Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) is a particularly aggressive cancer that primarily affects African children. Unfortunately, effective and affordable treatment is out of reach of most of the afflicted. The illicit psychoactive drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') is cytotoxic to BL cell lines, but its low potency, psychoactivity and neurotoxicity preclude consideration as a therapeutic drug candidate. This paper describes the discovery of novel a-aryl analogues of MDMA that lack psychoactivity and reduce BL cell line viability with significantly more potency than the lead compound. Preliminary in vitro studies also indicate that the compounds are non-toxic to a relevant neuronal cell line.

A domino Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination strategy has been used to prepare homologous series of (polyen)ones, and through combinatorial elaboration, corresponding families of highly branched hydrocarbons. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the mixtures has enabled the rapid and unambiguous identification of several highly branched alkanes of geochemical importance. This is the first example of the use of combinatorial synthesis for the elucidation of structural connectivity.

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