Experimental and computational study of BF-catalyzed transformations of -(pivaloylaminomethyl)benzaldehydes: an unexpected difference from TFA catalysis.

Previously, we have studied the trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)-catalyzed rearrangements of unsubstituted and alkoxy-substituted -(pivaloylaminomethyl)benzaldehydes and revealed the formation of rearranged, regioisomeric aldehydes along with dimer-like products ("TFA dimers"). In the present study, related reactions of -(pivaloylaminomethyl)benzaldehydes are described with the difference that boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BF·OEt) is used as the catalyst. Although in these reactions the formation of the same "TFA dimers" can be observed after a couple of hours reaction time, during further stirring these are transformed into a new dimer-like keto compound ("BF dimer") that gradually becomes the main product.

Rearrangement of -(pivaloylaminomethyl)benzaldehydes: an experimental and computational study.

Treatment of alkoxy-substituted -(pivaloylaminomethyl)benzaldehydes under acidic conditions resulted in the formation of the regioisomeric aldehydes and/or dimer-like products. Detailed NMR studies and single-crystal X-ray measurements supported the structure elucidation of the compounds. DFT calculations were also carried out to clarify the reaction mechanism, and to explain the observed product distributions and structural variances in the dimer-like products.

Synthesis and Biochemical Evaluation of Lid-Open D-Amino Acid Oxidase Inhibitors.

Most of the known inhibitors of D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) are small polar molecules recognized by the active site of the enzyme. More recently a new class of DAAO inhibitors has been disclosed that interacts with loop 218-224 at the top of the binding pocket. These compounds have a significantly larger size and more beneficial physicochemical properties than most reported DAAO inhibitors, however, their structure-activity relationship is poorly explored.

Synthesis of 8-Fluoro-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline and Its Transformation to 1,8-Disubstituted Tetrahydroisoquinolines.

A simple procedure for the synthesis of 8-fluoro-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline is described below, based on a directed -lithiation reaction. This key intermediate was then applied in various transformations. Fluorine⁻amine exchange afforded the corresponding 8-amino-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines, suitable starting compounds for the synthesis of 1-substituted 8-amino-tetrahydroisoquinolines.