Publications by authors named "Ioannis N Houpis"

A general, transition-metal-free, highly stereoselective cross-coupling reaction between glycosyl bromides and various arylzinc reagents leading to β-arylated glycosides is reported. The stereoselectivity of the reaction is explained by invoking anchimeric assistance via a bicyclic intermediate. Stereochemical probes confirm the participation of the 2-pivaloyloxy group.

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The carboxylic acid anion moiety has been used as a tunable directing group in the cross-coupling reaction of 2,6-dichloronicotinic acid and 2,5-dibromo-1,2,4-triazole derivatives producing selectively the 2- or 6-substituted nicotinic acids, while only the 5-substituted triazoles were obtained under a variety of conditions.

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The carboxylate anion has been used as a directing group to effect selective ortho-substituted derivatives 3 (>99:1 selectivity 50-80% yield). The solvent, base, and equivalents of base are the determining factors for the success of this reaction. The directing effect can be reversed by the appropriate use of phosphine ligands to prepare the para-substituted 4 selectively (ca.

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A multistep scalable synthesis of the clinically important hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor BILN 2061 (1) is described. The synthesis is highly convergent and consists of two amide bond formations, one etherification, and one ring-closing metathesis (RCM) step, using readily available building blocks 2-5. The optimization of each step is described at length.

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The stereospecific synthesis of the PPAR alpha/gamma agonist 1 was accomplished via ethylation of the optically pure trihydroxy derivative 6, itself derived via an enzymatic resolution. The ethylation can be accomplished without epimerization only under strict control of the reaction conditions and the choice of base (sodium tert-amylate), temperature (-30 degrees C), order of addition, and solvent (DMF). The key diastereospecific SN2 reaction of the phenol 4 with S-2-chloropropionic acid is best achieved via the sodium phenoxide of 4 derived from Na0 as the reagent of choice.

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The synthesis of the peroxime proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) alpha,gamma-agonist (1) was accomplished with high enantio- and diastereoselectivity by employing an asymmetric hydrogenation strategy, of an alpha-alkoxy cinnamic acid derivative, to set the C-2 chiral center. A diastereospecific S(N)2 displacement under mild basic conditions established the C-10 stereochemistry without any detectable racemization of the two epimerizable chiral centers.

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