Copper(II) tetrafluoroborate as a novel and highly efficient catalyst for acetal formation

Commercially available copper(II) tetrafluoroborate hydrate has been found to be a highly efficient catalyst for dimethyl/diethyl acetal formation in high yields from aldehydes and ketones by reaction with trimethyl/triethyl orthoformate at room temperature and in short period. Acetalisation was carried out under solvent-free conditions with electrophilic aldehydes/ketones. For weakly electrophilic aldehydes/ketones (e.g., benzaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde and acetophenone) and for aldehydes having a substituent that can coordinate with the catalyst, the corresponding alcohol was used as solvent.     

Indium(III) triflate catalysed transacetalisation reactions of diols and triols under solvent-free conditions

Acyclic acetals and ketals undergo transacetalisation in the presence of catalytic quantities of indium(III) triflate (In(OTf)₃) and diols or triols under solvent-free conditions to generate the corresponding cyclic acetals and ketals in excellent yield. The methodology has been further developed to encompass a tandem acetalisation-acetal exchange protocol, which provides a facile and high yielding route to cyclic ketals from unreactive ketones under very mild reaction conditions.     

Indium triflate mediated tandem acetalisation-acetal exchange reactions under solvent-free conditions

Acyclic acetals and ketals undergo exchange reactions in the presence of catalytic quantities of indium(III) triflate and diols to generate the corresponding cyclic acetals and ketals in excellent yield. The protocol is rapid, employs mild conditions and can be adapted to employ solvent-free reaction conditions. We have further developed this methodology to encompass a tandem acetalisation-acetal exchange protocol which provides facile access to cyclic ketals from unreactive ketones also under very mild, solvent-free reaction conditions.     

Indium(III)trifluoromethanesulfonate as a mild, efficient catalyst for the formation of acetals and ketals in the presence of acid sensitive functional groups

Aldehydes and ketones, including acetophenone and benzophenone, are readily protected under mild, neutral conditions in the presence of various alcohols or orthoformates and catalytic amounts of indium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate (<0.8 mol %) under either room temperature or mild heating conditions to give the corresponding cyclic and acyclic acetals and ketals in good to excellent yields. Acid sensitive functional groups, N-Boc, THP, and TBDMS do not undergo competitive deprotection under the reported conditions.     

A Highly Efficient Bismuth Nitrate/Keto-ABNO Catalyst System for Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols to Carbonyl Compounds under Mild Conditions

An efficient and practical catalytic system for the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes/ketones using catalytic amounts of Bi(NO₃)₃ and Keto-ABNO (9-azabicyclo [3.3.1]nonan-3-one N-oxyl) with air as the environmentally benign oxidant was developed. Various primary and secondary alcohols were smoothly oxidized to the corresponding products under mild conditions, and satisfactory yields were achieved. Moreover, this methodology avoids the use of a ligand and base. The gram-scale reaction was demonstrated for the oxidation of 1-phenyl ethanol, and the product of acetophenone was obtained at an isolated yield of about 94%.     

Photosensitized reactions of oxime ethers: a steady-state and laser flash photolysis study

The mechanistic aspects of the photosensitized reactions of a series of oxime ethers were studied by steady-state (product studies) and laser flash photolysis methods. Nanosecond laser flash photolysis studies have shown that chloranil-sensitized reactions of the oxime ethers result in the formation of the corresponding radical cations. The radical cation species react with nucleophiles such as MeOH by clean second-order kinetics with rate constants of (0.7-1.4) x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1). Only a small steric effect is observed in these reactions, which is taken as an indication that the reaction center is not the O-alkyl moiety, but rather somewhere else in the molecule. Product studies in a polar nonnucleophilic solvent (MeCN) revealed that in order for the oxime ether radical cation to react more readily, alpha-protons must be available on the alkyl group. The O-methyl (1), O-ethyl (2), and O-benzyl (3) acetophenone oximes all reacted readily to give acetophenone oxime as the major product (as well as an aldehyde derived from the O-alkyl group), whereas O-tert-butyl acetophenone oxime (4) did not. The product formation can be explained by a mechanism that involves electron transfer followed by proton transfer (alpha to the oxygen) and subsequent beta-cleavage. When using 3 in MeOH, a change in the product formation is observed, the most important difference being the presence of benzyl alcohol rather than benzaldehyde as the major product. On the basis of the data from LFP and steady-state experiments, it is suggested that the competing mechanism under these conditions involves electron transfer, followed by a nucleophilic attack on the nitrogen, a MeOH-assisted [1,3]-proton transfer, and subsequent loss of benzyl alcohol. This mechanism is supported by DFT (B3LYP/6-31G) and AM1 calculations.     

Asymmetric induction during electron transfer mediated photoreduction of carbonyl compounds: role of zeolites

Photochemistry of 17 aryl alkyl ketones included within cation exchanged zeolites has been examined. In solution five of the 17 ketones undergo intramolecular hydrogen abstraction reaction even in the presence of a chiral amine and the rest are photoreduced to the corresponding alcohol. Within zeolites all 17 ketones yielded in presence of a chiral amine, the corresponding alcohol as the major product. When a chiral amine was used as the coadsorbent within alkali ion exchanged zeolites, enantiomerically enriched alcohol was formed in all cases. The best chiral induction was obtained with phenyl cyclohexyl ketone (enantiomeric excess: 68%). 1H-13C Cross Polarization Magic Angle Spinning (CP-MAS) experiments, with a model ketone (perdeuterated acetophenone) and chiral amine (pseudoephedrine) included within MY zeolites, suggested that the cation brings the reactant and the chiral amine closer. The role of the cation in such a process is also revealed by the computation results. The results presented here highlight the importance of a supramolecular structure in forcing a closer interaction between a reactant and a chiral inductor that could be used to achieve asymmetric induction in photoproducts.     

Multiphase heterogeneous catalytic enantioselective hydrogenation of acetophenone over cinchona-modified Pt/C

The multiphase heterogeneous enantioselective hydrogenation of acetophenone in the presence of cinchona-modified Pt/C was investigated. The system demonstrated the feasibility of this reaction on non-activated ketones. The reaction proceeded selectively, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, towards the formation of 1-phenylethanol, with up to 20% ee (enantiomeric excess) of either enantiomer depending on the modifier used. A mode of action of the modifier is proposed to account for the mechanism. A comparison with other systems indicates that the investigated system likely acts by a different mechanism, and that it is quite specific for acetophenone.     

Direct synthesis of B-allyl and B-allenyldiisopinocampheylborane reagents using allyl or propargyl halides and indium metal under Barbier-type conditions

We report the first one-pot process for the asymmetric addition of allyl, methallyl, and propargyl groups to aldehydes and ketones using B-chlorodiisopinocampheylborane ((d)DIP-Cl) and indium metal. Under Barbier-type conditions, indium metal was used to generate allyl- and allenylindium intermediates, and subsequent reaction with (d)DIP-Cl successfully promoted the transfer of these groups to boron forming the corresponding chiral borane reagents. The newly formed borane reagents were reacted with aldehydes and ketones to produce the corresponding alcohol products in high yields and up to excellent enantioselectivity (98% ee). This method produced excellent enantioenriched secondary homoallylic alcohols from the allylation and methallylation of benzaldehyde. Using this method, the methallylation and cinnamylation of ketones afforded the highest enantioselectivities, while the propargylation of both aldehydes and ketones provided low enantiomeric excesses. In addition, this procedure provided the first synthesis of B-allenyldiisopinocampheylborane, which was characterized by (1)H and (11)B NMR spectroscopy. This is the first example of the direct synthesis of allylboranes that contained substitutions from the corresponding allyl bromide and indium, thereby expanding the utility of the DIP-Cl reagent. Hence, a general and straightforward route to these chiral organoborane reagents in one-pot has been developed along with the asymmetric Barbier-type allylation and propargylation of aldehyde and ketone substrates using these chiral organoborane reagents in subsequent coupling reactions.     

L-脯氨酸修饰的Ru-PPh3/γ-Al2O3催化芳香酮不对称加氢反应

以L-脯氨酸为修饰剂,研究了膦配体稳定的Ru-PPh3/γ-Al2O3催化剂催化芳香酮不对称加氢反应,考察了不同稳定剂、L-脯氨酸浓度、KOH浓度、反应温度和氢气压力等因素对加氢反应的影响,结果表明,天然手性化合物L-脯氨酸对Ru-PPh3/γ-Al2O3催化剂具有较好的修饰作用,在优化反应条件下,苯乙酮加氢产物(S)...     

Highly enantioselective ruthenium-catalyzed reduction of ketones employing readily available Peptide ligands

Highly efficient and selective catalysts for the asymmetric reduction of aryl alkyl ketones under hydrogen-transfer conditions (2-propanol) were obtained by combining a novel class of pseudo-dipeptide ligands with [[RuCl(2)(p-cymene)](2)]. A library of 36 dipeptide-like ligands was prepared from N-Boc-protected alpha-amino acids and the enantiomers of 2-amino-1-phenylethanol and 1-amino-2-propanol. The catalyst library was evaluated with the reduction of acetophenone and excellent enantioselectivity of 1-phenylethanol was obtained with several of the novel catalysts. A ligand based on the combination of N-Boc-L-alanine and (S)-1-amino-2-propanol (ligand A-(S)-4) was found to be particular effective. When the situ formed ruthenium complex of this ligand was employed as the catalyst in the hydrogen-transfer reaction of various aryl alkyl ketones, the corresponding alcohol products were achieved in excellent enantioselectivity (up to 98 % ee).     

Employing the structural diversity of nature: development of modular dipeptide-analogue ligands for ruthenium-catalyzed enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of ketones

A library of novel dipeptide-analogue ligands based on the combination of tert-butoxycarbonyl(N-Boc)-protected alpha-amino acids and chiral vicinal amino alcohols were prepared. These highly modular ligands were combined with [[RuCl(2)(p-cymene)](2)] and the resulting metal complexes were screened as catalysts for the enantioselective reduction of acetophenone under transfer hydrogenation conditions using 2-propanol as the hydrogen donor. Excellent enantioselectivity of 1-phenylethanol (up to 98 % ee) was achieved with several of the novel catalysts. Although most of the ligands contained two stereocenters, it was demonstrated that the absolute configuration of the product alcohol was determined by the configuration of the amino acid part of the ligand. Employing ligands based on L-amino acids generated S-configured products, and catalysts based on D-amino acids favored the formation of the R-configured alcohol. The combination N-Boc-L-alanine and (R)-phenylglycinol (Boc-L-Ab) or its enantiomer (N-Boc-D-alanine and (S)-phenylglycinol, Boc-D-Aa) proved to be the best ligands for the reduction process. Transfer hydrogenation of a number of aryl alkyl ketones were evaluated and excellent enantioselectivity, up to 96 % ee, was obtained.     

Synthetic scope and mechanistic studies of Ru(OH)x/Al2O3-catalyzed heterogeneous hydrogen-transfer reactions

Three kinds of hydrogen-transfer reactions, namely racemization of chiral secondary alcohols, reduction of carbonyl compounds to alcohols using 2-propanol as a hydrogen donor, and isomerization of allylic alcohols to saturated ketones, are efficiently promoted by the easily prepared and inexpensive supported ruthenium catalyst Ru(OH)x/Al2O3. A wide variety of substrates, such as aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic alcohols or carbonyl compounds, can be converted into the desired products, under anaerobic conditions, in moderate to excellent yields and without the need for additives such as bases. A larger scale, solvent-free reaction is also demonstrated: the isomerization of 1-octen-3-ol with a substrate/catalyst ratio of 20,000/1 shows a very high turnover frequency (TOF) of 18,400 h(-1), with a turnover number (TON) that reaches 17,200. The catalysis for these reactions is intrinsically heterogeneous in nature, and the Ru(OH)x/Al2O3 recovered after the reactions can be reused without appreciable loss of catalytic performance. The reaction mechanism of the present Ru(OH)x/Al2O3-catalyzed hydrogen-transfer reactions were examined with monodeuterated substrates. After the racemization of (S)-1-deuterio-1-phenylethanol in the presence of acetophenone was complete, the deuterium content at the alpha-position of the corresponding racemic alcohol was 91%, whereas no deuterium was incorporated into the alpha-position during the racemization of (S)-1-phenylethanol-OD. These results show that direct carbon-to-carbon hydrogen transfer occurs via a metal monohydride for the racemization of chiral secondary alcohols and reduction of carbonyl compounds to alcohols. For the isomerization, the alpha-deuterium of 3-deuterio-1-octen-3-ol was selectively relocated at the beta-position of the corresponding ketones (99% D at the beta-position), suggesting the involvement of a 1,4-addition of ruthenium monohydride species to the alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone intermediate. The ruthenium monohydride species and the alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone would be formed through alcoholate formation/beta-elimination. Kinetic studies and kinetic isotope effects show that the Ru-H bond cleavage (hydride transfer) is included in the rate-determining step.     

Conditions de la condensation de Knoevenagel–Cope pour la synthèse de cétones α,β-éthyléniques

The Knoevenagel–Cope condensation between acetophenone and ethyl cyanoacetate mainly gives 2-cyano-3-phenyl-but-2-enoic acid ethyl ester and a substituted dihydropyridone as a secondary product. We show that this secondary product arises from a ketolisation reaction of acetophenone. As a consequence, we describe a new convenient way to prepare some α,β-insaturated ketones by using the Knoevenagel–Cope reaction conditions.     

Shift of reaction pathway by added chloride ions in the oxidation of aromatic ketones by dichloroisocyanuric acid—A kinetic study

Role of added chloride ions on the shift of reaction pathway of oxidation of aromatic ketones (acetophenone, desoxybenzoin) by dichloroisocyanuric acid (DCICA) was studied in aqueous acetic acid—perchloric acid medium. Participation of enolic and protonated forms of ketones in the rate determining steps is manifested from zero and first orders with respect to the oxidant in absence and presence of added chloride ions, respectively. Positive and negative effects of acid and dielectric constant on the reaction rate were observed. The observations deduce plausible mechanisms involving (i) rate-determining formation of enol from the conjugate acid of the ketone (SH⁺) in the absence of added chloride ions and (ii) rapid formation of molecular chlorine species from HOCl (hydrolytic species of DCICA) in the presence of added chloride ions, which then interacts with SH⁺ in a rate-determining step prior to the rapid steps of product formation. The order of Arrhenius parameters substantiate the proposed plausible mechanisms based on order of reactants both in presence and absence of added chloride ions.     

Bhc-diol as a photolabile protecting group for aldehydes and ketones

[reaction: see text] 6-Bromo-4-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)-7-hydroxycoumarin (Bhc-diol) can be used under simulated physiological conditions as a photoremovable protecting group for aldehydes and ketones. The single- and two-photon-induced release of benzaldehyde, piperonal, acetophenone, and cyclohexanone is demonstrated.     

Indium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate as an efficient catalyst for the deprotection of acetals and ketals

Acetals and ketals are readily deprotected under neutral conditions in the presence of acetone and catalytic amounts of indium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate (<0.8 mol %) at room temperature or mild microwave heating conditions to give the corresponding aldehydes and ketones in good to excellent yields.     

用芹菜茎催化对映选择性还原芳香酮

研究了用芹菜茎薄片在温和与环境友好的条件下催化芳香酮的对映选择性还原反应, 制备得到具有光学活性的(S)-1-芳基醇, 产物的对映选择性符合Prelog规则. 考察了pH值、反应时间、反应温度、底物浓度等因素对底物芳香酮的转化率和产物(S)-1-芳基醇的对映体过量值的影响, 并优化了这些反应条件. 文中还研究了底物的构效关系, 发现羰基两边取代基的空间效应和电子效应明显影响底物的转化率和产物的对映体过量值. 在合适的条件下底物苯乙酮的转化率高达100%, 产物(S)-1-苯基乙醇的对映体过量值大于99.0%. 苯丙酮、对甲基苯乙酮和对氯苯乙酮等其它芳香酮的转化率达到中等程度, 但所得(S)-1-芳基醇的最大对映体过量值均大于99.0%.     

Highly chemoselective reductive amination of carbonyl compounds promoted by InCl3/Et3SiH/MeOH system

A new strategy has been developed for reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones with the InCl3/Et3SiH/MeOH system, which is a nontoxic system with highly chemoselective and nonwater sensitive properties. The methodology can be applied to a variety of cyclic, acyclic, aromatic, and aliphatic amines. Functionalities including ester, hydroxyl, carboxylic acid, and olefin are found to be stable under our conditions. The reaction shows a first-order kinetics profile with respect to both InCl3 and Et3SiH. Spectroscopic techniques such as NMR and ESI-MS have been employed to probe the active and resulting species arising from InCl3 and Et3SiH in MeOH, which are important in deriving a mechanistic proposal. In the ESI-MS studies, we have first discovered the existence of stable methanol-coordinated indium(III) species which are presumably responsible for the gentle generation of indium hydride at room temperature. The solvent attribution was crucial in tuning the reactivity of [In-H] species, leading to the establishment of mild reaction conditions. The system is superior in flexible tuning of hydride reactivity, resulting in the system being highly chemoselective.     

Catalytic enantioselective intermolecular reductive aldol reaction to ketones

We describe the first example of a catalytic enantioselective intermolecular reductive aldol reaction. Three types of reactions were studied: (1) reactions between acetophenone and methyl acrylate; (2) reactions between symmetric ketones and β-substituted α,β-unsaturated esters; and (3) reactions between acetophenone derivatives and an allenic ester. Although only moderate enantioselectivity was obtained in the first reaction type, high to excellent enantioselectivity was realized in the enantio-induction at the α-position in the second reaction type and at the δ-position in the third reaction type. Specifically, the third reaction type afforded the corresponding tertiary alcohols with up to 99% ee. Pre-activation of the nucleophile by silyl enolate formation is not necessary in these one-pot catalytic enantioselective reductive aldol reactions.