Electrophilic chemistry of Thia-PAHs: Stable carbocations (NMR and DFT), S-Alkylated onium salts, model electrophilic substitutions (Nitration and bromination), and mutagenicity assay

First examples of stable carbocations are reported from several classes of thia-PAHs with four fused rings, namely, benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene (1) and its 3-methoxy derivative (2), phenanthro[4,3-b]thiophene (3) and its 7-methoxy (4), 10-methoxy (5), and 9-methoxy (6) derivatives, phenanthro[3,4-b]thiophene (7) and its 7-methoxy (8) and 9-methoxy (9) derivatives, and 3-methoxybenzo[b]naphtha[1,2d]thiophene (11). In several cases, the resulting carbocations were also studied by GIAO-DFT. Charge delocalization modes in the resulting carbocations were probed. A series of S-alkylated onium tetrafluoroborates, namely, 1Me(+), 1Et(+), 2Et(+), and 7Me(+) (from 1, 2, and 7), 10Me(+) and 10Et(+) (from benzo [b] naphtha[1,2-d]thiophene 10), 12Me(+) and 12Et(+) (from phenanthro[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene 12), 13Me(+) (from 3-methoxyphenanthro[3,2-b]benzothiophene 13), 14Me(+) (from phenanthro[4,3-b][l]benzothiophene 14), and 15Me(+) (from 3-methoxyphenanthro[4,3-b][I]benzothiophene 15), were synthesized. PAH-sulfonium salts 1Me(+), 1Et(+), 10Me(+), 10Et+, 12Me(+), and 14Me(+) proved to be efficient akylating agents toward model nitrogen nucleophile receptors (imidazole and azaindole). Facile transalkylation to model nucleophiles (including guanine) is also supported by favorable reaction energies computed by DFT. Ring opening energies in thia-PAH-epoxides from 1, 3, and 7 and charge delocalization modes in the resulting carbocations were also evaluated. The four-ring-fused thia-PAHs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 11 are effectively nitrated under extremely mild conditions. Nitration regioselectivity corresponds closely to protonation under stable ion conditions. Bromination of 4 and 6 is also reported. Comparative mutagenicity assays (Ames test) were performed on 1 versus 1NO(2), 5 versus 5NO(2), and 11 versus 11NO(2). Compound 5NO(2) was found to be a potent direct acting mutagen.