# Stereoselective Solid-State Synthesis of Biologically Active Cyclobutane and Dicyclobutane Isomers via Conformation Blocking and Transference

## TL;DR

This paper describes a method to create specific cyclobutane and dicyclobutane isomers in the solid state, with one showing strong anti-cancer effects in lab tests.

## Contribution

A novel stereoselective solid-state synthesis method for biologically active cyclobutane and dicyclobutane isomers.

## Key findings

- Photodimerization of CH3-3,5-bpeb selectively produced cyclobutane and dicyclobutane isomers.
- Isomer 2 showed excellent in vitro anti-cancer activity against multiple cell lines.

## Abstract

Conformations in the solid state are typically fixed during crystallization. Transference of “frozen” C=C conformations in 3,5-bis((E)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)vinyl)methylbenzene (CH3-3,5-bpeb) by photodimerization selectively yielded cyclobutane and dicyclobutane isomers, one of which (Isomer 2) exhibited excellent in vitro anti-cancer activity towards T-24, 7402, MGC803, HepG-2, and HeLa cells.