<i>O</i>-((Ferrocenyl)(3-fluorophenyl)methyl)hydroxylamine

Abstract

Based on the diaryl hydroxylamine scaffold, which exhibits the potential to inhibit all three enzymes of the first step of the kynurenine pathway, the main tryptophan degradation pathway in mammals, which is often activated in cancer, we report herein the synthesis of a ferrocenyl analogue as an attempt to improve the scaffold’s pan-inhibitory potency through the isosteric replacement of a phenyl group with the ferrocenyl moiety. The synthetic methodology followed gives access to O-((ferrocenyl)(aryl)methyl)hydroxylamines, a class of compounds not yet reported in the literature.

Keywords

• ferrocene
• bioisosteric replacement
• diaryl hydroxylamine
• kynurenine pathway