Revisiting the addition reaction of TeCl4 to alkynes: The crystal structure and docking studies of 1-chloro-2-trichlorotelluro-3-phenyl-propen-2-ol

Tellurium tetrachloride adds to alkynes via two pathways: a concerted syn addition, that yields Z-tri- and tetra-substituted alkenes or by an anti addition that yields E-alkenes. The mechanistic aspects of these divergent pathways have been reevaluated at the light of crystallographic data. The molecules, of the title compound, in the crystal, are associated in a helical fashion with a Te…Te pitch of 6.3492(6) Å. As it exhibits inhibitory activity for cathepsin B and in order to gain more insight of the inhibition mechanism, a docking study was undertaken providing insight on why organic telluranes are more efficient inhibitors than inorganic ones as AS-101.

Graphical abstractThe reaction of addition of TeCl4 to alkynes is discussed. The title compound is a potent cysteine protease inhibitor and shows a peculiar supramolecular α-helix arrangement in the solid state and was used in docking studies using human cathepsin B.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide