(Bio)isosteres of ortho- and meta-substituted benzenes

• H. Erik Diepers and
• Johannes C. L. Walker

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 859–890, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.78

• benzenes that have more than one substituent; for example, the ortho-, meta-, or para- relative substitution of a disubstituted benzene should ideally be replicated in the saturated bioisostere to ensure ligand–protein binding is conserved through the bioisosteric swap. Bioisosteres of para-substituted

• benzenes are by now relatively well established. Cubanes [16][17], alkynes [18], and bicyclo[2.2.2]octanes [19] can all replicate the linear geometry of the para-substituents, but arguably the most well-investigated para-benzene bioisostere is bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane (BCP) [20][21][22][23] (Figure 1). The

• each method, enabling practitioners to quickly find the bioisostere and method that best suits their requirements. Physiochemical and biological data will also be discussed where available. Review Definitions and parameters for determination of (bio)isosterism We will distinguish between geometric

Synthesis and biological profile of 2,3-dihydro[1,3]thiazolo[4,5-b]pyridines, a novel class of acyl-ACP thioesterase inhibitors

• Jens Frackenpohl,
• David M. Barber,
• Guido Bojack,
• Birgit Bollenbach-Wahl,
• Ralf Braun,
• Rahel Getachew,
• Sabine Hohmann,
• Kwang-Yoon Ko,
• Karoline Kurowski,
• Bernd Laber,
• Rebecca L. Mattison,
• Thomas Müller,
• Anna M. Reingruber,
• Dirk Schmutzler and
• Andrea Svejda

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 540–551, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.46

• -dihydro[1,3]thiazolo[4,5-b]pyridine; acyl-ACP thioesterase; bioisostere; herbicide; heterocycle; Introduction The presence of weed infestations exerts a high strain on food production around the globe by depleting resources for the crops and facilitating the transmission of diseases [1]. Although

Recent advancements in iodide/phosphine-mediated photoredox radical reactions

• Tinglan Liu,
• Yu Zhou,
• Junhong Tang and
• Chengming Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1785–1803, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.131

• bioisostere for a range of functional groups (such as CH2OH, CH2OCH3, CH2NH2, and CH2SH). Among the various methods available, radical-involving cross-couplings have proven to be the most effective [48][49]. However, the generation of the CH2F radical remains to be a challenging task. Therefore, there is an

Trifluoromethylated hydrazones and acylhydrazones as potent nitrogen-containing fluorinated building blocks

• Zhang Dongxu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1741–1754, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.127

• indispensable role in drug discovery and design since the hydrogen atom can act as lipophilic hydrogen-bond donor and act as a bioisostere for the alcohol moiety [81][82][83]. Thus, many effective difluoromethylation strategies have been developed in recent years. Difluoroacetohydrazonoyl bromides were chosen

Pyridine C(sp²)–H bond functionalization under transition-metal and rare earth metal catalysis

• Haritha Sindhe,
• Malladi Mounika Reddy,
• Karthikeyan Rajkumar,
• Akshay Kamble,
• Amardeep Singh,
• Anand Kumar and
• Satyasheel Sharma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 820–863, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.62

• serve as bioisostere for aromatic rings, amines, amides, and N-containing heterocycles. Due to the aforementioned qualities, numerous U.S. FDA-approved medications have pyridine scaffolds in their molecules (Figure 1). In this context, the synthesis of the pyridine motif is always there in trend. Many

New triazole-substituted triterpene derivatives exhibiting anti-RSV activity: synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular modeling

• Elenilson F. da Silva,
• Krist Helen Antunes Fernandes,
• Denise Diedrich,
• Jessica Gotardi,
• Marcia Silvana Freire Franco,
• Carlos Henrique Tomich de Paula da Silva,
• Ana Paula Duarte de Souza and
• Simone Cristina Baggio Gnoatto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1524–1531, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.161

• metabolite of RBV, leading to GTP depletion, since best poses achieved for the tested compound interact in an equivalent way as IMP and inhibitor MAD1 and in the same site of action, suggesting that compound 8 can be a bioisostere for IMPDH inhibitors that could be used to combat RSV infections. However

Synthesis of new bile acid-fused tetrazoles using the Schmidt reaction

• Dušan Đ. Škorić,
• Olivera R. Klisurić,
• Dimitar S. Jakimov,
• Marija N. Sakač and
• János J. Csanádi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 2611–2620, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.174

• bile acids, derivatives with altered hydrophobicity are being studied [12][13][14]. The tetrazole moiety can be found in many biologically active compounds, and monosubstituted tetrazole is being used in medicinal chemistry as a bioisostere of carboxylic acid [15] because it increases the lipophilicity

Chemical synthesis of C6-tetrazole ᴅ-mannose building blocks and access to a bioisostere of mannuronic acid 1-phosphate

• Eleni Dimitriou and
• Gavin J. Miller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1527–1532, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.110

• approach to provide structurally defined building blocks containing bioisosteres of ᴅ-mannuronic acid. Building on our recently reported synthesis and glycosylation capability of hydroxamate-modified ᴅ-mannuronate building blocks [11], we now demonstrate the synthesis of a second carboxylate C6-bioisostere

• , tetrazole (Figure 1b). As an established bioisostere for a carboxylic acid, tetrazole has found significant application within medicinal chemistry [12]. The aromatic tetrazole ring is considered a non-classical bioisostere, differing in size and number of atoms to the carboxylic acid. The functional group

• 5.41 ppm [dd, J = 7.9, 1.7 Hz, H1]) supported an α-linked manno 1-phosphate derivative. This material complimented our recently reported C6-hydroxamic acid derivative as a bioisostere for mannuronic acid 1-phosphate [20], and will be enabling for evaluating non-native glycosyl 1-phosphates in

Vicinal difluorination as a C=C surrogate: an analog of piperine with enhanced solubility, photostability, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity

• Yuvixza Lizarme-Salas,
• Alexandra Daryl Ariawan,
• Ranjala Ratnayake,
• Hendrik Luesch,
• Angela Finch and
• Luke Hunter

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2663–2670, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.216

• for E-alkenes in medicinal chemistry. Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; bioisostere; conformational analysis; gauche effect; stereoselective synthesis; Introduction Piperine (1, Figure 1) is a well-known natural product that is derived from peppercorns [1][2][3]. Many biological studies of 1 have been

Photosensitized direct C–H fluorination and trifluoromethylation in organic synthesis

• Shahboz Yakubov and
• Joshua P. Barham

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2151–2192, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.183

• = 1.20 Å) [9][14], the fluorine atom is often used as a bioisostere for the hydrogen atom. Furthermore, the trifluoromethyl group was recently identified as a bioisostere for the nitro (NO2) group, which is important due to the strong binding ability of the nitro group and the high reactivity, which is

Microwave-assisted efficient one-pot synthesis of N²-(tetrazol-5-yl)-6-aryl/heteroaryl-5,6-dihydro-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamines

• Moustafa Sherief Moustafa,
• Ramadan Ahmed Mekheimer,
• Saleh Mohammed Al-Mousawi,
• Mohamed Abd-Elmonem,
• Hesham El-Zorba,
• Afaf Mohamed Abdel Hameed,
• Tahany Mahmoud Mohamed and
• Kamal Usef Sadek

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1706–1712, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.142

• ]. Tetrazole derivatives are a potent class of heterocyclic compounds with a wide range of biological activities owing to their unique structure. They play an important role not only as a bioisostere of the carboxylic acid group but also as flexible ligands which easily adopt to different binding modes [12][13

Fluorohydration of alkynes via I(I)/I(III) catalysis

• Jessica Neufeld,
• Constantin G. Daniliuc and
• Ryan Gilmour

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1627–1635, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.135

• fluorine as a powerful physicochemical modulator in small-molecule drug discovery is a compelling argument for the importance of sustained innovation to facilitate this form of structural editing [1][2][3][4]. Routinely employed as a bioisostere of hydrogen or hydroxy [5][6], substitution may enable

Copper-based fluorinated reagents for the synthesis of CF₂R-containing molecules (R ≠ F)

• Louise Ruyet and
• Tatiana Besset

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1051–1065, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.92

• -generated copper-based CF2PO(OEt)2 reagent As a bioisostere of the phosphonate group [47], a lot of attention was paid to the difluoromethylphosphonate residue as well as the development of efficient methodologies to introduce it onto molecules [48]. In that context, main contributions were made by the

Fluorocyclisation via I(I)/I(III) catalysis: a concise route to fluorinated oxazolines

• Felix Scheidt,
• Christian Thiehoff,
• Gülay Yilmaz,
• Stephanie Meyer,
• Constantin G. Daniliuc,
• Gerald Kehr and
• Ryan Gilmour

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 1021–1027, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.88

• -ray crystallographic analysis of a representative example. Given the importance of fluorine in drug discovery, its ability to modulate conformation, and the prevalence of the 2-oxazoline scaffold in Nature, this strategy provides a rapid entry into an important bioisostere class. Keywords: catalysis

• ]. Since hydrogen and hydroxy groups are often substituted by fluorine in molecular editing processes [12], this transformation would provide facile access to a bioisostere of the parent scaffold (Figure 1, right). In recent years, I(I)/I(III) catalysis has emerged as a powerful and expansive platform for

• corresponding 1,2-difluoroethylene unit; a substructure that may be considered a chiral, hybrid bioisostere of the Et and CF3 groups (Figure 2, top) [36]. Since the success of this process is contingent on the efficient generation of p-TolIF2 in situ, the platform lends itself to related oxidative

Ring-size-selective construction of fluorine-containing carbocycles via intramolecular iodoarylation of 1,1-difluoro-1-alkenes

• Takeshi Fujita,
• Ryo Kinoshita,
• Tsuyoshi Takanohashi,
• Naoto Suzuki and
• Junji Ichikawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 2682–2689, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.266

• afford difluoromethylated dihydrophenanthrene derivative 4a in almost quantitative yield [29][30]. A difluoromethyl group functions as a hydrogen-bond donor and a bioisostere of a hydroxy group, as a result of which difluoromethyl-bearing compounds attract much attention as bioactive materials [31][32

The chemistry and biology of mycolactones

• Matthias Gehringer and
• Karl-Heinz Altmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 1596–1660, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.159

Deoxygenative gem-difluoroolefination of carbonyl compounds with (chlorodifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane and triphenylphosphine

• Fei Wang,
• Lingchun Li,
• Chuanfa Ni and
• Jinbo Hu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 344–351, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.32

• used in the design of potential enzyme inhibitors [4][5][6], since difluoromethylene functionality (CF2) is known to be isosteric and isopolar to an oxygen atom [7][8][9], and the gem-difluorovinyl functionality is believed to be a bioisostere for a carbonyl group [10]. More commonly, 1,1

Consecutive cross-coupling reactions of 2,2-difluoro-1-iodoethenyl tosylate with boronic acids: efficient synthesis of 1,1-diaryl-2,2-difluoroethenes

• Ju Hee Kim,
• Su Jeong Choi and
• In Howa Jeong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2013, 9, 2470–2475, doi:10.3762/bjoc.9.286

• compounds [1][2][3][4], and their biological activity, such as mechanism-based enzyme inhibitors, in the area of medicinal chemistry [5][6][7][8]. The 1,1-difluoroethenylidene functionality in these compounds is also known to act as a bioisostere for the carbonyl group of many biologically active compounds

An overview of the synthetic routes to the best selling drugs containing 6-membered heterocycles

• Marcus Baumann and
• Ian R. Baxendale

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2013, 9, 2265–2319, doi:10.3762/bjoc.9.265

• pyridine containing lead compounds is to commonly replace the ring with a bioisostere such as a methylisoxazole, isothiazole, oxadiazole [11][12] or various diazines [13][14]. This strategy is based mainly upon a desire to avoid potential late stage toxicology issues which as indicated have arisen in the

An overview of the key routes to the best selling 5-membered ring heterocyclic pharmaceuticals

• Marcus Baumann,
• Ian R. Baxendale,
• Steven V. Ley and
• Nikzad Nikbin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2011, 7, 442–495, doi:10.3762/bjoc.7.57

• suffer from poor absorption and low bioavailability. At this stage a classical bioisostere exchange, i.e., replacing a carboxylic acid group with a tetrazole ring, was performed which resulted in increased lipophilicity [48] and the development of the orally active losartan. In the absence of a crystal

C–C (alkynylation) vs C–O (ether) bond formation under Pd/C–Cu catalysis: synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of 4-alkynylthieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines

• Dhilli Rao Gorja,
• K. Shiva Kumar,
• K. Mukkanti and
• Manojit Pal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2011, 7, 338–345, doi:10.3762/bjoc.7.44

• hand, the thiophene moiety is a common feature in many bioactive agents and drugs [4] and is considered as a bioisostere of the benzene ring [5]. Thus, one can anticipate that combining the pyrimidine ring of an alkynyl substituted pyrimidine moiety with a thiophene ring might afford compounds, i.e