Preparation of Novel 4′-Spirocyclopropyl Nucleoside Analogues

The stereoselective preparation of a novel 4′-spirocyclopropyl nucleoside analogue has been developed by using a semibenzilic Favorskii rearrangement of a 4′-(2-chloro-3-oxocyclobutyl)spirofuranose as a key step. These chiral spirocyclic intermediates, readily obtained on a multigram scale from chiral-pool starting materials, were shown to be highly suitable precursors for achieving full stereoselectivity in the reduction–ring contraction sequence. The downstream introduction of a nucleobase through Vorbrüggen glycosylation successfully resulted in the formation of the corresponding novel 4′-spirocyclic nucleoside analogue in a stereospecific manner.

N-Chlorinative Ring Contraction of 1,4-Dimethoxyphthalazines via a Bicyclization/Ring-Opening Mechanism

An unprecedented N-chlorinative ring contraction of 1,2-diazines was discovered and investigated with an electrophilic chlorinating reagent, trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCICA). Through optimization and mechanistic analysis, the assisting role of n-Bu4NCl as an exogenous nucleophile was identified, and the optimized reaction conditions were applied to a range of 1,4-dimethoxyphthalazine derivatives. Also, an improvement of overall efficiency was demonstrated by the use of a labile O-silyl group. A bicyclization/ring-opening mechanism, inspired by the Favorskii rearrangement, was proposed and supported by the DFT calculations. Furthermore, the efforts on scope expansion as well as the evaluation of other electrophilic promoters revealed that the newly developed ring contraction reactivity is a unique characteristic of 1,4-dimethoxyphthalazine scaffold and TCICA.

A Variation of Favorskii Rearrangement Mechanism Under Weakly Acidic Conditions: The Case of Clobetasol Propionate Degradation in Solution

This paper describes our efforts in proposing a novel mechanism for the formation of the major degradant of clobetasol propionate under weakly acidic conditions through a comprehensive investigation. In the proposed mechanism, the key Favorskii intermediate plays a critical role. This variation of the original Favorskii rearrangement, which proceeds only under alkaline conditions, has not been reported before. This mechanism enriches the understanding of the degradation chemistry of corticosteroids containing the α-haloketone moiety on their 17-position.

A Variation of Favorskii Rearrangement Mechanism Under Weakly Acidic Conditions: The Case of Clobetasol Propionate Degradation in Solution

This paper describes our efforts in proposing a novel mechanism for the formation of the major degradant of clobetasol propionate under weakly acidic conditions through a comprehensive investigation. In the proposed mechanism, the key Favorskii intermediate plays a critical role. This variation of the original Favorskii rearrangement, which proceeds only under alkaline conditions, has not been reported before. This mechanism enriches the understanding of the degradation chemistry of corticosteroids containing the α-haloketone moiety on their 17-position.