József Kupai

Role of chirality and macroring in imprinted polymers with enantiodiscriminative power.

Enantioselective discrimination of chiral amines is of great importance as their biological properties often differ. Therefore, here we report the development of synthetic receptors for their enantioselective recognition and pH-sensitive drug release. This paper reports the preparation of three pyridine and two benzene derivatives containing an allyloxy group [(S,S)-5, 6-9] as well as their evaluation as functional monomer anchors for chiral imprinting of amines. The enantiomeric enriching ability and controlled release of the imprinted polymers (IPs) were evaluated using racemic mixture of 1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine hydrogen perchlorate (1). The effect of the enantiomeric purity of the template on the enantioseparation performance was investigated. Racemic template in combination with enantiomerically pure macrocyclic anchors and vice versa yields IPs with excellent enantiomeric recognition. In vitro drug delivery, enantiomeric enrichment and pH-sensitive release were investigated through kinetic models.

Nanofiltration-enabled in situ solvent and reagent recycle for sustainable continuous-flow synthesis

Abstract Solvent usage in the pharmaceutical sector accounts for as much as 90 % of the overall mass during manufacturing processes. Consequently, solvent consumption poses significant costs and environmental burdens. Continuous processing, in particular continuous‐flow reactors, have great potential for the sustainable production of pharmaceuticals but subsequent downstream processing remains challenging. Separation processes for concentrating and purifying chemicals can account for as much as 80 % of the total manufacturing costs. In this work, a nanofiltration unit was coupled to a continuous‐flow rector for in situ solvent and reagent recycling. The nanofiltration unit is straightforward to implement and simple to control during continuous operation. The hybrid process operated continuously over six weeks, recycling about 90 % of the solvent and reagent. Consequently, the E‐factor and the carbon footprint were reduced by 91 % and 19 %, respectively. Moreover, the nanofiltration unit led to a solution of the product eleven times more concentrated than the reaction mixture and increased the purity from 52.4 % to 91.5 %. The boundaries for process conditions were investigated to facilitate implementation of the methodology by the pharmaceutical sector.

Preparation and Studies of Chiral Stationary Phases Containing Enantiopure Acridino-18-Crown-6 Ether Selectors

The enantiomeric separation ability of the newly prepared chiral stationary phases containing acridino-18-crown-6 ether selectors was studied by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The chiral stationary phases separated the enantiomers of selected protonated primary aralkylamines efficiently. The best results were found for the separation of the mixtures of enantiomers of NO2 -PEA.

A Novel Method for the Preparation of a Chiral Stationary Phase Containing an Enantiopure Acridino-18-Crown-6 Ether Selector

This paper reports a novel method for the preparation of chiral stationary phases (CSPs) using an acridino-18-crown-6 ether selector as a model compound. Chiral stationary phase (R,R)-CSP- 2A: was obtained by in situ continuously recirculating the solution of carboxyl-substituted acridino-18-crown-6 ether (R,R)- 4: , dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 3-(triethoxysilyl)propylamine through a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column containing blank silica gel in elevated pressure and temperature. The enantiomer separating ability of chiral stationary phase (R,R)-CSP- 2A: was investigated by HPLC using mixtures of enantiomers of 1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine hydrogen perchlorate, 1-(2-naphthyl)ethylamine, 1-(4-bromophenyl)ethylamine and 1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethylamine hydrogen chloride. The best results were found for the separation of the mixtures of enantiomers of Br-PEA.

Convenient synthesis of 2-substituted 5,7-dihydro-6H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-ones

A new synthetic route was elaborated at our laboratory providing a convenient access to 5,7-dihydro-6H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-6-ones (diazaoxindoles), a compound family of biological relevance. Treatment of the easily available ethyl 2-(4-chloropyrimidin-5-yl)acetate derivatives with ammonia afforded the corresponding 2-(4-aminopyrimidin-5-yl)acetamides, which were finally cyclized to the target compounds.Graphical abstract

Cinchona derivatives as sustainable and recyclable homogeneous organocatalysts for aza-Markovnikov addition

Three cinchona derivatives have shown remarkable activity to catalyze the aza-Markovnikov addition reaction of N-heterocycles to vinyl esters. The synthesis of aza-Markovnikov adducts possessing valuable biological activity was thoroughly optimized. By studying the ratio of the starting materials, bases and solvents, we achieved a new and efficient protocol, which could be performed under mild conditions with a small excess of vinyl ester affording products with excellent yields and high regioselectivity. This optimization reduced Sheldons E-factor of the reaction by 42%. Furthermore, membrane separation for catalyst recycling was assessed to further improve the sustainability of the synthesis.

Biomimetic Synthesis of Drug Metabolites in Batch and Continuous-Flow Reactors

A medium-throughput screening (MTS) of biomimetic drug metabolite synthesis is developed by using an iron porphyrin catalyst. The microplate method, in combination with HPLC-MS analysis, was shown to be a useful tool for process development and parameter optimization in the production of targeted metabolites and/or oxidation products of forty-three different drug substances. In the case of the biomimetic oxidation of amiodarone, the high quantity and purity of the isolated products enabled detailed HRMS and NMR spectroscopic studies. In addition to identification of known metabolites, several new oxidation products of the drug that was studied were characterized. Fast degradation and poor recovery of the catalyst under batch conditions was overcome by immobilization of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin iron(III) chloride (FeTSPP) on the surface of 3-aminopropyl-functionalized silica by electrostatic interaction. The supported catalyst was successfully applied in a packed-bed reactor under continuous-flow reaction conditions for the large-scale synthesis of amiodarone metabolites.

Application of Flow Chemistry to Macrocyclization of Crown Ethers

This paper reports a new continuous-flow synthesis of chiral and achiral pyridino-18-crown-6 ethers. Macrocyclizations have been performed in a packed-bed flow reactor where deprotonation of a bifunctional primary or a secondary alcohol takes place with potassium hydroxide as a heterogeneous base avoiding the use of stronger and more dangerous one, sodium hydride. Ditosylate derivatives of pyridine as precursors for the macrocyclization used in batch condition were replaced by the appropriate diiodides and optimization of the parameters provided higher yields in shorter reaction times. The setup presented here is suitable for the preparation of different ethers by Williamsontype syntheses in continuous-flow reactions.