Organocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of dihydronaphthofurans and dihydrobenzofurans: reaction development and insights into stereoselectivity.

Squaramide/cinchona alkaloid-derived bifunctional organocatalysts are in high demand in asymmetric transformations. Bifunctional quinine-derived sterically encumbered squaramide (H-bond donor) organocatalysts were used to catalyze the asymmetric Friedel-Crafts/SN2 type domino reaction of (Z)-α-bromonitroalkenes and α/ß-naphthols and phenol derivatives to generate enantiomerically enriched dihydronaphthofuran (DHN) and dihydrobenzofuran (DHB) derivatives, respectively. The target adducts were obtained in up to >99% ee under mild conditions with a relatively low catalyst loading (5 mol%) compared to the methods known in the literature. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to establish a possible outcome, explaining the origin of the stereoselectivity. It was discovered that π-stacked interactions for the trans-conformation in the Friedel-Crafts step are 0.79 kcal mol-1 more stable than the cis-conformation.

A boron dipyrromethene chiral at boron and carbon with a bent geometry: synthesis, resolution and chiroptical properties.

We report a boron dipyrromethene that is chiral at boron and carbon (B*C*-BODIPY) and accessible through a two-pot, one-step synthesis-an interrupted Knoevenagel condensation. The electronic circular dichroism spectra of chiral high performance liquid chromatography-resolved enantiomers show clear Cotton effects (∣gabs∣ ∼ 2.0 × 10-4) in the visible region, suggesting efficient chirality induction to the otherwise achiral BODIPY. The dye's unusually weak fluorescence (Φfl < 0.01) is attributed partly to vibrational relaxations, as revealed by viscosity experiments, and partly to probable intersystem crossing that may be facilitated by the reduced symmetry of the bent-shaped molecular geometry.

The synthesis of chiral ß-naphthyl-ß-sulfanyl ketones via enantioselective sulfa-Michael reaction in the presence of a bifunctional cinchona/sulfonamide organocatalyst.

Cinchona alkaloid-derived organocatalysts are widely employed in various asymmetric transformations, yielding products with high enantiopurity. In this respect, a bifunctional quinine-derived sulfonamide organocatalyst was developed to catalyze the asymmetric sulfa-Michael reaction of naphthalene-1-thiol with trans-chalcone derivatives. The target sulfa-Michael adducts were obtained with up to 96% ee under mild conditions and with a low (1 mol %) catalyst loading. Selected enantiomerically enriched sulfa-Michael addition products were subjected to oxidation to obtain the corresponding sulfones.

Bifunctional squaramide catalyzed stereoselective Mannich reaction of α-azido ketones with isatin-derived ketimines.

Asymmetric organocatalytic Mannich reaction of α-azido ketones and N-Boc protected isatin-derived ketimines were investigated for the first time. Examination of both 2-adamantyl and 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)aniline substituted quinine-based squaramides afforded chiral Mannich bases with two contiguous stereogenic centers in high yields (up to 97%) and stereoselectivity (up to dr = 24 : 1 syn : anti and 96% ee). Azido and masked amino functionalities of the potent heterocycle precursor adducts were utilized in representative examples.

Bioactive thiazole and benzothiazole derivatives.

The heterocycles are the versatile compounds existing in almost all natural products and synthetic organic compounds, usually associated with one or the other biological activity. Among the heterocycles the thiazoles and benzothiazoles occupy a prominent position. They possess a broad range of biological activities and are found in many potent biologically active molecules and drugs such as vitamin thiamine, sulfathiazol (antimicrobial drug), ritonavir (antiretroviral drug), abafungin (antifungal drug) and tiazofurin (antineoplastic drug). The thiazole moiety is abundantly found in natural products while benzothiazole moiety is rare. In this review we disclose the literature reports of thiazoles and benzothiazoles possessing different biological activities.

Modularly evolved 2-aminoDMAP/squaramides as highly active bifunctional organocatalysts in Michael addition.

We report a new family of chiral bifunctional acid/base type organocatalysts, 2-aminoDMAP/Squaramides, which are proved to be highly active (1 mol % cat. loading) promoters in conjugate addition of dibenzoylmethane to various trans-ß-nitroalkenes. Steric demand of the catalysts was clearly seen by a set-by-set modulation of the squaramide unit through electronic and steric factors. The synergistic cooperation of 2-aminoDMAP "superbase" and sterically encumbered squaramide (H-bond donor) enabled complete conversion of a range of reactants into corresponding Michael adducts in a couple of hours with exquisite selectivities (up to 98% ee).

Cu-catalyzed selective mono-N-pyridylation: direct access to 2-aminoDMAP/sulfonamides as bifunctional organocatalysts.

Direct and selective mono-N-pyridylation of trans-(R,R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine is described here. Facile preparation of a novel chiral 2-aminoDMAP core catalaphore via Cu catalysis has led to the development of various sulfonamide/2-aminoDMAPs as bifunctional acid/base organocatalysts (most in two steps overall), which have been shown to very effectively promote asymmetric conjugate addition of acetylacetone to trans-ß-nitroolefins with good to excellent yields (87-93%) and enantioselectivites (up to 99%).

Synthesis and biological evaluation of optically active conjugated γ- and δ-lactone derivatives.

An efficient synthesis of racemic and both enantiomeric forms of heteroaryl substituted γ- and δ-lactone derivatives derived from allyl and homoallyl alcohol backbones has been accomplished via ring closing metathesis reaction. 2-Heteroaryl substituted allyl and homoallyl alcohols have been efficiently resolved through enzymatic method with high ee (97-99%) and known stereochemistry. Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of target lactones were evaluated.

Functionalization of poly-SNS-anchored carboxylic acid with Lys and PAMAM: surface modifications for biomolecule immobilization/stabilization and bio-sensing applications.

Poly(2-(2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl) (SNS) acetic acid) was electrochemically deposited on graphite electrodes and functionalized with lysine (Lys) amino acid and poly(amidoamine) derivatives (PAMAM G2 and PAMAM G4) to investigate their matrix properties for biosensor applications. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized onto the modified surface as the model enzyme. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to report the surface properties of the matrices in each step of the biosensor construction. The biosensors were characterized in terms of their operational and storage stabilities and the kinetic parameters (K(app)(m) and I(max)). Three new glucose biosensors revealed good stability, featuring low detection limits (19.0 µM, 3.47 µM and 2.93 µM for lysine-, PAMAM G2- and PAMAM G4-functionalized electrodes, respectively) and prolonged the shelf lives (4, 5, and 6 weeks for Lys-, PAMAM G2- and PAMAM G4-modified electrodes, respectively). The proposed biosensors were tested for glucose detection on real human blood serum samples.