1,2-Difunctionalized Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes: Long Sought After Bioisosteres for ortho/meta-Substituted Arenes

The development of a versatile platform for the synthesis of 1,2-difunctionalized bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes to potentially mimic ortho/meta-substituted arenes is described. The synthesis of useful building blocks bearing alcohol, amine, and carboxylic acid functional handles has been achieved from a simple common intermediate. Several ortho and/or meta-substituted benzene analogues as well as simple molecular matched pairs have also been prepared using this platform. In-depth biological and computational studies are currently in progress to validate the ortho and/or meta-character of these new bioisosteres. Results of these investigations will be reported in due course.