Synlett 2007(20): 3113-3116  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-990900
LETTER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

A Novel and Efficient Route for the Synthesis of Hydroxylated 2,3-Diarylxanthones

Clementina M. M. Santosa,b, Artur M. S. Silva*b, José A. S. Cavaleirob
a Department of Agro-Industries, Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5301855 Bragança, Portugal
b Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810193 Aveiro, Portugal
Fax: +351(23)4370084; e-Mail: artur.silva@ua.pt;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 27 July 2007
Publication Date:
21 November 2007 (online)

Abstract

A novel, efficient and general route for the synthesis of hydroxylated 2,3-diarylxanthones is described. 3-Bromo-2-styrylchromone, the key intermediate of this synthesis, is obtained by a Baker-Venkataraman rearrangement of the appropriate 2′-cinnamoyloxyacetophenone, followed by a one-pot reaction with phen­yltrimethylammonium tribromide. The Heck reaction of these bromochromones with substituted styrenes gives methoxylated 2,3-diarylxanthones. The cleavage of the methyl groups with BBr3 gives the desired hydroxylated 2,3-diarylxanthones.

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Typical Experimental Procedure: Phenyltrimethylammonium tribromide (PTT; 2.1 g, 5.5 mmol) was added to a THF (60 mL) solution of the appropriate 5-aryl-3-hydroxy-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2,4-pentadien-1-ones 4a-c (5 mmol). The reaction mixture was stirred and allowed to stand at r.t. for 12 h. After that period, the solution was poured into ice (50 g) and H2O (80 mL), stirred for 20 min and the yellow solid was removed by filtration. The residue was taken in CHCl3 (50 mL) and washed with H2O (3 × 50 mL). The organic layer was collected, the solvent was evaporated to dryness and the residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography using CH2Cl2 as eluent. The solvent was evaporated and the residue was recrystallized from EtOH to give the 3-bromo-2-styrylchromones 5a-c in good yields (5a: 67%; 5b: 53%; 5c: 64%).

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Physical Data of 3-Bromo-3′,4′-dimethoxy-2-styryl-chromone (5c): mp 187-189 ºC. 1H NMR (300.13 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 3.95 (s, 3 H, 4′-OMe), 3.98 (s, 3 H, 3′-OMe), 6.92 (d, J = 8.3 Hz, 1 H, H-5′), 7.14 (d, J = 2.0 Hz, 1 H, H-2′), 7.24 (dd, J = 2.0, 8.3 Hz, 1 H, H-6′), 7.33 (d, J = 15.8 Hz, 1 H, H-α), 7.41 (ddd, J = 0.8, 7.7, 7.8 Hz, 1 H, H-6), 7.53 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 1 H, H-8), 7.66 (d, J = 15.8 Hz, 1 H, H-β), 7.70 (ddd, J = 1.6, 7.7, 7.9 Hz, 1 H, H-7), 8.23 (dd, J = 1.6, 7.8 Hz, 1 H, H-5). 13C NMR (75.47 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 55.96, 55.99 (3′-OMe, 4′-OMe), 109.0 (C-3), 109.6 (C-2′), 111.1 (C-5′), 116.9 (C-α), 117.4 (C-8), 122.1 (C-10), 122.6 (C-6′), 125.3 (C-6), 126.4 (C-5), 127.9 (C-1′), 133.9 (C-7), 139.6 (C-β), 149.3 (C-3′), 151.2 (C-4′), 154.9 (C-9), 158.7 (C-2), 172.7 (C-4). MS (ESI+): m/z (%) = 387 (19) ([M + H]+, 79Br), 389 (20) ([M + H]+, 81Br), 409 (9) ([M + Na]+, 79Br), 411 (9) ([M + Na]+, 81Br), 425 (4) ([M + K]+, 79Br), 427 (4) ([M + K]+, 81Br), 795 (7) ([2 × M + Na]+, 79Br), 797 (15) ([2 × M + Na]+, 81Br). Anal. Calcd for C19H15BrO4: C, 58.93; H, 3.90. Found: C, 58.53; H, 3.84.

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Typical Experimental Procedure: To a mixture of the appropriate 3-bromo-2-styrylchromones 5a-c (0.4 mmol), triphenylphosphine (10.5 mg, 0.04 mmol), tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) (23.1 mg, 0.02 mmol) and triethylamine (55.8 µL, 0.4 mmol) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (6 mL) was added the appropriate styrene 6a-c (2 mmol for styrene 6a and 0.8 mmol for styrenes 6b,c). The reaction mixture was stirred under different conditions of time and temperature according to the substituents in the compounds (Table [1] ). Then, the mixture was poured into H2O (20 mL) and ice (10 g) and extracted with Et2O (4 × 25 mL) and dried over anhyd Na2SO4. The residue was evaporated, taken in CH2Cl2 (15 mL) and purified by TLC (eluent: CH2Cl2-light petroleum, 7:3). Two spots were collected in each case: the major one, having higher R f value, consisted of 2,3-diarylxanthones 7a-i and the minor one, with lower R f value, consisted of 2,3-diaryl-3,4-dihydroxanthones 8a-i. The 2,3-diarylxanthones 7a-i were recrystallized from EtOH in yields presented in Table [1] .

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Physical Data of 2-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-3-(3,4-dimeth­-oxyphenyl)xanthone (7h): mp 148-150 °C. 1H NMR (300.13 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 3.60 (s, 3 H, 4′′-OMe), 3.80 (s, 3 H, 4′-OMe), 3.90 (s, 3 H, 3′′-OMe), 6.61 (d, J = 2.0 Hz, 1 H, H-2′′), 6.81 (d, J = 8.8 Hz, 2 H, H-3′, H-5′), 6.83 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1 H, H-5′′), 6.90 (dd, J = 2.0, 8.0 Hz, 1 H, H-6′′), 7.11 (d, J = 8.8 Hz, 2 H, H-2′, H-6′), 7.40 (ddd, J = 0.9, 7.7, 7.8 Hz, 1 H, H-7), 7.52 (dd, J = 0.9, 8.1 Hz, 1 H, H-5), 7.56 (s, 1 H, H-4), 7.75 (ddd, J = 1.7, 7.7, 8.1 Hz, 1 H, H-6), 8.33 (s, 1 H, H-1), 8.37 (dd, J = 1.7, 7.8 Hz, 1 H, H-8). 13C NMR (75.47 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 55.2 (4′-OMe), 55.6 (4′′-OMe), 55.8 (3′′-OMe), 110.7 (C-5′′), 113.2 (C-2′′), 113.6 (C-3′, C-5′), 118.0 (C-5), 119.0 (C-4), 120.4 (C-9a), 121.9 (C-8a, C-6′), 123.9 (C-7), 126.7 (C-8), 128.1 (C-1), 130.9 (C-2′, C-6′), 132.4, 132.5 (C-1′, C-1′′), 134.7 (C-6), 136.6 (C-2), 147.3 (C-3), 148.2, 148.5 (C-3′′, C-4′′), 155.1 (C-4a), 156.3 (C-4b), 158.6 (C-4′), 177.0 (C-9). MS (EI): m/z (%) = 438 (100) [M+·], 423 (11), 407 (14), 380 (8), 363 (8), 309 (8), 308 (31), 307 (25), 293 (14), 292 (12), 291 (12), 277 (10), 250 (7), 222 (6), 188 (24), 151 (8), 102 (9), 86 (8), 84 (11). Anal. Calcd for C28H22O5: C, 76.70, H, 5.06. Found: C, 76.41; H, 5.42.

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Physical Data of 2-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-3-(3,4-dimeth­-oxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydroxanthone (8h): yellow oil. 1H NMR (300.13 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 2.98 (dd, J = 1.3, 17.2 Hz, 1 H, H-4 trans ), 3.62 (dd, J = 8.8, 17.2 Hz, 1 H, H-4 cis ), 3.76 (s, 3 H, 3′′-OMe), 3.79 (s, 6 H, 4′-OMe, 4′′-OMe), 4.22 (dd, J = 1.3, 8.8 Hz, 1 H, H-3), 6.71 (d, J = 8.1 Hz, 1 H, H-5′′), 6.81-6.86 (m, 2 H, H-2′′, H-6′′), 6.83 (d, J = 8.9 Hz, 2 H, H-3′, H-5′), 7.36 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 2 H, H-5), 7.38 (ddd, J = 1.4, 7.6, 7.7 Hz, 1 H, H-7), 7.44 (s, 1 H, H-1), 7.44 (d, J = 8.9 Hz, 2 H, H-2′, H-6′), 7.60 (ddd, J = 1.6, 7.7, 8.0 Hz, 1 H, H-6), 8.28 (dd, J = 1.6, 7.6 Hz, 1 H, H-8). 13C NMR (75.47 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 36.8 (C-4), 41.4 (C-3), 55.3, 55.75, 55.80 (4′-OMe, 3′′-OMe, 4′′-OMe), 110.4 (C-2′′), 111.4 (C-5′′), 113.9 (C-3′, C-5′), 114.8 (C-1), 116.9 (C-9a), 118.0 (C-5), 119.2 (C-6′′), 123.8 (C-8a), 125.0 (C-7), 126.2 (C-8), 126.9 (C-2′, C-6′), 131.7 (C-1′), 132.9 (C-6), 133.1 (C-1′′), 135.3 (C-2), 148.0 (C-4′′), 149.1 (C-3′′), 155.9 (C-4b), 159.2 (C-4′), 162.2 (C-4a), 174.2 (C-9). MS (EI): m/z (%) = 440 (13) [M+·], 439 (26), 438 (100), 423 (13), 497 (14), 391 (7), 380 (7), 363 (7). HRMS (EI): m/z calcd for C28H24O5: 440.1624; found: 440.1624.

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Typical Experimental Procedure: A solution of the appropriate 2,3-diarylxanthones 7b-i in freshly distilled CH2Cl2 (3 mL) was cooled to - 78 °C under nitrogen. A solution of BBr3 in 0.1 M CH2Cl2 (2.5 equiv for each methyl group to be cleaved) was gradually added. The reaction mixture was stirred at r.t. for a period of time according to the substituents in the compounds (1 h for each group to be cleaved). After that period, the solution was poured into H2O (20 mL) and vigorously stirred until the formation of a yellow precipitate. The solid was washed abundantly with H2O (4 × 50 mL) and then with light petroleum (4 × 20 mL) to afford the hydroxylated 2,3-diarylxanthones 9b-i in good yields (9b: 72%; 9c: 80%; 9d: 82%; 9e: 94%; 9f: 80%; 9g: 80%; 9h: 94%; 9i: 70%).

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Physical Data of 2-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-3-(3,4-dihy­-droxyphenyl)xanthone (9h): mp 277-279 °C. 1H NMR (300.13 MHz, DMSO-d 6): δ = 6.50 (dd, J = 2.0, 8.1 Hz, 1 H, H-6′′), 6.62 (d, J = 2.0 Hz, 1 H, H-2′′), 6.67 (d, J = 8.1 Hz, 1 H, H-5′′), 6.70 (d, J = 8.4 Hz, 2 H, H-3′, H-5′), 6.99 (d, J = 8.4 Hz, 2 H, H-2′, H-6′), 7.50 (dd, J = 7.6, 7.7 Hz, 1 H, H-7), 7.52 (s, 1 H, H-4), 7.68 (d, J = 8.1 Hz, 1 H, H-5), 7.89 (ddd, J = 1.5, 7.6, 8.1 Hz, 1 H, H-6), 8.01 (s, 1 H, H-1), 8.22 (dd, J = 1.5, 7.7 Hz, 1 H, H-8), 8.97 (s, 1 H, 4′′-OH), 9.15 (s, 1 H, 3′′-OH), 9.51 (s, 1 H, 4′-OH). 13C NMR (75.47 MHz, DMSO-d 6): δ = 115.1 (C-3′, C-5′), 115.5 (C-5′′), 116.9 (C-2′′), 118.3 (C-5), 118.9 (C-4), 119.6 (C-9a), 120.8 (C-6′′), 121.3 (C-8a), 124.4 (C-7), 126.1 (C-8), 127.0 (C-1), 130.5 (C-1′, C-2′, C-6′), 130.7 (C-1′′), 135.5 (C-6), 136.6 (C-2), 145.0 (C-3′′), 145.3 (C-4′′), 147.7 (C-3), 154.4 (C-4a), 155.8 (C-4b), 156.4 (C-4′), 175.7 (C-9). MS (EI): m/z (%) = 396 (100) [M+·], 395 (6), 380 (7), 379 (11), 349 (8), 98 (10), 97 (10), 83 (10). HRMS (EI): m/z calcd for C25H16O5: 396.0998; found: 396.0996.