Ruthenium-catalyzed decarboxylative insertion of electrophiles

[reaction: see text]. A ruthenium complex, Cp*Ru(bipyridyl)Cl, has been developed as a catalyst for the first regioselective tandem Michael addition-allylic alkylation of activated Michael acceptors. The net transformation is the decarboxylative insertion of Michael acceptors into allyl beta-ketoesters.     

A Metal–Ligand Cooperative Pathway for Intermolecular Oxa‐Michael Additions to Unsaturated Nitriles

An unprecedented catalytic pathway for oxa‐Michael addition reactions of alcohols to unsaturated nitriles has been revealed using a PNN pincer ruthenium catalyst with a dearomatized pyridine backbone. The isolation of a catalytically competent Ru–dieneamido complex from the reaction between the Ru catalyst and pentenenitrile in combination with DFT calculations supports a mechanism in which activation of the nitrile through metal–ligand cooperativity is a key step. The nitrile‐derived Ru‐N moiety is sufficiently Brønsted basic to activate the alcohol and initiate conjugate addition of the alkoxide to the α,β‐unsaturated fragment. This reaction proceeds in a concerted manner and involves a six‐membered transition state. These features allow the reaction to proceed at ambient temperature in the absence of external base.     

Enantioselective tandem michael addition/H2-hydrogenation catalyzed by ruthenium hydride borohydride complexes containing beta-aminophosphine ligands

A variety of ruthenium(II) catalyst precursors containing beta-aminophosphine ligands and a borohydride ligand were found to be active for a one-pot, tandem asymmetric Michael addition/H2-hydrogenation reaction to give the chiral alcohol in excellent diastereomeric excess. The most effective catalyst is 4b, containing the (S)-binap ligand and (R,R)-Pnor ligand, derived from (1S,2R)-norephedrine.     

Ruthenium and enzyme-catalyzed dynamic kinetic resolution of alcohols

Ruthenium acts as a good catalyst for the racemization reaction of secondary alcohols and amines. Ruthenium-catalyzed racemization is coupled with enzymatic kinetic resolution to prepare chiral compounds in 100% theoretical yield. Ten ruthenium complexes (1–10) act as a good catalyst the for racemization reaction and are also compatible with DKR process. Two other ruthenium complexes [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃] and [Cp^*RuCl(COD)] are active for racemization reaction but their successful compatibility with DKR has not yet been reported. Ru/γ-Al₂O₃ and Ru–HAP are the heterogeneous catalysts used for the racemization reaction. They have also not been employed for DKR process. Polymer supported ruthenium is employed as a reusable racemization catalyst for aerobic DKR of alcohols.     

A versatile palladium-mediated three-component reaction for the one-pot synthesis of stereodefined 3-arylidene-(or 3-alkenylidene-)tetrahydrofurans.

A one-pot reaction between equimolecular amounts of various propargyl alcohols, Michael acceptors, and unsaturated halides (or triflates) in the presence of a palladium(0) catalyst provides a simple and flexible entry into highly substituted 3-arylidene-(or 3-alkenylidene-)tetrahydrofurans. The efficiency of this palladium-mediated three-component reaction has been shown to be strongly influenced by the nature of the catalyst system, and in this regard, a palladium(0) catalyst generated in situ by reduction of PdCl2(PPh3)2 with n-butyllithium has been found particularly effective.     

固载Ru基催化剂上二氧化碳加氢合成甲酸Ⅱ反应条件对催化剂性能的影响

The synthesis of formic acid from carbon dioxide and hydrogen using a silica immobilized ruthenium catalyst as precursor has been studied in different reaction conditions. The results revealed that the TOF （turn over frequency） of HCOOH achieved 1481.5 h^-1 on immobilized ruthenium catalyst near the critical pressure point of CO2 with H2 pressure of 4.0 MPa, reaction temperature of 80℃ and PPh3/Ru molar ratio of 6：1. The reaction activity of immobilized catalyst was higher than that of homogeneous catalyst, and the immobilized catalyst also offered the practical advantages such as easy separation and reuse.     

Enantioselective tandem O-nitroso Aldol/Michael reaction

This communication presents studies that illustrated nitroso Diels-Alder adduct has been obtained in uniformly high enantioselectivity via a tandem nitroso aldol/Michael reaction using an amine catalyst. The regiochemical outcome of this construction is documented to be the opposite to that of the normal nitroso aldol reaction, which has been determined by X-ray analysis. The reaction of the enone with silver-BINAP catalyst has also been investigated in conjunction with the control of regiochemistry in a stepwise process.     

Scope, kinetics, and mechanistic aspects of aerobic oxidations catalyzed by ruthenium supported on alumina

The Ru/Al(2)O(3) catalyst was prepared by modification of the preparation of Ru(OH)(3).n H(2)O. The present Ru/Al(2)O(3) catalyst has high catalytic activities for the oxidations of activated, nonactivated, and heterocyclic alcohols, diols, and amines at 1 atm of molecular oxygen. Furthermore, the catalyst could be reused seven times without a loss of catalytic activity and selectivity for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. A catalytic reaction mechanism involving a ruthenium alcoholate species and beta-hydride elimination from the alcoholate has been proposed. The reaction rate has a first-order dependence on the amount of catalyst, a fractional order on the concentration of benzyl alcohol, and a zero order on the pressure of molecular oxygen. These results and kinetic isotope effects indicate that beta-elimination from the ruthenium alcoholate species is a rate-determining step.     

Enantioselective and diastereoselective Mukaiyama-Michael reactions catalyzed by bis(oxazoline) copper(II) complexes.

The scope of highly enantioselective and diastereoselective Michael additions of enolsilanes to unsaturated imide derivatives has been developed with use of [Cu((S,S)-t-Bu-box)](SbF6)2 (1a) as a Lewis acid catalyst. The products of these additions are useful synthons that contain termini capable of differentiation under mild conditions. Michael acceptor pi-facial selectivity is consistent with two-point binding of the imide substrate and can be viewed as an extension of substrate enantioselection in the corresponding Diels-Alder reactions. A model analogous to the one employed to describe the hetero Diels-Alder reaction is proposed to account for the observed relation between enolsilane geometry and product absolute diastereocontrol. Insights into modes of catalyst inactivation are given, including spectroscopic evidence for inhibition of the catalyst by a dihydropyran intermediate that evolves during the course of the reaction. A procedure is disclosed in which an alcohol additive is used to hydrolyze the inhibiting dihydropyran and afford the desilylated Michael adduct in significantly shortened reaction time.     

Synergic Interplay Between Halogen Bonding and Hydrogen Bonding in the Activation of a Neutral Substrate in a Nanoconfined Space

The principle of amplified halogen bonding (XB) in a small space is exploited as a catalytic tool for the activation of an XB acceptor substrate in a nanoconfined environment. The inner cavity of the resorcinarene capsule has been equipped with an XB catalyst bearing an ammonium unit acting as a Trojan horse to drive the catalyst inside the capsule. In the presence of a specific XB catalyst, the capsule is able to catalyze a Michael reaction between N‐methylpyrrole and methyl vinyl ketone. In the bulk medium in absence of the resorcinarene capsule, the XB catalyst is catalytically ineffective. Quantum‐mechanical investigations highlight that the Michael reaction proceeds through the activation of the carbonyl group by synergistically enhanced halogen/hydrogen‐bonding interactions and takes place in an open pentameric capsule.     

A chiral pyrrolidine-pyrazole catalyst for the enantioselective Michael addition of carbonyls to nitroolefins

An enantioselective Michael reaction of carbonyl compounds to nitroolefins has been accomplished using a novel chiral pyrrolidine-pyrazole catalyst. This newly prepared catalyst was found to be very effective in providing good yields as well as good diastereo- and enantio-selectivities. The mechanism of the reaction has also been substantiated by mass spectral studies.     

E/Z product distribution in the metathesis of allyl alcohol derivatives with a first generation ruthenium-based catalyst

Based on experiments with four simple derivatives of allyl alcohol, it has been shown that the product of cross-metathesis as mediated by a ‘first generation’ ruthenium catalyst increases in its proportion of the E-isomer as the reaction progresses. This increase is due to equilibration, which is also mediated by the ruthenium catalyst.     

Synthesis of bis- and oligo-gem-difluorocyclopropanes using the olefin metathesis reaction

Synthesis of six types of novel bis- and oligo-gem-difluorocyclopropanes has been accomplished through the olefin metathesis reaction protocol. Two types of ruthenium-based olefin metathesis catalysts were tested: the ruthenium catalyst coordinated with 1,3-dimesityl-4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-ylidene and tricyclohexylphosphine ligands gave better results than the ruthenium catalyst that coordinated with two tricyclohexylphosphine ligands.     

Scope of the asymmetric intramolecular stetter reaction catalyzed by chiral nucleophilic triazolinylidene carbenes

A highly enantioselective intramolecular Stetter reaction of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes tethered to different Michael acceptors has been developed. Two triazolium scaffolds have been identified that catalyze the intramolecular Stetter reaction with good reactivity and enantioselectivity. The substrate scope has been examined and found to be broad; both electron-rich and -poor aromatic aldehydes undergo cyclization in high yield and enantioselectivity. The tether can include oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon linkers with no detrimental effects. In addition, the incorporation of various tethered Michael acceptors includes amides, esters, thioesters, ketones, aldehydes, and nitriles. The catalyst loading may be reduced to 3 mol % without significantly affecting the reactivity or selectivity of the reaction.     

Reaktionen auf der Spur

A new technique, desorption electrospray ionization coupled to mass spectrometry (DESI‐MS), has been used as a tool for reaction analysis. Charged droplets of a reagent are sprayed onto the catalyst, which has previously been deposited on a surface in front of a mass analyzer. The reaction starts as the droplets impact the catalyst on the surface and continues inside secondary microdroplets that are desorbed from the surface. These are directed toward the mass spec inlet. Using this technique, the very first milliseconds of a reaction can be observed. The first example describes the discovery of an extremely short‐lived intermediate in a C‐H amination reaction cycle. Another example describes how DESI‐MS has been used to identify catalyst arrest mechanisms in ruthenium catalyzed C‐H hydroxylation.     

Synthesis and Catalytic Activity of a Two-core Ruthenium Carbene Complex: a Unique Catalyst for Ring Closing Metathesis Reaction

The reaction of a ruthenium carbide complex RuCl2(C:)(PCy3)2 with [H(Et2O)x]+[BF4]– at a molar ratio of 1:2 produced a two-core ruthenium carbene complex, {[RuCl(=CHPCy3)(PCy3)]2(μ-Cl)3}+·[BF4]–, in the form of a yellow-green crystalline solid in a yield of 94%. This two-core ruthenium complex is a selective catalyst for ring closing metathesis of unsubstituted terminal dienes. More importantly, no isomerized byproduct was observed for N-substrates when the two-core ruthenium complex was used as the catalyst at an elevated temperature(137 °C), indicating that the complex is a chemo-selective catalyst for ring closing metathesis reactions.     

Domino reaction to functionalized 2-hydroxybenzophenones from electron-deficient chromones and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds

A base-promoted one-pot tandem reaction sequence has been developed to transform electron-deficient chromone-fused dienes 1 and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds 2 to functionalized 2-hydroxybenzophenones 3 under mild conditions. This domino process, which involves multiple reactions, including Michael addition/cyclization/elimination, serves as an efficient, economic, and eco-friendly method for the construction of diversified 2-hydroxybenzophenone scaffolds without a transition-metal catalyst and inert atmosphere.     

DABCO‐Catalyzed Efficient Synthesis of Naphthopyran Derivatives via One‐Pot Three‐Component Condensation Reaction at Room Temperature

Diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) has been used as a mild and efficient catalyst for synthesis of 2‐amino‐3‐cyano naphthopyran derivatives via a one‐pot three‐component reaction of aromatic aldehydes, naphthols, and malononitrile at room temperature. The short reaction times, easy workup, good to excellent yields, and mild reaction conditions make this domino Knoevenagel–Michael reaction both practical and attractive.