Reactions of 3-arylpropenenitriles [ArCH[dbnd]CHCN] with arenes [Ar'H] under the superelectrophilic activation conditions with Brønsted superacid TfOH (CF3SO3H) or strong Lewis acid AlBr3 result, first, in the formation of products of hydroarylation of the carbon-carbon double bond, 3,3-diarylpropanenitriles [Ar(Ar’)CHCH2CN]. Reactions may go further in TfOH leading to 3-arylindanones, as products of intramolecular aromatic acylation by the electrophilically activated nitrile group. Intermediate cationic species, derived at the protonation of the starting 3-arylpropenenitriles onto the carbon of C[dbnd]C bond and the nitrile nitrogen, have been studied by DFT calculation. A plausible reaction mechanism including the formation of highly reactive dications [(Ar)HC+–CH2C+ = NH] has been proposed. The obtained 3,3-diarylpropanenitriles have been transformed into pharmaceutically valuable 5-(2,2-diarylethyl)-1H-tetrazoles [Ar(Ar’)CHCH2Tetr] and 3-diarylpropylamines [Ar(Ar’)CH(CH2)2NH2] by the reactions with NaN3 and LiAlH4 correspondingly.

Original languageEnglish
Article number131264
Number of pages14
JournalTetrahedron
Volume76
Issue number26
DOIs
StatePublished - 26 Jun 2020

    Research areas

  • 3,3-Diarylpropylamines, Indanones, Nitriles, Superelectrophilic activation, Tetrazoles, SUBSTITUTION, TETRAZOLES, INVOLVEMENT, GATTERMANN, HOUBEN-HOESCH, MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY, KETONES, NITRILES, FESOTERODINE, TRIFLUOROMETHANESULFONIC ACID

    Scopus subject areas

  • Drug Discovery
  • Biochemistry
  • Organic Chemistry

ID: 69889912