We present here a reassessment of our transition-metal free Suzuki-type coupling protocol. We believe that, although the reaction can be run without the need for addition of a metal catalyst, palladium contaminants down to a level of 50 ppb found in commercially available sodium carbonate are responsible for the generation of the biaryl rather than, as previously suggested, an alternative non-palladium-mediated pathway. We present a revised methodology for Suzuki couplings using ultralow palladium concentrations for use with aryl and vinyl boronic acids and discuss the effects of the purity of the boronic acid on the reaction.

3-Hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one (2) was discovered by high throughput screening in a functional assay to be a potent inhibitor of human DAAO, and its binding affinity was confirmed in a Biacore assay. Cocrystallization of 2 with the human DAAO enzyme defined the binding site and guided the design of new analogues. The SAR, pharmacokinetics, brain exposure, and effects on cerebellum D-serine are described. Subsequent evaluation against the rat DAAO enzyme revealed a divergent SAR versus the human enzyme and may explain the high exposures of drug necessary to achieve significant changes in rat or mouse cerebellum D-serine.

In this report, we look at a range of classes of reaction involving microwave heating and show how different processing techniques can be used to address scale-up needs. We look at both batch and continuous-flow processing. We have shown that when using batch methodologies working using an open reaction vessel offers operational advantages while still giving good yields of desired products. In cases where open-vessel conditions are not amenable or where particularly volatile or toxic reagents are used, parallel sealed vessels can offer an alternative approach. For continuousflow processing, homogeneity of the reaction mixture is key. When the mixture is homogeneous, it is possible to move from smallscale sealed-vessel conditions to the continuous-flow apparatus without any modification of reaction conditions or loss in product yield. When either the starting materials or the product mixture contains particulate matter, continuous processing can prove a challenge, but reoptimization of reaction conditions as well as reduction of the concentration may allow these difficulties to be overcome.

No abstract