Hexafluoroacetone as protecting and activating reagent: reactions of hexafluoroacetone with α-keto acids

Hexafluoroacetone and α-keto acids react to give 5,5-bis(trifluoromethyl) substituted 2(5H)-furanones and/or 2,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-dioxolan-4-ones depending upon the substituent pattern of the side chain of the acid. A fluoroanalogue of the natural product zymonic acid was obtained from ethyl 3,3,3-trifluoropyruvate and 2-oxosuccinic acid in one step.     

Synthesis of dihydrofuran rings using α‐substituted β‐ketoamides

In this paper is described an unreported method employing α‐alkenyl β‐ketoamides as starting material to give 2,3‐dihydrofurans, precursors of substituted furans.     

Synthesis and fungicidal activity of novel α‐substituted aminomethylphosphonates

A series of O,O‐diphenyl 1‐(5‐alkyl‐1,3,4‐thiadiazol‐2‐yl)aminoarylmethylphosphonates was synthesized by the three‐component condensation reactions of 2‐amino‐5‐alkyl‐1,3,4‐thiadiazoles with triphenyl phosphite and aromatic aldehydes in acetic acid. The reaction conditions were discussed. The structures of products were confirmed by ¹H‐NMR, IR, MS, and elemental analyses. The results of preliminary bioassay showed that the new compounds possess fungicidal activity. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 11:317–322, 2000     

Synthesis of 8‐substituted tetrahydro‐γ‐carbolines

The Fischer reaction is applied to the synthesis of 8‐substituted tetrahydro‐γ‐carbolines with electron‐donating or electron‐withdrawing groups, using catalytic or thermal methods. The reaction conditions must be varied according to the nature of the N 1 substituent of the piperidone. The best results are observed when a releasing group is present on the arylhydrazine and a benzyl substituent on the nitrogen of piperidone. Formation of carbolines with a withdrawing substituent is observed in soft acidic conditions; in others, reaction ended at the hydrazone level or did not evolve.     

Synthesis and reactivity of substituted α‐carbonylphosphonites and their derivatives

Convenient methods for the synthesis of functionalized organophosphorus compounds containing carbonyl groups as well as di‐ or trialkoxymethyl fragments attached to phosphorus, and their derivatives, starting from the available derivatives of trivalent phosphorus acids, are proposed, and some properties of the new functionalized organophosphorus compounds are presented. So, the alkylation and acylation reaction of (dialkoxymethyl) phosphonites and their analogs have been studied. It is found that the Arbuzov rearrangement of these compounds was accompanied by the phosphorus–carbon bond cleavage with unique retention of the three‐coordinate phosphorus. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 23:352–372, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.21024     

Synthesis of highly branched polyethylene using para‐phenyl‐substituted α‐diimine nickel catalysts

A series of para‐phenyl‐substituted α‐diimine nickel complexes, [(2,6‐R₂‐4‐PhC₆H₂N═C(Me))₂]NiBr₂ (R = ⁱPr ( 1 ); R = Et ( 2 ); R = Me ( 3 ); R = H ( 4 )), were synthesized and characterized. These complexes with systematically varied ligand sterics were used as precatalysts for ethylene polymerization in combination with methylaluminoxane. The results indicated the possibility of catalytic activity, molecular weight and polymer microstructure control through catalyst structures and polymerization temperature. Interestingly, it is possible to tune the catalytic activities ((0.30–2.56) × 10⁶ g (mol Ni·h)^?1), polymer molecular weights (M_n = (2.1–28.6) × 10⁴ g mol^?1) and branching densities (71–143/1000 C) over a very wide range. The polyethylene branching densities decreased with increasing bulkiness of ligand and decreasing polymerization temperature. Specifically, methyl‐substituted complex 3 showed high activities and produced highly branched amorphous polyethylene (up to 143 branches per 1000 C).     

One‐pot inimer promoted ROCP synthesis of branched copolyesters using α‐hydroxy‐γ‐butyrolactone as the branching reagent

An array of branched poly(?‐caprolactone)s was successfully synthesized using an one‐pot inimer promoted ring‐opening multibranching copolymerization (ROCP) reaction. The biorenewable, commercially available yet unexploited comonomer and initiator 2‐hydroxy‐γ‐butyrolactone was chosen as the inimer to extend the use of 5‐membered lactones to branched structures and simultaneously avoiding the typical tedious work involved in the inimer preparation. Reactions were carried out both in bulk and in solution using stannous octoate (Sn(Oct)₂) as the catalyst. Polymerizations with inimer equivalents varying from 0.01 to 0.2 were conducted which resulted in polymers with a degree of branching ranging from 0.049 to 0.124. Detailed ROCP kinetics of different inimer systems were compared to illustrate the branch formation mechanism. The resulting polymer structures were confirmed by ¹H, ¹³C, and ₁H‐₁₃C HSQC NMR and SEC (RI detector and triple detectors). The thermal properties of polymers with different degree of branching were investigated by DSC, confirming the branch formation. Through this work, we have extended the current use of the non‐homopolymerizable γ‐butyrolactone to the branched polymers and thoroughly examined its behaviors in ROCP. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1908–1918     

Phosphoryl group differentiating α‐amino acids from β‐ and γ‐amino acids in prebiotic peptide formation

In recent years β‐amino acids have increased their importance enormously in defining secondary structures of β‐peptides. Interest in β‐amino acids raises the question: Why and how did nature choose α‐amino acids for the central role in life? In this article we present experimental results of MS and ³¹P NMR methods on the chemical behavior of N‐phosphorylated α‐alanine, β‐alanine, and γ‐amino butyric acid in different solvents. N‐Phosphoryl α‐alanine can self‐assemble to N‐phosphopeptides either in water or in organic solvents, while no assembly was observed for β‐ or γ‐amino acids. An intramolecular carboxylic–phosphoric mixed anhydride (IMCPA) is the key structure responsible for their chemical behaviors. Relative energies and solvent effects of three isomers of IMCPA derived from α‐alanine (2a–c), with five‐membered ring, and five isomers of IMCPA derived from β‐alanine (4a–e), with six‐membered ring, were calculated with density functional theory at the B3LYP/6‐31G** level. The lower relative energy (3.2 kcal/mol in water) of 2b and lower energy barrier for its formation (16.7 kcal/mol in water) are responsible for the peptide formation from N‐phosphoryl α‐alanine. Both experimental and theoretical studies indicate that the structural difference among α‐, β‐, and γ‐amino acids can be recognized by formation of IMCPA after N‐phosphorylation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 94: 232–241, 2003     

Synthesis of polypeptides from activated urethane derivatives of α‐amino acids

A series of activated urethane‐type derivatives of α‐amino acids were synthesized and applied to polypeptide synthesis. The urethane used herein, N‐(4‐nitrophenoxycarbonyl)‐α‐amino acids 1 , were synthesized by N‐carbamoylation of γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate, β‐benzyl‐L ‐aspartate, L ‐leucine, L ‐phenylalanine, and L ‐proline, with 4‐nitrophenyl chloroformate. When 1 was dissolved in N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and heated at 60 °C, it was smoothly converted into the corresponding polypeptides with releasing 4‐nitrophenol and carbon dioxide. Spectroscopic analyses of the obtained polypeptides revealed that they were comparable with the authentic polypeptides synthesized by the ring‐opening polymerizations of amino acid N‐carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). Besides the successful polycondensations of a series of 1 , their polycondensations of 1a and other 1 were also successfully carried out to obtain the corresponding statistic copolypeptides. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2525–2535, 2008     

Synthesis of macromonomers bearing hydrolyzable segments derived from α‐hydroxyalkanoic acids

Methacrylic macromonomers bearing hydrolyzable oligoester segments are prepared by derivatization of oligo(α‐hydroxyalkanoic acids) (obtained by thermal polycondensation) with methacrylic acid and copolymerized with tert‐butyl acrylate.     

Synthesis of α‐aminophosphonates from α‐hydroxyphosphonates; a theoretical study

Two types of reactions, namely the Pudovik reaction of benzaldehyde and acetophenone with diethyl phosphite as well as the substitution of the α‐hydroxyphosphonates so‐formed by primary amines to afford α‐aminophosphonates, were evaluated by quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) level. An unexpected neighboring group effect was found to enhance the substitution. A series of new α‐aminophosphonates was synthesized by the microwave‐assisted substitution of α‐hydroxyphosphonates by alkylamines.     

Enantioselective Synthesis of α‐Hydroxy Amides and β‐Amino Alcohols from α‐Keto Amides

Synthesis of enantiomerically enriched α‐hydroxy amides and β‐amino alcohols has been accomplished by enantioselective reduction of α‐keto amides with hydrosilanes. A series of α‐keto amides were reduced in the presence of chiral Cu^II/(S)‐DTBM‐SEGPHOS catalyst to give the corresponding optically active α‐hydroxy amides with excellent enantioselectivities by using (EtO)₃SiH as a reducing agent. Furthermore, a one‐pot complete reduction of both ketone and amide groups of α‐keto amides has been achieved using the same chiral copper catalyst followed by tetra‐n‐butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) catalyst in presence of (EtO)₃SiH to afford the corresponding chiral β‐amino alcohol derivatives.     

Iodobenzene‐Catalyzed Synthesis of α‐Azidoketones and α‐Thiocyanatoketones from Aryl Ketones with MCPBA as a Cooxidant

Iodobenzene‐catalyzed synthesis of α‐azidoketones and α‐thiocyanatoketones from aryl ketones with MCPBA as a cooxidant is described. The method is simple, rapid and practical, generating α‐azidoketones and α‐thiocyanatoketones from the aryl ketone without isolation of α‐tosyloxyketones in good to excellent yields.     

A Novel Synthesis of γ,δ‐Unsaturated Aldehydes from α‐Formyl‐γ‐lactones

A preparatively useful one‐step transformation of γ,γ‐disubstituted α‐formyl‐γ‐lactones into trisubstituted γ,δ‐unsaturated aldehydes is described, by means of catalytic amounts of either AcOH or AcOEt in the vapor phase over a glass support. A mechanistic rationale is proposed.     

Hexafluoroacetone as a protecting and activating reagent: 5,5-difluoro- and trans-5-fluoropipecolic acids from glutamic acid

Starting from hexafluoroacetone-protected (S)-glutamic acid, trans-5-fluoropipecolic and 5,5-difluoropipecolic acid have been synthesized. The piperidine ring was constructed by an intramolecular metal carbenoid NH insertion.     

Synthesis and structure of new types of organogermanium compounds containing α‐amino acid or α‐aminophosphonic acid moieties

A series of germasesquioxides and germatranes containing α‐amino acid or α‐aminophosphonic acid moieties was synthesized by the reaction of β‐trichlorogermylpropionyl chloride with α‐amino acid esters or α‐aminophosphonates. The structures of all products were confirmed by ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR, and IR spectra, and elemental analyses. The intramolecular monocyclic penta‐coordinated structure of the trichlorogermyl intermediate was determined by X‐ray diffraction. The X‐ray analyses showed that the geometry about the germanium atom was a slightly distorted trigonal bipyramid, and a coordinate covalent bond exists between the oxygen and the germanium atoms. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 10: 73–78, 1999     

α,α‐Dibromotoluene as a monomer for poly (substituted methylene) synthesis: Magnesium‐mediated polycondensation of α,α‐dibromotoluene and magnesium/copper‐mediated copolycondensation of α,α‐dibromotoluene with 1,6‐dibromohexane

α,α‐Dibromotoluene 1 was found to be polymerized by the reaction with excess Mg to give poly(phenylmethylene)s 2 , whose main chains were partially dehydrogenated to carbon–carbon double bonds (C?C). The C?Cs in 2 can be brominated by treatment with Br₂. The polymerization mechanism was presumed to include the formation of Grignard reagents of various species with benzylic C? Br bonds and the nucleophilic attacks of the Grignard reagents to various compounds with benzylic C? Br bonds. Copolymerization of 1 with dichlorodimethylsilane successfully proceeded. Mg/Cu‐mediated copolycondensation of 1 with 1,6‐dibromohexane proceeded to give polymers that have similar compositions to those of random copolymers of ethylene and styrene. © 2006Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5661–5671, 2006