Are peroxyformic acid and dioxirane electrophilic or nucleophilic oxidants?

The electronic character of peroxyformic acid and dioxirane has been clarified by the analysis of donor-acceptor interactions in 16 transition states (TS) for the epoxidation of olefins. Is has been shown that the olefins are attacked by peroxyformic acid (PFA) in an electrophilic way. A relation of the electronic character to reactivity has been found: the more electrophilic the attack on the C=C bond is, the faster the reaction. In contrast, dioxirane (DO) has been identified as both an electrophilic and nucleophilic oxidant, depending on the substituents at the C=C double bond. The substrates with electron-withdrawing groups are attacked by DO in a nucleophilic way. These reactions have comparably low activation barriers. For instance, the acrylonitrile epoxidation with dioxirane is significantly faster than the corresponding reaction with PFA and proceeds via a transition state with a smaller extent of reaction and a larger extent of asymmetry.     

Synthesis of β-amino alcohols by ring opening of epoxides with amines catalyzed by cyanuric chloride under mild and solvent-free conditions

Abstract

The 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine catalyzed synthesis of β-amino alcohols by aminolysis of epoxide under solvent-free condition is described. Mild reaction conditions, short reaction times, inexpensive and readily available catalysts, and excellent yields of the products with high regioselectivity are attractive features of this methodology.     

Efficient synthesis of β-amino alcohols by regioselective ring opening of epoxides with amines catalyzed by CuFe2O4 nanoparticles

A simple and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of β-amino alcohols by regioselective ring opening of epoxides with amines in the presence of CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles as a heterogeneous recyclable catalyst at room temperature in high yields.     

Synthesis of β-aminovinylphosphonates by organocatalytic nucleophilic displacement of acetate with amines

The synthesis of diethyl β-aminovinylphosphonates 2 from acetoxy phosphonate 1 is described. The reaction entails an organocatalyzed substitution of the acetoxy group by primary or secondary amines. The use of a catalytic amount of DABCO is necessary if the amine is not nucleophilic enough, otherwise a strong nucleophilic amine can react without organocatalyst. The reaction led to a series of functionalized title compounds in good to excellent yields.     

Ring opening of fluoroalkyl-containing α,β-epoxyketones by aromatic amines

Aromatic amines cause ,-epoxyketones containing a -fluoroalkyl group to undergo ring opening at the -position to give -amino--hydroxyketones.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 882–883, May, 1994.     

Are carbodiphosphoranes better ligands than N-heterocyclic carbenes for Grubb's catalysts?

Theoretical investigations suggest that substitution of an N-heterocyclic carbene by a carbodiphosphorane in the Grubb's catalyst for olefin metathesis might lead to enhanced reactivity.     

Advanced procedure for the enzymatic ring opening of unsaturated alicyclic β-lactams

Enantiopure β-amino acids 1a–4a and β-lactams 1b–4b were prepared simultaneously through the lipolase-catalysed enantioselective ring opening of unsaturated racemic β-lactams (±)-1-(±)-4. High enantioselectivities (E>200) were observed when the reactions were performed with 1 equiv of water in iPr₂O at 70 °C. The resolved (1R,2S)-amino acids (yield⩾45%) and (1S,5R)-, (1S,6R)- and (1S,8R)-lactams (yield⩾47%) could be easily separated. The ring opening of lactam enantiomers 1b–4b with 18% HCl afforded the corresponding β-amino acid hydrochlorides 1c·HCl–4c·HCl (ee >95%).     

Domino aziridine ring opening and Buchwald–Hartwig type coupling-cyclization by palladium catalyst

Highly important trans-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-benzoxazine moieties were easily synthesized by domino aziridine ring opening with o-bromophenols and o-chlorophenols followed by the palladium catalyzed coupling-cyclization (intramolecular C_(aryl)–N_(amide) bond formation) with good to excellent yields.     

Tetraselenotungstate: an efficient selenating reagent for the synthesis of β-amino diselenides by aziridine ring opening reactions

Tetraselenotungstate 1 has been shown to be a versatile selenating reagent and has been used successfully for the regio- and stereospecific ring opening of aziridines to afford a number of interesting β-amino diselenides in good yields in a single step under mild reaction conditions without using any Lewis acid.     

Effect of basic additives on properties of V?Sb?Bi oxide catalysts for ammoxidation of xylenes

The introduction of K₂O and Bao additives into supported V–Sb–Bi oxide catalysts enhances their activity in ammoxidation of xylenes. Bond energy and inhomogeneity character of surface oxygen, oxidation states and relative contents of metal cations remain practically unchanged, whereas the concentration of basic sites significantly increases.

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Synthesis of β,β′-diamino acids from α-amino acid-derived β-lactams by ring opening with nucleophiles. Utilization in the synthesis of peptidomimetics

Ring opening of protected 3-aminoalkyl-substituted azetidin-2-ones with O-, N- or S-nucleophiles led to β,β′-diaminocarboxylic esters, amides and thioesters, respectively. The reaction outcome is improved by the addition of catalytic amounts of sodium azide. Utilization of a glycine derivative with unprotected amino function as nucleophile was possible. When bulkier amino acid esters were used, the intermediate acid azide underwent a Curtius rearrangement. The isocynates formed were trapped as the corresponding urea derivatives. Reduction of β-lactam's amide moiety led to diaminoalcohols.     

Stereoselective synthesis of α,α-disubstituted amines by a sequential nucleophilic addition to O-protected cyanohydrins

The first enantioselective double nucleophilic addition reaction to O-protected cyanohydrin was achieved in 71% yield and 82:18 enantiomeric ratio by using a bis(BINOL)titanium Lewis acid complex. New (4S,5S)-2,2-dialkyl-4,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-dioxolane titanium complexes were synthesized and they displayed good levels of enantioselection in the nucleophilic addition reaction.     

Tree ring microanalysis by LA–ICP–MS for environmental monitoring: validation or refutation? Two case histories

An empirical approach is presented for validating trace metal profiles in tree rings for use as environmental archives. Concentration profiles of Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb and U in tree rings and lake sediments are compared for assessing the reliability of the former as an environmental proxy. Laser ablation sampling in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) is used for the direct analysis of tree rings. An optimised analytical protocol is devised with particular emphasis on sample preparation and quantification strategy. Significant correlations in the two environmental archives were found for zinc, copper and uranium, while cadmium and lead temporal trends, although showing enrichment in recent years, do not agree with the concentration profiles in lacustrine sediment cores. A chemical model based on metal affinity for hard type ligands present in wood is proposed to explain these results. Moreover, spring and winter wood are analysed separately thanks to the high spatial resolution of laser ablation sampling. As a result, enhanced metal loadings are shown to lead to intraring differences in trace metal concentrations.     

Efficient one-pot synthesis of β-hydroxyphosphonates: regioselective nucleophilic ring opening reaction of epoxides with triethyl phosphite catalyzed by Al(OTf)3

A variety of β-hydroxyphosphonates were produced in high yields by ring opening reaction of different types of epoxides with di/trialkyl phosphite esters catalyzed by Al(OTf)₃. The reactions proceeded with complete chemo- and regioselectivity to give the title compounds. This method is new, simple and efficient for the one-pot synthesis of β-hydroxyphosphonates via direct C-P bond formation.     

Rongalite promoted highly regioselective synthesis of β-hydroxy sulfides by ring opening of epoxides with disulfides

Rongalite^® promotes cleavage of disulfides generating thiolate anions that then undergo facile ring opening of epoxides in the presence of K₂CO₃ to afford α-addition products 3 with good to excellent yields. The important features of this methodology are broad substrates scope, high yielding, reasonably rapid reaction rate, high regioselectivity and no requirement of metal catalysts. It should be noted that the thiolate anion attacks the epoxides derived from styrene to produce the corresponding α-addition products 3 with high regioselectivity, instead of the β-addition regioisomer 4 that could be formed from the attack of the nucleophile at the benzylic position.     

Sesquiterpene synthases: passive catalysts or active players?

Sesquiterpene synthases catalyse the metal dependent turnover of farnesyl diphosphate to generate a class of natural products characterised by an enormous diversity in structure, stereochemistry, biological function and application. It has been proposed that these enzymes take a passive role in the reactions they catalyse and that they serve mostly as stereochemical templates, within which the reactions take place. Here, recent research into the structure and function of sesquiterpene synthases and the mechanisms of the reactions that they catalyse will be reviewed to suggest that these fascinating enzymes play multifaceted active roles in what are arguably the most complex biosynthetic reactions.     

Does CO poison Fe-based catalysts for ORR?

Catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were prepared on carbon black (C) using Fe^IIphthalocyanine (FePc) and Cl–Fe^IIItetramethoxyphenylporphyrin (ClFeTMPP), as Fe precursors with and without a pyrolysis step at 800 °C. CO poisoning of the ORR catalytic sites for all these Fe/N/C electrocatalysts was attempted at pH 1 and 13, but to no avail, even if an iron ion is known to occupy the center of the active sites in at least the unpyrolyzed FePc/C or ClFeTMPP/C. The exact nature of the active center of these Fe-based heat-treated catalysts may still be a subject of debate but, in light of the absence of CO poisoning for unpyrolyzed FePc/C and ClFeTMPP/C, resistance to CO poisoning by the heat-treated catalysts cannot be used as evidence that the active center of their catalytic site is devoid of iron.     

Electron-deficient adduct site in the ring opening of methylcyclopentane (MCP) on tungsten-oxide-supported Pt,Ir and Pt–Ir catalysts

The activities of Pt/WO₂, Ir/WO₂ and Pt–Ir/WO₂ toward the conversion of methylcyclopentane (MCP) were investigated. The catalysts were prepared using impregnation and co-impregnation methods and were characterized by SEM, XRD, N₂-sorption and TEM investigations. The most active catalyst toward the conversion of MCP, irrespective of the temperature, was Ir/WO₂. The order of the reactivity was Ir/WO₂ > Pt–Ir/WO₂ > Pt/WO₂. Strong metal–support interactions (SMSI) were observed for all the catalysts over the entire investigated temperature range. At 400 °C, the Pt and Pt–Ir showed 100% selectivity toward ring-enlargement reactions associated with the presence of electron-deficient adduct sites on the reducible acidic WO₂ support. Ring opening occurred over all the catalysts in three positions, resulting in the formation of 2-methylpentane (2-MP), 3-methylpentane (3-MP), and n-hexane (n-H). Difficulty in breaking the secondary – tertiary carbon bonds was observed predominantly on the Ir catalyst, which opens the MCP ring via a selective mechanism.