Pyrrolidines from beta-aminoselenides via radical cyclization. Diastereoselectivity control by the N-substituent

N-Allyl-beta-aminoalkyl phenyl selenides-precursors of 3-aza-5-hexenyl radicals-were prepared by ring opening of N-allylaziridines with benzeneselenol under acidic conditions or by sodium cyanoborohydride reduction of N-allylimines of alpha-phenylselenenyl ketones. The effect of various N-protective groups (acyl, sulfonyl, or phosphinoyl) on diastereoselectivity in thermally or photochemically initiated 3-aza-5-hexenyl reductive radical cyclization was studied. Whereas N-unprotected derivatives afforded trans-2,4-disubstituded pyrrolidines with good selectivity, the diphenylphosphinoyl group directed cyclization to occur in a highly cis-selective manner.     

Metal‐Free Allene‐Based Synthesis of Enantiopure Fused Polycyclic Sultones

The controlled metal‐free preparation of fused δ‐sultone derivatives has been developed starting from hydroxyallenynes. The use of 2‐(3,3‐diethyltriaz‐1‐enyl)‐4‐methylbenzene‐1‐sulfonyl chloride in a sulfonylation/rearrangement sequence gives access to 1,3‐dien‐2‐yl arenesulfonates. These functionalized enynes suffered a direct cyclization/desaturation radical cascade, allowing the synthesis of a variety of enynyl [1,2]oxathiine 1,1‐dioxides. Stereoselective cyclization of the readily formed core through intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction has also been demonstrated, affording β‐lactam‐ and glucofuranoside‐fused δ‐sultone polycycles. These selective reactions have been studied experimentally and additionally, their reaction mechanisms have been investigated computationally by means of density functional theory calculations.     

Enantioselective radical cyclization of α,β-unsaturated sulfonyl compounds

Enantioselective intramolecular radical cyclization of benzimidazolyl iodoalkenyl and iodoalkadienyl sulfones using chiral Lewis acids gave products with good enantioselectivity. Newly formed chiral centers could be induced effectively by enantioselective coordination to one of the sulfonyl oxygens.     

Theoretical study of the conversion of sulfonyl precursors into chains of poly(p-phenylene vinylene)

The elimination and side reactions involved in the thermal conversion of sulfonyl precursor chains into poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) have been studied in detail, using Density Functional theory, along with the MPW1K functional. The performance of the MPW1K functional for describing radical dissociation and internal conversion reactions of sulfonyl precursors has been assessed against the results of benchmark CCSD(T) calculations. Enthalpies as well as entropies are calculated at different temperatures at the level of the rigid rotor-harmonic oscillator approximation. Entropy effects on internal elimination reactions are very limited. In sharp contrast, at the temperatures under which the conversion is usually performed (550 K), entropy contributions to the activation energies are found to be very significant and to strongly favor direct radical dissociations of the precursors. Further radical side reactions following an E(i) conversion through an alkyl substituent may also significantly contribute to the formation of sp(3) defects and/or cross-linked structures in the polymer-an advantageous feature for the making of materials with improved photoluminescence efficiencies.     

Regiochemistry in aryl radical cyclization onto methylenecycloalkanes

Bu(3)SnH-mediated aryl radical cyclization onto methylenecycloalkanes having a phenylthio, an ester, or a nitrile group at the terminus of the alkenic bond provides exclusively exo cyclization products. The results are in sharp contrast to those reported for nonsubstituted methylenecycloalkanes, which give exclusively endo cyclization products. Formation of endo cyclization products has been suggested to be a result of a consecutive 5-exo cyclization of an aryl radical and neophyl rearrangement. The exo-selective aryl radical cyclization offers a new method for synthesizing fused aromatic compounds containing a benzylic quaternary carbon atom.     

Gold(I)‐Catalyzed N‐Desulfonylative Amination versus N‐to‐O 1,5‐Sulfonyl Migration: A Versatile Approach to 1‐Azabicycloalkanes

Valuable 1‐azabicycloalkane derivatives have been synthesized through a novel gold(I)‐catalyzed desulfonylative cyclization strategy. An ammoniumation reaction of ynones substituted at the 1‐position with an N‐sulfonyl azacycle took place in the presence of a gold cation by intramolecular cyclization of the disubstituted sulfonamide moiety onto the triple bond. Depending on the size of the heterocyclic ring and substitution of the substrates, two unprecedented forms of nucleophilic attack on the sulfonyl group were exploited, that is, a N‐desulfonylation in the presence of an external protic O nucleophile (37–87 %, 10 examples) and a unique N‐to‐O 1,5‐sulfonyl migration (60–98 %, 9 examples).     

Visible-light-irradiated tandem sulfonylation/cyclization of indole tethered alkenes for the synthesis of tetrahydrocarbazoles

A visible-light-mediated reaction of indole derivatives employing arylsulfonyl chlorides as sulfonyl surrogates has been developed, which proceeds via the sequence of reduction of sulfonyl chloride, sulfonylation, and intramolecular cyclization. This mild protocol transforms a diverse array of indole tethered alkenes and simple sulfonyl chlorides into highly valuable functionalized tetrahydrocarbazoles in good yields. This reaction is also suitable for gram-scale synthesis, which provides an efficient and green access to multi-substituted tetrahydrocarbazoles.     

Microwave assisted metal-/oxidant-free cascade electrophilic sulfenylation/5-endo-dig cyclization of 2-alkynylanilines to generate diversified 3-sulfenylindoles

A metal-/oxidant-free sustainable protocol for the synthesis of 3-sulfenylindoles based on electrophilic cyclization of 2-alkynylanilines has been developed under microwave irradiation. Herein, catalytic amount of iodine and stoichiometric amount of sulfonyl hydrazides were employed as catalyst and electrophiles respectively to induce the 5-endo-dig cyclization of 2-alkynylanilines. This strategy allows a wide substrate scope, demonstrates good functional group tolerance, utilizes easily available reagents and overcome multistep synthesis.     

Time and Atom Economical Regio- and Chemoselective Radical Cyclization of Unactivated 1,6-Enynes Under Metal- and Oxidant-Free Conditions

We developed time-atom economic regio- and chemoselective sulfonyl radical triggered 5-exo-dig cyclization of unactivated 1,6-enynes with sulfonyl halides under metal, additive-free reaction conditions to achieve highly substituted five-membered heterocyclic compounds. This transformation creates three new bonds, such as C−SO₂, C−C, and active C−I/Br bonds. Importantly, one-pot protocols produce desired products directly from sodium sulfinates and have an additional advantage such as minimising chemical waste, saving time, and simplifying practical aspects compared to existing protocols.     

A General Approach to Deboronative Radical Chain Reactions with Pinacol Alkylboronic Esters

The generation of carbon‐centered radicals from air‐sensitive organoboron compounds through nucleohomolytic substitution at boron is a general method to generate non‐functionalized and functionalized radicals. Due to their reduced Lewis acidity, alkylboronic pinacol esters are not suitable substrates. We report their in situ conversion into alkylboronic catechol esters by boron‐transesterification with a substoichiometric amount of catechol methyl borate combined with an array of radical chain processes. This simple one‐pot radical‐chain deboronative method enables the conversion of pinacol boronic esters into iodides, bromides, chlorides, and thioethers. The process is also suitable the formation of nitriles and allylated compounds through C?C bond formation using sulfonyl radical traps. The power of combining radical and classical boron chemistry is illustrated with a modular 5‐membered ring formation using a combination of three‐component coupling and protodeboronative cyclization.     

Nucleophilic epoxidation of alpha'-hydroxy dienyl sulfoxides

A novel route to enantiopure densely functionalized epoxy sulfinyl tetrahydrofurans, based on the unexpected and highly stereoselective remote nucleophilic epoxidation of hydroxy 1-sulfinyl butadienes with t-BuOOK, followed by ring closure and subsequent epoxidation of the resulting sulfinyl dihydrofurans, is described. Alternatively, the treatment of these dienes with m-CPBA followed by acid-catalyzed cyclization gives rise to related sulfonyl dihydrofurans in high yields but with low selectivity. The stereochemical outcome of the nucleophilic epoxidation of these substrates has also been studied.     

Iron-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective chlorosulfonylation of terminal alkynes with aromatic sulfonyl chlorides

Terminal alkynes react with aromatic sulfonyl chlorides in the presence of an iron(II) catalyst and a phosphine ligand to give (E)-β-chlorovinylsulfones with 100% regio- and stereoselectivity. Various functional groups, such as chloride, bromide, iodide, nitro, ketone, and aldehyde, are tolerated under the reaction conditions. Addition of tosyl chloride to a 1,6-enyne followed by radical 5-exo-trig cyclization gave an exocyclic alkenylsulfone.     

Efficient Synthesis of 3-Aryl-5-chloroindan-1-ones via Free Radical–Mediated Intramolecular Cyclization

An efficient free radical–mediated intramolecular cyclization strategy has been developed for the synthesis of 3-aryl-5-chloroindan-1-ones. Variously substituted 2,4-dichloroenones afforded 3-aryl-5-chloroindan-1-ones in quantitative yields upon intramolecular cyclization under free radical conditions.     

自由基环化制备β-内酰胺的理论研究

使用密度泛函方法在UB3LYP/6-311＋＋G(3df, 2p)水平上对自由基环化合成β-内酰胺的四种反应途径进行理论研究. 结合Marcus理论对影响反应的热力学及动力学因素进行分析, 发现氨基甲酰基自由基4-exo环合反应是理想的动力学控制过程; 酰胺自由基的4-exo环合反应与5-endo环合反应相比是动力学有利的转化过程; 单取代的酰胺烷基自由基的4-exo环合反应是一类动力学和热力学都较为不利的反应; 羰基自由基加成亚胺N＝C双键的4-exo环合反应与5-endo环合反应相比动力学不利而热力学有利.     

Synthesis and Biological Activities of 3‐Substituted Analogues of Tenuazonic Acid

A series of tenuazonic acid analogues in which the acetyl group was replaced with electron‐withdrawing substituents have been synthesized with the aim of obtaining molecules with various bioactivities. Substituents such as cyano, sulfonyl, and amido were introduced at the 3‐position of the pyrrolidine‐2,4‐dione nucleus of tenuazonic acid. 3‐Cyano and sulfonyl pyrrolidine‐2,4‐dione compounds ( 2 and 6 ) were prepared via a Dieckmann cyclization as key step. 3‐Amido pyrrolidine‐2,4‐dione compounds ( 9 ) were prepared by a microwave‐assisted amidation reaction from corresponding 3‐carboxylate derivative. The target compounds were evaluated; their herbicidal, fungicidal, and insecticidal activities, and the preliminary bioassay data showed that some 3‐cyanopyrrolidine‐2,4‐diones 2 gave good insecticidal activity, whereas some 3‐amido compounds 9 exhibited moderate to strong fungicidal activity against Pythium dissimile at 20 mg/L.     

Photoredox-catalyzed aminofluorosulfonylation of unactivated olefins

The development of efficient approaches to access sulfonyl fluorides is of great significance because of the widespread applications of these structural motifs in many areas, among which the emerging sulfur(vi) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) click chemistry is the most prominent. Here, we report the first three-component aminofluorosulfonylation of unactivated olefins by merging photoredox-catalyzed proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) activation with radical relay processes. Various aliphatic sulfonyl fluorides featuring a privileged 5-membered heterocyclic core have been efficiently afforded under mild conditions with good functional group tolerance. The synthetic potential of the sulfonyl fluoride products has been examined by diverse transformations including SuFEx reactions and transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that amidyl radicals, alkyl radicals and sulfonyl radicals are involved in this difunctionalization transformation.

A three-component aminofluorosulfonylation of unactivated alkenes has been developed by merging photocatalytic PCET with radical relay processes, affording various aliphatic sulfonyl fluorides featuring medicinally privileged heterocyclic scaffolds.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 2-aryl-2,3-dihydro-4-quinolones via bifunctional thiourea-mediated intramolecular cyclization

A novel asymmetric preparation of optically enriched 2-aryl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones has been developed. By installing a sulfonyl group on the nitrogen of the anilines and an ester function on the unsaturated ketones, an intramolecular organocatalytic cyclization took place readily in a stereoselective manner, resulting in the formation of dihydroquinolones with high enantioselectivity.     

Access to 1,2,3-triazole-fused isoindolines via an unexpected Lewis acid catalyzed cyclization reaction

An unexpected cyclization reaction of N-sulfonyl 1,2,3-triazoles carrying the electron-deficient alkenes with amines under the catalysis of Lewis acid has been accomplished. This strategy involves the removal of the sulfonyl group and further intramolecular 1,4-addition, providing a series of 1,2,3-triazole-fused isoindoline compounds in good yields under the mild conditions.     

H4SiW12O40-catalyzed cyclization of epoxides/aldehydes and sulfonyl hydrazides: An efficient synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted 1H-pyrazoles

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of pyrazoles through a silicotungstic acid(H₄Si W₁₂O₄₀)-catalyzed cyclization of epoxides/aldehydes and sulfonyl hydrazides has been developed. Various epoxides/aldehydes were smoothly reacted with sulfonyl hydrazides to furnish regioselectivity 3,4-disubstituted 1H-pyrazoles. The application of such an earth-abundant, readily accessible, and nontoxic catalyst provides a green approach for the construction of 3,4-di...     

Convenient Synthesis of Thioester-Substituted Oxindoles by Palladium-Catalyzed Thiocarbonylative Cyclization with Sulfonyl Chlorides as the Sulfur Source

A general and straightforward strategy for the synthesis of thioester-substituted oxindoles via a palladium-catalyzed thiocarbonylative cyclization process has been developed. With sulfonyl chlorides as promising sulfur source, a wide range of thioester-substituted oxindoles were obtained in moderate to high yields. Both aryl and alkyl sulfonyl chlorides were well tolerated, and Mo(CO)₆ played a dual role as both a CO source and a reductant in this approach.