concentration-dependently activated PPAR-γ with EC50 values of 0.67 μM and 0.028 μM, respectively. These phthalimide derivatives could be further investigated as a new class of PPAR-γ ligands.

Continuous Flow Photochemical and Thermal Multi-Step Synthesis of Bioactive 3-Arylmethylene-2,3-Dihydro-1H-Isoindolin-1-Ones

An effective multi-step continuous flow approach towards N-diaminoalkylated 3-arylmethylene-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindolin-1-ones, including the local anesthetic compound AL-12, has been realized. Compared to the traditional decoupled batch processes, the combined photochemical–thermal–thermal flow setup rapidly provides the desired target compounds in superior yields and significantly shorter reaction times.

A method based on precolumn derivatization and ultra high performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of phthalimide and phthalic acid in tea

Phthalimide can be formed from either the degradation of folpet and phosmet, or reaction of phthalic anhydride with primary amino groups. Consequently, the sum of phthalimide and folpet, expressed as folpet-residue definition, is highly prone to false-positive levels of folpet in tea. An analytical method is thus urgently needed to investigate the residue level and source of phthalimide in tea. In this work, we developed an accurate method of determining phthalimide and phthalic acid (the indicator of phthalic anhydride) by acetonitrile extraction and 3-bromopropyltrimethylammonium bromide derivatization coupled with ultra high performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The method was validated, and linearity (correlation coefficients > 0.99) was obtained. Satisfactory recoveries at 10, 20, 50, and 100 μg/kg ranged from 76 to 117%, and the intra- and interday accuracies were <23%. The limit of quantification for phthalimide and phthalic acid was 10 μg/kg. The developed method was further successfully used to determine phthalimide and phthalic acid in some tea samples. The positive rate of phthalimide and phthalic acid detected in the tea samples ranged from 30-75 and 50-90%, respectively.

Substituted adamantylphthalimides: Synthesis, antiviral and antiproliferative activity

In this study, three groups of adamantylphthalimides, bearing different substituents at the phthalimide moiety, N-(4'-R² )phthalimidoadamantanes (1-7), 3-[N-(4'-R² )phthalimido]-1-adamantanols (8-10), and 3-[N-(4'-R² )phthalimido]adamantane-1-carboxylic acids (11-15), were synthesized and screened against tumor cells and viruses. The most potent compounds are not substituted at the adamantane and bear an OH or NH₂ substituent at the phthalimide (compounds 3 and 5). The antiproliferative activities of compounds 3 and 5 are in the micromolar range, much higher than the one of thalidomide. A minor antiviral activity against cytomegalovirus and varicella-zoster virus was found for compounds 3 and 5, but these compounds lacked selectivity. The results presented are important for the rational design of the next-generation compounds with anticancer and antiviral activities.

Quantification of folpet and phthalimide in tea and herbal infusions by LC- high-resolution MS and GC-MS/MS

Two methods based on a modified QuEChERS sample preparation and either LC coupled to atmospheric pressure ionisation and high-resolution MS or GC coupled to electron ionisation and tripled quadrupole MS have been assessed for the quantification of folpet and phthalimide in tea and other dry herbal infusions. Both methods have been fully validated in green tea and further checked in black tea, verbena and rooibos, and they performed according to the SANTE/11813/2017 criteria at the target LOQ concentration level (50 µg/kg). These methods allow the accurate quantification of folpet in the selected matrices according to the new EU residue definition, which includes phthalimide. Phthalimide is the main metabolite and degradation product of folpet, although according to recent studies, it could be generated from different sources than folpet breakdown, such as food processing or analysis by GC.

Donor-Acceptor Covalent-Organic Frameworks Based on Phthalimide as an Electron-Deficient Unit for Efficient Visible-Light Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Donor-acceptor two-dimensional covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) have great potential as photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution because of their tunable structures, ordered and strong stacking, high crystallinity, and porosity. Herein, an acceptor unit, namely phthalimide, has been employed for the first time to construct COFs. Two donor-acceptor COFs (TAPFy-PhI and TAPB-PhI) have been successfully synthesized via a Schiff base reaction using phthalimide as the acceptor and 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)pyrene (TAPFy) and 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl)benzene (TAPB) as donors. The synthesized COFs exhibited high crystallinity, permanent porosity, excellent chemical stability, suitable band gaps, and broad visible-light absorption. In the presence of ascorbic acid (sacrificial reagent), the TAPFy-PhI COF exhibited an efficient photocatalytic performance with a hydrogen evolution rate of 1763 μmol g^-1 h^-1. Moreover, the photocatalytic performance was further improved by the addition of Pt (1 wt %) as a cocatalyst, and the hydrogen evolution rate reached 2718 μmol g^-1 h^-1.

A New N-Substituted 1H-Isoindole-1,3(2H)-Dione Derivative-Synthesis, Structure and Affinity for Cyclooxygenase Based on In Vitro Studies and Molecular Docking

Isoindoline-1,3-dione derivatives constitute an important group of medicinal substances. In this study, nine new 1H-isoindole-1,3(2H)-dione derivatives and five potential pharmacophores were obtained in good yield (47.24–92.91%). The structure of the new imides was confirmed by the methods of elemental and spectral analysis: FT–IR, H NMR, and MS. Based on the obtained results of ESI–MS the probable path of the molecules decay and the hypothetical structure of the resulting pseudo-molecular ions have been proposed. The physicochemical properties of the new phthalimides were determined on the basis of Lipiński’s rule. The biological properties were determined in terms of their cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitory activity. Three compounds showed greater inhibition of COX-2, three compounds inhibited COX-1 more strongly than the reference compound meloxicam. From the obtained results, the affinity ratio COX-2/COX-1 was calculated. Two compounds had a value greater than that of meloxicam. All tested compounds showed oxidative or nitrosan stress (ROS and RNS) scavenging activity. The degree of chromatin relaxation outside the cell nucleus was lower than the control after incubation with all test compounds. The newly synthesized phthalimide derivatives showed no cytotoxic activity in the concentration range studied (10–90 µM). A molecular docking study was used to determined interactions inside the active site of cyclooxygenases.

Multi-residue analysis of captan, captafol, folpet, and iprodione in cereals using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, we propose an improved analytical method for the multiresidue analysis of captan (plus its metabolite, tetrahydrophthalimide), folpet (plus its metabolite, phthalimide), captafol, and iprodione in cereals using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). As captan, captafol, and folpet are easily degraded during homogenisation and extraction, samples were comminuted with liquid nitrogen, and both QuEChERS and ethyl acetate-based extraction workflows provided a satisfactory method performance. The optimised LC-MS/MS procedure with electrospray ionisation did not degrade these compounds, and offered sufficient method selectivity by resolving and minimising co-eluting matrix-derived interferences. The method also resolved the problem of non-specific mass spectra that these compounds usually produce on GC-MS analysis involving electron ionisation. The method performance was satisfactory for all 6 compounds at 0.01 mg kg^-1 and higher levels of fortification, and validated as per the SANTE/11813/2017 guidelines of analytical quality control in a wide range of cereals including rice, wheat, sorghum, and corn. The method provides special advantage of simultaneous analysis of captan, and folpet along with their metabolites (tetrahydrophthalimide, and phthalimide, respectively) in combination with captafol, and iprodione in a single chromatographic run. Although iprodione is known to degrade to 3,5-dichloroaniline, since this metabolite is not a part of the residue definition, it was not included in the scope of this method. As the method demonstrates satisfactory selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy, precision, and robustness in a wide range of cereal matrices, it is recommended for regulatory testing of these compounds in cereals.

Discovery of novel phthalimide analogs: Synthesis, antimicrobial and antitubercular screening with molecular docking studies

In continuation of our endeavor towards the design and development of potent and effective antimicrobial agents, three series of phthalimide derivatives (4a-i, 5a-f, and 6a-c) were synthesized, fully characterized and evaluated for their potential antibacterial, antifungal and antimycobacterial activities. These efforts led to the discovery of nine compounds 4c, 4f, 4g, 4h, 4i, 5c, 5d, 5e, and 6c (MIC range from 0.49 to 31.5 μg/mL) with potent antibacterial, antifungal, and antimycobacterial activities. Ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, amphotericin B were used as references for antibacterial and antifungal screening respectively, while isoniazid was used as a reference for antimycobacterial testing. Furthermore, molecular modeling studies were done to explore the binding mode of the most active derivatives to M. tuberculosis enoyl reductase (InhA) and DNA gyrase B. Our study showed the importance of both hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions as a key interaction with the target enzymes.

Pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-1,4-dione (IsoDPP) End Capped with Napthalimide or Phthalimide: Novel Small Molecular Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells

We introduce two novel solution-processable electron acceptors based on an isomeric core of the much explored diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) moiety, namely pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-1,4-dione (IsoDPP). The newly designed and synthesized compounds, 6,6'-[(1,4-bis{4-decylphenyl}-2,5-dioxo-1,2,4,5-tetrahydropyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-3,6-diyl)bis(thiophene-5,2-diyl)]bis[2-(2-butyloctyl)-1H-benzo[de]isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-dione] (NAI-IsoDPP-NAI) and 5,5'-[(1,4-bis{4-decylphenyl}-2,5-dioxo-1,2,4,5-tetrahydropyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-3,6-diyl)bis(thiophene-5,2-diyl)]bis[2-(2-butyloctyl)isoindoline-1,3-dione] (PI-IsoDPP-PI) have been synthesized via Suzuki couplings using IsoDPP as a central building block and napthalimide or phthalimide as end-capping groups. The materials both exhibit good solubility in a wide range of organic solvents including chloroform (CF), dichloromethane (DCM), and tetrahydrofuran (THF), and have a high thermal stability. The new materials absorb in the wavelength range of 300-600 nm and both compounds have similar electron affinities, with the electron affinities that are compatible with their use as acceptors in donor-acceptor bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells. BHJ devices comprising the NAI-IsoDPP-NAI acceptor with poly(3-n-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the donor were found to have a better performance than the PI-IsoDPP-PI containing cells, with the best device having a VOC of 0.92 V, a JSC of 1.7 mAcm-2, a FF of 63%, and a PCE of 0.97%.