Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a serine protease that is generally accepted to play an important role in tumor growth and other diseases involving tissue remodeling. Currently there are no FAP inhibitors with reported selectivity toward both the closely related dipeptidyl peptidases (DPPs) and prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP). We present the discovery of a new class of FAP inhibitors with a N-(4-quinolinoyl)-Gly-(2-cyanopyrrolidine) scaffold. We have explored the effects of substituting the quinoline ring and varying the position of its sp 2 hybridized nitrogen atom. The most promising inhibitors combined low nanomolar FAP inhibition and high selectivity indices (>10 3 ) with respect to both the DPPs and PREP. Preliminary experiments on a representative inhibitor demonstrate that plasma stability, kinetic solubility, and log D of this class of compounds can be expected to be satisfactory.

On treatment of 2,7-dilithio- (6a) and 2,7-bis(bromomagnesio)- (6b) naphthalenes with a number of electrophiles, new "proton sponge" derivatives 7a-e,g, containing iodo, methylthio, trimethylsilyl, methyl, n-butyl, and ethoxycarbonyl groups in ortho-positions to dimethylamino groups, have been synthesized. The investigation of their molecular structure, spectral characteristics, and basicity reveals that the latter is mainly determined by two groups of factors: (1) the polar effect of ortho-substituents and (2) the so-called "buttressing effect" representing the complex combination of various sterical interactions of ortho-substituents with dimethylamino groups in corresponding bases and cations. A contradictory directionality of these interactions strongly reduces the importance of the buttressing effect in the case of compounds with bulky ortho-substituents, which is most clearly displayed in the absence of any relationship between the size of ortho-substituents and the basicity. On the contrary, for proton sponges having in ortho-positions the electron-donating groups with lesser steric demands, both the buttressing and the polar effects act in the same direction. This is the reason for the exceptionally high basicity of 2,7-dimethoxy- (2) and tetrakis(dimethylamino)- (3a) naphthalenes. It has been found that bis(trimethylsilyl)-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene 7d has an in-out configuration of the NMe2 groups in the solid that is the first example of its kind in the series of naphthalene proton sponges. The origin of a yellow coloring of 2,7-disubstituted proton sponges is also discussed.

A more complete structural characterization of polar organosulfates that originate from isoprene secondary organic aerosol was achieved. An important atmospheric finding is the presence of an organosulfate that is related to methyl vinyl ketone, a major gas-phase oxidation product of isoprene. In addition, minor polar organosulfates related to crotonaldehyde were identified.

A regular set of 2-(alpha-hydroxymethyl)- and 2,7-di(alpha-hydroxymethyl)-1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalenes has been prepared. Their X-ray, NMR, and IR studies have demonstrated that in tertiary mono-alcohols the orientation of free nitrogen electron pairs in crystals and solution corresponds to nonconventional in/out conformers stabilized by O-H...N intramolecular hydrogen bonding. For tertiary 2,7-dialcohols, the superimposed equilibrating in/out-out/in nitrogen invertomers are observed in solution. Unlike this, primary and secondary mono- and dialcohols commonly exist in the in/in form, which is typical for the parent proton sponge and the majority of its derivatives.

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It has been shown that the 1-NMe(2) group in the 2-substituted 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalenes (proton sponges) can intramolecularly donate a hydride ion to an appropriate electron-accepting ortho-substituent such as diarylcarbenium ion, β,β'-dicyanovinyl or methyleneiminium group. This produces the 1-N(+)(Me)=CH(2) functionality and triggers a number of further transformations (tert-amino effect) including peri-cyclization, ortho-cyclization or hydrolytic demethylation. In each particular case, the course of the reaction is determined by the nature of the ortho-substituent and the most potent nucleophile presenting in the reaction mixture. For 2,7-disubstituted 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalenes, two types of tandem tert-amino effect with the involvement of both peri-NMe(2) groups have been registered. The conclusion was made that proton sponges are generally more active in the tert-amino reactions than the corresponding monodimethylaminoarenes. This is ascribed both to higher electron donor ability of proton sponges and markedly shortened distance between electrophilic C(α)-atom in the ortho-substituent and hydrogen atoms of the nearest NMe(2) group. Most conversions observed proceed in good to high yields and are useful for the preparation of derivatives of benzo[h]quinoline, quino[7,8:7',8']quinoline, 2,3-dihydroperimidine, N,N,N'-trimethyl-1,8-diaminonaphthalene and proton sponge itself.

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