Aza-heterocycles such as pyridines, imidazoles, piperidines, etc. are ubiquitous structural motifs found in various natural products and pharmacologically active compounds. Thus, they are of unparalleled importance to synthetic, medicinal, and materials chemists. Despite their structural significance, organic transformations available for the functionalization of these heterocycles remain underdeveloped. The development of several synthetic methods to construct aza-heterocyclic building blocks is described in this thesis, which, in turn, should facilitate the assembly of more elaborate frameworks present in bioactive molecules. An intramolecular palladium catalyzed Mizoroki-Heck cyclization of 4-alkylidene dihydropyridines with tethered aryl iodide electrophiles is demonstrated. This provides access to substituted isoindolinones and oxindoles in high yields. An asymmetric variant of this reaction using chiral phosphine ligands delivers enantioenriched oxindoles and isoindolinones. Additionally, an intramolecular Mizoroki-Heck reaction for the synthesis of 2-substituted pyridine derivatives is also developed. An array of fused isoindolinones is constructed as a mixture of diastereomers and further manipulated using chemical transformations to yield the corresponding pyridine and piperdine derivatives. Moreover, a formal [3+2] cyclocondensation of alkylidene dihydropyridines and aryl diazonium salts has been discovered for the synthesis of triazole derivatives. Tertiary amides deliver substituted 1,2,4-triazolium salts, whereas, secondary amides provide substituted, neutral 1,2,4-triazoles in excellent yields, under mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, an intramolecular direct arylation of 2- and 4-substituted alkylpyridines is developed for the synthesis of 2,3- and 3,4-cyclized pyridines. It is shown that 4-alkylpyridines tethered to aryl halides participate in a palladium catalyzed direct arylation to give fused 7-membered lactams in excellent yields. Lastly, an intramolecular cyclization of 1,2-alkylimidazoles is reported. Alkylidene imidazolines tethered to electrophilic keto-amide sidechains participate in an aldol-like reaction to yield γ-lactam products in good yields as mixtures of diastereomers.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This work presents the synthesis of two novel series of 1-alkyl(aryl)-2-amino- 5-trifluoroacetyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridine (6, 8), obtained from the reaction of 2- alkoxy-5-trifluoroacetyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrans (alkoxy = OMe (3), EtO (4)) with primary ethylamines, with general formula R1CH2CH2NH2, where R1 = 2-MeO-Ph (5a), 4-MeO-Ph (5b), 3,4-OMe-Ph (5c), 4-F-Ph (5d), 2-Cl-Ph (5e), 3-Cl-Ph (5f), 4-Cl- Ph (5g), 2,4-Cl-Ph (5h), 4-OH-Ph (5i) , 1-(2-cycloexenyl) (5j), 1-(2-N-morpholil) (5k), 1-(2-N-diethylamino) (5l) and 2-(1H-indole-3-yl) (5m), and primary arylamines, of general formula NH2-Ar were Ar = 4-F-Ph (7a), 2-OMe-Ph (7b), 3-OMe-Ph (7c), 2- OH-5-Me-Ph (7d). The cyclic enones 3,4 were obtained by acylation of 2-alkoxy-3,4- dihydro-2H-pyrans with trifluoroacetic anhydride, in chloroform, under catalysis of pyridine (Py), according to the literature. The tetrahydropyridines (6), derived from ethylamines 5a-m was obtained in high yields (90-98%) using methanol or ethanol as solvent at room temperature (r.t.) for a period of 24 hours. For the reaction of cyclic enones 3 and 4 with amines 5i, 5l and 5m the addition of an excess of amines and equimolar amount of triethylamine were need. The second series of tetrahydropyridines (8) was obtained from the reaction of primary arylamines (7a-d) with enones 3 and 4, using methanol or ethanol as solvent at room temperature. The correspondent tetrahydropyridines (8a-d) were obtained with yields ranging from 86 to 98%. / Este trabalho apresenta a síntese de duas séries inéditas de 1-alquil(aril)-2- amino-5-trifluoracetil-1,2,3,4-tetraidropiridinas (6,8), obtidas a partir da reação de 2- alcóxi-5-trifluoracetil-3,4-diidro-2H-piranos (alcóxi = MeO (3), EtO (4)) com etilaminas primárias, de fórmula geral R1CH2CH2NH2, onde R1 = 2-MeO-Ph (5a), 4- MeO-Ph (5b), 3,4-OMe-Ph (5c), 4-F-Ph (5d), 2-Cl-Ph (5e), 3-Cl-Ph (5f), 4-Cl-Ph (5g), 2,4-Cl-Ph (5h), 4-OH-Ph (5i), 1-(2-cicloexenil) (5j), 1-(2-N-morfolil) (5k), 1-(2-Ndietilamino) (5l) e 2-(1H-indol-3-il) (5m), e arilaminas primárias, de fórmula geral NH2-Ar sendo, Ar: 4-F-Ph (7a), 2-OMe-Ph (7b), 3-OMe-Ph (7c), 2-OH-4-Me-Ph (7d). As enonas cíclicas 3, 4 foram obtidas a partir da acilação do 2-alcóxi-3,4-diidro-2Hpiranos com anidrido trifluoracético, em clorofórmio sob catálise de piridina (Py), de acordo com a literatura. As tetraidropiridinas (6), derivadas de etilaminas 5a-m, foram obtidas em ótimos rendimentos (90 - 98%) empregando metanol ou etanol como solvente, à temperatura ambiente (t.a.) por um período de 24 horas. Para a reação das enonas cíclicas 3 e 4 com as aminas 5i, 5l e 5m houve a necessidade de adição de excesso de amina e de quantidade equimolar de trietilamina. A segunda série de tetraidropiridinas (8) foi obtida a partir da reação das arilaminas primárias (7a-d) com as enonas 3 e 4, utilizando metanol ou etanol como solventes à temperatura ambiente. As tetraidropiridinas correspondentes (8a-d) foram obtidas com rendimentos que variaram de 86 a 98%.

L'objet de ce travail de thèse concerne la synthèse par réaction cascade pallado-catalysé d'une nouvelle famille de chromophores pentacycliques azotés dont les propriétés de fluorescence peuvent être modulées en fonction des groupements fonctionnels présents dans la molécule. Ces chromophores sont obtenus par réaction one-pot entre des acides 2-formyl boroniques et des 2,5-dihalopyridines. Le processus cascade est initié par un couplage de Suzuki suivi par deux cyclisations successives. La première se fait sur l'azote de la pyridine et la seconde se produit de façon régio-sélective sur le carbone adjacent à l'azote. Les structures cristallines et le calcul théorique DFT ont montré la régio et la stéréo-sélectivité de la réaction. De plus, des études préliminaires ont montré que ces composés polycycliques possèdent d'excellentes propriétés de fluorescence ainsi qu'une activité biologique qui devraient nous permettre d'étendre le champ d'application de ces nouveaux chromophores vers le domaine médical et l'électronique moléculaire / The aim of this work concerns the synthesis of a new family of aza-pentacyclic chromophore whose fluorescence properties can be modulated according to the functional groups present in the molecule. These chromophores were obtained through a cascade process between 2-formylbenzene boronic acid and 2,5-dihalopyridines. The cascade process is initiated by a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction and is followed by two successive nucleophilic cyclizations; the first cyclization performed on the pyridine nitrogen and the second occurred regioselectively on the adjacent carbon atom. This new cascade reaction allowed the formation of a pentacycle as a single regioisomer with four new bonds and two contiguous stereocenters with trans relationships. In addition, preliminary studies have shown that these polycyclic compounds have excellent fluorescence properties as well as biological properties that should enable us to extend the scope of these new chromophores to the medical field and molecular electronics

Sur la base de travaux précédemment réalisés au laboratoire concernant la réaction de Mannich vinylogue (RMV), nous avons continué le développement de cette réaction en mettant au point un protocole multi-composants. Nous avons ensuite étendu la gamme des substrats compatibles à différents hétérocycles azotés, de nouveaux électrophiles et nucléophiles avec des rendements généralement supérieurs à 80% et des rapports diastéréomériques supérieurs à 80/20. L’obtention de nombreux clichés de diffraction des rayons X a permis de confirmer que le diastéréomère majoritaire est toujours de configuration relative R*,R*. Nous avons ensuite valorisé ces produits en obtenant, en une étape, des structures tétracycliques complexes. Ces produits ont été synthétisés avec des rendements allant jusqu’à 87% et un rapport diastéréomérique supérieur à 95/5. Une étude de modélisation moléculaire a permis d’apporter une explication à cette diastéréosélectivité. La séquence RMV / cyclisation a conduit à la formation contrôlée de quatre centres stéréogéniques contigus. Ces structures tétracycliques ont ensuite servi de produits de départ vers la synthèse d’analogues d’une molécule naturelle antitumorale : l’émétine. Les intermédiaires de synthèse ont été testés pour leur activité cytotoxique. / On the basis of previous work done in the laboratory on the vinylogous Mannich reaction, we pursued the development of this reaction by devising a three component procedure. We then extended the scope of the reaction to different aza-heterocycles, to new electrophiles and nucleophiles with yields generally over 80% and diastereomeric ratios over 80/20. The numerous X ray structures obtained confirmed that the major diastereomer always present an R*,R* configuration. These substrates were then used to prepare complex tetracyclic structures in one step. These products were obtained with yield up to 87% and diastereomeric ratios up to 95/5. This diastereoselectivity was rationalized using molecular modeling. This vinylogous Mannich / cyclization reaction sequence allowed the controlled formation of four contiguous stereogenic centers. These tetracyclic structures were then used as starting points for the synthesis of analogues of emetine, a natural antitumor compound. The synthetic intermediates were tested for their cytotoxic activity.