2,5-Diketopiperazines via Intramolecular N-Alkylation of Ugi Adducts: A Contribution to the Synthesis, Density Functional Theory Study, X-ray Characterization, and Potential Herbicide Application.

To investigate the herbicidal potential of 2,5-diketopiperazines (2,5-DKPs), we applied a known protocol to produce a series of 2,5-DKPs through intramolecular N-alkylation of Ugi adducts. However, the method was not successful for the cyclization of adducts presenting aromatic rings with some substituents at the ortho position. Results from DFT calculations showed that the presence of voluminous groups at the ortho position of a benzene ring results in destabilization of the transition structure. Lower activation enthalpies for the SN2-type cyclization of Ugi adducts were obtained when bromine, instead of a chlorine anion, is the leaving group, indicating that the activation enthalpy for the cyclization step controls the formation of the 2,5-DKP. Some Ugi adducts and 2,5-DKPs formed crystals with suitable qualities for single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collection. Phytotoxic damage of some 2,5-DKPs on leaves of the weed Euphorbia heterophylla did not differ from those caused by the commercial herbicide diquat.

Hetero-Diels-Alder Reactions of Quinone Methides: The Origin of the α-Regioselectivity of 3-Methylene-1,2,4-naphthotriones.

The regioselective formation of α- and ß-lapachone via hetero-Diels-Alder reactions was investigated by experimental and computational approaches. The experimentally observed α-selectivity was explored in detail, revealing that the lower energy barrier for the formation of α-lapachone is a result of lower Pauli repulsion throughout the reaction path, when compared to the ß-isomer. By comparing equivalent points on both α- and ß-lapachone potential energy surfaces (PES), according to the activation strain model (ASM) and energy decomposition analysis (EDA), we were able to demonstrate that the Pauli repulsion term increases more significantly when going from reactants to TSß than to TSα, resulting in lower interaction energy in the early stages of the reaction path and in a later transition state for ß-lapachone. Moreover, we confirmed that regio- and diastereoselectivity trends previously reported for other quinone methide intermediates are also observed for 3-methylene-1,2,4-naphthotriones, such as small endo/exo diastereoselectivity, as well as pronounced ortho/meta regioselectivity for reactions performed with dienophile containing electron-releasing groups. The results presented here provide a deeper understanding of the reactivity of quinone methide derivatives, aiding the future rational design of the reaction condition, structural modification of possible quinone methide intermediates, and the development of more selective synthetic routes for quinone derivatives.

Study on the regioselectivity of the N-ethylation reaction of N-benzyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide.

4-Oxoquinolines are a class of organic substances of great importance in medicinal chemistry, due to their biological and synthetic versatility. N-1-Alkylated-4-oxoquinoline derivatives have been associated with different pharmacological activities such as antibacterial and antiviral. The presence of a carboxamide unit connected to carbon C-3 of the 4-oxoquinoline core has been associated with various biological activities. Experimentally, the N-ethylation reaction of N-benzyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide occurs at the nitrogen of the oxoquinoline group, in a regiosselective way. In this work, we employed DFT methods to investigate the regiosselective ethylation reaction of N-benzyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide, evaluating its acid/base behavior and possible reaction paths.

Adsorption of CO2 on amine-functionalised MCM-41: experimental and theoretical studies.

Adsorption of CO2 on MCM-41 functionalised with [3-(2-aminoethylamino)propyl]trimethoxysilane (MCM-41-N2), N(1)-(3-trimethoxysilylpropyl)diethylenetriamine (MCM-41-N3), 4-aminopyridine (MCM-41-aminopyridine), 4-(methylamino)pyridine (MCM-41-methylaminopyridine) and 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (MCM-41-guanidine) was investigated. The amine-functionalised materials were characterised by (29)Si and (13)C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. CO2 adsorption at 1.0 bar and 30 °C showed that the amount of CO2 (nads/mmol g(-1)) adsorbed on MCM-41-N2 and MCM-41-N3 is approximately twice the amount adsorbed on MCM-41. For MCM-41-aminopyridine, MCM-41-methylaminopyridine and MCM-41-guanidine, the CO2 adsorption capacity was smaller than that of MCM-41 at the same conditions. The proton affinity (computed with wB97x-D/6-311++G(d,p)) of the secondary amino groups is higher than that of the primary amino groups; however, the relative stabilities of the primary and secondary carbamates are similar. The differential heat of adsorption decreases as the number of secondary amino groups increases.

Synthesis, electrochemical studies and anticancer activity of ferrocenyl oxindoles.

A series of (E) and (Z)-ferrocenyl oxindoles were prepared by coupling substituted oxindoles to ferrocenylcarboxyaldehyde in the presence of morpholine as a catalyst. The redox behavior of these isomers was determined by cyclic voltammetry. The effects of the oxindole derivatives on the migration of human breast cancer cells were evaluated using the wound-healing assay and the Boyden chamber cell-migration assay. The most potent Z isomers 11b (IC(50) = 0.89 microM), 12b (IC(50) = 0.49 microM) and 17b (IC(50) = 0.64 microM) could represent attractive new lead compounds for further development for cancer therapy.

QSAR modeling of photosynthesis-inhibiting nostoclide derivatives.

BACKGROUND: A statistical model, built using the CODESSA software package, was developed to describe the relationship between the structure of nostoclide derivatives and their ability to interfere with the electron transport chain in the Hill reaction. RESULTS: A QSAR treatment was carried out on a series of compounds designed using the naturally occurring toxin nostoclides to correlate molecular descriptors with their in vitro biological activity (the ability to interfere with light-driven reduction of ferricyanide by isolated spinach chloroplast thylakoid membranes). The treatment using the CODESSA software package resulted in a three-parameter model with n = 19, R(2) = 0.83, F = 23.8 and R(2) (cv) = 0.72. In the proposed model, the Image of Onsager Kirkwood solvation energy, which gives a measure of the polarity of a given compound, is the most important descriptor. The model was internally validated. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained in this study indicate that polarity, as expressed by the dipole moment, is the most relevant molecular property determining efficiency of photosynthetic inhibitory activity.

Density functional theory study of the adsorption of formaldehyde on Pd4 and on Pd4/gamma-Al2O3 clusters.

B3LYP/LANL2DZ and B3LYP/6-31G(d)-restricted and -unrestricted calculations are employed to calculate energies and adsorption forms of formaldehyde adsorbed on planar and on tetrahedral Pd4 clusters and on a Pd4 cluster supported on Al10O15. Formaldehyde adsorbs on planar Pd4 in the eta(2)(C,O)-di-sigma adsorption mode, while on tetrahedral Pd4, it adsorbs in the eta(2)(C,O)-pi adsorption mode. The adsorption energy on planar Pd4 is -21.4 kcal x mol(-1), whereas for the tetrahedral Pd4 cluster, the adsorption energy is -13.2 kcal x mol(-1). The latter value is close to experimental findings (-12 to -14 kcal x mol(-1)). Adsorption of formaldehyde on Pd4 supported on an Al10O15 cluster leads essentially to the same result as that found for adsorption on the tetrahedral Pd4 cluster. Charge density analysis for the interaction between formaldehyde and the Pd4 clusters indicates strong backdonation in the eta(2) adsorption mode, leading to positive charge on the Pd4 cluster. NBO analysis shows that the highly coordinated octahedral aluminum atoms of Al10O15 donate electron density to the supported Pd4 cluster, while tetrahedral aluminum atoms with lower coordination number have acidic nature and therefore act as electron acceptors.

Electrophilic aromatic nitration: understanding its mechanism and substituent effects.

Theoretical calculations and gas-phase mass spectrometric studies were performed for the reaction of the naked (NO2+) and monosolvated (CH3NO2.NO2+) nitronium ion with several monosubstituted aromatic compounds. From these studies, we propose a general model for regioselectivity based on the single-electron transfer (SET) mechanism and an alternative mechanistic scheme for electrophilic aromatic nitration. This scheme considers the SET and the polar (Ingold-Hughes) mechanisms as extremes in a continuum pathway, the occurrence and extents of both mechanisms being governed mainly by the ability, or lack of ability, of the aromatic compound to transfer an electron to NO2+.