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This short review is devoted to asymmetric phase-transfer reactions that employ hybrid ammonium Cinchona catalysts supported by possessing hydrogen-bond donor groups. We present recent advances utilizing this type of catalyst in the field of biphasic reaction systems. The main emphasis is placed on the advantages of additional functional groups present in the structure of the catalyst, such as hydroxy, amide, (thio)urea or squaramide.1 Introduction2 Phase-Transfer Hybrid Cinchona Catalysts with a Free Hydroxy Group3 (Thio)urea Hybrid Cinchona Catalysts4 Hybrid Amide-Based Catalysts Bearing a Cinchona Scaffold5 Conclusions

We report an enantioselective phase transfer α-chlorination of β-keto esters catalyzed by hybrid amide-based Cinchona derivatives. The chlorination process proceeds with proper quantitative yields (up to

β-Cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives containing an aromatic triazole ring were studied as potential carriers of the following drugs containing an anthraquinone moiety: anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid (AQ2S); anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid (AQ2CA); and a common anthracycline, daunorubicin (DNR). UV-Vis and voltammetry measurements were carried out to determine the solubilities and association constants of the complexes formed, and the results revealed the unique properties of the chosen CDs as effective pH-dependent drug complexing agents. The association constants of the drug complexes with the CDs containing a triazole and lipoic acid (βCDLip) or galactosamine (βCDGAL), were significantly larger than that of the native βCD. The AQ2CA and AQ2S drugs were poorly soluble, and their solubilities increased as a result of complex formation with βCDLip and βCDGAL ligands. AQ2CA and AQ2S are negatively charged at pH 7.4. Therefore, they were less prone to form an inclusion complex with the hydrophobic CD cavity than at pH 3 (characteristic of gastric juices) when protonated. The βCDTriazole and βCDGAL ligands were found to form weaker inclusion complexes with the positively charged drug DNR at an acidic pH (pH 5.5) than in a neutral medium (pH 7.4) in which the drug dissociates to its neutral, uncharged form. This pH dependence is favorable for antitumor applications.

Herein we present a library of simple amide derivatives of Cinchona alkaloids in the form of quaternary ammonium salts. The obtained derivatives can be generated very easily and efficiently from inexpensive and commercially available substrates. We tested this class of alkaloids in the alkylation of glycine derivative, carried out under phase-transfer catalyst conditions. The presented hybrid catalysts offer both high reaction yields (up to 97%) and high enantioselectivities of the obtained product (up to 94% ee).

A new and convenient synthetic pathway was developed to produce monosubstituted cyclodextrins with high yields. Each of the β-cyclodextrin derivatives described in this work has an aromatic substituent connected with cyclodextrin core by a pH-sensitive hydrazone linker and a carbon chain. Carbon chains differ in lengths having one or three carbon atoms. The correlation between water solubility and linker length was determined using UV–Vis spectroscopy, while the dependence of hydrazone bond hydrolysis on the electrolyte pH was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry. The pH-dependent complex-formation ability between the hydrazone derivative of cyclodextrin and anthracycline drug was examined by square wave voltammetry. The significantly big solubility and the appropriate pH, at which the hydrolysis of the hydrazone bond occurs, make the newly synthesized derivatives attractive for pharmaceutical and medical applications.

A non-toxic lipoic acid derivative of β-cyclodextrin (βCDLip) with an electron-rich aromatic linker was studied as a carrier for the drug daunorubicin with the aim of increasing the intercalation efficiency of the drug into the double stranded DNA. The impact of cyclodextrins modified with lipoic acid on the interaction of daunorubicin with dsDNA was investigated by UV–vis spectroscopy and square wave voltammetry, and described using the McGhee and von Hippel model. The changes of the stability constants of the complexes reveal the dependence of drug binding efficiency on pH and explain the observed changes in the extent of drug intercalation into dsDNA.

β-cyclodextrin modified with an electron-rich aromatic triazole linker and targeting moiety (galactosamine) was synthesized and studied as a carrier for the anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), with the aim of targeting the pathological cells, reducing the cardiotoxic side effects and increasing the binding of the drug to DNA. The β-cyclodextrins modified with galactosamine (βCDGAL) are non-toxic and highly soluble in aqueous medium compared to the native βCD and βCD modified only with aromatic moiety, such as triazole linker. Molecular modelling and NMR study gave a deeper insight into the ligand structure, providing an explanation for its increased solubility, and the drug-ligand interactions. The triazole linker strengthened the drug binding and introduced pH dependence of the complex stability constants for βCDGAL derivative, as confirmed by the voltammetry measurements. Spectroscopic studies have shown that entrapment of the DOX in βCDGAL cavity reduces the stability constant of the DOX:Fe(III) complex responsible for the production of cardiotoxic reactive oxygen species and additionally supports the binding of the drug to the double strand DNA. The MTT assay and confocal microscopy results showed that despite encapsulation of the drug in the cyclodextrin molecule, its cytotoxic effect on the liver cancer cell line (HepG2) is comparable to that of the free, non-protected drug.

A library of monodentate furanoside phosphoramidites, easily synthesized from inexpensive D-xylose and optically pure 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol (BINOL), was used as ligands for the palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation and amination. The matched pair was formed from D-xylose-derivatives and (S)-BINOL. The asymmetric induction depends strongly on the substituent at the C5 of the carbohydrate backbone; both bulky 5-O-pivaloyl and 5-deoxy derivatives gave excellent results, whereas ligands with trityl protection at position C5 induced low ee values with reversal of configuration. The solvent used for the addition is also of great importance with highest enantioselectivities observed in diethyl ether. The best results for both alkylation and amination, up to 98–99 % ee, were obtained for sterically demanding allylic acetates.

A non-toxic lipoic acid derivative of β cyclodextrin (βCDLip) with an electron-rich aromatic linker was studied as a carrier for the drug doxorubicin with the aim of decreasing the toxic side effects of this drug. The modified cyclodextrin strengthened the drug binding and differentiated the complex-forming ability with dependence on pH. The stability constants of the complexes were evaluated by voltammetry and spectrofluorometry. Molecular modelling provided deeper insight into the nature of the ligand structure itself and the drug–ligand interactions, showing the different contributions of the self-inclusion of the ligand substituent at different pH values. As a result, the modes of interaction of βCDLip with the drug and factors affecting the stabilities of the complex under the pH conditions of healthy and tumour cells could be discovered and explained.

A practical four-step synthesis of a model 26-membered N-Boc-protected macrocycle, starting from commercially available and inexpensive materials, is reported. The crucial macrocyclization step does not require high-dilution conditions and is completed in a short time (8 h). The high yield of macrocyclization (61%) is achieved owing to templation by intramolecular H-bonds and a chloride anion, which both help to adopt a favorable folded conformation of the open-chain intermediate. Finally, mild, selective, and efficient incorporation of intraannular amide function leading to five diversely functionalized unclosed cryptands (UCs) is described.

A library of monodentate furanoside phosphoramidites is prepared and applied in the Pd-catalyzed allylic alkylation and amination.

Review: [applications of carbohydrate-derived ligands in enantioselective transition meal catalysis since 2008]

Novel monodentate phosphoramidite ligands (I) based on amines derived from α-D-xylofuranose are synthesized and applied to the cuprous triflate-catalyzed conjugate addition to acyclic and cyclic enones.