Anaerobic Palladium‐Catalyzed Chemoselective Oxidation of Allylic and Benzylic Alcohols with α‐Bromo Sulfoxide as a Co‐oxidant

A chemoselective palladium‐catalyzed anaerobic oxidation of allylic and benzylic alcohols using an α‐bromo sulfoxide as a co‐oxidant is described for the first time. The catalyst system is simple and has a long life because of the allowance of phosphane ligands under the non‐aerobic conditions. The advantages of the described method include no overoxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids because of the mild conditions applied, the tolerance of oxygen‐sensitive functionalities such as a carbon‐carbon double bond, an organothio group, or a diorganoamino group and the effective preparation of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, resulting from the oxidation of primary and secondary allylic alcohols, since a competitive Heck reaction with the co‐oxidant does not occur.     

Iron‐Catalyzed Oppenauer‐Type Oxidation of Alcohols

A (hydroxycyclopentadienyl)iron dicarbonyl hydride catalyzes the Oppenauer‐type oxidation of alcohols with acetone as the hydrogen acceptor. Many functional groups are tolerant to the oxidation conditions. The same complex also catalyzes the dehydrogenation of diols to lactones. A mechanism involving the formation of iron‐alcohol complexes and their rapid ligand exchange with free alcohols is proposed. The trimethylsilyl groups on the cyclopentadienyl ligand of the catalyst play a critical role in stabilizing the iron hydride and increasing the catalyst lifetime.     

Palladium/Brønsted Acid‐Catalyzed α‐Allylation of Aldehydes with Allylic Alcohols

A simple, highly efficient, and readily scalable direct α‐allylation of aldehydes with allylic alcohols that is co‐catalyzed by palladium and a Brønsted acid has been developed.     

Solvent‐Free Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols Catalyzed by an Efficient and Recyclable Palladium Heterogeneous Catalyst

A simple alumina‐supported palladium catalyst prepared by an adsorption method is highly efficient and recyclable in the solvent‐free oxidation of alcohols with molecular oxygen. The adsorption method results in high dispersion of palladium probably as mononuclear or oligonuclear species on alumina surface. These palladium species are transformed to small Pd nanoparticles (ca. 5 nm), which are probably the true active species, during the course of alcohol oxidation.     

Selective Intramolecular Palladium(II)‐Catalyzed Aminooxygenation vs. Diamination of Alkenylureas: Efficient Microwave‐Assisted Reactions to Bicyclic Piperazinones

Alkenylureas arising from glycine allylamides were proven to be suitable substrates for the synthesis of bicyclic five‐membered ring‐fused piperazinones. The reported intramolecular domino processes, performed under oxidative conditions with bis(acetonitrile)palladium dichloride as catalyst and copper(II) chloride in a stoichiometric amount by microwave activation, were completely selective, involving either diamination or aminooxygenation. While the latter process is determined by the direct intervention of the urea oxygen on the σ‐alkylpalladium intermediate, the diamination reaction can in principle derive from a direct attack of the second nitrogen atom on the palladium complex or on the first formed chloromethylpiperazinone. Indeed, this latter species was isolated and proved to be capable of conversion solely into the imidazopiperazinone.     

Synthesis of Diverse Azolo[c]quinazolines by Palladium(II)‐ Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative Insertion of Isocyanides

We report the palladium(II)‐catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling of isocyanides with various (2‐aminophenyl)azoles using air as the stoichiometric oxidant. A diverse range of medicinally valuable azolo[c]quinazolines was obtained by this new approach.

     

Palladium(II)‐Catalyzed Aerobic Intermolecular Cyclization of Acrylic Acid with Alkenes to α‐Methylene‐γ‐butyrolactones

The methodology in this article is a palladium(II)/copper(II)‐ or palladium(II)‐catalyzed intermolecular cyclization of acrylic acid with alkenes to produce α‐methylene‐γ‐butyrolactone derivatives using molecular oxygen as an environmentally benign oxidant. In this system, the carboxylato, especially trifluoroacetato, or trimethylacetato ligand, plays a quite important role to afford a high catalytic activity by suppressing the deposition of palladium(0) black.     

Palladium(II)‐Catalyzed Efficient C‐3 Functionalization of Indoles with Benzylic and Allylic Alcohols under Co‐Catalyst,Acid, Base,Additive and External Ligand‐Free Conditions

The bis(acetonitrile)palladium(II) chloride complex, PdCl₂(MeCN)₂, efficiently catalyzes the regioselective alkylation of indoles with various benzylic and allylic alcohols under moisture and air insensitive conditions. Notably the reaction does not require any other co‐catalyst, acid, base, additive, or external ligand.     

Assisted Tandem Palladium(II)/Palladium(0)‐Catalyzed C‐ and N‐Arylations of Quinoxalin‐2(1 H)‐ones in Water

A straightforward assisted tandem palladium(II)‐ and palladium(0)‐catalyzed direct C‐3 and N‐4 arylation of quinoxalin‐2(1 H)‐ones with boronic acids and aryl halides in water as safe and cheap solvent is reported. This environmentally friendly catalytic protocol is compatible with a wide range of functional groups and allows construction of various biologically important quinoxalin‐2(1 H)‐one backbones.

     

Palladium(II)‐Catalyzed Hydration of Alkynylphosphonates to β‐Ketophosphonates

A highly efficient palladium(II)‐catalyzed hydration of a wide range of alkynylphosphonates to the corresponding β‐ketophosphonates has been developed to give high yields at 80 °C in 1, 4‐dioxane, with no acidic or alkaline cocatalysts required. The described catalytic system should provide an efficient alternative to highly toxic mercury‐catalyzed methodologies and be useful in synthetic programs.     

A Rapid and Efficient Synthesis of Quinone Derivatives: Ru(II)‐ or Ir(I)‐Catalyzed Hydrogen Peroxide Oxidation of Phenols and Methoxyarenes

Hydroquinone and methoxybenzene derivatives were catalytically oxidized promptly to the corresponding quinones in up to 99% yield. With a catalyst loading of 0.01 mol %, a maximum TON of 8.4×10³ was attained in the case of Ru(II)‐complex. Ru(II)(pybox‐dh)(pydic) is able to enhance the hydrogen peroxide oxidation of substituted hydroquinones as well as methoxybenzenes, but Ir[(coe)₂Cl]₂ and Ir[(cod)Cl]₂ were found to be effective catalysts only for the former substrates under similar oxidation conditions.     

On the Palladium(II)‐Catalysed Oxidative Rearrangement of Propargylic Acetates

The catalytic transformation of propargylic acetates into the corresponding α‐acetoxyenones in the presence of palladium(II) chloride is described. Water is a necessary component in this unusual oxidative rearrangement.     

Activation of Dioxygen by Cobaloxime and Nitric Oxide for Efficient TEMPO‐Catalyzed Oxidation of Alcohols

The aerobic oxidation of alcohols to their corresponding carbonyl compounds could be efficiently accomplished by using the combination of cobalt nitrate, dimethylglyoxime and 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine 1‐oxyl (TEMPO) as a novel catalytic system, and various alcohols including primary and secondary benzylic, allylic and aliphatic alcohols could be quantitatively converted to the corresponding aldehydes or ketones at 70 °C under 0.4 MPa dioxygen pressure in dichloromethane. During the oxidation, the in situ generated cobaloxime and nitric oxide (NO) were responsible for the activation of dioxygen, respectively, thereby, two concerted catalytic routes exist: cobaloxime‐activating‐dioxygen TEMPO‐catalyzed and NO‐activating‐dioxygen TEMPO‐catalyzed aerobic oxidation of alcohols.     

Size‐Dependent Catalytic Activity of Supported Palladium Nanoparticles for Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols

Silica‐alumina (SiO₂‐Al₂O₃)‐supported palladium catalysts prepared by adsorption of the tetrachloropalladate anion (PdCl₄²⁻) followed by calcination and reduction with either hexanol or hydrogen were studied for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols. The mean size of the Pd particles over the SiO₂‐Al₂O₃ support was found to depend on the Si/Al ratio, and a decrease in the Si/Al ratio resulted in a decrease in the mean size of the Pd nanoparticles. By changing the Si/Al ratio, we obtained supported Pd nanoparticles with mean sizes ranging from 2.2 to 10 nm. The interaction between the Pd precursor and the support was proposed to play a key role in tuning the mean size of the Pd nanoparticles. The Pd/SiO₂‐Al₂O₃ catalyst with an appropriate mean size of Pd particles could catalyze the aerobic oxidation of various alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds, and this catalyst was particularly efficient for the solvent‐free conversion of benzyl alcohol. The intrinsic turnover frequency per surface Pd atom depended significantly on the mean size of Pd particles and showed a maximum at a medium mean size (3.6–4.3 nm), revealing that the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol catalyzed by the supported Pd nanoparticles was structure‐sensitive.     

Selective Iron‐Catalyzed Oxidation of Benzylic and Allylic Alcohols

A convenient and selective oxidation of alcohols with hydrogen peroxide to give aldehydes and ketones has been developed. Using in situ generated iron chloride complexes [Fe( L3 )₂Cl_n] [n=0–1, L3 =6‐(N‐phenylbenzimidazoyl)‐2‐pyridinecarboxylic acid], aldehydes and ketones were obtained in good yield and excellent selectivity after a short reaction time at room temperature.     

Cyclopropyl Building Blocks for Organic Synthesis, 131. Palladium‐Catalyzed Bicyclization with Carbonyl Insertion of Alkenyl‐Tethered Propargyl Carbonates Towards a Scalable Synthesis of Various 2‐(Bicyclo[3.1.0]hex‐1‐yl)acrylates

The Pd‐catalyzed 5‐exo‐trig‐3‐exo‐trig cascade cyclization of 1,6‐enynes with a propargyl carbonate terminus offers the shortest synthetic route to variously substituted 2‐(bicyclo[3.1.0]hex‐1‐yl)acrylates, a novel class of prospective monomers for low‐shrinkage polymers. To apply this reaction to large‐scale preparations of the said bicyclic acrylates, a flexible Pd catalyst system with tunable reactivity has been developed. The dependence of the product and diastereomer distribution on both the reaction conditions, including the type of palladium catalyst used, and on the nature of the substrate has been investigated. A variety of methyl 2‐(bicyclo[3.1.0]hex‐1‐yl)acrylates and parent carboxylic acids as well as some of their derivatives of potential interest towards a technical application were prepared on a multigram scale. A general large‐scale synthesis of the cyclization precursors bearing one or two carbonyl groups in the tether is also disclosed.     

Progress in the Palladium‐Catalyzed α‐Arylation of Ketones with Chloroarenes

Non‐ and deactivated chloroarenes can be coupled with a wide range of ketones to yield the corresponding arylmethyl ketones in good to excellent yields using a palladium(II) acetate/n‐BuPAd₂ catalyst system. Depending on the ketone, the chloroarene/ketone ratio and the base, mono or diarylation can be effected selectively.     

Chlorinative Cyclization of 1,6‐Enynes by Enantioselective Palladium(II)/Palladium(IV) Catalysis

A novel asymmetric catalysis via a palladium(II)/palladium(IV) cycle has been developed by utilizing a chiral spiro bis(isoxazoline) ligand (SPRIX). Intramolecular chlorinative cyclization of 1,6‐enynes catalyzed by a palladium‐SPRIX complex proceeded enantioselectively to afford α‐methylene‐γ‐lactone derivatives.     

Palladium(II)‐Catalyzed 1,4‐Addition of Arylboronic Acids to β‐Arylenones for Enantioselective Synthesis of 4‐Aryl‐4H‐chromenes

The enantioselective 1,4‐addition of arylboronic acids to β‐arylenones to give β‐diaryl ketones was carried out at 0–25 °C in the presence of a dicationic palladium(II) catalyst, [Pd(S,S‐chiraphos)(PhCN)₂](SbF₆)₂. Addition of a silver salt such as silver tetrafluoroborate [AgBF₄] or silver hexafluoroantimonate [AgSbF₆] (5–10 mol %) was effective to achieve high enantioselectivities at low temperatures (92–99 % ee) and to reduce the catalyst loading to 0.05 mol %. The protocol provided a simple access to 4‐aryl‐4H‐chromenes. Optically active chromenes were synthesized with up to 99 % ee via dehydration of the 1,4‐adducts between arylboronic acids and β‐(2‐hydroxyaryl)‐α,β‐unsaturated ketones.