Cobalt-Catalyzed Carbon-Heteroatom Transfer Enables Regioselective Tricomponent 1,4-Carboamination.

Tricomponent cobalt(salen)-catalyzed carbofunctionalization of unsaturated substrates by radical-polar crossover has the potential to streamline access to broad classes of heteroatom-functionalized synthetic targets, yet the reaction platform has remained elusive, despite the well-developed analogous hydrofunctionalizations mediated by high-valent alkylcobalt intermediates. We report herein the development of a cobalt(salen) catalytic system that enables carbofunctionalization. The reaction entails a tricomponent decarboxylative 1,4-carboamination of dienes and provides a direct route to aromatic allylic amines by obviating preformed allylation reagents and protection of oxidation-sensitive aromatic amines. The catalytic system merges acridine photocatalysis with cobalt(salen)-catalyzed regioselective 1,4-carbofunctionalization that facilitates the crossover of the radical and polar phases of the tricomponent coupling process, revealing critical roles of the reactants, as well as ligand effects and the nature of the formal high-valent alkylcobalt species on the chemo- and regioselectivity.

Photoinduced C(sp3)-H sulfination empowers the direct and chemoselective introduction of the sulfonyl group.

Direct installation of the sulfinate group by the functionalization of unreactive aliphatic C-H bonds can provide access to most classes of organosulfur compounds, because of the central position of sulfinates as sulfonyl group linchpins. Despite the importance of the sulfonyl group in synthesis, medicine, and materials science, a direct C(sp3)-H sulfination reaction that can convert abundant aliphatic C-H bonds to sulfinates has remained elusive, due to the reactivity of sulfinates that are incompatible with typical oxidation-driven C-H functionalization approaches. We report herein a photoinduced C(sp3)-H sulfination reaction that is mediated by sodium metabisulfite and enables access to a variety of sulfinates. The reaction proceeds with high chemoselectivity and moderate to good regioselectivity, affording only monosulfination products and can be used for a solvent-controlled regiodivergent distal C(sp3)-H functionalization.

Visible Light-Induced Borylation of C-O, C-N, and C-X Bonds.

Boronic acids are centrally important functional motifs and synthetic precursors. Visible light-induced borylation may provide access to structurally diverse boronates, but a broadly efficient photocatalytic borylation method that can effect borylation of a wide range of substrates, including strong C-O bonds, remains elusive. Herein, we report a general, metal-free visible light-induced photocatalytic borylation platform that enables borylation of electron-rich derivatives of phenols and anilines, chloroarenes, as well as other haloarenes. The reaction exhibits excellent functional group tolerance, as demonstrated by the borylation of a range of structurally complex substrates. Remarkably, the reaction is catalyzed by phenothiazine, a simple organic photocatalyst with MW < 200 that mediates the previously unachievable visible light-induced single electron reduction of phenol derivatives with reduction potentials as negative as approximately - 3 V versus SCE by a proton-coupled electron transfer mechanism. Mechanistic studies point to the crucial role of the photocatalyst-base interaction.

Deoxygenative α-alkylation and α-arylation of 1,2-dicarbonyls.

Construction of C-C bonds at the α-carbon is a challenging but synthetically indispensable approach to α-branched carbonyl motifs that are widely represented among drugs, natural products, and synthetic intermediates. Here, we describe a simple approach to generation of boron enolates in the absence of strong bases that allows for introduction of both α-alkyl and α-aryl groups in a reaction of readily accessible 1,2-dicarbonyls and organoboranes. Obviation of unselective, strongly basic and nucleophilic reagents permits carrying out the reaction in the presence of electrophiles that intercept the intermediate boron enolates, resulting in two new α-C-C bonds in a tricomponent process.

Bond Memory in Dynamically Determined Stereoselectivity.

The carboborative ring contraction of cyclohexenes exhibits an abnormal selectivity pattern in which a formally concerted double migration gives rise to predominant but not exclusive inversion products. In dynamic trajectories, the inversion and retention products are formed from the same transition state, and the trajectories accurately account for the experimental product ratios. The unusual origin of the selectivity is the dynamically retained non-equivalence of newly formed versus pre-existing bonds after the first bond migration.

Organoboron chemistry comes to light: recent advances in photoinduced synthetic approaches to organoboron compounds.

Photoinduced synthetic approaches to organoboron compounds have attracted significant attention in the recent years. Photochemical activation of organic molecules enables generation of reactive intermediates from a variety of precursors, resulting in borylation methods with improved and broader substrate scopes. The review summarizes recent developments in the area of photoinduced reactions of organoboron compounds with an emphasis on borylation of haloarenes, amine derivatives, and redox-active esters of carboxylic acids, as well as photoinduced rearrangements of organoboron compounds and photoinduced synthesis of organoboron compounds from alkenes and alkynes.

Alkene Synthesis by Photocatalytic Chemoenzymatically Compatible Dehydrodecarboxylation of Carboxylic Acids and Biomass.

Direct conversion of renewable biomass and bioderived chemicals to valuable synthetic intermediates for organic synthesis and materials science applications by means of mild and chemoselective catalytic methods has largely remained elusive. Development of artificial catalytic systems that are compatible with enzymatic reactions provides a synergistic solution to this enduring challenge by leveraging previously unachievable reactivity and selectivity modes. We report herein a dual catalytic dehydrodecarboxylation reaction that is enabled by a crossover of the photoinduced acridine-catalyzed O-H hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and cobaloxime-catalyzed C-H-HAT processes. The reaction produces a variety of alkenes from readily available carboxylic acids. The reaction can be embedded in a scalable triple-catalytic cooperative chemoenzymatic lipase-acridine-cobaloxime process that allows for direct conversion of plant oils and biomass to long-chain terminal alkenes, precursors to bioderived polymers.

Gold(I)-Initiated Cycloisomerization/Diels-Alder/Retro-Diels-Alder Cascade Strategy to Biaryls.

A unique approach to biaryls was developed on the basis of propargyl vinyl ethers and dienophiles substrates via a gold(I)-initiated cycloisomerization/Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder cascade reaction. The scope and mechanism of the reaction were investigated on the basis of a series of synthetic substrates, control experiments, and DFT calculations.

Photoinduced Carboborative Ring Contraction Enables Regio- and Stereoselective Synthesis of Multiply Substituted Five-Membered Carbocycles and Heterocycles.

We report herein a photoinduced carboborative ring contraction of monounsaturated six-membered carbocycles and heterocycles. The reaction produces substituted five-membered ring systems stereoselectively and on preparative scales. The products feature multiple stereocenters, including contiguous quaternary carbons. We show that the reaction can serve as a synthetic platform for ring system alteration of natural products. The reaction can also be used in natural product synthesis. A concise total synthesis of artalbic acid has been enabled by a sequence of photoinduced carboborative ring contraction, Rauhut-Currier reaction, and nitrilase-catalyzed hydrolysis. The synthetic utility of the reaction has been further demonstrated by converting the intermediate organoboranes to alcohols, amines, and alkenes.

A Au(i)-catalyzed hydrogen bond-directed tandem strategy to synthesize indeno-chromen-4-one and indeno-quinolin-4-one derivatives.

A gold-catalyzed hydrogen bond-directed tandem cyclization strategy to synthesize indeno-chromen-4-one and indeno-quinolin-4-one derivatives has been developed. The hydrogen bond existing between the hydroxyl group (or the amide group) and the carbonyl group played an essential role in controlling the selectivity, which was confirmed by both experimental and theoretical evidence.

A gold(i)-catalyzed substituent-controlled cycloisomerization of propargyl vinyl ethers to multi-substituted furofuran and furopyran derivatives.

A gold(i)-catalyzed substituent-controlled strategy for the stereoselective synthesis of bicyclic furan and pyran derivatives has been developed. The mechanisms of the reactions have been studied thoroughly by deuterium labelling experiments. The applications of the methodologies were demonstrated by evaluating the preliminary anti-fungal activity of the synthetic compounds.

Gold(I)-Catalyzed Angle Strain Controlled Strategy to Furopyran Derivatives from Propargyl Vinyl Ethers: Insight into the Regioselectivity of Cycloisomerization.

A unique strategy for the regiospecific synthesis of bicyclic furopyran derivatives has been developed via a gold(I)-catalyzed propargyl-Claisen rearrangement/6-endo-trig cyclization of propargyl vinyl ethers. The introduction of angle strain into the substrates significantly altered the reaction's regioselectivity. Insight into the regioselectivity of the cycloisomerization was obtained with density functional theory calculations.

Computational insight into p21-activated kinase 4 inhibition: a combined ligand- and structure-based approach.

p21-Activated kinase 4 (PAK4) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that plays important roles in a wide variety of human diseases including cancer. Targeting this kinase with specific inhibitors is of great interest in the treatment of cancer. In this study, PAK4 and its interaction with ATP-competitive inhibitors was investigated by a combined ligand- and structure-based approach. First, a ligand-based pharmacophore model was generated, consisting of five chemical features: a positive ionizable center, two hydrophobic groups, a hydrogen bond donor, and a hydrogen bond acceptor, which is consistent with available SAR information. The characteristics of the active site were then described as a topological region and used in docking of nine selected inhibitors. Combination of the pharmacophore model and results from the docking studies allowed us to weigh the various pharmacophore features and to identify the positive ionizable center as a spacer rather than an essential point. This research led to the proposal of an interaction model inside the PAK4 active site and provided guidance for the design of more potent PAK4 inhibitors.

2-(2-Methylfuran-3-carboxamido)-3-phenylpropanoic acid, a potential CYP26A1 inhibitor to enhance all-trans retinoic acid-induced leukemia cell differentiation based on virtual screening and biological evaluation.

To develop new CYP26A1 inhibitors, a three-cycle virtual screening was carried out based on the constructed homology model of human CYP26A1 using Dock, Fred, Gold and AutoDock. Twenty-two compounds exhibited high scores and reasonable binding modes in molecular docking were purchased from Specs Company. Eighteen compounds were tested their abilities to enhance ATRA-induced differentiation in human acute promyelocytic leukemia NB4 cells. Eight of them enhanced the ability of ATRA to induce differentiation at concentrations of 0.5 and 1 µM. Among these compounds, 2-(2-methylfuran-3-carboxamido)-3-phenylpropanoic acid (S8) is of most effective in blocking ATRA breaking down in NB4 cells based on the LC-MS/MS assay.