In the context of ongoing efforts toward C-aryl glycoside synthesis, a recently developed approach to form C-aryl glycals from 2-deoxysugar lactones was expanded to form novel substrates. This approach has been applied to the synthesis of various furyl glycals, allowing access to C-aryl glycals via a benzyne furan (4+2) cycloaddition methodology. The hydroboration-oxidation of said C-aryl glycals has allowed access to C(2)-oxygenated C-aryl glycosides via the benzyne cycloaddition approach. An approach to the total synthesis of 5-hydoxyaloin A is detailed, in which regioselective benzyne furan (4+2) cycloadditions were achieved via the use of a silicon tether. Two approaches to the anthrone core have been applied; one in which an unsymmetrically-substituted aryl ring is first constructed by means of a silicon tether, and one in which the unsymmetrically-substituted ring is formed last, also utilizing a silicon tether. The latter approach has allowed access to the anthrone core of 5-hydroxyaloin A, and only a final desulfurization remains in order to access the natural product. / text

Au cours de cette thèse, deux sujets distincts ont été étudiés : d’une part la synthèse d’analogues de la coelentérazine, substrat de différentes luciférases, pour une application en imagerie in vivo, et d’autre part la synthèse d’analogues du (-)-EGCG, inhibiteur de la kinase Dyrk1a, impliquée notamment dans les troubles cognitifs rencontrés dans la trisomie 21.La problématique du premier sujet consistait à obtenir des analogues de la coelentérazine conservant leur activité sur deux luciférases, la luciférase Renilla et l’aequorine, tout en induisant un déplacement vers le rouge de la bioluminescence produite par ces enzymes. L’aequorine, sensible au calcium, représentait la cible biologique principale du projet.Sept analogues dont six originaux ont été obtenues par des méthodes de synthèse classiques, et leurs activités ont pu être testées sur les deux luciférases choisies, avec des résultats probants : malgré des émissions de lumière moins intenses que celles obtenues avec la coelentérazine native, plusieurs molécules ont entrainé un déplacement vers le rouge de la longueur d’onde d’émission de lumière par bioluminescence allant jusqu’à 27 nm pour l’aequorine et plus de 120 nm pour la luciférase Renilla.Le second sujet, de chimie médicinale classique, a principalement consisté à la synthèse d’analogues du gallate d’épigallocatéchine (EGCG) au squelette simplifié, et au sein desquels le cycle pyranique caractéristique des catéchines a été remplacé par un carbocycle. Plusieurs molécules ont pu être synthétisées, dont deux présentant le motif hexaphénol. Leur activité inhibitrice de Dyrk1a a pu être testée in vitro et l’une d’entre elle s’est déjà révélée plus active que l’EGCG. / During this thesis, two distinct projects were studied: on the one hand, the synthesis of coelenterazine analogs, substrate of several luciferases, in the purpose of using them for in vivo imaging, and on the other, the synthesis of (-)-EGCG analogs, inhibitor of the Dyrk1a kinase, which interests us for the role it plays in the mental retardation existing in the Down Syndrome disease.The problematic of the first project consisted in obtaining coelenterazine analogs that would not only maintain their activity on two luciferases, the Renilla luciferase and aequorine, but they should also induce a red-shift of the bioluminescence produced by these enzymes. Because of its sensitivity to calcium, aequorine was the main biologic target of this project.Seven analogs, of which six had an original structure, were synthesized through usual synthetic methodologies and their activities on both aequorine and Renilla luciferase were tested in vitro, with interesting results: even if the intensities of light emission were weaker than those obtained with native coelenterazine, several molecules produced a red-shift of the emission wavelength of bioluminescence, up to 27nm for aequorine and more than 120nm for the Renilla luciferase. The second project, of classical medicinal chemistry, mainly consisted in the synthesis of epigallocatechin gallate analogs (EGCG) with a simplified backbone and in which the pyranic ring typical of catechins was replaced by a carbocycle. Several molecules were synthesized, two of them possessing the hexaphenol motif. Their inhibiting activity of Dyrk1a was tested in vitro and one already showed a better activity than natural EGCG.

Further investigations intending illucidate the mechanism of a newly discovered redox-alkylation reaction of azo dyes are presented. Preliminary results indicate that this reaction most probably proceeds via initial N-alkylation of the anion derived from an alpha-ketohydrazone. An investigation is continued to study the synthesis of macrocycle-carbohydrate-dye hybrids. The development of a modular approach to macrocycle assembly has enabled the synthesis of a library of pyridine-based macrocycles possessing multiple donor sites. A central dye scaffold, prepared from the SNAr reaction between halo-substituted azo dye and a disubstituted phenol, was decorated with a representative carbohydrate or macrocycle using Sharpless click chemistry. Also an "S3N-ligand azo-dye" conjugate has been synthesised with a view to the development of a sensor for heavy metal ions. Complexation of this system with Ag(I), Hg(II) and Cu(II) salts has been investigated. Complexation of the dye to metals results in a bathochromic shift in the absorption maximum of the azo dye, an effect which is most pronounced for Cu(II).The Kobayashi fragmentation has transformed the area of benzyne chemistry as it enables its generation from readily available precursors under mild reaction conditions. The controlled generation of benzyne in this manner has been utilised by many groups, allowing readily access to a variety of functionalised aromatic and heteroaromatic from simple precursors. During the course of a synthetic project, which was to utilise the Kobayashi fragmentation in a key intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, we noticed that alternate modes of fragmentation/rearrangement accompanied the desired elimination reaction leading to benzyne generation. In particular, competing Fries or Smiles rearrangements became the major routes of fragmentation in appropriately functionalised substrates. The results of an investigation into the factors affecting the course of the Kobayashi fragmentation, together with the development of a novel bi-aryl synthesis are presented in this thesis.

The work described herein is related to gas-phase ion-molecule reactions studied by using mass spectrometry. Chapter 2 describes density functional theory, a method used in chapters 4 and 5 to propose reaction mechanisms for reactions previously observed by others by using mass spectrometry. Chapter 3 describes a study that demonstrates that the fragmentation of saturated hydrocarbons occurs due to proton-transfer reactions that occur between these species and protonated molecules generated from molecules present in air such as nitrogen and water. Saturated hydrocarbons are studied in a wide variety of fields, and better methods to analyze complex mixtures of these compounds would facilitate their analysis. Chapter 4 discusses mechanisms of reactions for previously studied ion-molecule reactions of pyridynes studied by others by using mass spectrometry. Reactions of pyridynes are important to study arynes have been previously used in organic synthesis, and pyridine moieties are particularly common in biological compounds. Chapter 5 discusses density functional theory calculations used to determine why some organic polyradical undergo hydride abstractions from cyclohexane while others do not. The study discusses reactions taking place between both singlet and triplets states of the 2,5-didehydropyridinium cation and cyclohexane as a model, which are compared to reactions of the 2-pyridyl cation and 2-dehydropyridinium cation with cyclohexane. These studies may help improve our understanding of the reactivity-controlling factors of organic polyradicals, which may help improve toxic drug candidates like cytostatic enediynes.