2,2‐Difluoro‐1,3‐diketones are introduced as gem‐difluoroenolate precursors for the first example of an organocatalytic asymmetric aldol addition with N‐benzylisatins to form 3‐difluoroalkyl‐3‐hydroxyoxindoles.
N‐Alkenylated triazolinone ylides were generated through copper‐catalyzed oxy‐N‐alkenylation of triazolopyridines. The mechanistic course of this aerobic tandem reaction has been experimentally elucidated and primary photophysical data of the ylide products are also given.
The first copper(I)‐catalyzed asymmetric 1,3‐dipolar [3+4] cycloaddition of nitrones with azoalkenes has been developed, affording a variety of biologically important 1,2,4,5‐oxatriazepane derivatives in good yields with exclusive regioselectivities and excellent enantioselectivities.
The nickel‐catalyzed borylation of aryl 2‐pyridyl ethers via the loss of a 2‐pyridyloxy group is described. This method allows a 2‐pyridyloxy group to be used as a convertible directing group in C−H bond functionalization reactions. The nickel catalyst can also borylate arylmethyl 2‐pyridyl ethers, in which the stereochemistry at the benzylic position is retained in the case of chiral secondary benzylic substrates.
4H‐Pyran units are frequently present in molecules with significant biological and pharmaceutical activities. Herein, we present the first enantioselective formal [3+3] cycloaddition between 2‐(1‐alkynyl)‐2‐alken‐1‐ones and β‐keto esters catalyzed by a cyclohexyldiamine‐based thiourea‐tertiary amine bifunctional catalyst. Under the mild and eco‐friendly conditions, a wide range of polysubstituted 4H‐pyrans were obtained in moderate yields with good enantioselectivities.
We report the development of a universal and recyclable heterogeneous zinc/imidazole catalyst. The catalyst is recoverable through simple filtration and can be reused at least five times, retaining its catalytic activity. Leached zinc species were not responsible for the observed catalysis based on the hot filtration test and ICP‐MS analysis. The heterogeneous zinc catalyst also promotes chemoselective transesterification over amidation.
The improved synthesis of γ‐, δ‐ and ϵ‐lactones using a dinuclear N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC)‐gold(I) catalyst is reported. This solvent‐free process provides access to γ‐ and δ‐lactones in high regio‐ and stereoselectivity. Reactions were performed at low catalyst loadings and without the need for any additives. The use of a digold pre‐catalyst provides a new synthetic route to functionalised ϵ‐lactones, poorly accessible using previous methodologies.
The palladium‐catalyzed tandem reactions of 2,7‐alkadiynylic carbonates with 2,3‐allenyl sulfamides for the syntheses of fused tricycles such as 1,3,6,7,8,9‐hexahydrofuro[3,4‐h]isoquinoline, 2,3,6,7,8,9‐hexahydro‐1H‐pyrrolo[3,4‐h]isoquinoline, and 2,3,4,7,8,9‐hexahydro‐1H‐cyclopenta[h]isoquinoline derivatives have been developed. A mechanism has been proposed based on the isolation of a by‐product.
The copper‐catalyzed reaction of 5‐substituted penta‐1,4‐diyn‐3‐yl acetates with P(O)H compounds to efficiently give a new class of phosphonyl diynes is reported. The reaction may take place through a regioselective nucleophilic attack of phosphorus nucleophiles on Cu‐allenylidene intermediates to form allenyl intermediates followed by a rapid allene‐alkyne isomerization process. The synthetic utility of the obtained products is demonstrated.
This work describes a successful copper(I)‐catalyzed radical cyclization of β‐haloethylallylamines bearing an unprotected NH‐group while retaining catalyst‐redox activity. The cyclization occurs regio‐ and diastereoselectively at 0 °C and furnishes diversely substituted 1,3‐trans‐(NH)‐pyrrolidines directly in high isolated yields. An involvement of the bulky copper complex in the cyclization step as the possible reason for the diastereoselectivity was proposed. Synthetic applications of the products in the preparation of useful 4‐chloro‐NH‐pyrrole in a single step, has also been demonstrated. A quick, mild and general method involving simple addition of trichloroacetic acid/dimethyl sulfoxide (CCl3CO2H‐DMSO) solution to readily accessible N‐allylaldimines and ketimines tolerating acid‐sensitive and highly deactivating substituents was developed to access the amine precursors.
A simple, efficient and practical iron‐catalyzed azidoarylthiation of alkenes has been developed at room temperature, and the corresponding products containing ortho‐sited sulfide and azide units were obtained in moderate to good yields with good tolerance of functional groups. The protocol uses readily available 1‐(alkylthio)pyrrolidine‐2,5‐diones and trimethylsilyl azide as the alkylthiation and azidation reagents, respectively, inexpensive and environmentally friendly iron chloride as the catalyst without addition of any ligand and additive.
A simple alkylamine [(iPr)2NEt] has been used to activate an air‐ and moisture‐stable iron(II) pre‐catalyst for alkene and alkyne hydrofunctionalization reactions. This amine activation has enabled the highly operationally simple hydrosilylation and hydroboration of alkenes and alkynes using just 0.25–2 mol% iron catalyst and 1–25 mol% amine. Significantly, these reactions proceed in equal yield under both air and inert reaction conditions.
A facile method to synthesize 3‐halobenzo‐heterocyclic‐2‐carbonyl compounds is described. Mechanistic studies suggested that a halo‐cyclization process, which generated the unstable spiro‐acetal transition state and readily convertible to the corresponding carbonyl compound might be involved. Diverse 3‐halobenzo‐heterocyclic‐2‐carbonyl compounds could be synthesized with up to 95 % yield in mild conditions with inexpensive starting materials.
So far, the direct C−H alkenylation of aromatic nitriles with alkynes has not been achieved. Herein, we discribe the first manganese‐catalyzed C−H alkenylation of aromatic N−H imidates to access mono‐alkenylated aromatic nitriles. The reaction is accelerated by the presence of a catalytic amount of sodium pivalate. This protocol is also highlighted by the simple catalytic system, good compatibility of functional groups, and excellent mono‐/dialkenylation selectivity as well as E/Z stereoselectivity.
An efficient asymmetric synthesis of spirocyclohexenone β‐lactams bearing three contiguous stereocenters has been achieved in moderate to good yields and high stereoselectivities. The protocol involves the combination of a squaramide‐catalyzed sulfa‐Michael addition under desymmetrization via a dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic 2,5‐cyclohexadienones.
A new synthetic method for α‐alkynyl‐α,β‐unsaturated esters is presented herein. The method is based on a copper(I)‐catalyzed three‐component reaction of a terminal alkyne, diazoesters and aldehydes. The reaction is featured by mild conditions, high yields and excellent stereoselectivity. Cu(I) carbene migratory insertion is proposed as the key step in the transformation.
A palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of activated amides with arylboronic acids has been developed via C–N bond cleavage. This approach demonstrated high tolerance to a variety of alkyl, aryl, heterocyclic and vinyl substituents. Unsymmetrical ketones could be achieved in excellent yield under mild conditions with 1% catalyst loadings.
Herein we describe a new methodology for the asymmetric hydrogenation (AH) of 2‐substituted pyridinium salts. An iridium catalyst based on a mixture of a chiral monodentate phosphoramidite and an achiral phosphine was shown to hydrogenate N‐benzyl‐2‐arylpyiridinium bromides to the corresponding N‐benzyl‐2‐arylpiperidines with full conversion and good enantioselectivity. The mechanism of the reaction under optimized conditions was investigated via kinetic measurements and isotopic labeling experiments. Our study suggests that the hydrogenation starts with a 1,4‐hydride addition and that the enantiodiscriminating step involves the reduction of an iminium intermediate.
A direct access to multisubstituted 1,3‐dienes by α‐exclusive alkylidenation of crotonic derivatives has been developed. This protocol, mediated by titanium tetrachloride chelation, features excellent regio‐ and stereoselectivity, mild reaction conditions, easy operation and wide substrate scope. Conversions of the derived dienes to other useful molecules were also explored.
