Identifying Unknown Fluorine-Containing Compounds in Environmental Samples Using 19F NMR and Spectral Database Matching.

The ubiquity of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment is a continuing concern. While typical analytical methods for the analysis of PFAS include both targeted and non-targeted mass spectrometry, there remains a significant portion of fluorinated compounds that are not accounted for by these routine methods. It has been previously demonstrated that 19F NMR can be used to identify these compounds, helping to close the mass balance on total fluorine in the environment. 19F NMR offers an unbiased method of analysis that requires no anticipation of fluorine-carbon bonds or functional groups. However, there is resistance to further uptake of NMR spectroscopy as an analytical tool, owing to perceived difficulties in sensitivity and spectral overlap. In this study, we measure the 19F NMR spectrum of hundreds of fluorinated compounds and use this constructed database to determine the concentration of PFAS in an extracted sample of a known aqueous firefighting foam-contaminated site. The 19F NMR database has been included for use by other researchers, and we discuss the intricacies of 19F NMR as applied to environmental samples.

Metal-Free SF6 Activation: A New SF5 -Based Reagent Enables Deoxyfluorination and Pentafluorosulfanylation Reactions.

The activation of SF6 , a potent greenhouse gas, under metal-free and visible light conditions is reported. Herein, mechanistic investigations including EPR spectroscopy, NMR studies and cyclic voltammetry allowed the rational design of a new fluorinating reagent which was synthesized from the 2-electron activation of SF6 with commercially available TDAE. This new SF5 -based reagent was efficiently employed for the deoxyfluorination of CO2 and the fluorinative desulfurization of CS2 allowing the formation of useful fluorinated amines. Moreover, for the first time we demonstrated that our SF5 -based reagent could afford the mild generation of Cl-SF5 gas. This finding was exploited for the chloro-pentafluorosulfanylation of alkynes and alkenes.

Synthesis, Anti-Proliferative Evaluation and Mechanism of 4-Trifluoro Methoxy Proguanil Derivatives with Various Carbon Chain Length.

Among the known biguanide drugs, proguanil has the best antiproliferative activity. In contrast, newly synthesized biguanide derivatives containing fluorine atoms have excellent biological activity, among which trifluoromethoxy compounds show the strongest ability. Preliminary work in our laboratory exhibited that n-heptyl containing proguanil derivatives on one alkyl chain side have better biological activity than those with a shorter carbon chain. However, the relationship between the length of the carbon chain and the activity of the compounds is unknown. In this study, we synthesized 10 new trifluoromethoxy-containing proguanil derivatives with various carbon chain lengths. The phenyl side is fixed as the trifluoromethoxy group with change of carbon chain length in alkyl chain side. It was found that the anti-cancer abilities of 5C-8C with n-pentyl to n-octyl groups was significantly better than that of proguanil in the five human cancer cell lines. The colony formation assay demonstrated that 6C-8C at 0.5 to 1.0 µM significantly inhibited the colony formation of human cancer cell lines, much stronger than that of proguanil. Pharmacologically, 8C activates AMPK, leading to inactivation of the mTOR/p70S6K/4EBP1 pathway. Thus, these novel compounds have a great potential for developing new anti-cancer candidates.

Trifluoro-icaritin alleviates mechanical hypersensitivity and improves motor coordination and balance in rats with spared nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain.

Neuropathic pain is still one of the unsolved public health problems worldwide. Although the current reagents can attenuate neuropathic pain to a certain extent, their clinical application is very limited owing to larger toxicity and serious side effects. Trifluoro-icaritin (ICTF) has been documented to possess profound anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities, but whether ICTF exerts an anti-nociceptive effect on neuropathic pain remains unknown. Here, a rat model of spared nerve injury (SNI)-induced neuropathic pain was used. SNI rats were administrated with ICTF (i.p.) once daily lasting for 21 days, and subsequently the pain-related behaviors were evaluated by applying mechanical or thermal pain threshold, CatWalk gait parameter, and rotarod test on day 1 before and day 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, and 21 after SNI surgery, respectively. The results showed that ICTF (0.5 mg/kg, 1.5 mg/kg, and 5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment alleviated SNI-induced mechanical allodynia but not thermal hyperalgesia in a dose-dependent manner. After administration of ICTF at the most effective dose of 5.0 mg/kg to SNI rats, CatWalk gait analysis revealed that ICTF not only significantly enhanced gait parameters including max contact max intensity, max intensity, print area, and stand time but also decreased the swing time; Rotarod test further exhibited that ICTF could effectively prolong the time on rod and increase the rotating speed in SNI rats. Additionally, following ICTF (5.0 mg/kg) treatment of SNI rats for 21 consecutive days, the max contact max intensity was found to be positively correlated with the rotating speed. Taken together, ICTF successfully ameliorates mechanical hypersensitivity and improves the motor coordination and balance in SNI rats, suggesting that ICTF may be exploited as a potential candidate in the management of neuropathic pain.

Fluorine-incorporated TiO2 nanotopography enhances adhesion and differentiation through ERK/CREB pathway.

This study compared the topography of different titanium surface structures (TiO2 nanotube and grain) with similar elemental compositions (TiO2 and fluorine [F]) on the Ti surface. High magnification indicated that the surfaces of the control and etching groups were similar to each other in a flat, smooth form. The group anodized for 1 h was observed with TiO2 nanotubes organized very neatly and regularly. In the group anodized for 30 min after etching, uneven wave and nanopore structures were observed. In addition, MTT assay showed that the F of the surface did not adversely affect cell viability, and the initial cell adhesion was increased in the 2.8% F-incorporated TiO2 nanograin. At the edge of adherent cells, filopodia were observed in spreading form on the surfaces of the anodizing and two-step processing groups, and they were observed in a branch shape in the control and etching groups. Moreover, cell adhesion molecule and osteogenesis marker expression was increased at the F-incorporated TiO2 nanostructure. In addition, it was found that the expression of p-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p-cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) increased in the TiO2 nanograin with the nanopore surface compared to the micro rough and nanotube surfaces relative to the osteogenic-related gene expression patterns. As a result, this study confirmed that the topographic structure of the surface is more affected by osteogenic differentiation than the pore size and that differentiation by specific surface composition components is by CREB. Thus, the synergy effect of osteogenic differentiation was confirmed by the simultaneous activation of CREB/ERK.

Chemistry of Fluorinated Pyrimidines in the Era of Personalized Medicine.

We review developments in fluorine chemistry contributing to the more precise use of fluorinated pyrimidines (FPs) to treat cancer. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is the most widely used FP and is used to treat > 2 million cancer patients each year. We review methods for 5-FU synthesis, including the incorporation of radioactive and stable isotopes to study 5-FU metabolism and biodistribution. We also review methods for preparing RNA and DNA substituted with FPs for biophysical and mechanistic studies. New insights into how FPs perturb nucleic acid structure and dynamics has resulted from both computational and experimental studies, and we summarize recent results. Beyond the well-established role for inhibiting thymidylate synthase (TS) by the 5-FU metabolite 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine-5'-O-monophosphate (FdUMP), recent studies have implicated new roles for RNA modifying enzymes that are inhibited by 5-FU substitution including tRNA methyltransferase 2 homolog A (TRMT2A) and pseudouridylate synthase in 5-FU cytotoxicity. Furthermore, enzymes not previously implicated in FP activity, including DNA topoisomerase 1 (Top1), were established as mediating FP anti-tumor activity. We review recent literature summarizing the mechanisms by which 5-FU inhibits RNA- and DNA-modifying enzymes and describe the use of polymeric FPs that may enable the more precise use of FPs for cancer treatment in the era of personalized medicine.

Deboronation-Induced Ratiometric Emission Variations of Terphenyl-Based Closo-o-Carboranyl Compounds: Applications to Fluoride-Sensing.

Closo-o-carboranyl compounds bearing the ortho-type perfectly distorted or planar terphenyl rings (closo-DT and closo-PT, respectively) and their nido-derivatives (nido-DT and nido-PT, respectively) were synthesized and fully characterized using multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Although the emission spectra of both closo-compounds exhibited intriguing emission patterns in solution at 298 and 77 K, in the film state, closo-DT mainly exhibited a π-π* local excitation (LE)-based emission in the high-energy region, whereas closo-PT produced an intense emission in the low-energy region corresponding to an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) transition. In particular, the positive solvatochromic effect of closo-PT and theoretical calculation results at the first excited (S1) optimized structure of both closo-compounds strongly suggest that these dual-emissive bands at the high- and low-energy can be assigned to each π-π* LE and ICT transition. Interestingly, both the nido-compounds, nido-DT and nido-PT, exhibited the only LE-based emission in solution at 298 K due to the anionic character of the nido-o-carborane cages, which cannot cause the ICT transitions. The specific emissive features of nido-compounds indicate that the emissive color of closo-PT in solution at 298 K is completely different from that of nido-PT. As a result, the deboronation of closo-PT upon exposure to increasing concentrations of fluoride anion exhibits a dramatic ratiometric color change from orange to deep blue via turn-off of the ICT-based emission. Consequently, the color change response of the luminescence by the alternation of the intrinsic electronic transitions via deboronation as well as the structural feature of terphenyl rings indicates the potential of the developed closo-o-carboranyl compounds that exhibit the intense ICT-based emission, as naked-eye-detectable chemodosimeters for fluoride ion sensing.

Fabrication of Collagen Films with Enhanced Mechanical and Enzymatic Stability through Thermal Treatment in Fluorous Media.

Collagen I (Col-I) is widely used in the fabrication of biomaterials due to its biocompatibility; however, Col-I based biomaterials are susceptible to mechanical failure during handling, which limits their applicability to biomaterials. Chemical or physical treatment can improve the mechanical properties of collagen; however, these processes can create issues of cytotoxicity or denaturation. We report here an alternative strategy to improve the stability and mechanical properties of Col-I while preserving its native structure, through thermal treatment in fluorous media. Thermal treatment of Col-I in fluorous solvent generates compact, stable films with significantly increased mechanical strength. Furthermore, the use of fluorous media significantly reduces the extent of swelling and the rate of proteolytic degradation, but it preserves the high cell biocompatibility.

Selective Late-Stage Sulfonyl Chloride Formation from Sulfonamides Enabled by Pyry-BF4.

Reported here is a simple and practical functionalization of primary sulfonamides, by means of a pyrylium salt (Pyry-BF4 ), with nucleophiles. This simple reagent activates the poorly nucleophilic NH2 group in a sulfonamide, enabling the formation of one of the best electrophiles in organic synthesis: a sulfonyl chloride. Because of the variety of primary sulfonamides in pharmaceutical contexts, special attention has been focused on the direct conversion of densely functionalized primary sulfonamides by a late-stage formation of the corresponding sulfonyl chloride. A variety of nucleophiles could be engaged in this transformation, thus permitting the synthesis of complex sulfonamides, sulfonates, sulfides, sulfonyl fluorides, and sulfonic acids. The mild reaction conditions and the high selectivity of Pyry-BF4 towards NH2 groups permit the formation of sulfonyl chlorides in a late-stage fashion, tolerating a preponderance of sensitive functionalities.

Radical Monofluoroalkylative Alkynylation of Olefins by a Docking-Migration Strategy.

A radical-mediated monofluoroalkylative alkynylation of alkenes is disclosed for the first time. The reaction demonstrates a remarkably broad substrate scope in which both activated and unactivated alkenes are suitable starting materials. The concurrent addition of an alkynyl and a monofluoroalkyl group onto an alkene proceeds through a docking-migration sequence, affording a vast array of valuable fluoroalkyl-substituted alkynes. Many complex natural products and drug derivatives are readily functionalized, demonstrating that this method can be used for late-stage alkynylation.

A Comprehensive Review of Non-Covalent Radiofluorination Approaches Using Aluminum [18F]fluoride: Will [18F]AlF Replace 68Ga for Metal Chelate Labeling?

Due to its ideal physical properties, fluorine-18 turns out to be a key radionuclide for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, for both preclinical and clinical applications. However, usual biomolecules radiofluorination procedures require the formation of covalent bonds with fluorinated prosthetic groups. This drawback makes radiofluorination impractical for routine radiolabeling, gallium-68 appearing to be much more convenient for the labeling of chelator-bearing PET probes. In response to this limitation, a recent expansion of the 18F chemical toolbox gave aluminum [18F]fluoride chemistry a real prominence since the late 2000s. This approach is based on the formation of an [18F][AlF]2+ cation, complexed with a 9-membered cyclic chelator such as NOTA, NODA or their analogs. Allowing a one-step radiofluorination in an aqueous medium, this technique combines fluorine-18 and non-covalent radiolabeling with the advantage of being very easy to implement. Since its first reports, [18F]AlF radiolabeling approach has been applied to a wide variety of potential PET imaging vectors, whether of peptidic, proteic, or small molecule structure. Most of these [18F]AlF-labeled tracers showed promising preclinical results and have reached the clinical evaluation stage for some of them. The aim of this report is to provide a comprehensive overview of [18F]AlF labeling applications through a description of the various [18F]AlF-labeled conjugates, from their radiosynthesis to their evaluation as PET imaging agents.

Synthesis of Novel Fluorine Compounds Substituted-4-thiazolidinones Derived from Rhodanine Drug as Highly Bioactive Probes.

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: It is known that rhodanine drug has various biocidal activities. The aim of this work was to improve the structure of rhodanine drug via alkylation at N, S, and O- centers in addition to the introduction of fluorine atoms. The new fluorinated modified rhodanines 2-16 were evaluated as enzymatic probes for cellobiase activity produced by fungi and as CDK2 inhibitors of tumor cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Novel fluorine substituted N-alkyl, S-alkyl and amino-rhodanines were obtained via Hydroxy methylation, Mannich reactions, chlorination and amination of 5-(4'-fluorophenylene)-2-thioxothiazolidin- 4-one, and the enzymatic effects of cellobiase produced by fungi and /or CDK2 inhibition of tumor cells were evaluated. RESULTS: Most of the targets were obtained in high yield and in the form of very pure crystals with characteristic colors. Only compounds 5, 8, 10, 13, and 14 exhibited a higher activity as cellobiase while compounds 2 and 5 showed a highly enzymatic effect on tumor cells. In addition, compounds 2 and 10 can be used as Olomoucine (standard referees). CONCLUSION: Various N, S and O-alkyl derivatives of fluorine-substituted rhodanines were prepared via a simple method and used as enzymatic probes for cellobiase activity produced by fungi and CDK2 inhibitors for tumor cells. The more bioactive compounds had rich fluorine atoms as p-fluorophenyl and p-fluorobenzoyl bearing N, S, O-alkyl rhodanine. The highly active compounds may be used as enzymatic materials for various biological transformations in the future.

Anti-Adenoviral Activity of 2-(3-Chlorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-4-Tosyl-5-(Perfluoropropyl)-1,2,3-Triazole.

Background and objectives: A considerable increase in the levels of adenoviral diseases among both adults and children necessitate the development of effective methods for its prevention and treatment. The synthesis of the new fluorinated 1,2,3-triazoles, and the study of the mechanisms of their action, are promising for the development of efficient antiviral drugs of our time. Materials and Methods: Antiviral activity and cell cytotoxic effect of 2-(3-chlorotetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-4-tosyl-5-(perfluoropropyl)-1,2,3-triazole (G29) were determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. The influence of the compound on the infectivity of human adenovirus type 5 (HAdV-5) was carried out via the cytomorphology method. The influence of the compound on the cell cycle under a condition of adenovirus infection was studied using flow cytometric analysis of propidium iodide-stained cells. Results: It was found that G29 suppressed HAdV-5 reproduction by 50% in concentrations of 37 µg/mL. Furthermore, the compound reduced the titer of virus obtained de novo, and inhibited HAdV-5 inclusion bodies formation by 84⁻90%. The use of fluorinated compounds under the conditions of adenovirus infection decreased the number of apoptotic cells by 11% and the number of cells in S phase by 21⁻42% compared to the profile of infected cells. Conclusions: The fluorinated compound G29 showed moderate activity against HAdV-5 based on several mechanisms. It led to the normalization of the life cycle of cells infected with adenovirus to the level of non-infected cells and caused the obstruction of HAdV-5 reproduction, inducing the formation of non-infectious virus progeny.

Comb-Like Fluorophilic-Lipophilic-Hydrophilic Polymers for Nanocapsules as Ultrasound Contrast Agents.

Imaging the enhanced permeation and retention effect by ultrasound is hindered by the large size of commercial ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs). To obtain nanosized UCAs, triblock copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol)-polylactide-poly(1 H,1 H,2 H,2 H-heptadecafluorodecyl methacrylate) (PEG-PLA-PFMA) with distinct numbers of perfluorinated pendant chains (5, 10, or 20) are synthesized by a combination of ring-opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization. Nanocapsules (NCs) containing perfluorooctyl bromide (PFOB) intended as UCAs are obtained with a 2-fold increase in PFOB encapsulation efficiency in fluorinated NCs as compared with plain PEG-PLA NCs thanks to fluorous interactions. NC morphology is strongly influenced by the number of perfluorinated chains and the amount of polymer used for formulation, leading to peculiar capsules with several PFOB cores at high PEG-PLA-PFMA20 amount and single-cored NCs with a thinner shell at low fluorinated polymer amount, as confirmed by small-angle neutron scattering. Finally, fluorinated NCs yield higher in vitro ultrasound signal compared with PEG-PLA NCs, and no in vitro cytotoxicity is induced by fluorinated polymers and their degradation products. Our results highlight the benefit of adding comb-like fluorinated blocks in PEG-PLA polymers to modify the nanostructure and enhance the echogenicity of nanocapsules intended as UCAs.

New Type of Halogen Bond: Multivalent Halogen Interacting with π- and σ-Electrons.

MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ calculations were performed for complexes of BrF3 and BrF5 acting as Lewis acids through the bromine centre, with species playing a role of Lewis base: dihydrogen, acetylene, ethylene, and benzene. The molecular hydrogen donates electrons by its σ-bond, while in remaining moieties-in complexes of hydrocarbons; such an electron transfer follows from π-electrons. The complexes are linked by a kind of the halogen bond that is analyzed for the first time in this study, i.e., it is the link between the multivalent halogen and π or σ-electrons. The nature of such a halogen bond is discussed, as well as various dependencies and correlations are presented. Different approaches are applied here, the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules, Natural Bond Orbital method, the decomposition of the energy of interaction, the analysis of electrostatic potentials, etc.

Laser-Initiated Radical Trifluoromethylation of Peptides and Proteins: Application to Mass-Spectrometry-Based Protein Footprinting.

Described is a novel, laser-initiated radical trifluoromethylation for protein footprinting and its broad residue coverage. . CF3 reacts with 18 of the 20 common amino acids, including Gly, Ala, Ser, Thr, Asp, and Glu, which are relatively silent with regard to . OH. This new approach to footprinting is a bridge between trifluoromethylation in materials and medicinal chemistry and structural biology and biotechnology. Its application to a membrane protein and to myoglobin show that the approach is sensitive to protein conformational change and solvent accessibility.

Perfluoroaryl Azide Staudinger Reaction: A Fast and Bioorthogonal Reaction.

We report a fast Staudinger reaction between perfluoroaryl azides (PFAAs) and aryl phosphines, which occurs readily under ambient conditions. A rate constant as high as 18 m-1 s-1 was obtained between methyl 4-azido-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzoate and methyl 2-(diphenylphosphanyl)benzoate in CD3 CN/D2 O. Furthermore, the iminophosphorane product was stable toward hydrolysis and aza-phosphonium ylide reactions. This PFAA Staudinger reaction proved to be an excellent bioothorgonal reaction. PFAA-derivatized mannosamine and galactosamine were successfully transformed into cell-surface glycans and efficiently labeled with phosphine-derivatized fluorophore-conjugated bovine serum albumin.

Synthesis and Characterization of PEGylated and Fluorinated Chitosans: Application to the Synthesis of Targeted Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery.

To synthesize chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs), ionic gelation is a very attractive method. It relies on the spontaneous supramolecular assembly of cationic CS with anionic compounds, which leads to nanohydrogels. To extend ionic gelation to functionalized CS, the assessment of CS degree of substitution (DSCS) is a key step. In this paper, we have developed a hyphenated strategy for functionalized CS characterization, based upon 1H, DOSY and, when relevant, 1D diffusion-filtered 19F NMR spectroscopies. For that, we have synthesized two series of water-soluble CS via amidation of CS amino groups with mPEG2000-COOH or fluorinated synthons (TFB-COOH). The aforementioned NMR techniques helped to discriminate between ungrafted and grafted synthons and finally to determine DSCS. According to DSCS values, the selection of CS-mPEG2000 or CS-TFB copolymers can be made to obtain, in the presence of hyaluronic acid (HA) and tripolyphosphate (TPP), CS-mPEG2000-TPP/HA or CS-TFB-TPP/HA nanohydrogels suitable for drug delivery.

Aryl Fluorosulfate Trapped Staudinger Reduction.

A chemoselective Staudinger reduction/sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange cascade has been developed to join two chemical segments through an aryl sulfamate ester (RNH-SO2-OAr) linkage. Aryl fluorosulfate is exploited in this work as the first tetrahedral electrophilic trap for the in situ generated iminophosphorane. Ten examples using azide-containing compounds are presented.

Direct α-Arylation/Heteroarylation of 2-Trifluoroboratochromanones via Photoredox/Nickel Dual Catalysis.

Utilizing photoredox/nickel dual catalysis, diverse flavanones have been synthesized by coupling novel 2-trifluoroboratochromanone building blocks with aryl and heteroaryl bromide partners. The newly reported trifluoroboratochromanones can be easily accessed from the corresponding chromones on multigram scale. This represents a general route for accessing natural and unnatural flavanones that were previously formed through a synthetically more restrictive ring closure route from chalcone precursors.