Gold catalysis: five new bonds by a domino hydroarylation/cycloisomerization

The gold-catalyzed reaction of furans possessing one unsubstituted 2-position with ethynyl vinyl ketones bearing alkyl groups on the alkene led to interesting phenols of the indan-1-one-type by a domino hydroarylation/cycloisomerization. The yields were moderate but higher than in longer routes described before. With ethynyl vinyl ketones that have an aryl substituent, the chemoselectivity of the reaction was different. Then products from an initial reaction at the ethynyl group were observed.     

Cationic Gold(I) Complexes: Highly Efficient Catalysts for the Addition of Alcohols to Alkynes

Gold complexes are almost unknown in homogeneous catalysis , and for a long time gold was even thought of as “catalytically dead”. This is clearly not the case for cationic phosphanegold(I ) complexes (see reaction below), which can catalyze the addition of alcohols to alkynes with turnover frequencies up to 1.5 s⁻¹ and total turnover numbers up to 10⁵! R=H, alkyl, Ph, CH₂OH.     

Gold catalysis: no steric limitations in the phenol synthesis

Different dihydroisoindol-4-ols and 8-hydroxytetrahydroisoquinolines were prepared by the gold-catalyzed phenol synthesis. The reaction was investigated with several sterically demanding groups in the 5-position of the furan starting material. The influence of the reaction time and the catalyst on the yield was investigated.     

Gold catalysis: phenol synthesis in the presence of functional groups

The effect of different substituents, such as bromo, chloromethyl, hydroxymethyl, formyl, acetyl, carboxy, and acylated hydroxymethyl and ammonium groups, on the furan ring of substrates in gold-catalyzed phenol synthesis has been investigated. The furan ring was also replaced by different heterocycles, such as pyrroles, thiophenes, oxazoles, and a 2,4-dimethoxyphenyl group; gold catalysis then delivered no phenols, but occasionally other products were obtained. [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] also catalyzed the conversion of 1 at a low rate, [Os(3)(CO)(12)] failed as a catalyst, and with [Co(2)(CO)(8)] the alkyne complex 19 can be obtained, it does not lead to any phenol but reacts with norbornene to give the product of a Pauson-Khand reaction. Efforts to prepare vinylidene complexes of 1 provided the only evidence for these species; in the presence of a phosphane ligand with ruthenium an interesting deoxygenation to 22 was observed. The phenol 2 c was converted to the allyl ether, a building block for para-Claisen rearrangements, and to the aryl triflate, a building block for cross-coupling reactions.     

Synthesis of bis(indolyl)alkanes by a site-selective gold-catalyzed addition of indoles to butynol derivatives

A new site-selective hydroarylation reaction of alkynes catalyzed by gold complexes and directed by an internal hydroxyl group has been developed. Thus, the treatment of 3-butyn-1-ol derivatives with indoles and a catalytic amount of an in situ formed cationic gold complex leads to the formation of bis(indolyl)alkane derivatives. Particularly interesting is the reaction with terminal alkynes as the double addition of the indol occurs at the terminal carbon of the triple bond. The reaction conditions are very mild and the final bis(indolyl)alkanes are obtained in high yields.     

Stereospecific access to bridged [n.2.1] skeletons through gold-catalyzed tandem reaction of indolyl homopropargyl amides

An efficient gold-catalyzed anti-Markovnikov cycloisomerization-initiated tandem reaction of Boc-protected indole tethered homopropargyl amides has been achieved. This method delivers a wide range of valuable bridged aza-[n.2.1] skeletons (n = 3–7) at room temperature with high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity by a chirality-transfer strategy. Moreover, the gold-catalyzed tandem reaction of homopropargyl alcohol is also achieved to produce the bridged oxa-[3.2.1] skeleton.     

Synthesis of novel [3,2-b] furan-fused pentacyclic triterpenoids via gold - Catalyzed intramolecular heterocyclization of 2-alkynyl-3-oxotriterpene acids

A direct and atom-economical synthetic route to new [3,2-b] furan-fused pentacyclic triterpenoids has been developed, using gold-catalyzed 5-exo-dig heterocyclization of accessible 2-alkynyl derivatives of betulonic, ursonic, and oleanonic acids.     

Formation of cinnoline derivatives by a gold(I)-catalyzed hydroarylation of N-propargyl-N′-arylhydrazines

A study concerning the gold(I)-catalyzed hydroarylation of N-propargyl-N′-arylhydrazinecarboxylic acid methyl esters is described. The use of the gold complex [XPhosAu(NCCH₃)SbF₆] as the catalyst in refluxing nitromethane allows the generally rapid and efficient synthesis of a range of functionalized 4-exo-methylene-1,2-dihydrocinnolines.     

A new catalytic route to synthesis of silylgermylethynes

Silylgermylethynes known to be potential organometallic reagents and precursors of optoelectronic materials can be efficiently synthesized via a recently reported catalytic method called silylative coupling of alkynes with vinylsilicon compounds. The reaction of triethylethynylgermane with vinyltrisubstituted silanes catalyzed by [RuHCl(CO)(PR₃)_n] (where R = ⁱPr, Cy, Ph; n = 2-3) under optimal conditions selectively yields respective silylgermylethynes. Silylation of ethynylgermane with divinylsilicon derivatives such as siloxanes, silazanes, bis(silyl)benzene and bis(silyl)ethane gives monoethynylgermyl substituted vinyldisilicon products with high yields and selectivity, however, accompanied by traces of dialkynylgermyl derivatives. All catalytic results as well as those of stoichiometric study on the insertion of ethynylgermane into Ru-Si bond have permitted proposing mechanistic schemes of the reaction examined.     

Gold(I)-catalyzed synthesis of (1E,3E)-dienes from propargylic esters

A mild and stereoselective gold(I)-catalyzed domino transformation of propargylic esters leading to substituted (1E,3E)-dienes has been developed. This cascade process proceeds via a sequence of 1,3-acyloxy- or 1,3-phosphatyloxy migrations to form allenic intermediate followed by a proton transfer.     

Gold catalysis

Catalysis by gold has rapidly become a hot topic in chemistry, with a new discovery being made almost every week. Gold is equally effective as a heterogeneous or a homogeneous catalyst and in this Review we attempt to marry these two facets to demonstrate this new found and general efficacy of gold. The latest discoveries are placed within a historical context, but the main thrust is to highlight the new catalytic possibilities that gold-catalyzed reactions currently offer the synthetic chemist, in particular in redox reactions and nucleophilic additions to pi systems. Indeed gold has proved to be an effective catalyst for many reactions for which a catalyst had not been previously identified, and many new discoveries are still expected.     

Electrophilic carbon transfer in gold catalysis: synthesis of substituted chromones

Using easily accessible aromatic alkoxy-arylalkynones, we have investigated the gold-catalyzed intramolecular addition of ethers to alkynes, to give easy access to various substituted chromones. This reaction involves the transfer of the ether substituent via a carbodemetallation process. We also noticed a competing isomerization of several starting materials for which we propose a second gold catalyzed mechanism.     

A new protocol for synthesis of bifunctional alkynyl[vinyl or (E)-alkenyl]substituted organosilicon compounds

A new efficient route for selective synthesis of various, novel alkynyl(vinyl)substituted silicon (6) and alkynyl[(E)-alkenyl]substituted silicon compounds (9) via silylative coupling of alkynes and their products catalyzed by ruthenium(+2) complexes is described. The tandem procedure facilitates the formation of 9 synthesized in a high yield and stereoselectivity by a sequential silylative coupling of terminal alkynes with divinylsubstituted silicon compounds followed by silylative coupling reaction of 6 with styrenes in the presence of ruthenium hydride complexes ([RuHCl(CO)(PR₃)_3−n]; R = Cy (n = 1), i-Pr (n = 1), Ph (n = 0)).     

Gold catalysis in stereoselective natural product synthesis: (+)-linalool oxide, (−)-isocyclocapitelline, and (−)-isochrysotricine

A stereoselective synthesis of the tetrahydrofuran-containing natural products (2S,5R)-(+)-linalool oxide (1), (−)-isocyclocapitelline (2), and (−)-isochrysotricine (3) is reported. Key steps are the copper-mediated S_N2′-substitution of propargyl oxiranes 7 and the gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization of dihydroxyallenes 8/17, resulting in a highly efficient center-to-axis-to-center chirality transfer. The enantioselective total synthesis of (−)-isocyclocapitelline (2) and (−)-isochrysotricine (3) allowed the elucidation of the absolute configuration of these β-carboline natural products.     

Recent metallosurfactants for sustainable catalysis in water

In the field of green chemistry, micellar catalysis plays a central role for organic solvent replacement. Micelles ensure the solubilization or dispersion of catalyst and organic substrates in water imparting unique features in terms of chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity. For metal-catalyzed reactions, a more robust approach for catalyst recycling consists in the synthesis of so-called metallosurfactants, in which a hydrophilic metal–containing headgroup is endowed with a hydrophobic ponytail, leading in water to the formation of metallomicelles. This fast-growing field of research is critically reviewed in this contribution, describing new trends and classifying the literature since 2017 based on the nature of the newly formed bond. Particular emphasis is reported on the specific features of metallosurfactants in terms of activities, selectivities and recyclability of the self-assembling catalysts.     

Palladium catalyzed synthesis of 4-substituted-2-phenylimidazoles from N-propargyl-benzamidine

Preliminary results of an original approach to 4-substituted-2-phenylimidazoles starting from readily available N-propargyl-benzamidine and aryl halides are reported. Best yields were obtained using aryl halides bearing an electron-withdrawing group. Plausible mechanisms are also discussed.     

Transition-metal catalyzed enantioselective hydrofunctionalization of alkynes

A significant number of reactions regarding hydrofunctionalization of alkynes have appeared in the literature over the years. This digest focus on the transition-metal catalyzed enantioselective alkyne hydrofunctionalization reactions. Based on the reaction mechanism, these reactions described herein are classified into three types. Strategies, substrate scope, along with mechanisms are highlighting.     

Gold catalysis: deuterated substrates as the key for an experimental insight into the mechanism and selectivity of the phenol synthesis

The second phase of the gold-catalyzed phenol synthesis, the ring opening of the intermediate arene oxide, follows general acid catalysis. The product selectivity is determined by the substrate only and can be explained by the stability of the intermediate arenium ions. Thus, even remote substitutents can be used to control the chemoselectivity of the overall reaction by electronic influences and their influence is stronger than the steric influence of neighboring substituents. This is supported by quantum chemical calculations of the intermediates. The lack of exchange of deuterium labels excludes even equilibria with acetylide or vinylidene intermediates and the observed deuterium distribution in the final products is in accord with the NIH-shift reaction. In addition, these findings now explain previously obtained results.     

Gold-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation of olefins. Scope evaluation and preliminary mechanistic studies

We report a gold-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation of unactivated olefins using a combination of AuCl₃/AgOTf as the catalytic system affording dihydrobenzopyrans, tetralins and tetrahydroquinolines in good yields. For our preliminary mechanistic studies, we have investigated the kinetic isotope effects with deuterated arene compounds and found that this catalytic hydroarylation is consistent with an electrophilic aromatic substitution process.