Unusual Cascade Reactions of 8-Acetoxy-6-hydroxymethyllimonene with Salicylic Aldehydes: Diverse Oxygen Heterocycles from Common Precursors.

Chiral oxygen-containing heterocyclic compounds are of great interest for the development of pharmaceuticals. Monoterpenes and their derivatives are naturally abundant precursors of novel synthetic chiral oxygen-containing heterocyclic compounds. In this study, acid catalyzed reactions of salicylic aldehydes with (-)-8-acetoxy-6-hydroxymethyllimonene, readily accessible from α-pinene, leads to the formation of chiral polycyclic products of various structural types. Three of the six isolated chiral heterocyclic products obtained from salicylic aldehyde contain previously unknown polycyclic ring types. Having carried out the reaction in the presence of Brønsted or Lewis acids (Amberlyst 15, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, trifluoroacetic acid and boron trifluoride etherate) or aluminosilicates (montmorillonite K10, halloysite nanotubes), we found that the nature of products depends on the catalyst as well as the reaction conditions (reaction time, reactant ratio, presence or absence of solvent). Detailed mechanistic insight on the complex cascade reactions for product formation is provided with extensive experimental and quantum mechanical computational studies.

Hydrophilic Reduction-Resistant Spin Labels of Pyrrolidine and Pyrroline Series from 3,4-Bis-hydroxymethyl-2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl.

Highly resistant to reduction nitroxides open new opportunities for structural studies of biological macromolecules in their native environment inside living cells and for functional imaging of pH and thiols, enzymatic activity and redox status in living animals. 3,4-Disubstituted nitroxides of 2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidine and pyrroline series with a functional group for binding to biomolecules and a polar moiety for higher solubility in water and for more rigid attachment via additional coordination to polar sites were designed and synthesized. The EPR spectra, lipophilicities, kinetics of the reduction in ascorbate-containing systems and the decay rates in liver homogenates were measured. The EPR spectra of all 3,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine nitroxides showed additional large splitting on methylene hydrogens of the ethyl groups, while the spectra of similar pyrroline nitroxides were represented with a simple triplet with narrow lines and hyperfine structure of the nitrogen manifolds resolved in oxygen-free conditions. Both pyrrolidine and pyrroline nitroxides demonstrated low rates of reduction with ascorbate, pyrrolidines being a bit more stable than similar pyrrolines. The decay of positively charged nitroxides in the rat liver homogenate was faster than that of neutral and negatively charged radicals, with lipophilicity, rate of reduction with ascorbate and the ring type playing minor role. The EPR spectra of N,N-dimethyl-3,4-bis-(aminomethyl)-2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl showed dependence on pH with pKa = 3, ΔaN = 0.055 mT and ΔaH = 0.075 mT.

2,5-Di-tert-butyl-2,5-diethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyls: Where Is a Reasonable Limit of Sterical Loading for Higher Resistance to Reduction?

The pyrrolidine nitroxides with four bulky alkyl substituents adjacent to the N-O∙ group demonstrate very high resistance to reduction with biogenic antioxidants and enzymatic systems. This makes them valuable molecular tools for studying the structure and functions of biomolecules directly in a living cell and for functional EPR and NMR tomography in vivo. The first example of highly strained pyrrolidine nitroxides with both ethyl and tert-butyl groups at each of the α-carbon atoms of the nitroxide moiety with cis-configuration of the tert-butyl groups was prepared using a three-component domino reaction of tert-leucine and 2,2-dimethylpentan-3-one with dimethyl fumarate with subsequent conversion of the resulting strained pyrrolidine into 1-pyrroline-1-oxide and addition of EtLi. The nitroxide has demonstrated unexpectedly fast reduction with ascorbate, the rate constant k2 = (2.0 ± 0.1) × 10-3 M-1s-1. This effect was explained by destabilization of the planar nitroxide moiety due to repulsion with the two neighboring tert-butyl groups cis to each other.

Synthesis of Sterically Shielded Nitroxides Using the Reaction of Nitrones with Alkynylmagnesium Bromides.

Sterically shielded nitroxides, which demonstrate high resistance to bioreduction, are the spin labels of choice for structural studies inside living cells using pulsed EPR and functional MRI and EPRI in vivo. To prepare new sterically shielded nitroxides, a reaction of cyclic nitrones, including various 1-pyrroline-1-oxides, 2,5-dihydroimidazole-3-oxide and 4H-imidazole-3-oxide with alkynylmagnesium bromide wereused. The reaction gave corresponding nitroxides with an alkynyl group adjacent to the N-O moiety. The hydrogenation of resulting 2-ethynyl-substituted nitroxides with subsequent re-oxidation of the N-OH group produced the corresponding sterically shielded tetraalkylnitroxides of pyrrolidine, imidazolidine and 2,5-dihydroimidazole series. EPR studies revealed large additional couplings up to 4 G in the spectra of pyrrolidine and imidazolidine nitroxides with substituents in 3- and/or 4-positions of the ring.

Synthesis and Antiviral Properties of Camphor-Derived Iminothiazolidine-4-Ones and 2,3-Dihydrothiazoles.

A set of heterocyclic products was synthesized from natural (+)-camphor and semi-synthetic (-)-camphor. Then, 2-Imino-4-thiazolidinones and 2,3-dihydrothiazoles were obtained using a three-step procedure. For the synthesized compounds, their antiviral activity against the vaccinia virus and Marburg virus was studied. New promising agents active against both viruses were found among the tested compounds.

Influenza antiviral activity of F- and OH-containing isopulegol-derived octahydro-2H-chromenes.

We synthesized fluoro- and hydroxy-containing octahydro-2H-chromenes by the Prins reaction starting from a monoterpenoid (-)-isopulegol and a wide range of aromatic aldehydes in the presence of the BF3∙Et2O/H2O system acting as both an acid catalyst and a fluorine source. Activity of the produced compounds against the influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) virus was studied. The highest activity was demonstrated by fluoro- (11i) and hydroxy-containing (10i) derivatives of 2,4,6-trimethoxybenzaldehyde. The most pronounced virus-inhibiting effect of compounds 10i and 11i was observed at an early stage of infection. These compounds were supposed to be capable of binding to viral hemagglutinin, which is an agreement with data on the effect of compounds 10i and 11i on the viral fusogenic activity as well as by molecular docking studies.

Synthesis of Polyfluorinated Thia- and Oxathiacalixarenes Based on Perfluoro-m-xylene.

Perfluorinated tetrathiacalix[4]arene was obtained by heating perfluoro-m-xylene with thiourea or 2,5-difluoro-4,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzene-1,3-dithiol at 90 °C. Interaction of perfluoro-m-xylene with resorcinol or orcinol under mild conditions and subsequent heating of the mixture with 2,5-difluoro-4,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzene-1,3-dithiol leads to polyfluorinated dioxadithiacalix[4]arenes. Triphenyl and pentaphenyl ethers formed by the interaction of perfluoro-m-xylene with resorcinol under heating with thiourea gives polyfluorinated oxathiacalixarenes containing six and five aromatic nuclei, respectively.

Discovery of New Ginsenol-Like Compounds with High Antiviral Activity.

A number of framework amides with a ginsenol backbone have been synthesized using the Ritter reaction. We named the acetamide as Ginsamide. A method was developed for the synthesis of the corresponding amine and thioacetamide. The new compounds revealed a high activity against H1N1 influenza, which was confirmed using an animal model. Biological experiments were performed to determine the mechanism of action of the new agents, a ginsamide-resistant strain of influenza virus was obtained, and the pathogenicity of the resistant strain and the control strain was studied. It was shown that the emergence of resistance to Ginsamide was accompanied by a reduction in the pathogenicity of the influenza virus.

A Simple Method of Synthesis of 3-Carboxy-2,2,5,5-Tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl and Preparation of Reduction-Resistant Spin Labels and Probes of Pyrrolidine Series.

Stable free radicals are widely used as molecular probes and labels in various biophysical and biomedical research applications of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. Among these radicals, sterically shielded nitroxides of pyrrolidine series demonstrate the highest stability in biological systems. Here, we suggest new convenient procedure for preparation of 3-carboxy-2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl, a reduction-resistant analog of widely used carboxy-Proxyl, from cheap commercially available reagents with the yield exceeding the most optimistic literature data. Several new spin labels and probes of 2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl series were prepared and reduction of these radicals in ascorbate solutions, mice blood and tissue homogenates was studied.

Magnetic Properties of π-Conjugated Hybrid Phenoxyl-Nitroxide Radicals with Extended π-Spin Delocalization.

A series of stable and genuinely organic open-shell systems, π-conjugated phenoxyl-nitroxide free radicals (hybrid phenoxyl-nitroxide radicals), have been synthesized and their magnetic properties in the crystalline state investigated, revealing their usefulness as new building blocks for molecular magnetic materials. The salient electronic structure of the hybrid phenoxyl-nitroxide radicals is extended π-spin delocalization from the nitroxide moiety, mediating the localization effect intrinsic to nitroxide radicals. Five representative hybrid radicals containing an aliphatic, aromatic, and heteroaromatic substituent in the side part of the compact hybrid radical centers were synthesized, and their molecular/crystal structures in the crystalline state were determined by X-ray diffraction analyses. CW X-band ESR, 1H-ENDOR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations for the hybrid radicals confirmed that an unpaired spin delocalizes over the whole molecular frame including the nonconjugated fragments, suggesting the possibility of tuning their electronic properties through substituent effects in the crystalline state. Significant influence of the phenoxyl moiety on the electronic structure was analyzed in terms of the g-tensor calculations. The SQUID magnetization measurements revealed that the nitroxides bearing alkyl or aromatic substituents behave as 3D Curie-Weiss paramagnets with weak antiferromagnetic (AFM) (Θ = -1 to -2.6 K) or ferromagnetic (FM) (Θ = +0.33 K) spin-spin exchange interactions. On the other hand, heteroaromatically substituted hybrid phenoxyl-nitroxide showed significant AFM interactions with J/kB = -25.6 K. The analysis of the bulk magnetic properties based on the crystallographic data and DFT calculations revealed competition between the intermolecular AFM and FM interactions which originate from the C-O(phenoxyl)···Me(nitroxide) or (N)O-C(arom) infinite 1D head-to-tail chains and the C(arom)-C(arom) head-over-tail dimers forming 3D networks in their crystal lattices.

Unexpected one-pot formation of the 1H-6a,8a-epiminotricyclopenta[a,c,e][8]annulene system from cyclopentanone, ammonia and dimethyl fumarate. Synthesis of highly strained polycyclic nitroxide and EPR study.

The unexpected formation of a highly strained polycyclic amine was observed in a one-pot synthesis from cyclopentanone, dimethyl fumarate and ammonium acetate. This multistep reaction includes 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of dimethyl fumarate to the cyclic azomethine ylide formed in situ from cyclopentanone and ammonia. The polycyclic amine product was easily converted into a sterically shielded polycyclic nitroxide. The EPR spectra and spin relaxation behavior of the nitroxide were studied in solution. The spin relaxation seems well suited for the use as a biological spin label and are comparable with those of cyclic nitroxides with two spirocyclic moieties adjacent to the N-O · group.

Synthesis of 3,4-Bis(hydroxymethyl)-2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidin-1-oxyl via 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Azomethine Ylide to Activated Alkene.

A simple method for the synthesis of sterically shielded pyrrolidine nitroxides, including the title compound, has been suggested. The key procedure implies assembling the pyrrolidine ring from α-amino acid, ketone, and activated alkene in a three-component domino process, followed by oxidation to nitrone and Grignard reagent addition. The new nitroxides demonstrate very high stability against reduction with ascorbate.

Experimental and computational study on the structure and properties of Herz cations and radicals: 1,2,3-benzodithiazolium, 1,2,3-benzodithiazolyl, and their Se congeners.

Salts of 1,2,3-benzodithiazolium (1), 2,1,3-benzothiaselenazolium (3), and 1,2,3-benzodiselenazolium (4) (Herz cations), namely, [1][BF4], [1][SbCl6], [3][BF4], [3][GaCl4], [3][SbCl6], and [4][GaCl4], were prepared from the corresponding chlorides and NaBF4, GaCl3, or SbCl5. It was found that [1][SbCl6] and [3][SbCl6] spontaneously transform in MeCN solution to [1]3[SbCl6]2[Cl] and [3]3[SbCl6]2[Cl], respectively. [1][BF4], [1]3[SbCl6]2[Cl], [3][BF4], [3]3[SbCl6]2[Cl], and [4][GaCl4] were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). In solution, these [BF4](-) and [GaCl4](-) salts as well as [1][GaCl4], [2][GaCl4], [3][GaCl4], [3][Cl], and [4][Cl] were characterized by multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The corresponding Herz radicals 1(•)-4(•) were obtained in toluene and DCM solutions by the reduction of the appropriate salts with Ph3Sb and characterized by EPR. Cations 1-4 and radicals 1(•)-4(•) were investigated computationally at the density functional theory (DFT) and second-order Møller-Plesset (MP2) levels of theory. The B1B95/cc-pVTZ method was found to satisfactorily reproduce the experimental geometries of 1-4; an increase in the basis set size to cc-pVQZ results in only minor changes. For both 1-4 and 1(•)-4(•), the Hirshfeld charges and bond orders, as well as the Hirshfeld spin densities for the radicals, were calculated using the B1B95/cc-pVQZ method. It was found for both the cations and the radicals that replacing S atoms with Se atoms leads to considerable changes in the atomic charges, bond lengths, and bond orders only at the involved and the neighboring sites. According to the calculations, 60% of the positive charge in the cations and 80% of the spin density in the radicals is localized on the heterocycles, with the spin density distributions being very similar for all radicals 1(•)-4(•). For the cations 1-4, the NICS values (B3LYP/cc-pVTZ for B1B95/cc-pVTZ geometries) lie in the narrow range from -5.5 ppm to -6.6 ppm for the carbocycles, and from -14.4 ppm to -15.5 ppm for heterocycles, clearly indicating the aromaticity of the cations. Calculations on radical dimers [1(•)]2-[4(•)]2 revealed, with only one exception, positive dimerization energies, i.e., the dimers are inherently unstable in the gas phase.

Adducts of the Zinc Salt of Dinitramic Acid.

Herein, we describe the synthesis of coordination compounds starting from carbohydrazide ((H2NHN)2C=O (CHZ)) and the Zn2+ salt of dinitramic acid (HDN), which are high-nitrogen substances that exhibit properties similar to those of a burning-rate inhibitor of pyrotechnic compositions. This study demonstrates that these compounds react with glyoxal to furnish adducts of metal-organic macrocyclic cages bearing the elements of carbohydrazide, complexing metals and the HDN anion, depending on the ratio of the starting reactants. The assembled macrocyclic cage has "host-guest" properties and is a safe container for the storage of HDN salts. X-ray crystallographic analysis of the resultant coordination compound, [Zn(chz)3(N(NO2)2)2]), indicated that the metal-ligand association occurs via the N and O atoms of carbohydrazide. The zinc salt of dinitramic acid, which is enclosed into adducts with a macrocycle, is thermally stable and insensitive to mechanical impacts. The complex zinc salt of dinitramide was shown herein to exhibit inhibitory activity towards the burning rate of pyrotechnic compositions.

Energetic Materials Based on N-substituted 4(5)-nitro-1,2,3-triazoles.

The regularities and synthetic potentialities of the alkylation of 4(5)-nitro-1,2,3-triazole in basic media were explored, and new energetic ionic and nitrotriazole-based coordination compounds were synthesized in this study. The reaction had a general nature and ended with the formation of N1-, N2-, and N3-alkylation products, regardless of the conditions and reagent nature (alkyl- or aryl halides, alkyl nitrates, dialkyl sulfates). This reaction offers broad opportunities for expanding the variability of substituents on the nitrotriazole ring in the series of primary and secondary aliphatic, alicyclic, and aromatic substituents, which is undoubtedly crucial for solving the problems related to both high-energy materials development and medicinal chemistry when searching for new efficient bioactive compounds. An efficient methodology for the separation of regioisomeric N-alkyl(aryl)nitrotriazoles has been devised and relies on the difference in their basicity and reactivity during quaternization and complexation reactions. Based on the inaccessible N3-substitution products that exhibit a combination of properties of practical importance, a series of energy-rich ionic systems and coordination compounds were synthesized that are gaining ever-increasing interest for the chemistry of energy-efficient materials, coordination chemistry, and chemistry of ionic liquids.

Investigation of 1,4-Substituted 1,2,3-Triazole Derivatives as Antiarrhythmics: Synthesis, Structure, and Properties.

Here, we investigated the reaction of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 1,3-diazido-2-nitro-2- azapropane (DANP) to propargyl alcohol over a copper-based catalyst and identified the optimum reaction conditions that enable the synthesis of 2-nitro-1,3-bis(4,4'-dihydroxymethyl)-1,2,3-triazolyl-2-azapropane (1) in more than 84% yield. The reaction between DANP, 1,5-diazido-3-nitrazapentane, and phenylacetylene produced the respective 1,2,3-triazole derivatives in 83% and 71% yields, respectively. The structures of the resultant compounds were validated by infrared and NMR spectroscopies and elemental analysis. The structure of 1 was proved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. This study demonstrated that 1 exhibits a dose-dependent antiarrhythmic activity towards calcium-chloride-induced arrhythmia and refers to Class III: moderately hazardous substances.

Interaction of 1,3,2,4-benzodithiadiazines and their 1-Se congeners with Ph3P and some properties of the iminophosphorane products.

Interaction between Ph(3)P and 1,3,2,4-benzodithiadiazine (1); its 6,7-difluoro (2), 5,6,8-trifluoro (3) and 5,6,7,8-tetrafluoro (4) derivatives; and 5,6,8-trifluoro-3,1,2,4-benzothiaselenadiazine (5) proceeded via a 1:1 condensation to give Ph(3)P═N-R iminophosphoranes (1a-5a, R = corresponding 1,2,3-benzodichalcogenazol-2-yls), which are inaccessible by general approaches based on the Staudinger and Kirsanov reactions. In contrast, neither Ph(3)As nor Ph(3)Sb reacted with 1 and 4. Molecular structures of 1a-5a and 5 were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystals formed by chiral molecules of 2a-5a were racemic, whereas the crystal of 1a was formed by a single enantiomer. In all of the Ph(3)P═N-R derivatives, one of the Ph rings is oriented face-to-face to the hetero ring, R. Upon heating to ∼120 °C in squalane (1a, 3a, 4a) or dissolving in chloroform at ambient temperatures (1a, 2a, 4a), the Ph(3)P═N-R derivatives generated the 1,2,3-benzodithiazolyls (1b-4b, respectively) whose identity was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). 2,1,3-Benzothiaselenazolyls 5b and 6b were detected by EPR as the main paramagnetic products of solution thermolysis of 5 and its 5,6,7,8-tetrafluoro congener (6), respectively. Passing a chloroform solution of 4a through silica column unexpectedly gave 5-6-6-6 tetracyclic (9) and 6-10-6 tricyclic (10) sulfur-nitrogen compounds, which were characterized by XRD.

Interaction of 1,2,5-chalcogenadiazole derivatives with thiophenolate: hypercoordination with formation of interchalcogen bond versus reduction to radical anion.

According to the DFT calculations, [1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (4), [1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4-c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (5), 3,4-dicyano-1,2,5-thiadiazole (6), and 3,4-dicyano-1,2,5-selenadiazole (7) have nearly the same positive electron affinity (EA). Under the CV conditions they readily produce long-lived π-delocalized radical anions (π-RAs) characterized by EPR. Whereas 4 and 5 were chemically reduced into the π-RAs with thiophenolate (PhS(-)), 6 did not react and 7 formed a product of hypercoordination at the Se center (9) isolated in the form of the thermally stable salt [K(18-crown-6)][9] (10). The latter type of reactivity has never been observed previously for any 1,2,5-chalcogenadiazole derivatives. The X-ray structure of salt 10 revealed that the Se-S distance in the anion 9 (2.722 Å) is ca. 0.5 Å longer than the sum of the covalent radii of these atoms but ca. 1 Å shorter than the sum of their van der Waals radii. According to the QTAIM and NBO analysis, the Se-S bond in 9 can be considered a donor-acceptor bond whose formation leads to transfer of ca. 40% of negative charge from PhS(-) onto the heterocycle. For various PhS(-)/1,2,5-chalcogenadiazole reaction systems, thermodynamics and kinetics were theoretically studied to rationalize the interchalcogen hypercoordination vs reduction to π-RA dichotomy. It is predicted that interaction between PhS(-) and 3,4-dicyano-1,2,5-telluradiazole (12), whose EA slightly exceeds that of 6 and 7, will lead to hypercoordinate anion (17) with the interchalcogen Te-S bond being stronger than the Se-S bond observed in anion 9.

New Reaction Products of Acetylacetone with Semicarbazide Derivatives.

A new approach is suggested herein for the synthesis of pyrazole derivatives by reacting 4-nitrosemicarbazide with acetylacetone. Additional studies were done on the reaction of acetylacetone with semicarbazide and its derivatives (4-aminosemicarbazide, methylsemicarbazide, and dimethylsemicarbazide). The study on the reaction with acetylacetone resulted in monocyclic 3,5-dimethyl-N-nitropyrazole-1-carboxamide, monocyclic 5-hydroxy-3,5-dimethyl-2-pyrazoline, and bicyclic bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazole-1-carbonyl)hydrazine, and conditions for the formation of acetone semicarbazone were identified. The structures of the resultant compounds were validated by physicochemical analytical methods, including X-ray diffraction. The computer-aided screening in the PASS prediction software discovered a high biological activity of the newly obtained compounds.

The first example of the stereoselective synthesis and crystal structure of a spirobicycloquinazolinone based on (-)-fenchone and anthranilamide.

The possibility of a single-stage solvent-free stereoselective synthesis of a spirocyclic compound from the natural bicyclic monoterpenoid (-)-fenchone and anthranilamide has been shown for the first time. The molecular and crystal structure of (1R,2S,4S)-1,3,3-trimethyl-1'H-spiro[bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,2'-quinazolin]-4'(3'H)-one, C17H22N2O, was established by X-ray diffraction though the chirality was assumed via the known reactant connectivity and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. It has shown that in the molecule, for steric reasons, there is an elongation of the Me2C-C(N)N bond to 1.603 (5) Å. The formation of dimers via N-H...O=C hydrogen bonds with an interaction energy of 93.30 kJ mol-1 and through cavities (33.7% of the unit-cell volume) was established in the packing of the molecules. There are no π-stacking interactions in the structure.