Mitsunobu reactions of aliphatic alcohols and bulky phenols

Alkylation of hydrazinedicarboxylate (a Mitsunobu by-product) is not a notable problem in common Mitsunobu alkyl aryl etherification reactions. Good yields can be obtained with a wide range of solvents. However, this side reaction can cause yield reduction for the reactions of sterically hindered phenols and primary alcohols. To suppress the side reaction, solvent effect was investigated. It was found that hydrazinedicarboxylate is about five times less soluble in diethyl ether than in THF, and the yields are improved for ortho-substituted phenols of a wide range of steric hindrance using diethyl ether as the solvent instead of THF which is the more commonly used for Mitsunobu reactions.     

o-Formylation of electron-rich phenols with dichloromethyl methyl ether and TiCl4

o-Formylation of electron-rich phenols is accomplished with dichloromethyl methyl ether and TiCl₄. The reaction gives excellent yields, good regioselectivity, and does not leading to diformylation.     

p-Toluenesulfonic acid catalyzed regiospecific nitration of phenols with metal nitrates

Highly regiospecific mononitration of phenols and substituted phenols is accomplished employing a metal nitrate and a catalytic amount of p-toluenesulfonic acid in acetone. An exclusive ortho-selectivity was observed with excellent yields. A variety of metal nitrates were used to obtain o-nitrophenols exclusively in good to excellent yields. The use of p-toluenesulfonic acid is key for the selectivity observed.     

Efficient microwave-assisted direct C-benzoylation of phenols and naphthols with benzoic acid catalyzed by bismuth triflate under solvent-free or ionic liquid conditions

An efficient and simple route for the synthesis of ortho-hydroxyaryl ketones has been developed. The microwave-assisted direct C-benzoylation of phenols and naphthols in the presence of metal triflates afforded the corresponding ortho-hydroxyaryl ketones in moderate to excellent yields. Bismuth triflate showed the best catalytic performance compared to other metal triflates. The protocol has advantages including short reaction times, high chemoselectivity towards C-acylation, and simple work-up. Additionally, bismuth triflate can be easily recovered and reused several times without significant loss of catalytic performance.     

Rice husk: Introduction of a green,cheap and reusable catalyst for the protection of alcohols,phenols, amines and thiols

A mild, efficient and eco-friendly protocol for the chemoselective protection of benzylic and primary and less hindered secondary aliphatic alcohols and phenols as trimethylsilyl ethers and different types of amines as N-tert-butylcarbamates is developed using rice husk (RiH) as the catalyst. This reagent is also able to catalyze the acetylation of alcohols, phenols, thiols and amines with acetic anhydride. Easy work-up, relatively short reaction times, excellent yields and low cost, availability and reusability of the catalyst are the striking features of this methodology, which can be considered to be one of the best and general methods for the protection of alcohols, phenols, thiols and amines. In addition, the use of a green reagent in the above-mentioned reactions results in a reduction of environmental pollution and of the cost of the applied methods.     

A mild, efficient and selective deprotection of t-butyldimethylsilyl-protected phenols using cesium carbonate

A mild and efficient method for the deprotection of aryl t-butyldimethysilyl (TBS) ethers is described. The protecting group TBS could be cleaved from aryl silyl ethers using cesium carbonate in DMF-H₂O at room temperature to give the corresponding phenols in excellent yields. The reaction conditions allowed selective deprotection of aryl TBS-protected phenols in the presence of TBS, phenyloxycarbonyl or tetrahydropyranyl-protected alcohols.     

Facile O-arylation of phenols and carboxylic acids

[reaction: see text] A facile, transition-metal-free O-arylation procedure for phenols and aromatic carboxylic acids has been developed that affords good to excellent yields of arylated products under very mild reaction conditions. A methoxy-substituted aryl triflate affords O-arylated products in high yields with excellent regioselectivity. This chemistry tolerates a variety of functional groups.     

Enantioselective oxidative-coupling of polycyclic phenols

Enantioselective oxidative-coupling of polycyclic phenols, such as 2-anthracenol, 9- or 3-phenanthrol, and 5-chrysenol was established by using vanadium(V/IV) catalysis under air or O₂ as a co-oxidant. In the vanadium catalyzed reaction, the corresponding coupling products were obtained in good to excellent yields with up to 93% enantiomeric excess.     

Asymmetric ring-opening reaction of azabenzonorbornadienes with phenols promoted by palladium/(R,R)-DIOP complex

An efficient asymmetric ring opening reaction of azabenzonorbornadienes with various phenols using Palladium/(R,R)-DIOP complex has been demonstrated, the reaction afforded the corresponding products in excellent yields (80–95%) with moderate enantioselectivities (50–64% ees). The syn-configuration of the product was confirmed by the single X-ray crystallography.     

Zirconium-catalyzed Nagata reaction for the synthesis of 2-aryl-1,3,2-aryldioxaborins via a mild three-component condensation of phenols, aldehydes, and boronic acid

An efficient ZrCl₄-catalyzed ortho-hydroxyalkylation of phenols with aldehydes promoted by 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl boronic acid, leading to the formation of 2-aryl-1,3,2-aryldioxaborins, was investigated and optimized. The reaction afforded the desired aryldioxaborins in good to excellent yields under mild conditions at room temperature. The electron-deficient boronic acid promoter was essential. Electron-rich phenols react faster, and both alkyl and aryl aldehydes are suitable substrates. The resulting aryldioxaborins can be further elaborated to produce substituted saligenols, 2-ethoxy chromans, and 2-substituted phenols.     

Ligand-free copper-catalyzed O-arylation of arenesulfonamides with phenols: An unusual approach to biaryl ether synthesis

An unprecedented ligand-free copper-catalyzed O-arylation of arenesulfonamides with phenols has been developed. Thus, a range of unsysmmetric biaryl ethers were synthesized in excellent yields. The reaction occurs efficiently with excellent regioselectivity through the cleavage of C_ary–S bond and with a good tolerance of functional groups on the phenyl ring of phenols. The reaction is appreciated for its readily accessible substrates, mild conditions, and simple operation under air.     

Rapid and efficient thiocyanation of phenols,indoles, and anilines in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol under ultrasound irradiation

An efficient ultrasound-promoted thiocyanation of phenols, indoles, and anilines in the presence of N-chlorosuccinimide and NH₄SCN using 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol as the solvent has been developed. The major features of the present protocol include the mild reaction conditions, short reaction times, good to excellent yields, and broad substrate scope. Moreover, scale-up synthesis can be achieved and the solvent can be easily recovered and reused.     

Graphite oxide-catalyzed acetylation of alcohols and phenols

Graphite oxide (GO) was used as a catalyst for the reactions of alcohols and phenols with acetic anhydride. The acetates of primary and secondary alcohols were prepared in good to excellent yields in short reaction time under mild conditions. Electron deficient phenols could be converted to the corresponding acetates steadily. As an efficient catalyst, GO is easily available, cheap, moderately toxic and weakly acidic.     

Gal3 Catalyzed Tetrahydropyranylation of Alcohols and Phenols

In dichloromethane, the nucleophilic addition of alcohols or phenols to 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran (DHP) was catalyzed effectively by gallium triiodide which was generated in situ by the reaction of gallium metal and iodine to give the corresponding tetrahydropyranyl acetals in good to excellent yields.     

Acetylation of alcohols and phenols under solvent-free conditions using iron zirconium phosphate

Iron zirconium phosphate (ZPFe) nanoparticles were found to function as an efficient catalyst for the acetylation of a wide range of alcohols and phenols using acetic anhydride, generating good to excellent yields under solvent‐free conditions. The steric and electronic properties of various sub‐strates had a significant influence on the reaction conditions required to achieve the acetylation. The catalyst used in the current study was characterized by inductively coupled plasma‐optical emission spectrometry, X‐ray diffraction, N2 adsorption‐desorption, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. These analyses revealed that the interlayer distance in the catalyst increased from 7.5 to 9.3 ? when Fe3+was intercalated between the layers, whereas the crystallinity of the material was reduced. This nanocatalyst could also be recovered and reused at least six times without any discernible decrease in its catalytic activity. This new method for the acetylation of alcohols and phenols has several important advantages, including mild and environ‐mentally friendly reaction conditions, as well as good to excellent yields and a facile work‐up.     

Palladium/NHC-catalyzed oxidative esterification of aldehydes with phenols

A palladium-catalyzed oxidative esterification of aldehydes with phenols is described, using air as the clean oxidant. This reaction tolerates many functional groups, providing esters with yields ranging from moderate to excellent.     

Open air O-arylation reaction of phenols with aryl halides catalyzed by polymer-anchored copper(II) complexes

Two copper complexes were synthesized from macroporous chloromethylated polystyrene beads. The first one was prepared by sequential attachment of imidazole and copper acetate with chloromethylated polystyrene-divinyl benzene copolymer, and the second one was prepared from 4-vinylpyridine and copper acetate with chloromethylated polystyrene-divinyl benzene copolymer. These catalysts showed excellent catalytic activity in O-arylation reaction of aryl halides with phenol in dimethylsulfoxide using potassium carbonate at 130 °C under open air conditions to give diaryl ethers in high yields. Less reactive aryl bromides and aryl chlorides have also been shown to react with phenols to give good yields of the diaryl ethers. The effects of various parameters such as solvent, catalyst from different copper salt and base on the reaction system were studied. The reaction is applicable to a wide variety of substituted aryl halides and phenols with different steric and electronic properties. These catalysts were recovered by simple filtration, and the reusability experiments showed that these catalysts can be used five times without much loss in the catalytic activity.     

Dichloroimidazolidinedione-activated one-pot Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of phenols

The first general method for the Suzuki-type cross-coupling of phenols with aryl boronic acids using dichloroimidazolidinedione (DCID) as a new reagent is presented. In the presence of DCID and Pd/metal–organic framework (MOF), coupling of aryl boronic acids with a wide range of phenols, was carried out smoothly in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at reflux conditions to afford the cross-coupling products in good to excellent yields. The structures of all compounds were corroborated by ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR. A plausible mechanism for this type of reaction is proposed.     

Vinyl aryl ethers from copper-catalyzed coupling of vinyl halides and phenols

A general procedure for vinyl aryl ether bond formation by direct coupling of vinyl halides and phenols under mild Ullmann-type reaction conditions has been developed. Using copper chloride as the catalyst and cesium carbonate as the base, vinyl bromides or iodides were reacted with phenols in refluxing toluene to produce vinyl aryl ethers in good to excellent yields.     

Cu-Mn spinel oxide catalyzed regioselective halogenation of phenols and N-heteroarenes

A novel simple, mild chemo- and regioselective method has been developed for the halogenation of phenols using Cu-Mn spinel oxide as a catalyst and N-halosuccinimide as halogenating agent. In the presence of Cu-Mn spinel oxide B, both electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups bearing phenols gave monohalogenated products in good to excellent yields with highest para-selectivity. The para-substituted phenol gave monohalogenated product with good yield and ortho-selectivity. N-Heteroarenes such as indoles and imidazoles also gave monohalogenated products with high selectivity. Unlike the copper-catalyzed halogenation, the present method works well with electron-withdrawing group bearing phenols and gives comparatively better yields and selectivity. The Cu-Mn spinel catalyst is robust and reused three times under optimized conditions without any loss in catalytic activity. Nonphenolics did not undergo this transformation.