1. Prior to performing each reaction, a thorough hazard analysis and risk assessment should be carried out with regard to each chemical substance and experimental operation on the scale planned and in the context of the laboratory where the procedures will be carried out. Guidelines for carrying out risk assessments and for analyzing the hazards associated with chemicals can be found in references such as Chapter 4 of "Prudent Practices in the Laboratory" (The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2011; the full text can be accessed free of charge at https://www.nap.edu/catalog/12654/prudent-practices-in-the-laboratory-handling-and-management-of-chemical. See also "Identifying and Evaluating Hazards in Research Laboratories" (American Chemical Society, 2015) which is available via the associated website "Hazard Assessment in Research Laboratories" at https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/about/governance/committees/chemicalsafety/hazard-assessment.html. In the case of this procedure, the risk assessment should include (but not necessarily be limited to) an evaluation of the potential hazards associated with celecoxib, potassium carbonate, 2-mesityl-2,5,6,7-tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-c][1,2,4]triazol-4-ium chloride, ethanol, benzaldehyde, N,N-dimethylformamide, and benzyl bromide.
2. Dimensions of the stir paddle: 5.8 cm diameter, 2.5 cm height, 3 mm thickness.
3. The reaction is not sensitive to water, however the sulfinate intermediate is moderately sensitive to oxygen and will slowly oxidize to the corresponding sulfonate if run under air (~5% oxidation over the course of the reaction).
4. Potassium carbonate, Benzaldehyde, and Benzyl bromide were used in excess to ensure >98% conversion within 18 h.
5. Checkers: Celecoxib (98%) was purchased from Combi-Blocks, potassium carbonate powder (≥98%) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, 2-mesityl-2,5,6,7-tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-c][1,2,4]triazol-4-ium chloride (97%) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, anhydrous ethanol (≥99.5%) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, benzaldehyde (≥99%) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, DMF (99.8%) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, and benzyl bromide (98%) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. All reagents and solvents were used as received.
6. The checkers monitored the reaction by 1H NMR (700 MHz) and deemed the reaction complete when celecoxib could no longer be observed. The submitters monitored the reaction by HPLC using the following conditions: Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 (100 mm × 2.1mm × 1.7 µm). Gradient of 10-95% MeCN in 0.1% aqueous H3PO4 over 4 min, then hold at 95% MeCN for 3 min. Flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. Temperature: 40 °C. The reaction was deemed complete when less than 2% of celecoxib remained versus the sulfinate intermediate when monitored at 210 nm. Retention time of celecoxib: 4.89 min. Retention time of sulfinate: 4.71 min. Retention time of sulfone 2: 5.58 min.
7. The checkers monitored the reaction by 1H NMR (700 MHz) and deemed the reaction complete when the sulfinate intermediate could no longer be observed. The submitters monitored the reaction using the HPLC conditions described in Note 6. The reaction was deemed complete when less than 2% of the sulfinate intermediate remained versus product 2 when monitored at 210 nm.
8. During each wash, the wash solvent was added to the cake and agitated with a spatula to generate a uniform slurry, then sucked to dryness under vacuum. During the washes with heptane, the yellow color from the solid was washed into the filtrate. The checkers used a 150 mL funnel with a glass fritted filter of porosity C.
Figure 5. Solid on filter (a) before and (b) after heptane wash
(photos provided by checkers)
9. In cases where 1H NMR analysis revealed remaining solvent, the solid was transferred to a closed system and dried under vacuum (0.1 mmHg) with stirring for an additional 4 h.
10. The product purity was determined by qNMR pdf with 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene as an internal standard. 1,3,5-Trimethoxybenzene was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich and used as received (purity: ≥99%).
11. When the reaction was carried out on half-scale, 3.57 g (85%, 98% purity) of the product was obtained.
12. 1H NMR pdf (600 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ : 2.34 (s, 3H), 4.75 (s, 2H), 7.19 - 7.25 (m, 3H), 7.12 - 7.18 (m, 4H), 7.27 - 7.35 (m, 3H), 7.51 - 7.55 (m, 2H), 7.72 - 7.76 (m, 2H). 13C NMR pdf (151 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ : 20.8, 60.5, 106.2, 118.6, 120.3, 122.1, 123.9, 125.2, 126.0, 128.3, 128.4, 128.5, 128.7, 129.4, 129.4, 130.9, 137.9, 139.2, 142.0, 142.3, 142.5, 142.6, 142.8, 145.4. 19F NMR pdf (565 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ : -61.1 (s) (referenced against fluorobenzene internal standard, ppm = -113.15). IR (film): 3151, 3064, 3033, 2973, 2924, 1161, 1149, 1125, 806, 561 cm-1. HRMS (ESI+) m/z calcd for C24H20O2N2F3S+ [M+H]+: 457.1192, found: 457.1197. mp: 148-151 °C. TLC Rf= 0.35 (20% ethyl acetate in hexanes, visualized by UV).