Silver(I) oxide mediated selective monoprotection of diols in pyranosides

The reaction of 4, 6-O-benzylidene-d-pyranosides with a stoichiometric amount of TsCl, AcCl, and BzCl in the presence of silver(I) oxide and a catalytic amount of potassium iodide led to monosubstituted derivatives in high regioselectivity and in good yields.     

Titanocene(III) mediated radical cyclizations of epoxides for the synthesis of medium-sized cyclic ethers

Titanocene(III) chloride (Cp₂TiCl) mediated 7-exo and 8-endo radical cyclizations of epoxides towards the synthesis of 7- and 8-membered cyclic ethers have been described. Titanocene(III) chloride was prepared in situ from commercially available titanocene dichloride (Cp₂TiCl₂) and activated zinc dust in THF.     

A one-pot tandem oxidation-reduction protocol for the synthesis of cyclic ethers from their diols

A novel and an efficient one-pot cyclization method for the preparation of cyclic ethers from their diols via a tandem oxidation-reduction protocol using a cocktail of MnO₂/Et₃SiH/CF₃COOH is reported.     

Titanocene(III) mediated 8-endo radical cyclizations for the synthesis of eight-membered cyclic ethers

Titanocene(III) chloride (Cp₂TiCl) mediated 8-endo radical cyclizations towards the synthesis of eight-membered cyclic ethers have been described. Titanocene(III) chloride was prepared in situ from commercially available titanocene dichloride (Cp₂TiCl₂) and activated zinc dust in THF.     

Phosphonyl radical addition to enol ethers. The stereoselective synthesis of cyclic ethers

Addition of diethyl phosphite or diethyl thiophosphite to enol ethers, in the presence of a radical initiator, results in the regioselective synthesis of organophosphonate or phosphonothioate derivatives, respectively, under mild conditions. This method can be applied to the stereoselective formation of substituted tetrahydrofurans and tetrahydropyrans, on cyclisation of vinyl ethers bearing unsaturated side chains.     

Synthesis of symmetrical diaryl ethers from arylboronic acids mediated by copper(II) acetate

Copper promoted generation of phenols in situ through arylation of water and their subsequent arylation with arylboronic acids affords a wide range of symmetrical diaryl ethers in good to high yield. The reaction is rapid, mild, convenient and tolerant of a wide range of functionalities on the arylboronic acid.     

Manganese (III) acetate mediated synthesis of polysubstituted pyrroles under solvent-free ball milling

Under solvent-free ball milling conditions, a simple and mild method was developed for efficient synthesis of 2,5-dimethyl-3,4-dicarboxylate-pyrroles and N-substituted 3,4-diphenylpyrroles via condensation-annulation of amines with acetoacetate and 2-phenylacetaldehyde, respectively. The use of cheap and safe Mn(OAc)₃ as a mediator, no use of commonly employed acetic acid as solvent, short reaction time and readily available starting materials make this protocol a good alternative to traditional synthesis of polysubstituted pyrroles.     

Synthesis of cyclic ethers from diols in the presence of copper catalysts

A number of cyclic ethers, namely tetrahydrofuran, 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran, tetrahydropyran, 1,4-dioxane, oxepane, oxocane, and 1,4-oxathiane, have been synthesized in high yields by intramolecular dehydration of diols in the presence of copper-based catalysts.     

Nafion-H mediated selective deprotection of terminal isopropylidene acetals and trityl ethers. Application in the synthesis of a substituted piperidone

A facile chemoselective hydrolysis of terminal isopropylidene acetals has been achieved in good to excellent yields within 2-4 h using Nafion-H in methanol at ambient temperature. This procedure has been employed to synthesize a substituted piperidone derivative. Similarly, trityl ethers are also deprotected to the corresponding alcohols in excellent yields using Nafion-H at room temperature.     

Silver(I) mediated folding of a molecular basket

We have investigated Ag(I) mediated folding of a tridentate compound, containing three pyridine flaps tethered to a semirigid scaffold, into a molecular basket, using both experimental and theoretical methods. The basket formation has been shown to be highly favorable in organic media (Delta G degrees = -7.2 kcal/mol), with the assembly process allowing for another ligand to bind preferentially on the outer side.     

Liquid-liquid extraction of copper(I) by cyclic tetrathio ethers

The liquid-liquid extraction of copper(I) with 12-, 13-, 15- and 16-membered cyclic tetrathio ethers ([n]aneS₄, where n represents the total number of carbon and sulphur atoms in the cyclic ligand ring) was examined stoichiometrically using picrate ion (Pic^?) for the formation of the ion pair. Copper(I) was extracted with four ligands (L) into 1,2-dichloroethane as the ion-pair compound, [Cu(I)L]⁺Pic^?. The extraction constant, K_ex, with each ligand was determined. As the ring size of cyclic tetrathio ethers increases, the log K_ex values, including that previously reported for [14]aneS₄, increase from 7.7 to 9.4. The value of Δ log K_ex, which represents the increase in log K_ex due to the addition of one carbon atom to the macrocyclic ring, was large between [13]aneS₄ and [14]aneS₄ (Δ log K_ex=1.0) and small between [14]aneS₄ and [15]aneS₄ (Δ log K_ex=0.1).     

Concise synthesis of cyclic ethers via the palladium-catalyzed coupling of ketene acetal triflates and organozinc reagents. Application to the iterative synthesis of polycyclic ethers

The reaction of the ketene acetal triflates 9a-e and a zinc homoenolate 10 in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd(PPh(3))(4) gave the enol ethers 11a-e in good yields. The products were converted to the corresponding cyclic ethers 14a and 14b by hydroboration and lactonization. The present methodology allowed us to synthesize the DE and GH ring segment of gambierol in a concise manner. Iterative syntheses of the polycyclic ethers 26 and 32 are also described.     

Enantioselective alkylative double ring-opening of epoxides derived from cyclic allylic ethers: synthesis of enantioenriched unsaturated diols

A screen of external chiral ligands has led to enantioselective organolithium-induced alkylative double ring-opening of 3,4-epoxytetrahydrofuran 1 with n-BuLi to give 3-methyleneheptane-1,2-diol 3 in 75% yield and 55% ee in the presence of bisoxazoline 10, and in up to 60% ee in the presence of (-)-sparteine 2. Extending the alkylative double ring-opening reaction to epoxides derived from oxabicyclo[n.2.1]alkenes (n = 2.3) results in the formation of cycloalkenediols, which, when carried out in the presence of (-)-sparteine 2 affords products in up to 85% ee.     

Lead oxide (PbO) mediated synthesis of quinoxaline

Lead oxide is used as an efficient oxidizing agent in the oxidation and condensation reaction of hydroxy ketone with diamine leading to form quinoxaline derivatives. The method is simple, cost effective and gives good yields in shorter reaction times.     

Fluorinative ring-expansion of cyclic ethers using p-iodotoluene difluoride. Stereoselective synthesis of fluoro cyclic ethers

Fluorinated five- to seven-membered cyclic ethers were stereoselectively synthesized from four- to six-membered cyclic ethers having an iodoalkyl substituent by fluorinative ring-expansion reaction using p-iodotoluene difluoride.     

Diverging Rh(I)-catalyzed carbocylization strategy to prepare a library of unique cyclic ethers

A library of 90 carboxamide-containing oxepines and pyrans was synthesized. A dual-branching strategy was used where a common intermediate, an allenyl-hydroxy ester, was either allylated or propargylated then subjected to rhodium(I)-catalyzed carbocyclization reaction conditions to afford an oxepine- or triene-containing pyran, respectively. The oxepines were selectively reduced to afford two functionally unique scaffolds using complementary hydrogenation conditions. Diversification of the oxepines and pyrans involved conversion of the methyl carboxylate group to a carboxamide via either a microwave-assisted amidation using polymer-bound carbodiimide (DCC) and 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBt) or a NaCN-catalyzed aminolysis. The scope of a rarely used carbonyl-yne reaction was expanded to the preparation of 10 new allenyl-hydroxy esters using microwave irradiation. Finally, a cell-based diversity analysis using BCUT (Burden (B) CAS (C) Pearlman at the University of Texas (UT)) metrics calculations and two-dimensional fingerprint similarity approaches shows that when compared to the 100,000 Pittsburgh Molecular Library Screening Center (PMLSC) compound database and PubChem the new compound library occupies a unique chemical space.     

Chromium(II) mediated threo selective synthesis of homoallyl alcohols

Remarkable threo selectivity is observed in the reaction of aldehydes with $\text{trans}$- and $\text{cis}$-1-bromo-2-butene with the aid of chromium(II) salts. Solvent effect as well as the synthetic application is discussed.     

Cyclization reaction for the synthesis of polysubstituted naphthalenes in the presence of Au(I) precatalysts

Au(I)-catalyzed cyclization of alkenyl carbonyl compounds leading to a variety of substituted naphthalenes has been developed. This process exploits a dual function of the Au(I) catalyst: (1) the oxophilic nature of the Au(I) catalyst, counterintuitive to the π-acidic reactivities generally associated with Au catalysts, and (2) olefin isomerization supported by the outcome of isotope scrambling experiments. It cannot be completely excluded that TfOH is a true operative catalyst in this protocol. In view of the practicality, the unnecessity of isomerically pure starting material in this reaction is particularly attractive and valuable.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of polysubstituted tetrahydropyrans and thiacyclohexanes via indium trichloride mediated cyclizations.

Polysubstituted tetrahydropyrans and thiacyclohexanes were synthesized in high yields with excellent diastereoselectivities via indium trichloride mediated cyclizations between homoallyl alcohols and mercaptans with aldehydes. In the case of tetrahydropyran products, the stereochemistry of the product was found to be directly correlated with the geometry of the homoallyl alcohols; whereas the cross-cyclization of aldehydes with trans-homoallyl alcohols generated (up-down-up) 2,3,4-trisubstituted tetrahydropyran products exclusively, the reaction of aldehydes with cis-homoallyl alcohols provided mainly (up-up-up) 2,3,4-trisubstituted products. When a trisubstituted homoallyl alcohol was used, its cross-cyclization with aldehydes generated (up-down-up-down-up) pentasubstituted tetrahydropyran derivatives with simultaneous controlling of five stereogenic centers. On the other hand, a cyclization-decyclization equilibrium was observed in the formation of thiacyclohexanes. The reaction of both cis- and trans-homoallyl mercaptans with aldehydes provided the same major diastereomers.