A subscription to JoVE is required to view this content. Sign in or start your free trial.
The present protocol describes a detailed benchtop catalytic method that yields a unique borylated derivative of ibuprofen.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most common drugs used to manage and treat pain and inflammation. In 2016, a new class of boron functionalized NSAIDs (bora-NSAIDs) was synthesized under mild conditions via the copper-catalyzed regioselective boracarboxylation of vinyl arenes using carbon dioxide (CO2 balloon) and a diboron reductant at room temperature. This original method was performed primarily in a glovebox or with a vacuum gas manifold (Schlenk line) under rigorous air-free and moisture-free conditions, which often led to irreproducible reaction outcomes due to trace impurities. The present protocol describes a simpler and more convenient benchtop method for synthesizing a representative bora-NSAID, bora-ibuprofen. A Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction between 1-bromo-4-isobutylbenzene and vinylboronic acid pinacol ester produces 4-isobutylstyrene. The styrene is subsequently boracarboxylated regioselectively to provide bora-ibuprofen, an α-aryl-β-boryl-propionic acid, with good yield on a multi-gram scale. This procedure allows for the broader utilization of copper-catalyzed boracarboxylation in synthetic laboratories, enabling further research on bora-NSAIDs and other unique boron-functionalized drug-like molecules.
Organoboron compounds have been strategically employed in chemical synthesis for over 50 years1,2,3,4,5,6. Reactions such as hydroboration-oxidation7,8,9,10, halogenation11,12, amination13,14, and Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling15,16,17 have led to significant multidisciplinary innovations in chemistry and related disciplines. The Suzuki-Miyaura reactions, for example, account for 40% of all carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions in the pursuit of pharmaceutical drug candidates18. The Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction produces vinyl arenes in one step from the halogenated arene precursor19. This greener catalytic strategy is valuable relative to traditional Wittig syntheses from aldehydes that have poor atom economy and produce a stoichiometric triphenylphosphine oxide byproduct.
It was predicted that a regioselective hetero(element)carboxylation of vinyl arenes would allow for direct access to novel hetero(element)-containing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), utilizing CO2 directly in the synthesis. However, hetero(element)carboxylation reactions were exceedingly rare and were limited to alkynyl and allenyl substrates prior to 201620,21,22. The extension of the boracarboxylation reaction to vinyl arenes would provide boron-functionalized NSAIDs, and boron-based pharmaceutical candidates (Figure 1) have been gaining popularity, as indicated by recent decisions by the FDA to approve the chemotherapeutic bortezomib, the antifungal tavaborole, and the anti-inflammatory crisaborole. The Lewis acidity of boron is interesting from a drug design standpoint due to the capability to readily bind Lewis bases, such as diols, hydroxyl groups on carbohydrates, or nitrogen bases in RNA and DNA, since these Lewis bases play important roles in physiological and pathological processes23.
This catalytic approach to boracarboxylation relies upon borylcupration of the alkene by a Cu-boryl intermediate, followed by CO2 insertion into the resulting Cu-alkyl intermediate. Laitar et al. reported the borylcupration of styrene derivatives through the use of (NHC)Cu-boryl24, and the carboxylation of Cu-alkyl species has also been demonstrated25. In 2016, the Popp lab developed a new synthetic approach to achieve mild difunctionalization of vinyl arenes using an (NHC)Cu-boryl catalyst and only 1 atm of gaseous CO226. Using this method, the α-aryl propionic acid pharmacophore is accessed in a single step, and a novel unexplored class of boron-modified NSAIDs can be prepared with excellent yield. In 2019, catalytic additives improved the catalyst efficiency and broadened the substrate scope, including the preparation of an additional two novel borylated NSAIDs27 (Figure 1).
Previous boracarboxylation reactions of alkenes could only be achieved under stringent air-free and moisture-free conditions with the use of an isolated N-heterocyclic-carbene-ligated copper(I) precatalyst (NHC-Cu; NHC = 1,3-bis(cyclohexyl)-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ylidene, ICy). A benchtop method wherein borylated ibuprofen can be synthesized using simple reagents would be more desirable for the synthetic community, prompting us to develop reaction conditions that allow for the boracarboxylation of vinyl arenes, particularly 4-isobutylstyrene, to proceed from the in situ generation of an NHC-Cu precatalyst and without the need of a glovebox. Recently, a boracarboxylation protocol was reported using imidazolium salts and copper(I)-chloride to generate in situ an active NHC-ligated copper(I) catalyst28. Using this method, α-methyl styrene was boracarboxylated to give a 71% isolated yield of the desired product, albeit with the use of a glovebox. Inspired by this result, a modified procedure to boracarboxylate tert-butylstyrene without using a nitrogen-filled glovebox was devised. The desired boracarboxylated tert-butylstyrene product was produced with 90% yield on a 1.5 g scale. Gratifyingly, this method could be applied to 4-isobutylstyrene to produce a bora-ibuprofen NSAID derivative with moderate yield. The α-aryl propionic acid pharmacophore is the core motif amongst NSAIDs; therefore, synthetic strategies that allow direct access to this motif are highly desirable chemical transformations. Herein, a synthetic pathway to access a unique bora-ibuprofen NSAID derivative from an abundant, inexpensive 1-bromo-4-isobutylbenzene starting material (~$2.50/1 g) with moderate yield in two steps, without the need for a glovebox, is presented.
1. Synthesis of 4-isobutylstyrene through Suzuki cross-coupling of 1-bromo-4-isobutylbenzene with vinylboronic acid pinacol ester
2. Large-scale synthesis of bora-ibuprofen in a glovebox
NOTE: This reaction was prepared inside a nitrogen-filled glovebox (see the Table of Materials). All the chemicals were dried or purified before moving into the box. The 4-isobutylstyrene was freeze-pump-thawed prior to use. All the vials and glassware were dried and heated in an oven (180 °C) for at least 24 h prior to use. The copper precatalyst (ICyCuCl) was prepared according to a previously published report29.
3. Benchtop large-scale synthesis of bora-ibuprofen
NOTE: This reaction procedure was carried out without using a nitrogen-filled glovebox. All the chemicals were used as received or synthesized without further purification (drying, distilling, etc.). All the vials and glassware were dried and heated in an oven (180 °C) for at least 24 h prior to use and cooled under argon to room temperature immediately before the reaction setup.
The 4-isobutylstyrene was characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The bora-ibuprofen was characterized by 1H, 13C, and 11B NMR spectroscopy to confirm the product structure and assess the purity. The key data for these compounds are described in this section.
The spectral data are in good agreement with the structure of 4-isobutylstyrene (1) (Figure 2). The 1...
The 4-Isobutylstyrene (1) was obtained efficiently via a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction from inexpensive, commercially available 1-bromo-4-isobutylbenzene and vinylboronic acid pinacol ester. Compared to the Wittig approach, this reaction allows for the production of the desired styrene in a more environmentally friendly manner and with better atom economy. Reaction monitoring via TLC was crucial to ensure full conversion of the 1-bromo-4-isobutylbenzene substrate because reactions not ...
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
We would like to thank the National Science Foundation CAREER and MRI programs (CHE-1752986 and CHE-1228336), the West Virginia University Honors EXCEL Thesis Program (ASS & ACR), the West Virginia University Research Apprenticeship (RAP) and Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Programs (ACR), and the Brodie family (Don and Linda Brodie Resource Fund for Innovation) for their generous support of this research.
Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
125 mL filtration flask | ChemGlass | ||
20 mL vial with pressure relief cap | ChemGlass | ||
4-isobutylbromobenzene | Matrix scientific | 8824 | |
Anhydrous potassium carbonate | Beantown chemicals | 124060 | |
Anhydrous sodium sulfate | Oakwood | 44702 | |
Bis(pinacolato)diboron | Boron Molecular chemicals | BM002 | |
Buchner funnel with rubber adaptor | ChemGlass | ||
Carbon dioxide gas (Bone dry) | Mateson | Tygon tubing connects cylinder regulator to needle used for reaction purging | |
COPPER(I) CHLORIDE, REAGENT GRADE, 97% | Aldrich | 212946 | |
Dichloromthane - high purity | Fisher | D37-20 | |
Diethyl ether - high purity | Fisher | E138-20 | |
Erlenmyer Flask, 125 mL | ChemGlass | CG-8496-125 | |
filter paper | Fisher | ||
Heptane | Fisher | H360-4 | |
Hydrochloric acid | Fisher | AC124635001 | |
IKA stirring hot plate | Fisher | 3810001 RCT Basic MAG | |
Nitrogen filled glove box | MBRAUN | ||
Palladium(0) tetrakistriphenylphosine | Ark Pharm | ||
SilicaFlash P60 silica gel | SiliCycle | R12030B | |
Sodium bicarbonate | Fisher | S233-3 | |
Sodium tert-butoxide | Fisher | A1994222 | |
Tetrahydrofuran - high purity | Fisher | T425SK-4 | Dried on a GlassContours Solvent Purification System |
Triphenylphosphine | Sigma | T84409 | |
Vacuum/gas manifold | Used for glovebox boracarboxyaltion reaction setup | ||
Vinylboronic acid pinacol ester | Oxchem |
Request permission to reuse the text or figures of this JoVE article
Request PermissionExplore More Articles
This article has been published
Video Coming Soon
Copyright © 2025 MyJoVE Corporation. All rights reserved