Chemoselective O-tert-butoxycarbonylation of hydroxy compounds using NaLaTiO4 as a heterogeneous and reusable catalyst

A facile, efficient and chemoselective protocol for O-tert-butoxycarbonylation of various hydroxy compounds has been developed using NaLaTiO₄ (layered perovskite) as a novel catalyst. The catalyst showed remarkable activity and reusability affording high yields of the desired products under mild reaction conditions.     

Aerobic oxidation of 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene using N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) as key catalyst

The first systematic study on the aerobic oxidation of 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene was examined by the use of N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) as a key catalyst. It was found that 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene was efficiently oxidized with O₂ in the presence of a catalytic amount of NHPI and azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) at 75 °C. Upon treatment of the resulting products with sulfuric acid followed by acetic anhydride led to 5-acetoxy-1,3-diisopropylbenzene and 3,5-diacetoxy-1-isopropylbenzene as major products and a small amount of 1,3,5-triacetoxybenzene. When t-butylperoxypivalate (BPP) was employed as a radical initiator, the oxidation could be achieved in good yield even at 50 °C. This oxidation provides a facile method for preparing phenol derivatives bearing an isopropyl moiety, which can be used as pharmaceutical starting materials.     

Short, stereoselective synthesis of C-glycosyl asparagines via an olefin cross-metathesis

The Grubbs second generation ruthenium catalyst was employed for the cross metathesis between α- and β-C-allyl glycosides and suitably protected l-vinyl glycines to furnish olefinic products in 57-94% yields. Hydrogenation afforded the C-glycosyl asparagines in high yield.     

Uncapped SnO2 quantum dot catalyzed cascade assembling of four components: a rapid and green approach to the pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole and spiro-2-oxindole derivatives

A new uncapped SnO₂ quantum dots (QDs) catalyzed strategy for the synthesis of substituted pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole and spiro-2-oxindole derivatives has been developed via a multicomponent one pot approach in aqueous medium. The reactions can be performed at low catalyst loadings with excellent functional group tolerance. This communication also reports a comparative study of the efficiency related to the catalytic activity of uncapped SnO₂ QDs, oleic acid capped SnO₂ QDs, and SnO₂ nanoflower. Uncapped SnO₂ QDs, capped SnO₂ QDs, and SnO₂ nanoflower were prepared by simple solvothermal method and characterized by XRD, FESEM, and TEM images. The easy recovery of the catalyst and high yield of the products make the protocol attractive, sustainable, and economic. The catalyst was reused for six cycles with almost unaltered catalytic activity.     

Irreversible cleavage of a carbene-rhodium bond in Rh-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes: implications for catalysis

Despite the generally accepted belief that carbene-metal bonds are strong and do not dissociate, the reaction of Rh-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes with triphenylphosphine in dichloroethane was determined to take place via cleavage of the Rh-carbene bond. The products of this reaction are Wilkinson’s catalyst and a bisimidazolium salt derived from reaction between dichloroethane and two equivalents of the carbene. The implications of this reaction for catalysis are significant since the carbene complex shows lower activity than Wilkinson’s catalyst in hydrogenation reactions. In non-halogenated solvents, the catalyst shows higher stability, such that the rate of exchange with free phosphine could be measured, and was determined to be ca. 10 times slower than in Wilkinson’s catalyst.     

pTSA-catalyzed condensation of xylenols and aldehydes under solvent-free conditions: One-pot synthesis of 9H-xanthene or bisphenol derivatives

A simple and efficient procedure for the synthesis of 9H-xanthene or bisphenol derivatives has been developed by one-pot condensation of xylenols with aromatic aldehydes in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid (pTSA) as a catalyst under solvent-free conditions at 100 °C. It is noteworthy that the condensation reaction of 3,5-xylenol with aldehydes produces 9H-xanthene derivatives, while the reaction with other xylenols leads to the corresponding bisphenol derivatives. Different types of aromatic aldehydes are used in the reaction and in every case the products were obtained in good to excellent yields. The structures of these compounds were established on the basis of IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and CHN data.     

N,N,N,N-Tetramethyl-1,3-propanediamine as the catalyst of choice for the Baylis-Hillman reaction of cycloalkenone: rate acceleration by stabilizing the zwitterionic intermediate via the ion-dipole interaction

N,N,N^′,N^′-Tetramethyl-1,3-propanediamine (TMPDA) can be used as an efficient catalyst for the Baylis-Hillman reaction of cycloalkenones. The increased reaction rate was thought be derived from the stabilizing effect of the zwitterionic intermediate via the ion-dipole interaction.     

Heck-type cross-coupling between halo-exo-glycals and endo-glycals: a practical way to achieve C-glycosidic disaccharides

An effective Heck-type cross-coupling reaction between halo-exo-glycals and endo-glycals to achieve C-glycosidic disaccharides has been developed. Using Pd(OAc)₂ as the catalyst, dppp as ligand and K₂CO₃ as base, the reactions gave C-glycosidic products in good to excellent yields with exclusive stereochemistry.     

Synthesis of trisubstituted alkenes by reductive dehydroxylation of Baylis-Hillman adducts using polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) and catalytic B(C6F5)3

B(C₆F₅)₃ as a catalyst and polymethylhydrosiloxane as a hydride source have been employed for the reductive dehydroxylation of Baylis-Hillman adducts wherein the hydride adds in an S_N2′ manner onto the unactivated allyl alcohol moiety with concomitant elimination of the hydroxy group along with double bond migration. The products formed were found to be E in the case of ester adducts and Z in the case of nitrile adducts.     

Stereoselective synthesis of hex-2-(E)-en-4-yn-1,6-dioates and E,Z-muconic acid diesters via organo-catalyzed self-coupling of propiolates

Alkyl propiolate couples with itself in the presence of catalytic DABCO under very mild conditions to provide a quantitative yield of E-hex-2-en-4-yne dioates. Hydrogenation of these enyne dioates using Lindlar catalyst provides the corresponding E,Z-diene dioate, a common structural motif found in an array of natural products.     

N-Heterocyclic carbene-Pd(II) complex derived from proline for the Mizoroki-Heck reaction in water

N-Heterocyclic carbene-Pd(II) complex 1 derived from proline was found to be an efficient catalyst in the Mizoroki-Heck reaction of aryl bromides and iodides performed in water. The reactions can tolerate various functional groups in the substrates and all gave the corresponding coupling products in good to high yields.     

Henry condensations with 4,6-O-benzylidenylated and non-protected d-glucose and l-fucose via DBU-catalysis

Mechanistic intermediates, and thermodynamically favored side products, in the Henry condensations of partially protected and non-protected pyranoses with a free anomeric hemiacetal function with nitromethane in various solvents for the kinetically controlled syntheses of C-glycopyranosides in the presence of DBU/molecular sieve catalyst system were identified.     

A high hydroarylation activity of K2PtCl4/AgOTf catalyst in the reaction of propiolic acid with unactivated and activated arenes

A mixed catalyst K₂PtCl₄/AgOTf showed the highest activity for hydroarylation of propiolic acid, among palladium and platinum catalysts. This catalyst was effective for hydroarylation with less reactive benzene to give cis-cinnamic acid in good yield. The hydroarylation with toluene gave a higher yield of hydroarylation products than that with benzene and resulted in ortho/para orientation with an almost statistical ratio, suggesting that the result is very close to that of the Friedel-Crafts alkylation with methyl bromide or p-nitrobenzyl chloride. Hydroarylation of propiolic acid with other electron-rich arenes proceeded efficiently in the presence of the K₂PtCl₄/AgOTf catalyst in trifluoroacetic acid forming cis-cinnamic acids in good to high yields. This method was also applied to hydroarylation of ethyl propiolate.     

Z-Selective hydroamidation of terminal alkynes with secondary amides and imides catalyzed by a Ru/Yb-system

A catalyst system formed in situ from bis(2-methallyl)cycloocta-1,5-diene-ruthenium(II) [(cod)Ru(met)₂], 1,4-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)butane (dcypb) and ytterbium(III) triflate hydrate (Yb(OTf)₃) was found to catalyze the addition of nitrogen nucleophiles to terminal alkynes under mild conditions to stereoselectively form the Z-enamide or Z-enimide products. Various secondary amides and imides could be added across the triple bond of a range of aliphatic and aromatic alkynes. The new bimetallic catalyst system sets new standards with regard to scope and selectivity for the synthesis of Z-configured anti-Markovnikov enamides.     

Copper fluorapatite catalyzed N-arylation of heterocycles with bromo and iodoarenes

Copper exchanged fluorapatite (CuFAP) is an effective heterogeneous catalyst for N-arylation of heterocycles with bromo- or iodoarenes using K₂CO₃ as base. N-Arylated products were isolated in good to excellent yields, demonstrating the versatility of the reaction.     

An efficient synthesis of ortho-N-Boc-arylmethyl ketone derivatives

A new and efficient method for the preparation of ortho-N-Boc-arylmethyl ketone derivatives is reported. The reaction involves the intermediacy of a 4-methylene-3,1-benzoaxin-2-one moiety which smoothly converts to the target compounds under acidic conditions. The ortho-N-Boc-arylmethyl ketone derivatives can be formed in a one-pot reaction or alternatively the 4-methylene-3,1-benzoaxin-2-ones can be isolated and subsequently transformed into the desired products.     

N-Butyl-2,4-dinitro-anilinium p-toluenesulfonate as a highly active and selective esterification catalyst

N-Butyl-2,4-dinitro-anilinium p-toluenesulfonate (1) was found to be a very active esterification catalyst that promotes condensation of equal mole amount of carboxylic acids and alcohols under mild conditions. This catalyst is also highly selective towards carboxylic acid and alcohol substrates at ambient temperature.     

A novel direct N-alkenylation of nitrogen-containing heterocycles with magnesium alkylidene carbenoids

Treatment of magnesium alkylidene carbenoids, which were generated from 1-chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides with isopropylmagnesium chloride at −78 °C in toluene, with N-lithio nitrogen-containing heterocycles (e.g., indole, indazole, phenothiazine, and phenoxazine) gave N-alkenylated products in moderate to good yields. The intermediate of this reaction was found to be the alkenyl anion, which could be trapped with iodoalkanes using CuI as a catalyst to give the heterocycles having fully substituted alkenes on the nitrogen. The alkenyl anion intermediate could be trapped also with benzoyl chloride and phenyl isocyanate. This reaction offers a quite novel and direct N-alkenylation of nitrogen-containing heterocycles.     

Oxidation of alkenes with non-heme iron complexes: suitability as an organic synthetic method

In the course of a preliminary study to determine the preparative value and the synthetic applications of the non-heme iron(II) complexes Fe(bpmen)(OTf)₂ and Fe(tpa)(OTf)₂, in particular the oxidation of alkenes by using hydrogen peroxide as the terminal oxidant, we have found significant differences in catalyst behavior. After several attempts it was clear that the preparative relevance of the oxidation processes was linked to the concentration of the catalyst and optimal results were obtained when the concentration value was 5 mol %. At that concentration, the Fe(bpmen)(OTf)₂ catalyst mostly gave rise to mixtures of the epoxide and the trans-dihydroxylation products formed by water-assisted hydrolytic cleavage of the epoxides. Furthermore, the use of the tripodal ligand tpa led to cis dihydroxylation products. When deactivated olefins were used as substrates for the oxidation reaction, the cis-diols were obtained exclusively, although with modest conversions, regardless of the catalyst used.     

Nickel-catalysed addition of dialkylzinc reagents to N-phosphinoyl- and N-sulfonylimines

A catalytic amount of a nickel complex (0.1-5.3 mol %) extraordinarily increases the reaction rate of the addition of dialkylzinc reagents to N-(diphenylphosphinoyl)- or N-(benzenesulfonyl)imines. The reaction of imines derived from both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes with various dialkylzinc reagents in the presence of several nickel complexes gives the expected addition products in most cases in 1 h and in very good yields. In general, the formation of reduction by-products was not an important side reaction. The process represents a great improvement, with regard to the reaction rate and the yield of the addition products, in comparison with the reactions performed in the absence of the nickel catalyst, and reaction times are much shorter than the ones reported so far using other catalysts.