Cross-dehydrogenative coupling of 3,6-dihydro-2H-pyrans with 1,3-dicarbonyls and aryl moieties

An indium-catalyzed oxidative CH alkylation and arylation of 4-substituted 3,6-dihydro-2H-pyrans (DHPs) using dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) as the oxidant has been developed. The mild and modular cross-dehydrogenative coupling reaction exhibited a broad scope with respect to both DHPs and nucleophilic 1,3-dicarbonyl moieties as well as aryl rings, rapidly providing 2,4-disubstituted DHPs bearing diverse patterns of functionalities at the α position.     

Sequential gold-catalyzed reactions of 1-phenylprop-2-yn-1-ol with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds

A variety of sequential gold-catalyzed reactions of 1-phenylprop-2-yn-1-ol with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds are directed towards different outcomes by a suitable choice of the catalytic system, feature of 1,3-dicarbonyl and reaction conditions.     

Metal-free oxidative C-C bond formation of active methylenic sp C-H bonds with benzylic sp C-H and allylic sp C-H bonds mediated by DDQ

An efficient and simple method for the oxidative coupling of benzylic and allylic sp³ C-H bonds with active methylenic sp³ C-H bonds under metal-free conditions was developed by employing 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ) as an oxidant. The reaction was shown to proceed smoothly for various 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with a range of benzylic and allylic substrates in good to excellent yields.     

Halogenation of fluorinated cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds: new aspects of synthetic application

In order to elaborate on an approach towards 2-(fluoroacyl)phenols being the superior alternative to the conventional Fries-rearrangement based methodology, the behaviour of cyclic fluorinated 1,3-dicarbonyls in reactions with halogenating agents was examined. The synthetic relevance of the polyhalogenated compounds obtained was demonstrated by the synthesis of several new heterocycles. An aromatization via a halogenation-dehydrohalogenation sequence proved to be a rewarding synthetic route to 2-(fluoroacyl)phenols and previously unknown 3-(fluoroacyl)thiochromones. The structure of one of the synthesized compounds was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Catalytic fluorination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds using iodoarene catalysts

Catalytic fluorination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with aqueous hydrofluoric acid proceeded efficiently with the aid of iodoarene catalysts in the presence of m-CPBA as a terminal oxidant. o-Iodotoluene, o-iodoanisole, and o-ethyliodobenzene showed a high catalytic efficiency to give 2-fluoro-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in good yields.     

Silver-catalyzed coupling reactions of alkyl halides with indenyllithiums

Coupling reactions of tertiary and secondary alkyl halides with indenyllithiums proceeded effectively in the presence of a catalytic amount of silver bromide to provide tertiary- and secondary-alkyl-substituted indene derivatives in good yields.     

Silver-catalyzed cascade reaction of o-aminoaryl compounds with alkynes: an aniline mediated synthesis of 2-substituted quinolines

An efficient silver-catalyzed, aniline mediated cascade hydroamination/cycloaddition of o-aminoaryl compounds including o-aminoaryl aldehydes, o-aminoaryl ketones with alkynes for the synthesis of 2- or 2,4-substituted quinolines is reported. The reactions proceed with high regioselectivity to afford mono- or disubstituted quinoline derivatives in good to high yields using AgOTf as the catalyst in the air.     

Microwave-assisted rapid electrophilic fluorination of 1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives with Selectfluor

A microwave-assisted fluorination method for 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds using Selectfluor^® has been developed. 2-Monofluorinated products can be obtained in high yield in neutral reaction conditions with addition of 1 eq. of Selectfluor^®. Treatment of 1,3-dicarbonyls with 3 eq. of Selectfluor^® in the presence of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) as the base results in the formation of 2,2-difluorinated derivatives only.     

Yb(OTf)3-catalyzed propargylation and allenylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives with propargylic alcohols: one-pot synthesis of multi-substituted furocoumarin

A highly efficient and mild Lewis acid-catalyzed coupling reaction of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with propargylic alcohols has been established. Selective propargylation or allenylation products are obtained depending on the nature of propargylic alcohols. In addition, catalytic quantities of Yb(OTf)₃ can also effectively promote the propargylation and allylation of 4-hydroxycoumarins at the 3-position. By applying this reaction as the key step, a multi-substituted furocoumarin can easily be synthesized in a one-pot procedure. The advantages of this method are broad scope, mild conditions, and easy handling since water is the only side product.     

Asymmetric Michael reactions of α-substituted acetates with cyclic enones catalyzed by multifunctional chiral Ru amido complexes

Well-defined 16-electron chiral Ru amido complexes, Ru[(R,R)-diamine](η⁶-arene), efficiently catalyze asymmetric Michael additions of Michael donors to cyclic enones to give adducts in high yields and with excellent ee’s. β-Ketoesters or nitroacetate as Michael donors react with 2-cyclopentenone in toluene or t-butyl alcohol containing the Ru amido catalyst (S/C=50) to afford the Michael adduct in 99% yield and with up to 92% ee. The outcome of the reaction was delicately influenced by the structures of the diamine and arene ligands as well as reaction conditions.     

Alkylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with benzylic and propargylic alcohols using Ir-Sn bimetallic catalyst: synthesis of fully decorated furans and pyrroles

The heterobimetallic complex [Ir(COD)(SnCl₃)Cl(μ-Cl)]₂ catalyzes the direct substitution of hydroxyl groups in benzylic and propargylic alcohols by 1,3-dicarbonyl moiety. In 4-hydroxycoumarin, benzylation and propargylation occurs at the 3-position. Selective propargylation or allenylation takes place depending on the nature of propargylic alcohol. By applying the methodology, multi-substituted furans and pyrroles have been synthesized in good yields.     

Tautomeric equilibria in the reaction products of asymmetric 1,3-diamines with β-dicarbonyl compounds

The reaction products of 1,3-butanediamine and 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediamine with β-keto aldehydes were shown by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy to exist as tautomeric mixtures in solutions, comprising one cyclic and two open-chain forms due to the non-equivalence of the amino groups. The chain products exist as Z- and E-isomers. After equilibration, the products from 1,3-butanediamine contain relatively less of the cyclic form than those from 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediamine. The products of 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediamine with p-substituted aroylacetaldehydes, exhibit a linear correlation between log K of the ring-chain equilibria and Hammett's σ values of the aromatic ring substituents. α-Substitution of β-keto aldehydes notably increased the relative amounts of the chain E-isomers in their condensation products and also resulted in the formation of two diastereomers for each of the cyclic products. No ring-chain equilibria were observed in the products of 1,3-butanediamine and 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediamine with β-diketones, β-keto esters, or β-keto amides.     

Facile synthesis of 1,2,3-tricarbonyls from 1,3-dicarbonyls mediated by cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate

A mild and efficient protocol for the synthesis of vicinal tricarbonyl compounds from β-dicarbonyls in a single step using cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate as a catalytic oxidant is described. Ease of execution, wide substrate scope and the suitability for the synthesis of commercially important compounds like ninhydrin, alloxan and oxoline make this reaction particularly noteworthy.     

Highly substituted furans from 2-propynyl-1,3-dicarbonyls and organic halides or triflates via the oxypalladation-reductive elimination domino reaction

The palladium-catalysed reaction of 2-propynyl-1,3-dicarbonyls with organic halides or triflates provides an efficient straightforward entry into highly substituted furans. The best results have been obtained by using an excess of the alkyne. The process can tolerate a wide variety of important functional groups both on the alkyne and the organic halide or triflate. Under an atmosphere of carbon monoxide, the reaction affords furan derivatives incorporating carbon monoxide. Depending on the alkyne to organic halide or triflate ratio, acyl furans (incorporating one molecule of carbon monoxide) or enol esters (incorporating two molecules of carbon monoxide) can be isolated as the main products.     

Task-specific ionic liquid-catalyzed efficient couplings of indoles with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds: an efficient synthesis of 3-alkenylated indoles

Direct alkenylation of indoles at the 3-position with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds under Brønsted acidic ionic liquid catalysis has been developed. The yields were excellent, and the catalyst can be reused at least six times without noticeable loss of catalytic activity.     

Recent progress in copper catalyzed asymmetric Henry reaction

Henry reaction is one of the most classical reactions to construct synthetically useful product nitro alcohol, which as a privileged skeleton is widely distributed in various pharmaceuticals. This review summarizes the recent progress of copper-catalyzed asymmetric Henry reaction from 2011 to 2016. The significant progress that has been made in this area will be highlighted and some of challenges that the author believes may be hindering further progress will be revealed.     

Orthogonal synthesis of pyrroles and 1,2,3-triazoles from vinyl azides and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds

Tri- and tetrasubstituted N-H pyrroles were prepared by the simple treatment of vinyl azides with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in toluene at 100 °C via 2H-azirine intermediates generated in situ. When the reactions of vinyl azides and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds were performed in DMF in the presence of a catalytic amount of K₂CO₃, 1-vinyl-1,2,3-triazoles were obtained via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. These methodologies exploited orthogonal modes of chemical reactivity of vinyl azides, which could be achieved by slight modification of the reaction conditions.     

Brönsted acid ionic liquid-catalyzed direct benzylation, allylation and propargylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with alcohols as well as one-pot synthesis of 4H-chromenes

Recyclable ionic Brönsted acid was prepared in nearly quantitative yield by reacting 1-butylimidazole with an equimolar amount of 1,3-propanesultone, followed by treatment with an equimolar amount of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid. The ionic Brönsted acid-catalyzed direct benzylation, allylation and propargylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with various alcohols in ionic liquid [N-ethyl-N-methyl imidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate (EMIOTf)], at 100 °C for 3 h proceeded smoothly to give the corresponding products in good to excellent yields without the use of any hazardous or volatile solvents and without any by-product such as salts. Furthermore, tandem benzylation-cyclization-dehydration of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to give functionalized 4H-chromenes was also achieved in this catalytic reaction.     

Synthesis and reactions of the first fluoroalkylated 1,3-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadienes

The first fluoroalkylated 1,3-bis(silyloxy)-1,3-butadienes have been prepared. Their reaction with oxalyl chloride provides a convenient approach to fluoroalkylated γ-alkylidenebutenolides.     

Manganese(III)-mediated oxidative annulation of vinylidenecyclopropanes with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds

Manganese(III)-mediated oxidative annulation of vinylidenecyclopropanes with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in acetonitrile/acetic acid produces the corresponding functionalized dihydrofuran derivatives in moderate to good yields under mild conditions. The substrate scope has been examined and a plausible reaction mechanism has been also proposed on the basis of experimental results and previous literature.