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.
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.
An efficient and generally applicable protocol for decarboxylative coupling of α,α‐difluoroarylacetic acids with ethynylbenziodoxolone (EBX) reagents has been developed, affording α,α‐difluoromethylated alkynes bearing various functional groups in moderate to excellent yields. Remarkably, this potassium persulfate (K2S2O8)‐promoted reaction employs water as solvent under transition metal‐free conditions, thus providing a green synthetic approach to α,α‐difluoromethylated alkynes.
A new enantioselective synthetic method for the synthesis of α,α‐dialkylmalonates with a quaternary carbon center was developed via α‐alkylation of prochiral malonates by phase‐transfer catalysis (PTC). Asymmetric α‐alkylation of benzylideneamino tert‐butyl α‐methylmalonates under phase‐transfer catalytic conditions in the presence of (S,S)‐3,4,5‐trifluorophenyl‐NAS bromide afforded the corresponding α,α‐dialkylmalonates in high yields (up to 97%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee). The products were then selectively hydrolyzed to chiral malonic monoacids under basic, acidic, or catalytic hydrogenation conditions.
α‐Substituted β‐acetyl amides could undergo C C bond cleavage to form α‐keto amides when treated with copper(II) chloride (CuCl2) and boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BF3⋅OEt2) under an oxygen atmosphere. The yield can be increased by the addition of tert‐butyl hydroperoxide which alone can also effect the reaction. The reaction provides a new protocol for the synthesis of α‐keto amides.
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 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.
Herein, we disclose the N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC)‐catalyzed [3+3] annulation of challenging esters with methyl ketoimines for the highly enantioselective synthesis of intriguing δ‐lactams featuring various substituent patterns. The annulation occurs under mild conditions and offers good tolerance, good yields and excellent enantioselectivities. The six‐membered heterocyclic products are valuable for the synthesis of bioactive molecules.
A series of new water‐compatible “spiropyrrolidine triazole” catalysts was designed and synthesized. The asymmetric Michael addition of nitromethane and α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes in an aqueous system was investigated to evaluate these new catalysts, and the resulting adducts were obtained with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 95.5% ee) and moderate to good yield (63–88%).
The highly catalytic asymmetric α‐hydroxylation of β‐indanone esters and β‐indanone amides using peroxide as the oxidant was realized with a new C‐2′ substituted Cinchona alkaloid derivatives. The two enantiomers of α‐hydroxy‐β‐indanone esters could be obtained by simply changing the oxidant. This protocol allows a convenient access to the corresponding α‐hydroxy‐β‐indanone esters and α‐hydroxy‐β‐indanone amides with up to 99% yield and 98% ee.
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.
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.
An unprecedented organocatalytic enantioselective cascade Michael/hemiketalization/retro‐aldol reaction of 2‐[(E)‐2‐nitrovinyl]phenols and 2,4‐dioxo‐4‐arylbutanoates is described. With a bifunctional squaramide catalyst incorporating (1R,2R)‐1,2‐diphenylethane‐1,2‐diamine, the reactions afford products in 75–99% yields with 80–98% ee. This process provides an enantioselective pathway for the synthesis of chiral α‐keto esters, precursors of 3‐arylproline derivatives, δ‐amino α‐keto acids or cyclic α‐keto lactams.
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.
Copper chloride‐catalyzed aerobic oxidative annulation of N‐furfuryl‐β‐enaminones provides access to polysubstituted pyrroles and indoles. This protocol involves an unprecedented copper chloride‐catalyzed oxidative chlorination of furan and pyrrole rings with oxygen as the terminal oxidant.
A novel enzymatic production system of optically pure β‐hydroxy α‐amino acids was developed. Two enzymes were used for the system: an N‐succinyl L ‐amino acid β‐hydroxylase (SadA) belonging to the iron(II)/α‐ketoglutarate‐dependent dioxygenase superfamily and an N‐succinyl L ‐amino acid desuccinylase (LasA). The genes encoding the two enzymes are part of a gene set responsible for the biosynthesis of peptidyl compounds found in the Burkholderia ambifaria AMMD genome. SadA stereoselectively hydroxylated several N‐succinyl aliphatic L ‐amino acids and produced N‐succinyl β‐hydroxy L ‐amino acids, such as N‐succinyl‐L ‐β‐hydroxyvaline, N‐succinyl‐L ‐threonine, (2S,3R)‐N‐succinyl‐L ‐β‐hydroxyisoleucine, and N‐succinyl‐L ‐threo‐β‐hydroxyleucine. LasA catalyzed the desuccinylation of various N‐succinyl‐L ‐amino acids. Surprisingly, LasA is the first amide bond‐forming enzyme belonging to the amidohydrolase superfamily, and has succinylation activity towards the amino group of L ‐leucine. By combining SadA and LasA in a preparative scale production using N‐succinyl‐L ‐leucine as substrate, 2.3 mmol of L ‐threo‐β‐hydroxyleucine were successfully produced with 93% conversion and over 99% of diastereomeric excess. Consequently, the new production system described in this study has advantages in optical purity and reaction efficiency for application in the mass production of several β‐hydroxy α‐amino acids.
