Ethyl 6-chloro-5-cyano-2-methylnicotinate (4) was coupled with 4-piperidinecarboxylic acid (isonipecotic acid) in 81% yield to pyridine acid 10. An amide coupling between 10 and benzylsulfonamide (6) afforded AZD1283 (1) in 79% yield using CDI as coupling reagent. The synthesis has been developed and scaled up to 20 kg batches of 1, supporting preclinical and clinical studies. Development work towards 2-chloropyridine 4 and benzylsulfonamide ( 6) is included.

Incorporation of 2'-deoxy-2'-beta-(1-naphthylmethyl)tubercidin into an oligodeoxyribonucleotide mostly has little or a slightly negative effect on the T(m) values of complexes with DNA complements. With the same naphthylmethyl-substituted nucleoside at the 3'-end of a 2'-O-methyloligoribonucleotide, however, a stabilisation of 1-2 degrees C in the corresponding complexes with both DNA and RNA is observed. When the target sequence is an RNA fragment forming a two- or three-nucleotide bulge, complexes with (naphthylmethyl)tubercidin-modified oligodeoxyribonucleotides, as well as with the corresponding 2'-O-methyloligoribonucleotides, give stabilisations of 1-2 degrees C for the three-nucleotide bulge and of almost 4 degrees C for the two-nucleotide bulge. This stabilisation is specific to RNA, since the corresponding complexes with the DNA fragments do not display this effect. Thus, the (naphthylmethyl)tubercidin-containing oligonucleotides are the first reported oligonucleotide modifications that specifically stabilise bulged RNA.

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Superheteroaromatic Systems with Furan Building Blocks: Isomeric Antiaromatic Tetraepoxy[36]annulenes(6.4.6.4) and Aromatic Tetraoxa[34]porphyrin(6.4.6.4) Dications The title compounds are available by a twofold cyclizing Wittig reaction of (all‐E)‐3,3′‐(hexa‐1,3,5‐triene‐1,6‐diyldifuran‐5,2‐diyl)bis[prop‐2‐enal] (4) with (all‐E)‐(hexa‐1,3,5‐triene‐1,6‐diyl)bis(furan‐5,2‐diylmethylene)bis[triphenylphosphonium] dibromide (7). Two conformational isomers 2a/2a′ of (Z,E,E,E,E,Z,E,E,E,E)‐tetraepoxy[36]annulene(6.4.6.4) are obtained. The oxidation of 2a/2a′ yields two (E,E,Z,E,E,E,E,Z,E,E)‐tetraoxa[34]porphyrin(6.4.6.4) dications 3a/3a′, which are conformers, too. The oxidation of 2a/2a′ is accompanied by the isomerization of four ethen‐1,2‐diyl bridges. The reduction of the dications 3a/3a′ leads to the new (E,E,Z,E,E,E,E,Z,E,E)‐tetraepoxy[36]annulene(6.4.6.4) (2b) and (E,E,E,Z,E,E,E,E,Z,E)‐tetraepoxy[36]annulene(6.4.6.4) (2c). In 2b as well as in 2c, both 1,3‐butadiene‐1,4‐diyl bridges are rotating until −90°. The Δδ values, i.e., the maximum δ difference of the `inner' and `outer' perimeter protons of 3a/3a′ (26.62 and 25.32 ppm) are of the same size as the Δδ value of the tetramethyl[34]porphyrin(5.5.5.5) dication (1; Δδ=25.3 ppm); therefore, they might be called `superheteroaromatic' too. The Δδ values of the tetraepoxy[36]annulenes(6.4.6.4) (2a – c; Δδ=2.3 – 3.3 ppm) establish that they are still paratropic; they represent the most expanded antiaromatic systems yet known.