A convenient three‐component coupling reaction for the construction of conjugated enynes using rhodium catalysis is reported. Dimerization of a monosubstituted alkyne followed by trapping of the vinyl metal intermediate with an electron‐deficient alkene, such as methyl vinyl ketone, provided moderate to good yields of these enynes. The use of the hindered electron‐rich tris(ortho‐tolyl)phosphine as a ligand for the rhodium catalyst provided the best conversions to these complex products.
A chemoselective reduction of α‐keto amides to biologically important α‐hydroxy amides (mandelamides) by polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) using 5 mol% potassium phosphate (K3PO4) as catalyst has been developed. This transition metal‐free protocol discloses excellent chemoselectivity for the ketone reduction of α‐keto amides in the presence of other reducible functionalities like ketone, nitro, halides, nitrile and amide. Also, the chemoselectively reduced α‐hydroxy amide has been derivatized to isocyanide‐free Passerini adducts. The N‐alkyl‐α‐hydroxy amides have been successfully converted to 3‐phenyloxindole derivatives by treatment with methanesulfonyl cholride and triethylamine.
An enantioselective protonation by means of chiral scandium complex‐catalyzed aza‐Michael reaction was realized. A series of α‐aryl‐substituted vinyl ketones reacted with pyrazoles smoothly, affording the corresponding enantiomerically enriched pyrazole derivatives with excellent results (up to 99% yield, 94% ee). Water and hydrogen chloride were found to accelerate the protonation process.
A new enantioselective route to spiro[piperidine‐3,3′‐oxindoles] from isatin ketimines is described. The aza‐Henry reaction of N‐Boc‐isatin ketimines with methyl 4‐nitrobutyrate in the presence of a Ph2BOX‐CuBr2 complex provided the corresponding nitro amino esters with good diastereoselectivity and excellent enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee). The aza‐Henry adducts were transformed into spiro[piperidine‐3,3′‐oxindoles] after reduction of the nitro group to oxime, and cleavage of the N‐Boc group and lactamisation.
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.
A copper‐catalysed multicomponent coupling reaction between readily available (Z)‐3‐iodoacrylic acids, terminal alkynes, and primary amines was developed to smoothly access a small library of 5‐hydroxy‐1H‐pyrrol‐2(5H)‐ones in good yields. This practical and general process was applied to a short‐steps synthesis of the natural product pulchellalactam.
An asymmetric Michael addition of 5H‐oxazol‐4‐ones to vinyl sulfones has been developed. In the presence of 10 mol % of quinine‐based benzyl‐substituted thiourea as catalyst at 0 °C, the products could be obtained with excellent enantio‐ and diastereoselectivity (up to>99 % ee and>20:1 dr). 1.0 mol % of catalyst also produced the corresponding adducts with similar stereoselective results when the temperature was increased to 25 °C. The obtained adducts have been demonstrated as significant synthetic fragments to conveniently access the monofluorinated analogs of biologically important 2‐tertiary hydroxyl‐3‐methyl‐substituted carboxylic acid derivatives.
Porous organic polymers have prospects as functional substrates for catalysis, with quite different molecular properties from inorganic substrates. Here we disclose for the first time that porous palladium(II)‐polyimines are excellent catalysts for cooperatively catalyzed and enantioselective cascade reactions. In synergy with a chiral amine co‐catalyst, polysubstituted cyclopentenes and spirocyclic oxindoles, including the all‐carbon quaternary stereocenter, were synthesized in high yields. High diastereo‐ and enantioselectivities were achieved for these dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformations (DYKAT) of enals with propargylic nucleophiles.
A general and efficient method for the synthesis of oxazolidin‐2‐ones and imidazolidin‐2‐ones directly from 1,3‐diols and 3‐amino alcohols has been developed using the same reagent combination of iodobenzene dichloride (PhICl2) and sodium azide (NaN3).
A rhodium(I)‐catalyzed direct C H bond olefination of pyridyl‐substituted arenes with readily available vinyl carboxylic acids has been realized. This reaction occurred efficiently without the need for any external oxidant, affording the ortho‐olefinated products in high yields and excellent regioselectivities. Diversely substituted vinyl carboxylic acids behaved as efficient olefination reagents under the reaction conditions, and a range of functional groups in both coupling partners was well tolerated. Mechanistic studies indicated that a decarbonylation step is involved in this catalytic process, and pivalic anhydride [(t‐BuCO)2O] acts as the activator of the carboxylic acids for the in situ generation of highly active anhydrides.
A nickel‐catalyzed regio‐ and stereoselective reductive coupling of oxa‐ and azabicyclic alkenes with activated alkenes and electron‐rich alkynes is described. Thus, 7‐oxabenzonorbornadienes underwent reductive coupling with various vinyl ketones such as ethyl, methyl, propyl and α‐methyl‐substituted vinyl ketones, in the presence of a nickel(II) iodide (NiI2), zinc (Zn), and water catalyst system in acetonitrile at 50 °C for 14 h to afford 2‐alkylnaphthalenes in good to excellent yields. Under similar reaction conditions, 7‐azabenzonorbornadiene derivatives provided cis‐2‐alkyl‐1,2‐dihydronaphthalene derivatives in high yields. On the other hand, the nickel(II) iodide, tris(4‐fluorophenyl)phoshine [P(4‐FC6H4)3] and zinc catalyst system successfully catalyzed the reductive coupling reaction of electron‐rich alkynes, with 7‐aza‐ and 7‐oxabenzonorbornadienes to give cis‐2‐alkenyl‐1,2‐dihydronaphthalene derivatives in good to excellent yields. In the reaction, a mild reducing agent (zinc) and simple hydrogen source (water) were used.
A simple N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) derived from 1‐methyl‐3‐ethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate was found to be an efficient ligand for a range of copper‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions, leading to the formation of aromatic ethers and thioethers.
The direct asymmetric vinylogous Michael addition of 3,5‐dialkyl‐substituted 4‐nitroisoxazoles with α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by a diphenylprolinol TBS ether organocatalyst is described, giving products with moderate to good yields and up to excellent enantioselectivities (96% ee). This approach provides an easy access to highly functionalized chiral isoxazole derivatives.
A catalytic enantioselective synthesis of α‐arylaminocyclobutanones from racemic α‐hydroxycyclobutanone and a selection of N‐alkylanilines has been established, via a tandem condensation/keto‐enol tautomerization process reminiscent of the Amadori and Heyns rearrangements.
The synthesis of a light‐responsive N‐heterocyclic carbene copper(I) complex by introducing a nitrobenzospiropyran unit into the carbene ligand was developed. The solubility of this complex was controlled through reversible conversion between its netural and ionic states using ultraviolet light irradiation. Taking advantage of such a light‐sensitive property facilitated its recovery and reuse in copper(I)‐catalyzed homogeneous oxidation and “click” reactions.
The asymmetric aldol reaction of 3‐acetyl‐2H‐chromen‐2‐ones and isatins has been realized by using a bifunctional quinidine‐derived urea as the catalyst. The corresponding 3‐hydroxyoxindole derivatives containing a 2H‐chromen‐2‐one moiety were obtained in good yields and high enantioselectivities. When (Z)‐ethyl 2‐benzylideneacetoacetate was used as the substrate, a mixture of two diastereomers (both Z and E) was obtained due to isomerization of the double bond under the reaction conditions.
Product selectivity control for the synthesis of imidoylindoles and 4‐alkylidenedihydroquinazolines from N‐imidoyl‐o‐alkynylanilines via silver triflate‐catalyzed cycloisomerization or tetrabutylammonium fluoride‐promoted cyclization is described. The product selectivity depends mainly on the catalyst/promoter used, and on the substituents on the alkyne and amidine functions of the substrates.
A mild and efficient transition metal‐free approach has been developed for the synthesis of highly substituted chiral morpholines from alkenols by amino acid‐derived iodine(III) reagents via a 6‐exo‐trig cyclization. The key features of this work include the formation of three chiral centers with a high diastereomeric ratio, broad functional group compatibility, and atom/time economic methodology.
