Le cancer est l'une des principales causes de décès dans le monde et reste une maladie difficile à traiter du fait des difficultés de pronostic, du développement rapide de métastases et de la résistance aux médicaments. Il en résulte une forte demande en méthodologies d'imagerie innovantes pour le diagnostic précoce et précis ainsi qu’en nouveaux agents anticancéreux possédant de nouveaux mécanismes pour surmonter la résistance aux médicaments. Le but de mon projet de recherche de doctorat était donc de contribuer à cet objectif.La première partie de ma thèse de doctorat a porté sur la création de systèmes sensibles et précis d'imagerie pour la détection de tumeurs cancéreuses en utilisant une nanotechnologie novatrice permettant la délivrance des agents d'imagerie spécifiquement dans les lésions tumorales. Nous avons conçu de nouveaux dendrimères amphiphiles pour assurer le transport de différents agents d'imagerie pour les imageries PET/SPECT, par résonance magnétique et par fluorescence optique. Ces systèmes d'imagerie ont été préparés soit par encapsulation de petites sondes d'imagerie à l'intérieur de nanomicelles dendritiques ou par fonctionnalisation de la surface hydrophile ou de la queue hydrophobe du dendrimère. La deuxième partie a eu pour objectif de développer de nouveaux agents anticancéreux possédant nouveaux mécanismes d’action et une meilleure activité antitumorale. A cet effet, nous avons conçu une série de nucléosides arylvinyltriazoles par réaction oxydante de Heck, ce qui nous a permis d'obtenir les composés désirés pourtant difficiles à synthétiser avec un très large éventail de substrats et une stéréosélectivité unique. / Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and remains a difficult disease to treat because of poor prognosis, rapid tumor metastasis and drug resistance. Therefore, innovative imaging modalities for early and precise diagnosis as well as new anticancer drug candidates with novel mechanisms to overcome drug resistance are in high demand. The aim of my PhD research project was to contribute to this goal.The first part of my PhD thesis was focused on establishing sensitive and precise imaging systems for cancer detection using innovative nanotechnology to deliver imaging agents specifically into tumor lesions. We designed and constructed novel amphiphilic dendrimers to carry different imaging agents for PET/SPECT imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and optical fluorescence imaging. These innovative imaging systems were prepared by either encapsulation of small imaging probes within the dendrimer nanomicelles, or functionalization of the dendrimer hydrophilic surface or hydrophobic tail. The second part of my PhD program aimed to develop new anticancer drug candidates with novel mechanisms for better anticancer activity. Therefore, we designed and synthesized a series of challenging arylvinyltriazole nucleosides via the oxidative Heck reaction, which allowed us to obtain the desired compounds with excellent substrate scope and unique stereoselectivity.

La synthèse de la 5-azagalanthamine, un analogue azoté de galanthamine, utilisée dans le traitement palliatif de la maladie d’Alzheimer, a été envisagée dans le cadre d’une étude de relations structure-activité. Durant cette thèse nous avons examiné quatre voies de synthèse afin d’accéder à la 5-azagalanthamine. La première voie est basée sur la réaction de Pictet-Spengler afin de fermer le dernier cycle de l’azagalanthamine. De nombreuses tentatives ont été effectuées sur différents types de substrats mais cette stratégie s’est révélée inefficace. La deuxième approche consiste en une oxydation d’anilide ortho-substitué par un groupement méthoxy, avec un réactif à base d'iode hypervalent pour accéder à une spirodiènone, un intermédiaire clé de la synthèse. En effectuant cette réaction nous n’avons pas obtenu le produit attendu, mais une 1,2-dispirodiénone, un motif inhabituel, et très rare. Après avoir optimisé les conditions réactionnelles, nous avons étudié la généralité de la réaction avec d'autres substrats. La modélisation moléculaire ainsi que des études de voltammétrie cyclique ont été réalisées (Chabaud, L.; Hromjakova, T.; Rambla, M.; Retailleau, P.; Guillou, C. Chem. Commun. 2013, 49, 11542-11544. Hromjakova, T.; Retailleau, P.; Grimaud, L.; Gandon, V.; Chabaud, L. et Guillou, C. accepté EurJOC, 2015, DOI 10.1002/ejoc.201501160).Ensuite nous avons examiné l’approche basée sur le couplage intramoléculaire pallado-catalysé. Après les premiers résultats encourageant avec le substrat modèle nous avons réalisé une optimisation des conditions réactionnelles. Une étude de généralité de la réaction avec d'autres substrats a été effectuée. Malheureusement, il s’est avéré que la substitution sur le cycle aromatique n’était pas bien tolérée conduisant à de faibles rendements. Par conséquent cette méthodologie n’a pas pu être appliquée à la synthèse de l’azagalanthamine. Dans la dernière voie de synthèse examinée nous avons repris les travaux antérieurs entrepris dans notre laboratoire concernant la réaction de Heck intramoléculaire. La diminution de la longueur de la chaîne liant les deux cycles a permis d’obtenir des résultats très prometteurs. / The synthesis of 5-azagalanthamine, the analogue of galanthamine that is used in Alzheimer treatment, was investigated for structure - activity relationship studies.During this thesis I explored four synthetic approaches with the aim of preparing the 5-azagalanthamine. The first one is based on a Pictet-Spengler reaction used for ring closure of the last cycle of azagalanthamine. We carried out many tests on various types of substrate but this strategy has proved to be ineffective. The second approach consists of an oxidation of ortho-methoxy substituted anilide by hypervalent iodine reagent to access a spirodienone, a key intermediate of the synthesis. Interestingly this reaction did not result in the expected compound but we observed the formation of an unusual motif, the 1,2-dispirodienone. After conditions optimisation we studied the scope and limitations with others substrates. Molecular modelling and cyclic voltammetry studies were also carried out (Chabaud, L.; Hromjakova, T.; Rambla, M.; Retailleau, P.; Guillou, C. Chem. Commun. 2013, 49, 11542-11544. Hromjakova, T.; Retailleau, P.; Grimaud, L.; Gandon, V.; Chabaud, L. and Guillou, C. accepté EurJOC, 2015, DOI 10.1002/ejoc.201501160).Then we investigated an approach based on palladium-catalysed intramolecular coupling. After the first encouraging results with the model substrate, we did optimization of the reaction conditions and the study of substrate scope. Unfortunately we discovered that the substitution was not well tolerated and decreased the yield. Therefore this methodology could not be applied to the synthesis of the azagalanthamine. In the last approach we used previous work of our laboratory on the intramolecular Heck reaction. The reduction of the length of the linker between both cycles showed to be beneficial. We obtained promising results with this approach.

The Heck reaction has become a fundamental reaction for synthetic organic chemists over the last half century and is utilised heavily in the fine chemical industry and for natural product synthesis. This thesis describes some of the applications of the Heck reaction to modern day organic synthesis. Introduction: This section presents an overview of the Heck reaction starting from its conception during the late 1960s to present day understanding. A variety of ligand classes are described along with commonly accepted catalytic cycles for their activity during the reaction. Results and Discussion: In the first part of the thesis, the use of a cross-metathesis/Heck reaction protocol to synthesise a range of 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyridines is described. Attempts were made to expand the scope of the methodology by employing vinyl Weinreb amides, but this proved unsuccessful for the synthesis of pyridines. Nevertheless, the Heck reaction on vinyl Weinreb amides worked efficiently and the scope of this arylation was explored. Following on, the functionalisation of the Weinreb amide products was studied to generate a range of enone products, some of which would be difficult to synthesise via direct Heck reaction on the respective precursor enone. In the second part of the thesis, previous syntheses of inthomycin B and inthomycin C are described. The synthesis of inthomycin B and inthomycin C were then attempted using an unprecedented Mukaiyama aldol/cross-metathesis based approach to generate the triene core of both natural products.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Please refer to full text for abstract.

<p>Homogeneous palladium-catalyzed Heck vinylation of aryl chlorides was investigated under air using Herrmann’s palladacycle and the P(<i>t</i>-Bu)₃-liberating salt [(<i>t</i>-Bu)₃PH]BF₄. Based on the results, controlled microwave heating was utilized to accelerate model Heck reactions with aryl chlorides down to 30 min employing an electron-poor olefin and a mixture of an ionic liquid and 1,4-dioxane as solvent.</p><p>For the first time, a highly regioselective general protocol has been developed for palladium-catalyzed terminal (β-) arylation of acyclic vinyl ethers using inexpensive aryl chlorides as starting materials and the preligand [(<i>t</i>-Bu)₃PH]BF₄ as the key additive. This swift and straightforward protocol exploits non-inert conditions and controlled microwave heating to reduce handling and processing times, and aqueous DMF or environmentally friendly PEG-200 as the reaction medium. Somewhat higher selectivity for the linear β-product was observed in PEG-200. DFT calculations were performed at the B3LYP level of theory for the regioselectivity-determining insertion step in the Heck reaction following the neutral pathway. A series of <i>para</i>-substituted phenylpalladium(II) complexes was investigated in the computational study. The calculations support a ligand-driven selectivity rationale, where the electronic and steric influence of the bulky P(<i>t</i>-Bu)₃ ligand provides improved β-selectivity. The preparative methodology was used to synthesize the β-adrenergic blocking agent Betaxolol.</p><p>Highly stereoselective Pd(0)-catalyzed β-arylation and β-vinylation of a tetra-substituted cyclopentenyl ether have been accomplished using a chiral, pyrrolidine-based and substrate-bound palladium(II)-directing group under neutral reaction conditions. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this P(<i>t</i>-Bu)₃-mediated method represents the first examples of the successful utilization of aryl and vinyl chlorides in asymmetric Heck reactions. The Heck arylation products formed were hydrolyzed and isolated as the corresponding quaternary 2-aryl-2-methyl cyclopentanones in good to moderate two-step yields with excellent stereoselectivity (90-96% ee). Inclusion of vinyl triflates under neutral reaction conditions and one aryl triflate equipped with a strongly electron-withdrawing <i>para</i>-cyano substituent under cationic conditions increased the preparative usefulness of the methodology.</p><p>Furthermore, diastereoselective Heck arylation of both five- and six-membered cyclic vinyl ethers with aryl bromides, using the identical chiral auxiliary and suitable Pd sources, was performed. Arylated products from the tetra-substituted cyclopentenyl ether were also in this case hydrolyzed to the corresponding 2-aryl-2-methyl cyclopentanones with high to excellent enantioselectivity (85-94% ee). Despite low reaction rates and relatively modest yields, arylation reactions with the tri-substituted cyclohexenyl ether were found to be highly diastereoselective (94-98% de).</p><p>Thus, an attractive supplement to direct Pd(0)-catalyzed α-arylation protocols, particularly when the use of organic chlorides, aryl bromides, and milder reaction conditions are of great importance, have been developed.</p>

This thesis describes the investigation of thiadiazolidine 1-oxides and structurally related compounds as ligands in palladium catalysis. The introduction will provide background information on subjects related to the work of the main project. Palladium catalysed cross couplings, namely the Heck and Tsuji-Trost reactions, will feature prominently and will be discussed in basic detail. A general outline of different classes of ligands used in palladium catalysis will also be put forward. Extraneous factors which affect catalyst reactivity will also be discussed, including the use of microwave irradiation and the effect of additives. Special attention is paid towards sulfur containing ligands. As their use has been relatively limited this will also include other areas of catalysis. Investigations into the synthesis of esermethole prompt a general background of methods of synthesising oxindoles and also examples of previous syntheses of the compound. The second chapter begins by describing the initial exploratory work, the testing of a thiadiazolidine 1-oxide compound as a ligand for the Heck reaction. Aryl iodides are successfully coupled to a range of styrenes and α,β-unsaturated esters in excellent yields under microwave conditions. Aryl bromides are also successfully coupled after some optimisation. In many cases the presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide is required to prevent shattering of the sealed microwave vial. A range of differently substituted thiadiazolidine 1-oxides were synthesised in order to establish a pattern of reactivity based on steric and electronic factors. Structurally related chiral compounds were also synthesised, including the first reported enantiomerically pure thiadiazol-3-one 1-oxide and thiatriaza-indene 3-oxide systems chiral at the sulfur atom. The synthesis of oxindoles using palladium mediated and non-catalytic chemistry was also investigated. Investigations into the synthesis of esermethole were undertaken; the key stereoinducing reaction, the decarboxylative asymmetric allyic alkylation reaction, achieved a 46% ee. A formal synthesis of esermethole was outlined in 8 steps from commercially available material. The third chapter is the experimental section and is dedicated to the methods of synthesis and characterization of the compounds mentioned in the previous chapter. X-ray reports regarding the crystallographic representation of the structures presented in chapter two are provided in appendix A.

In contrast to the classic ‘passive template’ approach, an ‘active-metal’ template strategy involves a metal centre which acts as both a template and the catalyst for covalent bond formation in the construction of mechanically interlocked architectures. The crucial formation of a covalent bond between two ‘half-threads’ is promoted by the catalyst and directed through the cavity of the macrocycle by the catalyst’s coordination requirements. The main attractive features of such a synthetic approach are the efficiency (as one step is required instead of two), the rapid assembly of inaccessible structures, the possibility of ‘traceless’ assemblies, the versatility, the possibility to use catalytic amount of the metal template and to provide mechanistic insight. This novel concept was successfully introduced by our group and applied to a wide range of well-known transition metal-catalysed reactions. The thesis will present several examples of active-metal template reactions for the synthesis of interlocked architectures, including Cu(I)-catalysed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC popularised as the click reaction), Pd(II)-catalysed alkyne homocouplings Pd(II)-catalysed oxidative Heck cross-couplings and Lewis acids mediated Diels-Alder reactions.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Depuis plus de 40 ans des chimistes se sont intéressés à l’extraction, à l’activité biologique et à la synthèse de l’homoharringtonine, un ester naturel de la céphalotaxine, qui est un puissant antileucémique, en vue de son utilisation thérapeutique, en particulier contre les leucémies résistantes aux inhibiteurs de tyrosine kinase. Ces alcaloïdes sont extraits de Cephalotaxus, des conifères originaires du sud de la Chine à croissance extrêmement lente et menacés d’extinction, la synthèse de ces alcaloïdes est nécessaire pour une utilisation thérapeutique.L’objectif de ce travail consiste à développer une synthèse concise de la (-)-céphalotaxine 1, afin de palier notamment le problème de sa pureté énantiomérique variable lorsqu’elle est issue de la matière première végétale. La stratégie développée dans ce travail nécessite d’effectuer un couplage de Heck avec des substrats désactivés et encombrés. Les résultats préliminaires ayant été décevants, le première objectif à consisté à développer l’utilisation de la méthode des plans d’expérience en synthèse totale, car l’efficacité de chaque étape a une répercussion importante sur le rendement en produit final. Dans une première partie, l’application d’un plan d’expériences a permis de pallier ce problème par une étude modèle pour déterminer les paramètres importants pour effectuer une telle réaction efficacement. Dans une deuxième partie, nous avons synthétisé les précurseurs et réalisé le couplage de Heck en vue de l’accès à un précurseur AC comportant tous les atomes de carbone du squelette de la céphalotaxine et les fonctionnalités requises pour sa cyclisation ultérieure en tétracycle ABCD. Enfin, nous avons fonctionnalisé les produits de Heck en position C3 par différents méthodes. Ces résultats ont permis de valider notre stratégie de synthèse. / For more than 40 years the chemists were interested in the extraction, in the biological activity and in the synthesis of the homoharringtonine, a natural ester of cephalotaxine, which is a powerful antileukemic compound of therapeutic use, in particular against the leukaemia resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These alkaloids are extracted from Cephalotaxus, conifers native of the South of China with extremely slow growth. The objective of this work thus consisted in developing a concise synthesis of the cephalotaxine, to limit the recourse to the endangered vegetable resource The developed strategy requires an intermolecular Heck-coupling of electronically and sterically deactivated demanding substrates. The preliminary results having been disappointing, the first objective consisted in developing the use of the model of the experimental design in total synthesis because the classic methodology of variation of a single parameter at the same time said of "one by one" was ineffective. The application of a complete factorial design overcomes this problem by a model study, allowing to determine the optimized parameters to make this coupling reaction effective. We then synthesized the precursors from naturally abundant safrol and 2,3-butanedione then realized the Heck coupling with the aim of the access to the precursor AC containing all the atoms of carbon of cephalotaxine and the features required for its later cyclization in pyrrolobenzazepine ABC fragment. The o-iodized homopiperonylic alcohol led in certain conditions to an isochromane through a tandem Heck-oxa-Michael reaction. Finally, we have functionalized the Heck and hydro-arylation products obtained with 69-70 % yield in position C3 by different methods allowing us to validate our strategy to access these alkaloids.

Thesis advisor: Lawrence T. Scott / Carbon nanotubes are theorized to possess many extraordinary properties. To a certain extent, these properties have been demonstrated using the products of current nanotube growth technologies; however, the specific characteristics of distinct nanotube topographies remain untapped on the industrial scale. Carbon vaporization and “flame” methods produce mixtures of various nanotube chiralities and diameters. Although progress has been made, separation techniques are limited. Currently, organic synthesis and subsequent elongation of a select hydrocarbon template is the only approach that promises significant access to specific nanotube topographies without the need for separation. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.