<div>The first chapter reports a study of aryl nitrene intermediates. Although extensively studied over the past 30 years, phenyl nitrenes have a propensity to undergo rearrangement reactions and form polymeric tars. This is in stark contrast to the phenyl carbenes which are known to undergo several important reactions to produce a library of useful organic compounds. One such reaction is the insertion of phenyl carbenes into a double bond to produce a cyclopropane moiety. If aryl nitrenes can be exploited to conjure a similar reactivity, they would be an excellent synthetic route to produce aziridine rings which are a crucial component of many natural products. This review chapter is a collection of all the efforts that have been made in this regard.</div><div><br></div><div>In the next chapter, the electronic effect of the azide functional group on an aromatic system has been investigated by using Hammett-Taft parameters obtained from the effect of azide-substitution on the gas-phase acidity of phenol. Gas-phase acidities of 3- and 4-azidophenol have been measured by using mass spectrometry and the kinetic method and found to be 340.8 ± 2.2 and 340.3 ± 2.0 kcal/mol respectively. The relative electronic effects of the azide substituent on an aromatic system have been measured by using Hammett-Taft parameters. The σF and σR values are determined to be 0.38 and 0.02 respectively, consistent with predictions based on electronic structure calculations. The values of σF and σR demonstrate that azide acts an inductively withdrawing group but has negligible resonance contribution on the phenol. In contrast, acidity values calculated for substituted benzoic acids gives values of σF = 0.69 and σR = -0.39, indicating that the azide is a strong  donor, comparable to that of a hydroxyl group. The difference is explained as being the result of “chimeric” electronic behavior of the azide, similar to that observed previously for the n-oxide moiety, which can be more or less resonance donating depending on the electronic effects of other groups in the system.</div><div><br></div><div>Phenyl nitrenes undergo bimolecular chemistry under very specific circumstances. For example, having an oxide substituent at the para position of the phenyl ring enables the formation of an indophenol product from a photocatalyzed reaction of the nitrene. Although, this reaction has been reported before, the mechanism involved in this reaction has not been fully understood. A two-electron mechanism involving electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction has been proposed in the literature, however we found evidence that did not support this theory. Instead, we find this reaction analogous to the popular Gibbs’ reaction whose single electron transfer mechanism has been extensively studied. The following chapter encompasses a study of the mechanism of the photolysis reaction to look for evidence of a single electron transfer similar to the Gibbs’ reaction.</div><div><br></div><div>As mentioned earlier, phenyl nitrenes have a proclivity to undergo rearrangement reactions instead of exhibiting bimolecular reactivity that can lead to useful products. One of the strategies to overcome this challenge is to spatially separate the two electrons of an open-shell singlet nitrene so as to minimize electron-electron repulsion. This separation can be achieved by delocalizing the individual electrons over multiple aromatic rings and heteroatoms which can act as radical stabilizers. In this chapter, a short review of literature that sets precedence for developing a unique heteroatom containing aromatic backbone to achieve the necessary stabilization is presented. Our efforts in synthesizing the model azide precursor compound have also been discussed.</div>

Based on the success of diacyl-tert-butylhydrazines RH-5849 and RH-1266 in controlling agricultural crop pests, we endeavored to synthesize our own diacylbenzyl- and arylhydrazine derivatives for use against the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. In the process of producing a library of compounds for assay against An. gambiae, it became clear that employing regioselective acylation techniques (in molecules that feature two nucleophilic, acyclic nitrogen atoms α to one another) would be imperative. Synthesis of the library derivatives proceeded rapidly and after topical assay, we found three compounds that were more toxic than the RH-series leads. One of the three displayed an LD50 value of half that of RH-1266, though patch clamp assay concluded that toxicity was not necessarily linked to inhibition of mosquito K+ channel Kv2.1. The acylation of monoarylhydrazines appears simple, but its regioselectivity is poorly understood when assumed as a function of basicity correlating to nucleophilic strength. We determined the ratio of the rate constants for distal to proximal N-acylation using 19F NMR spectroscopic analysis of reactions of 4-fluorophenylhydrazine with limiting (0.2 equiv) acylating agent in the presence of various bases. Acid anhydrides gave consistent preference for distal acylation. The selectivity of acylation by acyl chlorides when using pyridine gives strong distal preference, whereas use of triethylamine or aqueous base in conjunction with aroyl chlorides showed a moderate preference for proximal acylation. This observation yielded a convenient one-step method to synthesize proximal aroylarylhydrazines in yields comparable or superior to that provided by the standard three-step literature approach. Combined with NMR evidence of the distal nitrogen as the unambigiously stronger base of the two nitrogens, we propose a single electron transfer mechanism that predicts the regiochemistry of arylhydrazines toward acylating agents better than the nucleophilicity model based on pKa values. While synthesizing the acylhydrazine library for assay against An. gambiae, NMR spectroscopy revealed rotational isomerisms of two types: chiral helicity (M)/(P) and acyl (E)/(Z)-isomerism due to hindered rotation. Variable temperature NMR allowed the measurement of N-N bond rotational barriers, as well as estimate the barrier of (E)/(Z) interconversion. We obtained the X-ray crystal structures of four diacylhydrazines to test this hypothesis and revealed both the twist conformation around the N-N bond axis and (E)/(Z)-isomerism around the proximal acyl group. Computation (which agreed with the crystal structures) allowed us to estimate which (E)/(Z)-isomers were most likely being observed in solution at room temperature by NMR spectroscopy. In addition, we were able to calculate transition structures corresponding to N-N bond rotational barriers of (E,Z)- and (Z,Z)-isomers of model molecules and rationalize the difference in coalescence temperatures between (E,Z)- and (Z,Z)-isomers. / Ph. D.

Le rhinovirus (RV) est connu pour être l'étiologie de plus de la moitié des rhumes bénins. Ces virus ont également été associés à des pathologies respiratoires beaucoup plus graves (asthme, bronchopneumopathie chronique obstructive (BPCO) et mucoviscidose). Le développement d'inhibiteurs de décapsidation du virus, appelés agents « capsid-binders », est ainsi devenu une priorité pour de nombreux laboratoires de recherche. Dans ce contexte, une classe d’inhibiteurs se liant au sein de la poche hydrophobe de la protéine capsidaire VP1 a été développée par notre équipe au travers d’une stratégie radicalaire médiée par le TDAE (Tétrakis(DiméthylAmino)Ethylène). Dans le but de poursuivre les investigations sur le hit LPCRW_0005, un travail de pharmacochimie a été entrepris selon deux approches. Dans un premier temps, une optimisation de la taille du LPCRW_0005 a été envisagée par un allongement du squelette chimique. La conception de ces molécules a été guidée par l’utilisation de modélisation moléculaire via la réalisation de docking rigide ligand/protéine. La synthèse de nombreux composés et leur évaluation in vitro, ont permis de mieux apprécier le potentiel biologique de ce type de dérivés. L’identification de la configuration active du centre stéréogène porté par le linker alcool a été rendue possible par la séparation énantiosélective de certains inhibiteurs suivie d’une caractérisation basée sur un protocole de Mosher. Dans un second temps, une étude comparative des séquences primaires protéiques, nous ont conduits à concevoir de nouveaux composés afin de développer des « capsid-binders » à plus large spectre d'action. / Rhinovirus (RV), virus of Picornaviridae family, is known to be the aetiology of more than half of the common cold. Through advances in molecular biology, the rhinoviruses have been associated with much more serious respiratory pathologies (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis). So, the development of viral attachment and/or uncoating inhibitors named « capsid-binders » molecules has become a priority for many research laboratories. In this context, a class of inhibitors binding into a hydrophobic pocket of the VP1 capsid protein has been identified by our team through a TDAE strategy. In order to follow the investigations on the LPCRW_0005 hit, a pharmacochemistry work was begun according to two approaches. Initially, an optimisation of the LPCRW_0005 size was envisaged by an extension of the scaffold via various pallado-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. The design of these molecules was guided by the use of molecular modeling via a rigid ligand/protein docking. The synthesis of many compounds and their in vitro biological evaluation on HeLa cells infected with the rhinovirus 14 (RV-B14), refined our knowledge about the biological potential of such a scaffold. The enantioselective separation of some inhibitors followed by a Mosher’s protocol allowed us to identify the active configuration of the alcohol linker. Finally, a comparative study of protein primary sequences as well as drug design, led us to design and develop more potent broad-spectrum capsid-binders.

Ce travail de pharmacochimie est consacré à la synthèse de nouvelles molécules benzéniques en vue d’étudier leurs propriétés pharmacologiques in vitro sur le Rhinovirus humain 14 mais également d’en déduire des relations de structure activité. En effet, le fil conducteur du projet de thèse est un travail de pharmacomodulation en collaboration avec le Rega Institute for Medical Research de Louvain. La méthode principale de synthèse de ces structures est basée sur la méthodologie TDAE ou Tétrakis(DiméthylAmino)Ethylène, appliquée sur des substrats dérivés du chlorure de nitrobenzyle. La synthèse et l’évaluation biologique de plus de 100 molécules a permis de décrire 5 hits dérivés du 4,5-diméthoxybenzène présentant des activités biologiques intéressantes in vitro (Concentration Effective Médiane de 1,5 à 4,3 μM ; index de sélectivité de 6 à 92). Les différentes stratégies adoptées lors de ce travail de pharmacochimie ont permis d’étendre l’étude des réactions par transfert monoélectronique sur de nouveaux substrats. Ainsi, le 1-(3-chloroprop-1-ynyl)-4-nitrobenzène a fait l’objet d’une étude en méthodologie LD-SRN1 avec des nitroalcanes, nitrocycloalcanes ainsi qu’avec des anions sulfinates ; ces travaux ont permis de décrire de nouveaux substrats insaturés originaux avec de bons rendements. De plus, la réactivité de ce substrat original a été évaluée en méthodologie TDAE avec des aldéhydes aromatiques. Ces travaux ont été valorisés par la synthèse de diarylbutynols originaux et ouvrent de nombreuses perspectives de recherche sur ce même noyau. / This pharmacochemistry work aims at synthesizing of new benzenic derivatives molecules with the scope to study both the chemical and antirhinoviruses 14 pharmacological properties in vitro. In fact, this work was focused on the pharmacomodulation of benzonitrile derivatives in collaboration with Rega Institute for Medical Research group. One hundred structural analogues were synthesized and a structure-activity-relationship was established. Biological assays showed five molecules with interesting anti-hRV 14 activities (EC50 from 1.5 to 4.3 and selectivity index from 6 to 92).These products derived from the TDAE-initiated reaction of various nitrobenzyl chloride analogues. Different strategies directed toward this pharmacochemistry project permitted to study single electron transfer (SET) reaction on original substrates. In this way, we explored the concept of LD-SRN1 on a propargylic chloride derivative such as 1-(3-chloroprop-1-ynyl)-4-nitrobenzene with nitronate and sulfinate anions. This latter compound also constitutes a potential substrate for the preparation of a propargylic anion using the TDAE strategy. So, we examined the use of TDAE methodology in alkyne series with various aromatic aldehydes in the presence of TDAE. These last works opened the scope of single electron transfer (SET) reactions.

Ce travail est consacré à la recherche et au développement de nouvelles molécules à viséepharmacologique en série naphtoquinonique en utilisant des réactions par transfert monoélectroniquede type SRN1 et des cyclisations radicalaires oxydatives induites par l'acétate de manganèse(III). Lapremière partie décrit l’étude de la réactivité SRN1 de la 2-(chlorométhyl)-3-méthoxynaphtoquinoneavec divers anions nitronates conduisant à la formation de produits de C-alkylation avec de bonsrendements. Ces derniers ont fait l’objet d’une réaction de réduction-cyclisation permettant la synthèsede nouveaux dérivés benzo[g]indol-5(3H)-ones. Dans la seconde partie, une nouvelle réactiond’oxydation initiée par l’acétate de manganèse(III) a été développée sur la 2-hydroxy-3-méthylnaphtoquinone dans des conditions opératoires douces. En effet, la réactivité originale de la 2-hydroxy-3-méthylnaphtoquinone avec divers alcènes aromatiques en présence de Mn(OAc)3 et dedioxygène, a permis pour la première fois en série naphtoquinonique, l’obtention de nouveaux dérivésoriginaux dihydronaphto[2,3-c][1,2]dioxine-5,10(3H,10aH)-diones sous forme d’un mélange dediastéréoisomères à potentialités antipaludiques. Un mécanisme réactionnel original a été proposé pourla formation de ces produits. / This work is focused on the research and development of new pharmacologicalmolecules in naphthoquinonic series, synthesized by single electron transfer reaction SRN1 ormanganese(III) acetate catalyzed oxidative radical cyclization. The first part describes the SRN1reactivity of 2-(chloromethyl)-3-methoxynaphthoquinone with various nitronate anions leading to theC-alkylation products. The reduction-cyclization reaction of the latter derivatives allowed us to obtainnew benzo[g]indol-5(3H)-one derivatives. In the second part, a new reaction initiated by Mn(OAc)3 on2-hydroxy-3-methylnaphthoquinone was developed under mild conditions. Indeed, the original reaction of2-hydroxy-3-methylnaphthoquinone with various aromatic alkenes in presence of dioxygen led to newdihydronaphtho[2,3-c][1,2]dioxine-5,10(3H,10aH)-dione derivatives as a mixture of diastereoisomerswith antimalarial potential. An original mechanism was proposed in order to explain the formation ofthese products.

Ce travail de thèse est consacré à la synthèse et l’évaluation biologique de nouveaux nitromidazoles à potentialités anti-infectieuses. Dans les trois premiers chapitres, nous avons abordé les propriétés biologiques des 5-nitroimidazoles, et la synthèse de nouveaux composés fonctionnalisés en positions 2 et 4 dans le but d'améliorer l'activité sur les souches résistantes au métronidazole, le 5-nitroimidazole de référence, tout en contrôlant au mieux la mutagénicité. Nous avons développé une méthode de couplage régiosélectif de Suzuki-Miyaura en position 4 du 2,4-dibromo-1-méthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole, suivi d’un deuxième couplage de Suzuki-Miyaura ou de Sonogashira par méthodologie « one-pot » séquentielle en position 2. Cette méthodologie nous a permis d’obtenir 30 nouveaux composés qui ont été testés pour leur propriétés antibactériennes et antiparasitaires. Une dizaine de composés ont été synthétisés par méthodologie TDAE sur le 4-[4-(chlorométhyl)phényl]-1,2-diméthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole. Dans le dernier chapitre, nous avons initié un travail de pharmacomodulation en série imidazooxazole, motif bien connu pour ses propriétés antituberculeuses et antileishmaniennes. Nous avons présenté la synthèse et l’évaluation biologique de dérivés 5-nitroimidazooxazoles et 7-nitro-2,3-dihydroimidazo[5,1-b]oxazoles. La synthèse de dérivés 6-nitroimidazooxazoles fonctionnalisés en position 5 est en cours de développement et nous avons présenté quelques essais de CH-arylation sur le 2-méthyl-6-nitro-2,3-dihydroimidazo[2,1-b]oxazole. / We have developed in this work the synthesis and the biological evaluation of novel nitromidazoles with anti-infectious potentialities. In the first three parts, we discussed the biological properties of 5-nitroimidazole scaffold, and the synthesis of new compounds functionalized at 2- and 4-position in order to improve the activity on metronidazole-resistant strains, while controlling mutagenicity. We developed a regioselective Suzuki-Miyaura cross- coupling reaction at 4-position of 2,4-dibromo-1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole, followed by a second Suzuki-Miyaura or Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction at 2-position by a "one-pot" sequential process. This methodology has enabled us to obtain 30 new products which were tested for their antibacterial and antiparasitic properties. Twelve compounds were synthesized by TDAE methodology on {4- [4- (chloromethyl) phenyl]} -1,2-dimethyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole. In the last part, we initiated a work of pharmacomodulation in imidazooxazole series, scaffold well-known for its antituberculous and antileishmanial properties. We have described the synthesis and the biological evaluation of 6-functionalized 5-nitroimidazooxazole and 7-nitro-2,3-dihydroimidazo [5,1-b]oxazole derivatives. We have presented some CH-arylation assays on 2-methyl-6-nitro-2,3-dihydroimidazo[2,1-b]oxazole to obtain 5-functionalized 6-nitroimidazooxazole derivatives.

Dans cette thèse, des particules de polymère fonctionnalisées en surface avec des groupes poly (éthylène glycol) (PEG) ont été synthétisées pour favoriser leur interaction avec les dérivés cellulosique via liaisons hydrogène intermoléculaires. Deux voies de synthèse ont été proposées pour obtenir ses composites cellulose/latex.La première voie est basée sur l'auto-assemblage induit par polymérisation (PISA) pour former des nanoparticules fonctionnalisées avant leur adsorption sur un substrat cellulosique. La PISA tire profit de la formation de copolymères blocs amphiphiles dans l'eau en combinant la polymérisation en émulsion avec les techniques de polymérisation radicalaire contrôlées (RDRP). Ces dernières sont utilisées pour synthétiser des polymères hydrophiles agissant à la fois comme précurseur pour la polymerization en émulsion d'un monomère hydrophobe, et comme stabilisant des particules de latex obtenues. Deux techniques de RDRP ont été étudiées : les polymérisations RAFT et SET-LRP. Des polymères hydrophiles à base de PEG de faible masse molaire ont été synthétisés en utilisant ses deux techniques qui sont ensuite utilisés pour la polymérisation d'un bloc hydrophobe dans l'eau. Le transfert de l'agent de contrôle au site de la polymérisation était difficile en utilisant la SET-LRP en émulsion, conduisant à la formation de larges particules. En utilisant la RAFT en émulsion, des particules nanométriques ont été obtenues, avec un changement morphologique observé en fonction de la taille du segment hydrophobe, puis adsorbées sur des nanofibrilles de cellulose (CNF).La seconde voie utilise la polymérisation en émulsion classique réalisée en présence de nanocristaux de cellulose (CNC) conduisant à une stabilisation Pickering des particules de polymère. L'interaction cellulose/particule est assurée grâce à l'ajout d’un comonomère à type PEG. Une organisation a été visualisé dans laquelle plusieurs particules de polymère recouvrent chaque CNC / In this thesis, polymer particles surface-functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) groups were synthesized to promote their interaction with cellulose derivatives via intermolecular hydrogen bond. Two synthetic routes were proposed to obtain such cellulose/latex composites.The first route was based on the polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) to form functionalized polymer nanoparticles prior to adsorption onto cellulosic substrate. PISA takes advantage of the formation of amphiphilic block copolymers in water by combining emulsion polymerization with reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) techniques. The latter were used to synthesize well-controlled hydrophilic polymer chains, acting as both precursor for the emulsion polymerization of a hydrophobic monomer, and stabilizer of the final latex particles. Two RDRP techniques were investigated: reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT), and single electron transfer-living radical polymerization (SET-LRP). Low molar mass PEG-based hydrophilic polymers have been synthesized using both techniques, used for the polymerization of a hydrophobic block in water. The transfer of controlling agent at the locus of the polymerization was challenging for SET-LRP in emulsion conditions leading to surfactant-free large particles. Nanometric latex particles were obtained via RAFT-mediated emulsion polymerization, with morphology change from sphere to fibers observed depending on the size of the hydrophobic segment, which were then able to be adsorbed onto cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs).The second route used conventional emulsion polymerization performed directly in presence of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) leading to Pickering-type stabilization of the polymer particles. Cellulose/particle interaction was provided thanks to the addition of PEG-based comonomer. Original organization emerged where CNCs were covered by several polymer particles