Fragmentation of carbohydrate anomeric alkoxy radicals: a new synthesis of chiral 1-halo-1-iodo alditols

Treatment of 1,2-fluorohydrins, 1,2-chlorohydrins, 1,2-bromohydrins, and 1,2-iodohydrins of the D-gluco, D-galacto, D-lacto, L-rhamno, D-allo, L-arabino, 3-deoxy-D-gluco, and 3,4-dideoxy-D-gluco families of carbohydrates with the (diacetoxyiodo)benzene/iodine system afforded 1-fluoro-1-iodo, 1-chloro-1-iodo, 1-bromo-1-iodo, and 1,1-diiodo alditols, respectively, in excellent yields. The reaction was achieved by radical fragmentation of the C1bond;C2 bond, triggered by the initially formed anomeric alkoxy radical, and subsequent trapping of the C2-radical by iodine atoms. This methodology is compatible with the stability of the protective groups most frequently used in carbohydrate chemistry. The potential utility of these 1-halo-1-iodo alditols as chiral synthons was evaluated by their transformation into alk-1-enyl iodides and in the Takai E-olefination reaction.     

Cr(Salen)-catalyzed addition of 1,3-dichloropropene to aromatic aldehydes. A simple access to optically active vinyl epoxides

[reaction: see text]. Chiral Cr(Salen) complex (1) prepared in situ from CrCl3 promotes the enantioselective addition of 1,3-dichloropropene to aromatic aldehydes in the presence of Mn as the stoichiometric reductant and Me3SiCl as a scavenger. The resulting 1,2-chlorohydrins obtained in good enantiomeric and diastereoisomeric excesses can be easily transformed into the corresponding chiral vinyl epoxides.     

Synthesis and antioxidative activity of N,N-diethylthiocarbamate-containing 1,2-aminopropanethiols

Method for synthesis of S-(1,2-epithiopropyl)-N,N-diethylthiocarbamate, which is a key compound for production of various aryl-substituted 1,2-aminopropanethiols, was developed. The antioxidative activity of the compounds synthesized was studied.     

Influence of substitution at the benzylic position on the behavior of stereoisomeric phosphorus compounds as precursors of stabilized carbon-centered radicals

Efficient benzylic radical formation from benzo[d]-1,2-oxaphospholes has demonstrated their suitability as precursors of stabilized C-centered radicals, a property associated with antioxidant potential. A remarkable stereodifferentiation is observed for alkyl- and aryl-substituted derivatives. [reaction: see text]     

Low-valent Nb(III)-mediated synthesis of 1,1,2-trisubstituted-1H-indenes from aliphatic ketones and aryl-substituted alkynes

A variety of 1,1,2-trisubstituted-1H-indenes are synthesized by the reaction of aliphatic ketones, aryl-substituted alkynes and NbCl3(DME) in 1,2-dichloroethane under reflux conditions.     

A highly stereoselective approach to tetrasubstituted (E)-β-hydroxy silyl enol ethers by addition of aryl-substituted oxiranyl anions to acylsilanes

A highly stereoselective approach to tetrasubstituted (E)-β-hydroxy silyl enol ethers is described. The reaction proceeds via a sequential addition/[1,2]-Brook rearrangement/epoxide-opening process of aryl-substituted oxiranyl anions with acylsilanes.     

Size-Induced Inversion of Selectivity in the Acylation of 1,2-Diols

Relative rates for the Lewis base-catalyzed acylation of aryl-substituted 1,2-diols with anhydrides differing in size have been determined by turnover-limited competition experiments and absolute kinetics measurements. Depending on the structure of the anhydride reagent, the secondary hydroxyl group of the 1,2-diol reacts faster than the primary one. This preference towards the secondary hydroxyl group is boosted in the second acylation step from the monoesters to the diester through size and additional steric effects. In absolute terms the first acylation step is found to be up to 35 times faster than the second one for the primary alcohols due to neighboring group effects.     

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of α-bromocarbonyls and allylic alcohols for the synthesis of α-aryl dicarbonyl compounds

The palladium-catalyzed coupling of olefins and organohalides is a versatile approach for synthesizing complex molecules from simple starting materials. We have developed a palladium-catalyzed coupling of α-bromocarbonyl compounds with allylic alcohols for the generation of acyclic aryl-substituted dicarbonyl compounds. The reaction proceeds via a tandem olefin insertion of an α-acyl radical followed by a 1,2-aryl migration. In addition to providing preliminary evidence for a free radical mediated mechanism, we demonstrate unprecedented levels of 1,3-stereoinduction for the 1,2-migration step.     

Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Reductive 1,2-Carboamination of Unactivated Alkenes

Starting from diverse alkene-tethered aryl iodides and O-benzoyl-hydroxylamines, the enantioselective reductive cross-electrophilic 1,2-carboamination of unactivated alkenes was achieved using a chiral pyrox/nickel complex as the catalyst. This mild, modular, and practical protocol provides rapid access to a variety of β-chiral amines with an enantioenriched aryl-substituted quaternary carbon center in good yields and with excellent enantioselectivities. This process reveals a complementary regioselectivity when compared to Pd and Cu catalysis.     

Epoxide hydrolase-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of chiral 1,2-diols via desymmetrization of meso-epoxides. lzhao@diversa.com

The discovery, from nature, of a diverse set of microbial epoxide hydrolases is reported. The utility of a library of epoxide hydrolases in the synthesis of chiral 1,2-diols via desymmetrization of a wide range of meso-epoxides, including cyclic as well as acyclic alkyl- and aryl-substituted substrates, is demonstrated. The chiral (R,R)-diols were furnished with high ee's and yields. The discovery of the first microbial epoxide hydrolases providing access to complementary (S,S)-diols is also described.     

Integrated electrochemical-chemical oxidation mediated by alkoxysulfonium ions

Generation of carbocations by the "cation pool" method followed by reaction with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) gave the corresponding alkoxysulfonium ions. Alkoxysulfonium ions could also be generated by in situ DMSO trapping of electrochemically generated carbocations. The resulting alkoxysulfonium ions were transformed into carbonyl compounds by treatment with triethylamine. The present integrated electrochemical-chemical oxidation can be applied to the oxidation of diarylmethanes to diaryl ketones, toluenes to benzaldehydes, and aryl-substituted alkenes to 1,2-diketones. Moreover, the oxidation of unsaturated compounds bearing a nucleophilic group in an appropriate position gives cyclized carbonyl compounds.     

Silylium-Ion-Promoted (5+1) Cycloaddition of Aryl-Substituted Vinylcyclopropanes and Hydrosilanes Involving Aryl Migration

A transition-metal-free (5+1) cycloaddition of aryl-substituted vinylcyclopropanes (VCPs) and hydrosilanes to afford silacyclohexanes is reported. Catalytic amounts of the trityl cation initiate the reaction by hydride abstraction from the hydrosilane, and further progress of the reaction is maintained by self-regeneration of the silylium ions. The new reaction involves a [1,2] migration of an aryl group, eventually furnishing 4- rather than 3-aryl-substituted silacyclohexane derivatives as major products. Various control experiments and quantum-chemical calculations support a mechanistic picture where a silylium ion intramolecularly stabilized by a cyclopropane ring can either undergo a kinetically favored concerted [1,2] aryl migration/ring expansion or engage in a cyclopropane-to-cyclopropane rearrangement.     

1,2-Carboboration of Arylallenes by In Situ Generated Alkenylboranes for the Synthesis of 1,4-Dienes

We herein report a novel method for the coupling of unactivated alkynes and arylallenes, which relies on an unprecedented and regioselective 1,2-carboboration of the allene by an alkenylborane. The alkenylborane is conveniently prepared in situ by hydroboration of an alkyne with Piers’ borane, i. e., HB(C₆F₅)₂. The boryl-substituted 1,4-dienes that are formed by this carboboration are well-suited for a subsequent Suzuki-Miyaura coupling with aryl iodides. This allowed us to develop a three-step, one-pot protocol for the synthesis of aryl-substituted 1,4-dienes. The generality of the reaction was demonstrated by the synthesis of twenty dienes with modular variations of all three reaction partners. The mechanism of the new 1,2-carboboration was investigated using dispersion corrected double-hybrid DFT computations that allowed us to rationalize the chemo- and regioselectivity of this key step.     

Ligand-Free Suzuki Coupling of Arylboronic Acids with Methyl (E)-4-Bromobut-2-enoate: Synthesis of Unconventional Cores of HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors

An effective ligand-free Suzuki coupling protocol to unite methyl (E)-4-bromobut-2-enoate with several arylboronic acids has been accomplished. Thus, a number of variously functionalized methyl 4-arylcrotonates have been achieved in high to excellent yields under mild conditions. This method enables the preparation of diverse aryl-substituted cores of HIV-1 protease inhibitors.     

Thermal C1-C5 diradical cyclization of enediynes

Computational studies at the BLYP/6-31G(d) level (supplemented by BCCD(T)/cc-pVDZ calculations) suggest that in aryl-substituted 1,2-diethynylbenzenes, steric effects disfavor the thermal C1-C6 diradical cyclization reaction (Bergman) and electronic effects favor the regiovariant C1-C5 cyclization to the extent that the C1-C5 process should become an important reaction pathway in the thermolyses of such compounds. Experimentally, thermolyses of 1,2-bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenylethynyl)benzene, a particularly favorable case, yields only products derived from C1-C5 cyclization [specifically, 1-(2,4,6-trichlorobenzylidene)-2-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)-1H-indene and its hydrogenation product 3-(2,4,6-trichlorobenzyl)-2-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)-1H-indene], and even for the parent hydrocarbon 1,2-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene, the formation of C1-C5 cyclization products is competitive with the major Bergman reaction. Although some C1-C5 cyclization products are probably formed by transfer hydrogenation from 1,4-cyclohexadiene (commonly included in such reactions), thermolyses in the absence of 1,4-CHD as well as deuterium labeling studies confirm the existence of direct C1-C5 diradical cyclizations for diaryl-substituted enediynes.     

A new synthesis of 2-substituted pyridines via aluminum chloride induced heteroarylation of arenes and heteroarenes

[reaction: see text] We herein report a new synthesis of 2-(hetero)aryl-substituted pyridines via heteroarylation of arenes/heteroarenes through AlCl(3)-induced C-C bond-forming reactions. 2-Halopyridines bearing an electron-withdrawing group were reacted with a number of (hetero)arenes to give 2-aryl/heteroaryl-substituted pyridines in good yields.     

Substituent effects on rates of rhodium-catalyzed allene cyclopropanation

Rates of cyclopropanation for mono- and disubstituted allenes have been measured relative to standard substrates in reaction with aryldiazoacetate esters catalyzed by Rh₂(S-DOSP)₄. Phenylallene derivatives exhibited a linear correlation of rate with σ⁺ coefficients, indicating a resonance-based effect, though the magnitude of the effect for allenes is less than that reported for other cyclopropanations. Relative reaction rates for aliphatic allenes were found to be similar to those for aryl-substituted allenes, but silicon substitution was found to give a 5- to 14-fold rate increase. The rate enhancement effect for 1-silyl allenes can partially make up for loss of rate and regioselectivity, with 1-trimethylsilyl-1,2-butadiene exhibiting high levels of enantioselectivity and diastereoselectivity in reaction with the chiral catalyst.     

Palladium-catalyzed arylation of α,α-difluoro-allylic-β-hydroxyester

The aryl-substituted α,α-difluoro-allylic-β-hydroxyesters and aryl-substituted α,α-difluoroketones were obtained via the coupling reaction of aryl iodides with α,α-difluoro-allylic-β-hydroxyester in the presence of Pd(OAc)₂ as the catalyst and Et₃N as the base.     

Studies on ZnBr2-mediated synthesis of axially chiral aryl-substituted allenes from terminal alkynes,aromatic aldehydes and (S)-α,α-diphenylprolinol

The studies on the ZnBr₂-mediated synthesis of axially chiral aryl-substituted allenes from terminal alkynes, aromatic aldehydes, and commercially available chiral amine (S)-α,α-diphenylprolinol were conducted. Axially chiral aryl-substituted allenes can be obtained in moderate yields with up to 96% ee.     

Aluminum chloride-induced heteroarylation of arenes and heteroarenes. 2. A new synthesis of 4-substituted phthalazin-1(2H)-ones

We herein report the efficient syntheses of 4-(hetero)aryl-substituted 1-chlorophthalazines via heteroarylation of arenes/heteroarenes through AlCl(3)-induced C[bond]C formation reactions. A number of (hetero)arenes were reacted with 1,4-dichlorophthalazine to give aryl/heteroaryl-substituted phthalazines in good to excellent yields. Many of them were converted to the corresponding phthalazin-1(2H)-ones.