Conjugate addition of organosiloxanes to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by a cationic rhodium complex

[reaction: see text] A novel, additive-free, and clean conjugate addition reaction of organosiloxanes to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by a cationic rhodium complex in water-containing solvent has been developed. A plausible reaction mechanism involving the additive-free transmetalation step between the rhodium complex and the silicon reagent is proposed.     

Asymmetric 1,4-addition of organosiloxanes to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by a chiral rhodium complex

Highly enantioselective 1,4-addition of organosiloxanes to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds was found to be catalyzed by a chiral rhodium complex generated from [Rh(cod)(MeCN)(2)]BF(4) and (S)-BINAP. Both (E)- and (Z)-1-alkenyl groups as well as aryl groups can be introduced enantioselectively into the beta-position of a variety of ketones, esters, and amides. [reaction--see text]     

N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed trifluoromethylation of carbonyl compounds

[reaction: see text]. A novel N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed trifluoromethylation reaction of carbonyl compounds was discovered. Both enolizable and nonenolizable aldehydes and alpha-keto esters undergo facile trifluoromethylation with TMSCF3 at room temperature in the presence of only 0.5-1 mol % of the commercially available NHC (1), providing CF3-substituted alcohols in good yields. Selective trifluoromethylation of aldehydes over ketones can be achieved under NHC catalysis. These conditions are mild and simple and tolerate a variety of functional groups.     

Synthetic applications of beta-fluoroalkylated alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

Beta-fluoroalkylated alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds constitute efficient building blocks for the synthesis of complex fluorinated compounds. As the fluorinated moiety generally increases their reactivity, it also brings important modifications which can change the chemical behavior and selectivity. Their use has been already largely demonstrated. Nevertheless, the synthetic potential has not yet been fully explored and, consequently should play an important role in the design of new sophisticated fluorinated molecules. Nevertheless, it shall be important to develop new synthetic methods to enlarge their availability and their diversity.     

Highly efficient conjugate reduction of alpha,beta-unsaturated nitriles catalyzed by copper/xanthene-type bisphosphine complexes

Alpha,beta-unsaturated nitriles are chemoselectively reduced to the corresponding saturated nitriles in high yields using a copper-DPEphos or Xantphos complex as catalyst in the presence of polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) as the stoichiometric reducing agent and t-butanol as additive.     

Enantioselective Michael additions to alpha,beta-unsaturated imides catalyzed by a Salen-Al complex

(Salen)aluminum complex 1b is an efficient catalyst for the conjugate addition of di- and trisubstituted nitriles to a wide range of acyclic alkyl- and aryl-substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated imides. This new methodology provides access to multifunctional compounds that previously have not been readily accessible in enantioenriched form. Synthetic applications of these products include the preparation of enantiomerically enriched piperidines, as exemplified by an expedient asymmetric catalytic synthesis of (-)-paroxetine.     

Pd(II)-bipyridine catalyzed conjugate addition of arylboronic acid to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

[Reaction: see text]. A Pd(II)-catalyzed conjugate addition of arylboronic acid to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones, aldehydes, esters, etc. in the presence of 2,2'-bipyridine was developed. A mechanism involving transmetalation, insertion of the carbon-carbon double bond into the C-Pd bond, and protonolysis of the resulting C-Pd bond is proposed. The reaction conditions are mild and the yield is high. The presence of 2,2'-bipyridine is crucial for the reaction to inhibit beta-hydride elimination.     

Amine-catalyzed addition of azide ion to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

[formula: see text] A new protocol for the beta-azidation of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is described. The method employs tertiary amines as catalysts for azide addition. The azide source is a 1:1 mixture of TMSN3 and AcOH. Tertiary amines, either in solution or bound to a solid support, are efficient catalysts for the reaction.     

Transition metal-catalysed acylation of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with acylstannanes

Acylstannanes were found to add to such alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds as enones or ynoates in the presence of a nicel or palladium catalyst to give 2-stannyl-4-oxoalk-2-enoates or 1,4-diketones, whereas the three component coupling between acylstannanes, enones and aldehydes provided 2-hydroxymethyl 1,4-diketones.     

Copper-catalyzed beta-Boration of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds: rate acceleration by alcohol additives

[reaction: see text] The efficient addition of bis(pinacolato)diboron to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with a copper-diphosphine catalyst has been carried out. A dramatic rate acceleration of the reaction was realized by adding alcohol additives. With use of this procedure, a variety of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds including conjugated substrates at the acid oxidation level such as esters and nitriles were reacted to give to the corresponding beta-boryl carbonyl compounds in high yields.     

Rhodium-catalysed 1,4-addition of diarylindium hydroxides to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

Diarylindium(III) hydroxides react with alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in the presence of a rhodium catalyst to afford the 1,4-addition products in high yield. This reaction demonstrates the utility of diarylindium(III) hydroxide as an aryl source with rhodium catalysts.     

beta-Sulfinyl alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds from enantiomerically pure sulfenic acids.

The addition of enantiopure sulfenic acids to oxoalkynes constitutes a new and efficient methodology for the synthesis of beta-sulfinyl alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. Sulfenic acids 3 and 4 were generated by thermolysis of suitable precursors and trapped in situ by oxoalkynes 5, affording (R(S),E)- and (S(S),E)-3-alkylsulfinyl-1-phenyl-2-propen-1-ones, 4-alkylsulfinyl-3-buten-2-ones, and 3-[(1S)-isoborneol-10-sulfinyl]-2-propenoates 6 and 7 in good yields and in enantiomerically pure form after simple column chromatography. (R(S),E)-3-[(1S)-isoborneol-10-sulfinyl]-1-phenyl-2-propen-1-one (6(R)a) was involved as a heterodiene in inverse-electron-demanding Diels-Alder reactions with readily available electron-rich dienophiles 14 and 15, corroborating in each case the sulfinyl auxiliary capability in controlling the stereochemical outcome of these cycloadditions. Furthermore, the addition of methylmagnesium iodide to the carbonyl moiety of 6(R)a demonstrated that the chiral sulfur atom exerts a remote stereocontrol in this reaction if assisted by the hydroxy group being part of the isoborneol substituent.     

Density functional theory study of electroreductive hydrocoupling of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

[reaction: see text] The electroreductive hydrocoupling of methyl cinnamate, methyl crotonate, cumarin, and benzalacetone was studied by DFT (B3LYP/6-311++ G**) calculations. The computational outcomes for the transition states in the hydrocoupling of anion radicals generated by a one-electron transfer to the alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds well agree with the diastereoselectivities in the experimental results previously reported.     

Catalyst-free conjugated addition of thiols to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in water

[reaction: see text] Catalyst-free conjugate addition of thiols to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in water is reported. beta-Sulfido carbonyl compounds were formed at room temperature, in short times and with excellent chemoselectivity. Competitive dithiane/dithiolane formation, transesterification, and ester cleavage were not observed. Water played a dual role in simultaneously activating the alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compound and the thiol. This new methodology constitutes an easy, highly efficient, and green synthesis of beta-sulfido carbonyl compounds.     

Palladium-catalyzed conjugate addition of organosiloxanes to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds and nitroalkenes

The addition of aryltrialkoxysilanes to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (ketones, aldehydes) and nitroalkenes in the presence of SbCl(3), TBAF, AcOH, and a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)(2), in CH(3)CN at 60 degrees C, provides the corresponding conjugate addition products in moderate to good yields. The addition of equimolar amounts of SbCl(3) and TBAF is necessary for this reaction to proceed smoothly. The arylpalladium complex, which is generated by the transmetalation from a putative hypercoordinate silicon compound, is considered to be the catalytically active species.     

Mono- and beta,beta-double-Heck reactions of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in aqueous media

Optimized reaction conditions for the mono- and beta,beta-diarylation of electron-deficient alkenes in aqueous media catalyzed either by a p-hydroxyacetophenone oxime-derived palladacycle or by palladium(II) acetate under phosphine-free conditions and in the presence of (dicyclohexyl)methylamine as base are described. Regioselective monoarylation of unsubstituted and substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds takes place with aryl iodides at 120 degrees C in water. Aqueous N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) as additive, and the palladacycle as catalyst are the most efficient conditions for the coupling with aryl bromides, good stereoselectivities being also obtained in the arylation of crotonates and itaconates, whereas cinnamic derivatives afford lower steroselectivity, with the exception of cinnamic acid and nitrile. beta,beta-Diarylation of unsubstituted alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds can be controlled by using higher loading of the palladacycle and can be performed in refluxing water for aryl iodides, whereas DMA must be used for aryl bromides. Microwave irradiation can be used in the monoarylation of tert-butyl acrylate with aryl iodides in water or the coupling between ethyl cinnamate and aryl bromides in aqueous DMA.     

Highly enantioselective conjugate additions to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones catalyzed by a (salen)Al complex

Chiral (salen)Al complex 1a catalyzes the highly enantioselective conjugate addition of carbon- and nitrogen-based nucleophiles to acyclic alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones. This methodology is tolerant of substantial variation of the ketone structure, providing access to a wide range of useful chiral building blocks in high yield and enantiomeric excess. Synthetic manipulations of the conjugate addition products are demonstrated, including the straightforward preparation of beta-amino ketones and highly enantioenriched carbo- and heterocyclic compounds.     

Heck-type coupling vs. conjugate addition in phosphine-rhodium catalyzed reactions of aryl boronic acids with alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds: a systematic investigation

The competition between Heck-type coupling and conjugate addition in phosphine-rhodium catalyzed reactions of aryl boronic acids with alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyls has been systematically investigated in a toluene-H(2)O biphasic system. Aside from the intrinsic nature of rhodium and the enolization of carbonyls, the phosphine supporting ligand on rhodium, the ratio of aryl boronic acid to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl and the pH value of the aqueous phase were found to affect the competition significantly. Highly selective rhodium-based catalyst systems have therefore been developed for both Heck-type coupling and conjugate addition by synergistically tuning the supporting ligand, the boronic acid to olefin ratio and other reaction conditions. Conjugate addition with selectivity >99% and Heck-type coupling with selectivity of up to 100%, 98% and 84% for acrylates, acrylamides and methyl vinyl ketone, respectively, could be achieved in the rhodium-catalyzed reactions of aryl boronic acids with alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyls using the corresponding optimized rhodium-based catalyst systems.