Glycosylation of sialyl acetates with a novel catalyst combination: bismuth triflate and BF3.OEt2 system

A combined system of bismuth triflate [Bi(OTf)(3)] and boron trifluoride etherate (BF(3).OEt(2)) in dichloromethane is an efficient promoter for the glycosylation of N-acetylneuraminic acid derivatives. The co-existence of two acid catalysts such as Bi(OTf)(3)-BF(3).OEt(2) or Bi(OTf)(3)-PPA is confirmed to be essential for obtaining high yields of glycosylation products with p-nitrobenzyl alcohol, which also turned to be superior to those reported previously.     

A study of n-pentenylorthoesters having manno, gluco and galacto configurations in regioselective glycosylations

Kochetkov's extensive investigations of glycosyl orthoester and their analogs as glycosyl donors revealed that the alkyl derivatives were plagued by competition between the departing alcohol and the incoming acceptor. n-Pentenyl orthoesters (NPOEs) obviate competition by sequestering the departing pentenyl alcohol as a 2-halomethyl tetrahydrofuran. Exquisitely regioselective glycosidations of diol acceptors can be carried out with NPOEs triggered specifically with Yb(OTf)(3)/NIS. However with Sc(OTf)(3), double glycosidation is the major reaction. manno, gluco and galacto NPOEs have been investigated. The latter two, which require a different experimental procedure for the manno counterpart, also give an excellent regioselectivity with Yb(OTf)(3), but the yields are much lower than with manno.     

Electrochemical behaviour and reactivity of [Os(bpy)2(CO)(OTf)] in halogenated solvents

The dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) promoted reaction between [Os(bpy)₂(CO)(OTf)]OTf (where ) and methylene chloride is reported. C-Cl bond breaking of a solvent molecule leads to the formation of the [Os(bpy)₂(CO)(Cl)]OTf complex. The reactivity and redox properties of [Os(bpy)₂(CO)(OTf)]OTf were investigated by means of room- and low-temperature electrochemical experiments. In CH₂Cl₂, at low temperature, the complex undergoes two 1e electrochemical and chemical reversible reductions (E_rE_r mechanism), but at room temperature a more complex electrochemical mechanism is observed, leading to the electro-synthesis of [Os(bpy)₂(CO)(Cl)]OTf via electrochemical reversible and chemical irreversible reduction processes (E_rC_i mechanism). The DMAP nucleophilicity was used to produce the new [Os(bpy)₂(CO)(Br)]OTf and [Os(bpy)₂(CO)(I)]OTf complexes which have been fully characterized.     

Using In(III) as a promoter for glycosylation

InCl(3), InBr(3), and In(OTf)(3) were tested as promoters in the preparation of glycosides from trichloroacetimidate precursors. A range of protecting groups and of alcohol acceptors were used to determine the versatility of these promoters. Disaccharide formation was demonstrated. In most cases, the In(III) compounds were shown to promote glycosylation better than the widely used promoter BF(3)·OEt(2).     

Alkene rotation in [Ru(η-C5H5) (L2) (η-alkene][CF3SO3] with L2 = iPr- or pTol-diazabutadiene. X-ray crystal structure of [Ru(η-C5H5(pTol-DAB) (η-ethene][CF3SO3]

Reaction of RuCl(η⁵-C₅H₅(pTol-DAB) with AgOTf (OTf = CF₃SO₃) in CH₂Cl₂ or THF and subsequent addition of L′ (L′ = ethene (a), dimethyl fumarate (b), fumaronitrile (c) or CO (d) led to the ionic complexes [Ru(η⁵-C₅H₅)(pTol-DAB)(L′)][OTf] 2a, 2b and 2d and [Ru(η⁵-C₅H₅)(pTol-DAB)(fumarontrile-N)][OTf] 5c. With the use of resonance Raman spectroscopy, the intense absorption bands of the complexes have been assigned to MLCT transitions to the iPr-DAB ligand. The X-ray structure determination of [Ru(η⁵-C₅H₅)(pTol-DAB)(η²-ethene)][CF₃SO₃] (2a) has been carried out. Crystal data for 2a: monoclinic, space group P2₁/n with A = 10.840(1), b = 16.639(1), C = 14.463(2) Å, β = 109.6(1)°, V = 2465.6(5) ų, Z = 4. Complex 2a has a piano stool structure, with the Cp ring η⁵-bonded, the pTol-DAB ligand σN, σN′ bonded (Ru-N distances 2.052(4) and 2.055(4) Å), and the ethene η²-bonded to the ruthenium center (Ru-C distances 2.217(9) and 2.206(8) Å). The C = C bond of the ethene is almost coplanar with the plane of the Cp ring, and the angle between the plane of the Cp ring and the double of the ethene is 1.8(0.2)°. The reaction of [RuCl(η⁵-C₅H₅)(PPh)₃ with AgOTf and ligands L′ = a and d led to [Ru(η⁵-C₅H₅)(PPh₃)₂(L′)]OTf] (3a) and (3d), respectively. By variable temperature NMR spectroscopy the rottional barrier of ethene (a), dimethyl fumarate (b and fumaronitrile (c) in complexes [Ru(η⁵-C₅H₅)(L₂)(η²-alkene][OTf] with L₂ = iPr-DAB (a, 1b, 1c), pTol-DAB (2a, 2b) and L = PPh₃ (3a) was determined. For 1a, 1b and 2b the barrier is 41.5±0.5, 62±1 and 59±1 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The intermediate exchange could not be reached for 1c, and the ΔG^# was estimated to be at least 61 kJ mol⁻. For 2a and 3a the slow exchange could not be reached. The rotational barrier for 2a was estimated to be 40 kJ mol⁻. The rotational barier for methyl propiolate (HC≡CC(O)OCH₃) (k) in complex [Ru(η⁵-C₅H₅)(iPr-DAB) η²-HC≡CC(O)OCH₃)][OTf] (1k) is 45.3±0.2 kJ mol⁻¹. The collected data show that the barrier of rotational of the alkene in complexes 1a, 2a, 1b, 2b and 1c does not correlate with the strength of the metal-alkene interaction in the ground state.     

Convenient preparation of [CuX(PCy3)2](X = Br, I, SCN, N3) complexes. X-ray crystal structure of [Cu(N3)(PCy3)2] (Cy = cyclo-C6H11)

The labile cations [Cu(F-BF₃)(PCy₃)₂] and [Cu(OTf)(PCy₃)₂] are versatile precursors for the formation of [Cu(X)(PCy₃)₂] (X = Br, I, SCN, N₃) complexes by metathesis with NaX. The azide [Cu(N₃)(PCy₃)₂] is triclinic, space group , a = 9.755(4), B = 22.78(1), C = 9.284(6) Å, = 96.76(3), β = 115.36(3), γ = 94.20(5)°, Z = 2.     

Synthesis of S-linked glucosaminyl-4-thiohex-2-enopyranosides via allylic SN2' substitution of a tosylhexenose

The treatment of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-1,5-anhydro-D-arabino-hex-1-enitol with azidotrimethylsilane by the aid of a catalytic amount of Yb(OTf)(3) afforded 2,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2,3-dideoxy-alpha-D-erythro-hex-2-enopyranosyl azide in high yield.     

A facile Er(OTf)3-catalyzed synthesis of 2,3-unsaturated O- and S-glycosides

Er(OTf)(3) is a useful catalyst for the Ferrier rearrangement furnishing high yields of O- and S-glycosides. The transformation has wide applicability, cleaner reaction profiles, mild reaction conditions, and high stereoselectivity and the catalyst, which is also commercially available, can be recovered and reused.     

Reactivity studies of highly electrophilic ruthenium complexes

The 16-electron, coordinatively unsaturated, dicationic ruthenium complex [Ru(P(OH)₂(OMe))(dppe)₂][OTf]₂ (1a) brings about the heterolysis of the C-H bond in phenylacetylene to afford the phenylacetylide complex trans-[Ru(CCPh)(P(OH)₂(OMe))(dppe)₂][OTf] (2). The phenylacetylide complex undergoes hydrogenation to give a ruthenium hydride complex trans-[Ru(H)(P(OH)₂(OMe))(dppe)₂][OTf] (3) and phenylacetylene via the addition of H₂ across the Ru-C bond. The 16-electron complex also reacts with HSiCl₃ quite vigorously to yield a chloride complex trans-[Ru(Cl)(P(OH)₂(OMe))(dppe)₂][OTf] (4). On the other hand, the other coordinatively unsaturated ruthenium complex [Ru(P(OH)₃)(dppe)₂][OTf]₂ (1b) reacts with a base N-benzylideneaniline to afford a phosphonate complex [Ru(P(O)(OH)₂)(dppe)₂][OTf] (5) via the abstraction of one of the protons of the P(OH)₃ ligand by the base. The phenylacetylide, chloride, and the phosphonate complexes have been structurally characterized. The phosphonate complex reacts with H₂ to afford the corresponding dihydrogen complex trans-[Ru(η²-H₂)(P(O)(OH)₂)(dppe)₂][OTf] (5-H₂). The intact nature of the H-H bond in this species was established using variable temperature ¹H spin-lattice relaxation time measurements and the observation of a significant J(H,D) coupling in the HD isotopomer trans-[Ru(η²-HD)(P(O)(OH)₂)(dppe)₂][OTf] (5-HD).     

Preparation of dicationic palladium catalysts for asymmetric catalytic reactions

The synthesis of Pd(OTf)(2)·2H(2)O is described. This was used to generate two different types of chiral dicationic palladium complexes for highly enantioselective addition of aromatic amines to α, β-unsaturated conjugate alkenes ([(R-BINAP)Pd(OH(2))(2)][OTf](2) and [(R-BINAP)Pd(μ-OH)](2)[OTf](2)). The resulting optically active N-arylated β-amino acid derivatives are valuable synthetic intermediates for the synthesis of biologically active molecules and peptidomimetics. The reaction of (2E)-but-2-enoylcarbamate and aniline is shown as an example of the use of these catalysts for enantioselective aza-Michael addition. For the preparation of palladium(II) triflate, the time scale is 20 h 50 min, plus 5 h 15 min for the monomeric complex and plus 6 h 45 min for the dimeric complex.     

Synthetic study on the unique dimeric arylpiperazine: access to the minor contaminant of aripiprazole

The dimeric derivative of aripiprazole was synthesized via the two notable synthetic technologies as a key step: (1) efficient aldehyde bis-arylation by Bi(OTf)(3) and (2) facile Wynberg amination at room temperature. The synthesis has established the structural identity with the minor contaminant sometimes present in Aripiprazole.     

Dehydration of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural by rare earth metal trifluoromethanesulfonates in organic solvents

The catalytic dehydration of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) was investigated by using various rare earth metal trifluoromethanesulfonates, that is, Yb(OTf)₃, Sc(OTf)₃, Ho(OTf)₃, Sm(OTf)₃, Nd(OTf)₃ as catalysts in DMSO. It is found that the catalytic activity increases with decreasing ionic radius of rare earth metal cations. Among the examined catalysts, Sc(OTf)₃ exhibits the highest catalytic activity. Fructose conversion of 100% and a HMF yield of 83.3% are obtained at 120 °C after 2 h by using Sc(OTf)₃ as the catalyst. Moreover, the catalytic dehydration of fructose was also carried out in different solvents, for example, DMA, 1,4-dioxane, and a mixture of PEG-400 and water. The results show that among the solvents DMSO is the most efficient in promoting the dehydration of fructose to HMF, and no rehydration byproducts such as levulinic acid and formic acid are detected.     

Sweetening ruthenium and osmium: organometallic arene complexes containing aspartame

The novel organometallic sandwich complexes [(eta(6)-p-cymene)Ru(eta(6)-aspartame)](OTf)(2) (1) (OTf = trifluoromethanesulfonate) and [(eta(6)-p-cymene)Os(eta(6)-aspartame)](OTf)(2) (2) incorporating the artificial sweetener aspartame have been synthesised and characterised. A number of properties of aspartame were found to be altered on binding to either metal. The pK (a) values of both the carboxyl and the amino groups of aspartame are lowered by between 0.35 and 0.57 pH units, causing partial deprotonation of the amino group at pH 7.4 (physiological pH). The rate of degradation of aspartame to 3,6-dioxo-5-phenylmethylpiperazine acetic acid (diketopiperazine) increased over threefold from 0.12 to 0.36 h(-1) for 1, and to 0.43 h(-1) for 2. Furthermore, the reduction potential of the ligand shifted from -1.133 to -0.619 V for 2. For the ruthenium complex 1 the process occurred in two steps, the first (at -0.38 V) within a biologically accessible range. This facilitates reactions with biological reductants such as ascorbate. Binding to and activation of the sweet taste receptor was not observed for these metal complexes up to concentrations of 1 mM. The factors which affect the ability of metal-bound aspartame to interact with the receptor site are discussed.     

Scandium cation-exchanged montmorillonite catalyzed direct C-glycosylation of a 1,3-diketone, dimedone, with unprotected sugars in aqueous solution

The condensation of dimedone with unprotected sugars in aqueous solution in the presence of a catalytic amount of Sc(3+)-montmorillonite (Sc(3+)-mont) gave 9-hydroxyalkyl-3,3,6,6,-tetramethyl-3,4,5,6,7,9-hexahydro-1H-xanthene-1,8(2H)-diones in good yields, while the use of Sc(OTf)(3) instead of Sc(3+)-mont gave the hydroxyalkyl-6,7-dihydrobenzofuran-4(5H)-one derivatives in good yields. Furthermore, Sc(3+)-mont could be recycled without inactivation.     

Conjugates of ferrocene with biological compounds. Coordination to gold complexes and antitumoral properties

Several bioconjugates of ferrocene with biological compounds such as aminoacid esters and related species have been prepared by reaction of chlorocarbonyl ferrocene with the corresponding amino acid ester (histidine methyl ester, tryptophan methyl ester, methionine methyl ester and lysine ethyl ester) or histamine or prolinamide in the presence of NEt₃. The reaction of the tryptophan or prolinamide ferrocene conjugates with [Au(acac)(PR₃)] (acac = acetylacetonate) results in the substitution of the proton of the cyclic NH groups by the fragment AuPR₃⁺ affording the complexes [Au(FcCO-tryptophan-OMe)(PR₃)] or [Au(FcCO-prolinamide)(PR₃)] (Fc = ferrocenyl group). The reaction of FcCO-Met-OMe with [Au(OTf)(PR₃)] (OTF = trifluoromethysulfonate) or [Au(C₆F₅)₃(OEt₂)] yields the gold(I) or gold(III) derivatives [Au(FcCO-Met-OMe)(PR₃)]OTf or [Au(C₆F₅)₃(FcCO-Met-OMe)], respectively. Cytotoxicity studies towards several cancer lines such as MCF-7, HeLa or NIE-115 have been performed. The ferrocene bioconjugates show no activity whereas the gold complexes exhibit antiproliferative effect. Preliminary studies of interaction of compounds with cells were carried out with the goal of increasing our knowledge on the mechanism of action of these potential drugs.     

Cationic cobalt(I) catalysts for the asymmetric cyclocarbonylation of 1,6-enynes

Cobalt(I) complexes, modified with (R)-(6,6'-dimethoxybiphenyl-2,2'-diyl)bis(diphenylphosphine) [Co((R)-MeO-Biphep)(CO)3]X (X = BF4 [1] or OTf [2]), were synthesized and characterized. The compounds have a trigonal bipyramidal structure and are fluxional. They were tested as catalyst precursors for the enantioselective cyclocarbonylation of 4,4-bis(carboethoxy)hept-5-en-1-yne 3. Enantioselectivities up to 78.5% were attained. However, activity and stereoselectivity are lower compared to catalytic systems based on Co2(CO)8 modified with the same atropisomeric ligand.     

Mononuclear and dinuclear model hydrolases of nickel and cobalt

Reaction between the dinuclear model hydrolases [M₂(μ-OAc)₂(OAc)₂(μ-H₂O)(tmen)₂]; M = Ni (1); M = Co (2) and trimethylsilyltrifluoromethanesulphonate (TMS-OTf) under identical reaction conditions gives the mononuclear complex [Ni(OAc)(H₂O)₂(tmen)][OTf] · H₂O (3) in the case of nickel and the dinuclear complex [Co₂(μ-OAc)₂(μ-H₂O)₂(tmen)₂][OTf]₂ (4) in the case of cobalt.Reaction of (3) with urea gives the previously reported [Ni(OAc)(urea)₂(tmen)][OTf] (5), whereas (4) gives [Co₂(OAc)₃(urea)(tmen)₂][OTf] (6) previously obtained by direct reaction of (2) with urea. Both (3) and (4) react with monohydroxamic acids (RHA) to give the dihydroxamate bridged dinuclear complexes [M₂(μ-OAc)(μ-RA)₂(tmen)₂][OTf]; M = Ni (7); M = Co (8) previously obtained by the reaction of (1) and (2) with RHA, illustrating the greater ability of hydroxamic acids to stabilize dinuclear complexes over that of urea by means of their bridging mode, and offering a possible explanation for the inhibiting effect of hydroxamic acids by means of their displacing bridging urea in a possible intermediate invoked in the action of urease.     

New monocationic methylpalladium(II) compounds with several bidentate nitrogen-donor ligands: synthesis, characterisation and reactivity with CO

Two series of methylpalladium(II) compounds with mono and bidentate nitrogen-donor ligands, namely [Pd(N-N)₂(CH₃)][X] (N-N=phen (1a), dm-phen (1b) (dm-phen=4,7-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline), tm-phen 1c (tm-phen=3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline); X=OTf, PF₆ ⁻) and [Pd(N-N)(L)(CH₃)][OTf] (N-N=phen and L=py (1ad) (py=pyridine), N-N=phen and L=2-Ph-py (1ae) (2-Ph-py=2-phenyl-pyridine), N-N=phen and L=BzQ (1af) (BzQ=7,8-benzoquinoline), N-N=tm-phen and L=BzQ (1cf)), have been synthesised and fully characterised both in solid state and in solution. The crystal structures of [Pd(phen)₂(CH₃)][PF₆] and [Pd(phen)(2-Ph-py)(CH₃)][OTf] show a square planar coordination geometry for palladium with the monodentate ligand (one phen molecule plays this role in 1a) bound to the metal with its plane almost perpendicular to the coordination plane. In both structures the PdN bond length trans to the methyl is remarkably affected by its trans influence. The behaviour in solution is characterised for the first series of compounds by a dynamic process which makes the two N-N ligands equivalent, as corroborated by the ¹⁵N NMR analysis: only one averaged signal is shown for all of the four nitrogen atoms. No fluxional process is present for the compounds of the second series, and three main crosspeaks are shown in the ¹⁵N-¹H HMQC spectra. In particular, the signal of the ¹⁵N trans to the methyl group has a typical chemical shift, which differs from those of two ¹⁵N trans to each other. Both series of complexes are reacted with carbon monoxide and the reaction products are studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and, when possible, by isolating the acyl derivatives. The products of this reaction are affected by the nature of the second molecule of N-ligand.     

Synthesis of new chiral bis(isoxazoline) ligands containing spiro[5.5]undecane skeleton

New chiral bis(isoxazoline) ligands bearing a spiro[5.5]undecane skeleton were designed and synthesized in five steps from diethyl malonate (3). These ligands showed a coordinating ability to Cu(II) as chiral ligands. A complex of (+)-(M*,S*,R*)-[5.5]-SPRIX 2b and Cu(OTf)(2) catalyzed the conjugate addition of diethyl-zinc to 2-cyclohexenone (8) to give (S)-3-ethyl-cyclohexanone (9) in 93% yield with 54% ee.     

Direct C-glycosylation of indole with unprotected mono-, di-, and trisaccharides: a one-pot synthesis of 1-deoxy-1,1-bis(3-indolyl)alditols

1-Deoxy-1,1-bis(3-indolyl)alditols were synthesized by reacting 2.5equiv of indole with 1equiv of the following seven monosaccharides (D-galactose, D-mannose, D-allose, 2-deoxy-D-arabinohexose (2-deoxy-D-glucose), D-arabinose, L-arabinose, D-xylose), two disaccharides (D-lactose, D-maltose), and a trisaccharide (D-maltotriose) in 1:1 EtOH-H(2)O at room temperature, or at 40 or 50 degrees C, in the presence of 5 mol% scandium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate [Sc(OTf)(3)], in a one-pot reaction, in 36-95% yields.