Design, Catalyst-Free Synthesis of New Novel α-Trifluoromethylated Tertiary Alcohols Bearing Coumarins as Potential Antifungal Agents.

A new method for the synthesis of α-trifluoromethylated tertiary alcohols bearing coumarins is described. The reaction of 3-(trifluoroacetyl)coumarin and pyrrole provided the target compounds with high yields under catalyst-free, mild conditions. The crystal structure of compound 3fa was investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis. The biological activities, such as in vitro antifungal activity of the α-trifluoromethylated tertiary alcohols against Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium moniliforme, Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, and Phytophthora parasitica var nicotianae, were investigated. The bioassay results indicated that compounds 3ad , 3gd , and 3hd showed broad-spectrum antifungal activity in vitro. Compound 3cd exhibited excellent fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, with an EC 50 value of 10.9 μg/mL, which was comparable to that of commercial fungicidal triadimefon (EC 50 = 6.1 μg/mL). Furthermore, molecular docking study suggested that 3cd had high binding affinities with 1W9U, like argifin.