Synthesis and SAR of tolylamine 5-HT6 antagonists.

The synthesis and SAR of tolylamines with 5-HT(6) receptor antagonist activity is presented. The amine, core aromatic, peripheral aromatic, and ether linker moieties of HTS hit 1 were modulated and the effect on potency at 5-HT(6) examined. Tolylpiperidine ether 9h was found to possess desirable pharmacokinetic (PK) properties, and was also shown to enhance cognition in the rat novel object recognition paradigm.

An ab initio and density functional theory study of the structure and bonding of sulfur ylides.

Sulfur ylides are useful synthetic intermediates that are formed from the interaction between singlet carbenes and sulfur-containing molecules. Partial double-bond character frequently has been proposed as a key contributor to the stability of sulfur ylides. Calculations at the B3LYP, MP2, and CCSD(T) levels of theory employing various basis sets have been performed on the sulfur ylides H(2)S-CH(2) and (CH(3))(2)S-CH(2) in order to investigate the structure and bonding of these systems. The following general properties of sulfur ylides were observed from the computational studies: C-S bond distances that are close in length to that of a typical C-S double bond, high charge transfer from the sulfide to the carbene, and large torsional rotation barriers. Analysis of the sulfur ylide charge distribution indicates that the unusually short C-S bond distance can be attributed in part to the electrostatic attraction between highly oppositely charged carbon and sulfur atoms. Furthermore, n --> sigma* stabilization arising from donation of electron density from the carbon lone pair orbital into S-H or S-C antibonding orbitals leads to larger than expected torsional barriers. Finally, natural resonance theory analysis indicates that the bond order of the sulfur ylides H(2)S-CH(2) and (CH(3))(2)S-CH(2) is 1.4-1.5, intermediate between a single and double bond.

Novel cyclopropyl beta-amino acid analogues of pregabalin and gabapentin that target the alpha2-delta protein.

As part of a program aimed at generating compounds with affinity for the alpha(2)-delta subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels, several novel beta-amino acids were prepared using an efficient nitroalkane-mediated cyclopropanation as a key step. Depending on the ester that was chosen, the target amino acids could be prepared in as few as three steps. The cyclopropyl amino acids derived from ketones proved to be potent binders of the alpha(2)-delta subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels, but did not interact with the large neutral amino acid system L (leucine) transporter. Anticonvulsant effects were observed in vivo with compound 34 but only after intracerebroventricular (icv) administration, presumably due to inadequate brain concentrations of the drug being achieved following oral dosing. However, pregabalin 1 was active in the DBA/2 model after oral (and icv) dosing, supporting a hypothesis that active transport is a prerequisite for such zwitterionic species to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Synthesis, spectroscopy, and reactivity of meso-unsubstituted azuliporphyrins and their heteroanalogues. Oxidative ring contractions to carba-, oxacarba-, thiacarba-, and selenacarbaporphyrins.

This paper reports the first detailed study on meso-unsubstituted azuliporphyrins, an important family of porphyrin-like molecules where one of the usual pyrrole rings has been replaced by an azulene subunit. Although the azulene moiety introduces an element of cross-conjugation, zwitterionic resonance contributors with tropylium and carbaporphyrin substructures give azuliporphyrins diatropic character that falls midway between true carbaporphyrins and nonaromatic benziporphyrins. Protonation affords an aromatic dication where this type of resonance interaction is favored due to the associated charge delocalization. Two different "3 + 1" syntheses of meso-unsubstituted azuliporphyrins have been developed. Acid-catalyzed reaction of readily available tripyrrane dicarboxylic acids with 1,3-azulenedicarbaldehyde, followed by oxidation with DDQ or FeCl(3), affords good yields of azuliporphyrins. Alternatively, azulene reacted with acetoxymethylpyrroles (2 equiv) in refluxing acetic acid/2-propanol to give tripyrrane analogues, and following a deprotection step, condensation with a pyrrole dialdehyde in TFA-CH(2)Cl(2) gave the azuliporphyrin system. The latter approach was also used to prepare 23-thia- and 23-selenaazuliporphyrins. However, reaction of the azulitripyrrane with 2,5-furandicarbaldehyde produced a mixture of three oxacarbaporphyrins in moderate yield. The free base forms of thia- and selenaazuliporphyrins both showed intermediary aromatic character that was considerably enhanced upon protonation. The UV-vis spectra for azuliporphyrins and their heteroanalogues showed four bands between 350 and 500 nm and broad absorptions at higher wavelengths. Addition of TFA gave dications that showed porphyrin-like spectra with Soret bands between 460 and 500 nm. In the presence of pyrrolidine, azuliporphyrins and their heteroanalogues undergo nucleophilic attack on the seven-membered ring to give carbaporphyrin adducts. These systems also undergo oxidative rearrangements under basic conditions with t-BuOOH to give benzocarbaporphyrins. The selenaazuliporphyrin afforded two benzoselenacarbaporphyrins, a previously unknown core-modified carbaporphyrin system. The proton NMR spectra for these compounds showed strong diatropic ring currents with the internal CH resonance upfield above -5 ppm, while the meso-protons resonated downfield near 10 ppm. The UV-vis spectra were also porphyrin-like and gave strong Soret bands at ca. 440 nm.

Organometallic chemistry of azuliporphyrins: synthesis, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and structural characterization of nickel(II), palladium(II), and platinum(II) complexes of azuliporphyrins.

Four azuliporphyrins, two meso-unsubstituted and two meso-tetraaryl substituted, were investigated in the synthesis of novel organometallic compounds. The meso-unsubstituted or "etio" series azuliporphyrins 8 reacted with nickel(II) acetate, palladium(II) acetate, and platinum(II) chloride in DMF to give the corresponding chelates 14-16, where the metal cation lies within the macrocyclic cavity and binds to all three nitrogens and the internal carbon atom. The newly available meso-tetraarylazuliporphyrins 13 similarly afforded the corresponding nickel(II), palladium(II), and platinum(II) complexes, 17-19, respectively. The new organometallic complexes are stable nonpolar compounds and were fully characterized spectroscopically and by mass spectrometry. The UV-vis data indicate that these complexes, in common with the parent azuliporphyrin system 8, do not possess porphyrin-type aromaticity. However, electron donation from the azulene unit can give rise to dipolar resonance contributors that provide a degree of carbaporphyrin-type aromatic character. The platinum(II) azuliporphyrins 16 gave noteworthy proton NMR spectra where the meso-protons showed satellite peaks due to transannular coupling to platinum-195. The pyrrolic protons of the platinum(II) meso-tetraarylazuliporphyrin 19b also showed similar satellite peaks due to coupling from the platinum-195 isotope. The electrochemistry of free base tetraphenylazuliporphyrin 13a and the related nickel(II) and palladium(II) complexes was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, and these data indicate that metal coordination improves the reversibility of the ligand-based oxidations. Nickel(II) azuliporphyrin 14a and palladium(II) tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)azuliporphyrin 18b were also structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The macrocyclic core of the palladium(II) complex 18b was significantly more planar than the nickel(II) derivative 14b, and this difference was attributed to the better size match between the azuliporphyrin cavity and the larger palladium(II) ion. The straightforward synthesis of metalloazuliporphyrins under mild conditions, and their interesting spectroscopic, electrochemical, and structural features, demonstrates that the azuliporphyrin system holds great promise as a platform for organometallic chemistry.

Organometallic chemistry of carbaporphyrinoids: synthesis and characterization of nickel(II) and palladium(II) azuliporphyrins.

Brief treatment of azuliporphyrins 5 with nickel(II) or palladium(II) acetate in refluxing DMF afforded excellent yields of the related chelates; these novel organometallic compounds retain cross-conjugated borderline aromatic structures as judged by UV-Vis and NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.