Fabio De Moliner

Ugi/Aldol Sequence: Expeditious Entry to Several Families of Densely Substituted Nitrogen Heterocycles

All it takes is the Aldol Nitrogen containing heterocycles have been assembled by means of unprecedented domino processes, designed to take advantage of diversity assembly via strategically decorated Ugi products. The aldol reaction is the second common denominator which enables sequences of up to 5 steps in one pot producing unique molecular architecture in rapid fashion.

Aldol Reactions in Multicomponent Reaction Based Domino Pathways: A Multipurpose Enabling Tool in Heterocyclic Chemistry

The aldol reaction has been evaluated in combination with the Ugi multicomponent reaction to assemble richly decorated mono- and polycyclic systems via expeditious cascade pathways. A small collection of pyrrolinones was generated thereof, and the scarcely accessible pyridoquinoxalinedione scaffold was also prepared by designing an additional nucleophilic substitution step in this domino sequence requiring minimal operational effort.

Straightforward assembly of phenylimidazoquinoxalines via a one-pot two-step MCR process

An efficient multicomponent-based methodology providing a new entry into a medicinally important complex heterocyclic core is presented. The strategy is very general and able to endow target compounds with the highest possible number of diversity points. Notably, four new chemical bonds and two aromatic rings are formed in a one-pot fashion.

Novel Application of α-Azido Aldehydes in Multicomponent Reactions: Synthesis of Triazolo-Fused Dihydrooxazinones via a Passerini Reaction–Dipolar Cycloaddition Strategy

α-Azido aldehydes can be employed in Passerini reactions with isocyanides and various propiolic acids to afford the three-component adducts in moderate to good yields. These compounds undergo a straightforward azide-alkyne dipolar cycloaddition to furnish triazolo-fused dihydrooxazinones.

Beyond Ugi and Passerini Reactions: Multicomponent Approaches Based on Isocyanides and Alkynes as an Efficient Tool for Diversity Oriented Synthesis

The reaction of isocyanides with electron deficient alkynes has been first reported in 1969, about ten years after the first reports on the famous Ugi four component reaction. However it took about thirty years to realise that the zwitterionic intermediate originating from interaction of the two species could be trapped by a third component, thus giving the start to a novel class of isocyanide-based multicomponent reactions. From that first report dated 1996 there has been an ongrowing interest that has produced, so far, about 150 distinct scientific papers. This review is aimed at rationalising and cathegorising these reports and at offering an overview of all the possible applications of this novel methodology.

OPHA (Oxidation–Passerini–Hydrolysis–Alkylation) Strategy: a Four-Step, One-Pot Improvement of the Alkylative Passerini Reaction

Multicomponent reactions are often recognized for their efficiency and convergency, if compared with multistep organic synthesis. Nevertheless, we here demonstrate that a four-step-one-pot approach (named OPHA strategy for the initials of the four steps involved) is not only able to afford compounds that could not be obtained by an alkylative Passerini reaction but also capable of generating them with minimal loss of atoms and high operational simplicity, as in a typical multicomponent approach.

Development of a stereoselective Ugi reaction starting from an oxanorbornene β-amino acid derivative

We have synthesised a novel oxanorbornene β-aminoacid derivative and employed it in a stereoselective Ugi reaction. Hypothesis regarding the mechanism taking place during the reaction have been made and validated through the determination of the relative and absolute configuration of the Ugi adducts. Use of the correct choice of solvents can increase stereoselection. The resulting bicyclic peptidomimetics can be used as a novel class of pluripotent substrates to be elaborated according to the synthetic strategies previously elaborated in our laboratories.

Synthesis of triazolo-fused benzoxazepines and benzoxazepinones via Passerini reactions followed by 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions.

Azidobenzaldehydes can be used in Passerini three-component condensations to synthesize small collections of triazolo-fused heterocycles in an efficient and combinatorial fashion upon post-condensation azide–alkyne cycloadditions. Triazolo-fused benzoxazepinones were obtained in moderate to good overall yields with a concise two-step protocol. Triazolo-fused benzoxazepines were instead prepared by means of a longer, yet straightforward route comprising a Passerini reaction, hydrolysis of the ester moiety, O-alkylation with propargylic bromides, and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition.Graphical Abstract