The first successful synthesis and isolation of a boronic acid was reported in 1860 by Frankland in the pursuit of novel organometallic compounds. For more than a century, further studies of boronic acids were sparsely published. Suzuki and Miyaura jumpstarted the field in 1979 with an innovative carbon-carbon bond forming reaction employing an organoboronic acid and a carbon halide under palladium catalysis. Indeed, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Professor Akira Suzuki, along with Professors Richard Heck and Ei-ichi Negishi, in 2010 for their important contributions in palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling chemistry. Over the last 30 years, reports on organoboron compounds have increased exponentially. This dissertation describes the author's contributions to the development of preparative methods for organoboronic acid derivatives using transition metal-catalyzed reactions of diboron reagents. A unique "mixed" diboron reagent was developed (PDIPA diboron) that contains sp2- and sp3-hybridized boron atoms, unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystallography. PDIPA diboron is sufficiently activated internally through a dative-bonding amine to selectively transfer the sp2-hybridized boron regioselectively, in the presence of copper, to electron deficient alkenes including α,β-unsaturated ketones, esters, amides, aldehydes, and nitriles to provide the corresponding boratohomoenolates. A unique β,β-diboration of an α,β-acetylenic ketone was also discovered. The scope of PDIPA diboron reactions was then expanded to a set of substrates with a more complex structural backbone. Allenoates are α,β,γ-unsaturated esters with orthogonal pi systems, which pose several possible difficulties with the regioselectivity of addition, not to mention known isomerizations catalyzed by copper. However, we successfully installed the boron moiety regioselectively on the β-carbon of a variety of allenoates, providing a vinyl boronic ester, and also observed exclusive formation of the (Z)-isomer from racemic starting materials. The resulting vinyl boronic ester was then shown to be an excellent Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling partner, affording a diastereopure, trisubstituted alkene in quantitative yield. Commercially available bis(pinacolato)diboron has shown remarkable stability towards hydrolysis and autoxidation. Using this reagent, we developed a copper- and amine-catalyzed boration protocol performed entirely in water and open to air. Using only 1 mol% copper, extraordinary activity was observed. UV-Vis, 11B NMR, and solvent kinetic isotope experiments were employed to gain insight into the mechanism, which showed the possibility of autocatalysis. Attempts to control stereoselectivity were not successful, although these results were rationalized by a dynamic catalyst structure. / Ph. D.

Kyoto University (京都大学) / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第16808号 / 工博第3529号 / 新制||工||1534(附属図書館) / 29483 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科合成・生物化学専攻 / (主査)教授 杉野目 道紀, 教授 村上 正浩, 教授 吉田 潤一 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当

In the everlasting battle against cancer the development of drugs targeting new therapeutic pathways is of crucial importance. In the attempt to develop new anticancer agents we have synthesized a library of anthraquinone compounds that show selectivity against leukemia. Mechanistic evaluation of the lead compound reveal that this class of compounds achieve their effects through inhibition of MDM2-MDM4 heterodimer and upregulation of the tumor suppressor p53. Computer aided rational design resulted in the development of a number of compounds with activities in the nanomolar range against various cancer cells. Analysis of the physicochemical properties of selected compounds allowed for their evaluation as potential drug candidates. The successful development of non-toxic formulations permits for the further in vivo investigation of the compounds. Click reactions have found wide spread applications in sensing, materials chemistry, bioconjugation, and biolabeling. A number of very useful click reactions have been discovered, which allow for various applications. In bioconjugation applications, the ability to conduct a secondary conjugation will be very useful in, e.g., protein pull down and binding site identification. Along this line, we describe a neighboring group-assisted facile condensation between an aldehyde and a vicinal aminothiol moiety, leading to the formation of benzothiazoles. The conversion is completed within 5 minutes at low micromolar concentrations at ambient temperature. The facile reaction was attributed to the presence of a neighboring boronic acid, which functions as an intramolecular Lewis Acid in catalyzing the reaction. The boronic acid group is compatible with most functional groups in biomolecules and yet can also be used for further functionalization via a large number of well-known coupling reactions.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) governs many cellular processes through biochemical and mechanical cues. Particularly, the effect ECM mechanical properties on cells fate has been well established over the years. Many hydrogel systems have been used to mimic the dynamic stiffening processes occurring in ECM. However, changes in ECM stiffness does not fully recapitulate the mechanics of native ECM, as viscoelasticity is also a major factor contributing to ECM dynamic property. This thesis describes the design and characterization of an enzyme-crosslinked hydrogel system that is not only capable of being stiffened on demand, but also can be tuned to obtain viscoelasticity. The first objective of this thesis was to utilize horseradish peroxidase (HRP) to crosslink thiol-norbornene hydrogel and use mushroom tyrosinase (MT) to create secondary DOPA-dimer crosslinks that stiffened the hydrogel. The cytocompatibility of HRP-mediated thiol-norbornene gelation and the effect of stiffening on cell fate was evaluated. The second objective of this thesis represented the first step towards developing a hydrogel system whose viscoelasticity could be dynamically tuned. Thiol-norbornene hydrogel was designed to yield dynamically adaptable boronic ester bonds via partial enzymatic reaction. Thiol-norborne hydrogel was made to contain hydroxyl phenol as well as boronic acid residues within its network. MT, in this case was used to oxidize the hydroxy phenol moieties into DOPA, which then complexed with boronic acid, created dynamic bonds, introducing viscoelasticity to an initial elastic hydrogel.

Neste trabalho, avaliou-se o potencial do uso de oxidantes quirais em oxidações enantiosseletivas de compostos orgânicos de boro. É de conhecimento geral que compostos orgânicos de boro, especialmente ésteres e ácidos borônicos são facilmente oxidados por hidroperóxidos em meio básico. No entanto, são escassos na literatura exemplos destas reações de modo enantiosseletivo. A fim de realizar as reações mencionadas, sintetizou-se os hidroperóxidos quirais TADOOH ({(4R,5R)-5-[(hidroperoxidifenil)metil]-2,2-dimetil-1,3-dioxolan-4il}difenilmetanol) e o hidroperóxido quiral derivado de carboidrato, 2,3-dideoxi1-O-oxidanil-4,6-di-O-pivaloil-α-D-eritro-hex-2-enopiranose (di-O-PivOOH). Estes compostos apresentaram resultados interessantes na literatura em oxidações enantiosseletiva de sulfetos orgânicos, em epoxidações de alcenos e em oxidações de Baeyer-Villiger. Inicialmente o potencial oxidativo de ambos hidroperóxidos, bem como a seletividade destes, foi avaliado frente a diversos ésteres borônicos, sendo que somente o TADOOH apresentou resultados promissores. (Ver esquema no PDF) Observou-se uma melhor seletividade do TADOOH frente a ésteres borônicos que possuíam grupos carbonílicos em sua estrutura. Ao submeter o β-boronil-éster, 3-fenil-3-(4,4,5,5-tetrametil-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-il)propanoato de etila, à oxidação com o TADOOH em THF utilizando NaOH como base, a -30°C por 1 hora, obteve-se o respectivo álcool com 40% de e.e. Cálculos de DFT para o estado de transição na oxidação dos ésteres borônicos com o TADOOH foram realizados em colaboração com o grupo do Prof. Dr. Ataualpa Albert Carmo Braga. Estes cálculos demonstraram que o estado de transição é estabilizado por uma ligação de hidrogênio não clássica entre o oxigênio da carbonila e umas das ligações C-H dos grupos fenila do TADOOH. Além dos estudos relatados, a reconhecida metodologia de Sharpless na epoxidação assimétrica de alcoóis alílicos foi adaptada para a oxidação enantiosseletiva de ésteres borônicos. Ao trocar o ligante derivado de éster tártarico, normalmente utilizado nas epoxidações de Sharpless, por (-)-efedrina observou-se uma moderada seletividade deste sistema frente ao pinacol l-fenietilboronato. Investigações mais detalhadas demonstraram que a presença do Ti(IV) não era necessária, sendo que a (-)efedrina era a responsável pela ativação e indução quiral nesta reação. / In this work, it was investigated the potential use of chiral oxidants in organic boron compound oxidation. It is known in the literature, that organic boron compounds can be easily oxidized by hydroperoxides. However, an enantioselective approach in literature is scarce. In order to perform these reactions, hydroperoxide TADOOH ({(4R,5R)-5[(hydroperoxydiphenyl)methyl]-2,2-dimethyl-l,3-dioxolan-4-yl}diphenylmethanol) and carbohydrate derived hydroperoxide, 2,3-dideoxy-1-O-oxidanyl-4,6-di-O-pivaloyl-α-D-erythro-hex-2-enopyranose (di-O-PivOOH), have been synthesized. These compounds showed interesting results in several enantioselective oxidations, as like, organic sulfides oxidation, alkenes epoxidation and Baeyer-Villiger oxidations. The oxidative potential of both hydroperoxides, as well as their selectivity, were evaluated against several boronic esters. Only TADOOH has shown promissing results for further studies. (See Scheme on PDF). Boronic esters containing a carbonyl moiety showed better selectivities with TADOOH, for example, the reaction of β-boronyl-ester, ethyl 3-phenyl-3-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-l,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)propanoate, gave the correponding alcohol with 40% e.e. DFT calculations for the transition state in the oxidation of the boronic esters with TADOOH were carried out in collaboration with the group of Prof. Dr. Ataualpa Albert Carmo Braga. These calculations have shown that the transition state is stabilized by a non-classical hydrogen bond between the carbonyl oxygen and one of the C-H bonds of the TADOOH phenyl groups. In addition to the studies, the well-known Sharpless protocol for asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols was adapted in the enantioselective oxidation of boronic esters. By replacing the tartaric ester-derived, commonly used in the Sharpless experiments, for (-)-ephedrine moderate selectivity was observed with pinacol 1-phenylethyl boronate. Further investigations showed that the presence of Ti (IV) was not necessary, and (-)-ephedrine was responsible for the activation and chiral induction in this reaction.

Chow Ka-man. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-55). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction / Chapter 1.1 --- Chemical sensors --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Quartz crystal microbalance --- p.4 / Chapter 1.3 --- Concept of affinity mass sensor --- p.8 / Chapter 1.4 --- Film immobilization technologies --- p.9 / Chapter 1.5 --- Research outlines --- p.13 / Chapter 2 --- Experimental / Chapter 2.1 --- Sensor fabrication --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2 --- Flow-through cell --- p.16 / Chapter 2.3 --- Analysis procedures --- p.19 / Chapter 2.4 --- Response curve --- p.19 / Chapter 2.5 --- Experimental setup --- p.21 / Chapter 3 --- Detection of ascorbic acid by affinity mass sensor based on 3-aminophenylboronic acid / Chapter 3.1 --- Conventional analytical methods --- p.23 / Chapter 3.2 --- Research method - affinity mass sensor based on APBA --- p.24 / Chapter 3.3 --- To locate the binding site in ascorbic acid --- p.25 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Steric energy calculated by molecular modeling --- p.26 / Chapter 3.4 --- Optimization of experimental variables --- p.29 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Effect of pH --- p.29 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Effect of sample volume --- p.30 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Effect of flow velocity --- p.30 / Chapter 3.5 --- Calibration and Reproducibility --- p.32 / Chapter 3.6 --- Kinetic analysis --- p.33 / Chapter 3.7 --- Stability of sensor --- p.37 / Chapter 3.8 --- Interference studies --- p.37 / Chapter 3.9 --- Determination of ascorbic acid in real samples --- p.39 / Chapter 3.9.1 --- Results and Discussion --- p.39 / Chapter 3.10 --- Comparison with conventional ascorbic acid sensors --- p.42 / Chapter 3.11 --- Summary --- p.42 / Chapter 4 --- Boronic acid derivatives for the detection of sugars / Chapter 4.1 --- Scope of this work --- p.43 / Chapter 4.2 --- Results and Discussion --- p.44 / Chapter 4.3 --- Summary --- p.49 / Conclusion --- p.50 / References --- p.52 / List for tables --- p.56 / List for figures --- p.57 / Appendix I --- p.59 / Appendix II --- p.61

The research investigations presented herein are concerned with the syntheses and applications of arylboronic acids and their derivatives; with a particular focus on their accessibility or utility in certain of the most significant modern transition metal-catalysed reactions to involve organoborons. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the field of organoboron chemistry, from its roots employing borane and related highly reactive derivatives for uncatalysed hydroboration of olefins and acetylenes, to the modern classes of organoboron reagents of the greatest significance to the related contemporary transition metal-catalysed methodologies. Furthermore particular emphasis is placed on the discussion of arylboronic acids, their synthesis, and application to transition metal catalysis as a result of their propensity to undergo useful transmetallation events. Chapter 2 details the use of a commercially available sulfonated monophosphine ligand in the rhodium-catalysed 1,2-addition reaction employing aryl aldehydes and arylboronic acids in aqueous media. The high and continued activity of the catalytic complex is demonstrated by it being successfully recycled five consecutive times in the arylation reaction of an aryl aldehyde; as well as being active for the arylations of more sterically demanding aryl methyl ketone substrates. Chapter 3 details the design and synthesis of a novel bench-stable azidomethylene substituted arylboronate ester. The reactivity of this compound and a related analogue in both the coppercatalysed azide alkyne cycloaddition reaction and the Suzuki coupling reaction are detailed, culminating in the proof-of-concept use of such versatile synthetic building blocks in the synthesis of a drug-substance derivative. Chapter 4 details alternative synthetic approaches to that used in Chapter 3 in order to access bifunctional azidomethylene substituted arylboronate esters. In particular the application of Miyaura borylation of arylhalides bearing benzylic azides is addressed as a means to rapidly access substrates which are otherwise shown to be incompatible with classical s-block synthetic intermediates.

The reaction of base-free Chan-Lam coupling was successfully used for functionalization of surface of mesoporous silica gel. Various aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic compounds were immobilized by a copper-catalyzed reaction of corresponding boronic acids with surface amino groups at mild conditions. Obtained functionalized materials were mesoporous although their surface area decreased after immobilization. The reactivity of some surface functional groups was tested in their characteristic reactions.

The boronic acid functional group is known to bind compounds with the diol group tightly and reversibly in aqueous environment and has been used as a recognition moiety for the design of carbohydrate sensors. The first chapter of the dissertation studies the synthesis and substitution effect on the affinity and selectivity of a known boronic acid-based glucose sensor. In such a sensor design effort, the availability of a signaling event, whether it is fluorescence or UV, is crucial. The second chapter studies the detailed mechanism on how a well-known fluorescent boronic acid compound changes fluorescent properties upon binding. A new mechanism has been established which corrected a decade old mistake. In the third chapter, a series of boronic acid-based sensors were designed and synthesized for sialic acid, which is part of tetrasaccharide found on many cell surface carbohydrates. Such sialic acid sensors could be very useful for the development of new type of anti-influenza therapy. The fourth is on the design and synthesis novel and selective inhibitors for phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), which are potential anti-asthma agents.

It is well known boronic acids have its unique chemistry and related applications in organic synthesis. The boronic acid functionally group also plays very important roles in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. For example, boronic acids have been developed as potential therapeutic agents, chemical biology tools. All these applications are directly related to the unique electronic and chemical properties of the boronic acid group. Herein, several application of boronic acids have been studied: 1) several groups of compounds were found as bacterial quorum sensing inhibitors; 2) a boronate compound was developed as a probe for detecting reactive oxygen species (ROS); and 3) boronic acid-modified aptamers can be used for glycoprotein recognition.