This study has focussed on several aspects of chromone chemistry, viz., (i) the influence of remote substituents on the basicity of 2-(N,N-dimethylamino)chromones, (ii) MoritaBaylis-Hillman reactions of substituted chromone-3-carbaldehydes and (iii) an investigation into the application of chromone chemistry in the total synthesis of the marine natural product, Rietone A. Selected 2-(N,N-dimethylamino )chromones were prepared using two different methods; firstly, via cyclisation of salicylate-derived N,N-dimethyl-3;.(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3- oxopropanamide precursors and, secondly, via 2-hydroxyacetophenone boron difluoride complexes. ¹³C NMR analysis of the 6- and 7-methoxy-2-(N,N-dimethylamino)chromones confirmed that protonation occurs at the chromone carbonyl oxygen rather than the amino nitrogen - a conclusion supported by mol~cular orbital calculations. Potentiometric analysis of 2-(N,N-dimethylamino )chromones in ethanol-water afforded pKa (pK [subscript a]) values in the range 2.22 - 2.52. The observed trend has been rationalised in terms of substituent effects with the aid of molecular orbital calculations at the semi-empirical and ab initio levels, while hydrogen-bonding effects have been used to account for the apparently anomalous result obtained for the 6-nitro derivative. A series of seven substituted chromone-3-carbaldehydes, prepared by the application of Vilsmeier-Haack methodology to the corresponding 2-hydroxyacetophenones, have been examined as substrates for Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions, using DABCO as the catalyst and three different activated alkenes, viz., methyl acrylate, methyl vinyl ketone and acrylonitrile. In all cases, with the exception of 6-nitrochromone-3-carbaldehyde, the reactions have been shown to afford the expected Morita-Baylis-Hillman products. Use of methyl acrylate and methyl vinyl ketone as the activated alkene has been observed to afford additional, unprecedented dimeric products, which have been unambiguously characterised using a combination of single crystal X-ray analysis and spectroscopic (high resolution MS and NMR) techniques. Different dimer-like adducts have been isolated from reactions in which acrylonitrile was used as the activated alkene, and the structures of these novel products have-been determined <spectroscopically. Tentative mechanistic rationalisations for the formation of the "dimeric" products have been presented. Optimisation studies, aimed at improving the yields of the Morita-Baylis-Hillman products, have resulted in significant increases in conversion efficiency (up to 95%). It has also been shown that the Morita-Baylis-Hillman products may be readily converted to the corresponding "dimers". An exploratory study into the synthesis of Rietone A has been initiated. Ring-opening of a chromone derivative was expected to provide access to the aromatic moiety, while retrosynthetic analysis of the aliphatic side chain suggested possible strategies for its construction. These approaches have proved largely unsuccessful, but preliminary studies involving Fries rearrangement of 4-(carbomethoxymethyl)phenyl 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienoate appear to hold some promise for future development.

A range of chromone-2-carboxylic acids has been prepared by condensing suitably substituted 2-hydroxyacetophenones with diethyl oxalate. pK₂ Studies of these acids revealed that 6- or 7-methoxy substituents decreased acidity while the 6-nitro group enhanced acidity; the strongest acid was the 3-chloro derivative, the increase in acidity being attributed to steric inhibition of acid-weakening delocalisation between the carboxyl group and the chromone system. Various chromone-2-carboxamides, derived from acid chloride precursors, were converted to polysubstituted acrylamides by nucleophilic ring-opening with selected amine nucleophiles. The main fragmentation patterns exhibited by these acrylamides were elucidated using a combination of low resolution, high resolution and meta-stable peak analysis, while the effect of substituents on the simultaneous internal rotation involving the carboxamide and enamine moieties were studied using dynamic NMR spectroscopy. Rotational barriers of ca. 67.1 kJmol ̄¹ and ca. 102 kJmol ̄¹ were found for the enamine and amide rotors, respectively. Several synthetic pathways were followed to prepare a series of 2-(N,N-dialkylamino)chromones which were subjected to detailed mass spectral analysis. In addition to substituent-specific fragmentations , the 2-aminochromones appear to fragment via 3 major pathways. The effect of substituents on the internal rotation of the amino moeity was investigated by variable temperature ¹H NMR spectroscopy and the resulting DNMR data was used to calculate the rotational barriers. Examination of the data reveals that the electron-releasing 6- and 7- substituents reduce the C-NMe₂ rotational barrier to ca. 43.5 kJmol ̄¹ , while the nitro analogue has the largest rotational barrier (ca. 46.1 kJmol ̄¹) because of the electron-withdrawing effect of this substituent.

The reaction of salicylaldehyde with various activated alkenes, viz., methyl vinyl ketone, ethyl vinyl ketone, phenyl vinyl sulfone, phenyl vinylsulfonate, acrolein and acrylonitrile, under Baylis-Hillman conditions, has been found to proceed with the chemoselective formation of chromene derivatives. The reaction conditions have been optimised and chromene derivatives have been obtained in isolated yields up to 87 %. The generality of the reaction, using 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO), as the catalyst, and a heterogeneous (chloroform-water) solvent system, has been established using a range of salicylaldehyde derivatives,. including 2-hydroxynaphthaldehyde. The formation of chromene derivatives, under these conditions, has been assumed to proceed via an initial, Baylis-Hillman reaction, followed by cyclisation involving intramolecular conjugate addition, and subsequent dehydration. Evidence supporting this sequence has been obtained from the isolation ofBaylis-Hillman products from reactions involving the use of tertbutylclimethylsilyl-protected salicylaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and tert-butyl acrylate as substrates. The potential of the ''Baylis-Hillman zwitterion" to participate as a donor species in Michael-type addition reactions has been explored and a series of climeric products has been isolated. The Baylis-Hillman methodology has also been successfully extended to the synthesis of sulfurcontaining heterocyclic systems, and a range of 3-substituted thiochromenes has been obtained in moderate yields, using 2,2'-dithiobenzaldehyde and various activated alkenes in the presence of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) as catalyst. The electron-impact mass spectra of selected chromene and thiocbromene derivatives have been investigated permitting comparison of the fragmentation of the oxygen- and sulfur-containing analogues. In a study directed at the synthesis of potential HIV -1 protease inhibitors, chromene- and thiocbromene-containing analogues of the clinically useful drug, ritonavir, have been prepared. Thiochromene and chromene derivatives were converted to the corresponding 3 -carboxylic acids and coupled with a specially prepared, hydroxyethylene dipeptide isostere to afford ritonavir analogues containing cbromene and thiochromene termini in ca. 60% yield.

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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1984 V47 / Master of Science

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published_or_final_version / abstract / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy