Asymmetric catalysis : A facile enantioselective Strecker reaction of ketimines with trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) was realized by employing chiral (S)‐BNPNa 3 e and PBAP as an additive (see image). A wide substrate scope and good‐to‐excellent enantioselectivities were achieved.
Large aqueous oxide ions as minerals! Minerals dissolve by repeated ligand exchange reactions and geochemists use polyoxometalate ions to establish structure–reactivity relations for environmentally important functional groups. Here, for example, are plotted the dissolution rates of two classes of minerals against rates of solvent exchanges around the corresponding aquo ions.
Clicking iron : Cheap and environmentally friendly [Fe(OAc)2] is used for the catalysis of cycloadditions between aryl nitriles and trimethylsilyl azide to prepare substituted 1H‐tetrazoles in good yield (see scheme).
Golden capillaries : A gold‐immobilized capillary column reactor allows oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds using molecular oxygen. These capillary columns (see picture) can be used for at least four days without loss of activity.
Aryl–alkyl cross‐coupling products are obtained by the iron‐catalyzed oxidative heterocoupling of organozinc reagents under mild conditions. This novel reaction pathway is versatile, allowing for the use of primary and secondary aliphatic diorganozinc reagents as coupling partners as well as tolerating functionalized aryl‐ and alkylzinc reagents.
Spiders of the genus Argiope , such as Argiope lobata, contain polyamine toxins that are potent but nonselective blockers of glutamate receptors. However, by very subtle modifications of the structure of native toxins, it is possible to obtain selectivity for subtypes of these receptors, as described by K. Strømgaard and co‐workers in their Communication on page 3087 ff.
Phosphine‐assisted C? H activation of the methyl group of 2‐methylimidazolium compounds led to a series of iridium, rhodium, and palladium complexes of 2‐methyleneimidazolines. Experimental results confirmed that the product of methyl C? H activation is the kinetic product, whereas the aryl C? H activation product is the thermodynamic product (see scheme).
Two very distinct chemical reactions, yet a single catalyst : A gold complex promotes the formation of tertiary enamines from a variety of terminal and internal alkynes. Subsequent addition of a terminal alkyne to the reaction mixture affords allenes (see scheme).
Seeing the sites : The Suzuki–Miyaura reaction of substrates containing multiple coupling sites has been performed in a directed manner through the reactivity modulation of the boron moiety (see scheme). Several other strategies are also discussed.
Click chemistry in vivo : Three phosphatidic acid derivatives with alkyne groups in their fatty acid chains were synthesized and incorporated into mammalian cell membranes. Copper(I)‐catalyzed and strain‐promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition reactions were used for their visualization (see schematic representation and fluorescence microscopic image).
