Non-Diazo C−H Insertion Approach to Cyclobutanones through Oxidative Gold Catalysis

Cyclobutanones are synthetically versatile compounds that often require extensive effort to access. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of cyclobutanones based on the C(sp³)−H insertion chemistry of oxidatively generated gold carbenes. Various cyclobutanones were obtained in synthetically useful yields from substrates with minimal structural prefunctionalization. This discovery reveals new synthetic utilities of gold-catalyzed oxidative transformations of alkynones.     

Γ-Lakton-cis-anellierung an Δ2- und Δ3- Cholesten

γ-Lactone-cis-annulation to Δ²- and Δ³- Cholestene. From Δ²- and Δ³- cholestene the γ-lactones 11a , 11b , 12a , and 12b are synthesized through the dibromocarbene adducts 3 and 4 , the bromohydrines 5 and 6 , the oxapiropentanes 7 and 8 , and the cyclobutanones 9a , 9b and 10a , 10b , respectively. The ¹³C-NMR.-spectra of 1–8 and 11 as well as the ORD.-spectra of the cyclobutanones 9 and 10 are reported.     

Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Oxidative Transformations of Terminal Alkynes to Ketenes By Using Tethered Sulfoxides: Access to β‐Lactams and Cyclobutanones

The oxidation of in situ generated Ru vinylidenes to ketenes is realized with tethered sulfoxides. The result is a Ru‐catalyzed oxidative transformation of terminal alkynes to highly valuable ketenes. Moreover, the ketenes generated here were shown to undergo characteristic ketene [2+2] cycloaddition reactions with tethered alkenes and external imines, yielding synthetically versatile bicyclic cyclobutanones and β‐lactams, respectively.     

Fused‐Ring Formation by an Intramolecular “Cut‐and‐Sew” Reaction between Cyclobutanones and Alkynes

The development of a catalytic intramolecular “cut‐and‐sew” transformation between cyclobutanones and alkynes to construct cyclohexenone‐fused rings is described herein. The challenge arises from the need for selective coupling at the more sterically hindered proximal position, and can be addressed by using an electron‐rich, but less bulky, phosphine ligand. The control experiment and ¹³C‐labelling study suggest that the reaction may start with cleavage of the less hindered distal C?C bond of cyclobutanones, followed by decarbonylation and CO reinsertion to enable Rh insertion at the more hindered proximal position.     

Asymmetric induction in the cycloaddition reaction of dichloroketene with chiral enol ethers. A versatile approach to optically active cyclopentenone derivatives.

Significant asymmetric induction has been observed in the cycloaddition reaction of dichloroketene with chiral enol ethers. The resultant diastereomeric cyclobutanones have been converted to synthetically useful α-chlorocyclopentenones in optically active form.     

NaBArF4‐Catalyzed Oxidative Cyclization of 1,5‐ and 1,6‐Diynes: Efficient and Divergent Synthesis of Functionalized γ‐ and δ‐Lactams

An efficient NaBAr^F₄‐catalyzed oxidative cyclization of readily available 1,5‐ and 1,6‐diynes has been developed. Importantly, this transition metal‐free oxidative catalysis proceeds via a presumable Lewis acid‐catalyzed S_N2’ pathway, which is distinct from the relevant oxidative rhodium and gold catalysis. This method leads to the facile and practical construction of a diverse range of synthetically useful γ‐ and δ‐lactams in mostly good to excellent yields with broad substrate scope.     

Enantioselective Cross‐Exchange between C−I and C−C σ Bonds

A palladium‐catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular σ‐bond cross‐exchange between C?I and C?C bonds is realized, providing chiral indanones bearing an alkyl iodide group and an all‐carbon quaternary stereocenter. Pd/TADDOL‐derived phosphoramidite is found to be an efficient catalytic system for both C?C bond cleavage and alkyl iodide reductive elimination. In addition to aryl iodides, aryl bromides can also be used for this transformation in the presence of KI. Density‐functional theory (DFT) calculation studies support the ring‐opening of cyclobutanones occuring through an oxidative addition/reductive elimination process involving Pd^IV species.     

Isomerisation thermique d'alkylidenecyclobutanones : Piegeage du diradical intermediaire par migration −1,5 d'hydrogene

The biradical intermediate which results from the thermal ring fission of alkylidene cyclobutanones $\text{2}$ serves as a common precursor of isomerised cyclobutanones $\text{3}$ (1,3 carbon shift), and of dienones $\text{4}$ by way of intramolecular 1,5 hydrogen shift.     

Controllable Skeleton Rearrangement of 3‐Substituted Cyclobutanones under Basic Conditions†

Divergent skeleton rearrangements of cyclobutanones under simply basic conditions have been described. The reaction pathway is controlled by the nature of Z group on 3‐substituted cyclobutanones, leading to the formation of various lactones, lactams and acids. Preliminary results on enantioselective reaction were also reported.     

Base‐Promoted/Gold‐Catalyzed Intramolecular Highly Selective and Controllable Detosylative Cyclization

A highly selective, controllable and synthetically useful base‐promoted intramolecular detosylative cyclization of bis‐N‐tosylhydrazones has been achieved, affording N‐containing heterocycles and cyclic olefins under transition‐metal‐free or gold‐catalyzed procedures, respectively. Moreover, an effective and practical metal‐free or gold‐catalyzed approach to synthesize polycyclic aromatic compounds is also reported.     

Ir‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of α‐Alkylidene β‐Lactams and Cyclobutanones

Chiral β‐lactams and cyclobutanones are present in numerous natural and pharmaceutical products. The stereoselective construction of chiral four‐membered cyclic compounds is an ongoing challenge for the chemical community. Herein, we report a highly stereocontrolled construction of four‐membered ring (mini‐sized) β‐lactams and cyclobutanones via an Ir/ In‐BiphPHOX ‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation, providing the corresponding optically active four‐membered ring carbonyl products bearing an α‐chiral carbon center with excellent yields (up to 99%) and enantioselectivities (up to 98%) under mild reaction conditions (1.0—2.5 bar H₂ for 1.0—10 h). The reaction presents wide substrate scope. Diverse transformations of the catalyzed products were also conducted to show the potential utility of this protocol.     

Baeyer–Villiger Oxidation of Cyclobutanones with 10-Methylacridinium as an Efficient Organocatalyst

Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of cyclobutanones is achieved in current developed protocol with 10-methylacridinium perchlorate (AcrH⁺ClO₄^?) as a novel organocatalyst both with irradiation at room temperature and without irradiation at elevated temperature. Excellent yields of the corresponding lactones are obtained and the possible mechanism has been proposed.     

Enantioselective Aza‐Ene‐type Reactions of Enamides with Gold Carbenes Generated from α‐Diazoesters

Carbophilic gold carbenes generated from the decomposition of α‐diazoesters show high reactivity towards enamides, leading to an unprecedented aza‐ene‐type reaction. The presence of 0.1 mol % of a chiral Brønsted acid co‐catalyst is sufficient to give synthetically relevant γ‐keto esters in excellent yields and selectivities (up to 99 % yield, 97 % ee ).     

Inside Cover: Ir‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of α‐Alkylidene β‐Lactams and Cyclobutanones (Chin. J. Chem. 7/2018)

The inside cover picture shows Chiral β‐lactams and cyclobutanones are present in numerous natural and pharmaceutical products. A direct preparation of chiral four‐membered rings via metal‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation has not been described yet. In this article, we report an Ir/BiphPHOX‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of α‐alkylidene β‐lactams and cyclobutanones for the direct preparation of β‐lactams and cyclobutanones bearing an α‐substituted stereocenter. Our tropos phosphine‐oxazoline biphenyl ligand is essential for the preparation of the desired products with high enantioselectivities. More details are discussed in the article by Zhang et al. on page 612–618.

     

Pd‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Ring Opening/Cross‐Coupling and Cyclopropanation of Cyclobutanones

A palladium‐catalyzed enantioselective sequential ring‐opening/cross‐coupling of cyclobutanones is disclosed that provides chiral indanones bearing C3‐quaternary stereocenters. The reaction process involves palladium‐catalyzed nucleophilic addition of cyclobutanones and aryl halides, enantioselective β‐carbon elimination, and intermolecular trapping of a transient σ‐alkylpalladium complex with boronic acids. Alternatively, an intramolecular cyclopropanation is realized through C?H bond functionalization in the absence of external coupling reagents, affording chiral cyclopropane‐fused‐indanones in good yields and enantioselectivity.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Oxidation/C−H Functionalization of Ynones: Efficient and Rapid Access to Functionalized Polycyclic Salicyl Ketones

An efficient strategy to construct salicyl ketones through gold‐catalyzed oxidation/C?H functionalization of ynones is reported. A variety of functionalized salicyl ketones are readily accessed by utilizing this non‐diazo approach, thus providing a viable alternative to synthetically useful salicyl ketones with a yield up to 98 %. The α‐oxo gold carbenes generated in situ through gold‐catalyzed oxidation of ynones can be trapped effectively by internal aryl and heteroaromatic groups. Electronic and steric effects were also investigated in this reaction. The anticancer activity of one salicyl ketone analogue was investigated and its cytotoxicity assays against the PC‐3 prostate cancer cell line and SKOV‐3 human ovarian carcinoma cell line yield IC₅₀ were 0.81±0.05 and 0.87±0.15 μm , respectively, demonstrating that salicyl ketone analogues showed good anticancer activity.     

Palladium-catalyzed, asymmetric Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of prochiral cyclobutanones with PHOX ligands

Described in this report is a general method for the conversion of prochiral 3-substituted cyclobutanones to enantioenriched γ-lactones through a palladium-catalyzed Baeyer-Villiger oxidation using phosphinooxazoline ligands in up to 99% yield and 81% ee. Lactones of enantiopurity ≥93% could be obtained through a single recrystallization step. Importantly, 3,3-disubtituted cyclobutanones produced enantioenriched lactones containing a β-quaternary center.     

Regioselective Synthesis of Fused Furans by Decarboxylative Annulation of α,β‐Alkenyl Carboxylic Acid with Cyclic Ketone: Synthesis of Di‐Heteroaryl Derivatives

α,β‐Alkenyl carboxylic acids undergo Cu^II‐mediated decarboxylative annulation reactions with aliphatic cyclic ketones to provide synthetically valuable di‐heterocycles. The annulation process tolerates a variety of aliphatic ketones and heterocyclic alkenyl carboxylic acids, producing substituted fused furan derivatives with complete regioselectivity. The current protocol offers a synthetically applicable pathway to construct a variety of oligo‐heterocycles through Cu‐mediated single‐electron transfer and decarboxylation. Notably, synthesis of relatively inaccessible di‐heterocycles has been achieved successfully using this protocol.     

Isolation of a Non‐Heteroatom‐Stabilized Gold–Carbene Complex

Gold–carbene complexes are essential intermediates in many gold‐catalyzed organic‐synthetic transformations. While gold–carbene complexes with direct, vinylogous, or phenylogous heteroatom substitution have been synthesized and characterized, the observation in the condensed phase of electronically non‐stabilized gold–carbenes has so far remained elusive. The sterically extremely shielded, emerald‐green complex [IPr**Au=CMes₂]⁺[NTf₂]^? has now been synthesized, isolated, and fully characterized. Its absorption maximum at 642 nm, in contrast to 528 nm of the red‐purple carbocation [Mes₂CH]⁺, clearly demonstrates that gold is more than just a “soft proton”.     

Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Annulation of 2‐Alkenyl Anilides with Alkynes through C−H Activation: Direct Access to 2‐Substituted Indolines

A Rh^III complex featuring an electron‐deficient η⁵‐cyclopentadienyl ligand catalyzed an unusual annulation between alkynes and 2‐alkenyl anilides to form synthetically appealing 2‐substituted indolines. Formally, the process can be viewed as an allylic amination with concomitant hydrocarbonation of the alkyne. Mechanistic experiments indicate that this transformation involves an unusual rhodium migration with a concomitant 1,5‐H shift.