Nan Feng , Mengmeng Jiang , Huimin Wang , Yuqing Zhong , Ying Sun , Deyong Yang , Feng Zhou
{"title":"Electrochemical carboxylation of α-fluoroalkyl cyclopropane with CO2 to mono- or difluoropentenoic acid†","authors":"Nan Feng , Mengmeng Jiang , Huimin Wang , Yuqing Zhong , Ying Sun , Deyong Yang , Feng Zhou","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00223k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00223k","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An electrochemical carboxylation of α-fluoroalkyl cyclopropanes with CO<sub>2</sub> is reported in this work. This approach constitutes a rare example of defluorinative carboxylation of organofluorine compounds with the simultaneous cleavage of C–F and C–C bonds. Accordingly, both α-CF<sub>2</sub>H and α-CF<sub>3</sub> cyclopropanes serve as effective substrates, facilitating the synthesis of pentenoic acids with an <em>E</em>-configured monofluoroalkene or <em>gem</em>-difluoroalkene moiety with high chemo- and stereoselectivity. The reaction can be also performed under a nonsacrificial anode system. The synthetic practicality is further highlighted by the diverse functionalizations of the resulting multifunctional fluorinated acids. Cyclic voltammetry studies were performed to provide mechanistic insights into the reaction's origins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4750-4756"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143862553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mingshun Mei , Dongsheng Yi , Fanyi Meng , Junhao Tang , Yanghui Zhang
{"title":"Copper-catalyzed aryl ortho-C–H thiolation of aldehydes via a transient directing group strategy†","authors":"Mingshun Mei , Dongsheng Yi , Fanyi Meng , Junhao Tang , Yanghui Zhang","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00472a","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00472a","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Transition metal-catalyzed C–H functionalization represents a robust method for the synthesis of aryl sulfides. The current reactions primarily rely on the use of preinstalled directing groups, which limits their practical applications. Herein, we report the first example of transient directing group-enabled C–H thiolation. Using an aminobenzoic acid as catalyst, aryl aldehydes form the transient imine directing groups and undergo copper-catalyzed aryl <em>ortho</em>-C–H thiolation. The reactions feature a broad substrate scope, facilitating easy access to a diverse range of aryl sulfides. Furthermore, the synthetic utilities of these reactions have been demonstrated by their applications to key intermdediates relevant to the synthesis of drug and bioactive molecule.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4780-4787"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143885182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ludi Li , Bo Chen , Wenxu Cao , G. V. Surendra Babu , Weike Liao , Pengli Zhang , Guoqin Xia
{"title":"Enantioselective construction of cycloalkyl amines via nickel-catalysed alkene desymmetrization†","authors":"Ludi Li , Bo Chen , Wenxu Cao , G. V. Surendra Babu , Weike Liao , Pengli Zhang , Guoqin Xia","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00590f","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00590f","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Three-dimensional chiral cyclic frameworks containing multiple stereocenters are prevalent skeletons in natural products and bioactive molecules. Nevertheless, the synthetic methods for these architectures are limited to date. In this study, an efficient synthetic route for cyclic chiral amines with two adjacent stereocenters was developed by employing symmetric cyclopentenylamine derivatives as starting materials. This reaction demonstrates a broad substrate scope with various functional groups, resulting in excellent yields and stereoselectivities. The proposed mechanism involves a sophisticated sequence of NiH species-mediated transformations, including NiH insertion, β-hydride elimination, reversed NiH insertion and alkylation steps, which collectively enable the precise construction of these complex chiral architectures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4743-4749"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143885180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bi-Na Shao , Jia-Ming Yang , Li Chen , Wei-Min Zhang , Long-Kun Chen , Sheng-Jiao Yan
{"title":"Continuous 1,4/1,6- and 1,2-addition reactions combined with the skeletal rearrangement of 5aH,13H-chromeno[2,3-b]quinolizin-13-ones with isocyanides to enable the synthesis of pyrido[2,3-b]indolizines†","authors":"Bi-Na Shao , Jia-Ming Yang , Li Chen , Wei-Min Zhang , Long-Kun Chen , Sheng-Jiao Yan","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00342c","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00342c","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We developed a protocol for synthesizing highly functionalized pyrido[2,3-<em>b</em>]indolizines (PDIZs, ) from 5a<em>H</em>,13<em>H</em>-chromeno[2,3-<em>b</em>]quinolizin-13-ones using ((isocyanomethyl)sulfonyl)benzene derivatives. The continuous cycloaddition of [1,4], [1,6], and [1,2] bonds, along with skeletal rearrangement, was achieved by heating a mixture of substrates and in DMSO, facilitated by Cs<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> and catalyzed by Ag<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>. This process led to the cleavage of three bonds (C–C, C–N, and C–O) and the formation of four bonds (C–N and three C–C) in a single step, enabling the rapid conversion of tricyclic systems from 5a<em>H</em>,13<em>H</em>-chromeno[2,3-<em>b</em>]quinolizin-13-ones (CMQZs) to PDIZs. The rearrangement and transformation of these scaffolds are significant for drug discovery. Additionally, the reactions can be enhanced by Ag catalysis to produce functionalized PDIZs suitable for combinatorial and parallel synthesis <em>via</em> one-pot reactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4818-4824"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143837288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ryu Yamasaki , Ami Tashiro , Chisaki Sato , Ai Ito , Iwao Okamoto
{"title":"Conformational preference of N-difluoromethylated amides: contributions of hydrogen-bonding, steric, and stereoelectronic effects†","authors":"Ryu Yamasaki , Ami Tashiro , Chisaki Sato , Ai Ito , Iwao Okamoto","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00497g","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00497g","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fluorine, possessing the highest electronegativity among all elements, is frequently introduced to modify the structure and properties of compounds. Among fluorine-containing substituents, the difluoromethyl group is regarded as a bioisostere of a hydroxyl or isopropyl group, but its effect on the conformation of amides has not been thoroughly investigated. This study presents a detailed analysis of the conformational preferences of <em>N</em>-difluoromethylated amides and the effects of the difluoromethyl group, focusing on hydrogen-bonding, steric and stereoelectronic effects. <em>N</em>-Difluoromethylated amides were synthesized directly from amides using TMSCF<sub>2</sub>Br and <em>t</em>BuONa as a base. NMR analysis revealed that <em>N</em>-difluoromethylated anilides preferentially adopt <em>cis</em> conformation, whereas a phenylalanine derivative favors <em>trans</em> conformation. DFT calculations suggest that the difluoromethyl group interacts with both the carbonyl group and a phenyl group, but repulsion between the carbonyl oxygen and phenyl group and <figure><img></figure> interaction play major roles in determining the conformational preferences. In addition, the <em>trans</em> conformer of the <em>N</em>-difluoromethylated phenylalanine derivative is stabilized by electron donation from fluorine, enhancing amide resonance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4834-4841"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143872745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Si-Han Liu , Ligai Bai , Xu-Dong Wang , Qi-Qiang Wang , De-Xian Wang , Uwe T. Bornscheuer , Yu-Fei Ao
{"title":"Machine learning-guided protein engineering to improve the catalytic activity of transaminases under neutral pH conditions†","authors":"Si-Han Liu , Ligai Bai , Xu-Dong Wang , Qi-Qiang Wang , De-Xian Wang , Uwe T. Bornscheuer , Yu-Fei Ao","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00423c","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00423c","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biocatalysis provides an eco-friendly and efficient method for the synthesis of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels. However, the catalytic performance of enzymes is greatly reduced when they react under non-optimal pH conditions. Despite efforts in protein engineering to improve enzymatic pH dependence, predicting and optimizing catalytic activity under various pH conditions remain challenging. Recent advancements in machine learning (ML) provide a promising solution by enabling data-driven predictions of enzyme properties, thus reducing the need for labor-intensive experiments. This study aims to enhance enzyme activity and regulate pH dependence through ML-guided protein engineering. Using a transaminase from <em>Ruegeria</em> sp. TM1040 as the mutation template, we first collected high-quality experimental data from a series of variants by measuring their activity under a series of pH conditions. Based on these data, we developed an ML model to predict catalytic activity under different pH conditions. This work provides a powerful ML tool to guide the rational design of variants, which showed improved activity (up to 3.7-fold compared to the starting variant) at pH 7.5, and offers a data-driven protein engineering strategy to achieve co-optimization of enzyme activity and pH dependence, demonstrating the potential of ML to accelerate enzyme engineering for industrial applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4788-4793"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143857513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shweta Singh , Roopam Pandey , Varun Christopher , Mahesh Kumar Ravva , Rakesh Ganguly , Subhabrata Sen
{"title":"Metal- and base-free spirocyclization of alkylidene oxindoles via photo- and mechanochemically-generated nitrile ylides and nitrile imines as 1,3-dipoles†","authors":"Shweta Singh , Roopam Pandey , Varun Christopher , Mahesh Kumar Ravva , Rakesh Ganguly , Subhabrata Sen","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00851d","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00851d","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Herein we have reported an expedient synthesis of spiro[pyrrolidine-3,3′-oxindole] and 2′-aryl-2′,4′-dihydrospiro[indoline-3,3′-pyrazol]-2-one under metal- and base-free conditions through the 3 + 2 cycloaddition reactions of <em>in situ</em> generated nitrile ylides and nitrile imines with alkylidene oxindoles in good to excellent yields. The nitrile ylides are generated through acetonitrile insertion onto carbenes generated from blue LED irradiation of aryl diazo esters. The nitrile imines were formed under mechanochemical conditions from diazo esters and aryl diazonium tetrafluoroborates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4698-4707"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144630116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiapei Chen , Xusheng Duan , Mengyuan Wu , Guishun Bai , Jianwei Chen , Xuanrong Sun , Jean Rodriguez , Damien Bonne , Hong Wang , Xiaoze Bao
{"title":"Enantioselective and diastereodivergent construction of oxindole–pyrazolone conjugates bearing an alkenyl substituted quaternary chlorinated stereogenic centre†","authors":"Jiapei Chen , Xusheng Duan , Mengyuan Wu , Guishun Bai , Jianwei Chen , Xuanrong Sun , Jean Rodriguez , Damien Bonne , Hong Wang , Xiaoze Bao","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00499c","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00499c","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chlorinated stereogenic carbon centres are important elements both in pharmaceutical reagents and synthetic intermediates. Herein, a novel methodology is reported for the construction of a rarely developed alkenyl substituted quaternary chlorinated stereogenic centre, featured in oxindole and pyrazolone pharmacophores. Remarkably, the configuration of the double bond was switchable <em>via</em> the combination of a suitable base and solvent. In addition, the enantioselective synthesis of <em>Z</em>-type products was achieved with natural quinidine as a catalyst, affording the chlorinated products in excellent yields and stereoselectivities. Preliminary <sup>1</sup>H-NMR titration was studied to gain insights into the control of the double bond's configuration. Moreover, the anti-tumour activity against the A549 cell-line of these newly synthesized chemical entities was evaluated, and the product (<em>E</em>)- was revealed to be a promising anti-tumour agent.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4852-4861"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143885183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shan-Shan Liu , Yong-Jie Wu , Jiang-Nan Zheng , Zhi-Lin Ren , Shao-Jie Jiang , Jun Wu , Ke-Ji Li , Ping He , Long Wang
{"title":"Synthesis of quinoline derivatives by palladium-catalyzed isocyanide insertion/undirected C(sp2)–H functionalization/[4 + 1] cyclization reactions involving aryl isocyanide†","authors":"Shan-Shan Liu , Yong-Jie Wu , Jiang-Nan Zheng , Zhi-Lin Ren , Shao-Jie Jiang , Jun Wu , Ke-Ji Li , Ping He , Long Wang","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00349k","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00349k","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study reports a novel strategy for palladium-catalyzed aryl isocyanide insertion, offering a brand-new route for the efficient synthesis of quinoline derivatives. The remarkable features of this method are reflected in two aspects. On the one hand, it ingeniously utilizes a palladium catalyst to directly and highly selectively activate the C(sp<sup>2</sup>)–H bonds of aromatic substrates, demonstrating excellent chemoselectivity. On the other hand, by integrating C(sp<sup>2</sup>)–H functionalization with [4 + 1] cyclization within a single reaction system, this approach significantly streamlines the synthesis process. It enables the direct construction of quinoline derivatives <em>via</em> a one-step operation starting from simple and easily accessible raw materials, achieving remarkable synthetic efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4757-4763"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143842001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A general protocol for efficient construction of perfluoro-tert-butyl alkynes with (perfluoro-tert-butyl)propiolic acid†","authors":"Zhiqiang Wei , Guangxing Gu , Wei Zhang , Yanchuan Zhao , Jinbo Hu","doi":"10.1039/d5qo00601e","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d5qo00601e","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The perfluoro-<em>tert</em>-butyl group (PF<em>t</em>B) stands out, in part, due to its unparalleled analytical capabilities, as an indispensable functional group for sensing and imaging within biological systems. Although previously we have accomplished the introduction of the perfluoro-<em>tert</em>-butyl group into sp<sup>3</sup>-and sp<sup>2</sup>-carbons, the perfluoro-<em>tert</em>-butylation of sp-carbon remains a challenging task. In this study, we develop a versatile method to construct structurally diverse PF<em>t</em>B-substituted alkynes, utilizing (perfluoro-<em>tert</em>-butyl)propiolic acid (PF<em>t</em>PA) as a new reagent. PF<em>t</em>PA is easy to synthesize and can undergo Pd/Cu-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling with a wide array of (aryl, alkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl) halides and triflates. This synthetic protocol is not only high-yielding but also compatible with various functional groups. Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential of this new synthetic protocol by developing a <sup>19</sup>F-labeled probe that is proficient in distinguishing analytes with distal chiral centers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94379,"journal":{"name":"Organic chemistry frontiers : an international journal of organic chemistry","volume":"12 17","pages":"Pages 4773-4779"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143862651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}