1,4-Diazepines

This chapter updates and expands upon the material presented in CHEC(1984) and CHEC-II(1996), drawing upon the literature published between the beginning of 1995 and the end of 2006. Theoretical methods and the application of spectroscopy in the determination of structure and conformation are discussed followed by a description of thermodynamic aspects of both 1,4-diazepines and the benzo-fused homologues that examine the deeper, emerging understanding of conformational preferences for this class of heterocycles. Reactivity associated with fully conjugated (unsaturated) and nonconjugated (saturated) ring systems are summarized followed by the reactivity associated with substituents attached to ring carbon and nitrogen atoms. New synthetic approaches to the 1,4-diazepine ring system continue to be developed that provide access to a broader range of functionalized derivatives and allow further elaboration. Synthetic approaches are categorized based on bond-disconnection topology and approaches previously discussed are updated where new methodology or reagents have been developed. New bond disconnections are summarized in sections that are expanded over the previous editions. 1,4-Diazepines and fused ring analogues are important structural scaffolds in medicinal chemistry, recognized as privileged structures, that display a broad range of biological activities, and representative compounds are presented.