First Magnesium-mediated Carbonyl Benzylation in Water

Catalyzed by AgNO3, Mg was found for the first time to be able to mediate the coupling reaction between aromatic aldehydes and benzyl bromide or chloride in water. The yields were slightly higher than the recent results for Mg-mediated allylation despite the fact that aqueous benzylation is intrinsically much harder than allylation. It was also found that the coupling reaction was chemoselective for aromatic aldehydes over aliphatic aldehydes, and chemoselective for aromatic aldehydes over aromatic ketones.     

SnCl2／Cu-Mediated Carbonyl Allylation Reaction in Water： Scope, Selectivity and Mechanism

Copper was found to be able to promote the SnC12-mediated carbonyl allylation reactions in water, giving the corresponding homoallylic alcohol products in very high yields. Detailed studies showed that the reaction could be applied to a variety of carbonyl compounds including those with hydroxyl, amino and nitro groups. It was also found that this reaction showed good regioselectivities for some substrates. Furthermore, carefully controled experiments and in situ NMR measurements provided important insights into the mechanism of the newly developed reaction.     

An efficient Bi/NH4I-mediated addition reaction for the highly diastereoselective synthesis of homoallylic alcohols in aqueous media

An efficient water-based bismuth-mediated addition reaction of carbonyl compound with cyclic allylic halide was developed.The reactions proceeded smoothly in aqueous DMF in the presence of ammonium iodide to afford the corresponding syn-homoallylic alcohols in moderate to good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities(>99:1 syn:anti).Reversal of product diastereoselectivity was observed when heteroaryl aldehyde possessing an adjacent chelating nitrogen atom was employed as substrate.     

Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions in water using in situ generated palladium(II)–phosphazane complexes

The phosphazane derivatives(L1–3) were readily obtained by reaction of different ratios of PCl3 and PhNH2. The L1–3 derivatives were found to be efficient ligands in the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki C–C coupling reactions in water. It was determined that with the use of L1–3 /Pd(OAc)2 system as a catalyst, aryl halides undergo Suzuki cross-couplings with arylboronic acids to give the desired products in moderate to excellent yields.     

Bismuth Mediated Organic Reaction: A Convenient Method for the Synthesis of Allylic (Benzylic) Selenides and α-Organylselenocarbonyl Compounds in Aqueous Media

Organic reactions promoted by active metals have aroused much interest in recent years. Active bismuth has been used in Barbier-type reaction of allylic halides with aldehydes1 and aldimines2 as well as Reformatzky type reaction3. Other publications referred to the cross coupling between aldehydes and α-diketones4, the substitution to benzotriazole drivatives5 and the reductive coupling reaction of nitro compounds6. These reactions generally promoted by elemental bismuth generated in situ fr…     

FeCl_3·6H_2O-catalyzed selective reduction of allylic halides to alkenes with concomitant oxidation of benzylic alcohols to aldehydes

Iron-catalyzed direct reduction of allylic halides with benzylic alcohol was achieved,providing a new,simple,and efficient method for conducting highly regioselective hydrodehalogenation.This method not only features a readily available reductant,an inexpensive catalyst,simple manipulation,and good tolerance of functional groups including nitriles,nitro,esters,and methoxyl groups,it also has mild reaction conditions and shows complete regioselectivity in that only halides sited at the allylic position are reduced.Alternatively,this method can be applied in the selective transformation of benzylic alcohols to aromatic aldehydes without overoxidation to carboxylic acids.     

Expedient copper-catalyzed borylation reactions using amino acids as ligands

Amino acids were found to be as good ligands for copper-catalyzed borylation reactions of primary and secondary alkyl halides,and the B2pin2 acted as bi-boron source for borylation.The high reaction efficiency and mild conditions make the new catalyst system a useful alternative to the recently developed methods for the preparation of alkylboronic esters.     

Reductive Cyclodimerization of Arylidenecyanoacetates Promoted by Sm/InCl_3·4H_2O System in Aqueous Media

Metal-mediated reactions in aqueous media have received considerable attention in the last decade1. Such aqueous reactions offer a number of advantages over conventional organometallic reactions in organic solvent in that they are practically convenient, environmentally benign and do not require strict anhydrous conditions2. In recent years, besides zinc and tin, indium has been found to be the metal of choice for promoting organic reactions in aqueous media3. Indium is considered to be mor…     

Enzymatic Promiscuity： Escherichia coli BioH Esterase-catalysed Aldol Reaction and Knoevenagel Reaction

Esterase BioH,which is obligatory for biotin synthesis in Escherichia coli,was found to exhibit a promiscuous ability to catalyse Aldol and Knoevenagel reactions with moderate to good yields.The reaction conditions including organic solvent,molar ratio of ketone to aldehyde,enzyme amount,and reaction time were investigated to evaluate the effect of different reaction conditions on yield.Target compounds were afforded in the best yield of 91.2％ for Aldol reaction and 54.7％ for Knoevenagel reaction.In addition,because the enzyme could be prepared with a low cost,this protocol could provide an economic route to conduct Aldol and Knoevenagel reactions,which expand the field of enzymatic promiscuity.     

Imidazoles: Effective Catalysts for Baylis-Hillman Reaction in Aqueous Media

β-Substituted enones have been considered less reactive in Baylis-Hillman reaction. The reaction of cyclic enones is sluggish or does not occur at all under traditional conditions. Various catalysts have been developed to pro mote the reaction of cyclic enones but with limited success. In previous study, we found that imidazole can catalyze the Baylis-Hillman reaction involving cyclic enones in aqueous THF solution.[1] In our continued efforts, we screened a variety of imidazoles to develop superior catalyst, and we found that the reaction could be greatly accelerated by adjusting the pH value of the water solution.     

SnCl2-mediated carbonyl allylation in fully aqueous media

Systematic studies were performed on SnCl₂-mediated carbonyl allylation reaction between aldehydes and allyl halides in fully aqueous media. Totally three valuable reaction systems were discovered, which were SnCl₂/CuCl₂, SnCl₂/TiCl₃, and SnCl₂/PdCl₂. They all provided good to excellent yields in the allylation of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes under very mild and convenient conditions. SnCl₂, by itself, was also found to be effective for the allylation reaction when allyl bromide was employed. However, the SnCl₂-only reaction could only tolerate very small amount of water as the solvent. The SnCl₂/CuCl₂, SnCl₂/TiCl₃, and SnCl₂/PdCl₂-mediated reactions exhibited good regioselectivity favoring the γ-adduct when cinnamyl halides were employed as the allylation reagent. The same reactions with cinnamyl halides also showed good diastereoselectivity favoring the anti-product. Mechanistic studies using proton NMR techniques suggested that the additive (i.e., CuCl₂, TiCl₃, PdCl₂) could accelerate the formation of allyltin intermediate, but this step was shown not to be the most important for the allylation. Thus we proposed that the Lewis acid catalysis effect exerted by the additive was the main reason for the observed reactivity enhancement.     

Silica-Functionalized CuI: An Efficient and Selective Catalyst for N-Benzylation,Allylation, and Alkylation of Primary and Secondary Amines in Water

Silica-functionalized CuI has been reported as an efficient and selective catalyst for the selective mono-N- and N,N-dibenzylation, allylation, and alkylation of primary amines with benzylic, allylic, and alkyl halides using NaOH as base in aqueous medium. By changing the reaction temperature, mono- or di-benzylation, allylation, or alkylation could be achieved in good yield and selectivity. Secondary amines have also been benzylated, allylated, and alkylated under similar conditions. SiO₂-CuI has been characterized by Fourier transform–infrared, atomic absorption spectrometry, thermalgravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, and found to be highly selective and recyclable under the reaction conditions.

[Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® for the following free supplemental resource(s): Full experimental and spectral details.]     

Allylation Reactions of Aldehydes with Allylboronates in Aqueous Media: Unique Reactivity and Selectivity that are Only Observed in the Presence of Water

Zn(OH)₂‐catalyzed allylation reactions of aldehydes with allylboronates in aqueous media have been developed. In contrast to conventional allylboration reactions of aldehydes in organic solvents, the α‐addition products were obtained exclusively. A catalytic cycle in which the allylzinc species was generated through a B‐to‐Zn exchange process is proposed and kinetic studies were performed. The key intermediate, an allylzinc species, was detected by HRMS (ESI) analysis and by online continuous MS (ESI) analysis. This analysis revealed that, in aqueous media, the allylzinc species competitively reacted with the aldehydes and water. An investigation of the reactivity and selectivity of the allylzinc species by using several typical allylboronates ( 6a , 6b , 6c , 6d ) clarified several important roles of water in this allylation reaction. The allylation reactions of aldehydes with allylboronic acid 2,2‐dimethyl‐1,3‐propanediol esters proceeded smoothly in the presence of catalytic amounts of Zn(OH)₂ and achiral ligand 4d in aqueous media to afford the corresponding syn‐adducts in high yields with high diastereoselectivities. In all cases, the α‐addition products were obtained and a wide substrate scope was tolerated. Furthermore, this reaction was applied to asymmetric catalysis by using chiral ligand 9 . Based on the X‐ray structure of the Zn‐ 9 complex, several nonsymmetrical chiral ligands were also found to be effective. This reaction was further applied to catalytic asymmetric alkylallylation, chloroallylation, and alkoxyallylation processes and the synthetic utility of these reactions has been demonstrated.     

Palladium-catalyzed and samarium-promoted coupling of stereochemically-biased allylic acetates with carbonyl compounds

Stereochemically-biased bicyclic allylic acetates endo- and exo-1 were shown as being allyl donors for Pd-catalyzed carbonyl allylation using stoichiometric quantities of samarium diodide. Cyclopentenyl acetate and bicyclic derivatives 1 react with cyclic ketones in the presence of SmI₂ without requirement of palladium catalysis. Use of enantiomerically enriched substrate suggests that the reaction goes through a π-allyl samarium complex. However, this reactivity appears to be restricted to strained cyclopentenyl acetates since other linear and cyclic allylic acetates do not give the carbonyl allylation product.     

Generation and reaction of heteroaromatic zirconocene: synthetic application to polycyclic heterocycles

Heteroaromatic zirconocene intermediates were generated by the reaction of ‘Cp₂Zr’ with alkoxymethyl-(TMS-ethynyl)-indole, -benzofuran or -benzothiophene derivatives under mild conditions in moderate to good yields. Copper-catalyzed C-C bond formation of the zirconocene intermediate with allylic halides gave allylation products, which were transformed into heterocyclic dienes through enyne metathesis. Preliminary Diels-Alder reaction of the dienes with DMAD showed notable site selectivity.     

Allylation Reactions of Aromatic Aldehydes with Antimony in Aqueous Media Under Ultrasonic Irradiation

The allylation reactions of aromatic aldehydes with allyl bromide were carried out in 89–98% yield with Sb-H₂O-KF-CH₃OH under ultrasound irradiation at rt for 2.5 h. The reactions in the same system gave allylic alcohols in 30–69% yield with stirring for 24 h. The main advantages of the present procedure are shorter reaction time, better yield, and environmental friendliness.     

Asymmetric Synthesis of Allylic Sulfonic Acids: Enantio‐ and Regioselective Iridium‐Catalyzed Allylations of Na2SO3

An enantioselective allylation reaction of allylic carbonates with sodium sulfite (Na₂SO₃) catalyzed by Ir complex was accomplished, providing allylic sulfonic acids in good to excellent yields with a high level of enantio‐ and regioselectivities. (R)‐2‐Phenyl‐2‐sulfoacetic acid, a key intermediate for the synthesis of Cefsulodin and Sulbenicillin, was synthesized as well.     

Synthesis of derivatives of prenylacetic acids by reactions of alkyl malonate, cyanoacetate, and acetoacetate with alkylating reagents in ionic liquids

A method for the synthesis of carboxylic acid derivatives containing one or two —CH₂CH _n (Me)CH _n+1CH₂— fragments (n = 0, 1) was developed. The method is based on the alkylation of (di)alkyl malonates, cyanoacetates, and acetoacetates with acyclic prenyl halides in ionic liquids, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and tetrafluoroborate. For the ambident ethyl acetoacetate anion, the reactions with prenyl halides devoid of a double bond in the allylic position relative to the halogen atom carried out in the ionic liquids give mixtures of C- and O-alkylation products, while in the case of allylic prenyl halides, only C-alkylation products are formed. The reactions of ethyl 2-geranylmalonate and 2-geranylacetoacetate with bromocyclohexane and 1-chloro-3-dimethylaminopropane in ionic liquids provided derivatives of pharmacologically active geranylacetic acids. The product yields are higher than those in molecular organic solvents. The ionic liquids were recovered and reused in the alkylation.     

Iridium‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Intermolecular Indole C2‐Allylation

The enantioselective intermolecular C2‐allylation of 3‐substituted indoles is reported for the first time. This directing group‐free approach relies on a chiral Ir‐(P, olefin) complex and Mg(ClO₄)₂ Lewis acid catalyst system to promote allylic substitution, providing the C2‐allylated products in typically high yields (40–99 %) and enantioselectivities (83–99 % ee) with excellent regiocontrol. Experimental studies and DFT calculations suggest that the reaction proceeds via direct C2‐allylation, rather than C3‐allylation followed by in situ migration. Steric congestion at the indole‐C3 position and improved π–π stacking interactions have been identified as major contributors to the C2‐selectivity.     

Synthesis of per-substituted hydrophilic and hydrophobic ��-cyclodextrin derivatives

The aim of this work was to synthesize new cyclodextrin derivatives from native ??-cyclodextrin by allylation reactions and indium metal in aqueous and organic medium. The resulted products could be used to prepare a new hydrophilic pharmaceutical active ingredient. A hydrophobic derivative can also be prepared by the same method. Indeed, the allylation reactions allow the creation of a stereogenic centers and the introduction of an allyl group lead to development of various functionalization of CD sites. Natural ??-cyclodextrin was treated with allyl bromide and sodium hydride in dimethylformamide (DMF) at room temperature, which resulted in the formation of O-perallylated ??-cyclodextrin A₁ (98%). Through successive reactions of oxidation, reduction and allylation, the latter was converted into per 2, 3, 6-tri-O-(2-hydroxypent-4-enyl) ??-cyclodextrins A₄ (40%). Others derivates of CD type B₃ and C₃ were synthesized by series of reaction to give multifunctionalized cyclodextrins with yield of 25 and 30%, respectively.