Glyoxalase-based toolbox for the enantioselective synthesis of α-hydroxy carboxylic acids.

We report highly enantioselective synthesis of L-α-hydroxy carboxylic acids (L-αHCAs) via enzymatic intramolecular Cannizzaro reaction of (hetero)aryl glyoxals in the presence of glutathione-independent human glyoxalase DJ-1. Combined with the optimized synthesis of D-αHCAs using glyoxalases I and II, this approach offers a general, scalable and operationally simple access to both enantiomers of α-hydroxy acids in moderate to excellent yields with uniformly high enantioselectivity.

Substrate-Controlled Three-Component Synthesis of Diverse Fused Heterocycles.

A chemoselective strategy toward a variety of fused heterocyclic scaffolds relying on a three-component condensation of heterocyclic ketene aminals (HKAs) or corresponding thioaminals with aryl glyoxals and cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds has been developed and explored. Depending on the applied combination of substrates, the strategy can be tuned to provide straightforward access to imidazo[1,2-a]quinoline, pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazole, and pyrrolo[2,1-b]thiazole frameworks.

Discovery and In Vivo Efficacy of Trace Amine-Associated Receptor 1 (TAAR1) Agonist 4-(2-Aminoethyl)-N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)piperidine-1-carboxamide Hydrochloride (AP163) for the Treatment of Psychotic Disorders.

Starting from a screening hit, a set of analogs was synthesized based on a 4-(2-aminoethyl)piperidine core not associated previously with trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) modulation in the literature. Several structure-activity relationship generalizations have been drawn from the observed data, some of which were corroborated by molecular modeling against the crystal structure of TAAR1. The four most active compounds (EC50 for TAAR1 agonistic activity ranging from 0.033 to 0.112 µM) were nominated for evaluation in vivo. The dopamine transporter knockout (DAT-KO) rat model of dopamine-dependent hyperlocomotion was used to evaluate compounds' efficacy in vivo. Out of four compounds, only one compound (AP163) displayed a statistically significant and dose-dependent reduction in hyperlocomotion in DAT-KO rats. As such, compound AP163 represents a viable lead for further preclinical characterization as a potential novel treatment option for disorders associated with increased dopaminergic function, such as schizophrenia.

Multicomponent Assembly of Trisubstituted Imidazoles and Their Photochemical Cyclization into Fused Polyheterocyclic Scaffolds.

A straightforward route to a large and diverse library of trisubstituted imidazoles was established via a three-component reaction of 2-oxoaldehydes, 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, and acyclic nitrogen bis-nucleophiles. The obtained products were subsequently explored in a photochemical cyclization yielding a variety of imidazole-fused polycyclic compounds.

Controlling the stereochemistry in 2-oxo-aldehyde-derived Ugi adducts through the cinchona alkaloid-promoted electrophilic fluorination.

In this report, we introduce a new strategy for controlling the stereochemistry in Ugi adducts. Instead of controlling stereochemistry directly during the Ugi reaction we have attempted to stereodefine the chiral center at the peptidyl position through the post-Ugi functionalization. In order to achieve this, we chose to study 2-oxo-aldehyde-derived Ugi adducts many of which partially or fully exist in the enol form that lacks the aforementioned chiral center. This in turn led to their increased nucleophilicity as compared to the standard Ugi adducts. As such, the stereocenter at the peptidyl position could be installed and stereodefined through the reaction with a suitable electrophile. Towards this end, we were able to deploy an asymmetric cinchona alkaloid-promoted electrophilic fluorination producing enantioenriched post-Ugi adducts fluorinated at the peptidyl position.

Nickel-Catalyzed Chain-Walking Cross-Electrophile Coupling of Alkyl and Aryl Halides and Olefin Hydroarylation Enabled by Electrochemical Reduction.

The first electrochemical approach for nickel-catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling was developed. This method provides a novel route to 1,1-diarylalkane derivatives from simple and readily available alkyl and aryl halides in good yields and excellent regioselectivity under mild conditions. The procedure shows good tolerance for a broad variety of functional groups and both primary and secondary alkyl halides can be used. Furthermore, the reaction was successfully scaled up to the multigram scale, thus indicating potential for industrial application. Mechanistic investigation suggested the formation of a nickel hydride in the electroreductive chain-walking arylation, which led to the development of a new nickel-catalyzed hydroarylation of styrenes to provide a series of 1,1-diaryl alkanes in good yields under mild reaction conditions.

Three-component reaction of azulene, aryl glyoxal and 1,3-dicarbonyl compound for the synthesis of various azulene derivatives.

A three-component reaction of an azulene, an aryl glyoxal and a 1,3-dicarbonyl compound has been elaborated to access a series of azulene derivatives. Some of these azulene-containing adducts were further subjected to post-MCR transformations to assemble azulene-heterocycle conjugates.

Reactions of secondary propargylamines with heteroallenes for the synthesis of diverse heterocycles.

This focused review aims to summarize recent developments in the processes involving additions of secondary propargylamines to various heteroallenes and subsequent transition metal-catalyzed or electrophile-mediated cyclizations. The utility of this convenient and tunable strategy spans from the carbon dioxide fixation and target-oriented synthesis of complex natural and biologically active products to the generation of extended synthetic libraries of diverse oxygen-, nitrogen- and sulfur-containing heterocycles. For comparative purposes, the analogous transformations of propargylic alcohols are also highlighted in this account.

Heck-Suzuki Tandem Reaction for the Synthesis of 3-Benzazepines.

A novel procedure for the Heck-Suzuki tandem reaction suitable for the construction of nitrogen-containing medium rings was developed to provide access toward the 3-benzazepine framework.

Three-component reaction of a 2-aminoazine, a 2-oxoaldehyde, and a cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compound for the synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]azine derivatives.

A three-component reaction of a 2-aminoazine, a 2-oxoaldehyde, and a cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compound providing access toward a novel class of imidazo[1,2-a]azine derivatives was developed and studied. The scope of the process was thoroughly explored under three different reaction conditions resulting in the generation of a small library of title compounds and highlighting the possibility of case-specific approach.

Unexpected regio- and chemoselectivity of cationic gold-catalyzed cycloisomerizations of propargylureas: access to tetrasubstituted 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones.

Cationic gold-catalyzed cycloisomerizations of propargylureas, derived in situ from secondary propargylamines and aryl or alkyl isocyanates, have been studied. The reaction outcome was found to be different from what was previously observed for the tosyl isocyanate-derived ureas in terms of both regio- and chemoselectivity. As a result, the current protocol offers efficient access to the 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one core through the 6-endo-dig N-cyclization.