Generality-Oriented Development of Novel Methods for the Synthesis of Enantioenriched Sulfondiimines Using Data Science - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Sulfur is an important heteroatom in pharmaceuticals, with 30% of the top-grossing small- molecule drugs in 2022 containing sulfur. Highly oxidized sulfur functional groups, such as sulfonamides, are particularly common. Sulfondiimines are a type of high oxidation state sulfur compound that can be chiral, which is an important property in drug molecules. However, synthesis of sulfondiimines, especially with high selectivity for one enantiomer, can be challenging and exhibit poor safety profiles. It is clear that the development of improved methods for sulfondiimine synthesis would be beneficial. One approach to method development is using data science, which can expedite the optimization process by allowing for in silico screening. Data science models have the potential to give insight into mechanistic details of reactions when applied in tandem with computational chemistry tools and careful data generation. A challenge within this method development is to identify general conditions that work for many compounds of a general synthetic goal. One approach to develop a generalizable reaction is by optimizing conditions around several compounds rather than a single model substrate. Thus, the primary aim of this proposal is to develop generalizable novel synthetic methods for sulfondiimines using data science. This goal will be achieved by applying a generality-oriented, data science-driven reaction development approach to two specific aims: (1) a desymmetrization of sulfondiimines and (2) selective addition to fluoro-λ6-sulfanenitriles. The separate synthetic strategies could allow for access to a broader range of sulfondiimines, as each may exhibit different reactivity profiles for various compounds. These methods will be showcased through broad substrate scopes featuring syntheses of sulfondiimine analogues for known sulfonamide-containing cancer drugs. A long- term application of this proposal is the synthesis of a library of sulfondiimine analogues of known drug targets for analysis as potential therapeutics.
