Copper‐Catalyzed Skeletal Rearrangements of O‐Propargylic Oximes via Cleavage of a Carbon–Oxygen Bond

In this account, we describe recent developments in copper‐catalyzed skeletal 2,3‐rearrangement reactions of O‐propargylic oximes to form four‐membered cyclic nitrones, pyridine N‐oxides, and amidodienes via N‐allenylnitrone intermediates. The sequence of events leading up to our encounter with O‐propargylic oximes is also presented.     

Efficient Synthesis of Eight‐Membered Nitrogen Heterocycles from O‐Propargylic Oximes by Rhodium‐Catalyzed Cascade Reactions

Azocine derivatives were successfully synthesized from O‐propargylic oximes by means of a Rh‐catalyzed 2,3‐rearrangement/heterocyclization cascade reaction. Moreover, the chirality of the substrate was maintained throughout the cascade process to afford the corresponding optically active azocines.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Cascade Reactions of Furan‐ynes with External Nucleophiles Consisting of a 1,2‐Rearrangement: Straightforward Synthesis of Multi‐Substituted Benzo[b]furans

A gold‐catalyzed cycloisomerization of silyl‐protected 2‐(1‐alkynyl)‐2‐alken‐1‐(2‐furanyl)‐1‐ols with various nucleophiles including water, alcohol, aniline, sulfonamide, and electron‐rich arene has been developed. The method provides a highly efficient access to 5,7‐disubstituted or 2,5,7‐trisubstituted benzo[b]furans with a wide diversity of substituents under mild reaction conditions, which are not easily available by other methods. Remarkably, an interesting rearrangement of the alkyl group from C2 to the C3 position of the furan ring takes place during the cyclization process. The following gold‐assisted allylic substitution enables an elaboration of benzo[b]furans on its side chain of the C5 position with a wide range of functional groups.     

Skeletal Rearrangement of O‐Propargylic Formaldoximes by a Gold‐Catalyzed Cyclization/Intermolecular Methylene Transfer Sequence

Skeletal rearrangement of O‐propargylic formaldoximes, in the presence of gold catalysts, afforded 4‐methylene‐2‐isoxazolines in good to excellent yields by an intermolecular methylene transfer. In addition, the cascade reaction with maleimide in the presence of a gold catalyst afforded isoxazole derivatives by cyclization/methylene transfer and a subsequent ene reaction, whereas that using a copper catalyst gave oxazepines through a 2,3‐rearrangement.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Extended Pummerer Reactions of Ketene Dithioacetal Monoxides with Alkynyl Sulfides and Ynamides with an Accompanying Oxygen Rearrangement

The first examples of metal‐catalyzed extended Pummerer reactions through the activation of sulfoxides are described. The copper‐catalyzed reactions of ketene dithioacetal monoxides with alkynyl sulfides and ynamides provided a wide variety of γ,γ‐disulfanyl‐β,γ‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds with an accompanying oxygen rearrangement. The products can be easily converted into 1,4‐dicarbonyl compounds and substituted heteroaromatics. DFT calculations and mechanistic experiments revealed a new interesting stepwise addition/oxygen rearrangement mechanism.     

On the Mechanism of Au-Catalyzed Enynamide-yne Dehydro-Diels-Alder Reactions: An Experimental and Computational Study

Gold-catalyzed dehydro-Diels-Alder reactions of ynamide derivatives allow efficient access to a variety of N-containing aromatic heterocycles. A dual gold catalysis mechanism was postulated for transformations involving the formation of C−C bonds by reaction between a terminal alkyne and an enynamide fragment. In this article, complete experimental and computational investigations into the mechanism of such a transformation are reported. Support for a dual gold catalysis was found and it was shown that the concerted or stepwise nature of the cyclization event depends on the substitution of the ynamide moiety. The reaction was found to proceed in three stages: 1) formation of a σ,π-digold complex from the terminal alkyne, 2) cyclization to produce a gem-diaurated aryl complex, and 3) catalyst transfer to free the product and regenerate the σ,π-digold complex.     

Gold(I)‐ and Yb(OTf)3‐Cocatalyzed Rearrangements of Epoxy Alkynes: Transfer of a Carbonyl Group in a Five‐Membered Carbocycle

We report here the intramolecular reactions between α,β‐epoxy ketones and alkynes cocatalyzed by gold(I) and Yb(OTf)₃. This new catalytic system based on a combination of gold(I) and Yb(OTf)₃ allows facile transformation of epoxy alkynes to give novel indene derivatives in moderate to good yields under mild conditions. Moreover, we describe here the first observation of a transfer of a carbonyl group in a five‐membered carbocycle during gold‐catalyzed reactions. This proposed mechanism is corroborated by isotope‐labeling experiments (D and ¹³C). Furthermore, the probable role of each catalyst in this interesting domino reaction has been examined by ³¹P NMR experiments. The utilization of gold catalysts combined with rare‐earth metal salts offers a new concept for the design of catalyst combinations for domino or cascade reactions.     

Cascade Reactions: A Driving Force in Akuammiline Alkaloid Total Synthesis

The akuammiline alkaloids are a family of intricate natural products which have received considerable attention from scientists worldwide. Despite the fact that many members of this alkaloid class were discovered over 50 years ago, synthetic chemistry has been unable to address their architectures until recently. This minireview provides a brief overview of the rich history of the akuammiline alkaloids, including their isolation, structural features, biological activity, and proposed biosyntheses. Furthermore, several recently completed total syntheses are discussed in detail. These examples not only serve to highlight modern achievements in alkaloid total synthesis, but also demonstrate how the molecular scaffolds of the akuammilines have provided inspiration for the discovery and implementation of innovative cascade reactions for the rapid assembly of complex structures.     

Synthesis of C2 Substituted Benzothiophenes via an Interrupted Pummerer/[3,3]‐Sigmatropic/1,2‐Migration Cascade of Benzothiophene S‐Oxides

Functionalized benzothiophenes are important scaffolds found in molecules with wide ranging biological activity and in organic materials. We describe an efficient, metal‐free synthesis of C2 arylated, allylated, and propargylated benzothiophenes. The reaction utilizes synthetically unexplored yet readily accessible benzothiophene S‐oxides and phenols, allyl‐, or propargyl silanes in a unique cascade sequence. An interrupted Pummerer reaction between benzothiophene S‐oxides and the coupling partners yields sulfonium salts that lack aromaticity and therefore allow facile [3,3]‐sigmatropic rearrangement. The subsequently generated benzothiophenium salts undergo a previously unexplored 1,2‐migration to access C2 functionalized benzothiophenes.     

1,2-Alkyl migration as a key element in the invention of cascade reactions catalyzed by pi-acids

This brief overview highlights recent progress in the field of cascade reactions that are initiated by the activation of a pi-system using platinum and gold catalysts and that are coupled with a 1,2-alkyl migration step. While the reactions discussed aim to rapidly evolve molecular complexity, they are experimentally straightforward and easy to perform. Primarily guided by the type of 1,2-alkyl migration, methods are categorized as shifts to metal carbenoid centers and pinacol-type rearrangements.     

Gold‐catalyzed Intermolecular Oxidations of 2‐Ketonyl‐1‐ethynyl Benzenes with N‐Hydoxyanilines to Yield 2‐Aminoindenones via Gold Carbene Intermediates

Gold‐catalyzed oxidations of 2‐ketonyl‐1‐ethynyl benzenes with N‐hydroxyanilines yield 2‐aminoindenone derivatives efficiently. Experimental data suggests that this process involves an α‐oxo gold carbene intermediate, generated from the attack of N‐hydroxyaniline on furylgold carbene intermediate, rather than the typical attack of oxidants on π‐alkynes.     

Bioinspired Synthesis of (+)‐Cinchonidine Using Cascade Reactions

The development of efficient syntheses of complex natural products has long been a major challenge in synthetic chemistry. Designing cascade reactions and employing bioinspired transformations are an important and reliable means of achieving this goal. Presented here is a combination of these two strategies, which allow efficient asymmetric synthesis of the cinchona alkaloid (+)‐cinchonidine. The key steps of this synthesis are a controllable, visible‐light‐induced photoredox radical cascade reaction to efficiently access the tetracyclic monoterpenoid indole alkaloid core, as well as a practical biomimetic cascade rearrangement for the indole to quinoline transformation. The use of stereoselective chemical transformations in this work makes it an efficient synthesis of (+)‐cinchonidine.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of 1,6,8‐Dienyne Carbonates and Esters to cis‐Cyclohepta‐4,8‐diene‐Fused Pyrrolidines

A synthetic approach that provides access to cis‐cyclohepta‐4,8‐diene‐fused pyrrolidines efficiently through Au^I‐catalyzed cycloisomerization of 1,6,8‐dienyne carbonates and esters at a low catalyst loading of 2 mol % is reported. Starting carbonates and esters with a pendant alkyl group on the terminal alkenyl carbon center were found to favor tandem 1,2‐acyloxy migration/cyclopropanation followed by Cope rearrangement of the resulting cis‐3‐azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane intermediate. On the other hand, substrates containing a terminal diene or starting materials in which the distal alkene moiety bears a phenyl substituent were observed to undergo competitive but reversible 1,3‐acyloxy migration prior to the nitrogen‐containing bicyclic ring formation. The delineated reaction mechanism also provides experimental evidence for the reversible interconversion between the oft‐proposed organogold intermediates obtained in this step of the tandem process.     

Hydroamination Reactions of Alkynes with ortho‐Substituted Anilines in Ball Mills: Synthesis of Benzannulated N‐Heterocycles by a Cascade Reaction

It was demonstrated that ortho‐substituted anilines are prone to undergo hydroamination reactions with diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate in a planetary ball mill. A sequential coupling of the intermolecular hydroamination reaction with intramolecular ring closure was utilized for the syntheses of benzooxazines, quinoxalines, and benzothiazines from readily available building blocks, that is, electrophilic alkynes and anilines with OH, NH, or SH groups in the ortho position. For the heterocycle formation, it was shown that several stress conditions were able to initiate the reaction in the solid state. Processing in a ball mill seemed to be advantageous over comminution with mortar and pestle with respect to process control. In the latter case, significant postreaction modification occurred during solid‐state analysis. Cryogenic milling proved to have an adverse effect on the molecular transformation of the reagents.     

Multisite Solid Catalyst for Cascade Reactions: The Direct Synthesis of Benzodiazepines from Nitro Compounds

Substituted 1,5‐benzodiazepines are selectively synthesized in one pot from substituted nitroaromatics and ketones. The reaction is performed in the presence of hydrogen and in the absence of solvent by using a bifunctional solid catalyst with a chemoselective hydrogenation functional group capable of reducing the nitro group to a diamino group and an acid functional group, which catalyzes the cyclocondensation of the amino group with the ketone.