Rare earth metal triflates catalyzed electrophilic nitration using N2O5

A mild,efficient and eco-friendly process for the electrophilic nitration is described using N₂O₅ as a green nitrating agent in the presence of rare earth metal triflates[RE（OTf）₃]under mild conditions.     

Rare earth metal trifluoromethanesulfonates catalyzed benzyl-etherification

Rare earth metal trifluoromethanesulfonates [rare earth metal triflate, RE(OTf)3] were found to be efficient catalyst for benzyl-etherification. In the presence of a catalytic amount of RE(OTf)3, condensation of benzyl alcohols and aliphatic alcohols proceeded smoothly to afford the benzyl ethers. The condensation between benzyl alcohols and thiols also proceeded, and thio ethers were obtained in good yield. In these reactions, RE(OTf)3 could be recovered easily after the reactions were completed and could be reused without loss of activity.     

三氟甲磺酸稀土催化ε-己内酯开环聚合

采用三氟甲磺酸稀土(镧、钕、铒)作为单组分催化剂催化了ε-己内酯的本体开环聚合反应. 考察了稀土元素种类、催化剂浓度、聚合时间及温度对单体转化率和聚合产物分子量的影响. 该类催化剂在催化聚合过程中具有单一活性中心, 且催化活性较高. 此聚合反应可能是通过阳离子活性末端链聚合机理进行的.     

Asymmetric fluorination of β-keto esters catalyzed by chiral rare earth perfluorinated organophosphates

Novel chiral rare earth metal complexes bearing perfluorinated binaphthyl phosphate ligand RE[(R)-F₈BNP]₃ (RE = rare earth; F₈BNP = 5,5′,6,6′,7,7′,8,8′-octafluoro-1,1′-binaphthyl-2,2′-diyl phosphate) have been synthesized and used as a catalyst for the asymmetric electrophilic fluorination reaction of β-keto esters. The use of Sc[(R)-F₈BNP]₃ catalyst in combination with 1-fluoropyridinium triflate (NFPY–OTf) as a fluorinating agent was found to give the desired α-fluoro-β-keto esters in high chemical yields and enantiomeric excesses (up to 88% ee) under mild conditions.     

Ring-opening polymerization of lactones by rare-earth metal triflates and by their reusable system in ionic liquids

The ring-opening polymerizations (ROPs) of lactones catalyzed by rare-earth metal trifluoromethanesulfonates (triflates) (RE(OTf)₃) were examined. Among various complexes, scandium triflate (Sc(OTf)₃) emerged as an effective catalyst in toluene. The ROP of lactones by Sc(OTf)₃ proceeded in a living fashion, and the number of polymer molecules was controlled by the amount of protic additives such as benzyl alcohol and H₂O. In other words, one molecule of Sc(OTf)₃ catalytically produced a number of polymer molecules (up to 40 molecules) depending on the amount of protic additives. The plausible mechanism was depicted as an activated monomer mechanism. The polylactones with a number-average molecular weight over 25,000 were successfully synthesized. Immobilization of RE(OTf)₃ was investigated in three ionic liquids, and cerium triflate (Ce(OTf)₄) showed relatively high catalytic activity in a biphasic system of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluoroantimonate and toluene in the ROP of ?-caprolactone (CL). The ionic liquid containing Ce(OTf)₄ was used, at least three times, in the ROP of CL without losing catalytic activity.     

Ru-catalyzed stereoselective addition of imides to alkynes

A catalyst system formed in situ from bis(2-methylallyl)cycloocta-1,5-dieneruthenium(II) ((cod)Ru[met]2), a phosphine, and scandium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate (Sc(OTf)3) was found to efficiently catalyze the anti-Markovnikov addition of imides to terminal alkynes, allowing mild and atom-economic synthesis of enimides. Depending on the phosphine employed, both the (E)- and the (Z)-isomer can be accessed stereoselectively.     

Secondary benzylation using benzyl alcohols catalyzed by lanthanoid, scandium, and hafnium triflate

The combination of a secondary benzyl alcohol and a metal triflate (e.g., La, Yb, Sc, and Hf triflate) in nitromethane was a highly effective secondary-benzylation system. Secondary benzylation of carbon (aromatic compounds, olefins, an enol acetate), nitrogen (amide derivatives), and oxygen (alcohols) nucleophiles was carried out with a secondary benzyl alcohol and 0.01-1 mol % of a metal triflate in the presence of water. Secondary benzyl alcohols and nucleophiles bearing acid-sensitive functional groups (e.g., tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy and acetoxy groups and methyl and benzyl esters) could be used for alkylation. Hf(OTf)4 was the most active catalyst for this alkylation, and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (triflic acid, TfOH) was also a good catalyst. The catalytic activity of metal triflates and TfOH increased in the order La(OTf)3 < Yb(OTf)3 < TfOH < Sc(OTf)3 < Hf(OTf)4. A mechanistic study was also performed. The reaction of 1-phenylethanol (4a) in the presence of Sc(OTf)3 in nitromethane gave an equilibrium mixture of 4a and bis(1-phenylethyl) ether (54). Addition of a carbon nucleophile to the equilibrium mixture gave alkylated product in high yield.     

Chemoselective thioacetalization and transthioacetalization of carbonyl compounds catalyzed by immobilized scandium(III) triflate in ionic liquids

Immobilized scandium triflate [Sc(OTf)₃] in ionic liquids has been found to be an extremely efficient and recyclable catalyst for the thioacetalization and transthioacetalization of both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. Significant rate acceleration and chemoselectivity was achieved by employing this catalytic system.     

Sc(OTf)3: A Highly Efficient and Renewable Catalyst for Michael Addition of Indoles to Nitroolefins in Water

A catalytic amount of scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate [Sc(OTf)₃] (2.5 mol%) was used to catalyze the Michael addition of indoles to nitroolefins in water to afford the corresponding 3-alkylated indoles in good to excellent yields. The short reaction times, excellent yields, and renewability of the catalyst are noteworthy.     

Improvement of the Friedel–Crafts benzoylation by using bismuth trifluoromethanesulfonate in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ionic liquid under microwave irradiation

Bismuth trifluoromethanesulfonate (bismuth triflate) catalyzed the Friedel–Crafts benzoylation of activated aromatic compounds when dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([BMIM]OTf) ionic liquid. Immobilization of bismuth triflate (5 mol %) in [BMIM]OTf allowed the synthesis of aryl ketones in good to excellent yields with short reaction times under microwave irradiation. This catalytic system was easily recovered and reused several times without any significant loss of the activity.     

Polycondensation of activated L‐valine and L‐leucine esters with various lewis acids

To develop a novel polycondensation method for the preparation of poly (amino acid)s, we screened a transition metal or a rare‐earth triflate as a Lewis acid for the polycondensation of activated amino acid esters in N,N‐dimethylformamide solutions at room temperature. The polymerizations of 4‐nitrophenyl L ‐leucinate ( 1a ) and 4‐nitrophenyl L ‐valinate ( 1b ) scarcely proceeded without any Lewis acid at room temperature. In the presence of 5 mol % metal triflates, especially scandium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate, the polymerizations of both monomers were promoted effectively. The products, which were collected by the reaction mixture being poured into water, were recognized as poly(L ‐valine)s by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography analysis, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. These results showed that a metal triflate as a Lewis acid could coordinate to a carbonyl oxygen of activated L ‐valinate and L ‐leucinate even in a highly polar solvent, such as N,N‐dimethylformamide; therefore, the polymerizations of activated L ‐valinate and L ‐leucinate were promoted. Because steric hindrance derived from the isobutyl group in 1b was less than that of the isopropyl unit in 1a , the effect of the metals was not as sensitive for the polymerization of 1b . © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 543–547, 2007     

Highly Selective Hydrothiolation of Unsaturated Organosilicon Compounds Catalyzed by Scandium(III) Triflate

The first use of a Lewis acid catalyst in the addition reaction of both aromatic and aliphatic thiols to unsaturated organosilicon compounds is reported. In catalytic tests, scandium(III) triflate demonstrates high catalytic activity in this process. Under mild conditions (25 °C, room temperature, 1–10 h) a number of thioether‐functionalized organosilicon species are obtained with appreciable selectivity. This study constitutes the first example of allylsilane hydrothiolation that gives the Markovnikov regioisomer as the main product. Ethynylsilanes are also successfully used in the hydrothiolation reaction in the presence of Sc(OTf)₃.     

Vapor phase nitration of benzene over solid acid catalysts (1): Nitration with nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

Vapor phase nitration of benzene over acidic catalysts is expected to be a clean process with no sulfuric acid waste. We investigated this process over acidic catalysts utilizing nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) as a nitrating agent, and found that several mixed metal oxides, such as silica-alumina, zinc oxide-titania, and tungsten oxide-molybdenum oxide, exhibited a fairly good activity. Among them, WO₃−MoO₃ is the most active; however, only this catalyst deviated from the linear relationship between the activity and the acidity. In order to explain this discrepancy, several factors such as acid amount, acid strength, and BET surface area, are examined in detail.     

Catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions in aqueous media using chiral bis-pyridino-18-crown-6-rare earth metal triflate complexes

Catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions in aqueous media have been developed using Pr(OTf)(3) and chiral bis-pyridino-18-crown-6 1. In the asymmetric aldol reaction using rare earth metal triflates (RE(OTf)(3)) and 1, slight changes in the ionic diameters of the metal cations greatly affected the diastereo- and enantioselectivities of the products. The substituents (MeO, Br) at the 4-position of the pyridine rings of the crown ether did not significantly affect the selectivities in the asymmetric aldol reaction, although they affected the binding ability of the crown ether with RE cations and the catalytic activity of Pr(OTf)(3)-crown ether complexes. From X-ray structures of RE(NO(3))(3)-crown ether complexes, it was found that they had similar structures regardless of the RE cations and the crown ethers used. Accordingly, the binding ability of the crown ether with the RE cation and the catalytic activity of the complex are important for attaining high selectivity in the asymmetric aldol reaction. Various aromatic and alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes and silyl enol ethers derived from ketones and a thioester can be employed in the catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions using Pr(OTf)(3) and 1, to provide the aldol adducts in good to high yields and stereoselectivities. In the case using the silyl enol ether derived from the thioester, 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine significantly improved the yields of the aldol adducts.     

Tandem mass spectrometric analysis of rare earth(III) complexes: evaluation of the relative strength of their Lewis acidity

Five series of rare earth(III) complexes coordinated with hexamethylphosphoramide, triethylphosphine oxide, trimethyl phosphate, N,N′-dimethylpropyleneurea, or dimethyl sulfoxide were subjected to tandem mass spectrometric analysis. The relative strength of the Lewis acidity of respective rare earth(III) species was evaluated using the peak intensity ratios of the product ions formed from the precursor ions (e.g. [M(OTf)₂(hmpa)₂]⁺). The exceptionally strong Lewis acidity of scandium(III) and ytterbium(III) complexes was clearly indicated by this tandem MS analysis. The analysis also showed that the Lewis acidity of ytterbium(III) is stronger than that of lutetium(III) although the ionic radius of Yb³⁺ is larger than that of Lu³⁺. The gadolinium break and the tetrad effect were observed in the Lewis acidity of the series of the lanthanide(III) complexes.     

光学活性N-邻噁唑啉苯基甲基丙烯酰胺聚合物的合成及其手性光学性质

在三氟甲磺酸稀土盐(Ln(OTf)3,Ln=La,Nd,Sm,Y)的存在下,光学纯N-邻唑啉苯基甲基丙烯酰胺((S)-MeOPMAM)经自由基聚合反应得到相应的光学活性聚合物.考察了稀土盐种类、用量及溶剂性质等因素对聚合反应立体化学的影响.研究发现,以Y(OTf)3为调节剂、正丁醇为溶剂的体系能在一定程度上提高聚合反应的全同立体定向性.聚合物的手性光学性质明显依赖于立构规整度,随全同含量增大,聚合物的比旋光度和π-π*电子跃迁区域的Cotton效应强度呈下降趋势.利用1H-NMR技术研究了上述聚合物与1,1′-联-2-萘酚(BINOL)的对映选择性相互作用,结果表明,全同三元组含量较高的聚合物不仅使酚羟基质子峰向低场位移,而且导致信号分裂.     

光学活性(甲基)丙烯酰胺的立体定向自由基聚合——立体控制机理探讨

利用Lewis酸三氟甲磺酸镱(Yb(OTf)3)调控(S)-N-(2-羟基-1-苯乙基)甲基丙烯酰胺((S)-HPEMA)和(S)-N-(2-羟基-1-苯乙基)丙烯酰胺((S)-HPEA)的自由基聚合,得到相应的光学活性聚合物;研究了反应条件对聚合物立体结构的影响,发现以甲醇和正丁醇为溶剂时,Yb(OTf)3的存在可显著提高聚合物的mm三元组的含量,而以DMSO为溶剂时,Yb(OTf)3对聚合物的立构规整性没有明显改变;通过1H-NMR研究了Yb(OTf)3与单体之间的相互作用,结果表明单体的酰胺基团与Lewis酸的稀土金属离子间的配位以及单体的羟基与Lewis酸的三氟甲磺酸根间的氢键影响了单体的加成方向和聚合物的立体结构.     

Scandium Trifluoromethanesulfonate as an Extremely Active Lewis Acid Catalyst in Acylation of Alcohols with Acid Anhydrides and Mixed Anhydrides

Scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate (triflate), which is commercially available, is a practical and useful Lewis acid catalyst for acylation of alcohols with acid anhydrides or the esterification of alcohols by carboxylic acids in the presence of p-nitrobenzoic anhydrides. The remarkably high catalytic activity of scandium triflate can be used for assisting the acylation by acid anhydrides of not only primary alcohols but also sterically-hindered secondary or tertiary alcohols. The method presented is especially effective for selective macrolactonization of omega-hydroxy carboxylic acids.     

Highly hydrated cations: deficiency, mobility, and coordination of water in crystalline nonahydrated scandium(III), yttrium(III), and lanthanoid(III) trifluoromethanesulfonates

Trivalent lanthanide-like metal ions coordinate nine water oxygen atoms, which form a tricapped trigonal prism in a large number of crystalline hydrates. Water deficiency, randomly distributed over the capping positions, was found for the smallest metal ions in the isomorphous nonahydrated trifluoromethanesulfonates, [M(H2O)n](CF3SO3)3, in which M = Sc(III), Lu(III), Yb(III), Tm(III) or Er(III). The hydration number n increases (n = 8.0(1), 8.4(1), 8.7(1), 8.8(1) and 8.96(5), respectively) with increasing ionic size. Deuterium (2H) solid-state NMR spectroscopy revealed fast positional exchange between the coordinated capping and prism water molecules; this exchange started at temperatures higher than about 280 K for lutetium(III) and below 268 K for scandium(III). Similar positional exchange for the fully nonahydrated yttrium(III) and lanthanum(III) compounds started at higher temperatures, over about 330 and 360 K, respectively. An exchange mechanism is proposed that can exchange equatorial and capping water molecules within the restrictions of the crystal lattice, even for fully hydrated lanthanoid(III) ions. Phase transitions occurred for all the water-deficient compounds at approximately 185 K. The hydrated scandium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate transforms reversibly (DeltaH degrees = -0.80(1) kJ mol(-1) on cooling) to a trigonal unit cell that is almost nine times larger, with the scandium ion surrounded by seven fully occupied and two partly occupied oxygen atom positions in a distorted capped trigonal prism. The hydrogen bonding to the trifluoromethanesulfonate anions stabilises the trigonal prism of water ligands, even for the crowded hydration sphere of the smallest metal ions in the series. Implications for the Lewis acid catalytic activity of the hydrated scandium(III) and lanthanoid(III) trifluoromethanesulfonates for organic syntheses performed in aqueous media are discussed.     

Catalysis of Ugi four component coupling reactions by rare earth metal triflates

Substoichiometric quantities of scandium and ytterbium triflate increase the yield of Ugi four component coupling reactions of aromatic aldehydes 2- to 7-fold. These rare earth metal triflates enhance the reaction yields primarily via activation of the imine intermediate of this multicomponent reaction.