Marina Rubina

Photoremovable Protecting Groups in Chemistry and Biology: Reaction Mechanisms and Efficacy

The review covers the knowledge on photoremovable protecting groups and includes all relevant chromophores studied in the time period of 2000–2012; the most relevant earlier works are also discussed.

Metal-Catalyzed 1,2-Shift of Diverse Migrating Groups in Allenyl Systems as a New Paradigm toward Densely Functionalized Heterocycles

A general, mild, and efficient 1,2-migration/cycloisomerization methodology toward multisubstituted 3-thio-, seleno-, halo-, aryl-, and alkyl-furans and pyrroles, as well as fused heterocycles, valuable building blocks for synthetic chemistry, has been developed. Moreover, regiodivergent conditions have been identified for C-4 bromo- and thio-substituted allenones and alkynones for the assembly of regioisomeric 2-hetero substituted furans selectively. It was demonstrated that, depending on reaction conditions, ambident substrates can be selectively transformed into furan products, as well as undergo selective 6-exo-dig or Nazarov cyclizations. Our mechanistic investigations have revealed that the transformation proceeds via allenylcarbonyl or allenylimine intermediates followed by 1,2-group migration to the allenyl sp carbon during cycloisomerization. It was found that 1,2-migration of chalcogens and halogens predominantly proceeds via formation of irenium intermediates. Analogous intermediate can also be proposed for 1,2-aryl shift. Furthermore, it was shown that the cycloisomerization cascade can be catalyzed by Brønsted acids, albeit less efficiently, and commonly observed reactivity of Lewis acid catalysts cannot be attributed to the eventual formation of proton. Undoubtedly, thermally induced or Lewis acid-catalyzed transformations proceed via intramolecular Michael addition or activation of the enone moiety pathways, whereas certain carbophilic metals trigger carbenoid/oxonium type pathway. However, a facile cycloisomerization in the presence of cationic complexes, as well as observed migratory aptitude in the cycloisomerization of unsymmetrically disubstituted aryl- and alkylallenes, strongly supports electrophilic nature for this transformation. Full mechanistic details, as well as the scope of this transformation, are discussed.

Applications of p-hydroxyphenacyl (pHP) and coumarin-4-ylmethyl photoremovable protecting groups

Most applications of photoremovable protecting groups have used o-nitrobenzyl compounds and their (often commercially available) derivatives that, however, have several disadvantages. The focus of this review is on applications of the more recently developed title compounds, which are especially well suited for time-resolved biochemical and physiological investigations, because they release the caged substrates in high yield within a few nanoseconds or less. Together, these two chromophores cover the action spectrum for photorelease from >700 nm to 250 nm.

Formal nucleophilic substitution of bromocyclopropanes with amides en route to conformationally constrained β-amino acid derivatives.

A chemo- and diastereoselective protocol for the formal nucleophilic substitution of 2-bromocyclopropylcarboxamides with secondary amides is described. This method allows for convergent and highly selective synthesis of trans-β-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid derivatives.

Highly Diastereoselective Formal Nucleophilic Substitution of Bromocyclopropanes

A highly diastereoselective formal nucleophilic substitution of bromocyclopropanes with oxygen- and nitrogen-based nucleophiles was demonstrated. The reaction proceeds via a base-assisted dehydrohalogenation producing a cyclopropene intermediate, which subsequently undergoes addition of a pronucleophile across the strained double bond. Very high chemoselectivity toward addition of primary and secondary alkoxides, as well as N-nucleophiles, in the presence of tert-butoxide base was observed, whereas phenoxides did not undergo addition under these reaction conditions. Facial selectivity of the addition can be efficiently controlled either by sterics or through a directing effect of an amide, carboxylate, and an o-aminomethylphenol function. Employment of tethered optically active amino alcohols as pronucleophiles allowed for efficient assembly of homochiral bicyclic compounds.

Formal Nucleophilic Substitution of Bromocyclopropanes with Azoles

A highly diastereoselective protocol for the formal nucleophilic substitution of 2-bromocyclopropylcarboxamides with azoles is described. A wide range of azoles, including pyrroles, indoles, benzimidazoles, pyrazoles, and benzotriazoles, can be efficiently employed as pronucleophiles in this transformation, providing expeditious access to N-cyclopropyl heterocycles.

Diastereoselectivity control in formal nucleophilic substitution of bromocyclopropanes with oxygen- and sulfur-based nucleophiles.

A diastereoconvergent formal nucleophilic substitution of bromocyclopropanes with oxygen- and sulfur-based nucleophiles is described. The reaction proceeds via in situ formation of a highly reactive cyclopropene intermediate and subsequent diastereoselective addition of a nucleophile across the strained C═C bond. Three alternative means of controlling the diastereoselectivity of addition have been demonstrated: (1) thermodynamically driven epimerization of enolizable carboxamides, (2) steric control by bulky substituents, and (3) directing effect of carboxamide or carboxylate functions.

Formal Substitution of Bromocyclopropanes with Nitrogen Nucleophiles

A highly chemo- and diastereoselective protocol toward amino-substituted donor-acceptor cyclopropanes via the formal nucleophilic displacement in bromocyclopropanes is described. A wide range of N-nucleophiles, including carboxamides, sulfonamides, azoles, and anilines, can be efficiently employed in this transformation, providing expeditious access to stereochemically defined and densely functionalized cyclopropylamine derivatives.

Dual control of the selectivity in the formal nucleophilic substitution of bromocyclopropanes en route to densely functionalized, chirally rich cyclopropyl derivatives.

Densely substituted cyclopropanol and cyclopropylazole derivatives with three stereogenic carbons in the small cycle are obtained via a highly diastereoselective formal nucleophilic substitution of bromocyclopropanes. The chiral center at C-2 in bromocyclopropane dictates the configuration of the other two stereocenters that are successively installed via a sterically controlled addition of a nucleophile, followed by a thermodynamically driven epimerization of the resulting enolate intermediate.

Synthesis of 1,5-dioxocanes via the two-fold C–O bond forming nucleophilic 4 + 4-cyclodimerization of cycloprop-2-en-1-ylmethanols

An efficient [4+4] cyclodimerization of cyclopropenemethanols operating via a two-fold strain release-driven addition of alkoxides across the double bond of cyclopropenes was investigated. This chemo- and diastereoselective transformation provided previously unknown 2,7-dioxatricyclo[7.1.0.04,6]decane scaffolds.