Nitrile anion cyclization with epoxysilanes followed by brook rearrangement/ring opening of cyclopropane nitriles/alkylation

The reaction of delta-silyl-gamma,delta-epoxypentanenitrile derivatives with a base and an alkylating agent affords delta-siloxy-gamma,delta-unsaturated pentanenitrile derivatives via a tandem process that involves the formation of the cyclopropane derivative by epoxy nitrile cyclization followed by Brook rearrangement and an anion-induced cleavage of the cyclopropane ring.     

Formation of functionalized carbocycles via base-promoted ring opening/Brook rearrangement/allylic alkylation of gamma-silyl-beta,gamma-epoxybutanenitrile followed by nitrile anion cyclization with bis-electrophiles

Reaction of gamma-silyl-beta,gamma-epoxybutanenitrile with a base generates an alpha-nitrile carbanion derivative of 4-siloxybut-3-enenitrile, which undergoes reaction with bis-electrophiles such as 1,omega-dihaloalkanes, omega-bromo-alpha,beta-unsaturated esters, and bisenoates to provide highly functionalized carbocycles.     

Tandem base-promoted ring-opening/Brook rearrangement/allylic alkylation of O-silyl cyanohydrins of beta-silyl-alpha,beta-epoxyaldehyde: scope and mechanism

Metalated O-silyl cyanohydrins of beta-silyl-alpha,beta-epoxyaldehyde have been found to serve as functionalized homoenolate equivalents by a tandem sequence involving base-promoted ring opening of the epoxide, Brook rearrangement, and alkylation of the resulting allylic anion. On the basis of mechanistic studies involving competitive experiments using the diastereomeric cyanohydrins, we propose a reaction pathway involving a silicate intermediate 36 formed by a concerted process via an anti-opening of the epoxide followed by the formation of an O-Si bond.     

Selenocysteine-mediated backbone cyclization of unprotected peptides followed by alkylation,oxidative elimination or reduction of the selenol

An unprotected 16 residue peptide containing a C-terminal thioester and an N-terminal selenocysteine residue efficiently cyclizes in the presence of thiophenol; subsequent reduction, elimination or alkylation of the selenol yields modified cyclic peptides with alanine, dehydroalanine or a non-natural amino acid at the site of ligation.     

Enantioselective cyanation/Brook rearrangement/C-acylation reactions of acylsilanes catalyzed by chiral metal alkoxides

New catalytic enantioselective cyanation/1,2-Brook rearrangement/C-acylation reactions of acylsilanes (4) with cyanoformate esters (7) are described. The products of the reaction are fully substituted malonic acid derivatives (8). Catalysts for this transformation were discovered via a directed candidate screen of 96 metal-ligand complexes. Optimization of a (salen)aluminum complex revealed significant remote electronic effects and concentration effects. The scope of the reaction was investigated by using a number of aryl acylsilanes and cyanoformate esters. Chemoselective reduction of the reaction products (8) afforded new enantioenriched alpha-hydroxy-alpha-aryl-beta-amino acid derivatives (32-34) and beta-lactams (35 and 36). This reaction provides a simple method for the construction of new nitrogen-containing enantioenriched chiral building blocks.     

An efficient synthetic route to substituted tetrahydropyrimidines by Cu(OTf)2-mediated nucleophilic ring-opening followed by the [4+2] cycloaddition of N-tosylazetidines with nitriles

A highly efficient strategy for Cu(OTf)₂-mediated S_N2 type nucleophilic ring-opening followed by the [4+2] cycloaddition reactions of a number of 2-aryl-N-tosylazetidines with nitriles to afford a variety of substituted tetrahydropyrimidines in excellent yields is reported. The resulting tetrahydropyrimidines could easily be transformed into synthetically important 1,3-diamines by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis. The strategy has been extended to the synthesis of enantiomerically pure tetrahydropyrimidines from enantiopure disubstituted azetidines. The reaction proceeds through an S_N2 type mechanism as proposed by us earlier.     

Tandem carbon-carbon bond constructions via catalyzed cyanation/Brook rearrangement/C-acylation reactions of acylsilanes

[reaction: see text] A tandem nucleophile-catalyzed cyanation/Brook rearrangement/C-acylation has been developed. Phase transfer cocatalysts facilitate cyanide-catalyzed reactions between acylsilanes and cyanoformates to afford protected tertiary carbinol products. A catalytic cycle is proposed involving cyanation of an acylsilane, [1,2]-Brook rearrangement, and C-acylation of the derived carbanion by a cyanoformate ester. The reaction offers an efficient method for the preparation of functionalized, unsymmetrical malonic acid derivatives.     

Synthesis of heterospiranes by cyclization of dinucleophiles with 1,1-bis(tosyloxymethyl)cyclopropane and -cyclobutane

A variety of heterocyclic spiranes were prepared by cyclization of dinucleophiles with 1,1-bis(tosyloxymethyl)cyclopropane and -cyclobutane.     

Rare-earth metal-mediated addition/cyclization of the 2-cyanobenzoamino anion

Reaction of two equiv of [2-NCC(6)H(4)HNLi(THF)](n) (1) with Cp(2)LnCl(THF) yields the heterobimetallic complexes Cp(2)Ln[κ(3)-(4-NH[double bond, length as m-dash](C(8)N(2)H(4))(2-NHC(6)H(4))]Li(THF)(3) (Cp = C(5)H(5); Ln = Er (2), Y(3)), indicating an organolanthanide-mediated nucleophilic addition/cyclization of the 2-cyanobenzoamino anion to construct the 4-iminoquinazolinate dianionic ligand.     

Visible-light-promoted radical alkylation/cyclization of allylic amide with N-hydroxyphthalimide ester: Synthesis of oxazolines

An efficient photocatalytic alkylation/cyclization of allylic amide with N-hydroxyphthalimide ester has been developed. The transformation is taken advantage of alkyl radicals to attack allylic amide with the assist of inexpensive rose bengal as photocatalyst to prepare a series of alkyl substituted oxazolines in moderate to excellent yields. High regioselectivity, operational safety, mild conditions and excellent substrate generality give this protocol broad application prospects.     

Visible-light-promoted radical alkylation/cyclization of allylic amide with N-hydroxyphthalimide ester: Synthesis of oxazolines

An efficient photocatalytic alkylation/cyclization of allylic amide with N-hydroxyphthalimide ester has been developed. The transformation is taken advantage of alkyl radicals to attack allylic amide with the assist of inexpensive rose bengal as photocatalyst to prepare a series of alkyl substituted oxazolines in moderate to excellent yields. High regioselectivity, operational safety, mild conditions and excellent substrate generality give this protocol broad application prospects.     

Synthesis of a cyclic peptide/protein using the NEXT-A reaction followed by cyclization

By using the NEXT-A reaction, we introduced a non-natural amino acid at the N-terminus of a peptide/protein that contained a cysteine unit. The side chain of the introduced amino acid spontaneously reacted with the cysteine to afford a cyclic peptide/protein.     

A tandem allylsilane-vinylsilane difunctionalization by silylcupration of allene followed by reaction with alpha,beta-unsaturated nitriles

Silylcupration of allene using phenyldimethylsilylcopper 1 followed by BF3-mediated reaction with alpha,beta-unsaturated nitriles at -40 degrees C affords allylsilane-vinylsilane-containing ketones resulting from consecutive addition (1,2 and 1,4) of the intermediate allyl- and vinylcopper species formed in the silylcupration of allene.     

cis-stereoselective nickel-catalyzed cyclization/alkylation and arylation reactions of allenyl-aldehydes and -ketones with organozinc reagents

Highly stereoselective alkylative and arylative cyclization reactions of allenyl-aldehydes and -ketones with organozinc reagents occur efficiently in the presence of catalytic Ni(COD)2 to afford cis-fused homoallylic cyclopentanols.     

Tandem molecular rearrangement in the alkylation of phenol with camphene

The alkylation of phenol with camphene in the presence of boron trifluoride in glacial acetic acid was accompanied by tandem molecular rearrangement with formation of a mixture of ortho- and para-substituted phenols having 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-exo-2-yl and 5,5,6-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-exo-2-yl substituents. The same products were obtained by rearrangement of 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-exo-2-yloxybenzene under analogous conditions. Similar reactions performed in the presence of aluminum phenoxide as catalyst resulted in predominant formation of the corresponding ortho-substituted phenols.     

Benzofurans or isochromenes via the ring-opening cyclization of cyclopropene derivatives with organolithiums

A new and efficient approach to benzocycles from cyclopropene derivatives is described. Deprotection by organolithiums and subsequent ring-opening cyclization of the related 2-cyclopropenyl phenyl or benzyl acetates generated benzofurans and isochromenes in one pot.     

I2/K2CO3-promoted ring-opening/cyclization/rearrangement/aromatization sequence: A powerful strategy for the synthesis of polysubstituted furans

An efficient and straightforward synthetic method has been developed for the preparation of 4-cyanofuran-3-carboxylate derivatives via iodine/potassium carbonate-promoted ring-opening/cyclization/rearrangement domino reaction of 1-cyanocyclopropane-1-carboxylates, which are a wide range of structurally interesting and pharmacologically significant compounds.     

Formation of substituted pyrroles via an imine condensation/Aza-Claisen rearrangement/imine-allene cyclization process by MAOS

A diverse collection of pyrroles has been prepared using a one-pot, domino aldehyde/amine condensation, [3,3]-aza-Claisen rearrangement, imine-allene cyclization strategy. This protocol was accelerated by microwave irradiation and provided very good levels of conversion after reacting for only 30 min.