Click-connected 2-(hydroxyimino)aldehydes for the design of UV-responsive functional molecules

Click chemistry is used to functionalize simple lipophilic and water-soluble molecules, a complex PEGylated phospholipid (DSPE-PEG2000), and two benzylic substrates with the 2-(hydroxyimino)aldehyde (HIA) group. To this end, two terminal alkynes bearing the HIA moiety were synthesized and coupled to different azides through copper(I)-catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). Norrish–Yang photoisomerization (λ= 365 nm, LED source) is successfully obtained, with no interference by the triazole linker, except when the forbidden n-π* carbonyl transition is screened by a remote substituent such as salicylaldehyde. UV-Vis spectrometry suggests a specific interaction of HIAs with Cu(II), whereas no such evidence is found with Cu(I). We thereby show that the CuAAC methodology can be used successfully to obtain HIA-based UV-responsive hydrophilic or lipophilic ligands, phospholipidic components for the construction of liposomes, and macrocycle precursors. © 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH