β‐Cyclodextrin Immobilized onto Dowex Resin: A Unique Microvessel and Heterogeneous Catalyst in Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions

The catalytic activity of β‐cyclodextrin immobilized on Dowex resin as an efficient solid‐liquid phase transfer catalyst was developed for the synthesis of alkyl thiocyanates and phenacyl derivatives in water. The nucleophilic substitution reactions were performed under mild reaction condition and gave the products in excellent yields. Furthermore, the catalyst could be recycled by facile separation without any loss of activity.     

Silver(I)‐Catalyzed Diastereoselective Synthesis of anti‐1,2‐Hydroxyboronates

A catalytic protocol for the diastereoselective synthesis of anti‐1,2‐hydroxyboronates is described. The process provides access to secondary alkyl organoborons. The deborylative 1,2‐addition reactions of alkyl 1,1‐diborons proceed in the presence of a silver(I) salt with either KOtBu or nBuLi as an activator. The catalytic diastereoselective protocol can be extended to aryl, alkenyl, and alkyl aldehydes with up to 99:1 d.r.     

Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Radical Alkenylation of α‐Carbonyl Alkyl Bromides and Benzyl Bromides

Through the use of [Ru(bpy)₃Cl₂] (bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine) and [Ir(ppy)₃] (ppy=phenylpyridine) as photocatalysts, we have achieved the first example of visible‐light photocatalytic radical alkenylation of various α‐carbonyl alkyl bromides and benzyl bromides to furnish α‐vinyl carbonyls and allylbenzene derivatives, prominent structural elements of many bioactive molecules. Specifically, this transformation is regiospecific and can tolerate primary, secondary, and even tertiary alkyl halides that bear β‐hydrides, which can be challenging with traditional palladium‐catalyzed approaches. The key initiation step of this transformation is visible‐light‐induced single‐electron reduction of C? Br bonds to generate alkyl radical species promoted by photocatalysts. The following carbon? carbon bond‐forming step involves a radical addition step rather than a metal‐mediated process, thereby avoiding the undesired β‐hydride elimination side reaction. Moreover, we propose that the Ru and Ir photocatalysts play a dual role in the catalytic system: they absorb energy from the visible light to facilitate the reaction process and act as a medium of electron transfer to activate the alkyl halides more effectively. Overall, this photoredox catalysis method opens new synthetic opportunities for the efficient alkenylation of alkyl halides that contain β‐hydrides under mild conditions.     

Acid Catalyzed tert‐Butylation and Tritylation of 4‐Nitro‐1,2,3‐triazole: Selective Synthesis of 1‐Methyl‐5‐nitro‐1,2,3‐triazole via 1‐tert‐Butyl‐4‐nitro‐1,2,3‐triazole

4‐Nitro‐1,2,3‐triazole was found to react with tert‐butanol in concentrated sulfuric acid to yield 1‐tert‐butyl‐4‐nitro‐1,2,3‐triazole as the only reaction product, whereas tert‐butylation and tritylation of 4‐nitro‐1,2,3‐triazole in presence of catalytic amount of sulfuric acid in benzene was found to provide mixtures of isomeric 1‐ and 2‐alkyl‐4‐nitro‐1,2,3‐triazoles with predominance of N2‐alkylated products. A new methodology for preparation of 1‐alkyl‐5‐nitro‐1,2,3‐triazoles from 1‐tert‐butyl‐4‐nitro‐1,2,3‐triazole via exhaustive alkylation followed by removal of tert‐butyl group from intermediate triazolium salts was demonstrated by the example of preparation of 1‐methyl‐5‐nitro‐1,2,3‐triazole.     

Methanesulfonic Acid‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Synthesis of 12‐Aryl or 12‐Alkyl‐8,9,10,12‐tetrahydrobenzo[a]xanthen‐11‐one Derivatives

An efficient synthesis of 12‐aryl or 12‐alkyl‐8,9,10,12‐tetrahydrobenzo[a]xanthen‐11‐one derivatives has been developed under solvent‐free conditions by one‐pot condensation of aldehydes, 2‐naphthol, and cyclic 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds in the presence of a catalytic amount of methanesulfonic acid. The protocol has advantages of mild condition, short reaction time, high yield, and operational simplicity.     

Solvent‐Free Photooxidation of Alkanes by Dioxygen with 2,3‐Dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐p‐benzoquinone via Photoinduced Electron Transfer

Photooxidation of alkanes by dioxygen occurred under visible light irradiation of 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐p‐benzoquinone (DDQ) which acts as a super photooxidant. Solvent‐free hydroxylation of cyclohexane and alkanes is initiated by electron transfer from alkanes to the singlet and triplet excited states of DDQ to afford the corresponding radical cations and DDQ^??, as revealed by femtosecond laser‐induced transient absorption measurements. Alkane radical cations readily deprotonate to produce alkyl radicals, which react with dioxygen to afford alkylperoxyl radicals. Alkylperoxyl radicals abstract hydrogen atoms from alkanes to yield alkyl hydroperoxides, accompanied by regeneration of alkyl radicals to constitute the radical chain reactions, so called autoxidation. The radical chain is terminated in the bimolecular reactions of alkylperoxyl radicals to yield the corresponding alcohols and ketones. DDQ^??, produced by the photoinduced electron transfer from alkanes to the excited state of DDQ, disproportionates with protons to yield DDQH₂.     

Direct Regiospecific and Highly Enantioselective Intermolecular α‐Allylic Alkylation of Aldehydes by a Combination of Transition‐Metal and Chiral Amine Catalysts

The first direct intermolecular regiospecific and highly enantioselective α‐allylic alkylation of linear aldehydes by a combination of achiral bench‐stable Pd⁰ complexes and simple chiral amines as co‐catalysts is disclosed. The co‐catalytic asymmetric chemoselective and regiospecific α‐allylic alkylation reaction is linked in tandem with in situ reduction to give the corresponding 2‐alkyl alcohols with high enantiomeric ratios (up to 98:2 e.r.; e.r.=enantiomeric ratio). It is also an expeditious entry to valuable 2‐alkyl substituted hemiacetals, 2‐alkyl‐butane‐1,4‐diols, and amines. The concise co‐catalytic asymmetric total syntheses of biologically active natural products (e.g., Arundic acid) are disclosed.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Regioselective Hydroalkylation of 1,3‐Dienes with Alkyl Fluorides and Grignard Reagents

Copper complexes generated in situ from CuCl₂, alkyl Grignard reagents, and 1,3‐dienes play important roles as catalytic active species for the 1,2‐hydroalkylation of 1,3‐dienes by alkyl fluorides through C? F bond cleavage. The alkyl group is introduced to an internal carbon atom of the 1,3‐diene regioselectively, thus giving rise to the branched terminal alkene product.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Intramolecular Homologation of Ketones with α‐Diazoesters: Synthesis of Cyclic α‐Aryl/Alkyl β‐Ketoesters

A catalytic asymmetric intramolecular homologation of simple ketones with α‐diazoesters was firstly accomplished with a chiral N,N′‐dioxide–Sc(OTf)₃ complex. This method provides an efficient access to chiral cyclic α‐aryl/alkyl β‐ketoesters containing an all‐carbon quaternary stereocenter. Under mild conditions, a variety of aryl‐ and alkyl‐substituted ketone groups reacted with α‐diazoester groups smoothly through an intramolecular addition/rearrangement process, producing the β‐ketoesters in high yield and enantiomeric excess.     

Synthesis and quantitative structure–activity relationship of a new series of chiral 4‐alkoxycarbonyl‐2‐(alkylamino)‐1,3,2‐oxa or thiazaphospholidine‐2‐ones

Twenty‐one of the chiral 4‐alkoxycarbonyl‐2‐(α‐alkyl‐α‐ethoxycarbonyl methylamino)‐1,3‐2‐thia or oxazaphospholidine‐2‐ones have been synthesized by cyclization of L‐serine or L‐cysteine ethyl or n‐octyl ester with phosphoryl chloride followed by reaction with a suitable L‐amino acid ethyl ester. Proton NMR, IR, and mass spectra of these compounds have been discussed in detail. These compounds inhibited up to 68.52% of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) at the 1 ppm concentration level. Regression analysis showed that AChE inhibition was determined by both the steric and electronic effects of the alkyl groups of the amino acid. The enzyme inhibition correlated directly with the steric bulk of the alkyl groups, indicating a steric requirement for maximizing inhibitor–enzyme interaction and an inverse relationship with the electron‐donating ability of the alkyl groups. This supports the concept of a nucleophilic attack mechanism of a hydroxyl group of a serine amino acid in the enzyme active center on the partially positive phosphorus atom of the oxazaphospholidines and thiazaphospholidines, with correlation coefficients of 0.999 and 0.838, respectively. Results also indicated that the steric requirement was more important than the electronic factor in affecting the inhibition process, which explained the high activity of compounds containing the isoleucine moiety. The high AChE inhibition activity of these compounds and the expected nontoxic products of their in vivo hydrolysis make them eligible for pesticidal application. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 10: 475–480, 1999     

Synthesis and Pharmacological Evaluation of a Novel Series of 2‐((2‐Aryl thiazol‐4‐yl)methyl)‐5‐(alkyl/alkylnitrile thio)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole Derivatives as Possible Antifungal Agents

In the present investigation, a novel series of 2‐[(2‐arylthiazol‐4‐yl)methyl]‐5‐(alkyl/alkylnitrile thio)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives were synthesized by cyclo‐condensation of 2‐(2‐substituted thiazol‐4‐yl)aceto hydrazide with carbon disulfide followed by S‐alkylation with alkyl halide in dry acetone. All the newly synthesized compounds were characterized by spectral (IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, mass, and elemental analysis) methods. The title compounds were screened for in vitro antifungal activity and most of the synthesized compounds show moderate to good antifungal activity.     

Enantio‐ and Diastereoselective 1,2‐Additions to α‐Ketoesters with Diborylmethane and Substituted 1,1‐Diborylalkanes

The catalytic enantioselective synthesis of boronate‐substituted tertiary alcohols through additions of diborylmethane and substituted 1,1‐diborylalkanes to α‐ketoesters is reported. The reactions are catalyzed by readily available chiral phosphine/copper(I) complexes and produce β‐hydroxyboronates containing up to two contiguous stereogenic centers in up to 99:1 e.r. and greater than 20:1 d.r. The utility of the organoboron products is demonstrated through several chemoselective functionalizations. Evidence indicates the reactions occur via an enantioenriched α‐boryl‐copper‐alkyl intermediate.     

2‐Azido‐2‐deoxycellulose: Synthesis and 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition

Chitosan ( 1 ) was prepared by basic hydrolysis of chitin of an average molecular weight of 70000 Da, ¹H‐NMR spectra indicating almost complete deacetylation. N‐Phthaloylation of 1 yielded the known N‐phthaloylchitosan ( 2 ), which was tritylated to provide 3a and methoxytritylated to 3b . Dephthaloylation of 3a with NH₂NH₂?H₂O gave the 6‐O‐tritylated chitosan 4a . Similarly, 3b gave the 6‐O‐methoxytritylated 4b . CuSO₄‐Catalyzed diazo transfer to 4a yielded 95% of the azide 5a , and uncatalyzed diazo transfer to 4b gave 82% of azide 5b . Further treatment of 5a with CuSO₄ produced 2‐azido‐2‐deoxycellulose ( 7 ). Demethoxytritylation of 5b in HCOOH gave 2‐azido‐2‐deoxy‐3,6‐di‐O‐formylcellulose ( 6 ), which was deformylated to 7 . The 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of 7 to a range of phenyl‐, (phenyl)alkyl‐, and alkyl‐monosubstituted alkynes in DMSO in the presence of CuI gave the 1,2,3‐triazoles 8 – 15 in high yields.     

PPh3‐Catalyzed Reactions of Alkyl Propiolates with N‐Tosylimines: A Facile Synthesis of Alkyl 2‐[aryl(tosylimino)methyl]acrylate and an Insight into the Reaction Mechanism

A new PPh₃‐catalyzed synthesis of alkyl 2‐[aryl(tosylimino)methyl]acrylates from propiolate and N‐tosylimine has been developed. Deuterium‐labelling experiments show that the reaction mechanism involves several hydrogen‐transfer processes, which are not the turnover‐limiting step and strongly rely on the nature of the reaction media. The stable phosphonium–enamine zwitterion, which was proven to play an important role in the catalytic cycle, has been isolated and characterised by X‐ray analysis.     

Radical‐Based C−C Bond‐Forming Processes Enabled by the Photoexcitation of 4‐Alkyl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines

We report herein that 4‐alkyl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines (alkyl‐DHPs) can directly reach an electronically excited state upon light absorption and trigger the generation of C(sp³)‐centered radicals without the need for an external photocatalyst. Selective excitation with a violet‐light‐emitting diode turns alkyl‐DHPs into strong reducing agents that can activate reagents through single‐electron transfer manifolds while undergoing homolytic cleavage to generate radicals. We used this photochemical dual‐reactivity profile to trigger radical‐based carbon–carbon bond‐forming processes, including nickel‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions.     

Tackling N‐Alkyl Imines with 3d Metal Catalysis: Highly Enantioselective Iron‐Catalyzed Synthesis of α‐Chiral Amines

A readily activated iron alkyl precatalyst effectively catalyzes the highly enantioselective hydroboration of N‐alkyl imines. Employing a chiral bis(oxazolinylmethylidene)isoindoline pincer ligand, the asymmetric reduction of various acyclic N‐alkyl imines provided the corresponding α‐chiral amines in excellent yields and with up to >99 % ee. The applicability of this base metal catalytic system was further demonstrated with the synthesis of the pharmaceuticals Fendiline and Tecalcet.     

Synthesis of novel N‐alkyl/aryl‐N′‐(4‐arylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐N″‐xylosyl guanidines

The reaction of 2,3,4‐tri‐O‐acetyl‐β‐D‐xylopyranosyl isothiocyanate ( 1 ) and 2‐amino‐4‐arylthiazoles ( 2 ) gave xylosylthioureas 3 . These thiourea derivatives reacted with alkyl/aryl amine in the presence of HgCl₂ to give a new series of N‐alkyl/aryl‐N″‐(4‐arylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐N″‐xylosyl guanidines 4 . Some of the synthesized guanidines were screened for their biological activity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 18:688–694, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20379     

A rhodium‐catalyzed route for oxidative coupling and cyclization of 2‐aminobenzyl alcohol with ketones leading to quinolines

2‐Aminobenzyl alcohol undergoes oxidative cyclization with aryl(alkyl), alkyl(alkyl) and cyclic ketones in dioxane at 80° in the presence of a catalytic amount of RhCl(PPh₃)₃ along with KOH to afford the corresponding quinolines in good yields. The catalytic pathway seems to be proceeded via a sequence involving initial oxidation of 2‐aminobenzyl alcohol to 2‐aminobenzaldehyde by a rhodium catalyst, cross aldol reaction between 2‐aminobenzaldehyde and ketones, and cyclodehydration.     

Synergistic Diastereo‐ and Enantioselective Functionalization of Unactivated Alkyl Quinolines with α,β‐Unsaturated Aldehydes

A novel alkyl functionalization of unactivated alkyl quinolines has been developed combining InCl₃ activation with organocatalytic activation of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes in a synergistic fashion. The reaction proceeds in a highly stereoselective manner as a sequence involving two consecutive synergistic catalytic cycles (Lewis acid‐ and iminium ion‐catalyzed) and requires neither pre‐activated alkyl quinoline substrates with electron‐withdrawing substituents nor highly activated electrophiles. The reaction provides selectively double‐ or mono‐addition products in good yields and high to excellent stereoselectivities. Furthermore, based on spectroscopic and labelling experiments, the mechanisms for the reactions are discussed.     

Transmetallation Versus β‐Hydride Elimination: The Role of 1,4‐Benzoquinone in Chelation‐Controlled Arylation Reactions with Arylboronic Acids

The formation of an atypical, saturated, diarylated, Heck/Suzuki, domino product produced under oxidative Heck reaction conditions, employing arylboronic acids and a chelating vinyl ether, has been investigated by DFT calculations. The calculations highlight the crucial role of 1,4‐benzoquinone (BQ) in the reaction. In addition to its role as an oxidant of palladium, which is necessary to complete the catalytic cycle, this electron‐deficient alkene opens up a low‐energy reaction pathway from the post‐insertion σ‐alkyl complex. The association of BQ lowers the free‐energy barrier for transmetallation of the σ‐alkyl complex to create a pathway that is energetically lower than the oxidative Heck reaction pathway. Furthermore, the calculations showed that the reaction is made viable by BQ‐mediated reductive elimination and leads to the saturated diarylated product.