Development of Novel Methods for the Installation of Trifluoromethyl/Boryl and 1,2,4-Oxadiazole Moieties

There are immense efforts to install the trifluoromethyl group (CF3) into organic molecules since it significantly affects reactivity, as well as the biological and pharmaceutical properties of the molecule. The α-trifluoromethylacrylates are useful synthetic intermediates for the synthesis of trifluoromethyl-bearing nucleosides or peptides. However, methods to prepare such derivatives are scarce and suffer narrow substrate scope, lack of diastereoselectivity, use of costly reagents, and lack of user‐friendliness. Chapter 2 discusses the synthesis of α‐trifluoromethylacrylates from converting shelf-stable α‐trifluoroborylacrylates via a stereoretentive radical trifluoromethylation with inexpensive reagents NaSO2CF3 and TBHP with copper catalysis at room temperature. Under these conditions, a wide substrate scope afforded the (E)‐diastereomer exclusively in moderate to good yield. The reaction products' utility is demonstrated in synthesizing phenyl‐4H‐pyran, a potent and selective class of IKCa channel blockers. Branching out from metal-catalyzed reactions, Chapter 3 and 4 discusses metal-free organo-catalytic reactions which are more economical and greener. Boron-containing compounds are important in organic chemistry due to the different transformations that can be performed to afford useful synthetic intermediates and pharmaceuticals. Chapter 3 elaborates on the Borylation of 1,3-butadiynes, which are molecules that are widely used to synthesize biologically active molecules, polymers, and supramolecular tools under phosphine-catalyzed conditions. The reaction proceeds with both regio- and stereo-selectivity, and the boryl group is installed on the beta carbon to the alkyne in a trans fashion as established from 2D NMR and X-ray crystallography. The reaction products are converted into useful intermediates under Suzuki Miyuara, protodeborylation, etc. 31P NMR tudies were conducted to understand the mechanism of the reaction, which is supported by the DFT calculations revealing that phosphine attack is the most crucial step. A similar strategy was utilized with pinacol borane and tri-n-butyl phosphine catalyst to achieve borylation on ynamides (Chapter 4). A wide variety of ynamides underwent hydroboration to install the boron group in a regio- and stereoselective fashion. Under radical trifluoromethylating conditions, the boryl moeity was converted into the trifluoromethyl group to afford β-CF3 enamides. 31P NMR studies were conducted to elucidate the mechanism. Finally, chapter 5 provides insight into the synthesis of 1,2,4-Oxadiazoles which are privileged scaffolds in medicinal chemistry. The developed reaction occurs under metal-free conditions using sodium carbonate to couple N-hydroxylbenzenecarbonimodyl chlorides with nitriles.