The health benefits of fish oil supplementations have been proven to be effective by several studies which are discussed in this thesis. It was found that these compounds had potent anti-inflammatory properties and since then has prompted much research into the use of these compounds as potential treatments for chronic inflammation based diseases, where the overuse of current anti-inflammatory drugs cause many problems with undesired side-effects. The aim of this research is to study the bioactivity of resolvin E1 and various analogues, and to determine a novel route towards resolvin E1 natural product so that bioactivity tests may be conducted in comparison of synthetically produced resolvin E1 and naturally extracted resolvin E1. The initial aim of this research was to develop a range of analogues of a fragment of Resolvin E1. This was so that a series of compounds could be produced with various R groups to identify any structure-activity relationships for this part of the natural product. There is one stereocentre in this fragment of resolvin E1 and it was decided that a racemic version of these compounds would be tested for bioactivity, and if any of the compounds had significant anti-inflammatory properties then the R and S versions could be separated, allowing for the testing of both enantiomers to determine which gave the most potent anti-inflammatory response. This led to the creation of several novel fragments and their biological testing. The secondary aim of the project was to complete the total synthesis of the resolvin E1 natural product. We devised a novel route towards resolvin E1 which used MIDA boronate protecting group to introduce a fixed trans double bond which was useful in a compound with multiple alkene systems. Resolvin E1 also contains three stereocentres, the synthesis from the fragment work was recycled to begin the synthesis, and made use of 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-D-mannitol and Noyori s catalyst to setup the stereocentres. The use of new MIDA-boronate moieties were also explored in order to develop a new, efficient synthesis toward resolvin E1.

The work in this thesis describes the development of new heteroarylation methodology based on transition metal-catalysed C-H functionalisation and the properties of organomain group compounds. The underlying reaction mechanisms and reactivity patterns of the (hetero)arene substrates are also investigated. The selective C2-H arylation indoles, which are key pharmaceutically-relevant units, was achieved using N-pyrimidyl directing groups, RuII catalysis and arylboronic acids as the coupling reagents (paper I). The use of this set of conditions enabled a remarkable functional group tolerance, highlighted by the preservation of halide substituents on both coupling partners. Mechanistic experiments suggest that cleavage of the C2-H bond occurs through an electrophilic aromatic substitution type pathway. The dehydrogenative C2-H silylation of unprotected gramine and tryptamine alkaloids and other related heteroarenes using hydrosilanes under Ru0 catalysis is described in paper II. The protocol does not require protecting groups and undirected C2-H silylation of heteroarenes is possible at higher temperatures. Significantly, H/D-exchange studies revealed deuterium incorporation at the C4 and C7 positions of the indole unit, apart from C2-H silylation. This study represents the first account of C4-H activation using an electron-rich metal catalyst. Paper III describes an unexpected and profound influence of boronate substituents on the regioselectivity of aryne trapping reactions. The boronates may be introduced easily to the backbone of established fluoride-activated precursors via Ir-catalysed C-H functionalisation. Optimisation and mechanistic studies on the unprecedented level of regioselectivity control these substituents permit using external additives is presented.

Les formes réactives de l’oxygène (peroxyde d’hydrogène, radicaux superoxydes et hydroxyles) sont produites lorsque la régulation du métabolisme de l’oxygène est perturbée. Ces espèces sont responsables, directement ou indirectement, de nombreux dommages oxydatifs au niveau moléculaire (acides nucléiques, protéines, lipides…) pouvant affecter les mécanismes cellulaires. Toutefois le peroxyde d’hydrogène pourrait également se comporter comme un messager secondaire dans différentes voies de signalisation et être à l’origine de processus physiologiques. Ainsi sa double fonction a suscité l’intérêt de nombreux laboratoires qui tentent à présent d’élucider son rôle et son degré d’implication dans les processus physiologiques et pathologiques. Pour la détection du peroxyde d’hydrogène, de nombreuses pro-sondes ont été élaborées sur la base d’une amorce boronate. La plupart de ces pro-sondes ont permis de détecter un stress oxydant in cellulo mais souffrent cependant d’un manque de réactivité. Le but du mon projet de thèse a alors été d’améliorer la réactivité de l’amorce en élaborant des pro-sondes à amorce borinate. Malgré des difficultés de synthèse, nous avons obtenu une telle pro-sonde à amorce borinate, dissymétrique, portant à la fois un phényle et la coumarine, choisie comme chromophore. Des études cinétiques ont montré que la réactivité de notre pro-sonde borinate est 100 fois plus élevée que celle des pro-sondes à amorce boronate actuelles, en conditions physiologiques. Un mécanisme réactionnel a été proposé. Enfin notre pro-sonde a pu être validée in cellulo sur des macrophages, activés au PMA pour la détection endogène du peroxyde d’hydrogène. Encouragés par ces résultats, nous synthetisons actuellement d’autres pro-sondes à amorce borinate présentant d’autres chromophores. / Reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl and superoxide radicals) are produced when the regulation of oxygen metabolism is disrupted. These species are directly or indirectly responsible for numerous oxidative damage at the molecular level (nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, etc.) which can affect cellular mechanisms. However, hydrogen peroxide could also behave as a secondary messenger in various signaling pathways and be the source of physiological processes. Thus its dual function has aroused the interest of many laboratories which are now trying to elucidate its role and its degree of involvement in physiological and pathological processes. In order to detect hydrogen peroxide, many pro-probes have been developed, based on a boronate trigger. Most of these probes proved able to detect an oxidative stress in cellulo but suffer from lack of reactivity. The goal of my thesis project was to improve the reactivity of the trigger by developing pro-probes with a borinate trigger. In spite of difficulties of synthesis, we obtained such a pro-probe with a borinate trigger, dissymmetrical, and bearing both a phenyl and a coumarin substituent, chosen as chromophore. Kinetic studies have shown that the reactivity of our borinate pro-probe is 100 times higher than that of the current boronate-based trigger pro-probe, under physiological conditions. A reaction mechanism has been proposed. Finally, our pro-probe has been validated in cellulo on macrophages, activated with PMA for the endogenous detection of hydrogen peroxide. Encouraged by these results, we are currently synthesizing other pro-probes with borinate trigger presenting other chromophores.

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Une partie des recherches actuelles dans le domaine de l’analyse chimique concerne la miniaturisation et l’intégration d’étapes analytiques afin de répondre, entre autres, à des besoins de portabilité, d’automatisation mais aussi d’apporter des solutions pour analyser des échantillons de plus en plus petits. Le développement et la mise en œuvre de colonnes monolithiques d’affinité boronate (µBAMC) couplées « in-line » à des techniques séparatives miniaturisées s’inscrit dans cette démarche. Ce travail de thèse s’est focalisé sur (1) une compréhension des mécanismes de rétention en chromatographie d’affinité boronate (interactions spécifiques avec les composés cis-diols, conditions de reconnaissance, interactions secondaires), (2) le développement de supports monolithiques d’affinité boronate miniaturisés et (3) leur couplage «in-line» avec une séparation électrocinétique et détection conventionnelle dans un format capillaire. Différentes voies d’élaboration de colonnes monolithiques ont été comparées (en termes d’affinité, de nombre de sites boronate actifs et de stabilité). La faisabilité du couplage en ligne de ces supports µBAMC avec une étape de séparation électrophorétique (par CZE et CIEF) a été démontrée vis-à-vis de la purification/préconcentration et séparation de 3 catécholamines contenant des groupements cis-diols (Adrénaline, Noradrénaline et Dopamine) dans l’urine. Les couplages ont été optimisés avec succès permettant l’analyse automatisée et miniaturisée de ces neurotransmetteurs dans l’urine (volume échantillon < 10 µL) avec des limites de détection de l’ordre de la dizaine de ppb et des taux de récupération proches de 100 % / Part of the current research in the field of chemical analysis concerns the miniaturization and the integration of analytical steps in order to meet, among other things, the need of portability and automation but also to provide solutions for analyzing small samples. The development and implementation of monolithic boronate affinity columns (µBAMC) in-line coupled to miniaturized separation techniques is part of this approach. This thesis work focused on (1) an understanding of the retention mechanisms in boronate affinity chromatography (specific interactions with cis-diol compounds, recognition conditions and secondary interactions), (2) the development of miniaturized boronate affinity monolithic supports and (3) their in-line coupling with electrokinetic separation and conventional detection in a capillary format. Different ways of elaboration of monolithic columns were compared (in terms of affinity, number of actives sites and stability). The feasibility of in-line coupling of these µBAMC supports with an electrophoretic separation step (by CZE and CIEF) has been demonstrated in terms of purification / preconcentration and separation of 3 catecholamines containing cis-diol groups (adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine) in urine. The couplings have been successfully optimized allowing the automated and miniaturized analysis of these neurotransmitters in urine (sample volume <10 µl) with limits of detection of about the tens of ppb and recovery yields close to 100 %

Department of Chemistry / As an alternative energy source, lithium ion batteries have become increasingly important with a wide range of applications in industry, and many international companies are investing in this big project. This study was aimed at the development of safer lithium-ion power sources by using new organic additives to overcome the possible safety problems. In this study, the conformations and energies of several synthesized boronates were investigated through computational study using density functional theory (DFT) with the Becke’s three-parameter hybrid method utilizing the Lee-Young-Parr correlation functional (B3LYP). After initial energy optimization using Møller-Plesset Perturbation theory (MP2), the conformational preferences and energetics in vacuo were investigated using DFT calculations and the 6-31G(d,p) basis set. Subsequently, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to characterize the compounds in terms of their usefulness as electrolyte additives. At least two of these show excellent promise for use in lithium-ion batteries.

The use of small molecule building blocks in, for example, pharmaceutical research and new material development, creates a need for new and improved organic synthesis methods. The use of transition metals as mediators and catalysts opens up new reaction pathways that have made the synthesis of completely new compounds possible as well as greatly improved the synthetic routes to known compounds. Herein, the development of new metal-mediated and catalyzed reactions for construction of vinylic and allylic carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds is described.  The use of iodonium salts as coupling partners in Pd-catalyzed Heck type reactions with alkenes is shown to improve the current substrate scope. Results from a mechanistic study indicate that the reaction proceeds via high oxidation state palladium intermediates. The use of IIII reagents is also believed to facilitate a PdII/PdIV catalytic cycle in allylic silylation of alkenes using (SiMe3)2, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first method developed for metal-catalyzed allylic C-H silylation. The same silyl-source, (SiMe3)2, has previously been used in a Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution reaction in which allylic silanes are formed from allylic alcohols. A detailed mechanistic investigation of this reaction is described in which by-products as well as intermediates, including the resting state of the catalyst, are identified using 1H, 11B, 19F and 29Si NMR spectroscopy. Kinetic experiments are performed that give information about the turn-over limiting step and the mechanism of the analogous borylation using B2pin2 is also investigated. Insights from this study further made it possible to improve the stereoselectivity of this reaction. Additionally, a new method for Cu-mediated trifluoromethylation of allylic halides is presented in which linear products are formed exclusively from both linear and branched allylic substrates at room temperature.  Identification of allylic fluorides as by-products during the reaction also led to the development of a similar Cu-mediated reaction for the fluorination of allylic halides. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Reported herein is a brief summary of the history, properties, and applications of amine-boranes. The past methods devised for their preparation are described and the routes used to produce the compounds used in the work presented here are detailed. Building on prior synthetic approaches to amine-boranes, a new carbon dioxide mediated synthesis is presented. Proceeding through a monoacyloxyborane intermediate, the borane complexes of ammonia, primary, secondary, tertiary, and heteroaromatic amine are provided in 53-99% yields. Utilizing the amine-boranes obtained from the methods described, two divergent methods for direct amidation are introduced. The first uses amine-boranes as dual-purpose reagents, where the carboxylic acid is first activated by the borane moiety to form a triacyloxyborane-amine complex. This allows the delivery of the coordinated amine to form the amide products. A series of primary, secondary, and tertiary amides were prepared in 55-99% yields using this protocol, which displays a broad functional group tolerance. Extended from this dual-purpose methodology, a catalytic amidation is described. Utilizing ammonia-borane as a substoichiometric (10%) catalyst, a series of secondary and tertiary amide are prepared directly from carboxylic acids and amines in 59-99% yields, including amines containing typically borane reactive functionalities including alcohols, thiols, and alkenes. Amine-boranes are additionally used in two borylation methodologies. By reaction with <i>n</i>-butyl lithium, the amine-boranes are converted to the corresponding lithium aminoborohydrides, which upon reaction with a terminal alkyne provides the alkynyl borane-amine complexes in 65-98% yields. This process is compatible with both alkenes and internal alkynes, as well as a range of aprotic functionalities. A new strategy for aminoborane synthesis is also described and applied to the borylation of haloarenes. Activation of a series of amine-boranes with iodine produces the iodinated amine-borane, which undergoes dehydrohalogenation with an appropriate base to produce either monomeric or dimeric aminoboranes. Several aminoboranes were synthesized exclusively as the monomeric species, which due to their greater reactivity, were used directly in the synthesis of a series of aryl boronates in 65-99% yields.