-C-H functionalization of phenylethyl and benzylic alcohol derivatives Pd/NBE relay catalysis.

The transition metal-catalyzed -C-H functionalization of alcohols and their hydroxylamine derivatives remains underdeveloped. Herein, we report an efficient -C-H arylation of both phenylethyl and benzylic alcohols and their hydroxylamine derivatives using a readily removable oxime ether directing group. Using electronically activated 2-carbomethoxynorbornene as the transient mediator and 3-trifluoromethyl-2-pyridone as the enabling ligand, this reaction features a broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance.

Cu-mediated enantioselective C-H alkynylation of ferrocenes with chiral BINOL ligands.

A wide range of Cu(II)-catalyzed C-H activation reactions have been realized since 2006, however, whether a C-H metalation mechanism similar to Pd(II)-catalyzed C-H activation reaction is operating remains an open question. To address this question and ultimately develop ligand accelerated Cu(II)-catalyzed C-H activation reactions, realizing the enantioselective version and investigating the mechanism is critically important. With a modified chiral BINOL ligand, we report the first example of Cu-mediated enantioselective C-H activation reaction for the construction of planar chiral ferrocenes with high yields and stereoinduction.

iPSC-derived retinal pigmented epithelial cells from patients with macular telangiectasia show decreased mitochondrial function.

Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a powerful tool for identifying cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease. Macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) is a rare, late-onset degenerative retinal disease with an extremely heterogeneous genetic architecture, lending itself to the use of iPSCs. Whole-exome sequencing screens and pedigree analyses have identified rare causative mutations that account for less than 5% of cases.

Cobalt-electrocatalytic HAT for functionalization of unsaturated C-C bonds.

The study and application of transition metal hydrides (TMHs) has been an active area of chemical research since the early 1960s, for energy storage, through the reduction of protons to generate hydrogen, and for organic synthesis, for the functionalization of unsaturated C-C, C-O and C-N bonds. In the former instance, electrochemical means for driving such reactivity has been common place since the 1950s but the use of stoichiometric exogenous organic- and metal-based reductants to harness the power of TMHs in synthetic chemistry remains the norm. In particular, cobalt-based TMHs have found widespread use for the derivatization of olefins and alkynes in complex molecule construction, often by a net hydrogen atom transfer (HAT).

meta-Selective C-H Arylation of Fluoroarenes and Simple Arenes.

Fluorine is known to promote ortho-C-H metalation. Based upon this reactivity, we employed an activated norbornene that traps the ortho-palladation intermediate and is then relayed to the meta position, leading to meta-selective C-H arylation of fluoroarenes. Deuterium experiment suggests that this meta-arylation is initiated by ortho C-H activation and the catalytic cycle is terminated by C-2 protonation.

Cu-Mediated Amination of (Hetero)Aryl C-H bonds with NH Azaheterocycles.

Direct synthesis of N-(hetero)arylated heteroarenes has been realized through Cu-mediated C-N coupling of NH azaheterocycles with aryl C-H bonds under aerobic conditions. This method features a broad scope of both heterocyclic arenes (pyridine, quinoline, pyrazole, imidazole, furan, thiophene, benzofuran, and indole) and NH azaheterocycles (imidazole, pyrazole, indole, azindole, purine, indazole, benzimidazole, pyridone, carbazole), providing a versatile method for the synthesis of pharmaceutically important N-(hetero)arylated heteroarenes. The versatility of this reaction was further demonstrated through late-stage modification of marketed drugs and the synthesis of a key intermediate for accessing a class of angiotensin II receptor 1 antagonists.

Cessation of fluoxetine treatment increases alcohol seeking during relapse and dysregulates endocannabinoid and glutamatergic signaling in the central amygdala.

Administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), typically used as antidepressants, induces long-lasting behavioral changes associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, the contribution of SSRI (fluoxetine)-induced alterations in neurobiological processes underlying alcohol relapse such as endocannabinoid and glutamate signaling in the central amygdala (CeA) remains largely unknown. We utilized an integrative approach to study the effects of repeated fluoxetine administration during abstinence on ethanol drinking.

Enantio- and Diastereoswitchable C-H Arylation of Methylene Groups in Cycloalkanes.

A complementary set of chiral N,N-ligands enables the Pd-catalyzed β-C-H arylation of unbiased internal methylene groups in good yield and with high levels of enantio- and diastereoinduction. Both the dia- and enantioselectivity can be reversed, thus allowing the selective arylation of any of the four β-C-H bonds in cycloalkanecarboxamides of various ring sizes. The method is applicable to a broad range of aryl iodides with electron-withdrawing and -donating substituents in the o-, m-, or p-position.

Synthesis of β-Arylethenesulfonyl Fluoride via Pd-Catalyzed Nondirected C-H Alkenylation.

A rapid synthesis of β-arylethenesulfonyl fluorides is realized using ligand-accelerated Pd(II)-catalyzed nondirected C-H alkenylation of simple arenes. The newly developed electron-deficient 2-pyridone ligand is crucial for this transformation with arenes as limiting reagent. This protocol features a broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance.

Intermolecular Heck Coupling with Hindered Alkenes Directed by Potassium Carboxylates.

Pd -catalyzed Mizoroki-Heck reactions traditionally exhibit poor reactivity with polysubstituted, unbiased alkenes. Intermolecular reactions with simple, all-carbon tetrasubstituted alkenes are unprecedented. Herein we report that pendant carboxylic acids, combined with bulky monophospine ligands on palladium, can direct the arylation of tri- and tetrasubstituted olefins.

Pd -Catalyzed Enantioselective C(sp )-H Activation/Cross-Coupling Reactions of Free Carboxylic Acids.

Pd -catalyzed enantioselective C(sp )-H cross-coupling of free carboxylic acids with organoborons has been realized using either mono-protected amino acid (MPAA) ligands or mono-protected aminoethyl amine (MPAAM) ligands. A diverse range of aryl- and vinyl-boron reagents can be used as coupling partners to provide chiral carboxylic acids. This reaction provides an alternative approach to the enantioselective synthesis of cyclopropanecarboxylic acids and cyclobutanecarboxylic acids containing α-chiral tertiary and quaternary stereocenters.

Cu-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Borylation.

A simple method for the conversion of carboxylic acids to boronic esters via redox-active esters (RAEs) is reported using copper catalysis. The scope of this transformation is broad, and compared with the known protocols available, it represents the most inexpensive, rapid, and operationally simple option. In addition to a full exploration of the scope, a kinetic study was performed to elucidate substrate and reagent concentration dependences.

Ligand-Promoted Non-Directed C-H Cyanation of Arenes.

This article reports the first example of a 2-pyridone accelerated non-directed C-H cyanation with an arene as the limiting reagent. This protocol is compatible with a broad scope of arenes, including advanced intermediates, drug molecules, and natural products. A kinetic isotope experiment (k /k =4.

Recombinant Lassa Virus Expressing Green Fluorescent Protein as a Tool for High-Throughput Drug Screens and Neutralizing Antibody Assays.

Lassa virus (LASV), a mammarenavirus, infects an estimated 100,000⁻300,000 individuals yearly in western Africa and frequently causes lethal disease. Currently, no LASV-specific antivirals or vaccines are commercially available for prevention or treatment of Lassa fever, the disease caused by LASV. The development of medical countermeasure screening platforms is a crucial step to yield licensable products.

Bridging Genomics to Phenomics at Atomic Resolution through Variation Spatial Profiling.

To understand the impact of genome sequence variation (the genotype) responsible for biological diversity and human health (the phenotype) including cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer's disease, we developed a Gaussian-process-based machine learning (ML) approach, variation spatial profiling (VSP). VSP uses a sparse collection of known variants found in the population that perturb the protein fold to define unknown variant function based on the emergent general principle of spatial covariance (SCV). SCV quantitatively captures the role of proximity in genotype-to-phenotype spatial-temporal relationships.

Building C(sp)-rich complexity by combining cycloaddition and C-C cross-coupling reactions.

Prized for their ability to rapidly generate chemical complexity by building new ring systems and stereocentres, cycloaddition reactions have featured in numerous total syntheses and are a key component in the education of chemistry students. Similarly, carbon-carbon (C-C) cross-coupling methods are integral to synthesis because of their programmability, modularity and reliability. Within the area of drug discovery, an overreliance on cross-coupling has led to a disproportionate representation of flat architectures that are rich in carbon atoms with orbitals hybridized in an sp manner.

Modular radical cross-coupling with sulfones enables access to sp-rich (fluoro)alkylated scaffolds.

Cross-coupling chemistry is widely applied to carbon-carbon bond formation in the synthesis of medicines, agrochemicals, and other functional materials. Recently, single-electron-induced variants of this reaction class have proven particularly useful in the formation of C(sp)-C(sp) linkages, although certain compound classes have remained a challenge. Here, we report the use of sulfones to activate the alkyl coupling partner in nickel-catalyzed radical cross-coupling with aryl zinc reagents.

Remote C-H Activation of Various N-Heterocycles Using a Single Template.

A single and simple ortho-sulfonyl benzonitrile template was developed to achieve remote C-H olefination of six different classes of N-heterocycles. We demonstrate that, by varying precatalysts and conditions, the same template can be applied to the remote C-H activation of six structurally distinct heterocyclic scaffolds, and the site-selectivity can be predicted based on distance and geometry. Furthermore, this new development shows that template-directed remote C-H activation is possible through macrocyclopalladation processes with smaller ring sizes.

Electrochemically Enabled, Nickel-Catalyzed Amination.

Along with amide bond formation, Suzuki cross-coupling, and reductive amination, the Buchwald-Hartwig-Ullmann-type amination of aryl halides stands as one of the most employed reactions in modern medicinal chemistry. The work herein demonstrates the potential of utilizing electrochemistry to provide a complementary avenue to access such critical bonds using an inexpensive nickel catalyst under mild reaction conditions. Of note is the scalability, functional-group tolerance, rapid rate, and the ability to employ a variety of aryl donors (Ar-Cl, Ar-Br, Ar-I, Ar-OTf), amine types (primary and secondary), and even alternative X-H donors (alcohols and amides).

Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry: Calling All Engineers.

Unmet potential: Electrochemistry is the most simple and basic way of altering the redox-states of organic molecules. Despite extensive studies and its demonstrated promise, it has yet to take off in mainstream synthesis. The reason is due to engineering challenges in instrument design.

Detection of Correlated Protein Backbone and Side-Chain Angle Fluctuations.

NMR methods for the characterization of local protein motions have attained a high level of sophistication. Measurement of the synchronization between those motions, however, poses a serious challenge. Such correlated motions are one of the underlying mechanisms for the propagation of local changes to remote sites and as such for information transfer.

Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Site-Selective C(sp )-H Alkynylation of Oligopeptides: A Linchpin Approach for Oligopeptide-Drug Conjugation.

The palladium(II)-catalyzed C(sp )-H alkynylation of oligopeptides was developed with tetrabutylammonium acetate as a key additive. Through molecular design, the acetylene motif served as a linchpin to introduce a broad range of carbonyl-containing pharmacophores onto oligopeptides, thus providing a chemical tool for the synthesis and modification of novel oligopeptide-pharmacophore conjugates by C-H functionalization. Dipeptide conjugates with coprostanol and estradiol were synthesized by this method for potential application in targeted drug delivery to tumor cells with overexpressed nuclear hormone receptors.

Decarboxylative Alkynylation.

The development of a new decarboxylative cross-coupling method that affords terminal and substituted alkynes from various carboxylic acids is described using both nickel- and iron-based catalysts. The use of N-hydroxytetrachlorophthalimide (TCNHPI) esters is crucial to the success of the transformation, and the reaction is amenable to in situ carboxylic acid activation. Additionally, an inexpensive, commercially available alkyne source is employed in this formal homologation process that serves as a surrogate for other well-established alkyne syntheses.

Practical Alkoxythiocarbonyl Auxiliaries for Iridium(I)-Catalyzed C-H Alkylation of Azacycles.

The development of new and practical 3-pentoxythiocarbonyl auxiliaries for Ir -catalyzed C-H alkylation of azacycles is described. This method allows for the α-C-H alkylation of a variety of substituted pyrrolidines, piperidines, and tetrahydroisoquinolines through alkylation with alkenes. While the practicality of these simple carbamate-type auxiliaries is underscored by the ease of installation and removal, the method's utility is demonstrated in its ability to functionalize biologically relevant l-proline and l-trans-hydroxyproline, delivering unique 2,5-dialkylated amino acid analogues that are not accessible by other C-H functionalization methods.