Unexpected scaffold rearrangement product of pirenzepine found in commercial samples

Pharmacovigilance aims at a better understanding of the molecular events triggered by medications to prevent adverse effects, which despite significant advances in our analytical repertoire plague the use of drugs until today. In this study, we find that clinically prescribed and commercially available pirenzepine may not be the correct compound. Pirenzepine can undergo an unexpected scaffold rearrangement from the pharmaceutical active ingredient (API) to a previously uncharacterized benzimidazole. The rearrangement occurs under highly acidic conditions, which were believed to favour the dihydrochloride formation of pirenzepine. The rearranged products of pirenzepine and the structurally related telenzepine have significantly decreased affinity for the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor, the pharmacological target of these compounds. Fortunately, in situ rearrangement after oral application is no safety issue, as we show that reaction kinetics in gastric acid prevent rearrangement. The research community should consider appropriate measures to perform reliable receiving inspections in the commercial supply of well described and frequently used chemicals, in particular if experiments yield unexpected results.

Renewable Cyclopentanol From Catalytic Hydrogenation-Rearrangement of Biomass Furfural Over Ruthenium-Molybdenum Bimetallic Catalysts

Biomass furfural-like compounds are chemicals that cannot be extracted from fossil materials, through which a large number of fine chemicals and fuel additives can be opened up, but one big efficiency problem during the transformation is the accumulation of oligomers. Here, we propose a novel and efficient Ru-Mo bimetallic catalyst for selective hydrogenation-rearrangement of furfural-like compounds. The result showed that an unprecedented rearrangement product selectivity of 89.1% to cyclopentanol was achieved under an optimized reaction condition over a 1%Ru−2.5%Mo/CNT catalyst reduced at 600°C. Subsequent characterization suggested that the catalyst presented with weak acidity and strong hydrogenation activity for the reaction, which not only ensures the smooth hydrogenation-rearrangement reaction but also inhibits the accumulation of furan polymers. These findings provide a convenient strategy to tune the catalytic performance of Mo-based catalysts by controlling the reduction and carburization conditions, which appear to be versatile for the rearrangement of furans and similar compounds.

Ethyl 5-methyl-3-[11-(pyridin-2-yl)-6,11-dihydro-6,11-epoxydibenzo[b,e]oxepin-6-yl]isoxazole-4-carboxylate: a bicyclic acetal from the rearrangement of an anthracenyl isoxazole

The title compound, C26H20N2O5, is a rearrangement product of an o-pyridinyl anthracenyl isoxazole ester. It features a bicyclic acetal structure, which has two extended almost co-planar ring systems, which subtend a fold angle of 102.17 (5)°. In the crystal, the molecules are closely knitted together through C—H...N and C—H...O hydrogen bonds and form chains of alternating enantiomers propagating along the c-axis direction.

Diastereoselective [2,3]-Sigmatropic Rearrangement of N-Allyl Ammonium Ylides

A rapid and diastereoselective method was developed for the [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of N-allyl ammonium ylides, affording products in up to 95% isolated yields and up to 97:3 dr; most of the desired products were formed within 1 minute. For the asymmetric reaction, a chiral auxiliary was introduced to the starting compound, affording the rearrangement product with high diastereoselectivities.