A range of alternative, more environmentally conservative solvents have been evaluated for use within the direct reductive amination reactions of aldehydes using borane-based reductants. The data generated has been used to develop a guide to facilitate replacement of less desirable chlorinated solvents, such as DCE, from these widely used synthetic processes

Allylic trichloroacetimidates bearing a 2-vinyl or 2-allylaryl group have been designed as substrates for a one-pot, two-step multi-bond-forming process leading to the general preparation of aminoindenes and amino-substituted 1,4-dihydronaphthalenes. The synthetic utility of the privileged structures formed from this one-pot process was demonstrated with the total synthesis of four oxybenzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids, oxychelerythrine, oxysanguinarine, oxynitidine, and oxyavicine. An intramolecular biaryl Heck coupling reaction, catalyzed using the Hermann-Beller palladacycle was used to effect the key step during the synthesis of the natural products.

The concept of molar efficiency is introduced as a new metric to enable assessment of reaction efficiency in discovery medicinal chemistry. Calculations from molar units enable cross-comparison of the broad range of transformations employed in discovery-phase medicinal chemistry research and is proposed to facilitate identification of more sustainable synthetic transformations.

A one-pot multibond-forming process involving a thermally mediated Overman rearrangement and a ring closing metathesis reaction of allylic trichloroacetimidates bearing a 2-allyloxyaryl group has been developed for the synthesis of 5-amino-substituted 2,5-dihydro-1-benzoxepines. Chemoselective reduction and functionalization of these compounds allowed access to a range of pharmacologically active 5-amino-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1-benzoxepine scaffolds.

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