Synthesis of UiO-66-Pyca-CuO by a Simple and Novel Method: MOF-based Metal Thin Film as Heterogeneous Catalysts for the Synthesis of α-Aminonitriles.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), particularly UiO-66-NH2, are employed as catalysts in many industrial catalyst applications. As converting catalysts into thin film significantly increases their catalytic properties, we report a general approach to synthesizing MOF thin films (UiO-66-Pyca-CuO). First, functionalization of UiO-66-NH2 was done with 3-pyridine carboxaldehyde by the postsynthesis method, and then, UiO-66-Pyca was entangled on the surface of copper oxide nanoparticles with a modern strategy (MOF thin film). The morphology and structure of the synthesized UiO-66-Pyca-CuO were determined by using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive analysis of X-ray, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, elemental analyses of CHNOS, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We studied the catalytic action of the UiO-66-Pyca-CuO thin film in the synthesis of α-aminonitriles via Strecker reaction. Our studies show that this catalysis can be a suitable catalyst in the synthesis of α-aminonitriles because of having advantages such as using the solvent being environmentally friendly, easy separation of the catalyst (only by picking up the MOF thin film from inside the solution), the reaction at room temperature, high yield, and reusability.

N-(5-Cyano-nonan-5-yl)benzamide.

N-(5-Cyano-nonan-5-yl)benzamide, C17H24N2O, synthesized from the reaction between benzoyl chloride and 2-amino-2-butyl-hexa-nenitrile, is an important inter-mediate in amino acid synthesis. Inter-molecular N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds with N⋯O and C⋯O distances of 3.083 (2) and 3.304 (2) Å, respectively, link adjacent mol-ecules into chains along the a axis. The dihedral angle between the mean plane of the phenyl group and the plane of the amide group is 19.504 (4)°.

Multiple Hydrogen-Bonding Catalysts Enhance the Asymmetric Cyanation of Ketimines and Aldimines.

A highly enantioselective cyanation of imines (up to >99 % ee) has been developed using well-designed C2 -symmetric hydrogen bonding catalysts. The catalytic strategy was characterized with low catalyst loading (0.1-1 mol %), easily accessible catalysts with diverse functional groups, and catalytic base additives. A wide range of imines, including the challenging N-Boc and N-Cbz protected ketimines and aldimines, as well as fluoroalkylated ketimines, were investigated under mild conditions to afford the products with good to excellent yields (up to 99 % yield) and high enantioselectivity (up to >99 % ee). Control experiments revealed that the multiple hydrogen bonding catalysts enhanced the reactivity and enantioselectivity of the Strecker reaction initiated by the base.

Natural halloysite nanotubes as an efficient catalyst in strecker reaction: the synthesis of α-amino nitriles under solvent-free conditions.

In this work, a green and cost-effective method based on halloysite as natural catalyst for the synthesis of α-amino nitriles via Strecker three-component reaction is introduced. The chemical and physical structure of natural halloysite has characterized thoroughly, and then the effect of different parameters such as the amount of catalyst, solvent, and temperature was optimized in the synthesis of 2-phenyl-2-(phenylamino)acetonitrile as the model reaction. Then, various substituted benzaldehydes and anilines were converted to the desired α-amino nitriles under the optimized conditions. Electronic properties of substituents on aldehydes and aromatic amines have been affected the reaction efficiency. For all substrates, good to excellent yields of the corresponding α-amino nitriles were obtained under solvent-free conditions at room temperature. The catalyst has been recovered and reused five times in successive Strecker reaction.

Silver-Catalyzed One-Pot Three-Component Synthesis of α-Aminonitriles and Biologically Relevant α-Amino-phosphonates.

A simple silver salt (AgSbF6 )-catalyzed aminophosphonylation and Strecker reaction have been developed and successfully applied to a wide range of substrates (>55 substrates). This solvent-, ligand-, and base-free one-pot three-component protocol operates effectively at room temperature to provide diversified α-aminophosphonates and α-aminonitriles, which gave access to the respective α-amino amides. Importantly, the present catalyst system is also capable to produce the rarely reported and biologically relevant aminophosphonates (having anti-leishmanial activity). Further, mechanistic studies reveal that the present phosphonylation protocol follows a radical pathway.

Multicomponent Reactions for the Synthesis of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients.

Multicomponent reactions 9i.e., those that engage three or more starting materials to form a product that contains significant fragments of all of them), have been widely employed in the construction of compound libraries, especially in the context of diversity-oriented synthesis. While relatively less exploited, their use in target-oriented synthesis offers significant advantages in terms of synthetic efficiency. This review provides a critical summary of the use of multicomponent reactions for the preparation of active pharmaceutical principles.

Framework Adaptability and Concerted Structural Response in a Bismuth Metal-Organic Framework Catalyst.

Bismuth metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as heterogeneous catalysts are scarce, and there is little knowledge on the influence of the MOF features on their resulting activity and behavior. Here, we present the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity in the one-pot multicomponent Strecker reaction with ketones of three new MOFs prepared with the combination of indium or bismuth and 4,4',4'',4'''-methanetetrayltetrabenzoic acid. One of them, denoted BiPF-7, is very robust and chemically stable, and demonstrates a high activity in the formation of the desired α-aminonitriles. The interaction of the catalytic substrates with the metal centers in this MOF has been crystallographically characterized, showcasing a concerted framework adaptability process that involves structural changes in framework components that are not directly involved in the binding of the guests.

Synthesis and Applications of Carbohydrate-Based Organocatalysts.

Organocatalysis is a very useful tool for the asymmetric synthesis of biologically or pharmacologically active compounds because it avoids the use of noxious metals, which are difficult to eliminate from the target products. Moreover, in many cases, the organocatalysed reactions can be performed in benign solvents and do not require anhydrous conditions. It is well-known that most of the above-mentioned reactions are promoted by a simple aminoacid, l-proline, or, to a lesser extent, by the more complex cinchona alkaloids. However, during the past three decades, other enantiopure natural compounds, the carbohydrates, have been employed as organocatalysts. In the present exhaustive review, the detailed preparation of all the sugar-based organocatalysts as well as their catalytic properties are described.

Indium-Organic Framework with soc Topology as a Versatile Catalyst for Highly Efficient One-Pot Strecker Synthesis of α-aminonitriles.

An In(III) based metal-organic framework (MOF), In-pbpta, with soc topology was constructed from the trigonal prismatic [In3(µ3-O)(H2O)3(O2C-)6] secondary building unit (SBU) and a custom-designed tetratopic linker H4pbpta (pbpta = 4,4',4″,4‴-(1,4-phenylenbis(pyridine-4,2,6-triyl))-tetrabenzoic acid)). The obtained MOF shows a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 1341 m2/g with a pore volume of 0.64 cm3/g, which is the highest among the scarcely reported In-soc-MOFs. The constructed MOF demonstrates excellent performance as a heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst for highly efficient conversion in a one-pot multicomponent Strecker reaction for the preparation of α-aminonitriles under solvent-free conditions, which can be easy to separate and recycle without significant loss of activity for up to seven cycles. The computational modeling studies suggest the presence of the three substrates in close vicinity to the In-oxo cluster. The strong interactions of the aldehyde/ketone and the amine with the In-oxo cluster together with the readily available cyanide ion around the In-oxo cluster lead to high catalytic conversion within a short period of time for the MOF catalyst. Our work therefore lays a foundation to develop MOF as a new class of efficient heterogeneous catalyst for one-pot Strecker reaction.

ZnO-nanorods Promoted Synthesis of α-amino Nitrile Benzofuran Derivatives using One-pot Multicomponent Reaction of Isocyanides.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: In this work ZnO-nanorod (ZnO-NR) as reusable catalyst promoted Strecker-type reaction of 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone, isopropenylacetylene, trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN), primary amines and isocyanides at ambient temperature under solvent-free conditions and produced α-amino nitriles benzofuran derivatives in high yields. These synthesized compounds may have antioxidant ability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ZnO-NRs in these reactions were prepared according to reported article. 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone 1 (2 mmol) and isopropenylacetylene 2 (2 mmol) were mixed and stirred for 30 min in the presence of ZnO-NR (10 mol%) under solvent-free conditions at room temperature. After 30 min, primary amine 3 (2 mmol) was added to the mixture gently and the mixture was stirred for 15 min. After this time TMSCN 4 (2 mmol) was added to the mixture and stirred for 15 min. After completion of the reaction, as indicated by TLC, isocyanides 5 was added to mixture in the presence of catalyst. RESULTS: In the first step of this research, the reaction of 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone 1, isopropenylacetylene 2, methyl amine 3a, trimethylsilyle cyanide 4 and tert-butyl isocyanides 5a was used as a sample reaction to attain the best reaction conditions. The results showed this reaction performed with catalyst and did not have any product without catalyst after 12 h. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we investigate multicomponent reaction of 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone 1, isopropenylacetylene 2, primary amines 3, trimethylsilyl cyanide 4 and isocyanides along with ZnO-NRs as reusable catalyst at room temperature under solvent-free conditions which generates α-amino nitrile benzofuran derivatives in high yields. The advantages of our method are high atom economy, green reaction conditions, higher yield, shorter reaction times, and easy work-up, which are in good agreement with some principles of green chemistry. The compounds 8c exhibit excellent DPPH radical scavenging activity and FRAP compared to synthetic antioxidants BHT and TBHQ.

A novel one-pot three-component synthesis of benzofuran derivatives via Strecker reaction: Study of antioxidant activity.

A three-component Strecker-type reactions was applied for the synthesis of benzofuran derivatives through the reaction of 1-(6-hydroxy-2-isopropenyl-1-benzofuran-yl)-1-ethanone (euparin), primary amines and trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) in the presence of catalytic amount of ZnO-nanorods (ZnO-NR) and piperidine in acetonitrile at room temperature. The method has proved to be synthetically simple, and effective with high atom economy and yield. The catalyst also revealed significant reusability. Moreover, the antioxidant activity and free radical scavenging capacity of the newly synthesized such as 4a, 4c, 6a and 6c was screened using free radical scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays and compared with hydroxytoluene (BHT) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). These compounds exhibit good DPPH radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays.

N-substituted noscapine derivatives as new antiprotozoal agents: Synthesis, antiparasitic activity and molecular docking study.

Novel N-substituted noscapine derivatives were synthesized by a three-component Strecker reaction of cyclic ether of N-nornoscapine with varied aldehydes, in the presence of cyanide ion. Moreover, the corresponding amides were synthesized by the oxidation of cyanide moieties in good yields. The in vitro antiprotozoal activity of the products was also investigated. Interestingly, some analogues did put on display promising antiparasitic activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense with IC50 values between 2.5 and 10.0 µM and selectivity index (SI) ranged from 0.8 to 13.2. Eight compounds exhibited activity against Plasmodium falciparum K1 strain with IC50 ranging 1.7-6.4 µM, and SI values between 2.8 and 10.5 against L6 rat myoblast cell lines. Molecular docking was carried out on trypanothione reductase (TbTR, PDB ID: 2WOW) and UDP-galactose 4' epimerase (TbUDPGE PDB: 1GY8) as targets for studying the envisaged mechanism of action. Compounds 6j2 and 6b2 displayed excellent docking scores with -8.59 and -8.86 kcal/mol for TbTR and TbUDPGE, respectively.

Synthesis of Novel α-amidino Carboxylic Acids and their Use as H-Bond Catalysts in Strecker Reaction.

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: A wide variety of synthesized amidine derivatives are bioactive compounds. They show a vast range of medical properties. Therefore, a simple route for synthesis of novel class of amidine derivatives called amidino carboxylic acids and their use as catalysts in Strecker reaction has been reported in the current work. The stability, local charge density and hydrogen bond parameters were calculated for eight derivatives with different substituents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In order to synthesize these amidino carboxylic acids, we initially prepared Knovenogel condensation products via the reaction of isatin derivatives with malonitrile. When the reaction was performed in water, the resulting nitrile groups of malonitrile derivatives was hydrolyzed with HOAC/ H2SO4 to generate the desired amide groups. The amide groups in resulting compound converted to amine groups with two Hoffman rearrangements in the presence of NaOH/Br2. Further neutralization led to the final zwitterionic α-amidino carboxylic acids. In the next step, the catalytic activity of these compounds as H-bond donor catalyst was investigated in Strecker reaction. RESULTS: The overall yields of the derivatives with substituent on the aromatic ring of starting isatins are higher than that for the overall yields of nitrogen-substituted isatins. The reaction of 5-nitro isatin with the next reagent gives lower yield in aryl-substituted products. An increase of catalytic activity is observed by rising the electron-withdrawing power of the aromatic ring substituents., The presence of nitro group in the structure of catalyst caused a large increase of catalytic activity in Strecker reaction. DFT calculations at B3LYP/6-31++g(d,p) and Lanl2dz level of theory showed that these compounds act as single H-bond catalysts and higher yields were obtained for complexes with stronger hydrogen bond. CONCLUSION: A simple and efficient method for synthesis of ɑ-amidino carboxylic acids was developed in this research. These compounds have been used as a single H-bond donor catalyst in the Strecker reaction. DFT calculations were carried out to confirm the experimental results. The obtained data from computations are in good agreement with experimental results.

Synthesis of new α-amino nitriles with insecticidal action on Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract Aedes aegypti is the principal vector of arboviral pathogens that may cause diseases as dengue fever, chikungunya and zika. The harmful environmental effects of commercial pesticides coalesced with the development of insecticide-resistant populations encourage the discovery and generation of new alternative products as a tool to reduce the incidence of vector-borne diseases. In this work, through the classic three component Strecker reaction of commercial benzaldehydes, cyclic secondary amines and KCN, a new series of nine α-amino nitriles, girgensohnine analogs, has been synthetized and screened for larvicide and adulticide properties against A. aegypti, one of the dominant vectors of dengue, chikungunya and zika in tropical and subtropical areas all over the world. Molecules 3 and 4 were identified as potential larvicidal agents with LC50 values of 50.55 and 69.59 ppm, respectively. Molecule 3 showed 100% of mortality after 2 h of treatment when a concentration of 30 ppm in adulticidal assays was evaluated. Additionally, in order to elucidate the mode of action of these molecules, their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory properties were evaluated using the Ellman assay. It was found that the molecules possess a weak AChE inhibitory activity with IC50 values between 148.80 and 259.40 µM, indicating that AChE could not be a principal target for insecticide activity.

Strong Lewis Base Ga4B2O9: Ga-O Connectivity Enhanced Basicity and Its Applications in the Strecker Reaction and Catalytic Conversion of n-Propanol.

Heterogeneous solid base catalysis is valuable and promising in chemical industry, however it is insufficiently developed compared to solid acid catalysis due to the lack of satisfied solid base catalysts. To gain the strong basicity, the previous strategy was to basify oxides with alkaline metals to create surficial vacancies or defects, which suffers from the instability under catalytic conditions. Monocomponent basic oxides like MgO are literally stable but deficient in electron-withdrawing ability. Here we prove that a special connectivity of atoms could enhance the Lewis basicity of oxygen in monocomponent solids exemplified by Ga4B2O9. The structure-induced basicity is from the µ3-O linked exclusively to five-coordinated Ga3+. Ga4B2O9 behaved as a durable catalyst with a high yield of 81% in the base-catalyzed synthesis of α-aminonitriles by Strecker reaction. In addition, several monocomponent solid bases were evaluated in the Strecker reaction, and Ga4B2O9 has the largest amount of strong base centers (23.1 µmol/g) and the highest catalytic efficiency. Ga4B2O9 is also applicable in high-temperature solid-gas catalysis, for example, Ga4B2O9 catalyzed efficiently the dehydrogenation of n-propanol, resulting in a high selectivity to propanal (79%). In contrast, the comparison gallium borate, Ga-PKU-1, which is a Brönsted acid, preferred to catalyze the dehydration process to obtain propylene with a selectivity of 94%.

Mechanochemical Activation of Iron Cyano Complexes: A Prebiotic Impact Scenario for the Synthesis of α-Amino Acid Derivatives.

Mechanochemical activation of iron cyano complexes by ball milling results in the formation of HCN, which can be trapped and incorporated into α-aminonitriles. This prebiotic impact scenario can be extended by mechanochemically transforming the resulting α-aminonitriles into α-amino amides using a chemical route related to early Earth conditions.

Mechanochemical Lignin-Mediated Strecker Reaction.

A mechanochemical Strecker reaction involving a wide range of aldehydes (aromatic, heteroaromatic and aliphatic), amines, and KCN afforded a library of α-aminonitriles upon mechanical activation. This multicomponent process was efficiently activated by lignocellulosic biomass as additives. Particularly, commercially available Kraft lignin was found to be the best activator for the addition of cyanide to the in situ formed imines. A comparative study of the 31P-NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) along with IR (Infrared) data analysis for the Kraft lignin and methylated Kraft lignin samples ascertained the importance of the free hydroxyl groups in the activation of the mechanochemical reaction. The solvent-free mechanochemical Strecker reaction was then coupled with a lactamization process leading to the formation of the N-benzylphthalimide (5a) and the isoindolinone derivative 6a.

Mechanochemical Strecker Reaction: Access to α-Aminonitriles and Tetrahydroisoquinolines under Ball-Milling Conditions.

A mechanochemical version of the Strecker reaction for the synthesis of α-aminonitriles was developed. The milling of aldehydes, amines, and potassium cyanide in the presence of SiO2 gave the corresponding α-aminonitriles in good to high yields. The high efficiency of the mechanochemical Strecker-type multicomponent reaction allowed the one-pot synthesis of tetrahydroisoquinolines after a subsequent internal N-alkylation reaction.

Artifacts Generated During Azoalkane Peroxy Radical Oxidative Stress Testing of Pharmaceuticals Containing Primary and Secondary Amines.

We report artifactual degradation of pharmaceutical compounds containing primary and secondary amines during peroxy radical-mediated oxidative stress carried out using azoalkane initiators. Two degradation products were detected when model drug compounds dissolved in methanol/water were heated to 40°C with radical initiators such as 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN). The primary artifact was identified as an α-aminonitrile generated from the reaction of the amine group of the model drug with formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide, generated as byproducts of the stress reaction. A minor artifact was generated from the reaction between the amine group and isocyanic acid, also a byproduct of the stress reaction. We report the effects of pH, initiator/drug molar ratio, and type of azoalkane initiator on the formation of these artifacts. Mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance were used for structure elucidation, whereas mechanistic studies, including stable isotope labeling experiments, cyanide analysis, and experiments exploring the effects of butylated hydroxyanisole addition, were employed to support the degradation pathways.

Proton transfers in the Strecker reaction revealed by DFT calculations.

The Strecker reaction of acetaldehyde, NH3, and HCN to afford alanine was studied by DFT calculations for the first time, which involves two reaction stages. In the first reaction stage, the aminonitrile was formed. The rate-determining step is the deprotonation of the NH3 (+) group in MeCH(OH)-NH3 (+) to form 1-aminoethanol, which occurs with an activation energy barrier (ΔE (≠)) of 9.6 kcal/mol. The stereochemistry (R or S) of the aminonitrile product is determined at the NH3 addition step to the carbonyl carbon of the aldehyde. While the addition of CN(-) to the carbon atom of the protonated imine 7 appears to scramble the stereochemistry, the water cluster above the imine plane reinforces the CN(-) to attack the imine group below the plane. The enforcement hinders the scrambling. In the second stage, the aminonitrile transforms to alanine, where an amide Me-CH(NH2)-C(=O)-NH2 is the key intermediate. The rate-determining step is the hydrolysis of the cyano group of N(amino)-protonated aminonitrile which occurs with an ΔE (≠) value of 34.7 kcal/mol. In the Strecker reaction, the proton transfer along the hydrogen bonds plays a crucial role.