An oxidative carbon-carbon bond formation system in cycloalkane-based thermomorphic multiphase solution

A selective anodic oxidation system in which a carbocation intermediate is generated exclusively by use of a temperature-controlled multiphase solution to separate the different stages of the reaction from each other and from the products is described. The formation of a thermomorphic middle layer in an electrolytic solution composed of c-Hex and LPC/MeNO2 results in enhanced interaction between aliphatic alkenes and polar unstable cation.     

Iron-catalyzed CC bond activation/CO bond formation: Direct conversion of ketones to esters

The iron-catalyzed oxidative activation of the (O)CC bond in ketones has been developed. This method enables direct synthesis of esters by the reaction between ketones and alcohols via conversion of the (O)CC bond to the (O)CO bond. The reaction runs selectively: the (O)CC_Alkyl bond is activated, while the (O)CC_Aryl bond remains intact (i.e., iron-catalyzed intermolecular anti-Baeyer-Villiger activation of the (O)CC bond). The reaction conditions are carefully optimized and allow the production of esters with yields of up to 95%. The method is based on the inexpensive and commercially available catalyst (FeCl₃), oxidant ((NH₄)₂S₂O₈), and solvent (DCE) without using any ligands or additives.     

Trimerisation of indole through laccase catalysis

Indole is cleanly bioconverted into a trimer upon laccase action. The formed compound has been identified as 2,2-bis(3′-indolyl)indoxyl (1) by X-ray diffraction study. Optimisation of the reaction through the use of dioxygen overpressure and TEMPO as mediator allowed a yield of more than 50% of isolated product for 1. 2,2-Bis(3′-indolyl)indoxyl is a natural compound that has been isolated from bacterial sources. However, this is the first report on a clearly identified enzyme that could be involved in its (bio)synthesis. A mechanism, based on the initial formation of a transient indole hydroperoxide, is proposed to account for the laccase catalysed synthesis of 1.     

Organocuprates mediated carbon-carbon bond formation in δ position of α-amino esters without racemisation

A new general method of synthesis of optically pure α-amino esters by action of organocuprates on t-butyloxycarbonyl-L-α-amino-δ-bromobutyric acid methyl ester is described.     

Glycosidic bond formation in aqueous solution: on the oxocarbenium intermediate

The mechanism of specific acid-catalyzed glycosidic bond formation between methanol and alpha-d-glucopyranoside in aqueous solution at 300 K was studied using Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics. The reaction was found to proceed through a non-solvent equilibrated oxocarbenium cation intermediate characterized by the loss of a hydrogen-bonding interaction between the ring oxygen and solvating water. The mechanism, which was found to be D(N)A(N) in nature, is discussed in detail.     

Copper(II) chloride-catalyzed Glaser oxidative coupling reaction in polyethylene glycol

Polyethylene glycol was shown to be an environmentally benign reaction medium for the copper(II) salt -catalyzed Glaser coupling reaction of terminal alkynes. In particular, oxygen as the sole oxidant worked very well for arylacetylenes even in short reaction time. The product was easily separated by extraction and the catalytic system could be reused four times without significant loss of reactivity.     

Copper-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of carbon-carbon double bond of enol ethers with molecular oxygen

A novel CC bond cleavage reaction of aromatic enol ethers (1) to give ketones (2) using molecular oxygen as oxidant is described. Among the examined catalysts (Cu(II), Pd(II), Ru(II), and H⁺), CuCl₂ exhibited the highest activity. The reaction proceeded smoothly with several kinds of substrates.     

Iron-catalyzed benzamide formation. Application to the synthesis of moclobemide

A convenient and user-friendly method to yield benzamides from primary and secondary amines and various benzylic alcohols in the presence of a cheap iron salt (FeCl₂·4H₂O) and tert-butylhydroperoxide (70% in water) as a stoichiometric oxidant is described. Control experiments indicated that this reaction might involve radical species. This method proved to be general, generating a family of 30 benzamides and was applied to the preparative synthesis of anti-anxiety drug moclobemide.     

One-pot carbon-carbon bond formation at the β-position of cyclic ketones: oxidative Michael addition with alkyl malonates

A carbon-carbon bond was formed at the β-position of cyclic ketones in a one-pot manner by oxidation with N-tert-butylbenzenesulfinimidoyl chloride, followed by the reaction of malonic acid esters or potassium cyanide.     

Functionalization of sulfophthalocyanines in aqueous medium by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions

A series of mono-functionalized trisulfonated phthalocyanines were prepared in aqueous medium under palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction conditions (Sonogashira, Heck and Suzuki) using water-soluble mono-iodo trisufophthalocyanines as precursors.     

Borylation of aryldiazonium salts at room temperature in an aqueous solution under catalyst-free conditions

A general and convenient borylation reaction of aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborate salts with B₂pin₂ has been developed. In this catalytic system, no catalyst, additional ligands or additives were required. The reaction proceeded smoothly in an aqueous solution, and a variety of arylboronates were isolated in moderate to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions.     

Aspects of glycosidic bond formation in aqueous solution: chemical bonding and the role of water

A model of the specific acid-catalyzed glycosidic bond formation in liquid water at ambient conditions is studied based on constrained Car-Parrinello ab initio molecular dynamics. Specifically the reaction of alpha-D-glucopyranose and methanol is found to proceed by a D(N)A(N) mechanism. The D(N) step consists of a concerted protonation of the O(1) hydroxyl leaving group; this process results in the breaking of the C(1)-O(1) bond, and oxocarbenium ion formation involving C(1)=O(5). The second step, A(N), is the formation of the C(1)-O(m) glycosidic bond, deprotonation of the methanol hydroxyl group O(m)H(m), and re-formation of the C(1)-O(5) single bond. A focus of this study is the analysis of the electronic structure during this condensed phase reaction relying on both Boys/Wannier localized orbitals and the electron localization function ELF. This analysis allows the clear elucidation of the chemical bonding features of the intermediate bracketed by the D(N) and A(N) steps, which is a non-solvent equilibrated oxocarbenium cation. Most interestingly, it is found that the oxygen in the pyranose ring becomes "desolvated" upon double bond/oxocarbenium formation, whereas it is engaged in the hydrogen-bonded water network before and after this period. This demonstrates that hydrogen bonding and thus the aqueous solvent play an active role in this reaction implying that microsolvation studies in the gas phase, both theoretical and experimental, might lead to qualitatively different reaction mechanisms compared to solution.     

Laccase-catalyzed,aerobic oxidative coupling of 4-substituted urazoles with sodium arylsulfinates: Green and mild procedure for the synthesis of arylsulfonyl triazolidinediones

The direct aerobic oxidation of 4-substituted urazoles using the laccase enzyme from Trametes versicolor in a phosphate buffer solution at ambient temperature, and subsequent cross-coupling with sodium benzenesulfinates was investigated to afford arylsulfonyl-1,2,4-triazolidine-3,5-dione derivatives in good to high yields.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed oxidative cyanation of tertiary amines with molecular oxygen or hydrogen peroxide and sodium cyanide: sp3 C-H bond activation and carbon-carbon bond formation

Ruthenium-catalyzed oxidative cyanation of tertiary amines with molecular oxygen in the presence of sodium cyanide and acetic acid gives the corresponding alpha-aminonitriles, which are highly useful intermediates for organic synthesis. The reaction is the first demonstration of direct sp(3) C-H bond activation alpha to nitrogen followed by carbon-carbon bond formation under aerobic oxidation conditions. The catalytic oxidation seems to proceed by (i) alpha-C-H activation of tertiary amines by the ruthenium catalyst to give an iminium ion/ruthenium hydride intermediate, (ii) reaction with molecular oxygen to give an iminium ion/ruthenium hydroperoxide, (iii) reaction with HCN to give the alpha-aminonitrile product, H2O2, and Ru species, (iv) generation of oxoruthenium species from the reaction of Ru species with H2O2, and (v) reaction of oxoruthenium species with tertiary amines to give alpha-aminonitriles. On the basis of the last two pathways, a new type of ruthenium-catalyzed oxidative cyanation of tertiary amines with H2O2 to give alpha-aminonitriles was established. The alpha-aminonitriles thus obtained can be readily converted to alpha-amino acids, diamines, and various nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds.     

Metal-free N-iodosuccinimide-catalyzed mild oxidative C-H bond amination of benzoxazoles

A facile, efficient, and mild protocol for the synthesis of aminobenzoxazoles has been developed using direct oxidative C-H bond amination of benzoxazoles with secondary or primary amines. The reaction was performed using catalytic amount of N-iodosuccinimide and aqueous hydrogen peroxide as a green oxidant and in the absence of transition metals. Reaction proceeds smoothly at ambient temperature and requires shorter reaction time to furnish excellent yield of the desired products. Various cyclic, acyclic, and functionalized aliphatic amines were well tolerated under optimized reaction conditions and provided good to excellent yield of the respective aminobenzoxazoles.     

Efficient oxidative dimerization of 1-naphthols to 2,2-binaphthyls with dioxygen mediated by semiconductors

A novel and efficient oxidative dimerization of 1-naphthols 1 with dioxygen in the presence of several semiconductors including SnO₂, ZrO₂, and activated charcoal as catalytic mediators took place selectively to give the corresponding 2,2^′-binaphthols 2 or 2,2^′-binaphthyl-1,1^′-quinones 3 in excellent yields without light irradiation. Among these semiconductors, the catalytic activity of SnO₂ could be fully restored by appropriate reactivation treatment after oxidation. The products 2 and 3 should be useful as synthetic intermediates for natural binaphthyls.     

Ionic liquid-supported TEMPO as catalyst in the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones

We describe an efficient synthesis of an ionic liquid-supported TEMPO which was used for the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones. The predictable solubility of ionic liquids allows an easy separation of the oxidation products from reagents. Furthermore, the oxidation can be carried out using an ionic liquid as the solvent instead of dichloromethane; and the IL-supported TEMPO can be recycled and used several times without the loss of efficiency.     

Influence of the carbon-carbon double bond on the coordinative ability of unsaturated bicarboxylic ligands in aqueous solution. A thermodynamic study

Enthalpies of complex formation of fumarate, itaconate, maleate and succinate with calcium have been determined by direct calorimetry. By using the stability constants of the literature, Gibbs function and entropy were also obtained. The present data refer to the aqueous medium at T = 25°C and I = 0.5 mol l^?1. In spite of the trans-configuration of fumarate, examination of the present thermodynamic results indicates a probable bidentate behaviour for this ligand, as a consequence of a charge-transmission due to the carbon-carbon double bond. The lower stability of the fumarate complexes in comparison with those of its cis-isomer seems due to different solute-solvent interactions, while the metalligand bond strength seems similar in both cases. On the other hand the present results seem to indicate for the itaconate complexes a structure similar to that of maleate and succinate, without charge transmission.