Assembly of Enantioenriched cis‐3a,8a‐Hexahydropyrrolo[2,3‐b]indole Scaffolds by Silver(I)‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Domino Reaction of Isocyanoacetates in the Presence of Cinchona‐Derived Chiral Phosphorus Ligands

By using Cinchona‐derived chiral phosphines as catalytic ligands, enantioenriched cis‐3a,8a‐hexahydropyrrolo[2,3‐b]indoles (ent‐HPIs), which are core scaffolds in a large array of biologically active natural products, can be convergently assembled under mild conditions through the silver(I)‐catalyzed asymmetric domino reaction of readily available isocyanoacetates and 2‐(2‐aminophenyl)acrylates. Various functionalities can be tolerated in the reaction, affording enantioenriched HPIs in high overall yields and good enantioselectivities (up to 92% ees).

     

Copper(II)/Silver(I)‐Catalyzed Sequential Alkynylation and Annulation of Aliphatic Amides with Alkynyl Carboxylic Acids: Efficient Synthesis of Pyrrolidones

A highly efficient protocol for the synthesis of pyrrolidones by the copper‐catalyzed alkynylation/annulation of aliphatic amides with alkynyl carboxylic acids is discussed in this paper. A broad range of easily accessible alkynyl carboxylic acids were introduced at the β‐methyl group of aliphatic amides with the assistance of an 8‐aminoquinolyl auxiliary group via decarboxylation to achieve the subsequent cyclic C N bond formation within one hour. High selectivity of β‐methyl groups over methylene groups was observed, and the extension of this catalytic system to the activation of methylene C H bonds failed. The substrates with two different groups at the α‐position of the aliphatic amides lead to the formation of diastereoisomers which is determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The initially produced products with Z‐configurations can be easily transformed to the corresponding products with E‐configurations by the treatment with dilute p‐toluenesulfonic acid after the reaction. This catalytic tandem decarboxylative cyclization provides a new opportunity for the direct functionalization of sp³ C H bonds.

     

Metal‐Free Autoxidative Nitrooxylation of Alkenyl Oximes with Molecular Oxygen

A metal‐free aerobic autoxidative nitrooxylation of alkenyl oximes mediated by tert‐butyl nitrite is described. Molecular oxygen is used as the oxidizing reagent, avoiding use of organic trapping reagents such as 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine 1‐oxyl (TEMPO). The desired products were obtained in generally high yields.

     

Manganese(II)‐Mediated Domino Annulation Reaction of Vinyl Azides and 4‐Hydroxycoumarin: A Stereoselective Synthesis of Spirobenzofuranone‐lactams

A manganese(II) acetate‐catalyzed domino reaction of vinyl azides and 4‐hydroxycoumarin has been developed for the synthesis of polyfunctionalized spirofuranone‐lactams. A wide range of vinyl azides are capable of providing the desired spirofuranone‐lactams in good to excellent yields. The reaction was achieved via thermal decomposition of vinyl azides to 2H‐azirines, followed by an intramolecular nucleophilic attack and stereoselective cyclization. The mild reaction conditions and easy operation make this reaction advantageous for the synthesis of spirofuranone‐lactams.

     

Enantioselective One‐Pot Reaction: Organocatalyzed Synthesis of Fully Functionalized Oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octanes with Seven Contiguous Stereocenters

An enantioselective one‐pot Michael/Michael/Henry/hemiacetalization reaction between α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes, α‐ketoamides, and nitroalkenes under mild conditions catalyzed by a diarylprolinol silyl ether has been developed. The sequential methodology provides a direct approach to a wide range of fully substituted chiral oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octanes with seven contiguous stereocenters in moderate to excellent yields (up to 99%), high to excellent diastereoselectivities (up to >25:1 dr), and high to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee).

     

Enantioselective Construction of Cyclic Enaminone‐Based 3‐Substituted 3‐Amino‐2‐oxindole Scaffolds via Catalytic Asymmetric Additions of Isatin‐Derived Imines

The first catalytic asymmetric construction of the cyclic enaminone‐based 3‐substituted 3‐amino‐2‐oxindole scaffold with potential bioactivity has been developed via chiral phosphoric acid‐catalyzed enantioselective addition reactions of cyclic enaminones to isatin‐derived imines, which afforded a series of cyclic enaminone‐based 3‐substituted 3‐amino‐2‐oxindoles in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% yield, 97% ee). The investigation of the reaction mechanism suggested that it was facilitated by a dual hydrogen‐bonding activation mode between the two substrates and the chiral phosphoric acid. Besides, this method could be utilized for a large‐scale synthesis with maintained enantioselectivity. This approach will not only offer a useful method for enantioselective construction of the cyclic enaminone‐based 3‐substituted 3‐amino‐2‐oxindole scaffold, but also enrich the research on catalytic asymmetric addition reactions of isatin‐derived imines by using electron‐rich olefins as nucleophiles. More importantly, a preliminary evaluation on the cytotoxicity of some selected products revealed that two of the enantio‐pure compounds exhibited moderate to strong cytotoxicity to A549, 786‐0, ECA109 and BT474 cancer cell lines.

     

Copper‐Catalyzed Allenylation‐Isomerization Sequence of Penta‐1,4‐diyn‐3‐yl Acetates with P(O)H Compounds: Facile Synthesis of 1‐Phosphonyl 2,4‐Diynes

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.

     

Enhanced mechanical,thermal and dielectric properties of polyimide nanocomposites containing SiCp (SiCw) nanofillers for high energy-storage applications

Journal of Polymer Research - In this paper, we aimed to develop the nanocarrier based on poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide)—allyl acetoacetate grafted MoS2 nanosheets. The obtained polymer...     

Constructing porous ZnO/SnO2 nanocomposites for the detection of methane at low operating temperature

Journal of Porous Materials - Aimed at detecting methane (CH4) gas at low operating temperature, porous ZnO/SnO2 nanocomposites were constructed through a simple two-step method. Pure SnO2 with a...