Pocket-to-Lead: Structure-Based Design of Novel Non-peptidic HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors Using the Ligand Binding Pocket as a Template.

A novel strategy for lead identification that we have dubbed the "Pocket-to-Lead" strategy is demonstrated using HIV-1 protease as a model target. Sometimes, it is difficult to obtain hit compounds because of the difficulties in satisfying the complex pharmacophoric features. In this study, a virtual fragment hit which does not match all of the pharmacophore features but has key interactions and vectors that could grow into remaining pharmacophore features was optimized .

Rhodium-catalyzed borylation of aryl 2-pyridyl ethers through cleavage of the carbon-oxygen bond: borylative removal of the directing group.

The rhodium-catalyzed reaction of aryl 2-pyridyl ethers with a diboron reagent results in the formation of arylboronic acid derivatives via activation of the C(aryl)-O bonds. The straightforward synthesis of 1,2-disubstituted arenes was enabled through catalytic ortho C-H bond functionalization directed by the 2-pyridyloxy group followed by substitution of this group with a boryl group. Several control experiments revealed that the presence of a sp(2) nitrogen atom at the 2-position of the substrate and the use of a boron-based reagent were crucial for the activation of the relatively inert C(aryl)-O bond of aryl 2-pyridyl ethers.

1,3-Dicyclohexylimidazol-2-ylidene as a superior ligand for the nickel-catalyzed cross-couplings of aryl and benzyl methyl ethers with organoboron reagents.

A new catalytic system has been developed involving the use of Ni(cod)2 in conjunction with 1,3-dicyclohexylimidazol-2-ylidene for the cross-coupling of aryl and benzyl methyl ethers with organoboron reagents. This method not only allows for the use of readily available methyl ethers as halide surrogates but also provides a functional group tolerant method for the late-stage derivatization of complex molecules.

1,5-Migration of rhodium via C-H bond activation in catalytic decyanative silylation of nitriles.

Unprecedented aryl-to-aryl 1,5-rhodium migration is involved in decyanative silylation of aryl cyanides bearing a tethered arene. The 1,5-migration proceeds through remote C-H bond activation. 1,5-Migration also occurs in other rhodium-catalyzed reactions, including borylation and oxidative Mizoroki-Heck reactions.

Rhodium(I)-catalyzed borylation of nitriles through the cleavage of carbon-cyano bonds.

The reaction of aryl cyanides with diboron in the presence of a rhodium/Xantphos catalyst and DABCO affords arylboronic esters via carbon-cyano bond cleavage. This unprecedented mode of reactivity for a borylrhodium species allows the regioselective introduction of a boryl group in a late stage of synthesis.