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We discovered a lead compound, N-methylbenzo[d]oxazol-2-amine (2a), which had comparable potency to albendazole, an orally administered anthelminticdrug, against Gnathostoma spinigerum, Caenorhabditis elegans and Trichinella spiralis. Compound 2a showed about 10 times lower cytotoxicity towards normal human cell line (HEK293) than albendazole. Moreover, we have developed new processes for the synthesis of N-alkylbenzo[d]oxazol-2-amine and N-alkylbenzo[d]thiazol-2-amine derivatives via metal-free conditions. This protocol could serve as a robust and scalable method, especially, to synthesize N-methylbenzo[d]oxazol-2-amine and N-methylbenzo[d]thiazol-2-amine derivatives which were difficult to prepare using other metal-free conditions. The method employed benzoxazole-2-thiol or benzothiazole-2-thiol as the substrate. The reaction was triggered by methylation of the thiol functional group to form the methyl sulfide intermediate, a crucial tactic, which facilitated in a smooth nucleophilic addition-elimination reaction with gaseous methylamine generated in situ from N-methylformamide. In addition, the proteomic analysis of compound 2a was also studied in this work.

An efficient synthesis of N-acetyl-2-substituted indole derivatives via direct intramolecular hydroamination of N-acetyl-2-alkynylaniline derivatives was developed. The reaction could be applied to a wide range of substrates employing only 1–2 mol% of PtCl4 as the catalyst to furnish the desired indole products in moderate to excellent yields. The current protocol is efficient, reliable and scalable, and could serve as an important tool for convenient and rapid access to this important class of N-heterocyclic skeleton from readily available substrates.

This study reported the discovery of novel compounds containing five-membered ring fused quinoline core structures as anticancer and antimalarial agents. Two libraries containing these core structures, neocryptolepines and carbocycle-fused quinolines, were prepared and evaluated. Compound 3h was found to be much more potent than other analogs against cancer cell lines with high selectivity. Meanwhile, carbocycle-fused quinolines 5h and 5s showed moderate anticancer properties but much less cytotoxicity to normal cell than doxorubicin. In addition, compound 3h also showed much lower cytotoxic against human normal kidney cell line compared to doxorubicin standard. However, only compounds 3s and 3p provided acceptable results for antimalarial activities.

Substituted furans are conveniently synthesized from acyclic secondary 1-alkyl-2-alkynylallylic alcohol precursors via an ICl-promoted cyclization reaction. The furans generated by this method incorporate both iodine and chlorine atoms which may be useful for further elaborations via many known methods. The methodology is suitable for generating a wide array of furan products which can serve as useful building blocks for the synthesis of various biologically active molecules.

An acid-promoted Aube–Schmidt's rearrangement of arylmethyl azides provides a useful in situ iminium ion intermediate, which can be efficiently trapped by various nucleophiles. We report here the reaction of this iminium ion with aromatic nucleophiles to give N-arylmethyl arenes and the reaction with heteroaromatic compounds to give fused polycyclic heteroaromatic products in a formal [4+2] cycloaddition. The short synthesis of isocrytolepine, an antimalarial agent, further demonstrated the utility of this process.

Novel intermolecular and intramolecular generations of ortho-quinone methides and their formal [4+2]-cycloaddition reactions with olefins catalyzed by PtCl4 and AuCl3 under mild conditions have been developed. Good to excellent yields (up to 99%) and diastereoselectivity (up to >99:1) of the chromans were obtained. PtCl4 was found to be effective and compatible with various functional groups present in the substrates. A mechanism accounting for its catalytic cycle is proposed and discussed.

Synthesis of dehydrorotenoid (1) was successfully achieved via an intramolecular aldol reaction of the corresponding 1,2-diaryl diketone intermediate. The 1,2-diaryl diketone was prepared using a ruthenium-catalyzed oxidation of the corresponding substituted diaryl acetylene. Treatment of this 1,2-diketone with l -proline induced a selective intramolecular aldol condensation reaction, forming the desired benzopyranone over the alternative benzofuran. Deprotection, cyclization, and dehydration gave the target compound in good overall yield.

A new synthesis of (−)-angustureine is described, featuring an annulation and fragmentation sequence that formally results in alkynylation of a β-amino ester. The six-step sequence from a readily available chiral β-amino ester to the natural product was achieved in 46% yield, with no protecting groups and three purifications.

A total synthesis of the rotenoid, 6-deoxyclitoriacetal, a cytotoxic natural product, was successfully achieved by using platinum-catalysed hydroarylation, Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation, regioselective IBX diol oxidation and stereoselective intramolecular keto-aldehyde pinacol coupling as the key steps.