Synthesis of C-glycosyl phosphonate derivatives of 4-amino-4-deoxy-α-ʟ-arabinose

• Lukáš Kerner and
• Paul Kosma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 9–14, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.2

• loading of the column mainly produced the endo-glycal 14 as the major product (55%) as well as the exo-isomer (31%), since Cs2CO3 was still present to induce isomerization. In contrast, direct separation of a concentrated reaction mixture by HPLC afforded 12 as the major product (61%), with isolation of

Synthesis and characterization of bis(4-amino-2-bromo-6-methoxy)azobenzene derivatives

• David Martínez-López,
• Amirhossein Babalhavaeji,
• Diego Sampedro and
• G. Andrew Woolley

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 3000–3008, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.296

• isomerization cycles [10]. Efforts to apply 1 to photocontrol protein–protein interactions have recently been reported [13]. Despite the usefulness of 1 as a photoswitch, compounds undergoing photoisomerization at longer wavelengths (>700 nm) would be valuable since the penetration of light through tissue is

• isomerization with 720 nm light under physiological conditions [8]. While the photoswitching properties of 3 are suitable for the use in biological systems, the overall size of 3 may limit the possibilities for the use as a component of photopharmaceutical agents. Currently, most photopharmaceutical agents are

Design, synthesis and investigation of water-soluble hemi-indigo photoswitches for bioapplications

• Daria V. Berdnikova

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2822–2829, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.275

• high importance for biological applications. Herein, the synthesis and adjustment of the substitution pattern of hemi-indigo derivatives for the efficient photoswitching in aqueous medium are described. Detailed characterization of the photoinduced isomerization of hemi-indigo derivatives in water is

• of the dimethylamino-substituted hemi-indigo Z-1a was observed in water with 10% DMSO, i.e., only irradiation with violet light (420 nm) led to the residual isomerization (Figure 1A). Additionally, the hemi-indigo Z-1a was hardly soluble in aqueous medium and rather fast precipitation took place even

• biological studies, the dimethylamino derivative Z-1a was excluded from further studies. In contrast, mono- and dimethoxy-substituted hemi-indigo derivatives Z-1b and Z-1c showed pronounced spectral changes upon irradiation indicating an efficient Z–E isomerization of the C–C-double bond (Figure 1B and

Chemical tuning of photoswitchable azobenzenes: a photopharmacological case study using nicotinic transmission

• Lorenzo Sansalone,
• Jun Zhao,
• Matthew T. Richers and
• Graham C. R. Ellis-Davies

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2812–2821, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.274

• ][13], specifically the spectral separation of the n–π* transitions of the trans and cis configurations. Since the maleimide functionality of 1 is quite hydrolytically sensitive at neutral pH, we characterized precursor 2. This photochrome underwent the expected trans–cis isomerization (Figure 2a). The

Photoreversible stretching of a BAPTA chelator marshalling Ca²⁺-binding in aqueous media

• Aurélien Ducrot,
• Arnaud Tron,
• Robin Bofinger,
• Ingrid Sanz Beguer,
• Jean-Luc Pozzo and
• Nathan D. McClenaghan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2801–2811, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.273

• state (PSS) for the E→Z photoisomerization at 365 nm was 88:12 in favor of the cis-form (Figure 4). The reversibility of the photoswitching of the supramolecular host was tested over several isomerization cycles with little evidence of fatigue (Figure 5). Thermal isomerization Z→E resulted in the

• presence of the ion has the effect of reducing the reversibility of the isomerization cycles due to an apparent accelerated degradation, which may be attributed to rendering an unwanted photochemical pathway more competitive. The fatigue study showed that more than 90% of 1E were recovered after each cycle

A chiral self-sorting photoresponsive coordination cage based on overcrowded alkenes

• Constantin Stuckhardt,
• Diederik Roke,
• Wojciech Danowski,
• Edwin Otten,
• Sander J. Wezenberg and
• Ben L. Feringa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2767–2773, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.268

• Pd2(stable Z-1)4; KB = 1758 ± 39 M−1 for Pd2(stable E-1)4 at 293 K). Finally, the photochemical and thermal isomerization behavior of the complexes was studied. Initially, the behavior of ligand 1 was studied by UV–vis and NMR spectroscopy, showing similar behavior as related first generation

• THI of this isomer. Conversion of cage Pd2(stable E-1)4 to Pd2(unstable Z-1)4 by photochemical E/Z isomerization of ligand stable E-1 to unstable Z-1 was performed by irradiation of a sample of Pd2(stable E-1)4 at 312 nm at −20 °C (Figure 5iv). Signals of cage Pd2(stable Z-1)4 disappeared and the

• experiments highlight the reversible formation of Pd2(unstable Z-1)4 through photochemical E/Z isomerization of the ligands. On the other hand, allowing the THI of ligands unstable Z-1 in cage Pd2(unstable Z-1)4 to take place by leaving the solution at room temperature for 5 d did not lead to the formation of

A combinatorial approach to improving the performance of azoarene photoswitches

• Joaquin Calbo,
• Aditya R. Thawani,
• Rosina S. L. Gibson,
• Andrew J. P. White and
• Matthew J. Fuchter

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2753–2764, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.266

• demonstrate slow thermal Z–E relaxation and the potential to switch with red light, while the o-fluoro compounds reported by Hecht and co-workers [13][14] offer excellent two-way isomerization with visible light and the longest thermal half-life reported for an azobenzene molecule (≈700 days at 25 °C) to date

• (≈1000 days at 25 °C); one of the most stable azo photoswitches reported to date. We further extended the family of arylazopyrazoles with the help of theoretical modelling and discovered 3pzH to be near quantitatively (>98%) switched back and forth between isomers, with a long thermal isomerization half

• drastically increase the isomerization half-life (to months or years) and allow further tuning of the photoaddressability of each isomer. We believe that the structure–property relationships described will guide further development of azoheteroarene photoswitches (particularly arylazopyrazoles), and their use

Acid-catalyzed rearrangements in arenes: interconversions in the quaterphenyl series

• Sarah L. Skraba-Joiner,
• Carter J. Holt and
• Richard P. Johnson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2655–2663, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.258

• rearrangements had been described previously. Isomerization of o,o’-quaterphenyl (17) with SnCl4/AlCl3 catalysis has been reported to yield a mixture of p,p’- (12), m,p’- (13), and m,m’-quaterphenyl (14) [34]. p,p’-Quaterphenyl (12) and m,m’-quaterphenyl (14) were available commercially. To complete the series

AgNTf₂-catalyzed formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition of ynamides with unprotected isoxazol-5-amines: efficient access to functionalized 5-amino-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxamide derivatives

• Ziping Cao,
• Jiekun Zhu,
• Li Liu,
• Yuanling Pang,
• Laijin Tian,
• Xuejun Sun and
• Xin Meng

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2623–2630, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.255

• derivatives can be obtained in up to 99% yield. The reaction mechanism might involve the generation of an unusual α-imino silver carbene intermediate (or a silver-stabilized carbocation) and subsequent cyclization/isomerization to build the significant pyrrole-3-carboxamide motif. The reaction features the

• silver catalyst from E along with the formation of enamide motif affords 3H-pyrrole F. A final aromatization step by isomerization provides the desire cyclic product 10aa. Notably, two possible cyclization routes from D’ (or D) to give 7-membered rings G and H cannot be achieved through the attack of the

• then cyclization/isomerization to complete the formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition process. This reaction highlights the use of an inexpensive catalyst, and simple work-up without column chromatographic purification for most of the products. Furthermore, these products contain the core structure of many

A toolbox of molecular photoswitches to modulate the CXCR3 chemokine receptor with light

• Xavier Gómez-Santacana,
• Sabrina M. de Munnik,
• Tamara A. M. Mocking,
• Niels J. Hauwert,
• Shanliang Sun,
• Prashanna Vijayachandran,
• Iwan J. P. de Esch,
• Henry F. Vischer,
• Maikel Wijtmans and
• Rob Leurs

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2509–2523, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.244

• pharmacological alternative, especially with respect to spatial and temporal precision [1][2]. Photochromic ligands usually contain a molecular photoswitch (photoswitchable moiety) that under certain wavelengths of illumination undergoes an isomerization event, thereby changing the properties of the molecule and

• spatial disposition similar to the original biaryl unit and, therefore, a similar biological activity that might change upon isomerization of the azobenzene [8]. The second reason for the success of azobenzene in the photopharmacology field is the robust photoisomerization. It provides typically high

• substituent to the binding site of the receptor [24]. In order to obtain an efficacy photoswitching, we opted for replacing the biaryl moiety for an azobenzene in an azologization approach (Figure 1D) with the expectation that the isomerization of the azobenzene would provide changes in 3D shape that are

In search of visible-light photoresponsive peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) for reversible control of DNA hybridization

• Lei Zhang,
• Greta Linden and
• Olalla Vázquez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2500–2508, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.243

• tetra-ortho-fluoroazobenzene–PNA conjugates have promising properties (fast reversible isomerization, exceptional thermal stability, high isomer conversions and sensitivity to visible-light irradiation) as reversible modulators to control oligonucleotide hybridization in biological contexts. Furthermore

• after the cleavage from the solid support. Among the initial studied photoswitchable PNAs, the PNA12(oF4Azo) (3) displayed the most promising properties as reversible modulator of oligonucleotide hybridization. Thus, it displayed the fastest reversible isomerization (≈2 s for cis → trans and ≈120 s for

• perform the isomerization after duplex hybridization, which resulted in only a constant 36% cis-isomer rate. The obtained TM values suggested that the localization of the oF4Azo affects both the duplex stability and isomer differences. Thus, the incorporation of oF4Azo near the center of the PNA (7 and 8

Experimental and computational electrochemistry of quinazolinespirohexadienone molecular switches – differential electrochromic vs photochromic behavior

• Eric W. Webb,
• Jonathan P. Moerdyk,
• Kyndra B. Sluiter,
• Benjamin J. Pollock,
• Amy L. Speelman,
• Eugene J. Lynch,
• William F. Polik and
• Jason G. Gillmore

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2473–2485, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.240

• photochromism results from a spirocyclic ring-opening or other isomerization which results in increased conjugation. Electrochromism is also of increasing materials relevance, e.g., for self-dimming automotive mirror and aircraft window darkening applications [6][7][8]. In electrochromic applications, the color

• as photooxidants, the difference in the reduction potential between LW and SW would need to be increased further, and LW would need to be more reducible to be of use in photooxidation of relevant substrates (e.g., Dewar benzenes, quadricyclanes, or bishomocubanes as quantum amplified isomerization

• above. In the cases of both D0 and T0, the longer bond is the one broken in the isomerization of SW 3a to eLW 5a and pLW 4a, respectively. Similar results are also observed for S0. Though the differences are much more modest in S0, the heteroN–C bond is computed to be both longer and weaker, as in D0

Self-assembled coordination thioether silver(I) macrocyclic complexes for homogeneous catalysis

• Zhen Cao,
• Aline Lacoudre,
• Cybille Rossy and
• Brigitte Bibal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2465–2472, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.239

• the 9,10-aryl substituents in respect to the anthracene core, without any indication of a syn-to-anti isomerization. Four silver(I) complexes 1a–d were prepared in excellent yield (77–92%) by mixing the ligand and the following silver salts in a 1:1 ratio in dichloromethane at room temperature: AgOTf

Ultrafast processes triggered by one- and two-photon excitation of a photochromic and luminescent hydrazone

• Alessandro Iagatti,
• Baihao Shao,
• Alberto Credi,
• Barbara Ventura,
• Ivan Aprahamian and
• Mariangela Di Donato

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2438–2446, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.236

• , belonging to the hydrazone family. The outstanding properties of this molecule, involving fluorescence toggling, bistability, high isomerization quantum yield and non-negligible two-photon absorption cross section, make it very promising for numerous applications. Here we show that the light induced Z/E

• isomerization occurs on a fast <1 ps timescale in both toluene and acetonitrile, while the excited state lifetime of the Z-form depends on solvent polarity, suggesting a partial charge transfer nature of its low lying excited state. Time-resolved luminescence measurements evidence the presence of a main

• shown in Figure 1. Irradiation of a solution of 1 using 442 nm light induces a Z/E isomerization resulting in a color change, evidenced by the decrease of the absorption at 395 nm and the appearance of a new band with a maximum at 343 nm. The E-form is extremely stable (half-life of 75 years in toluene

Effect of ring size on photoisomerization properties of stiff stilbene macrocycles

• Sandra Olsson,
• Óscar Benito Pérez,
• Magnus Blom and
• Adolf Gogoll

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2408–2418, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.233

• a six carbon chain) showed some degree of isomerization when irradiated. DFT calculations of the energy differences between the E- and Z-isomers show the same trend as the experimental results. Interestingly the DFT study highlights that the energy difference between the E- and Z-isomers of even the

• the resulting macrocycle. Keywords: DFT; molecular mechanics; photostability; photo-switch; ring-strain; stiff stilbene; Introduction The stiff stilbene (SS) molecule has drawn a lot of interest due to its photodynamic properties [1]. Stiff stilbenes typically undergo light triggered isomerization

• ). Photoisomerization Photoisomerizing the (Z)-1a–d to the (E)-1a–d isomers requires to stretch the linker. The isomerization was achieved by irradiation of a degassed solution of (Z)-1a–d in chloroform or deuterated chloroform using either a 280 or 300 nm filter (Scheme 3). The conversion was followed by UV–vis or 1H

Reversible switching of arylazopyrazole within a metal–organic cage

• Anton I. Hanopolskyi,
• Soumen De,
• Michał J. Białek,
• Yael Diskin-Posner,
• Liat Avram,
• Moran Feller and
• Rafal Klajn

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2398–2407, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.232

• switching to the Z isomer was accompanied by the release of one of the two guests from the cage and the formation of a 1:1 cage/Z-arylazopyrazole inclusion complex. DFT calculations suggest that this process involves a dramatic change in the conformation of the cage. Back-isomerization was induced with

• green light and resulted in the initial 1:2 cage/E-arylazopyrazole complex. This back-isomerization reaction also proceeded in the dark, with a rate significantly higher than in the absence of the cage. Keywords: arylazopyrazoles; coordination cages; inclusion complexes; molecular switches

• affected by their confinement to the surfaces of inorganic nanoparticles. Among other examples, the isomerization kinetics of azobenzene could be tuned by a factor of >5000 by the molecules with which it was co-adsorbed on gold nanoparticles [23], and donor–acceptor Stenhouse adduct (DASA) switches were

Synthesis of acremines A, B and F and studies on the bisacremines

• Nils Winter and
• Dirk Trauner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2271–2276, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.219

• should then close the tetrahydrofuran ring of the natural product. Upon irradiation of 5 using a Hg lamp, however, the only productive pathway which could be observed was isomerization of the disubstituted double bond (Table 1, entries 17 and 18). Again, we attempted to promote the reaction by tethering

Recent advances in transition-metal-catalyzed incorporation of fluorine-containing groups

• Xiaowei Li,
• Xiaolin Shi,
• Xiangqian Li and
• Dayong Shi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2213–2270, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.218

• formation of fluorinated products with an overall retention of the stereochemical configuration suggests a mechanism wherein a palladium-π-allyl intermediate undergoes a rapid π-σ-π isomerization. In 2013, the first example of an allylic C–H fluorination reaction of simple alkenes with Et3N·3HF as a

Harnessing enzyme plasticity for the synthesis of oxygenated sesquiterpenoids

• Melodi Demiray,
• David J. Miller and
• Rudolf K. Allemann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2184–2190, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.215

• group could react at C10 to induce a fast 1,11-cyclisation, forming cation 25, which effectively competes with the isomerization of 11 to 8-methoxy-NDP. A subsequent [1,3]-hydride shift leads to 24 (Scheme 3A). Direct deprotonation of 22 at C15 forms the minor reaction product (E)-8-methoxy-β-farnesene

Azologization and repurposing of a hetero-stilbene-based kinase inhibitor: towards the design of photoswitchable sirtuin inhibitors

• Christoph W. Grathwol,
• Nathalie Wössner,
• Sören Swyter,
• Adam C. Smith,
• Enrico Tapavicza,
• Robert K. Hofstetter,
• Anja Bodtke,
• Manfred Jung and
• Andreas Link

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2170–2183, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.214

• physicochemical properties upon irradiation with light, represent one major approach to this. One of the most common light-driven transformations exploited in molecular photoswitches is the E–Z isomerization of double bonds [18]. In this context, the photochemistry of stilbenes and the closely related azobenzenes

• provided deeper insights and clarified the differential behaviour observed in the UV–vis spectra of 2b and 2f after UV irradiation. As anticipated, UV irradiation lead to E→Z isomerization of the C=C double bond in both compounds. The (Z)-isomers were found to be slightly more polar than the respective (E

• reversibly between two states comprising high amounts of (E)-11 and (Z)-11, respectively. The other part of the hypothesis was, that by this photoinduced isomerization a considerable drop of activity would occur due to the conformational change and the resulting changed geometry and polarity. However, this

Characterization of two new degradation products of atorvastatin calcium formed upon treatment with strong acids

• Jürgen Krauß,
• Monika Klimt,
• Markus Luber,
• Peter Mayer and
• Franz Bracher

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2085–2091, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.206

• dehydration of the δ-hydroxy group and some epimers resulting from acid-catalyzed isomerization reactions. In contrast, Vukkum et al. [13] describe, besides lactones 2 and 3, an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid 4. Treatment under more drastic conditions (6 M HCl, reflux, 3 h) was reported to result mainly in

A review of the total syntheses of triptolide

• Xiang Zhang,
• Zaozao Xiao and
• Hongtao Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1984–1995, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.194

• isomer 43. Treatment of 43 with methoxide ions in methanol at room temperature for 15 min gave the desired C-5 trans-butenolide 8 (40%) along with its C-5 cis-epimer 44 (60%), which is the sole product from the base-catalyzed isomerization of 43. Epoxidation of 43 gave a C-4,5-epoxide intermediate, which

• isomerization of olefin 43, the benzylic oxidation of 8, the use of m-CPBA to introduce the C-9,11 epoxide and the non-stereoselective reduction of the C-14 carbonyl group using sodium borohydride, caused an unacceptable overall yield (1.6%). This pioneering work undoubtedly established the basis for the future

• under the optimal photoredox conditions to provide tetracyclic intermediate 19i (dr = 1:1, Scheme 8, route L), with a cis A-/B-ring connection rather than the desired trans connection. Treatment of 19i with H2SO4, followed by RuCl2(PPh3)3-catalyzed double bond isomerization gave the known intermediate

Norbornadiene-functionalized triazatriangulenium and trioxatriangulenium platforms

• Roland Löw,
• Talina Rusch,
• Tobias Moje,
• Fynn Röhricht,
• Olaf M. Magnussen and
• Rainer Herges

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1815–1821, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.175

• , while the functional groups are protruding upright and freestanding from the central carbon atoms. Azobenzene derivatized TATA’s are known to exhibit extremely fast cis→trans isomerization on metal surfaces, via a peculiar non-adiabatic singlet→triplet→singlet mechanism. We now prepared norbornadienes

• (NBD) and quadricyclanes (QC) attached to TATA and TOTA platforms which can be used to check if these accelerated rates and the spin change mechanism also apply to [2 + 2] cycloreversions (QC→NBD). Keywords: [2 + 2] cycloaddition; [2 + 2] cycloreversion; norbornadiene; photochemical isomerization

• ; quadricyclane; self-assembled monolayers; TATA platform; thermal isomerization; TOTA platform; Introduction Recently, we discovered that the thermochemically forbidden cis–trans isomerization of azobenzenes can be efficiently catalysed by a very peculiar mechanism on bulk gold [1]. In heterogeneous catalysis

Recent advances on the transition-metal-catalyzed synthesis of imidazopyridines: an updated coverage

• Gagandeep Kour Reen,
• Ashok Kumar and
• Pratibha Sharma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1612–1704, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.165

• abstraction from the sp3 carbon atom leading to the formation of six-membered Cu(III) species 42. Furthermore, consecutive isomerization/oxidation/reductive elimination leads to the generation of final compound 37 with regeneration of the Cu(I) catalyst (Scheme 14). The presence of EDGs as compared to EWGs on

• activation of the C–H bond in the alkyne by copper on ZnAl2O4 initiated an intramolecular nucleophilic attack of pyridine nitrogen to the triple bond (135). This was followed by aromatic isomerization to form imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines (Scheme 46). The importance of Cu for this reaction is mentioned in Table 4

Synthesis of ([1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridin-3-ylmethyl)phosphonates and their benzo derivatives via 5-exo-dig cyclization

• Aleksandr S. Krylov,
• Artem A. Petrosian,
• Julia L. Piterskaya,
• Nataly I. Svintsitskaya and
• Albina V. Dogadina

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1563–1568, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.159

• nucleophilic substitution of chlorine in the chloroethynylphosphonate to form ynamine intermediate A, isomerization of which provides ketenimine B. Further formation of the imine tautomer C enables an intramolecular 5-exo-dig cyclization to furnish the title [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines (Scheme 6