Asymmetric 1,4‐conjugation addition of diethylzinc to cyclic enones catalyzed by a self‐assembled copper complex

A new self‐assembled catalyst system based on copper complex was developed for the 1,4‐conjugation addition of diethyl zinc to cyclic enones. The self‐assembled catalyst was readily prepared from (R)‐[1,1′]binaphthalenyl‐2,2′‐diamine (1a), (L )‐tryptophan (3f) and copper(I) chloride (CuCl). Several enones were found to be suitable substrates in the presence of the self‐assembled copper catalyst [10 mol% (R)‐1a, 10 mol% (L )‐3f and 10 mol% CuCl] under optimized conditions. The desired products were afforded with high isolated yields (up to 98%) and moderate to good enantioselectivities (up to 80% ee) in mild conditions (at 0 °C). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Catalytic Conversion of CO2 to Cyclic Carbonates through Multifunctional Zinc‐Modified ZSM‐5 Zeolite

The production of fine chemicals using CO₂ as C₁ building block through inexpensive heterogeneous catalysts with high efficiency under low pressure is challenging. Herein we propose for the first time the utilization of a multifunctional heterogeneous zinc‐modified HZSM‐5 (ZnHZSM‐5) catalyst for upgrading CO₂ by incorporation into cyclic carbonates from CO₂ and epoxides. Owing to the nice surface properties such as abundant Lewis acid, Brønsted acid and Lewis base sites, large surface area, and plenty of micropores, CO₂ could be concentrated and well activated in ZnHZSM‐5 verified by CO₂‐TPD, TG‐MS, etc. Meanwhile, the epoxides were also activated through metal center and hydrogen bond. Therefore, the reaction can easily assemble at the catalyst interface and show exceptional performance, affording the aimed products with high yield of up to 99% in the presence of commercial tetra‐n‐propylammonium bromide (90% in kilogram scale with 0.004 mol% ZnHZSM‐5 and 0.015 mol% ⁿPr₄NBr).     

An Easy Access to Oxime Ethers by Pd‐Catalyzed C—O Cross‐Coupling of Activated Aryl Bromides with Ketoximes and Chalcone Oximes

An efficient Pd‐catalyzed method for C—O cross‐coupling of ketoximes and chalcone oximes with activated aryl bromides and bromo‐chalcones has been developed. All oxime ethers were obtained in good to excellent yields by [(π‐allyl)PdCl]₂/tBuXPhos ( L7 ) catalyst system. TrixiePhos ( L11 ) was also found to be effective for the oxime coupling. This method offers an easy and smooth coupling of chalcone oximes with activated aryl bromides and bromo‐chalcones, which has not been previously explored.     

Transfer hydrogenation of ketones catalysed by half‐sandwich (η6‐p‐cymene) ruthenium(II) complexes incorporating benzoylhydrazone ligands

Neutral half‐sandwich η⁶‐p ‐cymene ruthenium(II) complexes of general formula [Ru(η⁶‐p ‐cymene)Cl(L)] (HL = monobasic O, N bidendate benzoylhydrazone ligand) have been synthesized from the reaction of [Ru(η⁶‐p ‐cymene)(μ‐Cl)Cl]₂ with acetophenone benzoylhydrazone ligands. All the complexes have been characterized using analytical and spectroscopic (Fourier transform infrared, UV–visible, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR) techniques. The molecular structures of three of the complexes have been determined using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, indicating a pseudo‐octahedral geometry around the ruthenium(II) ion. All the ruthenium(II) arene complexes were explored as catalysts for transfer hydrogenation of a wide range of aromatic, cyclic and aliphatic ketones with 2‐propanol using 0.1 mol% catalyst loading, and conversions of up to 100% were obtained. Further, the influence of other variables on the transfer hydrogenation reaction, such as base, temperature, catalyst loading and substrate scope, was also investigated.     

Organophosphate‐accelerated copper‐catalyzed C(sp2)–C(sp) Sonogashira‐type cross couplings

A dramatic acceleration in copper‐catalyzed Sonogashira‐type reactions was observed when an organophosphate was used as additive. The catalyst systems featuring low copper loading (0.5 mol% < Cu < 5 mol%) gave Sonogashira‐type products with a broad scope of aromatic and aliphatic terminal alkynes as well as aryl iodides in good to excellent yields. Among the organophosphate/copper catalytic systems, that of 4 mol% Cu(OTf)₂/10 mol% (R)‐(?)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl‐2,2′‐diyl hydrogenphosphate exhibited the highest catalytic activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optically Active Helical Poly[(S)‐3‐vinyl‐2,2′‐dihydroxy‐1,1′‐binaphthyl]: New Ligand for Asymmetric Addition of Diethylzinc to Aryl Aldehyde

Poly[(S)‐3‐vinyl‐2,2′‐dihydroxy‐1,1′‐binaphthyl] (L*) was obtained by taking off the protecting groups of poly[(S)‐3‐vinyl‐2,2′‐bis(methoxymethoxy)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl] (poly‐ 1 ). L* was proved to keep a stable helical conformation in solution. The application of helical L* in the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes has been studied. The catalytic system employing 10 mol% of L* and 150 mol% of Ti(OⁱPr)₄ was found to promote the addition of diethylzinc to a wide range of aromatic aldehydes, giving up to 99% enantiomeric excess (ee) and up to 93% yield of the corresponding secondary alcohol at 0°C. The chiral polymer can be easily recovered and reused without loss of catalytic activity as well as enantioselectivity.     

Chemoselectivity in the Reaction of 2‐Diazo‐3‐oxo‐3‐phenylpropanal with Aldehydes and Ketones

The chemoselectivity in the reaction of 2‐diazo‐3‐oxo‐3‐phenylpropanal ( 1 ) with aldehydes and ketones in the presence of Et₃N was investigated. The results indicate that 1 reacts with aromatic aldehydes with weak electron‐donating substituents and cyclic ketones under formation of 6‐phenyl‐4H‐1,3‐dioxin‐4‐one derivatives. However, it reacts with aromatic aldehydes with electron‐withdrawing substituents to yield 1,3‐diaryl‐3‐hydroxypropan‐1‐ones, accompanied by chalcone derivatives in some cases. It did not react with linear ketones, aliphatic aldehydes, and aromatic aldehydes with strong electron‐donating substituents. A mechanism for the formation of 1,3‐diaryl‐3‐hydroxypropan‐1‐ones and chalcone derivatives is proposed. We also tried to react 1 with other unsaturated compounds, including various olefins and nitriles, and cumulated unsaturated compounds, such as N,N′‐dialkylcarbodiimines, phenyl isocyanate, isothiocyanate, and CS₂. Only with N,N′‐dialkylcarbodiimines, the expected cycloaddition took place.     

Cu(OAc)2·H2O/NH2OH·HCl/CH3COONa: A Facile and Efficient Catalyst System for Copper‐catalyzed Azide–Alkyne Click Reactions in Water

A facile and efficient protocol has been developed for synthesis of 1,4‐disubstituted 1,2,3‐triazoles in good to excellent yields using Cu(OAc)₂·H₂O (0.5 mol%)/NH₂OH·HCl (0.5 mol%)/CH₃COONa (1.0 mol%) as the catalyst system. The presence of CH₃COONa (2 equiv) could ensure the in situ generation of Cu₂O as the active catalyst instead of CuCl from Cu(OAc)₂·H₂O (1 equiv)/NH₂OH·HCl (1 equiv). This protocol could be carried out in water under mild conditions.     

Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of β‐Heteroaryl‐Substituted Dihydrochalcones Through Friedel–Crafts Alkylation of Indoles and Pyrrole

A highly enantioselective Friedel–Crafts (F–C) alkylation of indoles and pyrrole with chalcone derivatives catalyzed by a chiral N,N′‐dioxide–Sc(OTf)₃ complex has been developed that tolerates a wide range of substrates. The reaction proceeds in moderate to excellent yields and high enantioselectivities (85–92 % enantiomeric excess) using 2 mol % (for indole) or 0.5 mol % (for pyrrole) catalyst loading, which showed the potential value of the catalyst system. Meanwhile, a strong positive nonlinear effect was observed. On the basis of the experimental results and previous reports, a possible working model is proposed to explain the origin of the activation and asymmetric induction.     

Asymmetric Reduction of 2‐Chloro‐3‐oxo Esters by Transfer Hydrogenation

Asymmetric reduction of 2‐chloro‐3‐oxo esters was achieved by catalytic transfer hydrogenation using [RuCl₂(p‐cymene)](S,S)‐TsDPEN as the chiral catalyst and HCOOH‐Et₃N as the hydrogen source. Moderate to good yields (up to 85%) and good enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) were obtained.     

Ligand‐free palladium‐catalyzed tandem pathways for the synthesis of 4,4‐diarylbutanones and 4,4‐diaryl‐3‐butenones under microwave conditions

Two efficient Pd‐catalyzed tandem pathways for the synthesis of 4,4‐diaryl‐2‐butanones and 4,4‐diaryl‐3‐buten‐2‐ones were elaborated. The first step in both procedures was the Heck coupling of methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and various aryl iodides leading to 4‐aryl‐3‐buten‐2‐one with the yield of up to 92% in 1 hr. The second step performed with the same catalyst and a new portion of aryl iodide in the presence K₂CO₃ as a base produced 4,4‐diaryl‐3‐buten‐2‐ones in high yield. Reaction selectivity changed completely to saturated 4,4‐diaryl‐2‐butanones, reductive Heck products, when a tertiary amine was used instead of K₂CO₃. Due to the application of microwave irradiation (MW), the desired products were obtained in high yield in a short time (4 hr), using 0.5 mol% of the Pd (OAc)₂ catalyst without additional ligands.     

Highly Enantioselective Direct Asymmetric Aldol Reaction Catalyzed by 4,5‐Methano‐L‐proline

The 4,5‐methano‐L‐proline was used as chiral organocatalysts in direct asymmetric aldol reactions. Under the optimal conditions, excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee) were obtained with high chemical yields (up to 95%) for a series of aldehydes using only 5 mol% catalyst loading. To show the practicality of the method, the reaction was tested at a large scale. The reaction was complete in 16 h, and the aldol product was obtained in 86% yield and 93% ee.     

Short communication: An alternative and effective catalyst in the stereo‐specific reaction of Z‐1‐aryl‐1‐stannyl‐2‐silylethenes with allyl bromide

The Pd(dba)₂‐catalyzed reaction of Z‐1‐aryl‐1‐(tributylstannyl)‐2‐(trimethylsilyl)ethenes with allyl bromide in the presence of copper(I) iodide is reported for the first time. The reaction in the presence of 0.5 mol% Pd(dba)₂ and 8 mol% CuI in dimethylformamide takes place at room temperature to give E‐2‐aryl‐1‐(trimethylsilyl)penta‐1,4‐dienes exclusively in isolated yields of 62–99%. A putative reaction mechanism is proposed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cross‐Linked‐Polymer‐Supported N‐{2′‐[(Arylsulfonyl)amino][1,1′‐binaphthalen]‐2‐yl}prolinamide as Organocatalyst for the Direct Aldol Intermolecular Reaction under Solvent‐Free Conditions

A bottom‐up strategy was used for the synthesis of cross‐linked copolymers containing the organocatalyst N‐{(1R)‐2′‐{[(4‐ethylphenyl)sulfonyl]amino}[1,1′‐binaphthalen]‐2‐yl}‐D ‐prolinamide derived from 2 (Scheme 1). The polymer‐bound catalyst 5b containing 1% of divinylbenzene as cross‐linker showed higher catalyst activity in the aldol reaction between cyclohexanone and 4‐nitrobenzaldehyde than 5a and 5c . Remarkably, the reaction in the presence of 5b was carried out under solvent‐free, mild conditions, achieving up to 93% ee (Table 1). The polymer‐bound catalyst 5b was recovered by filtration and re‐used up to seven times without detrimental effects on the achieved diastereo‐ and enantioselectivities (Table 2). The catalytic procedure with polymer 5b was extended to the aldol reaction under solvent‐free conditions of other ketones, including functionalized ones, and different aromatic aldehydes (Table 3). In some cases, the addition of a small amount of H₂O was required to give the best results (up to 95% ee). Under these reaction conditions, the cross‐aldol reaction between aldehydes proceeded in moderate yield and diastereo‐ and enantioselectivity (Scheme 2).     

ZnCl2‐Promoted Asymmetric Hydrogenation of β‐Secondary‐Amino Ketones Catalyzed by a P‐Chiral Rh–Bisphosphine Complex

A new catalytic system has been developed for the asymmetric hydrogenation of β‐secondary‐amino ketones using a highly efficient P‐chiral bisphosphine–rhodium complex in combination with ZnCl₂ as the activator of the catalyst. The chiral γ‐secondary‐amino alcohols were obtained in 90–94 % yields, 90–99 % enantioselectivities, and with high turnover numbers (up to 2000 S/C; S/C=substrate/catalyst ratio). A mechanism for the promoting effect of ZnCl₂ on the catalytic system has been proposed on the basis of NMR spectroscopy and HRMS studies. This method was successfully applied to the asymmetric syntheses of three important drugs, (S)‐duloxetine, (R)‐fluoxetine, and (R)‐atomoxetine, in high yields and with excellent enantioselectivities.     

Tetraphosphine/palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of heteroaryl halides with 3‐pyridine‐ and 3‐thiopheneboronic acid: an efficient catalyst for the formation of biheteroaryls

An easily prepared tetraphosphine N,N,N′,N′‐tetra(diphenylphosphinomethyl)‐1,2‐ethylenediamine (L1) associated with [Pd(η³‐C₃H₅)Cl]₂ affords an efficient catalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of 3‐pyridineboronic acid with heteroaryl bromides. Reaction could be performed with as little as 0.02 mol% catalyst and a high turnover number of 2500 is obtained. A wide range of substrates is investigated with satisfactory yields, and good compatibility with aminogroup‐substituted pyridines and unprotected indole is exhibited. This protocol can also be applied successfully to the reaction of heteroaryl bromides with 3‐thiopheneboronic acid. This Pd‐tetraphosphine catalyst efficiently restrains the poisoning effect from heteroaryls, and shows good stability and longevity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Potassium tert‐Butoxide Catalyzed Synthesis and Characterization of Novel 3‐Aryl‐3‐(phenylthio)‐1‐(thiophen‐3‐yl)propan‐1‐one Derivatives

A series of thiophenyl‐containing 3‐thiophene derivatives ( 4a – 4i ) were prepared via the reaction of chalcone‐analogua compounds ( 3a – 3i ) and thiophenol in the presence of catalytic amount of KOBu‐t in CH₂Cl₂ with moderate to high yields. The mechanistic pathway of the reaction was explained by the Michael‐type addition of thiophenol to chalcone derivatives ( 3a – 3i ).     

Regioselective Amine–Borane Cyclization: Towards the Synthesis of 1,2‐BN‐3‐Cyclohexene by Copper‐Assisted Triazole/Gold Catalysis

The combination of triazole/gold (TA‐Au) and Cu(OTf)₂ is identified as the optimal catalytic system for promoting intramolecular hydroboration for the synthesis of a six‐membered cyclic amine–borane. Excellent yields (up to 95 %) and regioselectivities (5‐exo vs. 6‐endo) were achieved through catalyst control and sequential dilution. Good functional‐group tolerance was attained, thus allowing the preparation of highly functionalized cyclic amine–borane substrates, which could not be achieved using other methods. Deuterium‐labeling studies support the involvement of a hydride addition to a gold‐activated alkyne with subsequent C?B bond formation.     

One‐Pot,Three‐Component Condensation of Aldehydes, 2‐Naphthol and 1,3‐Dicarbonyl Compounds

A practical and efficient procedure for the one‐pot multicomponent couping of aryl aldehydes, 2‐naphthol and cyclic 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds using perchloric acid adsorbed on silica gel (HClO₄‐SiO₂) as a highly efficient, inexpensive, convenient, reusable heterogeneous catalyst under solvent‐free conditions has been developed. Various biologically important 12‐aryl‐8,9,10,12‐tetrahydrobenzo[a]xanthen‐11‐one derivatives have been efficiently synthesized in high to excellent yields. The present approach offers several advantages such as shorter reaction times, simple work‐up, excellent yields, low cost, and mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst can be recovered simply and reused without appreciable loss of its catalytic activity.     

Cationic organotin cluster [t‐Bu2Sn(OH)(H2O)]22+2OTf−‐catalyzed one‐pot three‐component syntheses of 5‐substituted 1H‐tetrazoles and 2,4,6‐triarylpyridines in water

The cationic organotin cluster [t‐Bu₂Sn(OH)(H₂O)]₂²⁺2OTf^? is easy to prepare and stable in air. The catalytic activity of [t‐Bu₂Sn(OH)(H₂O)]₂²⁺2OTf^? as a neutral organotin Lewis acid catalyst is probed through the one‐pot three‐component syntheses of 5‐substituted 1H‐tetrazoles from aldehydes, hydroxylamine hydrochloride and sodium azide, and of 2,4,6‐triarylpyridines from aromatic aldehydes, substituted acetophenones and ammonium acetate. The reactions proceed well in the presence of 1 mol% of [t‐Bu₂Sn(OH)(H₂O)]₂²⁺2OTf^? in water and provide the corresponding 5‐substituted 1H‐tetrazoles and 2,4,6‐triarylpyridines in good to excellent yields. The method reported has several advantages such as the catalyst being neutral, low catalyst loading and use of water as a green solvent.