Iodobenzene-catalyzed intramolecular oxidative cyclization reactions of δ-alkynyl β-ketoesters

Iodobenzene is shown to catalyze the 5-exo-dig cyclization of δ-alkynyl β-ketoesters under oxidative conditions that generate hypervalent iodine species in situ. The cyclopentane products contain adjacent quaternary and tertiary stereocenters which are generated with excellent diastereoselectivity.     

Electroreductive intramolecular coupling of aromatic imino esters: is four-membered cyclization much more favorable than six-membered cyclization?

[reaction: see text] The electroreduction of an aromatic imino ester prepared from (S)-glutamic acid in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane and triethylamine afforded a four-membered cyclized product, a mixed ketal of cis-2,4-disubstituted azetidine-3-one, stereospecifically. Calculations for the transition states by the DFT method support the predominant formation of the azetidine. The electroreduction of an aromatic imino ester prepared from (S)-aspartic acid gave almost equal amounts of a diastereomerically pure mixed ketal of cis-2,4-disubstituted azetidine-3-one and a diastereomeric mixture of 2,5-disubstituted pyrollidine-3-one.     

Baker's yeast reduction of cyclic δ-ketoesters: synthesis and chiroptical properties of condensed δ-lactones

Enantiomerically pure condensed δ-lactones have been prepared from the corresponding δ-ketoesters by the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The reactions were not only highly enantioselective but also highly diastereoselective, provided the baker's yeast was preincubated at 50°C for 30 min. Interestingly, and contrary to what is usually found, the use of nutrients inhibited the bioreductions. The relative configurational assignments have been made by means of NMR, while the absolute configurations and conformations of the lactone rings were attributed by means of CD studies.     

Facile and practical synthesis of π-extended oxepins by benzannulation and intramolecular cyclization

π-Extended oxepins 1 and dimer 8 were synthesized by the benzannulation of the corresponding asymmetric diarylacetylene derivatives and 2-(phenylethynyl)benzaldehyde followed by the Cu-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization. The optical properties of the π-extended oxepins 1 and 8 are also investigated.     

Rh-catalyzed intramolecular aromatic C–H insertion of α-diazo β-ketoesters: synthesis of 4-carbonyl chroman derivatives

A Rh-catalyzed intramolecular aromatic C–H insertion of α-diazo β-ketoesters was developed. This protocol offers a practical strategy for the synthesis of 4-carbonyl chroman derivatives with high yield and is compatible with a wide variety of substituents. Synthetic applications of the 4-carbonyl chroman were also demonstrated.     

Highly enantioselective copper-catalyzed alkylation of β-ketoesters and subsequent cyclization to spirolactones/bi-spirolactones

Cu-catalyzed enantioselective alkylation of β-ketoesters using alcohols for in situ preparation of alkylating reagents is reported. A number of functionalized β-ketoesters containing a quaternary carbon stereocenter are obtained with up to 99% ee. The alkylation products derived from 2-substituted allylic alcohols or their corresponding iodides can then be converted to spirolactones, bi-spirolactones, and related chiral target products.     

Facile one-pot synthesis of 5-substituted isoxazoles and pyrazoles through microwave-promoted intramolecular cyclization of γ-hydroxyalkynal oximes and hydrazones

Simple and efficient one-pot synthesis of 5-substituted isoxazoles and pyrazoles has been developed. The formation of the target isoxazoles and pyrazoles is initiated by 1,2-nucleophilic addition of generated in situ hydroxylamine or hydrazine to α-acetylenic γ-hydroxyaldehydes with further intramolecular cyclization of the adducts. The protocols are associated with readily available substrates, simple procedure, short reaction time, and moderate to high yields.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of diazo-β-ketoanilides for the synthesis of 3-alkylideneoxindoles

With [Ru(p-cymene)Cl(2)](2) as catalyst, diazo-β-ketoanilides would undergo intramolecular carbenoid arene C-H bond functionalization to afford 3-alkylideneoxindoles in up to 92% yields. The reaction occurs under mild conditions and exhibits excellent chemoselectivity. The lack of primary KIE (k(H)/k(D) ~ 1) suggests that the reaction should not proceed by rate-limiting C-H bond cleavage; a mechanism involving cyclopropanation of the arene is proposed.     

Efficient one-pot selective reduction of esters in β-ketoesters using LiHMDS and lithium aluminium hydride

The ester functionality in β-keto esters is selectively reduced in one-pot, first by enolization using LiHMDS and then reduced with lithium aluminium hydride. This method produces β-hydroxyl ketones from the corresponding β-keto esters in high yield.     

A facile synthesis of γ-butenolides via cyclization of 3-alkenoic acids with dimethyl sulfoxide and oxalyl bromide

The combination of dimethyl sulfoxide and oxalyl bromide was used to accomplish the cyclization of 3-alkenoic acids with the aid of a base to afford γ-butenolides, in which bromodimethylsulfonium salt generated in situ was proposed to serve as a Br⁺ source.     

Formation of novel 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted 3-pyrrolines via cyclisation of γ-halo-β-ketoesters with aromatic amines and aldehydes

Cyclisation of γ-halo-β-ketoesters with aromatic amines and aldehydes in methanol gave novel polysubstituted 3-pyrroline derivatives. A plausible mechanism for the reaction has been proposed. The structures of 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted 3-pyrrolines were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.     

Synthesis of stereodefined fused δ-hydroxy-γ-lactones from dealkylative cyclization of epoxy-diesters

A dealkylative lactonization of stereodefined aryl-substituted epoxides allows the preparation of densely functionalized fused δ-hydroxy-γ-lactones having three consecutive stereochemically defined stereocenters.     

Lewis acid mediated highly regioselective intramolecular cyclization for the synthesis of β-lapachone

A highly regioselective intramolecular cyclization of lapachol mediated by Lewis acids including NbCl₅, AlCl₃, and FeCl₃ was developed for synthesizing β-lapachone in excellent yields without any formation of the isomer α-lapachone. This procedure was efficient, mild, and easily scalable that avoided using highly hazardous concd H₂SO₄. In the case of ZrCl₄ the cyclization was found to give α-lapachone as the main product. A possible mechanism for the Lewis acid mediated cyclization was also discussed.     

Synthesis of α-Phenylsulfonyl cyclopentanones by intramolecular carbenoid cyclization of α-Diazo-β-keto phenylsulfones

Acyclic α-diazo-β-keto phenylsulfones undergo smooth intramolecular carbenoid cyclizations under rhodium (II) catalysis to afford α-phenyl sulfonyl cyclopentanones.     

A mild,simple and efficient method for selectiveα-monobromination of 1,3-diketones and β-ketoesters using pyridinium bromochromate

Pyridinium bromochromate has been found to be a highly efficient and selective reagent for theα-monobromination of 1,3-diketones andβ-keto-esters in the absence of base,Lewis acid,or other catalyst.The products were formed in high to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions and in short reaction times.     

Usefulness of π...π aromatic interactions in the selective separation and analysis of imidazolium and pyridinium ionic liquid cations

Current research indicates that replacing organic solvents with room-temperature ionic liquids may lead to remarkable improvements in well-known processes. Ionic liquids have already been utilized as alternative solvents in organic synthesis and catalysis, and also in electrochemistry and in separation sciences. Their wide applicability will soon result in their production on an industrial scale. Therefore, analytical methods applicable to various matrices for product control and environmental monitoring will be very much in demand. In this study, the usefulness of π...π interactions between alkylimidazolium and pyridinium cations and the aromatic π...π active moiety of the stationary phase was investigated for the selective separation and analysis of some ionic liquids. With phenyl-bonded phases, very good separations of the cations were achieved. Special attention was paid to the short-chain hydrophilic entities, known to be poorly separated on conventional reversed-phase columns. Further, the nature of the interactions occurring in the system under study was investigated by varying the content of methanol/acetonitrile used as organic modifiers in the mobile phases. The analytical method developed here is simple and reproducible, and its quantitative analytical performance was excellent. The paper also discusses the applicability of the method for monitoring degraded cations of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium salts obtained in the Fenton process.     

A facile synthesis of β-allenyl furanimines via Pd-catalyzed cyclization of 2,3-allenamides with propargylic carbonates

The Pd(OAc)₂/TFP-catalyzed cyclization reaction of 2,3-allenamides in the presence of propargylic carbonates provides an efficient route to β-allenyl furanimine derivatives. Preliminary mechanistic study showed that this reaction was probably initiated by Pd(0) species.