A series of phenanthrene and oxidized phenanthrene derivatives with typical substitution patterns, 1.31, 1.32, 2.30a-f, 3.1a,b and (-)-4.1 have been synthesized as liquid crystal cores by a combined Directed ortho Metalation (DoM), cross coupling and Directed Remote Metalation (DreM) strategy. The synthetic methodology employed allowed variation of the tail and core structures, for the preparation of a new smectic liquid crystal compound (1.32), a homologous series of 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene-9,10-diones (2.30a-f), a diastereomeric trans-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene-9,10-diol (1.31), two enantiomeric 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene-9,10-diones (R)-3.1a-b) and an enantiomeric 9,10-dihydro-9,10-dimethylphenanthrene-9,10-diol ((-)-4.1). Polarized microscopic and differential scanning calorimetric measurements suggest that 1.31 forms a large range of SmC phase, ca. 100 ºC, followed by a small range of nematic phase, ca. 10 ºC; the 2.30a-f series show similar mesogenic properties, but with the extension of the length of a side chain from six carbons to eleven carbons, the nematic phase has disappeared (in the cases of 2.30a-c). Although (R)-3.1a-b and (-)-4.1 are not liquid crystals, they show ferroelectric induction by doping, in the amount of ca. 5 mol%, into unchiral liquid crystal hosts PhB, DFT, PhP1, NCB76 and 2.30f. However, due to the detection limit of the instrument, i.e., ca. 0.5 nC/cm2, the spontaneous polarizations (Ps) induced could not be measured. / Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2009-08-17 15:52:54.612

Directed metalation reactions are an interesting area of synthetic chemistry. They provide a powerful regiospecific method for functionalizing complex aromatic rings. Presently, directed ortho metalations are well understood. However, there has been very little progress in the remote metalation of naphthalene derivatives. Presently the peri lithiation of naphthalamides is a reaction that has not been solved to a level that allows for it to be deployed in a vast number of synthetic schemes. The processes by which peri functionalized naphthalamides are present obtained required several steps and give poor yields. Previously attempts directed toward the peri lithiation in the Schwan lab have met with little success. Herein experiments were preformed to understand why the pervious attempts failed and other experiments were performed in an effort to acheive the peri lithiation of a specific naphthalamide. The mechanism of previous chemical observations was understood by trapping experiments and clearly demonstrated how problematic acidic sites can interfere with intended directed metalation. The acidic site was sterically hindered by employing strategic protecting groups. However, the steric demand of the protecting groups considered was not sufficient to eliminate the problematic acidic site. This led to the consideration of an alternative strategy for the peri lithiation by removing the acidic center of the specific substrate. This however, resulted in remote addition of lithiating reagents to the naphthalamide and clearly showed that several naphthalamides are not a suitable directed metalation group for the peri lithiation.

Desde sua descoberta em meados do século XIX, os reagentes organometálicos têm sido amplamente utilizados na síntese orgânica, sendo bastante eficientes na formação de novas ligações carbono-carbono. A escolha do reagente organometálico ideal para determinada reação envolve conhecimentos relacionados à sua natureza química e à própria reatividade do substrato. O núcleo quinoxalínico apresenta um grande potencial para a química medicinal, estando presente em diversos produtos naturais e sintéticos que apresentam atividade biológica. Apesar disso, existem poucos estudos na literatura sobre a aplicação de reagentes organometálicos na funcionalização de quinoxalinas. A reação de metalação dirigida usando bases organometálicas é uma poderosa ferramenta para funcionalização de substratos aromáticos. Contudo, exemplos da aplicação desta estratégia na funcionalização de quinoxalinas são bastante raros. Assim, este trabalho teve como principal objetivo investigar a reatividade dos reagentes organometálicos derivados de zinco, magnésio e lítio em reações de metalação de quinoxalinas substituídas com grupos funcionais nas posições C-2 e C-6. Embora as quinoxalinas substituídas com grupos éster, amida e fenil na posição C-2 não tenham apresentado a reatividade esperada frente aos amidetos mistos de zinco e magnésio (TMPZnCl?MgCl2?LiCl, TMP2Zn?2MgCl2?2LiCl, TMPMgCl?LiCl e TMP2Mg?2LiCl), uma nova metodologia foi desenvolvida utilizando TMPLi como base, na presença de ZnCl2, que permitiu a preparação de vários derivados difuncionalizados em bons rendimentos, muitos dos quais de estrutura inédita. Quinoxalinas não substituídas nas posições C-2 e C-3 possuem reconhecida intolerância à presença de reagentes organometálicos, rendendo preferencialmente produtos de dimerização. Desta forma, uma contribuição importante deste trabalho foi o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia de funcionalização da quinoxalina de estrutura mais simples em micro-ondas, mediada pelo sistema TMPMgCl?LiCl/ZnCl2, que permitiu a preparação de diversos derivados arilados em rendimentos que variaram de razoáveis a bons (25 a 94%). Além disso, a metodologia mostrou-se bastante eficiente para síntese de ligantes bidentados de interesse para a área de catálise / Since its discovery in the mid-nineteenth century, organometallic reagents have been widely used in organic synthesis, being very effective in the formation of new carbon-carbon bonds. The choice of the ideal organometallic reagent for certain reaction involves knowledge related to their chemical nature and reactivity of the substrate itself. The quinoxaline core has great potential for medicinal chemistry and is present in many natural and synthetic products presenting biological activity. Nevertheless, there are few studies on the application of organometallic reagents in the functionalization of quinoxalines. The directed metalation reaction using metal bases is powerful synthetic tool for functionalization of aromatic substrates. However, examples on the application of such strategy to the functionalization of of quinoxalines are very rare. This work mainly aimed to investigate the reactivity of organometallic reagents of zinc, magnesium and lithium in the metalation of quinoxalines substituted with functional groups at the C-2 and C-6 positions. Although C-2 substituted quinoxalines with ester and amide groups have not shown the expected reactivity with mixed amides of zinc, magnesium and lithium (TMPZnCl?MgCl2?LiCl, TMP2Zn?2MgCl2?2LiCl, TMPMgCl?LiCl and TMP2Mg?2LiCl), a new methodology was developed using TMPLi as a base in the presence of ZnCl2, allowing the preparation of various difuncionalized derivatives in good yields, many of them new compounds. Quinoxalines unsubstituted at the C-2 and C-3 positions have recognized intolerance to the presence of organometallic reagents, preferably yielding dimerization products. Thus, an important contribution of this work was the development of a functionalization methodology of the simplest quinoxaline in microwave mediated by the TMPMgCl?LiCl/ZnCl2, allowing the preparation of various arylated derivatives in yields ranging from reasonable to good (25 to 94%). Furthermore, the methodology could be applied to the synthesis of bidentate ligands of interest for catalysis

Dans ce travail, il est montré que les alkyl/vinyl/aryl lithiens et magnésiens réagissentavec les acides C-1(F/OMe) naphtoïques en l'absence de catalyseur métallique. Cette nouvelleréaction de substitution nucléophile aromatique permet potentiellement de préparer n’importequel biaryle tout en s'affranchissant des étapes de protection et de déprotection de la fonctionacide (CO2H). Les alkyllithiens linéaires et ramifiés réagissent avec la même efficacité que lesalkylmagnésiens même à basse température (–78 °C). Le déplacement d'un fluor ou d'unméthoxy s'effectue avec la même facilité. L'absence d'ortho-lithiation est confirmée par lepiégeage du milieu réactionnel en fin de réaction par l'iodométhane (après addition de n-BuLi,s-BuLi et t-BuLi). Le bromure de vinylmagnésium requiert un chauffage au reflux du THF.La méthode étudiée permet de préparer extrêmement facilement des 1- et 2-phénylnaphtalènes, 1,1’-binaphtalènes et 2,2’-binaphtalènes. Dans les exemples où lesaryllithiens donnent des rendements moyens-faibles en produits de couplage, les réactifs deGrignard sont beaucoup plus efficaces. Le o-tolyllithium, le bromure de o-tolylmagnésium, lebromure de (4-méthoxyphényl)magnésium, le bromure de (2,5-diméthylphényl)magnésium etle bromure de benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmagnésium déplacent facilement le groupefluoro/méthoxy en ortho du groupe CO2M pour donner les produits de substitutioncorrespondants alors que la réaction du bromure de (2,6-diméthoxyphényl)magnésium estmoins efficace sans doute en raison de l'encombrement stérique causé par les deux groupesortho-méthoxy. L'acide 1-(2-méthoxyphényl)-2-naphtoïque est un produit particulièrementintéressant. La déprotection du groupe méthoxy suivie d'une cyclisation est réalisée par BBr3pour donner la 6H-naphtho[2,1-c]chromén-6-one qui est isolée avec un rendement de 97 %.Cette lactone est utile pour la préparation de composés atropoisomères optiquement actifsaprès ouverture énantiosélective du cycle lactone selon la technique mise au point parBringmann. / Alkyl as well as aryl substitution can be readily accomplished in generally excellentyields via a nucleophilic mode by displacement of an ortho-fluoro or methoxy group inunprotected naphthoic acids with lithium and Grignard reagents in the absence of a metalcatalyst.Alkyllithium reagents typically gave good-to-excellent yields, whether primary,secondary, or tertiary at –78 °C. Displacement of a fluoro or a methoxy group occurs withequal efficacy. The absence of ortho-lithiation was confirmed by quenching the reactionproduct with MeI after addition of n-BuLi, s-BuLi and t-BuLi. Alkyl Grignard reagentsEtMgBr and n-BuMgBr proved to be very reactive at –78 °C while vinyl magnesium bromiderequired refluxing in THF.The method provides excellent latitude with respect to the synthesis of 1- and 2-phenylnaphthalenes, 1,1’-binaphthalenes, and 2,2’-binaphthalenes. In those instances wherethe aryllithium reagents gave poor yields of coupling products, the corresponding Grignardreagents proved to be much more effective. o-Tolyllithium, o-tolylmagnesium bromide, (4-methoxyphenyl)magnesium bromide, (2,5-dimethylphenyl)magnesium bromide andbenzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmagnesium bromide smoothly displaced the fluoro/methoxy grouportho to the CO2M group to give the corresponding substitution products while reaction of(2,6-dimethoxyphenyl)magnesium bromide proceeded with less efficiency presumably due tosteric effects imparted by the two ortho-methoxy groups. Particularly useful is 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-naphthoic acid which allows for further elaboration after the coupling isperformed. Deprotection of the methoxy group followed by cyclization was realized withBBr3 to afford 6H-naphtho[2,1-c]chromen-6-one which was isolated in 97% yield. Thislactone is the starting building block for the preparation of optically active atropisomers byenantioselective ring opening.

Cette thèse comporte deux parties indépendantes. La première étude présente les premiers exemples de métallation de la structure azobenzène par les réactifs organométalliques polaires. Largement utilisés en tant que colorants, les azobenzènes trouvent actuellement de nombreuses applications dans le domaine des matériaux en raison de leur facile photoisomerisation E/Z. Il est montré que les bases organométalliques polaires classiques (n-BuLi, n-BuLi/TMEDA, n-BuLi/t-BuOK, TMPMgCl.LiCl, LDA) ne métallent pas l’azobenzène parent mais réduisent plutôt la liaison N=N. Cependant la métallation est possible avec le tétraméthylpipéridure de lithium si un groupement directeur de métallation tel que le méthoxy (OMe), diéthylamide (CONEt2) ou fluoro (F) est présent sur l’azobenzène. La réaction permet un accès original et direct à de nouveaux azobenzènes substitués. L’objectif de la deuxième partie est la synthèse de dérivés biaryliques chiraux en l’absence de métaux de transition (Pd, Ni…). Les biaryles chiraux sont présents dans de nombreuses molécules biologiquement actives et peuvent être utilisés comme ligands pour la catalyse asymétrique. La substitution nucléophile aromatique des acides naphtoïques en présence de ligands chiraux a été étudiée. Une optimisation fine des conditions réactionnelles (choix du solvant, température, structure du ligand…) a permis de préparer des 1,1’-binaphtalènes, 1,2’-binaphtalènes et phénylnaphtalènes avec de bons rendements et excès énantiomériques (jusqu’à 89% ee). La substitution nucléophile aromatique atroposélective de dérivés d’acides naphtoïques de type naphtyloxazolines et naphtoates est également décrite. / This thesis is divided into two independant parts. The first part describes for the first time the chemoselective lithiation of azobenzenes. Azobenzenes derivatives are widely used as dyes and more recently have been applied to the preparation of photoresponsive molecular switches and materials by taking advantage of the N=N bond E/Z photoisomerization. Whereas standard polar organometallics (n-BuLi, n-BuLi/TMEDA, n-BuLi/t-BuOK, TMPMgCl.LiCl, LDA) reduce the N=N bond of the parent compound, aromatic HLi permutation occurs with LTMP when a suitable director of lithiation (OMe, CONEt2, F) is present in the benzene residue of the azo compound. The method allows a direct access to new substituted azobenzenes.Axially chiral biaryls, which are found in many biologically active natural products, are conventionally used as ligands for asymmetric catalysis. The purpose of the second part is to develop a new method for the preparation of axially chiral biaryls in the absence of transition metals (Pd, Ni…). To tackle that goal, nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions on unprotected naphthoic acids were performed in the presence of chiral ligands. A careful optimization of the reaction parameters (choice of the solvent, temperature, structure of the ligand…) allowed to prepare chiral 1,1’- binaphthalenes 1,2’- binaphthalenes and phenylnaphthalenes in good yields and enantiomeric excesses (up to 89% ee). The atroposelective SNAr reaction of naphthyloxazoline and naphthoate derivatives was also reported.