Tuning the Photophysical Properties of Flavins by Attaching an Aryl Moiety via Direct C-C Bond Coupling.

Palladium-catalyzed Suzuki reactions of brominated flavin derivatives (5-deazaflavins, alloxazines, and isoalloxazines) with boronic acids or boronic acid esters that occur readily under mild conditions were shown to be an effective tool for the synthesis of a broad range of 7/8-arylflavins. In general, the introduction of an aryl/heteroaryl group by means of a direct C-C bond has been shown to be a promising approach to tuning the photophysical properties of flavin derivatives. The aryl substituents caused a bathochromic shift in the absorption spectra of up to 52 nm and prolonged the fluorescence lifetime by up to 1 order of magnitude. Moreover, arylation of flavin derivatives decreased their ability to generate singlet oxygen.

Tuning Deazaflavins Towards Highly Potent Reducing Photocatalysts Guided by Mechanistic Understanding - Enhancement of the Key Step by the Internal Heavy Atom Effect.

Deazaflavins are well suited for reductive chemistry acting via a consecutive photo-induced electron transfer, in which their triplet state and semiquinone - the latter is formed from the former after electron transfer from a sacrificial electron donor - are key intermediates. Guided by mechanistic investigations aiming to increase intersystem crossing by the internal heavy atom effect and optimising the concentration conditions to avoid unproductive excited singlet reactions, we synthesised 5-aryldeazaflavins with Br or Cl substituents on different structural positions via a three-component reaction. Bromination of the deazaisoalloxazine core leads to almost 100 % triplet yield but causes photo-instability and enhances unproductive side reactions. Bromine on the 5-phenyl group in ortho position does not affect the photostability, increases the triplet yield, and allows its efficient usage in the photocatalytic dehalogenation of bromo- and chloroarenes with electron-donating methoxy and alkyl groups even under aerobic conditions. Reductive powers comparable to lithium are achieved.

Novel (2-amino-4-arylimidazolyl)propanoic acids and pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazoles via the domino reactions of 2-amino-4-arylimidazoles with carbonyl and methylene active compounds.

The unexpectedly uncatalyzed reaction between 2-amino-4-arylimidazoles, aromatic aldehydes and Meldrum's acid has selectively led to the corresponding Knoevenagel-Michael adducts containing a free amino group in the imidazole fragment. The adducts derived from Meldrum's acid have been smoothly converted into 1,7-diaryl-3-amino-6,7-dihydro-5H-pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazol-5-ones and 3-(2-amino-4-aryl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)-3-arylpropanoic acids. The interaction of 2-amino-4-arylimidazoles with aromatic aldehydes or isatins and acyclic methylene active compounds has led to the formation of pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazole-6-carbonitriles, pyrrolo[1,2-с]imidazole-6-carboxylates and spiro[indoline-3,7'-pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazoles], which can be considered as the analogues of both 3,3'-spirooxindole and 2-aminoimidazole marine sponge alkaloids.