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An intramolecular cyclization of enantiopure N(1)-(2-hydroxylpropyl)imidazole N-oxides, prepared by cyclocondensation of hydroxyethanols, formaldehyde, and α-ketoximes in the presence of acetic anhydride provides trifluoromethylated 2,3-dihydroimidazo[2,1-b]oxazoles with retention of stereochemistry.

The regioselective reactions of fluorinated nitrones with selected terminal alkynes (Kinugasa reaction) was studied in the presence of Cu(I) iodide and TEA as a base. After chromatographic purification the desired β-lactams were obtained in high yields (up to 93%) and high diastereoselectivities (up to 9:1). The reactions performed in the presence of chiral, enantiomerically pure ligands led to enantiomerically enriched products (ee values up to 26%) obtained as one of the possible diastereoisomers depending on the type of chiral ligand used.

The synthesis of alpha-benzamido-alpha-benzyl lactones 23 of various ring size was achieved either via ‘direct amide cyclization’ by treatment of 2-benzamido-2-benzyl-omega-hydroxy-N,N-dimethylalkanamides 21 in toluene at 90 – 110° with HCl gas or by ‘ring transformation’ of 4-benzyl-4-(omega-hydroxyalkyl)-2-phenyl-1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-ones under the same conditions. The precursors were obtained by C-alkylations of 4-benzyl-2-phenyl-1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-one (15) with THP- or TBDMS-protected omega-hydroxyalkyl iodides. Ring opening of the THP-protected oxazolones by treatment with Me2NH followed by deprotection of the OH group gave the diamides 21, whereas deprotection of the TBDMS series of oxazolones 25 with TBAF followed by treatment with HCl gas led to the corresponding lactones 23 in a one-pot reaction.

The 2-unsubstituted 1H-imidazole 3-oxides, considered as ‘nitrone-like’ azaheterocycles, are well known as versatile building blocks, useful for the preparation of more complex systems containing an imidazole moiety. Their applications in diverse reactions, such as isomerization to corresponding imidazol-2-ones, [3+2]-cycloadditions, sulfur transfer reactions leading to imidazole-2-thiones, heterocyclizations leading to fused heterocyclic systems, as well as cross coupling reactions are discussed. New methods for the preparation of enantiomerically pure 1H-imidazole 3-oxides and their applications in asymmetric reactions, synthesis of room temperature ionic liquids and biologically active compounds are also reviewed.

The reduction of carbon dioxide by water with sunlight in an artificial system offers an opportunity for utilizing non-arable land for generating renewable transportation fuels to replace fossil resources. Because of the very large scale required for the impact on fuel consumption, the scalability of artificial photosystems is of key importance. Closing the photosynthetic cycle of carbon dioxide reduction and water oxidation on the nanoscale addresses major barriers for scalability as well as high efficiency, such as resistance losses inherent to ion transport over macroscale distances, loss of charge and other efficiency degrading processes, or excessive need for the balance of system components, to mention a few. For the conversion of carbon dioxide to six-electron or even more highly reduced liquid fuel products, introduction of a proton conducting, gas impermeable separation membrane is critical. This article reviews recent progress in the development of light absorber–catalyst assemblies for the reduction and oxidation half reactions with focus on well defined polynuclear structures, and on novel approaches for optimizing electron transfer among the molecular or nanoparticulate components. Studies by time-resolved optical and infrared spectroscopy for the understanding of charge transfer processes between the chromophore and the catalyst, and of the mechanism of water oxidation at metal oxide nanocatalysts through direct observation of surface reaction intermediates are discussed. All-inorganic polynuclear units for reducing carbon dioxide by water at the nanoscale are introduced, and progress towards core–shell nanotube assemblies for completing the photosynthetic cycle under membrane separation is described.

During the last 20 years, focus has shifted from haloperoxidases to flavin-dependent and non-heme-iron halogenases because of their proven involvement in the biosynthesis of halogenated metabolites in different organisms and the regioselectivity of their reactions. During the first 10-12 years, the main research topics were the detection of halogenases as well as the elucidation of three-dimensional structures and reaction mechanisms. This Review mainly deals with studies on halogenating enzymes published between 2010 and 2015. It focusses on the elucidation of the involvement of halogenating enzymes in halometabolite biosynthesis, application of halogenases in in vivo and in vitro systems, in vivo modification of biosynthetic pathways in bacteria and plants, improvement of enzyme stability, broadening of substrate specificity, and the combination of biocatalysis with chemical synthesis to produce new compounds.

Reactions of dihetaryl and aryl/hetaryl thioketones with 2-diazopropane, diazoethane, and (trimethylsilyl)diazomethane were studied at variable temperature. The experiments showed that reactions with 2-diazopropane carried out at –75 °C occur mainly via the initially formed, relatively stable 1,3,4-thiadiazolines as products of the [3 + 2]-cycloaddition of the diazo dipole onto the C=S bond. The latter decompose only at higher temperature (ca. −40 °C) to generate thiocarbonyl S-isopropanide. In the absence of the starting thioketone, the corresponding thiiranes and/or ethene derivatives, formed from them via spontaneous desulfurization, are the main products. In contrast, reactions with diazoethane occurred predominantly via initially formed diradicals, which in cascade processes gave sterically crowded 4,4,5,5-tetrahetaryl-1,3-dithiolanes as major products. Finally, the reaction of dihetaryl thioketones with (trimethylsilyl)diazomethane occur smoothly at −75 °C leading to the corresponding 4,4,5,5-tetrahetaryl-1,3-dithiolanes as the exclusive [3 + 2]-cycloadducts formed via a cascade of postulated diradicals. The presence of S or Se atoms in the hetaryl rings is of importance for stabilizing diradical intermediates. Remarkably, in no single case, the ‘head-to-head dimerization’ of aryl/ hetaryl and dihetaryl substituted thiocarbonyl ylides was observed.

Optically active polyheterocycles containing pyrrolidine, imidazole, and 1,2,3-triazole units were obtained via a multistep synthesis with the [3+2] cycloaddition of Boc-protected (S)-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)methyl azide with 2-ethynylimidazoles in the presence of CuI (CuAAC reaction) as the key step. Typical for terminal alkynes, the reactions occurred regioselectively and 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles were formed exclusively. The deprotection of the pyrrolidine N-atom was performed by treatment with TFA under standard conditions.

The reaction of L-prolinol with aryl glyoxals affords labile bicyclic products (III), which undergo isomerization in the presence of an acid to form morpholine derivatives as single diastereomer (IV) or mixtures of diastereomers (VII).

An atom-economic synthetic route to benzimidazolium salts is presented. The annulated polycyclic systems: 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-3-ium chloride (1-Cl), 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-3-ium chloride (2-Cl), 1,3-diphenyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-3-ium chloride (3-Cl), and 1,3-di(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-3-ium chloride (4-Cl) were prepared in a two-step synthesis avoiding chromatographic work-up. In the key step triethyl orthoformate is reacted with the corresponding N (1),N (2)-diarylbenzene-1,2-diamines and then further transformed in situ, by alkoxy abstraction using trimethylsilyl chloride (TMSCl), and concomitant imidazole ring closure.

Treatment of thiocarbonyl compounds with excess of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) leads to corresponding thiols or sulfides depending on the work-up procedure. The mechanistic scenario for this unu...

Selected hetaryl and aryl thioketones react with acetylenecarboxylates under thermal conditions in the presence of LiClO4 or, alternatively, under high-pressure conditions (5 kbar) at room temperature yielding thiopyran derivatives. The hetero-Diels–Alder reaction occurs in a chemo- and regioselective manner. The initially formed [4 + 2] cycloadducts rearrange via a 1,3-hydrogen shift sequence to give the final products. The latter were smoothly oxidized by treatment with mCPBA to the corresponding sulfones.

The isolated products (III), (V), and (VII) are optically active and therefore the multistep processes occur with retention of the stereogenic center.

A straightforward methodology for the formation of both symmetrical and non-symmetrical hetaryl thioketones is given.

In this review, we discuss the factors that influence electron transfer in peptides. We summarize experimental results from solution and surface studies and highlight the ongoing debate on the mechanistic aspects of this fundamental reaction. Here, we provide a balanced approach that remains unbiased and does not favor one mechanistic view over another. Support for a putative hopping mechanism in which an electron transfers in a stepwise manner is contrasted with experimental results that support electron tunneling or even some form of ballistic transfer or a pathway transfer for an electron between donor and acceptor sites. In some cases, experimental evidence suggests that a change in the electron transfer mechanism occurs as a result of donor–acceptor separation. However, this common understanding of the switch between tunneling and hopping as a function of chain length is not sufficient for explaining electron transfer in peptides. Apart from chain length, several other factors such as the extent of the secondary structure, backbone conformation, dipole orientation, the presence of special amino acids, hydrogen bonding, and the dynamic properties of a peptide also influence the rate and mode of electron transfer in peptides. Electron transfer plays a key role in physical, chemical and biological systems, so its control is a fundamental task in bioelectrochemical systems, the design of peptide based sensors and molecular junctions. Therefore, this topic is at the heart of a number of biological and technological processes and thus remains of vital interest.

The first photoreactive derivative (I) of psammaplin A shows in vitro anticancer activity against various human cancer cell lines.

Readily available fluorinated nitrones (IV) and (XIV) are used in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with thioketones affording 1,4,2 oxathiazolidines in a regioselective manner.

Reduction of 4,4-disubstituted 1,3-thiazole-5(4H)-1,3-thiones and non-enolizable thioketones to the corresponding thiols is achieved via an unexpected hydride transfer of LDA.

A tandem ring expansion/oxidation arylation reaction of small sized ring substituted alkenes and allenes are developed.

Though much progress has been made in drug delivery systems, the design of a suitable carrier for the delivery of hydrophobic drugs is still a major challenge for researchers. The use of micellar solutions of low molecular weight surfactants has been one of the popular methods for the solubilization of hydrophobic drugs; however, such surfactants suffer from high critical micelle concentration and concomitant low stabilities. In contrast to surfactants of low molecular masses, polymeric micelles are associated with general advantages like higher stability, tailorability, greater cargo capacity, non-toxicity and controlled drug release. Therefore, the current review article is focused on the engineering of the core of polymeric micelles for maximum therapeutic effect. For enhanced drug encapsulation capacity and getting useful insights into the controlled release mechanism we have reviewed the effects of temperature and pH on responsive polymeric micelles. The article also presents important research outcomes about mixed polymeric micelles as better drug carriers in comparison to single polymeric micelles.

The rhenium-catalyzed hydrosilylation of substituted olefins and acrylonitriles affords α-addition products with high regioselectivity.

A small series of 3,5-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-3,6-dimethyl­isobenzofuran-1(3H)-one analogues of the immunosuppressant, mycophenolate mofelite (MMF), has been identified during a screening campaign as possible mediators to prevent mucositis. Herein, we present a general seven-step approach for the preparation of small molecule mycophenolate mofelite analogues, which are readily available for further biological evaluation in our mucositis model.

Addition reactions of acid chlorides (II) and (V) to dihydro-4,4-dimethyl-5-methylthio-thiazoles (I), (IV), and (IX) are studied.

The reactions of 1,3-dioxolane-2-thione (3) with (S)-2-methyloxirane ((S)-1) and with (R)-2-phenyloxirane ((R)-2) in the presence of SiO2 in anhydrous dichloroalkanes led to the optically active spirocyclic 1,3-oxathiolanes 8 with Me at C(7) and 9 with Ph at C(8), respectively (Schemes 2 and 3). The analogous reaction of 1,3-dimethylimidazolidine-2-thione (4a) with (R)-2 yielded stereoselectively (S)-2-phenylthiirane ((S)-10) in 83% yield and 97% ee together with 1,3-dimethylimidazolidin-2-one (11a). In the cases of 3-phenyloxazolidine-2-thione (4b) and 3-phenylthiazolidine-2-thione (4c), the reaction with (RS)-2 yielded the racemic thiirane (RS)-10, and the corresponding carbonyl compounds 11b and 11c (Scheme 4 and Table 1). The analogous reaction of 4a with 1,2-epoxycyclohexane (= 7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane; 7) afforded thiirane 12 and the corresponding carbonyl compound 11a (Scheme 5). On the other hand, the BF3-catalyzed reaction of imidazolidine-2-thione (5) with (RS)-2 yielded the imidazolidine-2-thione derivative 13 almost quantitatively (Scheme 6). In a refluxing xylene solution, 1,3-diacetylimidazolidine-2-thione (6) and (RS)-2 reacted to give two imidazolidine-2-thione derivatives, 13 and 14 (Scheme 7). The structures of 13 and 14 were established by X-ray crystallography (Fig.).