Asymmetric synthesis of epoxides from aromatic aldehydes and benzyl halides catalyzed by C2 symmetric optically active sulfides having a binaphthyl skeleton

Reactions of aromatic aldehydes with benzyl bromide or iodide in the presence of a catalytic amount (10 mol%) of a C₂ symmetric sulfide having a binaphthyl skeleton afford the corresponding trans‐stilbene oxides in moderate to good yields with moderate enantioselectivities (up to 55% enantiomeric excess). The addition of tetra‐n‐butylammonium iodide to the catalytic reaction system much improves the yield of the epoxides. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 13:270–275, 2002; Published online in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.10028     

Controlled Cationic Polymerization of 1‐Methoxy‐1,3‐Butadiene: Long‐Lived Species‐Mediated Reaction and Control over Microstructure with Weak Lewis Bases

Controlled cationic polymerization of trans‐1‐methoxy‐1,3‐butadiene was achieved through the design of appropriate initiating systems, yielding soluble polymers with controllable molecular weights. The combined use of SnCl₄ or GaCl₃ as a Lewis acid catalyst and a weak Lewis base in conjunction with HCl as a protonogen resulted in efficient and controlled polymerization. The M_n values of the product polymers increased linearly along the theoretical line, which indicates that intermolecular crosslinking reactions negligibly occurred. In addition, the polymer microstructure was critically dependent on the weak Lewis base employed. In particular, the use of tetrahydrofuran as an additive resulted in the highest 4,1/4,3‐structure ratio (96/4). Weak Lewis bases also affected the polymerization rates but exhibited unique trends that differed from their effects on the cationic polymerization of alkyl vinyl ethers. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 288–296     

Facile one‐shot synthesis of functional star‐shaped polymers by domino‐type living cationic copolymerization

This article describes the syntheses of various functional star‐shaped polymers via monomer‐selective living cationic polymerization of a vinyl ether (VE) and a divinyl compound with alkoxystyrene moieties by a one‐shot method. An aqueous solution of the resulting star‐shaped polymers with oxyethylene pendants exhibits thermally induced phase separation behavior. To achieve domino synthesis from various monomers, we investigated the optimum reactivity difference using a functional VE and a monofunctional alkoxystyrene. Moreover, the one‐shot copolymerization of a bifunctional VE and an alkoxystyrene is also conducted to yield a star‐shaped polymer via the core‐first method. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 2166–2174     

Total Synthesis,Stereochemical Revision,and Biological Assessment of Iriomoteolide-2a

Iriomoteolide-2a is a marine macrolide metabolite isolated from a cultured broth of the benthic dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp. HYA024 strain. This naturally occurring substance was reported to show remarkable cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines HeLa and DG-75 and in vivo antitumor activity against murine leukemia P388 cell line. Herein, the total synthesis, stereochemical revision, and biological assessment of iriomoteolide-2a are reported in detail. Total synthesis of the proposed structure 1 of iriomoteolide-2a featured a late-stage convergent assembly of three components by a Suzuki–Miyaura coupling, an esterification, and a ring-closing metathesis. However, the NMR data of synthetic 1 were not identical to those of the natural product. Careful analysis of the NMR data of the authentic material and synthesis/NMR analysis of appropriately designed model compounds led to consideration of four possible stereoisomers 2 – 5 as candidates for the correct structure. Accordingly, total syntheses of 2 – 5 were achieved by taking advantage of the convergent strategy, and comparison of the NMR spectra of synthetic 2 – 5 with those of the natural product led to the conclusion that 5 shows the correct relative configuration of iriomoteolide-2a. The absolute configuration of this natural product was finally established through chiral HPLC analysis of synthetic 5 /ent- 5 with the authentic sample. The antiproliferative activity of the synthetic compounds was assessed against HeLa and A549 cells to show that, in contrast to expectation, synthetic 5 and ent- 5 were only marginally active in these cell lines. This work clearly underscores the vital role of total synthesis in the establishment of the structure and biological activity of natural products.     

Unzipping and scrambling reaction-induced sequence control of copolymer chains via temperature changes during cationic ring-opening copolymerization of cyclic acetals and cyclic esters

A temperature change-dependent sequence transformation of copolymer chains was demonstrated by a method based on tandem depolymerization and transacetalization reactions during the cationic ring-opening copolymerization of cyclic acetals and cyclic esters. In this study, the position of polymerization-depolymerization equilibrium was controlled by the reaction temperature rather than by the decrease in monomer concentration under vacuum conditions, as in our previous study. First, the conditions for efficient copolymerization were optimized, with a particular focus on the structures of cyclic acetals and cyclic esters. Subsequently, sequence transformation induced by temperature change was examined during the copolymerization of 2-methyl-1,3-dioxepane (generated in situ from 4-hydroxybutyl vinyl ether) and δ-valerolactone using EtSO₃H. The homosequence length of cyclic acetals decreased during depolymerization (unzipping) at the oxonium chain ends upon increasing the temperature from 30 to 90 °C, while transacetalization (scrambling) of the main chain transferred midchain cyclic acetal homosequences to the oxonium chain ends. As a result of the cycle of unzipping and scrambling reactions, an alternating-like copolymer was obtained. Interestingly, the possibility of reversible sequence transformation upon heating and cooling was also demonstrated.     

Synthesis and evaluation of simplified functionalized bongkrekic acid analogs

Bongkrekic acid (BKA) is a strong inhibitor of adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT), inducing inhibition of adenosine triphosphate synthesis. We designed and synthesized simplified benzene-ring-containing BKA analogs. The key reaction is the one-pot double Sonogashira reaction, which forms the main skeleton. The analogs were efficiently synthesized in 8–10 longest linear sequence steps. This synthetic method can be applied for the preparation of other analogs having different combinations of carbon chain lengths. Furthermore, the allyloxy group on the benzene ring can be easily replaced by other functional groups. Our preliminary biological evaluation based on mitochondrial inhibitory effects revealed the high potency of the analogs bearing the same carbon chain length as that of BKA. In particular, the prefunctionalized analogs are potential ANT inhibitors.     

Controlled cationic alternating copolymerization of various enol ethers and benzaldehyde derivatives: Effects of enol ether structures

Significant structural effects of enol ether monomers were demonstrated in cationic alternating copolymerizations with benzaldehyde derivatives (BzAs). α‐Methyl, β‐methyl, β,β‐dimethyl, and cyclic enol ethers were copolymerized with BzAs by the EtSO₃H/GaCl₃ system with 1,4‐dioxane in toluene at ?78 °C. β‐Methyl and cyclic monomers, β‐monosubstituted compounds, induced copolymerizations with BzAs, some of which were well controlled to yield alternating copolymers with controlled molecular weights (MWs) and narrow MW distributions. Conversely, an α‐methyl vinyl ether (VE) did not copolymerize with BzAs at all, probably due to its high reactivity and unfavorable ketal linkage formations. In addition, a β,β‐dimethyl VE underwent only cyclotrimerizations because of its larger steric repulsion. The product alternating copolymers, especially those with cyclic units, exhibited improved thermal properties compared to those with simple VEs units. Under appropriate conditions, the alternating copolymers selectively degraded into the corresponding cinnamaldehyde derivatives by acid hydrolysis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1334–1343