The Role of Small Molecules Containing Fluorine Atoms in Medicine and Imaging Applications.

The fluorine atom possesses many intrinsic properties that can be beneficial when incorporated into small molecules. These properties include the atom's size, electronegativity, and ability to block metabolic oxidation sites. Substituents that feature fluorine and fluorine-containing groups are currently prevalent in drugs that lower cholesterol, relieve asthma, and treat anxiety disorders, as well as improve the chemical properties of various medications and imaging agents. The dye scaffolds (fluorescein/rhodamine, coumarin, BODIPY, carbocyanine, and squaraine dyes) reported will address the incorporation of the fluorine atom in the scaffold and the contribution it provides to its application as an imaging agent. It is also important to recognize radiolabeled fluorine atoms used for PET imaging in the early detection of diseases. This review will discuss the many benefits of incorporating fluorine atoms into small molecules and give examples of fluorinated molecules used in the pharmaceutical industry and imaging techniques.

New Diethyl Ammonium Salt of Thiobarbituric Acid Derivative: Synthesis, Molecular Structure Investigations and Docking Studies.

The synthesis of the new diethyl ammonium salt of diethylammonium(E)-5-(1,5-bis(4-fluorophenyl)-3-oxopent-4-en-1-yl)-1,3-diethyl-4,6-dioxo-2-thioxohexaydropyrimidin-5-ide 3 via a regioselective Michael addition of N,N-diethylthiobarbituric acid 1 to dienone 2 is described. In 3, the carboanion of the thiobarbituric moiety is stabilized by the strong intramolecular electron delocalization with the adjacent carbonyl groups and so the reaction proceeds without any cyclization. The molecular structure investigations of 3 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction as well as DFT computations. The theoretically calculated (DFT/B3LYP) geometry agrees well with the crystallographic data. The effect of fluorine replacement by chlorine atoms on the molecular structure aspects were investigated using DFT methods. Calculated electronic spectra showed a bathochromic shift of the π-π* transition when fluorine is replaced by chlorine. Charge decomposition analyses were performed to study possible interaction between the different fragments in the studied systems. Molecular docking simulations examining the inhibitory nature of the compound show an anti-diabetic activity with Pa (probability of activity) value of 0.229.

Substituent effects on exchange coupling: 5-Aryl-substituted semiquinones and their complexes with MnII and CuII.

A series of functionalized radical anion semiquinone (SQ-Ar) ligands and their MnII- and CuIIhydro-tris(3-cumenyl-5-methylpyrazolyl)borate (TpCum,MeMII) complexes were prepared and characterized. The semiquinone ligands have substituted phenyl rings (Ar = -C6H5NO2, -C6H5OMe, -C6H5-tert-Bu, etc.) attached to the SQ 5-position. Despite the "remoteness" of the phenyl ring substituents, the MII-SQ exchange parameters, J, were found to vary nearly 3-fold. Attempts to quantify the substituent effects on J are complicated by the fact that not all complexes could be structurally characterized. As such, substituent effects and phenyl-ring torsion angles could conspire to produce the observed variation in J values. Although there is no clear trend in the J values as a function of SQ substituent for the MnII complexes, for the CuII complexes, electron-withdrawing substituents on the phenyl ring have greater ferromagnetic J values than the CuII complexes of SQ ligands with electron-donating substituents. This trend suggests a FM contribution from MLCT excited states in the copper complexes.

Design, synthesis, and properties of conformationally fixed semiquinone monoradical species.

The design of novel, functionalized semiquinone (SQ) ligands which combine structural rigidity and electron-withdrawing, electron-donating, and electroneutral substituents enables investigation of multiple structure-property relationships and building blocks for new materials, including components of sensors, switches, and molecular spintronics. Along these lines, we report the synthesis of several new SQ ligands containing fused heterocyclic ring systems. Using both electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, we show how spin density is affected by the fused ring system substituents.