The use of anhydrous CeCl3 as a catalyst for the synthesis of 3-sulfenyl indoles

Anhydrous CeCl₃ was successfully used as a catalyst for the synthesis of several 3-sulfenyl indoles in good to excellent yields through the reaction of indole with N-(alkylthio) and N-(arylthio)phthalimides in DMF.     

Anhydrous CeCl3 catalyzed C3-selective propargylation of indoles with tertiary alcohols

Anhydrous CeCl₃ was successfully used as catalyst for the synthesis of several 3-propargyl indoles in good yields through the reaction of indole with propargyl alcohols in nitromethane.     

Glycerin and CeCl3·7H2O: a new and efficient recyclable medium for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes

Glycerin and CeCl₃·7H₂O were successfully used in recyclable catalytic system for the synthesis of several bis(indolyl)methanes in good to excellent yields through the reaction of indoles with aldehydes. The method is applicable to aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes, and the mixture of glycerin and CeCl₃·7H₂O can be reused up to five times without special treatment and with comparable yields.     

Catalytic oxidation of thiols to disulfides using iodine and CeCl3·7H2O in graphite

A very simple procedure for the efficient oxidation of thiols to disulfides catalyzed by I₂/CeCl₃·7H₂O in graphite and ethyl acetate as the solvent, in an open system at room temperature is described. The reaction proceeds cleanly under mild conditions and was performed with aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic thiols.     

Yb[N(SO2C8F17)2]3-catalyzed allylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with allylic alcohols in a fluorous biphase system

Allylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with allylic alcohols was successfully accomplished using rare earth metal (III) bis(perfluorooctanesulfonyl)imide [RE(NPf₂)₃, RE = La∼Lu] as catalysts in fluorous solvents. Ytterbium bis(perfluorooctanesulfonyl)imide [Yb(NPf₂)₃] catalyzes the high efficient reaction of allylation in fluorous solvents. By simple separation, fluorous phase containing only catalyst can be reused several times.     

Modular CeCl3·7H2O-catalyzed multi-component synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted pyrroles under microwave irradiation and their further trichloroisocyanuric acid-mediated conversion into 5-sulfenylpyrrole derivatives

A modular, multicomponent synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted pyrroles promoted by the inexpensive CeCl₃·7H₂O, is reported. The reaction was carried out under microwave irradiation, affording good yields of products in short time. Scope and limitations were explored and a plausible reaction mechanism is discussed. The resulting heterocycles were smoothly and efficiently converted into their corresponding 5-arylsulfenyl derivatives by reaction with diaryl disulfides and trichloroisocyanuric acid in EtOAc.     

Copper(II)-catalyzed allylation of propargylic and allylic alcohols by allylsilanes: a facile synthesis of 1,5-enynes

Propargylic alcohols undergo smooth deoxygenative allylation with allylsilanes in the presence of a solution of 10 mol % of copper(II) tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile to afford the corresponding 1,5-enynes in good to high yields under mild and neutral conditions. Scandium triflate is also found to catalyze efficiently the nucleophilic substitution of propargylic alcohols with allylsilanes.     

A mild and efficient acetylation of alcohols, phenols and amines with acetic anhydride using La(NO3)3·6H2O as a catalyst under solvent-free conditions

A wide variety of alcohols, phenols and amines are efficiently and selectively converted into the corresponding acetates by treatment with acetic anhydride in the presence of catalytic amounts of La(NO₃)₃·6H₂O under solvent-free conditions at room temperature. The method is compatible with acid sensitive hydroxyl protecting groups such as TBDMS, THP, OBz, OBn, Boc and some isopropylidenes and offers excellent yields of the mono acetates of 1,3-, 1,4- and 1,5-diols.     

Fe(Cp)2PF6: An efficient catalyst for cyanosilylation of carbonyl compounds under solvent free condition

An efficient method for the addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) to various aldehydes and ketones has been described using Fe(Cp)₂PF₆ (2.5 mol%) as a catalyst under solvent free condition. Excellent yields of trimethylsilylether of cyanohydrin up to (94%) was achieved within 10 min.     

A mild and efficient chemoselective tetrahydropyranylation of primary alcohols using La(NO3)3·6H2O as a catalyst under solvent-free conditions

Primary alcohols undergo selective and efficient tetrahydropyranylation in the presence of a catalytic amount of La(NO₃)₃·6H₂O under solvent-free conditions.     

Zinc oxide (ZnO) as a new, highly efficient, and reusable catalyst for acylation of alcohols, phenols and amines under solvent free conditions

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a highly efficient catalyst for the acylation of a variety of alcohols, phenols and amines with acid chlorides or acid anhydrides under solvent free conditions. Primary, secondary, tertiary, allylic and benzylic alcohols, diols and phenols with electron donating or withdrawing substituents can be easily acylated in good to excellent yield.     

An efficient procedure for the synthesis of coumarin derivatives using TiCl4 as catalyst under solvent-free conditions

The ability of titanium(IV) chloride as a catalyst to promote the Pechmann condensation reaction with a range of phenols and β-keto esters is described.The reaction was carried out by addition of TiCl₄ to a mixture of the phenol and the β-keto ester with thorough stirring in the absence of a solvent and represents an improvement on the classical Pechmann conditions. The yields of coumarins obtained via this novel protocol were significantly higher than those using the conventional method and the reaction duration was reduced to a few minutes or even a few seconds.     

Synthesis of 1,8-dioxo-decahydroacridine derivatives using sulfonic acid functionalized silica (SiO2-Pr-SO3H) under solvent free conditions

Sulfonic acid functionlized silica (SiO₂-Pr-SO₃H) was found to be an efficient and recyclable solid acid catalyst in the synthesis of 1,8-dioxo-decahydroacridine derivatives under solvent free conditions. Short reaction time, excellent yields and simple work-up are the advantages of this procedure.     

ZrCl4 dispersed on dry silica gel provides a useful reagent for S-alkylation of thiols with alcohols under solvent-free conditions

ZrCl₄ which is commercially available and not a costly compound, is a relatively safe chemical [LD₅₀ [ZrCl₄, oral rat] = 1688 mg Kg]. In this report we describe the use of ZrCl₄ dispersed on dry silica gel as an efficient reagent for the efficient preparation of thioethers from thiols with alcohols under solvent-free conditions.     

Sc(OTf)3-catalyzed alkylation of indoles with propargyl alcohols: an expeditious synthesis of 3-substituted indoles

Indoles undergo smooth alkylation with propargylic alcohols in the presence of 10 mol % of scandium triflate under mild conditions to produce 3-propargylated indoles in excellent yields with high selectivity.     

The first example of the C-3 alkylation of indoles with cyclopropyl ketones promoted by CeCl3·7H2O/LiI

Indoles undergo smooth alkylation with cyclopropyl ketones in the presence of the CeCl₃·7H₂O/LiI reagent system in refluxing acetonitrile under neutral conditions to produce the corresponding C-3 substituted indole derivatives in good to high yields and with high selectivity. The use of CeCl₃·7H₂O/LiI makes this method simple, convenient, and cost-effective.     

Reaction of allylic and benzylic alcohols and esters with PPh3/I2: one-pot synthesis of β,γ-unsaturated compounds

The treatment of tertiary and secondary allylic alcohols containing a terminal double bond, and their acetyl derivatives, with triphenylphosphine and iodine under mild conditions leads regiospecifically and in high stereoselectivity to the corresponding primary allylic iodides, which can react ‘in situ’ with diverse nucleophiles. Primary allylic alcohols and benzyl alcohols and acetates are also transformed into the corresponding iodides under these conditions.     

A green synthesis of unsymmetrical triarylmethanes via indium (III) triflate catalyzed Friedel Crafts alkylation of o-hydroxy bisbenzylic alcohols under solvent free conditions

Using indium (III) triflate as a mild Lewis acid catalyst, the Friedel Crafts alkylation of o-hydroxy bisbenzylic alcohols with aromatic/heteroaromatic arenes under solvent free conditions was achieved to give the corresponding unsymmetrical triarylmethanes in high yields (up to 80% yield). Calculation of the different green metrics for the above reaction revealed it to have high atom economy (94–96%), high reaction mass efficiency (66–77%) and high carbon efficiency (70–80%). The Lewis acid was found to be air and moisture tolerant. The protocol was found to be operationally simple and can be carried out in an “open-flask” leaving behind water as the sole by product. Gratifyingly the Lewis acid catalyst could be recycled and reused up to 5 catalytic cycles without compromising much on the yield thus further highlighting the importance of the protocol.     

One-pot synthesis of difluoromethyl-containing dihydropyrimidinones catalyzed by Yb(PFO)3 under solvent and dehydrating agent free conditions

The difluoromethyl-containing Biginelli dihydropyrimidinone derivatives were synthesized by a one-pot cyclocondensation of ethyl 4,4-difluoroacetoacetate, urea, and a variety of aldehydes in the presence of 5 mol% ytterbium perfluorooctanoate [Yb(PFO)₃] under solvent and dehydrating agent free conditions. The comparison of reaction conditions and products was made among the different 1,3-dicarbonyl substrates (ethyl acetoacetate, ethyl 4,4-difluoroacetoacetate and ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoroacetoacetate) for the Biginelli reaction.     

Aerobic oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones using ruthenium(III)/Et3N catalyst

A simple, efficient method for oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes and ketones has been developed. Using RuCl₃/Et₃N as catalyst, the oxidation of benzyl alcohol with oxygen could be achieved with 332 h⁻¹ turnover frequency in the absence of solvent. The influence of versatile N‐containing additives on the catalytic efficiency has been discussed. The presence of minor water would substantially promote the catalytic efficiency, and its role in catalysis has been investigated in detail. The insensitive Hammett correlations of the substituted benzyl alcohols, the normal substrate isotope effect (k_H/k_D = 3.5 at 335 K), and the linear relationship between O₂ pressure and turnover frequency imply that the reoxidation of the Ru(III) hydride intermediate to the active species shares the rate‐determining step with the hydride transfer in the catalytic cycle. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.