Enantio-, Diastereo- and Regioselective Synthesis of Chiral Cyclic and Acyclic gem-Difluoromethylenes by Palladium-Catalyzed [4+2] Cycloaddition.

gem-Difluoromethylene moieties are attractive in medicinal chemistry due to their ability to mimic other more ubiquitous functional groups. Thus, effective asymmetric methods for their construction are highly desirable, especially for the industrial production of chiral drugs. Using a Pd-catalyzed asymmetric [4+2] cycloaddition between substituted-2-alkylidenetrimethylene carbonates and gem-difluoroalkyl ketones, we were able to easily access chiral 1,3-dioxanes that contain a tetrasubstituted difluoroalkyl stereogenic center in cyclic and acyclic skeletons. A novel phosphoramidite ligand, which contains a bulky 1,1-dinaphthylmethanamino moiety, was developed to provide the products in high yield with excellent enantio-, diastereo-, and regioselectivity. Strikingly, the gem-difluoro substitution pattern promotes the reaction, and pentafluoroethylketone, an α,α-difluorinated ß-ketoester, and a ß-ketosulfone are suitable substrates for this method.

Benchtop-Stable Hypervalent Bromine(III) Compounds: Versatile Strategy and Platform for Air- and Moisture-Stable λ3-Bromanes.

We present the first synthesis of air/moisture-stable λ3-bromanes (9 and 10) by using a cyclic 1,2-benzbromoxol-3-one (BBX) strategy. X-ray crystallography and NMR and IR spectroscopy of N-triflylimino-λ3-bromane (12) revealed that the bromine(III) center is effectively stabilized by intramolecular R-Br-O hypervalent bonding. This strategy enables the synthesis of a variety of air-, moisture-, and benchtop-stable Br-hydroxy, -acetoxy, -alkynyl, -aryl, and bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]methylide λ3-bromane derivatives.

Design and Synthesis of a Chiral Halogen-Bond Donor with a Sp3-Hybridized Carbon-Iodine Moiety in a Chiral Fluorobissulfonyl Scaffold.

The first example of a chiral halogen-bond donor with a sp3-hybridized carbon-iodine moiety in a fluorobissulfonyl scaffold is described. The binaphthyl backbone was designed as a chiral source and the chiral halogen-bond donor (R)-1 was synthesized from (R)-1,1'-binaphthol in 11 steps. An NMR titration experiment demonstrated that (R)-1 worked as a halogen-bond donor. The Mukaiyama aldol reaction and quinoline reduction were examined using (R)-1 as a catalyst to evaluate the asymmetric induction.

Synthesis of Both Enantiomers of Nine-Membered CF3 -Substituted Heterocycles Using a Single Chiral Ligand: Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Ring Expansion with Kinetic Resolution.

The two enantiomers of trifluoromethyl-benzo[c][1,5]oxazonines, (R)-4 and (S)-4, can be selectively accessed with high enantiopurity by the Pd-catalyzed ring-expansion reaction of trifluoromethyl-benzo[d][1,3]oxazinones (1) with vinyl ethylene carbonates (3) using one antipode of a chiral ligand. Initially, the reaction proceeds by a double decarboxylative ring-expansion with kinetic resolution of 1 in the presence of a Pd-catalyst/chiral ligand to provide (R)-4 with high enantiopurity. At the same time, the nonreactive antipode of 1, (S)-1, which was recovered with an impeccable s factor of up to 713 and an ideal chemical yield, was transferred into the antipode of the products, (S)-4, with high enantiopurity by a second run of the Pd-catalyzed double decarboxylation reaction, but this time without any chiral auxiliary. Thus, both antipodes of the chiral trifluoromethyl heterocycles 4 can be obtained in excellent enantiopurity using only a single antipode of the chiral catalyst.

A Circularly Arranged Sextuple Triptycene Gear Molecule.

Herein we report the synthesis of a circularly arranged sextuple triptycene gear molecule, hexakis(10-dodecyloxy-9-triptycyl)ethynylbenzene, via the trimerization of the corresponding triyne with a cobalt catalyst. The six triptycene gears are closely engaged with each other as confirmed by single crystal X-ray structure analysis, and their motion in solution was established by NMR spectroscopy. Notably, when one bulky RuCp* complex was attached to one triptycene gear, the whole movement of the six gears was highly restricted via their mechanical engagement. Development of such a multigear molecule would provide a structural basis for molecular motion transmission systems with a switching function.

Voltammetric and Spectroscopic Studies of α- and ß-[PW12O40]3- Polyoxometalates in Neutral and Acidic Media: Structural Characterization as Their [(n-Bu4N)3][PW12O40] Salts.

The structure of the Keggin-type ß-[PW12O40]3- (PW12) polyoxometalate, with n-Bu4N+ as the countercation, has been determined for the first time by single-crystal X-ray analysis and compared to data obtained from a new determination of the structure of the α-PW12 isomer, having the same countercation. Analysis of cyclic voltammograms obtained in CH3CN (0.1 M [n-Bu4N][PF6]) reveals that the reversible potential for the ß-PW12 isomer always remains ca. 100 mV more positive than that of the α-PW12 isomer on addition of the acid CF3SO3H. Simulations of the cyclic voltammetry as a function of acid concentration over the range 0-5 mM mimic experimental data exceptionally well. These simulation-experiment comparisons provide access to reversible potentials and acidity constants associated with α and ß fully oxidized and one- and two-electron reduced systems and also explain how the two well-resolved one-electron W(VI)/W(V) processes converge into a single two-electron process if sufficient acid is present. 183W NMR spectra of the oxidized forms of the PW12 isomers are acid dependent and in the case of ß-PW12 imply that the bridging oxygens between the WI and WII units are preferentially protonated in acidic media. EPR data on frozen solutions of one-electron reduced ß-[PWVWVI11O40]4- indicate that either the WI or the WIII unit in ß-PW12 is reduced in the ß-[PWVI12O40]3-/ß-[PWVWVI11O40]4- process. In the absence of acid, reversible potentials obtained from the α- and ß-isomers of PW12 and [SiW12O40]4- exhibit a linear relationship with solvent properties such as Lewis acidity, acceptor number, and polarity index.

Mechanical Motion of Chiral Azobenzene Crystals with Twisting upon Photoirradiation.

The photomechanical motion of chiral crystals of trans-azobenzene derivatives with an (S)- and (R)-phenylethylamide group was investigated and compared with a racemic crystal. Changes in the UV/Vis absorption spectra of the powdered crystals before and after UV irradiation were measured by using an optical waveguide spectrometer, showing that the lifetime of the cis-to-trans thermal back-isomerization of the chiral crystals was faster than that of the racemic crystals. Upon UV irradiation, a long plate-like chiral microcrystal bent away from the light source with a twisting motion. A square-like chiral microcrystal curled toward the light with some twisting. Reversible bending of a rod-like chiral microcrystal was repeatable over twenty-five cycles. In contrast, bending of a plate-like racemic microcrystal was small. A possible mechanism for the bending and twisting motion was discussed based on the optimized cis conformer determined by using calculations, showing that the bending motion with twisting is caused by elongation along the b axis and shrinkage along the a axis.

Enantioselective Trichloromethylation of MBH-Fluorides with Chloroform Based on Silicon-assisted C-F Activation and Carbanion Exchange Induced by a Ruppert-Prakash Reagent.

Enantioselective trichloromethylation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH)-type allylic fluorides with chloroform (HCCl3 ) under organocatalysis was achieved with high to excellent enantioselectivities. Silicon-assisted CF bond activation by a Ruppert-Prakash reagent and direct activation of HCCl3 by a carbanion exchange process with trifluoromethyl (CF3 ) carbanion generated in situ from the Ruppert-Prakash reagent realized the direct asymmetric trichloromethylation at a stereogenic allylic positon, without any help from transition metal catalysis, and under very mild conditions. Pre-activation of HCCl3 was not required. This method was extended to the direct enantioselective introduction of other C-H compounds such as alkyne, arene, indene, and FBSM without any pre-activation under a metal-free system.

Absolute asymmetric photocyclization of triisopropylbenzophenone derivatives in crystals and their morphological changes.

Although 4-(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)benzylbenzamide is an achiral molecule, chiral crystals can form through spontaneous crystallization in a methanol solution. In the M crystal, twofold helical hydrogen-bond chains form in a counterclockwise direction among the molecules along the a axis to generate crystal chirality. The solid-state circular dichroism spectra of the two enantiomorphous crystals as Nujol mulls show a good mirror-image relationship. UV irradiation of the M crystal at >290 nm caused highly enantioselective Norrish type II photocyclization to yield the (R)-cyclobutenol with 94% ee in 100% yield as the sole product, resulting in successful absolute asymmetric synthesis. In contrast, the (S)-cyclobutenol was obtained from the P crystal with 95% ee in 100% yield. The high enantiodifferentiation in the crystalline-state photocyclization is attributed to the shorter distance between the carbonyl oxygen atom and one of the methine γ-hydrogen atoms of the two o-isopropyl groups as well as the smooth transformation with minimum molecular motion because of the similar shapes of the reactant and product molecules. UV irradiation of the platelike crystals resulted in a crack in the direction perpendicular to the long axis (the a axis of the unit cell), likely because the hydrogen-bond chains were broken during the photocyclization.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of quinaldopeptin.

The second-generation total synthesis of quinaldopeptin (1) was established via a Staudinger/aza-Wittig/diastereoselective Ugi three-component reaction sequence and a racemization-free [5 + 5] coupling and macrolactamization. A single-crystal X-ray structure of the chromophore analogue 26 confirmed the structural and stereochemical assignments of the macrocycle. Synthetic 1 successfully unwound supercoiled DNA to form a relaxed DNA in a dose-dependent manner, the binding affinity of 1 to four dsODNs was within a similar range (K(b) = 1.45-2.53 × 10(7) M(-1)), and the sequence selectivity was subtle. It was suggested that 1 possesses biological behaviors similar to those of sandramycin (2) in terms of cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines (IC50 = 3.2-12 nM) and HIF-1 inhibitory activity.

Synthesis and characterization of novel Wells-Dawson-type mono vanadium(V)-substituted tungsto-polyoxometalate isomers: 1- and 4-[S2VW17O62](5-).

Two vanadium(V)-substituted tungsto-polyoxometalate isomers, 1- and 4-[S2VW17O62](5-), were prepared as their tetra-alkyl ammonium salts from a W(VI)-H2SO4-V(V) reaction mixture in aqueous CH3CN solution. X-ray crystallographic structural analysis revealed that both isomers have a Wells-Dawson-type structure with a higher occupancy of vanadium at polar sites and belt sites for 1- and 4-[S2VW17O62](5-), respectively. The isomers were also characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, Raman, UV-vis, and (51)V NMR spectroscopies as well as voltammetry, and the data obtained were compared with that derived from [S2W18O62](4-). Significantly, the reversible potentials for the vanadium(V/IV) couple for both 1- and 4-[S2VW17O62](5-) in CH3CN (0.1 M n-Bu4NPF6) are considerably more positive than the tungstate reduction process exhibited by the [S2W18O62](4-) framework, implying that the presence of vanadium should be useful in catalytic reactions. The one-electron-reduced [S2V(IV)W17O62](6-) forms of both isomers were prepared in solution by controlled potential bulk electrolysis and characterized by voltammetry and EPR spectroscopy.

Kinetic resolution of allyl fluorides by enantioselective allylic trifluoromethylation based on silicon-assisted C-F bond cleavage.

Two birds, one stone! The first kinetic resolution of allyl fluorides was achieved by the development of an organocatalyzed enantioselective allylic trifluoromethylation. Two kinds of chiral fluorinated compounds, which incorporate C*F and C*CF3 units, respectively, can thus be accessed by a single transformation.

Trifluoromethanesulfonyl hypervalent iodonium ylide for copper-catalyzed trifluoromethylthiolation of enamines, indoles, and ß-keto esters.

A novel electrophilic-type trifluoromethylthiolation reagent, a trifluoromethanesulfonyl hypervalent iodonium ylide, was designed and reacted well with various nucleophiles to afford the desired CF3S-substituted products. In situ reduction of the trifluoromethanesulfonyl group to give the trifluoromethylthio group, which is the key step in this process, was realized in the presence of copper(I) chloride.

Asymmetric dearomatizing spirolactonization of naphthols catalyzed by spirobiindane-based chiral hypervalent iodine species.

This report details the development of a spirobiindane-based chiral hypervalent iodine reagent, especially focusing on its structural elucidation for effective asymmetric induction of the chiral spiro center during the oxidative dearomatizing spirolactonization of naphthols. In this study we synthesized a new series of ortho-functionalized spirobiindane catalysts and demonstrated that the enantioselectivity can be dramatically improved by the presence of the substituents ortho to the iodine atom. The structural elucidation of a spirobiindane-based hypervalent iodine catalyst has led to further improvement in the stereoselective construction of the spiro center during the oxidative dearomatizing spirolactonization of naphthols. Thus, catalytic oxidation with the highest reported level of enantioselectivity in hypervalent iodine chemistry has been achieved with also an excellent level of asymmetric induction (92% ee for substrate 3a). As a result, this study, dealing with a series of modified iodine catalysts, can provide important clues about the transition state and reaction intermediate to help scientists understand the origin of the stereoselectivity. A plausible transition-state model and intermediate in the reaction for the stereoselective formation of spirolactone products are postulated by considering the ortho-substituent effect and the results of X-ray analysis. In this reaction model, the high enantiomeric excess obtained by using the spirobiindane catalysts could be well explained by the occupation of the equatorial site and extension of the surroundings around the hypervalent iodine bonds by the introduced ortho-substituent. Thus, this study would contribute to estimation of the chiral hypervalent iodine compounds in asymmetric reactions.

Diastereoselective synthesis of tetrahydrofurans by Lewis acid catalyzed intermolecular carbenoid-carbonyl reaction-cycloaddition sequences: unusual diastereoselectivity of Lewis acid catalyzed cycloadditions.

The effects of including metal salts for three-component reactions involving α-alkyl-α-diazo esters, aromatic aldehydes, and 3-(2-alkenoyl)-2-oxazolidinones are described, in terms of yields and diastereoselectivities. Metal tetrafluoroborates (10-30 mol %) such as Co(BF4)2·6H2O, Ni(BF4)2·6H2O, and AgBF4 were effective in delivering high yields and diastereoselectivities (93:7 to 99:1) of the corresponding tetrahydrofuran derivatives while suppressing the competitive formation of 1,3-dioxolane. Using (S)-3-(2-alkenoyl)-4-isopropyl-2-oxazolidinones as the dipolarophiles in the three-component reactions, in the presence of Ni(BF4)2·6H2O or Co(ClO4)2·6H2O (10-30 mol %), optically active tetrahydrofurans that possess four successive asymmetric centers were synthesized in high diastereoselectivities (99:1). On the basis of the configuration of the cycloadduct using the X-ray analysis, the high diastereoselectivity could be explained by the unusual Re-face approach to the dipolarophile in the presence of the Lewis acid, proceeding through the s-cis conformer of the 3-(2-alkenoyl)-2-oxazolidinone with the two carbonyls in opposing directions (dipole-dipole interaction).

Quartet formation of a guanine derivative with an isopropyl group: crystal structures of "naked" G-quartets and thermodynamics of G-quartet formation.

The formation of guanine quartets with 9-isopropylguanine ((i)PG) is discussed in organic solvents. Crystal structures of the (i)PG quartets were determined by X-ray crystallography with template cations (Na(+) and Ca(2+)) and the structure without a template cation was also obtained by virtue of the stabilization by intermolecular hydrogen bonding with water molecules of crystallization. The difference in the quartet formation of (i)PG in the presence and absence of a template cation was clearly demonstrated by (1)H NMR measurements in CDCl(3)-CH(3)OH mixed solvents. The quartet formation is mainly governed by the enthalpy gain due to the electrostatic interaction between the O6 oxygen in (i)PG and the template cations in the presence of the cations rather than the intermolecular hydrogen bonding, while desolvation of (i)PG is the dominant factor for the formation in the absence of cations. In the presence of Na(+) and Ca(2+), ΔH and ΔS values in the formation of (i)PG-4-Na(+) and (i)PG-4-Ca(2+) complexes were determined to be ΔH = -8.4 kcal mol(-1) and ΔS = +50 cal mol(-1) K(-1) for Na(+) and ΔH = -12.9 kcal mol(-1) and ΔS = +34 cal mol(-1) K(-1) for Ca(2+) on the basis of van't Hoff plots attained from the results of temperature-dependent UV-Vis spectroscopic measurements.

Pyridone alkaloids from a marine-derived fungus, Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum, and their activities against azole-resistant Candida albicans.

Four new 4-hydroxy-2-pyridone alkaloids, didymellamides A-D (1-4), were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum. The structures of 1-4 were elucidated from spectroscopic data (NMR, MS, and IR), and the absolute configuration of 1 was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Didymellamide A (1) exhibited antifungal activity against azole-resistant Candida albicans.

A self-assembled multiporphyrin cage complex through three different zinc(II) center formation under well-balanced aqueous conditions.

Construction of a self-assembled cage complex through three different Zn(II) centers is achieved using a Zn porphyrin ligand with four 2,2'-bipyridin-5-yl (bpy) groups. The multiporphyrin cage encapsulates guest molecules unsymmetrically by π-π interactions. Well-balanced aqueous conditions, which allow the formation of both tris(bpy) and hydrated bis(bpy) Zn(II) units, result in the unsymmetrical yet well-defined supramolecular structure.

Study on 1,3,5-triazine chemistry in dehydrocondensation: gauche effect on the generation of active triazinylammonium species.

The reaction of 2-chloro-4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazine (CDMT) with various nitrogen-containing compounds, particularly tertiary amines (tert-amines), has been studied for the preparation of 2-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazinyl)trialkylammonium salts [DMT-Am(s)]. DMT-Ams derived from aliphatic tert-amines exhibited activity for the dehydrocondensation between a carboxylic acid and an amine to form an amide in a model reaction. Based on a conformational analysis of DMT-Ams and tert-amines by NMR and X-ray diffraction methods, we concluded that a ß-alkyl group maintained in a gauche relationship with the nitrogen lone pair of tert-amines significantly hinders the approach of CDMT to the nitrogen. Thus, trimethylamine and quinuclidine without such alkyl groups readily react with CDMT whereas triethylamine, possessing two or three such gauche ß-alkyl groups in the stable conformations, does not react at all. The theory of "gauche ß-alkyl group effect" proposed here provides useful guidelines for the preparation of DMT-Ams possessing various tertiary amine moieties. An investigation of the dehydrocondensation activity of tert-amines in a CDMT/tert-amine system that involves in situ generation of DMT-Am, showed that the gauche effect of the ß-alkyl group becomes quite pronounced; the yield of the amide decreases significantly with tert-amines possessing an unavoidable gauche ß-alkyl group. Thus, the tert-amine/CDMT systems are useful for judging whether tert-amines can readily react with CDMT without isolation of DMT-Ams.

Hypoxylonols C-F, benzo[j]fluoranthenes from Hypoxylon truncatum.

Four novel benzo[j]fluoranthene derivatives, hypoxylonols C (3), D (4), E (5), and F (6), have been isolated from the mushroom Hypoxylon truncatum, together with two known benzo[j]fluoranthene derivatives, hypoxylonols A (1) and B (2). The structures were established by analysis of NMR spectroscopic data and X-ray diffraction data. Compounds 4 and 5 showed antiproliferative activity against HUVECs (human umbilical vein endothelial cells) and HUAECs (human umbilical artery endothelial cells).