Synthesis and cyclometalation of a pyrido[3,2-e]-2,10b-diaza-cyclopenta[c]fluorene-1,3-dione scaffold

The synthesis of a pyrido[3,2-e]-2,10b-diaza-cyclopenta[c]fluorene-1,3-dione scaffold is disclosed, which was synthesized using a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction and an intramolecular Heck cyclization as the key steps. This heterocyclic system can serve as a bidentate ligand as demonstrated by the formation and structural analysis of a derived ruthenium complex. The new scaffold constitutes an interesting candidate for the development of organometallic protein kinase inhibitors.