Synthesis of 2-heterosubstituted cyclopent-2-en-1-ones: a preliminary study of the strategic design of antiviral compounds

A synthetic approach to heterosubstituted cyclopent-2-en-1-ones through a robust protocol that leads to single 2-substituted compounds is reported. In view of a strategic design of antiviral compounds, the methodology was applied to substituted benzoimidazoles as neutral heterocyclic systems, as models for preliminary evaluation of their antiviral activities. By virtue of NMR investigations the synthetized compounds were structurally completely defined and the conformations were also located from DFT calculations. The preliminary biological tests revealed a general inactivity for most of the products with significant predictions for some bearing specific substituents. The results suggested possible structural changes apt to trigger the relative biological activities, to implement them in the new compounds.