One-Pot Generation of Benzynes from Phenols: Formation of Primary Anilines by the Deoxyamination of Phenols.

Benzynes were selectively generated in situ from phenols and trapped regioselectively with potassium hexamethyldisilazide to form primary anilines following acidic workup. The direct conversion of a phenolic hydroxyl group into a free amino group is a useful method for the preparation of primary aryl amines that are hard to synthesize by using coupling reactions involving phenol derivatives with ammonia. Whereas reactions of ortho- and meta-substituted phenols produced meta-substituted anilines exclusively, those of para-substituted phenols provided ortho-silylanilines.

Correlation of indoleamine-2,3-dioxigenase 1 inhibitory activity of 4,6-disubstituted indazole derivatives and their heme binding affinity.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is a heme-containing enzyme that acts on the first and rate-limiting step of the tryptophan/kynurenine pathway. Since the pathway is one of the means of cancer immune evasion, IDO1 inhibitors have drawn interest as potential therapeutics for cancers. We found a 4,6-disubstituted indazole 1 as a hit compound that showed both IDO1 inhibitory activity and binding affinity for IDO1 heme. Structural modification of 1 yielded compound 6, whose relatively large substituent at the 4-position and proper size substituent at the 6-position were found to be important for the enhancement of IDO1 inhibitory activity and heme affinity. A series of compounds synthesized in this work were evaluated by in silico docking simulations and by in vitro experiments using a C129Y mutant of the pocket-A of IDO1. Our results revealed that proper substituents at the 6- and 4-positions of the compounds interact with pockets A and B, respectively, and that, in particular, a good fit in pocket-A is important for the compounds' biological activities. Absorption spectral analysis of these compounds showed that they strongly bound to the ferrous heme rather than its ferric heme. Furthermore, we observed that the heme affinities of these compounds strongly correlate with their IDO1 inhibitory activities.

Microflow Fluorinations of Benzynes: Efficient Synthesis of Fluoroaromatic Compounds.

Fluorinated aromatic compounds are found in a variety of biologically active compounds, including clinical drugs and agrochemicals. Therefore, the synthesis of aryl fluorides is particularly important in the medicinal and process chemistry fields. In this paper, we report a method for the synthesis of aryl fluorides by benzyne fluorination under microflow conditions using the efficient Comet X-01 micromixer. In comparison to our previously reported method under ordinary batch conditions, this approach facilitates a significant reduction in reaction times, to ca. 10 s, as well as increases in the yields of fluoroarenes (by up to 51%).

2-(Trimethylsilyl)phenyl Trimethylsilyl Ethers as Stable and Readily Accessible Benzyne Precursors.

Stable 2-(trimethylsilyl)phenyl trimethylsilyl ethers, readily obtained from the corresponding halogenated phenols in two steps, were identified as novel benzyne precursors. These species were converted to benzynes by a domino reaction of O-desilylation, O-nonaflylation, and ß-elimination under mild conditions using nonafluorobutanesulfonyl fluoride (NfF) and tetrabutylammonium triphenyldifluorosilicate (TBAT). The generated benzynes were trapped by various arynophiles to afford a wide variety of benzo-fused heterocycles.

1,3- and 1,4-Benzdiyne equivalents for regioselective synthesis of polycyclic heterocycles.

We have devised a novel 1,3-benzdiyne equivalent, capable of quadruple functionalization by sequential benzyne generation and reaction with arynophiles. The key features of this method include the chemoselective generation of two triple bonds in a single benzene ring under fluoride-mediated mild conditions, and the regiocontrol of each benzyne reaction by the substituent next to the triple bond. This method produced various benzo-fused heteroaromatic compounds via reactions with arynophiles, such as furans, azides, and diazo compounds. A validation of the method is given in the convergent synthesis of the antipsychotic drug risperidone. A similar strategy has also been applied to a 1,4-benzdiyne equivalent to construct linearly benzo-fused heteroaromatics.

Trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy-group-directed regioselective (3 + 2) cycloadditions of benzynes for the synthesis of functionalized benzo-fused heterocycles.

Highly regioselective (3 + 2) cycloadditions of (trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy)benzynes [(triflyloxy)benzynes] with 1,3-dipoles followed by cross-coupling reactions provided multisubstituted benzo-fused heterocycles. The triflyloxy group at the 3-position of benzynes, and even that at the remote 4-position, greatly affected the regiocontrol of the cycloaddition. These groups also served to install other substituents at their ipso-positions.

ortho-Selective nucleophilic addition of amines to 3-borylbenzynes: synthesis of multisubstituted anilines by the triple role of the boryl group.

Nucleophilic addition of amines to 3-[(dan)boryl]benzynes (dan = 1,8-diaminonaphthalene) generated by a fluoride ion proceeded with high ortho-selectivity to give 2-borylaniline derivatives, under conditions that are tolerant to various functional groups. The (dan)boryl group of the adduct was hydrolyzed into a boronic acid under acidic conditions, which could further serve for various C-C, C-O, C-N, and C-H bond-formation reactions. The overall process provides a promising entry for preparing multisubstituted aniline derivatives.