Benzodioxanes are a class of isomeric compounds with the molecular formula C8H8O2. The three isomers of benzodioxane are 1,2-benzodioxane, 1,3-benzodioxane and 1,4-benzodioxane. 1,4-Benzodioxane has long been a versatile template widely used to design molecules with diverse biological activities. Its use spans past decades in medicinal chemistry to today, involving many drug discovery strategies, not excluding the most advanced ones. 1,4-Benzodioxane derivatives have been described as agonists and antagonists of nicotinic, alpha-adrenergic and 5-HT receptor subtypes. 1,4-Benzodioxane derivatives have been also reported as antitumor and antibacterial agents.
Cyclohexane is an organic compound with a chemical formula C6H12. It is a colorless liquid with a pungent odor, insoluble in water, and soluble in most organic solvents such as ethanol, ether, benzene, and acetone. Cyclohexyl fragments are a common structure in both natural and synthetic drugs. It can be used as both core structure and part of achiral side chain.
Dioxolane is a heterocyclic acetal with the formula (CH2)2O2CH2. It is related to tetrahydrofuran by exchanging an oxygen for the CH2 group. The isomer 1,2-dioxolane (in which the two oxygen centers are adjacent) is a peroxide. 1,3-Dioxolane is used as solvent and comonomer in polyacetal. The dioxolane-type and their hydrogenolysis can provide very valuable partially protected building blocks either for oligosaccharide syntheses or sugar transformations.