This paper describes the aerobic oxidation of styrenes catalyzed by iron(III) chloride (FeCl3) to form β‐keto‐N‐alkoxyphthalimides in fair to good yields. This oxidative process employs mild conditions with green and atom efficient dioxygen (O2) as the oxidant.
A practical and novel process for the decarboxylative fluorination of β‐ketoacids in water in the presence of phase transfer catalyst has been developed, affording a series of α‐fluoroketones in good to excellent yields. Furthermore, a preliminary investigation for the catalytic asymmetric transformation was performed and a proposed mechanistic pathway for this catalytic process was proposed.
A transition metal‐free direct arylation of 2‐substituted cyanoacetates with diaryliodonium salts was developed. With this approach, a wide range of α‐tolunitrile derivatives has been synthesized in good to excellent yields of 45–92%. Furthermore, the practicability of this approach is further manifested in the synthesis of a related bioactive agent of glutarimide.
An efficient copper‐catalyzed α‐aminoxylation of ketones with 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl (TEMPO) is presented for the synthesis of 2‐aryloxy‐1‐aryl‐2‐(2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐yloxy)ethanones in moderate to excellent yields. It is noteworthy that the copper/iron (Cu/Fe) catalyst can be recovered and reused several times with high catalytic reactivity.
A novel methodology has been developed for the synthesis of chiral phosphoryl‐1,4‐dihydropyridazine derivatives based on an asymmetric allylic alkylation/intramolecular 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition/rearrangement reaction sequence, various chiral 3‐phosphoryl‐4‐aryl‐1,4‐dihydropyridazine‐5‐carboxylates were achieved in high yields with high enantioselectivities. Moreover, chiral 4,5‐dihydropyridazinone derivatives were also facilely furnished by the reduction of the allylic alkylation products of Morita–Baylis–Hillman carbonates and α‐diazophosphonates.
Efficient one‐step syntheses of α,β‐ and β,β‐dihaloenones were achieved by ruthenium(II)‐catalyzed reactions between cyclic or acyclic diazodicarbonyl compounds and oxalyl chloride or oxalyl bromide in moderate to good yields. This methodology offers several significant advantages, which include ease of handling, mild reaction conditions, one‐step reaction, and the use of an effective and non‐toxic catalyst. The synthesized compounds were further transformed into highly functionalized novel molecules bearing aromatic rings on the enone moiety using the Suzuki reaction.
Metal triflate‐catalysed intermolecular Friedel–Crafts reactions involving electron‐rich benzenoid arenes and spiroepoxyoxindoles at the spiro‐centre have been developed for the exclusive regioselective synthesis of 3‐aryl‐(3‐hydroxymethyl)oxindoles with an all‐carbon quaternary centre. Selective ring opening of spiroepoxyoxindoles with phenols provided a direct access to 3‐(hydroxymethyl)‐3‐(2‐hydroxyaryl)oxindoles. We have utilized this methodology successfully as the key step for the synthesis of benzofuroindolines and 2H‐spiro[benzofuran]‐3,3′‐oxindoles.
This paper describes two efficient strategies to suppress β‐H elimination during the palladium/copper bimetallic system‐mediated cross‐coupling between alkynamides and alkenes. Remote donor groups with the terminal olefins, such as toluenesulfonamide, phosphate, sulfone, etc., cooperate with the amide of alkynamides and chelate the palladium active center, to promote C(sp3) O bond formation by suppressing the β‐H elimination. Another strategy uses the rigid structure of norbornene to make an intermediate without a syn‐β‐hydrogen to achieve reductive elimination of the C Cl bond.
In the presence of sodium carbonate, the [4+3] cycloadditions of α‐halogeno hydrazones with nitrones were performed efficiently, and affording 2,3,4,7‐tetrahydro‐1,2,4,5‐oxatriazepines in moderate to high yields.
A four‐electron electrocyclic ring‐opening/intermolecular [4+2] cycloaddition of α‐hydroxycyclobutenones is reported. The reaction represents the first example for the intermolecular cycloaddition of the extensively studied enol‐ketene intermediate, and provides a new synthetic route to multiply substituted δ‐lactams in high stereoselectivity.
By carefully screening the organoselenium pre‐catalysts and optimizing the reaction conditions, simple dibenzyl diselenide was found to be the best pre‐catalyst for Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of (E)‐α,β‐unsaturated ketones with the green oxidant hydrogen peroxide at room temperature. The organoselenium catalyst used in this reaction could be recycled and reused several times. This new method was suitable not only for methyl unsaturated ketones, but also for alkyl and aryl unsaturated ketones. Therefore, it provided a direct, mild, practical, highly functional group‐tolerant process for the chemoselective preparation of the versatile (E)‐vinyl esters from the readily available (E)‐α,β‐unsaturated ketones. A possible mechanism was also proposed to rationalize the activity of the organoselenium catalyst in the presence of hydrogen peroxide in this Baeyer–Villiger oxidation reaction.
A simple and efficient ligand‐free nickel‐based catalytic system has been developed for the 1,4‐addition of arylboronic acids to α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds. With catalyst loadings of 1–2 mol%, a series of 1,4‐adducts from chalcones and cinnamates was obtained in moderate to excellent yields within 5–30 min under a nitrogen atmosphere and microwave irradiation. The 1,4‐addition of arylboronic acids to acrylates is less efficient.
Readily available cyclobutanols having a butyne‐1,4‐diol moiety underwent a sequential regioselective Meyer–Schuster rearrangement and 1,2‐shift, furnishing α‐hydroxy‐α‐vinylcyclopentanones. The reaction mechanism is consistent with the formation of an allenol intermediate that racemizes under the reaction conditions. Subsequent activation of the allenol leads to an enantio‐ and diastereoselective route to this scaffold.
An organocatalytic approach for the stereoselective synthesis of 3,4‐dihydrocoumarins with an α,α‐disubstituted amino acid moiety incorporated is presented. The developed methodology is based on the cascade reaction between α‐substituted azlactones and 2‐hydroxychalcones. It is initiated by a chiral Brønsted base‐catalyzed enantio‐ and diastereoselective Michael reaction followed by the azlactone ring opening to construct a 3,4‐dihydrocoumarin framework. Products bearing two adjacent stereogenic centers, one being quaternary, were formed with high enantioselectivities and excellent diastereoselectivities. Furthermore, the complete regioselectivity of the new cascade reactivity is worthy of notice.
