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A one-pot multistep methodology leading to trifluoromethylated cyclopenta[ c ]isoquinolines, indeno[1,2- c ]isoquinolines, 6,6-difluoro-1,3-oxazines, or 1,3-oxazin-6-ones, based on the reaction of 5-acylated N -pentafluoroethyl-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles is presented. A thermal ring opening of the starting triazoles, followed by a 1,2-acyl shift formed reactive ketenimines which cyclized after a rearrangement in a substrate-specific manner to provide new trifluoromethylated heterocyclic products., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has highlighted the need for advanced antiviral strategies. Targeting the coronaviral methyltransferase nsp14, which is essential for RNA capping, offers a promising approach for the development of small-molecule inhibitors. We designed and synthesized a series of adenosine 5'-carboxamide derivatives as potential nsp14 inhibitors and identified coumarin analogs to be particularly effective. Structural modifications revealed the importance of the 5'-carboxyl moiety for the inhibitory activity, showing superior efficacy compared to other modifications. Notably, compound 18l ( HK370 ) demonstrated high selectivity and favorable in vitro pharmacokinetic properties and exhibited moderate antiviral activity in cell-based assays. These findings provide a robust foundation for developing targeted nsp14 inhibitors as a potential treatment for COVID-19 and related diseases., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) represents a prominent target in the discovery and development of new antivirotics against RNA viruses, inhibiting the replication process. One of the most targeted RNA viruses of the last years is, without doubt, SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. HeE1-2Tyr, a known inhibitor of flaviviral RdRp, has been discovered to also have antiviral potency against this coronavirus. In this study, we report three distinct modifications of HeE1-2Tyr: conversion of the core from a benzothiazole to a benzoxazole moiety and two different scaffold simplifications, respectively. We provide a novel synthetic approach and, in addition, evaluate the final molecules in an in vitro polymerase assay for biological activity., (Copyright © 2024, Tóth et al.)

N-Trifluoromethylated organics may be applied in drug design, agrochemical synthesis, and materials science, among other areas. Yet, despite recent advances in the synthesis of aliphatic, cyclic and heterocyclic N-trifluoromethyl compounds, no strategy based on trifluoromethyl nitrene has hitherto been explored. Here we describe the formation of triplet trifluoromethyl nitrene from azidotrifluoromethane, a stable and safe-to-use precursor, by visible light photocatalysis. The addition of CF 3 N to alkenes via biradical intermediates afforded previously unknown aziridines substituted with trifluoromethyl group on the nitrogen atom. The obtained aziridines were converted into either N-trifluoromethylimidazolines, via formal [3+2] cycloaddition with nitriles, mediated by a Lewis acid, or into N-trifluoromethylaldimines, via ring opening and aryl group migration mediated by a strong Brønsted acid. Our findings open new opportunities for the development of novel classes of N-CF 3 compounds with possible applications in the life sciences., (© 2023 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A new fluorinated azidoethane─1-azido-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane─was prepared in quantitative yield by the addition of an azide anion to tetrafluoroethylene in a protic medium. The title azide was shown to be thermally stable and insensitive to impact. Copper(I)-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition with alkynes afforded 4-substituted N -tetrafluoroethyl-1,2,3-triazoles which underwent rhodium(II)-catalyzed transannulation with nitriles to novel N -tetrafluoroethylimidazoles or the reaction with triflic acid to enamido triflates. [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of the title azide with primary amines afforded novel 5-difluoromethyl tetrazoles.

Copper(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition of substituted cyclohexenyl acetylenes with azido(per)fluoroalkanes afforded 4-cyclohexenyl-substituted N -(per)fluoroalkylated 1,2,3-triazoles. Their rhodium(II)-catalyzed transannulation led to fused N -(per)fluoroalkyl pyrroles and subsequent oxidation provided N -(per)fluoroalkyl indoles.

Elusive N -acyl-1,2,3-triazoles formed by direct acylation of NH-1,2,3-triazoles were isolated and fully characterized, including X-ray crystallography. A preference for the formation of thermodynamic N 2 isomers was established. Direct evidence of interconversion between N 1- and N 2-acyltriazoles confirmed their value in denitrogenative transformations. Efficient synthesis of enamido triflates from NH-triazoles via the intermediacy of N 2-acyl-1,2,3-triazoles was developed.

Azidodifluoromethyl phenyl sulfone, a new stable fluorinated azide, was synthesized on a multi-gram scale from difluoromethyl phenyl sulfone. The synthetic utility of the title azide in the preparation of N -difluoro(phenylsulfonyl)methyl-1,2,3-triazoles was demonstrated on examples of azide-alkyne cycloaddition reactions. Subsequent reductive desulfonylation/silylation afforded N -difluoro(trimethylsilyl)methyl-1,2,3-triazoles, and rhodium(II)-catalyzed transannulation with nitriles provided N -difluoro(phenylsulfonyl)methyl-substituted imidazoles. The title azide thus represents a synthetic equivalent of the azidodifluoromethyl anion.

4-Aryl-5-allyl- N -fluoroalkyl-1,2,3-triazoles available by a three-component reaction of fluoroalkyl azides, copper acetylides, and allyl halides underwent aluminum halide-mediated transformation to N -(4-halo-2-aryl-cyclopentenyl) imidoyl halides by cyclization of vinyl cation intermediates, followed by halide capture. Utilization of the cyclic products was demonstrated by the synthesis of N -alkenyl amides, amidines, isoquinolines, and tetrazoles or by the subsequent modification of the cyclopentene ring.

A new approach for synthesizing polycyclic heterofused 7-deazapurine heterocycles and the corresponding nucleosides was developed based on C-H functionalization of diverse (hetero)aromatics with dibenzothiophene- S -oxide followed by the Negishi cross-cooupling with bis(4,6-dichloropyrimidin-5-yl)zinc. This cross-coupling afforded a series of (het)aryl-pyrimidines that were converted to fused deazapurine heterocycles through azidation and thermal cyclization. The fused heterocycles were glycosylated to the corresponding 2'-deoxy- and ribonucleosides, and a series of derivatives were prepared by nucleophilic substitutions at position 4. Four series of new polycyclic thieno-fused 7-deazapurine nucleosides were synthesized using this strategy. Most of the deoxyribonucleosides showed good cytotoxic activity, especially for the CCRF-CEM cell line. Phenyl- and thienyl-substituted thieno-fused 7-deazapurine nucleosides were fluorescent, and the former one was converted to 2'-deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate for enzymatic synthesis of labeled oligonucleotides.

Homologues of natural epigenetic pyrimidine nucleosides and nucleotides were designed and synthesized. They included 5-ethyl-, 5-propyl-, 5-(1-hydroxyethyl)-, 5-(1-hydroxypropyl)- and 5-acetyl- and 5-propionylcytosine and -uracil 2'-deoxyribonucleosides and their corresponding 5'- O -triphosphates (dN X TPs). The epimers of 5-(1-hydroxyethyl)- and 5-(1-hydroxypropyl)pyrimidine nucleosides were separated and their absolute configuration was determined by a combination of X-ray and NMR analysis. The modified dN X TPs were used as substrates for PCR synthesis of modified DNA templates used for the study of transcription with bacterial RNA polymerase. Fundamental differences in transcription efficiency were observed, depending on the various modifications. The most notable effects included pronounced stimulation of transcription from 5-ethyluracil-bearing templates (200% transcription yield compared to natural thymine) and an enhancing effect of 5-acetylcytosine versus inhibiting effect of 5-acetyluracil. In summary, these results reveal that RNA polymerase copes with dramatically altered DNA structure and suggest that these nucleobases could potentially play roles as artificial epigenetic DNA nucleobases., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

A reaction of N -sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazole with boron trifluoride etherate afforded a ( Z )-β-ensulfonylamido fluoride instead of the previously erroneously assigned E isomer. The correction of the stereochemistry was based on a ge-1D ROESY NMR experiment and X-ray crystal structure analyses. Application of the reaction to N -fluoroalkyl-1,2,3-triazoles afforded new ( Z )-β-enamido fluorides in a stereoselective manner. A mechanism involving coordination of BF 3 with the triazole ring and vinyl diazonium and vinyl cation intermediates was proposed.

All four isomeric series of novel 4-substituted pyrido-fused 7-deazapurine ribonucleosides possessing the pyridine nitrogen atom at different positions were designed and synthesized. The total synthesis of each isomeric fused heterocycle through multistep heterocyclization was followed by glycosylation and derivatization at position 4 by cross-coupling reactions or nucleophilic substitutions. All compounds were tested for cytostatic and antiviral activity. The most active were pyrido[4',3':4,5]pyrimidine nucleosides bearing MeO, NH 2 , MeS, or CH 3 groups at position 4, which showed submicromolar cytotoxic effects and good selectivity for cancer cells. The mechanism involved activation by phosphorylation and incorporation to DNA where the presence of the modified ribonucleosides causes double-strand breaks and apoptosis., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Bis(benzothienyl)ethene sulfones are very interesting molecules for super-resolution microscopy due to their photoswitching properties. However, functionalization of the 'classical' bis(benzothienyl)ethene sulfones with a five-membered central ring leads to significant decrease of quantum yields of photoconversion of the fluorescent closed form of the dye to the non-fluorescent open form that limits their application in microscopy. Here, we designed and synthesized diarylethenes with a fluorinated four-membered central ring that adds extra strain to the closed form of the dye. The reaction mechanism of their formation was studied, and byproducts formed upon structural rearrangement of the benzothiophene fragment were characterized. The photochromic properties of the new molecules were investigated by NMR and absorption spectroscopy. Some of these compounds show enhanced tendency to ring opening and have quantum yields of the ring-opening reaction in the range of 0.2-0.5., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Binuclear lanthanide complexes of Eu(III) and Sm(III) were obtained in the presence of chiral ligand 1,2-(R,R+S,S)-N,N'-bis(2-pyridylmethylene),2-diamine. An unusual structure of the Eu(III) compound with two lanthanide atoms connected through two chlorines was determined by X-ray crystallography. In solution, the dimer coexists with a monomeric complex, and the stability of the binuclear form depends on the solvent and concentration. The dimer-monomer equilibrium was monitored by circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) measured on a Raman optical activity (ROA) spectrometer, where both forms provided large CPL anisotropic ratios of up to 5.6×10 -2 . Monomer formation was favored in water, whereas the dimer was stabilized in methanol. When mixed with adenosine phosphates, AMP gave much smaller CPL than ADP and ATP, indicating a high affinity of the Eu (III) complex for the phosphate group, which in connection with the ROA/CPL technique can be developed into a bioanalytical probe., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Direct fluorination of ortho-, meta- and para-substituted aromatic thiols and disulfides using elemental fluorine afforded substituted (pentafluorosulfanyl)benzenes. This work thus represents the first study of the scope and limitation of direct fluorination for the synthesis of new SF 5 -containing building blocks. Fluorinations in batch and flow modes were compared. A comprehensive computational study was carried out employing density functional and wave function methods to elucidate the reaction mechanism of the transformation of ArSF 3 into ArSF 5 . Eliminating various nonradical pathways, it has been shown that the reaction proceeds by a radical mechanism, initiated by the attack of the F . on the ArSF 3 moiety, propagated via an almost barrierless F 2 +ArSF 4 . →ArSF 5 +F . step and terminated by the ArSF 4 . +F . →ArSF 5 . Most of the calculated data are in very good agreement with experimental observations concerning the ortho-substituent effect on the reaction rates and yields., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Nitroaromatics substituted with electron-acceptor or electron-donor groups undergo vicarious nucleophilic substitution with the lithium salt of dichloromethane to provide chloromethyl-substituted nitroaromatics in good to high yields. The methodology represents a new strategy for the synthesis of benzyl chlorides.

N-Fluoroalkylated 1,2,3-triazoles in the presence of triflic acid or fluorosulfonic acid underwent a cascade reaction consisting of triazole protonation, ring opening, nitrogen elimination, sulfonate addition, HF elimination, and hydrolysis to furnish novel trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy- or fluorosulfonyloxy-substituted enamides, respectively, in a highly stereoselective fashion. The vinyl triflates underwent cross-coupling reactions to a variety of substituted enamides and serve as sources of the aminovinyl cations. In reactions with triflic acid, electron-rich triazoles afforded 2-fluoroalkylated oxazoles., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The first asymmetric total synthesis of a member of the asperparaline family was accomplished and the unknown absolute configuration of asperparaline C has been determined to be all-(S). The key steps of the synthesis are an oxidative radical cyclization, a selective reduction of one of the tertiary amides, a singlet oxygen Diels-Alder reaction and a reductive spirocyclization.

Three series of isomeric pyrrolo- and furo-fused 7-deazapurine ribonucleosides were synthesized and screened for cytostatic and antiviral activity. The synthesis was based on heterocyclizations of hetaryl-azidopyrimidines to form the tricyclic heterocyclic bases, followed by glycosylation and final derivatizations through cross-coupling reactions or nucleophilic substitutions. The pyrrolo[2',3':4,5]pyrrolo[2,3- d]pyrimidine and furo[2',3':4,5]pyrrolo[2,3- d]pyrimidine ribonucleosides were found to be potent cytostatics, whereas the isomeric pyrrolo[3',2',4,5]pyrrolo[2,3- d]pyrimidine nucleosides were inactive. The most active were the methyl, methoxy, and methylsulfanyl derivatives exerting submicromolar cytostatic effects and good selectivity toward cancer cells. We have shown that the nucleosides are activated by intracellular phosphorylation and the nucleotides get incorporated to both RNA and DNA, where they cause DNA damage. They represent a new type of promising candidates for preclinical development toward antitumor agents.

We developed and presented here a ferrocene-catalyzed C-H imidation of 7-deazapurines (pyrrolo[2,3- d ]pyrimidines) with N -imidyl peroxyesters. The reactions occur regioselectively at position 8 in 7-deazapurines, leading to a series of 8-succinimido-, phtalimido-, or naphthalimido-7-deazapurine derivatives. Attempted hydrazinolysis of resulting 8-imidyl-7-deazapurines led to corresponding 8-amino-7-deazapurine, which was very unstable and quickly decomposed., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Fluorogenic bioorthogonal reactions enable visualization of biomolecules under native conditions with excellent signal-to-noise ratio. Here, we present the design and synthesis of conformationally-strained aziridine-fused trans-cyclooctene (aza-TCO) dienophiles, which lead to the formation of fluorescent products in tetrazine ligations without the need for attachment of an extra fluorophore moiety. The presented aza-TCOs adopt the highly strained "half-chair" conformation, which was predicted computationally and confirmed by NMR measurements and X-ray crystallography. Kinetic studies revealed that the aza-TCOs belong to the most reactive dienophiles known to date. The potential of the newly developed aza-TCO probes for bioimaging applications is demonstrated by protein labeling experiments, imaging of cellular glycoconjugates and peptidoglycan imaging of live bacteria., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Tetrafluoroethylene-containing azides are accessed in two steps (one pot) from tetrafluoroalkyl bromides by metalation and reaction with electrophilic azides. Subsequent copper(i)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition afforded N-tetrafluoroethyl and N-tetrafluoroethylene 4-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles. In addition, the protocol for the synthesis of 4,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles is presented.

We report an efficient and scalable synthesis of azidotrifluoromethane (CF 3 N 3 ) and longer perfluorocarbon-chain analogues (R F N 3 ; R F =C 2 F 5 , n C 3 F 7 , n C 8 F 17 ), which enables the direct insertion of CF 3 and perfluoroalkyl groups into triazole ring systems. The azidoperfluoroalkanes show good reactivity with terminal alkynes in copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), giving access to rare and stable N-perfluoroalkyl triazoles. Azidoperfluoroalkanes are thermally stable and the efficiency of their preparation should be attractive for discovery programs., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The Mn(OAc) 3 -promoted C-H phosphonation of 7-deazapurines (pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines) and 9-deazapurines (pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidines) with diethylphosphite was developed. The reactions occur regioselectively at position 8 both in 7 and 9-deazapurines, leading to new deazapurine-8-phosphonate derivatives, which can be further modified and transformed to 6-(het)aryl-deazapurine derivatives or deprotected to free phosphonic acids.

We report an innovative synthetic route to linear extended diquats (linquats). Our approach is short and efficient and features a highly modular reaction sequence based on two-fold quaternization followed by the key intramolecular [2+2+2] alkyne cycloaddition. The physico-chemical properties of four new linquats were characterized by spectroscopic methods, X-ray crystallography, and electrochemistry complemented by information obtained from DFT calculations. Electron deficient N-heteroaromatic cations with linear extended diquat motif with high electron affinities have been recently recognized as attractive n-type semiconductors for chemical and biological sensing. Their advantageous redox properties such as very fast reversible electron transfers make the title compounds interesting for applications., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Two molecules of mistaken identity are addressed. Uncovering these assignment errors led us to formulate more general guidelines about additional misassignments in cases of published bis-imines derived from 1,2-phenylenediamine and hydroxybenzaldehydes having no substituent in ortho-positions. The main purpose of this article is to highlight this repetitive assignment error in the literature and thus increase the likelihood of correct assignments in future papers.

The (15)N NMR shifts of 9-ethyl-8-oxoguanine (OG) were calculated and measured in liquid DMSO and in crystal. The OG molecule is a model for oxidatively damaged 2'-deoxyguanosine that occurs owing to oxidative stress in cell. The DNA lesion is repaired with human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (hOGG1) base-excision repair enzyme, however, the exact mechanism of excision of damaged nucleobase with hOGG1 is currently unknown. This benchmark study on (15)N NMR shifts of OG aims their accurate structural interpretation and calibration of the calculation protocol utilizable in future studies on mechanism of hOGG1 enzyme. The effects of NMR reference, DFT functional, basis set, solvent, structure, and dynamics on calculated (15)N NMR shifts were first evaluated for OG in crystal to calibrate the best performing calculation method. The effect of large-amplitude motions on (15)N NMR shifts of OG in liquid was calculated employing molecular dynamics. The B3LYP method with Iglo-III basis used for B3LYP optimized geometry with 6-311++G(d,p) basis and including effects of solvent and molecular dynamic was the calculation protocol used for calculation of (15)N NMR shifts of OG. The NMR shift of N9 nitrogen of OG was particularly studied because the atom is involved in an N-glycosidic bond that is cleaved with hOGG1. The change of N9 NMR shift owing to oxidation of 9-ethylguanine (G) measured in liquid was -27.1 ppm. The calculated N9 NMR shift of OG deviated from experiment in crystal and in liquid by 0.45 and 0.65 ppm, respectively. The calculated change of N9 NMR shift owing to notable N9-pyramidalization of OG in one previously found polymorph was 20.53 ppm. We therefore assume that the pyramidal geometry of N9 nitrogen that could occur for damaged DNA within hOGG1 catalytic site might be detectable with (15)N NMR spectroscopy. The calculation protocol can be used for accurate structural interpretation of (15)N NMR shifts of oxidatively damaged guanine DNA residue.

Densely functionalized cyclopentane derivatives with up to four consecutive stereocenters are assembled by a tandem Michael addition/single-electron transfer oxidation/radical cyclization/oxygenation strategy mediated by ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate, a recyclable, less toxic single-electron transfer oxidant. Ester enolates were coupled with α-benzylidene and α-alkylidene β-dicarbonyl compounds with switchable diastereoselectivity. This pivotal steering element subsequently controls the diastereoselectivity of the radical cyclization step. The substitution pattern of the radical cyclization acceptor enables a switch of the cyclization mode from a 5-exo pattern for terminally substituted olefin units to a 6-endo mode for internally substituted acceptors. The oxidative anionic/radical strategy also allows efficient termination by oxygenation with the free radical 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinoxyl, and two C-C bonds and one C-O bond are thus formed in the sequence. A stereochemical model is proposed that accounts for all of the experimental results and allows the prediction of the stereochemical outcome. Further transformations of the synthesized cyclopentanes are reported., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

4-(Pentafluorosulfanyl)catechol, 2-amino-4-(pentafluorosulfanyl)phenol, and 2-amino-5-(pentafluorosulfanyl)phenol undergo oxidation by lead tetraacetate at ambient temperature leading to dearomatization and the formation of SF5-substituted nitriles and esters of cis,cis-hexa-2,4-dienedioic (muconic) acid in good yields. 4-(Pentafluorosulfanyl)phenol and 4-(pentafluorosulfanyl)anisole are oxidized by 30% aqueous hydrogen peroxide in concentrated sulfuric acid to provide 2-(5-oxo-3-(pentafluorosulfanyl)-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-yl)acetic acid [3-(pentafluorosulfanyl)muconolactone] and small amounts of side products--SF5-containing maleic and succinic acids. The methods presented are the first examples of the practical synthesis of aliphatic SF5-containing compounds from readily available aromatic ones.

Oxidative single-electron transfer-catalyzed tandem reactions consisting of a conjugate addition and a radical cyclization are reported, which incorporate the mandatory terminal oxidant as a functionality into the product., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Investigation of a set of 12 [7]helquat salts by X-ray crystal diffraction led to identification of conglomerate behavior in bis(trifluoroacetate) salt [2][CF(3)CO(2)](2). This is to demonstrate that a systematic search for conglomerates can be performed for a given helicenoid enabling straightforward multigram resolution via preferential crystallization. Subsequently, preferential crystallization of this chiral helicene-viologen hybrid has been established to obtain pure P and M enantiomers on a multigram scale, 5 g each. Furthermore, preparation of nonracemic samples of [7]helquat 2 via diastereomeric (R,R)-dibenzoyltartrate salts is described, and determination of absolute configuration and racemization barrier is also reported.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(23)H(23)N(3)O(2), contains two mol-ecules in both of which, one amide N atom is in a syn position with respect to the pyridine N atom, while the other amide N atom is in an anti position (the syn--anti conformation). There are minor conformational differences between the two mol-ecules, as reflected in the N(pyridine)-C-C-N(amide) torsion angles of -44.9 (3) and 136.0 (2)° for one mol-ecule and 43.5 (3) and -131.1 (2)° for the other mol-ecule. However, the two mol-ecules show significant differences in the orientation of an ethyl group, with corresponding C-C-N-C torsion angles of 86.6 (3)° for one mol-ecule and 79.6 (3)° for the other mol-ecule. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional supra-molecular network.

Polysubstituted pyrimidinylphosphonic and 1,3,5-triazinylphosphonic acids with potential biological properties were prepared in high yields by the microwave-assisted Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction of trialkyl phosphite with the corresponding halopyrimidines and halo-1,3,5-triazines, respectively, followed by the standard deprotection of the phosphonate group using TMSBr in acetonitrile. 4,6-Diamino-5-chloropyrimidin-2-ylphosphonic acid ( 7a ) was found to exhibit a weak to moderate anti-influenza activity (28-50 μM) and may represent a novel hit for further SAR studies and antiviral improvement., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A general modular and practical methodology for preparation of diverse 5-substituted pyridin-2-yl and 6-substituted pyridin-3-yl C-ribonucleosides was developed. Regioselective lithiation of 2,5-dibromopyridine proceeded at position 5 or 2 depending on the solvent, and the resulting bromopyridyl lithium species underwent additions to TBS-protected ribonolactone and follow-up transformations to corresponding acetylated hemiketal intermediates 7 and 10 that were diastereoselectively reduced to give either 5-bromopyridin-2-yl or 6-bromopyridin-3-yl silyl-protected C-ribonucleosides 8 or 11 in 68% and 77% overall yields as pure β-anomers. These bromopyridyl C-nucleoside intermediates were then subjected to a series of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, aminations, aminocarbonylations, and hydroxylations to give a series of protected 1β-(5-alkyl-, 5-aryl-, 5-amino-, 5-carbamoyl-, and 5-hydroxypyridin-2-yl)-C-ribonucleosides 13a-i and β-(6-alkyl-, 6-aryl-, 6-amino-, 6-carbamoyl-, and 6-hydroxypyridin-3-yl)-C-ribonucleosides 15a-i. Deprotection of silylated nucleosides by Et(3)N·3HF, TBAF, or TFA gave a series of free C-nucleosides 14a-i and 16a-i.

An efficient method for the synthesis of N(9)-[3-fluoro-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl] (FPMP) derivatives of purine bases has been developed. Both (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of the N(6)-substituted FPMP derivatives of adenine and 2,6-diaminopurine were prepared and their anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and anti-Moloney murine sarcoma virus (MSV) activity was evaluated. Whereas none of the 6-substituted FPMPA derivatives showed any antiviral activity, several FPMPDAP derivatives had a moderate antiretroviral activity. Moreover, the data obtained from the study of the substrate activity of the active derivatives towards N(6)-methyl-AMP aminohydrolase support the notion that the studied N(6)-substituted FPMPDAP derivatives act as prodrugs of the antiretroviral FPMPG analogues., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)