Further studies on the application of vinylogous amides and ß-halovinylaldehydes to the regiospecific synthesis of unsymmetrical, polyfunctionalized 2,3,4- and 1,2,3,4- substituted pyrroles.

Highly functionalized pyrroles with appropriate regiochemical functionality represent an important class of marine natural products and potential drug candidates. We describe herein a detailed study of the reaction of α-aminoacid esters with vinylogous amides and also ß-halovinylaldehydes for the regiospecific synthesis of 2,3,4-trisubstituted and 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted pyrroles. Since the vinylogous amides and ß-halovinylaldehydes are readily available precursors, rapid access to a wide variety of unsymmetrically substituted pyrroles is accomplished via this methodology.

High-yielding continuous-flow synthesis of antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

Numerous synthetic methods for the continuous preparation of fine chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API's) have been reported in recent years resulting in a dramatic improvement in process efficiencies. Herein we report a highly efficient continuous synthesis of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Key improvements in the new process include the elimination of protecting groups with an overall yield improvement of 52% over the current commercial process. The continuous process employs a combination of packed bed reactors with continuous stirred tank reactors for the direct conversion of the starting materials to the product. This high-yielding, multigram-scale continuous synthesis provides an opportunity to achieve increase global access to hydroxychloroquine for treatment of malaria.

Structural and Substituent Group Effects on Multielectron Standard Reduction Potentials of Aromatic N-Heterocycles.

Aromatic N-heterocycles have been used in electrochemical CO2 reduction, but their precise role is not yet fully understood. We used first-principles quantum chemistry to determine how the molecular sizes and substituent groups of these molecules affect their standard redox potentials involving various proton and electron transfers. We then use that data to generate molecular Pourbaix diagrams to find the electrochemical conditions at which the aromatic N-heterocycle molecules could participate in multiproton and electron shuttling in accordance with the Sabatier principle. While one-electron standard redox potentials for aromatic N-heterocycles can vary significantly with molecule size and the presence of substituent groups, the two-electron and two-proton standard redox potentials depend much less on structural modifications and substituent groups. This indicates that a wide variety of aromatic N-heterocycles can participate in proton, electron, and/or hydride shuttling under suitable electrochemical conditions.

The Application of Vinylogous Iminium Salt Derivatives and Microwave Accelerated Vilsmeier-Haack Reactions to Efficient Relay Syntheses of the Polycitone and Storniamide Natural Products.

Studies directed at the synthesis of polycitone and storniamide natural products via vinylogous iminium salts and microwave accelerated Vilsmeier-Haack formylations are described. The successful strategy relies on the formation of a 2,4-disubstituted pyrrole or a 2,3,4-trisubstituted pyrrole from a vinamidinium salt or vinamidinium salt derivative followed by formylation at the 5-position of the pyrrole. Subsequent transformations of the selectively formylated pyrroles lead to efficient and regiocontrolled relay syntheses of the respective pyrrole containing natural products.

Molded, high surface area polymer electrolyte membranes from cured liquid precursors.

Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) for fuel cells have been synthesized from easily processable, 100% curable, low molecular weight reactive liquid precursors that are photochemically cured into highly proton conductive solid membranes. The liquid precursors were directly cured into membranes of desired dimensions without the need for further processing steps such as melt extrusion or solvent casting. By employing chemical cross-linking, high proton conductivities can be achieved through the incorporation of significant levels of acidic groups without rendering the material water-soluble, which plagues commonly used non-cross-linked polymers. Fabrication of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) from these PEMs resulted in fuel cells that outperformed those based on commercial materials. Moreover, these liquid precursors enabled the formation of three-dimensional, patterned PEMs with high fidelity, micron-scale features by using soft lithographic/micromolding techniques. The patterned membranes provided a larger interfacial area between the membrane and catalyst layer than standard flat PEMs. MEAs composed of the patterned membranes demonstrated higher power densities over that of flat ones without an increase in the macroscopic area of the fuel cells. This can potentially miniaturize fuel cells and promote their application in portable devices.