Lewis acid-catalyzed rearrangement of 2,2-dichloronorbornane to 1-chloronorbornane

The mechanism for the unusual AlCl(3)-catalyzed rearrangement of 2,2-dichloronorbornane to 1-chloronorbornane in pentane has been elucidated; the reaction, which also yields four isomeric dichloronorbornanes, occurs in three steps: (1). ionization to form the 2-chloro-2-norbornyl cation, which was fully characterized by two-dimensional (1)H and (13)C NMR in SbF(5)/SO(2)ClF; (2). Wagner-Meerwein shift to yield the 1-chloro-2-norbornyl cation, which was partially characterized by (1)H NMR; and (3). hydride abstraction.     

Lewis acid-catalyzed oxidative rearrangement of tertiary allylic alcohols mediated by TEMPO

Two methods for the oxidative rearrangement of tertiary allylic alcohols have been developed. Most of tertiary allylic alcohols studied were oxidized to their corresponding transposed carbonyl derivatives in excellent to fair yields by reaction with TEMPO in combination with PhIO and Bi(OTf)₃ or copper (II) chloride in the presence or not of oxygen. Other primary oxidants of TEMPO such as PhI(OAc)₂, mCPBA, and Oxone^® were unsatisfactory giving the enone in modest to low yields.     

Development of a new Lewis acid-catalyzed [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement: the allenoate-Claisen rearrangement

A new Lewis acid-catalyzed Claisen rearrangement has been developed that allows the stereoselective construction of beta-amino-alpha,beta,epsilon,zeta-unsaturated-gamma,delta-disubstituted esters from simple allylic amines and allenoate esters. This reaction, which is contingent upon the use of Lewis acid, can be conducted with a range of metal salts (Yb(OTf)3, AlCl3, Sn(OTf)2, Cu(OTf)2, MgBr2.Et2O, FeCl3, Zn(OTf)2) with catalyst loadings as low as 5 mol %. This catalytic process provides access to a diverse range of beta-amino-alpha,beta,epsilon,zeta-unsaturated-gamma,delta-disubstituted esters in high yield and with excellent levels of diastereoselectivity for a series of allyl pyrrolidines (R1 = H, Me, i-Pr, Ph, NR2 = pyrrolidine, piperidine, NMe2; >/=81% yield, >/=94:6 syn:anti) and allenoate esters (R2 = H, Me, i-Pr, Ph, allyl, NPht, Cl; >/=75% yield, >/=91:9 syn:anti). The capacity of this new Claisen rearrangement to provide catalytic access to elusive structural motifs has also been demonstrated in the stereospecific formation of quaternary carbon bearing frameworks arising from geranyl- and neryl pyrrolidine (>/=93% yield, >98:2 dr).     

Synthesis of N,N-disubstituted phosphoramidates via a Lewis acid-catalyzed phosphorimidate rearrangement

A Lewis acid-catalyzed rearrangement of phosphorimidates allows a direct, high-yielding transformation of azides with commercially available phosphites into secondary phosphoramidates.     

Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions on polystyrene

The action of aluminium halides upon polystyrene was studied as a function of the nature of the reaction medium and of the concentration of catalyst. It was demonstrated that polystyrene undergoes crosslinking, the extent of which is particularly important in chlorinated aliphatic solvents and at high catalyst concentrations. In additions, phenyl rings of the polymer are alkylated and halogenated by the solvent or catalyst. Infrared spectroscopic investigation of the structure of the products indicated that in most cases crosslinking was connected with the formation of 1,4-disubstituted, and eventually 1,2,4-trisubstituted benzenes. In carbon tetrachloride medium, meta substitution was also detected. In products obtained when polystyrene was treated with high amounts of the Lewis acid in CCl₄ medium degrees of substitution even higher than three were probable.     

Aza-pinacol rearrangement: acid-catalyzed rearrangement of aziridines to imines

A series of di-, tri-, and tetra-substituted N-tosylaziridines [N-(toluene-p-sulfonyl)aziridines] 1, prepared by aziridination of the corresponding alkenes with N-[(tolyl-p-sulfonyl)imino]phenyliodinane (TsN = IPh), was found to undergo a BF3-catalyzed rearrangement (aza-pinacol rearrangement) under mild conditions to give the corresponding N-tosylimines 2 generally in satisfactory yields.     

Stereoselective Lewis acid-catalyzed alpha-acylvinyl additions

Silyloxyallenes derived from alpha-hydroxypropargylsilanes undergo efficient addition to aldehydes with catalytic amounts of Lewis acids. The allenes are accessed from the corresponding propargylsilanes in a base-catalyzed 1,2-Brook rearrangement/SE2' process. Enantioenriched propargylsilanes are synthesized by a new zinc-promoted addition of alkynes to acylsilanes in up to 74% ee. This work demonstrates that conversion to the silyloxyallenes occurs with minimal erosion in optical activity. The use of a chiral chromium(III) Lewis acid effects the catalytic asymmetric addition of racemic silyloxyallenes to aromatic aldehydes in up to 92% ee. The overall reaction is broad in scope and accommodates a wide variety of aromatic and aliphatic substituents on both the propargylsilane and aldehyde.     

The acid-catalyzed rearrangement of 1-N-allylindolines

Zinc chloride-catalyzed rearrangement of 1-N-allylindoline and 1-N-(2-methylallyl)indoline proceeds readily in refluxing xylene to give 7-allylindoline and 7-(2-methylallyl)indoline in 73% and 86% yields, respectively. The reaction of 1-N-2-butenylindoline and zinc chloride give rise to the mixture of 7-(1-methylallyl)indoline, 7-(cis- and trans-1-methyl-1-propenyl)indoline, and 7-(trans-2-butenyl)indoline. On the other hand, the similar reaction of 1-N-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)indoline with zinc chloride led to the formation of a mixture of 1,2,5,6-tetrahydro-4,4-dimethyl-4H-pyrrolo[3,2,1-ij]quinoline and 7-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)indoline.     

A novel acid-catalyzed rearrangement of cyclobutanols

Under acid-catalysis 7-arylbicyclo[3.2.0]hept-2-en-6-ols rearrange to diarylmethanes and cyclopenteno-annelated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.     

Development of fluorous Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions

Organic synthetic methodology in the 21st century aims to conform to the principles of green sustainable chemistry (GSC) and we may expect that in the future, the realization of GSC will be an important objective for chemical industries. An important aim of synthetic organic chemistry is to implement waste-free and environmentally-benign industrial processes using Lewis acids as versatile as aluminum chloride. A key technological objective of our work in this area has been to achieve a "catalyst recycling system that utilizes the high activity and structural features of fluorous Lewis acid catalysts". Thus, we have developed a series of novel fluorous Lewis acid catalysts, namely the ytterbium(III), scandium(III), tin(IV) or hafnium(IV) bis(perfluoroalkanesulfonyl)amides or tris(perfluoro- alkanesulfonyl)methides. Our catalysts are recyclable and effective for acylations of alcohols and aromatics, Baeyer-Villiger reactions, direct esterifications and transesterifications in a fluorous biphasic system (FBS), in supercritical carbon dioxide and on fluorous silica gel supports.     

Chiral Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric Baylis-Hillman reactions

An effective chiral Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric Baylis-Hillman reaction is described. Good to high enantioselectivities were obtained using 3 mol % chiral catalyst. Novel camphor-derived dimerized ligands were prepared from the condensation of (+)-ketopinic acid with the corresponding diamines and hydrazine under acidic conditions. When alpha-naphthyl acrylate was used as a Michael acceptor, the reaction is complete within 20 min with high stereoselectivity and in reasonable chemical yields.     

Revised structure of acid-catalyzed rearrangement product of aucubigenin

The ¹³C NMR spectrum of 6, the acid-catalyzed rearrangement product of aucubigenin, has led to a critical re-examination of its ¹HNMR data and instead of the previous structure 6a, the definitive structure of the add-catalyzed rearrangement product is 1,10-anhydro, 3,4-dihydro, 4-decarbomethoxy, -3α-hydroxygardenogenin 6b.     

Chiral ruthenium Lewis acid-catalyzed nitrile oxide cycloadditions

The synthesis of the chiral ligand (R,R)-BIPHOP-F is detailed. Its coordination to a cationic cyclopentadienyl ruthenium fragment generates [Ru (acetone)(R,R)-BIPHOP-F)Cp][SbF₆], a transition metal Lewis acid that catalyzes the [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition reaction between aryl nitrile oxides and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to give chiral 2-isoxazolines with yields of 43-98% and asymmetric purity of 60-93% ee. The stereochemistry of the major enantiomer is S, consistent with an approach of the nitrile oxide to the C_α-Si face of the enal in the anti-s-trans conformation in the catalyst site.     

Lewis acid- and Bronsted acid-catalyzed stereoselective rearrangement of epoxides derived from himachalenes: access to new chiral polycyclic structures

The acid-catalyzed rearrangement of two enantiomerically pure epoxides derived from sesquiterpernic himachalenes, which are the main components of the essential oil of the Atlas cedar, has been studied using various Lewis and Bronsted acids. Several new polycyclic compounds have been obtained with different selectivities depending upon the catalysts used and the reaction conditions, and were fully characterized by spectroscopic methods. Mechanisms to explain the formation of the different compounds observed in the reaction mixture have also been proposed.     

Lewis acid-catalyzed reduction of dithioacetals by 1,4-cyclohexadiene

Dithioacetals were reduced by 1,4-cyclohexadiene in the presence of a catalytic amount of Lewis acid to afford the corresponding sulfides in good yields.     

Lewis acid-catalyzed tri- and difluoromethylation reactions of aldehydes

The first Lewis acid-catalyzed trifluoromethylation reactions of aldehydes with Me3SiCF3 under TiF4/DMF, Ti(O iPr)4/DMF and Cu(OAc)2/dppp/toluene conditions are described. We have successfully applied this methodology to the difluoromethylation of aldehydes using Me3SiCF2SePh, Me3SiCF2P(O)OEt2 and Me3SiCF2SPh.     

New approach to C-aryl glycosides starting from phenol and glycosyl fluoride. Lewis acid-catalyzed rearrangement of O-glycoside to C-glycoside

C-Glycosidation of phenols is achieved by treatment of glycosyl fluoride with phenolic compound under Lewis acidic conditions, which leads to initial O-glycoside formation followed by rearrangement to C-congener. Cp₂HfCl₂-AgClO₄ is particularly effective for this conversion.     

Lewis acid-catalyzed tandem Diels-Alder reaction/retro-Claisen rearrangement as an equivalent of the inverse electron demand hetero Diels-Alder reaction

A highly stereoselective formal inverse electron demand hetero Diels-Alder reaction (HDA) occurs on reaction of 2-aryl-alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes with cyclopentadiene. The major pathway for this transformation is shown to be a Lewis acid-catalyzed tandem Diels-Alder reaction/retro-Claisen rearrangement.     

Effects of substituents in acid-catalyzed Claisen amino rearrangement

A series of 4-R²-N-R¹-N-(1-methyl-2-butenyl)- and 4-R²-N-R¹-2-(1-methyl-2-butenyl)-anilines was synthesized. The rate constants of rearrangement and elimination of the hydrochlorides of the 4-R²-N-R¹-N-(-1methyl-2-butenyl)anilines in nitrobenzene were measured at 110 and 130°C. The correlation equations which describe the effect of the nature of the substituents on the reactivity of the substrate in these reactions and the selectivity of their occurrence were established. A mechanism of the processes was proposed.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2303–2308, October, 1989.