InCl3 catalyzed carbene insertion into O-H bonds: efficient synthesis of ethers

An efficient InCl₃ mediated insertion of the carbene fragment (:CHCO₂Et), generated in situ from ethyl diazoacetate into O-H bond of a series of saturated and unsaturated alcohols under mild conditions has been developed to afford the corresponding ethers as exclusive products in good to high yields (70-95%) and in shorter reaction times. In the case of unsaturated alcohols, the reaction proceeded with unprecedented selectivity resulting in ethers as the only products and in high yields.     

Stereoselective intramolecular nitrone cycloadditions to chiral allyl ethers

The Intramolecular nitrone cycloadditions to Z and E chiral allyl ethers afford annulated isoxazolidines with good to excellent stereocontrol in favour of the C-5/C-5' anti isomers. The relative stereochemistry at the stereocenters in C-3/C-4 depends on the length of the chain connecting dipole and dipolarophile.     

Enantioselective carbenoid insertion into phenolic O-H bonds with a chiral copper(I) imidazoindolephosphine complex

The enantioselective O-H carbenoid insertion reaction with a new chiral copper(I) imidazoindolephosphine complex has been developed. The chiral copper(I) complex catalyzed the insertion of carbenoids derived from α-diazopropionates into the O-H bonds of various phenol derivatives to give the corresponding α-aryloxypropionates with up to 91% ee.     

A stereoselective intramolecular halo-etherification of chiral enamides in the synthesis of halogenated cyclic ethers

A stereoselective halo-etherification of chiral enamides is described here. This work provides an approach to halogen containing cyclic ethers and reveals further mechanistic insights to the chemistry of chiral enamides.     

A general and efficient approach to 2H-indazoles and 1H-pyrazoles through copper-catalyzed intramolecular N-N bond formation under mild conditions

A new efficient copper-catalyzed intramolecular amination reaction has been developed to readily synthesise a wide variety of multi-substituted 2H-indazole and 1H-pyrazole derivatives from easily accessible starting materials under mild conditions. A highly selective ligand for estrogen receptor β was prepared in three steps by employing this method.     

An efficient synthesis of 4-bromo-N-substituted oxindoles by an intramolecular copper-catalyzed amidation reaction

A highly efficient synthetic approach to novel 4-bromo-N-substituted oxindoles is described. The method involves a mild intramolecular copper-catalyzed amidation reaction of N-substituted 2,6-dibromophenylacetamides. In contrast to our recently published palladium-catalyzed amidation reaction, no concomitant dimerization on the 3-position of the formed oxindole occurs.     

General and highly efficient synthesis of 2-alkylideneazetidines and beta-lactams via copper-catalyzed intramolecular N-vinylation

[Structure: see text] N-Tosyl-3-halo-3-butenylamines underwent efficient Ullmann-type coupling with the catalysis of CuI/N,N'-dimethylethylenediamine to afford 2-alkylideneazetidines, which could be readily converted to the corresponding beta-lactams by oxidation with O3.     

Sequential nucleophilic addition/intramolecular cycloaddition to chiral nonracemic cyclic nitrones: a highly stereoselective approach to polyhydroxynortropane alkaloids

Two new polyhydroxylated nortropane analogues closely related with Calystegines have been prepared in excellent chemical yields and complete selectivity. A synthetic strategy based on consecutive nucleophilic allylation, oxidation, and intramolecular dipolar cycloaddition was developed. The formation of key intermediate cycloadducts were observed to take place through the recently confirmed thermally induced 2-aza-Cope rearrangement of nitrones.     

Sulfonimidamides: efficient chiral iminoiodane precursors for diastereoselective copper-catalyzed aziridination of olefins

N-(p-Toluenesulfonyl)-p-toluenesulfonimidamide reacts with iodosylbenzene to afford in situ a chiral iminoiodane. The latter gives, in the presence of a copper(I) catalyst, a nitrene that is very efficiently transferred under stoichiometric conditions to a variety of alkenes with diastereoselectivities up to 60%. [reaction: see text]     

Enantioselective formal synthesis of (+)-precapnelladiene by chiral copper-catalyzed asymmetric [2+2]-cycloaddition reaction

Enantioselective short formal synthesis of (+)-precapnelladiene (1) was achieved from a bicyclo[3.2.0]heptane derivative, which was prepared enantioselectively by chiral copper-catalyzed [2+2]-cycloaddition reaction of 2-methoxycarbonyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one with phenylthioacetylene developed by us.     

Double O-H insertion reactions of cyclic rhodium carbenoids: diastereoselective synthesis of macrocyclic oxindoles

Double O-H insertion reactions of cyclic diazo amides 1 and dihydroxy compounds 2 in the presence of rhodium(II) acetate catalyst have been achieved, which ultimately led to the facile synthesis of prototype bis(3-oxy-1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one) systems. This facile double O-H insertion reaction protocol was successfully applied to synthesize several C₂-symmetric macrocycles having oxindole units incorporated with complete diastereoselectivity.     

Platinum-catalyzed intramolecular hydroalkoxylation of gamma- and delta-hydroxy olefins to form cyclic ethers

Reaction of 2,2-diphenyl-4-penten-1-ol with a catalytic mixture of [PtCl2(H2C=CH2)]2 (1 mol %) and P(4-C6H4CF3)3 (2 mol %) at 70 degrees C for 24 h led to the isolation of 2-methyl-4,4-diphenyltetrahydrofuran in 78% yield. The platinum-catalyzed hydroalkoxylation of gamma-hydroxy olefins tolerated substitution at the alpha, beta, and gamma-carbon atoms and at the internal and cis and trans terminal olefinic positions. Platinum-catalyzed hydroalkoxylation tolerated a number of functional groups including pivaloate and acetate esters, amides, silyl and benzyl ethers, and pendant hydroxyl and olefinic groups. Pt-catalyzed olefin hydroalkylation was also applicable to the formation of fused- and spirobicyclic ethers and was effective for the hydroalkoxylation of delta-hydroxy olefins to form tetrahydropyran derivatives.     

Enantioselective intramolecular Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction using chiral bifunctional phosphinothiourea as an organocatalyst

Chiral cyclohexane-based phosphinothioureas were found to be efficient organocatalysts for the enantioselective intramolecular Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction of ω-formyl-enone. Among the solvents screened, t-BuOH was the best one which provided good yield and enantioselectivity. Moreover in the presence of 3 mol % of phosphinothiourea 2b, the desired products were obtained in good-to-excellent yields with up to 98% ee under mild reaction conditions.     

Synthesis and intramolecular nitrile oxide cycloaddition of 3,5'-ether-linked pseudooligosaccharide derivatives: an approach to chiral macrooxacycles

3,5'-ether-linked pseudooligopentose derivatives were synthesized for the first time from readily available carbohydrate precursors. The 1,2-isopropylidene-protected ether-linked oligopentoses are potentially important as precursors of novel RNA analogues. Intramolecular cycloaddition of the nitrile oxides prepared from these derivatives led to the diastereoselective formation of chiral isoxazolines fused to 10-16-membered oxacycles. The stereochemistry of some of these isoxazolines was established by X-ray diffraction and NOESY analysis.     

Enantioselective Michael addition of malonates to aromatic nitroalkenes catalyzed by monosaccharide-based chiral crown ethers

The asymmetric Michael addition of diethyl malonate and α-substituted diethyl malonates to aromatic nitroalkenes was carried out under mild reaction conditions in a solid–liquid phase transfer reaction in the presence of α-d-glucopyranoside- and α-d-mannopyranoside-based crown ethers as the catalysts. The use of d-glucose-based lariat ether 1 gave the best results. The substituents of the β-nitrostyrene and the diethyl malonate had a significant impact on the chemical yields and enantioselectivity. The addition of diethyl-2-acetamidomalonate to aromatic nitroalkenes afforded the corresponding Michael adducts in moderate to high enantiomeric excess (ee up to 99%). The reaction of diethyl-2-methylmalonate with 2-nitro-β-nitrostyrene gave the adduct with 93% enantiomeric excess in the presence of crown catalyst 1.     

Enantioselective crossed intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reactions mediated by a chiral chelating Lewis acid

In intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reactions, the two tethered olefins can approach each other in a straight or in a crossed fashion. Despite the fact that the latter reaction mode leads to intriguing, otherwise inaccessible bridged skeletons, there has so far not been any enantioselective variants thereof. This study concerned the crossed [2+2]-photocycloaddition of 2-(alkenyloxy)cyclohex-2-enones to bridged cyclobutanes. It was found that the reaction could be performed with high enantioselectivity (80–94% ee) under visible light conditions when employing a chiral rhodium Lewis acid as a catalyst (2 mol%).

An enantioselective crossed [2+2] photocycloaddition is presented which proceeds under visible light irradiation in the presence of a chiral Lewis acidic metal complex. Chelation of two oxygen atoms to the metal centre accounts for the observed enantioface differentiation.