Minor Cannabinoids as Inhibitors of Skin Inflammation: Chemical Synthesis and Biological Evaluation.

Despite millennia of therapeutic plant use, deliberate exploitation of Cannabis's diverse biomedical potential has only recently gained attention. Bioactivity studies focus mainly on cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with limited information about the broader cannabinome's "minor phytocannabinoids". In this context, our research targeted the synthesis of minor cannabinoids containing a lateral chain with 3 or 4 carbon atoms, focusing on cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabichromene (CBC) analogues. Using known and innovative strategies, we achieved the synthesis of 11 C3 and C4 analogues, five of which were inhibitors of skin inflammation, with the CBG-C4 ester derivative emerging as the most potent compound.

De Novo Synthesis of Dihydrobenzofurans and Indolines and Its Application to a Modular, Asymmetric Synthesis of Beraprost.

Dihydrobenzofurans and indolines are important constituents of pharmaceuticals. Herein, we describe a novel strategy for their construction in which the aromatic ring is created de novo through an inverse-electron demand Diels-Alder reaction and cheletropic extrusion sequence of a 2-halothiophene-1,1-dioxide with an enol ether/enamide, followed by aromatization. Unusually, the aromatization process proved to be highly challenging, but it was discovered that treatment of the halocyclohexadienes with a base effected an α-elimination-aromatization reaction. Mechanistic investigation of this step using deuterium-labeling studies indicated the intermediacy of a carbene which undergoes a 1,2-hydrogen shift and subsequent aromatization. The methodology was applied to a modular and stereoselective total synthesis of the antiplatelet drug beraprost in only 8 steps from a key enal-lactone. This lactone provided the core of beraprost to which both its sidechains could be appended through a 1,4-conjugate addition process (lower ω-sidechain), followed by de novo construction of beraprost's dihydrobenzofuran (upper α-sidechain) using our newly developed methodology. Additionally, we have demonstrated the breadth of our newly established protocol in the synthesis of functionalized indolines, which occurred with high levels of regiocontrol. According to density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, the high selectivity originates from attractive London dispersion interactions in the TS of the Diels-Alder reaction.

Highly Diastereoselective Strain-Increase Allylborations: Rapid Access to Alkylidenecyclopropanes and Alkylidenecyclobutanes.

Allylboration of carbonyl compounds is one of the most widely used methods in the stereoselective synthesis of natural products. However, these powerful transformations are so far limited to allyl- or crotylboron reagents; ring-strained substituents in the α-position have not been investigated. Such substrates would lead to an increase in strain energy upon allylboration and as such cause a significant increase in the activation barrier of the reaction. Indeed, no reaction was observed between an α-cyclopropyl allylboronic ester and an aldehyde. However, by converting the boronic ester into the much more reactive borinic ester, the allylboration proceeded well giving alkylidenecyclopropanes in high yield. This process was highly diastereoselective and gives rapid access to versatile alkylidenecyclopropanes and alkylidenecyclobutanes. The chemistry shows a broad substrate scope in terms of both the range of vinylcycloalkyl boronic esters and aldehydes that can be employed. The intermediate boronate complexes were also found to be potent nucleophiles, reacting with a range of non-carbonyl-based electrophiles and radicals, leading to an even broader range of alkylidenecyclopropanes and alkylidenecyclobutanes. Using 11B NMR experiments, we were able to track the intermediates involved, and DFT calculations supported the experimental findings.

Direct Observation of Reactive Intermediates by Time-Resolved Spectroscopy Unravels the Mechanism of a Radical-Induced 1,2-Metalate Rearrangement.

Radical-induced 1,2-metalate rearrangements of boronate complexes are an emerging and promising class of reactions that allow multiple new bonds to be formed in a single, tunable reaction step. These reactions involve the addition of an alkyl radical, typically generated from an alkyl iodide under photochemical activation, to a boronate complex to produce an α-boryl radical intermediate. From this α-boryl radical, there are two plausible reaction pathways that can trigger the product forming 1,2-metalate rearrangement: iodine atom transfer (IAT) or single electron transfer (SET). Previous steady-state techniques have struggled to differentiate these pathways. Here we apply state-of-the-art time-resolved infrared absorption spectroscopy to resolve all the steps in the reaction cycle by mapping production and consumption of the reactive intermediates over picosecond to millisecond time scales. We apply this technique to a recently reported reaction involving the addition of an electron-deficient alkyl radical to the strained σ-bond of a bicyclo[1.1.0]butyl boronate complex to form a cyclobutyl boronic ester. We show that the previously proposed SET mechanism does not adequately account for the observed spectral and kinetic data. Instead, we demonstrate that IAT is the preferred pathway for this reaction and is likely to be operative for other reactions of this type.

Ring-Expansion Induced 1,2-Metalate Rearrangements: Highly Diastereoselective Synthesis of Cyclobutyl Boronic Esters.

The broad synthetic utility of organoboron compounds stems from their ready ability to undergo 1,2-migrations. Normally, such shifts are induced by α-leaving groups or by reactions of alkenyl boronates with electrophiles. Herein, we present a new strategy to induce 1,2-metalate rearrangements, via ring expansion of vinylcyclopropyl boronate complexes activated by electrophiles. This leads to a cyclopropane-stabilized carbocation, which triggers ring expansion and concomitant 1,2-metalate rearrangement. This novel process delivers medicinally relevant 1,2-substituted cyclobutyl boronic esters with high levels of diastereoselectivity. A wide range of organolithiums and Grignard reagents, electrophiles, and vinylcyclopropyl boronic esters can be used. The methodology was applied to a short, stereoselective synthesis of (±)-grandisol. Computational studies indicate that the reaction proceeds via a nonclassical carbocation followed by anti-1,2-migration.

Difunctionalization of C-C σ-Bonds Enabled by the Reaction of Bicyclo[1.1.0]butyl Boronate Complexes with Electrophiles: Reaction Development, Scope, and Stereochemical Origins.

Difunctionalization reactions of C-C σ-bonds have the potential to streamline access to molecules that would otherwise be difficult to prepare. However, the development of such reactions is challenging because C-C σ-bonds are typically unreactive. Exploiting the high ring-strain energy of polycyclic carbocycles is a common strategy to weaken and facilitate the reaction of C-C σ-bonds, but there are limited examples of highly strained C-C σ-bonds being used in difunctionalization reactions. We demonstrate that highly strained bicyclo[1.1.0]butyl boronate complexes (strain energy ca. 65 kcal/mol), which were prepared by reacting boronic esters with bicyclo[1.1.0]butyl lithium, react with electrophiles to achieve the diastereoselective difunctionalization of the strained central C-C σ-bond of the bicyclo[1.1.0]butyl unit. The reaction shows broad substrate scope, with a range of different electrophiles and boronic esters being successfully employed to form a diverse set of 1,1,3-trisubstituted cyclobutanes (>50 examples) with high diastereoselectivity. The high diastereoselectivity observed has been rationalized based on a combination of experimental data and DFT calculations, which suggests that separate concerted and stepwise reaction mechanisms are operating, depending upon the migrating substituent and electrophile used.

Divergent, Stereospecific Mono- and Difluoromethylation of Boronic Esters.

There is considerable interest in incorporating fluorine into agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals to improve their biological properties. Whilst a number of methods have been reported for installing CH2 F and CHF2 groups, they are mainly limited to radical reactions, which are invariably racemic. Herein, we report the divergent, stereospecific reaction of fluoroiodomethyllithium with boronic esters to give α-fluoro-boronic esters. These unique intermediates can be readily transformed into the corresponding mono- or difluoromethylated compounds through proto- or fluorodeboronation, respectively. The use of the highly unstable fluoroiodomethyllithium was key to allowing rapid 1,2-migration over competing decomposition of the carbanion. DFT calculations informed and supported the experimental findings.

How Big is the Pinacol Boronic Ester as a Substituent?

The synthetically versatile pinacol boronic ester group (Bpin) is generally thought of as a bulky moiety because of the two adjacent quaternary sp3 -hydribized carbon atoms in its diol backbone. However, recent diastereoselective reactions reported in the literature have cast doubt on this perception. Reported herein is a detailed experimental and computational analysis of Bpin and structurally related boronic esters which allows determination of three different steric parameters for the Bpin group: the A-value, ligand cone angle, and percent buried volume. All three parameters suggest that the Bpin moiety is remarkably small, with the planarity of the oxygen-boron-oxygen motif playing an important role in minimising steric interactions. Of the three steric parameters, percent buried volume provides the best correlation between steric size and diastereoselectivity in a Diels-Alder reaction.

1,2-Boron Shifts of ß-Boryl Radicals Generated from Bis-boronic Esters Using Photoredox Catalysis.

1,2-Bis-boronic esters are versatile intermediates that enable the rapid elaboration of simple alkene precursors. Previous reports on their selective mono-functionalization have targeted the most accessible position, retaining the more hindered secondary boronic ester. In contrast, we have found that photoredox-catalyzed mono-deboronation generates primary ß-boryl radicals that undergo rapid 1,2-boron shift to form thermodynamically favored secondary radicals, allowing for selective transformation of the more hindered boronic ester. The pivotal 1,2-boron shift, which has been demonstrated to be stereoretentive, enables access to a wide range of functionalized boronic esters and has been applied to highly diastereoselective fragmentation and transannular cyclization reactions. Furthermore, its generality has been shown in a radical cascade reaction with an allylboronic ester.

Selective Boryl-Anion Migration in a Vinyl sp2 -sp3 Diborane Induced by Soft Borane Lewis Acids.

An intramolecular 1,2-boryl-anion migration from boron to carbon has been achieved by selective activation of the π system in [(vinyl)B2 Pin2 )]- using "soft" BR3 electrophiles (BR3 =BPh3 or 9-aryl-BBN). The soft character is key to ensure 1,2-migration proceeds instead of oxygen coordination/B-O activation. The BR3 -induced 1,2-boryl-anion migration represents a triple borylation of a vinyl Grignard reagent using only B2 Pin2 and BR3 and forms differentially protected 1,1,2-triborylated alkanes. Notably, by increasing the steric bulk at the ß position of the vinyl Grignard reagent used to activate B2 Pin2 , 1,2-boryl-anion migration can be suppressed in favor of intermolecular {BPin}- transfer to BPh3 , thus enabling simple access to unsymmetrical sp2 -sp3 diboranes.

Expanding Water/Base Tolerant Frustrated Lewis Pair Chemistry to Alkylamines Enables Broad Scope Reductive Aminations.

Lower Lewis acidity boranes demonstrate greater tolerance to combinations of water/strong Brønsted bases than B(C6 F5 )3 , this enables Si-H bond activation by a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) mechanism to proceed in the presence of H2 O/alkylamines. Specifically, BPh3 has improved water tolerance in the presence of alkylamines as the Brønsted acidic adduct H2 O-BPh3 does not undergo irreversible deprotonation with aliphatic amines in contrast to H2 O-B(C6 F5 )3 . Therefore BPh3 is a catalyst for the reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones with alkylamines using silanes as reductants. A range of amines inaccessible using B(C6 F5 )3 as catalyst, were accessible by reductive amination catalysed by BPh3 via an operationally simple methodology requiring no purification of BPh3 or reagents/solvent. BPh3 has a complementary reductive amination scope to B(C6 F5 )3 with the former not an effective catalyst for the reductive amination of arylamines, while the latter is not an effective catalyst for the reductive amination of alkylamines. This disparity is due to the different pKa values of the water-borane adducts and the greater susceptibility of BPh3 species towards protodeboronation. An understanding of the deactivation processes occurring using B(C6 F5 )3 and BPh3 as reductive amination catalysts led to the identification of a third triarylborane, B(3,5-Cl2 C6 H3 )3 , that has a broader substrate scope being able to catalyse the reductive amination of both aryl and alkyl amines with carbonyls.

N-Methyl-Benzothiazolium Salts as Carbon Lewis Acids for Si-H σ-Bond Activation and Catalytic (De)hydrosilylation.

N-Me-Benzothiazolium salts are introduced as a new family of Lewis acids able to activate Si-H σ bonds. These carbon-centred Lewis acids were demonstrated to have comparable Lewis acidity towards hydride as found for the triarylboranes widely used in Si-H σ-bond activation. However, they display low Lewis acidity towards hard Lewis bases such as Et3 PO and H2 O in contrast to triarylboranes. The N-Me-benzothiazolium salts are effective catalysts for a range of hydrosilylation and dehydrosilylation reactions. Judicious selection of the C2 aryl substituent in these cations enables tuning of the steric and electronic environment around the electrophilic centre to generate more active catalysts. Finally, related benzoxazolium and benzimidazolium salts were found also to be active for Si-H bond activation and as catalysts for the hydrosilylation of imines.

Frustrated Lewis Pair Mediated 1,2-Hydrocarbation of Alkynes.

Frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) chemistry enables a rare example of alkyne 1,2-hydrocarbation with N-methylacridinium salts as the carbon Lewis acid. This 1,2-hydrocarbation process does not proceed through a concerted mechanism as in alkyne syn-hydroboration, or through an intramolecular 1,3-hydride migration as operates in the only other reported alkyne 1,2-hydrocarbation reaction. Instead, in this study, alkyne 1,2-hydrocarbation proceeds by a novel mechanism involving alkyne dehydrocarbation with a carbon Lewis acid based FLP to form the new C-C bond. Subsequently, intermolecular hydride transfer occurs, with the Lewis acid component of the FLP acting as a hydride shuttle that enables alkyne 1,2-hydrocarbation.

Formation of C(sp(2))-boronate esters by borylative cyclization of alkynes using BCl3.

BCl3 is an inexpensive electrophile which induces the borylative cyclization of a wide range of substituted alkynes to regioselectively form polycycles containing synthetically versatile C(sp(2) )boronate esters. It proceeds rapidly, with good yields and is compatible with a range of functional groups and substitution patterns. Intermolecular 1,2-carboboration of alkynes is also achieved using BCl3 to generate trisubstituted vinyl boronate esters.

Electrochemical Synthesis of Unnatural Amino Acids Embedding 5- and 6-Membered Heteroaromatics.

Using a commercially available potentiostat, the electrochemical synthesis of unnatural amino acids bearing heteroaromatics on the lateral chain has been accomplished. This strategy exploits the side-chain decarboxylative arylation of aspartic/glutamic acid, a reaction that becomes challenging with electron-rich coupling partners such as 5- and 6-membered heteroaromatics. These rings are underrepresented in unnatural amino acids, therefore allowing a wider exploration of the chemical space, given the abundance of the aryl bromides employable in this reaction.

First total synthesis of caerulomycin K: a case study on selective, multiple C-H functionalizations of pyridines.

Caerulomycins, natural alkaloids with antimicrobial properties, have been previously synthesized starting with highly pre-functionalized building blocks or requiring many functional group manipulations. In this work, we report the first total synthesis of caerulomycin K, a diversely trifunctionalized pyridine readily assembled in three steps exploiting the recent advancements in the C-H activation of N-heterocycles.

Total Synthesis of an Epothilone Analogue based on the Amide‒Triazole Bioisosterism.

Epothilones are 16-membered macrolides that can act as microtubule-targeting agents to tackle cancer. Many synthetic analogues have been investigated for their activity, yet often based on macrolide structures. A notable exception is Ixabepilone, an azalide representing the only epothilone-like molecule approved by the FDA as a chemotherapeutic. Exploiting the amide-triazole bioisosterism, in this work we report the synthesis of the first generation of epothilones lacking the macrolide or azalide structure, with the ester or amide linkage replaced by a triazole unit. Together with the synthesis of this new analogue, computational and biological evaluations have been performed too.

Synthesis, Stability, and Biological Studies of Fluorinated Analogues of Thromboxane A2.

Platelet activation results in the generation of thromboxane A2 (TxA2), which promotes thrombus formation by further amplifying platelet function, as well as causing vasoconstriction. Due to its role in thrombus formation and cardiovascular disease, its production is the target of antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin. However, the study of TxA2-stimulated cellular function has been limited by its instability (t 1/2 = 32 s, pH = 7.4). Although more stable analogues such as U46619 and difluorinated 10,10-F2-TxA2 have been prepared, we targeted a closer mimic to TxA2 itself, monofluorinated 10-F-TxA2, since the number of fluorine atoms can affect function. Key steps in the synthesis of F-TxA2 included α-fluorination of a lactone bearing a ß-alkoxy group, and a novel synthesis of the strained acetal. F-TxA2 was found to be 105 more stable than TxA2, and surprisingly was only slightly less stable than F2-TxA2. Preliminary biological studies showed that F-TxA2 has similar potency as TxA2 toward inducing platelet aggregation but was superior to F2-TxA2 in activating integrin αIIbß3.

Reductive α-borylation of α,ß-unsaturated esters using NHC-BH3 activated by I2 as a metal-free route to α-boryl esters.

Useful α-boryl esters can be synthesized in one step from α,ß-unsaturated esters using just a simple to access NHC-BH3 (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) and catalytic I2. The scope of this reductive α-borylation methodology is excellent and includes a range of alkyl, aryl substituted and cyclic and acyclic α,ß-unsaturated esters. Mechanistic studies involving reductive borylation of a cyclic α,ß-unsaturated ester with NHC-BD3/I2 indicated that concerted hydroboration of the alkene moiety in the α,ß-unsaturated ester proceeds instead of a stepwise process involving initial 1,4-hydroboration; this is in contrast to the recently reported reductive α-silylation. The BH2(NHC) unit can be transformed into electrophilic BX2(NHC) moieties (X = halide) and the ester moiety can be reduced to the alcohol with the borane unit remaining intact to form ß-boryl alcohols. The use of a chiral auxiliary, 8-phenylmenthyl ester, also enables effective stereo-control of the newly formed C-B bond. Combined two step ester reduction/borane oxidation forms diols, including excellent e.e. (97%) for the formation of S-3-phenylpropane-1,2-diol. This work represents a simple transition metal free route to form bench stable α-boryl esters from inexpensive starting materials.