Ferrocene-Based Compounds with Antimalaria/Anticancer Activity

Malaria and cancer are chronic diseases. The challenge with drugs available for the treatment of these diseases is drug toxicity and resistance. Ferrocene is a potent organometallic which have been hybridized with other compounds resulting in compounds with enhanced biological activity such as antimalarial and anticancer. Drugs such as ferroquine were developed from ferrocene and chloroquine. It was tested in the 1990s as an antimalarial and is still an effective antimalarial. Many researchers have reported ferrocene compounds as potent compounds useful as anticancer and antimalarial agents when hybridized with other pharmaceutical scaffolds. This review will be focused on compounds with ferrocene moieties that exhibit either an anticancer or antimalarial activity.

Monodentate phosphine substitution in [Pd(κ3-dppf)(PR3)][BF4]2 (dppf = 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene) compounds

The synthesis and dissociative monodentate phosphine substitution of [Pd(κ3-dppf)(P(p-C6H4R)3)][BF4]2 compounds is presented. DFT calculations further examines the nature of the Fe–Pd interaction of the κ3-dppf ligand.

The synthesis and structures of 1,1′-bis(sulfonyl)ferrocene derivatives

A series of 1,1′-bis(sulfonylchloride)ferrocene compounds were synthesized from the corresponding ammonium salt, and converted into either mono or bis sulfonylamides. These compounds exhibit intermolecular hydrogen bonding.

The cocrystalrac-1-[(N,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonamido)methyl]-2-(diphenylphosphoryl)ferrocene–rac-1-[(N,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonamido)methyl]-2-(diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocene (0.45/0.55)

As part of our interest in the synthesis and catalytic applications of chiral (diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocene ligands, we designed a number of P,N-containing ligands for use in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH). During the synthetic procedure to obtainrac-1-[(N,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonamido)methyl]-2-(diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocene, the title compound, [Fe(C5H5)(C26H25NO2PS)]0.55·[Fe(C5H5)(C26H25NO3PS)]0.45, was obtained as a by-product. It is composed of a ferrocene group disubstituted by a partially oxidized diphenylphosphanyl group, as confirmed by31P NMR analysis, and an (N,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonamido)methyl substituent. Owing to the partially oxidized diphenylphosphanyl group, it is best to view the crystal as being composed of a mixture of non-oxidized and oxidized phosphane, so it can be regarded as a cocrystal. It is also a racemate. To the best of our knowledge, the P=O distance [1.344 (4) Å] is the shortest observed for related (diphenylphosphoryl)ferrocene compounds. The packing is stabilized by weak C—H...O interactions, formingR22(10) hydrogen-bonding motifs, which build up a chain along thecaxis.