Do Anti‐Bredt Natural Products Exist? Olefin Strain Energy as a Predictor of Isolability

Bredt’s rule holds a special place in the realm of physical organic chemistry, but its application to natural products chemistry—the field in which the rule was originally formulated—is not well defined. Herein, the use of olefin strain (OS) energy as a readily calculated predictor of the stability of natural products containing a bridgehead alkene is introduced. Schleyer first used OS energies to classify parent bridgehead alkenes into “isolable”, “observable”, and “unstable” classes. OS calculations on natural products, using contemporary forcefield methods, unequivocally predict all structurally verified bridgehead alkene natural products to be “isolable”. Thus, when one assigns the structure of a putative bridgehead alkene natural product, an OS in the “observable” or “unstable” ranges is a red flag for error.     

Bridgehead Substitution via Putative Norborn‐1‐en‐3‐ones: Application in the Synthesis of Complex Molecules

The base‐mediated formation of a bridgehead double bond in a bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane system (anit‐Bredt molecules) is described. The synthesis of exocyclic norbornyl enones by Wittig reaction of α‐diketones is reported. These enones and their Michael adducts are used as substrates for the generation of transient bridgehead enones and their trapping with MeOH and H₂O. Bridgehead alcohols are easily synthesized from norbornyl enones and are exploited for the diversity oriented synthesis of frameworks of natural and unnatural products.     

Flavoenzyme‐Catalyzed Formation of Disulfide Bonds in Natural Products

Nature provides a rich source of compounds with diverse chemical structures and biological activities, among them, sulfur‐containing metabolites from bacteria and fungi. Some of these compounds bear a disulfide moiety that is indispensable for their bioactivity. Specialized oxidoreductases such as GliT, HlmI, and DepH catalyze the formation of this disulfide bridge in the virulence factor gliotoxin, the antibiotic holomycin, and the anticancer drug romidepsin, respectively. We have examined all three enzymes by X‐ray crystallography and activity assays. Despite their differently sized substrate binding clefts and hence, their diverse substrate preferences, a unifying reaction mechanism is proposed based on the obtained crystal structures and further supported by mutagenesis experiments.     

EBC‐219: A New Diterpene Skeleton,Crotinsulidane, from the Australian Rainforest Containing a Bridgehead Double Bond

EBC‐219 ( 4 ), isolated from Croton insularis (Baill), was established by spectroscopic and DFT methods as the first member of a new diterpene skeletal class, uniquely defined by the presence of a bicyclo[10.2.1] bridgehead olefin. The proposed biogenetic pathway to 4 from the co‐isolated natural products EBC‐131 ( 1 ), EBC‐180 ( 2 ) and EBC‐181 ( 3 ) is highly likely. EBC‐180 ( 2 ) and EBC‐181 ( 3 ) showed moderate to strong cytotoxic activity against various cancer cell lines.     

Interactions of Molecules with cis and trans Double Bonds: A Theoretical Study of cis‐ and trans‐2‐Butene

Noncovalent interactions of cis‐ and trans‐2‐butene, as the smallest model systems of molecules with cis and trans double bonds, were studied to find potential differences in interactions of these molecules. The study was performed using quantum chemical methods including very accurate CCSD(T)/CBS method. We studied parallel and displaced parallel interactions in 2‐butene dimers, in butane dimers, and between 2‐butene and saturated butane. The results show the trend that interactions of 2‐butene with butane are the strongest, followed by interactions in butane dimers, whereas the interaction in 2‐butene dimers are the weakest. The strongest calculated interaction energy is between trans‐2‐butene and butane, with a CCSD(T)/CBS energy of ?2.80 kcal mol^?1. Interactions in cis‐2‐butene dimers are stronger than interactions in trans‐2‐butene dimers. Interestingly, some of the interactions involving 2‐butene are as strong as interactions in a benzene dimer. These insights into interactions of cis‐ and trans‐2‐butene can improve understanding of the properties and processes that involve molecules with cis and trans double bonds, such as fatty acids and polymers.     

A theoretical study for the regioselective Diels–Alder reaction of 5,6‐fulleroid with strained anti‐Bredt olefins

Regioselectivity of Diels–Alder reaction of the anti‐Bredt olefin of fulleroid, the 5,6‐methylene‐bridged fullerene derivative, is theoretically clarified by DFT calculations. In transition state calculations, the addition of a noncyclic diene 2,3‐dimethyl‐1,3‐butadiene (DMBD) at the anti‐Bredt olefin has considerably lower activation energy than those at the other sixteen olefins, while the reaction of a rigid cyclic diene cyclohexadiene (CHD) has similar activation energy at both anti‐Bredt and another nontwisted olefin. The changes in strain and interaction of the reactants are estimated along its reaction coordinate by activation strain model. Noncyclic diene shows asynchronous C? C bond formation with a significant gain of interaction energy, while the rigid cyclic diene shows a large growth of strain energy canceling out the interaction energy between diene and fulleroid.     

Stereodivergent Aminocatalytic Synthesis of Z‐ and E‐Trisubstituted Double Bonds from Alkynals

A highly diastereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted Z‐ or E‐enals, which are important intermediates in organic synthesis, as well as being present in natural products, is described using different alkynals and nucleophiles as starting materials. Diastereocontrol is mainly governed by the appropriate catalyst. Therefore, those reactions controlled by steric effects, such as the Jørgensen–Hayashi's catalyst, give access to E isomers, and those catalysts that facilitate hydrogen bonding, such as tetrazol‐pyrrolidine Ley's catalyst, allow the synthesis of Z isomers. A stereochemical model based on DFT calculations is proposed.     

Copper/Palladium‐Cocatalyzed Aerobic Synthesis of Bisaryl Ketones from Olefins via C‐C Double Bonds Cleavage

A novel palladium/copper‐catalyzed aerobic synthesis of bisaryl ketones from 1,2‐diarylalkenes via C‐C double bonds cleavage has been described. This reaction constitutes a new transformation from 1,2‐diarylalkenes into bisaryl ketones, providing a unifying, simple and environmentally friendly complement to the available methods.     

Anionic Reagents with Silicon‐Containing Double Bonds

E?Si transfer : Anionic compounds capable of transferring a silicon‐containing double bond are reviewed (see figure), particularly reagents with Si?Si moieties (Tip=2,4,6‐iPr₃C₆H₂, M=Li, Na, K) and their applications towards main‐group and transition‐metal electrophiles, as well as their reactivity towards organic compounds. A few recently reported derivatives with Si?C (Ad=1‐adamantyl) and Si?P moieties are included for completeness.

     

Z‐Selective Cross Metathesis with Ruthenium Catalysts: Synthetic Applications and Mechanistic Implications

Olefin cross metathesis is a particularly powerful transformation that has been exploited extensively for the formation of complex products. Until recently, however, constructing Z‐olefins using this methodology was not possible. With the discovery and development of three families of ruthenium‐based Z‐selective catalysts, the formation of Z‐olefins using metathesis is now not only possible but becoming increasingly prevalent in the literature. In particular, ruthenium complexes containing cyclometalated NHC architectures developed in our group have been shown to catalyze various cross metathesis reactions with high activity and, in most cases, near perfect selectivity for the Z‐isomer. The types of cross metathesis reactions investigated thus far are presented here and explored in depth.     

Access to Stable Metalloradical Cations with Unsupported and Isomeric Metal–Metal Hemi‐Bonds

Metalloradical species [Co₂Fv(CO)₄]^.+ ( 1 ^.+, Fv=fulvalenediyl) and [Co₂Cp₂(CO)₄]^.+ ( 2 ^.+, Cp=η⁵‐C₅H₅), formed by one‐electron oxidations of piano‐stool cobalt carbonyl complexes, can be stabilized with weakly coordinating polyfluoroaluminate anions in the solid state. They feature a supported and an unsupported (i.e. unbridged) cobalt–cobalt three‐electron σ bond, respectively, each with a formal bond order of 0.5 (hemi‐bond). When Cp is replaced by bulkier Cp* (Cp*=η⁵‐C₅Me₅), an interchange between an unsupported radical [Co₂Cp*₂(CO)₄]^.+ (anti‐ 3 ^.+) and a supported radical [Co₂Cp*₂(μ‐CO)₂(CO)₂]^.+ (trans‐ 3 ^.+) is observed in solution, which cocrystallize and exist in the crystal phase. 2 ^.+ and anti‐ 3 ^.+ are the first stable thus isolable examples that feature an unsupported metal–metal hemi‐bond, and the coexistence of anti‐ 3 ^.+ and trans‐ 3 ^.+ in one crystal is unprecedented in the field of dinuclear metalloradical chemistry. The work suggests that more stable metalloradicals of metal–metal hemi‐bonds may be accessible by using metal carbonyls together with large and weakly coordinating polyfluoroaluminate anions.     

Structure and Reactivity of an Isolable Seven‐Membered‐Ring trans‐Alkene

The isolation and characterization of a trans‐oxasilacycloheptene is reported. Single‐crystal X‐ray crystallographic studies indicate a high level of strain and deviation from ideal geometry. Reactions with several electrophiles demonstrated the nucleophilicity of the C?C double bond, affording oxasilacycloheptane and tetrahydrofuran products as single diastereomers.     

Functional Ionic Liquids Promoted Double Michael Reaction of Benzofuran‐3‐one or 1‐Indone and Symmetric Dienones: Construction of Spiro[benzofuran‐2,1’‐cyclohexane]‐3‐one or Spiro[cyclohexane‐1,2’‐indene]‐1’,4(3’H)‐dione Derivatives

The double Michael reactions between benzofuran‐3‐one or 1‐indone and symmetric dienones in the presence of catalytic ionic liquids were successfully developed and spiro[benzofuran‐2,1’‐cyclohexane]‐3‐one or spiro[cyclohexane‐1,2’‐indene]‐1’,4(3’H )‐dione derivatives containing a spiro quaternary stereogenic center, which widely exist in biologically active products and building blocks in organic synthesis, were obtained in excellent yields (up to 99%). This catalytic system was also extended to the double Michael reaction of less reactive 1‐indone and the desired products were also obtained in 31%‐62% yields. The catalytic system was highly active and efficient for a broad of substrates under mild conditions.     

Coordination Bonds and Diels–Alder Bonds Dual Crosslinked Polymer Networks of Self‐healing Polyurethane

A dual crosslinked self‐healing polyurethane was prepared with robust mechanical properties through the dynamic reversible pyridine‐Fe³⁺ coordination bonds and Diels–Alder (DA) covalent bonds dual crosslinking strategy. Moreover, the mechanical properties and self‐healing ability of polyurethane can be tuned readily by different ratio of the coordination bonds and DA bonds. Under external load, the coordination bonds serve as sacrificial bonds are broken to dissipate energy, the DA bonds can keep the shape of sample. With the coordination bonds participation, the damaged samples can be healed under moderate heating treatment or with the aid of FeCl₃ solution. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 2228–2234     

Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica with Molecular‐Scale Ordering Self‐Assembled by Hydrogen Bonds

Nanoporous materials with functional frameworks have attracted attention because of their potential for various applications. Silica‐based mesoporous materials generally consist of amorphous frameworks, whereas a molecular‐scale lamellar ordering within the pore wall has been found for periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) prepared from bridged organosilane precursors. Formation of a “crystal‐like” framework has been expected to significantly change the physical and chemical properties of PMOs. However, until now, there has been no report on other crystal‐like arrangements. Here, we report a new molecular‐scale ordering induced for a PMO. Our strategy is to form pore walls from precursors exhibiting directional H‐bonding interaction. We demonstrate that the H‐bonded organosilica columns are hexagonally packed within the pore walls. We also show that the H‐bonded pore walls can stably accommodate H‐bonding guest molecules, which represents a new method of modifying the PMO framework.