Krisztina Kónya

Syntheses and transformations of α-azido ketones and related derivatives

Organic azides are known and utilized in the synthetic organic chemistry as amine precursors, potential sources of nitrenes, dipoles useful in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions and starting materials of phosphoranes for a long time, and their literature has been overviewed by several authors. On the other hand, there are some special subclasses within the azides which possess peculiar and interesting properties differing from those of the majority and offering extra synthetic possibilities. In this critical review we wish to give an exhaustive overview on the synthesis and synthetic potential of α-azido ketones and related systems, an underestimated group of compounds. The enhanced acidity of the α-hydrogen offers various new synthetic applications including the creation of a new C-C bond, while the joint presence of the carbonyl and vinyl functions of α-azido-α,β-unsaturated ketones results in a special reactivity, too. Chemo- and stereoselectivity issues also represent important points which are discussed in detail. Finally, the usefulness of the titled derivatives in the synthesis of various heterocycles is reviewed (273 references).

α-Azido ketones. Part 7: synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted triazoles by the "click" reaction of various terminal acetylenes with phenacyl azides or α-azidobenzo(hetera)cyclanones.

Copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide 1,3-cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC, Sharpless–Meldal reaction) of various α-azido ketones such as substituted 2-azidoacetophenones, 2-azidobenzosuberone and 3-azido(thio)chromanones with terminal alkynes was studied. The reaction resulted in the formation of the expected 1,2,3-triazoles in moderate to good yields although the reactivity was somewhat lower than in the case of simple azides. Reaction of ethynylchromones as alkynes gave interesting dichromonoid systems bridged by a triazole unit.

The Heck Reaction of Protected Hydroxychromones: on route to Natural Products

The Heck reaction has been successfully extended to the bromochromones with an adjacent protected phenolic hydroxy group which offers a new methodology to various naturally occurring derivatives including tricyclic O-heterocycles. Phosphine-free coupling conditions are found to be effective. Surprisingly, the methoxymethyl protecting group is unstable in several cases but benzyl proved to be an ideal protecting group which could be selectively cleaved by boron trihalides in good yields.

Optimization of the Synthesis of Flavone-Amino Acid and Flavone-Dipeptide Hybrids via Buchwald-Hartwig Reaction

The article describes the development of Buchwald-Hartwig amination of different bromoflavones with amino acid and peptide derivatives as nitrogen source giving unique structures. The previously observed racemization, which occurred during the synthesis of flavone-amino acid hybrids, was successfully prevented in most cases. The biological assays of these novel structures showed cytotoxic effects on different cancer cell lines.

Design and Exploratory Neuropharmacological Evaluation of Novel Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone Analogs and Their Brain-Targeting Bioprecursor Prodrugs

Efforts to take advantage of the beneficial activities of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in the brain are hampered by its poor metabolic stability and lack of adequate central nervous system bioavailability. We report here novel and metabolically stable analogs that we derived from TRH by replacing its amino-terminal pyroglutamyl (pGlu) residue with pyridinium-containing moieties. Exploratory studies have shown that the resultant compounds were successfully delivered into the mouse brain after systemic administration via their bioprecursor prodrugs, where they manifested neuropharmacological responses characteristic of the endogenous parent peptide. On the other hand, the loss of potency compared to TRH in a model testing antidepressant-like effect with a simultaneous preservation of analeptic activity has been observed, when pGlu was replaced with trigonelloyl residue. This finding may indicate an opportunity for designing TRH analogs with potential selectivity towards cholinergic effects.

Synthesis and Modification of Heterocycles by Metal-Catalyzed Cross-coupling Reactions

The series Topics in Heterocyclic Chemistry presents critical reviews on present and future trends in the research of heterocyclic compounds. Overall the scope is to cover topics dealing with all areas within heterocyclic chemistry, both experimental and theoretical, of interest to the general heterocyclic chemistry community. The series consists of topic related volumes edited by renowned editors with contributions of experts in the field

Synthesis of novel halogenated 2-vinylchroman-4-ones and their antimicrobial activity

Novel halogenated 2-vinylchromanones were prepared which show a strong growth inhibition toward Gram-negative bacteria. The activity pattern is different to previously reported derivatives and depends on the position of the halogen substituent.Graphical abstract