Lewis acid-catalyzed one-pot crossed Prins cyclizations using allylchlorosilane as allylating agent

A one-pot multi-component Lewis acid-catalyzed Prins cyclization was developed with high yield and selectivity. The crossed 2,4,6-trisubstituted tetrahydropyran products were formed with high stereoselectivity. This catalytic method could also be used with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes affording moderate yields of products.     

Solvolysis of a tetrahydropyranyl mesylate: mechanistic implications for the Prins cyclization, 2-oxonia-cope rearrangement, and Grob fragmentation

[reaction: see text] A solvolysis reaction is used to demonstrate that a tetrahydropyranyl cation is a common intermediate for Prins cyclizations, 2-oxonia-Cope rearrangements, and Grob fragmentations of tetrahydropyran rings.     

Antibody-catalyzed benzoin oxidation as a mechanistic probe for nucleophilic catalysis by an active site lysine

Aldolase antibody 24H6, which was obtained by reactive immunization against a 1,3-diketone hapten, is shown to catalyze additional reactions, including H/D exchange and oxidation reactions. Comparison of the H/D exchange reaction at the alpha-position of a wide range of aldehydes and ketones by 24H6 and by other aldolase antibodies, such as 38C2, pointed at the significantly larger size of the 24H6 active site. This property allowed for the catalysis of the oxidation of substituted benzoins to benzils by potassium ferricyanide. This reaction was used as a mechanistic probe to learn about the initial steps of the 24H6-catalyzed aldol condensation reaction. The Hammett correlation (rho=4.7) of log(k(cat)) versus the substituent constant, sigma, revealed that the reaction involves rapid formation of a Schiff base intermediate from the ketone and an active site lysine residue. The rate-limiting step in this oxidation reaction is the conversion of the Schiff base to an enamine intermediate. In addition, linear correlation (rho=3.13) was found between log(K(M)) and sigma, indicating that electronic rather than steric factors are dominant in the antibody-substrate binding phenomenon and confirming that the reversible formation of a Schiff base intermediate comprises part of the substrate-binding mechanism.     

Acid-promoted Prins cyclizations of enol ethers to form tetrahydropyrans

Trifluoroacetic acid efficiently catalyzes Prins cyclizations of enol ethers 8 to provide tetrahydropyrans 9 and 10. These tetrahydropyrans are isolated with combined yields of 42-85% and stereoselectivities at C(4) ranging from 95:5 to 50:50 depending on the nature of the substituent R. Unique byproducts of these cyclizations that reveal the presence of underlying equilibria have been isolated and identified. [reaction: see text]     

Strategic use of pinacol-terminated Prins cyclizations in target-oriented total synthesis

An important objective of contemporary synthesis endeavors is the development of new transformations that rapidly evolve molecular complexity in a stereocontrolled fashion. One approach toward this goal is to combine two or more distinct reactions into a single transformation, producing a process often referred to as a sequential, tandem, cascade, or domino reaction. In this Perspective, we discuss the development of one such tandem reaction, the acid-promoted (or catalyzed) Prins-pinacol rearrangement, with particular emphasis on its implementation as the key strategic element in the total synthesis of heterocyclic and carbocyclic natural products.     

Photo-Brook rearrangement of acyl silanes as a strategy for photoaffinity probe design

Photoaffinity labeling (PAL) is a powerful tool for the identification of non-covalent small molecule–protein interactions that are critical to drug discovery and medicinal chemistry, but this approach is limited to only a small subset of robust photocrosslinkers. The identification of new photoreactive motifs capable of covalent target capture is therefore highly desirable. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a new class of PAL warheads based on the UV-triggered 1,2-photo-Brook rearrangement of acyl silanes, which hitherto have not been explored for PAL workflows. Irradiation of a series of probes in cell lysate revealed an iPr-substituted acyl silane with superior photolabeling and minimal thermal background labeling compared to other substituted acyl silanes. Further, small molecule (+)-JQ1- and rapamycin-derived iPr acyl silanes were shown to selectively label recombinant BRD4-BD1 and FKBP12, respectively, with minimal background. Together, these data highlight the untapped potential of acyl silanes as a novel, tunable scaffold for photoaffinity labeling.

Irradiation initiated 1,2-photo Brook rearrangement of acyl silanes generated α-siloxycarbene intermediates that were used for photoaffinity labeling. Optimization of the acyl silane group produced a probe capable of capturing small molecule–protein interactions.     

Size dependence of gaseous cluster reactivity as a mechanistic probe

The determination of the mechanisms of chemical and physical changes is one of the principal occupations of many chemists today. To accomplish this, the dependence of the change being examined on a number of intensive variables such as temperature, pressure, concentration of reactants as well as the pH is usually studied. In this account, we summarize our recent studies on the reactivity and dynamics of niobium gaseous clusters in which their changes with size are used as a new degree of freedom that assists in deducing the mechanism of the change studied.     

Low temperature electrochemistry as a mechanistic probe for the partial reduction of heterocycles

The reduction of a series of electron deficient aromatic heterocycles has been examined using electrochemical techniques: the analysis was performed under anhydrous conditions at low temperature, so as to mimic typical synthetic reducing conditions.     

Parahydrogen-based NMR methods as a mechanistic probe in inorganic chemistry

The study of reactions by NMR spectroscopy is normally limited by the poor detection limits offered by the method. An overview is presented of how chemical reactions can be studied using parahydrogen-assisted NMR spectroscopy, where detected signals can have strengths that exceed those normally available by factors that approach 31,000.     

Synthesis of (-)-centrolobine by Prins cyclizations that avoid racemization

[formula: see text] The segment-coupling Prins cyclization avoids two of the problems common to other Prins cyclization protocols: side-chain exchange and partial racemization by reversible 2-oxonia Cope rearrangement. Model studies demonstrate the stereochemical fidelity of Prins cyclizations using alpha-acetoxy ethers compared with direct aldehyde-alcohol Prins reactions. Furthermore, we propose a mechanism for the racemization observed in some intermolecular Prins cyclizations. Two straightforward syntheses of optically pure (-)-centrolobine highlight the utility of Prins cyclizations.     

Diisobutylaluminium hydride (DIBAL-H) as a molecular scalpel: a new mechanistic proposal for a spiroketal rearrangement

Taking advantage of our knowledge of the capacity of DIBAL-H to de-O-alkylate, we propose an alternative mechanism for a spiroketal rearrangement described by E. Suàrez. We also show that this proposal can account for the formation of the secondary product, whose original structure we propose to correct.     

Double asymmetric induction as a mechanistic probe: conjugate addition for the asymmetric synthesis of a pseudotripeptide

Double asymmetric induction as a mechanistic probe indicates that, for the conjugate addition of (R)- and (S)-lithium N-benzyl-N--alpha-methylbenzylamide to (S)-3'-phenylprop-2'-enoyl-4-benzyloxazolidinone, the reactive conformation of the N-acyl oxazolidinone is the anti-s-cis form, facilitating the asymmetric synthesis of a pseudotripeptide.     

Stereoselective synthesis of allylic sulfones via the oxonia-Cope rearrangement of homoallylic alcohols containing a homoallylic sulfone moiety

The homoallylic alcohols 3 that can be prepared by the indium-mediated addition of haloallylic sulfones 1 to aldehydes 2 undergo the oxonia-Cope rearrangement with aldehydes 2 to give rise to the allylic sulfones 4 containing a conjugated diene moiety in a highly stereoselective manner. Electron-rich aldehydes preferentially participate in this oxonia-Cope rearrangement with the homoallylic alcohols 3. Excellent correlations of the stereochemistry (anti-3 to trans-allylic sulfone 4 and syn-3 to cis-allylic sulfone 4) have been observed in the oxonia-Cope rearrangement.     

Oxidative Prins and Prins/Friedel-Crafts cyclizations for the stereoselective synthesis of dioxabicycles and hexahydro-1H-benzo[f]isochromenes via the benzylic C-H activation

1-Benzyl ethers of (E)- and (Z)-hex-3-en-1,6-diols and hept-3-en-1,7-diols undergo a smooth oxidative cyclization with DDQ in the presence of In(OTf)(3) through a sequential C-H bond activation and an intramolecular Prins cyclization to afford the corresponding trans- and cis-fused hexahydro-2H-furo[3,2-c]pyrans and octahydropyrano[4,3-b]pyrans respectively in good yields with an excellent stereoselectivity. Aryl tethered homoallylbenzyl ethers such as benzyl ethers of (E)- and (Z)-6-arylhex-3-enyl alcohols undergo a tandem Prins/Friedel-Crafts cyclization in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of DDQ and SnCl(4)via the benzylic C-H bond activation to furnish the corresponding trans- and cis-fused hexahydro-1H-benzo[f]isochromenes in good yields with complete stereoselectivity.     

Pummerer fragmentation vs. pummerer rearrangement: a mechanistic analysis

Depending upon the nature of the substituent at the beta-position of the sulfoxide moiety, a Pummerer reaction can be oriented "at will" towards Calpha-H (rearrangement) or Calpha-Cbeta (fragmentation) bond cleavage.