title: Research spotlight: Microwave chemistry enabling the synthesis of biologically relevant amines.
abstract: Microwave-mediated chemistry, involving the reduction of nitroarenes with molybdenum hexacarbonyl as a stoichiometric reducing agent, has been employed in the synthesis of a range of anilines. Many of these reactions exhibit high levels of chemoselectivity, tolerating unsaturation, steric hindrance and halide substituents (I, Br, Cl or F), although the latter, under certain circumstances, can be displaced in concomitant S(N)Ar/reduction processes. The reduction chemistry has been combined with palladium-catalyzed coupling and also used in the synthesis of important intermediates to kinase inhibitors or molecules with submicromolar antitrypanosomal activity. In selected cases, microwave-mediated routes have been compared with thermal (traditional oil bath) and flow reactor-mediated chemistries.
authors.affiliation: Medicinal Chemistry, School of Science at Medway, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK. j.spencer@gre.ac.uk
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spencer
mesh_terms: D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D002384:Catalysis; D002625:Chemistry, Organic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008872:Microwaves; D008982:Molybdenum / Q000737:chemistry*; D009574:Nitro Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010165:Palladium / Q000737:chemistry; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; D009574:Nitro Compounds; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; C434645:hexacarbonylmolybdenum; D010165:Palladium; D008982:Molybdenum