Electrochromic Smart Window Based on Transition-Metal Phthalocyanine Derivatives.

Phthalocyanines have been widely investigated as electrochromic materials because of their large conjugated structure. However, they have shown limited applicability due to their complex electrochromism mechanism and low solubility in common organic solvents. Replacement of central metal ions in phthalocyanines affects their stability and is responsible for various electrochromic phenomena, such as color change. Herein, the relationship between the electron d-orbital arrangement in the outermost layer of transition metals and the electrochromic stability of phthalocyanine derivatives has been investigated. An enhanced solubility of phthalocyanines in organic solvents was obtained through the introduction of quaternary tert-butyl substitution. Electrochromic devices fabricated with transition-metal phthalocyanine derivatives showed high response speeds and good stability. The fast color-switching feature between blue/green and blue/purple makes it a promising candidate for smart windows and adaptive camouflage applications.

Design, Synthesis, Insecticidal Activity, and SAR of Aryl Isoxazoline Derivatives Containing Pyrazole-5-carboxamide Motif.

It is important to develop new insecticides with a new mode of action because of increasing pesticide resistance. In this study, a series of novel aryl isoxazoline derivatives containing the pyrazole-5-carboxamide motif were designed and synthesized. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. Bioassays indicated that the 24 compounds synthesized possessed excellent insecticidal activity against Mythimna separate and no activity against Aphis craccivora and Tetranychus cinnabarinus. Among these aryl isoxazoline derivatives, 3-(5-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)-4,5-dihydrozol-3-yl)-N-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxamide (IA-8) had the best insecticidal activity against M. separate, which is comparable with the positive control fluralaner. The molecular docking results of compound IA-8 and fluralaner with the GABA model demonstrated the same docking mode between compound IA-8 and positive control fluralaner in the active site of GABA. Molecular structure comparisons and ADMET analysis can potentially be used to design more active compounds. The structure-activity relationships are also discussed. This work provided an excellent insecticide for further optimization.

A Novel PIFA/KOH Promoted Approach to Synthesize C2-arylacylated Benzothiazoles as Potential Drug Scaffolds.

To discover an efficient and convenient method to synthesize C2-arylacylated benzothiazoles as potential drug scaffolds, a novel [bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo]benzene(PIFA)/KOH synergistically promoted direct ring-opening C2-arylacylation reaction of 2H-benzothiazoles with aryl methyl ketones has been developed. Various substrates were tolerated under optimized conditions affording the C2-arylacylation products in 70-95% yields for 38 examples. A plausible mechanism was also proposed based on a series of controlled experiments.

Design, Synthesis and Cytotoxicity of Thiazole-Based Stilbene Analogs as Novel DNA Topoisomerase IB Inhibitors.

A series of new thiazole-based stilbene analogs were designed, synthesized and evaluated for DNA topoisomerase IB (Top1) inhibitory activity. Top1-mediated relaxation assays showed that the synthesized compounds possessed variable Top1 inhibitory activity. Among them, (E)-2-(3-methylstyryl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)thiazole (8) acted as a potent Top1 inhibitor with high Top1 inhibition of ++++ which is comparable to that of CPT. A possible binding mode of compound 8 with Top1-DNA complex was further provided by molecular docking. An MTT assay against human breast cancer (MCF-7) and human colon cancer (HCT116) cell lines revealed that the majority of these compounds showed high cytotoxicity, with IC50 values at micromolar concentrations. Compounds 8 and (E)-2-(4-tert-butylstyryl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)thiazole (11) exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 0.78 and 0.62 µM against MCF-7 and HCT116, respectively. Moreover, the preliminary structure-activity relationships of thiazole-based stilbene analogs was also discussed.

Synthesis and Pesticidal Activity of New Niacinamide Derivatives Containing a Flexible, Chiral Chain.

Natural products are a source for pesticide or drug discovery. In order to discover lead compounds with high fungicidal or herbicidal activity, new niacinamide derivatives derived from the natural product niacinamide, containing chiral flexible chains, were designed and synthesized. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS analysis. The fungicidal and herbicidal activities of these compounds were tested. The fungicidal activity results demonstrated that the compound (S)-2-(2-chloronicotinamido)propyl-2-methylbenzoate (3i) exhibited good fungicidal activity (92.3% inhibition) against the plant pathogen Botryosphaeria berengriana at 50 µg/mL and with an EC50 of 6.68 ± 0.72 µg/mL, which is the same as the positive control (fluxapyroxad). Compound 3i was not phytotoxic and could therefore be used as a fungicide on crops. Structure-activity relationships (SAR) were studied by molecular docking simulations with the succinate dehydrogenase of the fungal mitochondrial respiratory chain.

The process of biotransformation can produce insect protein and promote the effective inactivation of heavy metals.

An experiment was performed to study the inactivation effect of aerobic composting on heavy metals in maggot, pig and chicken manures. After composting, Cu mainly occurred in the oxidizable (OXI) fraction with a percentage distribution above 54%. Zn and Cd mainly existed in the bioavailable factor (BF), which has strong activity, with percentage distributions greater than 88.3% and 82.7%, respectively. Cr and Pb mainly existed in the stable residual (RES) fraction with a percentage distribution of approximately 50%. The aerobic composting process had a clear inactivation effect on heavy metals. For maggot manure compost in particular, the inactivation effects of Cu, Cr, Zn, Cd, and Pb were very good throughout the composting process, and the inactivation effect of Pb reached 54.42%. In addition, the process of biotransformation by housefly maggots promoted the conversion of fulvic acid (FA) to humic acid (HA) in pig manure, and the final increase in HA/FA after maggot manure composting was the largest among the different types of manure and beneficial to the inactivation of heavy metals. Compounds containing -CH3 and -CH2 groups were reduced, and aromatic structures were enhanced. Moreover, a maggot yield equivalent to 13.2% of the fresh pig manure was achieved during the process of biotransformation. The correlation analysis results showed that moisture content was an important factor affecting the inactivation rates of heavy metals in the three manure composts. Our results highlight that the process of biotransformation by housefly maggots can promote composting maturity and the inactivation of heavy metals, and produce a large amount of insect protein, yielding beneficial ecological and economic benefits.

Synthesis and Pesticidal Activities of New Quinoxalines.

Natural products are a source of many novel compounds with biological activity for the discovery of new pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Quinoxaline is a fused N-heterocycle in many natural products and synthetic compounds, and seven novel quinoxaline derivatives were designed and synthesized via three steps. Pesticidal activities of title quinoxaline derivatives were bioassayed. Most of these compounds had herbicidal, fungicidal, and insecticidal activities. The compounds 2-(6-methoxy-2-oxo-3-phenylquinoxalin-1(2H)-yl)acetonitrile (3f) and 1-allyl-6-methoxy-3-phenylquinoxalin-2(1H)-one (3g) were the most active herbicides and fungicides. Mode-of-action studies indicated that 3f is a protoprophyrinogen oxidase-inhibiting herbicide. Compound 3f also possessed broad-spectrum fungicidal activity against the plant pathogen Colletotrichum species. Some of these compounds also had insecticidal activity. Molecular docking and DFT analysis can potentially be used to design more active compounds.

K2S2O8-Mediated Hydroxyalkylation of Benzothiazoles with Alcohols in Aqueous Solution.

The K2S2O8-mediated hydroxyalkylation of 2H-benzothiazoles with aliphatic alcohols in aqueous solution was described. The mild and convenient protocol generated a series of hydroxyalkylated benzothiazoles in moderate to good yields. Besides, benzimidazole and ethers were also compatible in this reaction, leading to corresponding C2 ether-substituted heteroarenes.

Novel 4-pyrazole carboxamide derivatives containing flexible chain motif: design, synthesis and antifungal activity.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, carboxamide fungicides, targeting succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), have shown highly efficient and broad spectrum fungicidal activity. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) results for these commercial fungicides show that the carboxamide group was a key active group. This is useful information for the discovery of new pyrazole carboxamide derivatives with fungicidal activity. RESULTS: Twenty-seven novel pyrazole carboxamides were designed and synthesized. Their fungicidal activities against Gibberella zeae, Phytophthora infestans, Phytophthora capsici, Rhizoctonia solani, Alternaria solani, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum, Cercospora arachidicola, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Physalospora piricola were tested; derivatives possessed excellent inhibitory at 50 mg L-1 in particular. Furthermore, some pyrazole carboxamides exhibited remarkably high activities against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in vitro with EC50 values of 2.04 to 15.2 µg mL-1 . In addition, some compounds also exhibited high activities against Physalospora piricola, Cercospora arachidicola and Phytophthora capsici. Inhibition activities against SDH proved that the designed analogues were effective at the enzyme level. The SAR of these pyrazole carboxamides was studied by using the docking method. CONCLUSION: It is possible that pyrazole carboxamides, which exhibit good activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, can be further optimized as a lead compounds of carboxamide fungicides. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Synthesis and in vivo fungicidal activity of some new quinoline derivatives against rice blast.

BACKGROUND: Quinoline derivatives possess excellent fungicidal activity against rice blast, but quinoline derivatives have not been thoroughly explored as fungicides. In the process of designing new fungicides, the 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropan-2-yl group was introduced in order to find new structure quinoline derivatives. RESULTS: Seventeen new quinoline derivatives containing 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropan-2-yl moiety were designed and synthesised. In vivo fungicidal activities of these compounds were tested against rice blast. Some of the compounds provided effective control at 100 mg L-1 , and a few compounds were effective at 10 mg L-1 . Furthermore, a density functional theory study established the structure-activity relationships of the synthesised compounds. CONCLUSION: Quinoline derivatives, especially benzyl (2,3,8-trimethyl-6-(perfluoropropan-2-yl)quinolin-4-yl) carbonate, which possess good control effective against rice blast and cucumber powdery mildew, may become new lead compounds for the development of fungicides with further structure modification. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of novel pyrimidine derivatives containing urea pharmacophore against Aedes aegypti.

BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti is a major mosquito vector for the transmission of serious diseases, especially dengue and yellow fever. More than 1 billion people in developing countries are at risk. The widespread and continual use of pesticides can lead to resistant mosquitoes. In order to maintain mosquito control gains, it is critical to develop and evaluate novel bioactive molecules that differ in mode of action from currently used products. RESULTS: A series of novel pyrimidine derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their structures were elucidated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The biological activities of these compounds were tested against Ae. aegypti. Many of them exhibited insecticidal activity against adult and larval mosquitoes. Compound 4d displayed relatively good activity to reach 70% mortality at 2 µg mL-1 . Furthermore, density functional theory calculations were established to study the structure-activity relationship of these novel compounds. CONCLUSION: A practical synthetic route for pyrimidine derivatives is presented. This study suggests that these pyrimidine derivatives exhibit some activity against the yellow fever mosquito and, with further structure modification, could be novel lead compounds for the development of insecticides against mosquitoes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 3,5-Dimethoxystilbene Analogs.

In our continuing effort to discover natural product-based pest management agents, derivatives of 3,5-dimethoxystilbene were synthesized yielding 27 new and six known compounds. Compounds 11 and 12 showed strong Aedes aegypti larvicidal activity (LC50 45.31 and 49.93 µm, respectively). Furthermore, 11 and 12 exhibited high effectiveness against larvae of pesticide-susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant strains of Ae. aegypti; activity against the adult mosquitoes was low. Compounds 6f, 6g, and 6i at either 83.3 or 166.7 µg/ml reduced the mobility of second-stage juveniles (J2) of the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) that hatched from eggs immersed in the test compounds for 7 days. However, there was little or no effect on J2 placed directly into these compounds, and none of the analogs suppressed M. incognita egg hatch. The compounds were tested for inhibition of some agriculturally important fungi; 6a, 7a, and 7e demonstrated strong inhibition of Colletotrichum species. Activity of the stilbenes against some human pathogens was also explored; 11, 12, and 16 showed moderate inhibitory activity against Cryptococcus neoformans, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, and Mycobacterium intracellulare. Except for 11 and 12, which were active against mosquito larvae and some human pathogens, no single analog demonstrated activity in all the tests, indicating specific activities. Synthesis of the analogs and structure-activity relationships are discussed.

Enantioselective Friedel-Crafts Alkylation Reactions of 3-Substituted Indoles with Electron-Deficient Alkenes.

Highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts C2-alkylation reactions of 3-substituted indoles with α,ß-unsaturated esters and nitroalkenes were developed using chiral Lewis acids as catalysts, which afforded chiral indole derivatives bearing C2-benzylic stereogenic centers in good to excellent yields (up to 99%) and enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee).

Facile and efficient synthesis and herbicidal activity determination of novel 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridin-3(2H)-one derivatives via microwave irradiation.

A series of novel 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridin-3(2H)-one derivatives were synthesized and identified by (1)H NMR, single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis or HRMS, and their herbicidal activities were determined at different concentrations. It was found that some of the title compounds possess high herbicidal activity. Furthermore, DFT calculation was used to study the SAR.

Synthesis, crystal structure, herbicidal activities and 3D-QSAR study of some novel 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridine derivatives.

BACKGROUND: 1,2,4-Triazolo[4,3-a]pyridine derivatives represent a new series of compounds that possess good herbicidal activity against Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv., Setaria faberii, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop., Brassica juncea Coss., Amaranthus retroflexus L. and Eclipta prostrata L. RESULTS: A total of 23 novel 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridine derivatives were synthesised and identified by (1) H NMR, IR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, mass-spectroscopic and elemental analysis, and their herbicidal activities were tested against E. crusgalli (L.) Beauv., S. faberii, D. sanguinalis (L.) Scop., B. juncea Coss., A. retroflexus L. and E. prostrata L. at 150 g a.i. ha(-1) . It was found that the title compound 8-chloro-3-(4-propylphenyl)-[1,2,4]-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridine possesses high herbicidal activity and a broad spectrum against the 22 test weeds, with an inhibition effect of about 50% at a dosage of 37.5 g a.i. ha(-1) , and is safe for corn, cotton and rice at a dosage of 150 g a.i. ha(-1) . Furthermore, comparative molecular field analysis contour models were established to study the structure-activity relationship of the title compounds. CONCLUSION: It is possible that, with further structure modification, 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridine derivatives, which possess good herbicidal activities, may become novel lead compounds for the development of herbicides against dicotyledonous weeds.

Microwave assistant one pot synthesis, crystal structure, antifungal activities and 3D-QSAR of novel 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines.

A series of novel 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines were synthesized, and their structures were characterized by (1) H NMR, MS, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The antifungal activities were evaluated. The antifungal activity results indicated that the compound 2b, 2g, 2p, and 2i exhibited good activities. The activity of compound 2b, 2g, 2p, and 2i can compare with the commercial pesticide. The 3D-QSAR model was developed using CoMFA method. Both the steric and electronic field distributions of CoMFA are in good agreement in this work and will be very helpful in designing a new set of analogues.

Asymmetric Friedel-Crafts alkylation of α-substituted ß-nitroacrylates: access to ß(2,2)-amino acids bearing indolic all-carbon quaternary stereocenters.

A highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction of indoles with acyclic α-substituted ß-nitroacrylates is developed under the catalysis of Ni(ClO4)2-bisoxazoline complex at 1 mol % catalyst loading, affording chiral indolic ß-nitroesters bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters in excellent yields and ees of up to 97%. Transformation of one of the products to ß(2,2)-amino ester and tetrahydro-ß-carboline through nitro reduction and sequential Pictet-Spengler cyclization was exemplified.

Design, synthesis, antifungal activities and 3D-QSAR of new N,N'-diacylhydrazines containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxy moiety.

A series of new N,N'-diacylhydrazine derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their structures were verified by 1H-NMR, mass spectra (MS) and elemental analysis. The antifungal activities of these N,N'-diacylhydrazines were evaluated. The bioassay results showed that most of these N,N'-diacylhydrazines showed excellent antifungal activities against Cladosporium cucumerinum, Corynespora cassiicola, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Erysiphe cichoracearum, and Colletotrichum orbiculare in vivo. The half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of one of the compounds was also determined, and found to be comparable with a commercial drug. To further investigate the structure-activity relationship, comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) was performed on the basis of antifungal activity data. Both the steric and electronic field distributions of CoMFA are in good agreement in this study.

Microwave assisted synthesis, antifungal activity and DFT theoretical study of some novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives containing the 1,2,3-thiadiazole moiety.

In order to investigate the biological activity of 1,2,4-triazole compounds, seventeen novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives containing 1,2,3-thiadiazole moieties were synthesized by multi-step reactions under microwave assisted conditions. The structures were characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS and elemental analyses. The target compounds were evaluated for their in vivo fungicidal activities against Corynespora cassiicola, Pseudomonas syringae pv. Lachrymans, and Pseudoperonospora cubensis, and the results indicated that some of the title compounds displayed good fungicidal activities. Theoretical calculations on the title compounds were carried out at the B3LYP/6-31G (d,p). level. The full geometry optimization was carried out using the 6-31G(d,p) basis set, and the frontier orbital energy, atomic net charges were discussed, and the structure-activity relationships were also studied.

(E)-(4-Bromo-benzyl-idene)amino cyclo-propane-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C(11)H(10)BrNO(2), the dihedral angle between the benzene and cyclo-propane ring planes is 49.4 (3)°. The C-C-N-O torsion angle is -175.1 (3)°, which indicates that the C=N double bond is in the E configuration.