Stille carbonylation of N-protected bromomethylindoles

A variety of N-protected indolylmethylbromides are carbonylated using 5 mol % Pd(PPh₃)₂Cl₂ under Stille conditions in the presence of an alcohol to afford the corresponding methyl/ethyl esters.     

Synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted benzofurans and indoles by π-Lewis acidic transition metal-catalyzed cyclization of ortho-alkynylphenyl O,O- and N,O-acetals

The PtCl₂-catalyzed cyclization reaction of ortho-alkynylphenyl acetals 1 in the presence of COD (1,5-cyclooctadiene) produces 3-(α-alkoxyalkyl)benzofurans 2 in good to high yields. For example, the reaction of acetaldehyde ethyl 2-(1-octynyl)phenyl acetal (1a), acetaldehyde ethyl 2-(cyclohexylethynyl)phenyl acetal (1c), and acetaldehyde ethyl 2-(phenylethynyl)phenyl acetal (1f) in the presence of 2 mol % of platinum(II) chloride and 8 mol % of 1,5-cycloocatadiene in toluene at 30 °C gave the corresponding 2,3-disubstituted benzofurans 2a, 2c, and 2f in 91, 94, and 88% yields, respectively. Moreover, the reaction of N-methoxymethyl-2-alkynylanilines 3 was catalyzed by PdBr₂, affording the corresponding 2,3-disubstituted indoles 4 in moderate yields. For example, the reaction of N-methoxymethyl-2-(1-pentynyl)-N-tosylaniline (3a) and N-methoxymethyl-2-(phenylethynyl)-N-tosylaniline (3b) in the presence of 10 mol % of PdBr₂ in toluene at 80 °C gave 3-methoxymethyl-2-propyl-1-tosylindole (4a) and 3-methoxymethyl-2-phenyl-1-tosylindole (4b) in 33 and 33% yields, respectively.     

First example of the C-alkylation of indoles with Baylis-Hillman acetates

Baylis-Hillman acetates undergo S_N2′ allylic substitution with indoles in the presence of 20 mol % of indium tribromide under mild conditions to afford a new class of substituted indoles in high yields with (E)-stereoselectivity. The stereochemistry of the products was assigned by various NMR experiments.     

InBr3-catalyzed stereoselective synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted hexahydro-1H-furo[3,4-c]pyran derivatives

An ?,δ-unsaturated alcohol tethered with a hydroxyl group, that is, (E)-2-styrylbutane-1,4-diol (1) undergoes a smooth bicyclization with various aldehydes in the presence of 10 mol % InBr₃ and at 0 °C to afford a novel series of hexahydro-1H-furo[3,4-c]pyran derivatives in good yields with high diastereoselectivity.     

Bismuth triflate-catalyzed rearrangement of acetates of the Baylis-Hillman adducts into (E)-trisubstituted alkenes

In the presence of a catalytic amount of bismuth triflate, methyl 3-acetoxy-3-aryl-2-methylenepropanoates and 3-acetoxy-3-aryl-2-methylenepropanitriles were smoothly converted into methyl (2E)-2-(acetoxymethyl)-3-arylprop-2-enoates and (2E)-2-(acetoxymethyl)-3-arylprop-2-enenitriles, respectively. A remarkable reversal in stereochemical directions from ester to nitrile was observed. 3-Aryl-3-hydroxy-2-methylenepropanoates and 3-aryl-3-hydroxy-2-methylenepropanitriles could be easily obtained as Baylis-Hillman adducts from methyl acrylate and acrylonitrile, respectively. The overall process is an efficient isomerization of the Baylis-Hillman adducts to the corresponding cinnamyl derivatives. The isomerization reaction proceeded rapidly and afforded smoothly the cinnamyl acetates in moderate to very good yields using catalytic amounts of Bi(OTf)₃·4H₂O (10 mol %).     

Z-Selective intramolecular Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction for the synthesis of macrocyclic alkenes

The Z-selective intramolecular Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction of the substrates 7-12 (RO)₂P(O)CHR′CO₂Et (R′ = (CH₂)_nCHO) (R = Ph or o-tBuC₆H₄) gives the 13-18-membered cyclic alkenes selectively (up to Z:E = 97:3) in good yields using NaH in THF under high dilution conditions.     

Synthesis and hydrogenation of (E)-γ-aryl-γ-morpholino-α-trifluoromethylated allyl alcohols through the reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with enamines

Treatment of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with enamines, derived from acetophenone derivatives, at room temperature gave (E)-1,1,1-trifluoro-4-morpholino-4-aryl-but-3-en-2-ols, which are intermediates for preparation of the β-trifluoromethylated aldol products, 4,4,4-trifluoro-3-hydroxy-1-aryl-butan-1-ones. The structure of the intermediate (E)-1,1,1-trifluoro-4-morpholino-4-(4-nitrophenyl)-but-3-en-2-ols could be assigned by ¹H, ¹³C NMR, IR, and X-ray crystallography. Furthermore, hydrogenation and reductive deamination of the intermediate (E)-1,1,1-trifluoro-4-morpholino-4-aryl-but-3-en-2-ols with hydrogen in the presence of a catalytic amount (10 mol %) of palladium on carbon in trifluoroethanol proceeded smoothly at room temperature to give 1,1,1-trifluoro-4-aryl-2-butanols in good to excellent yields.     

Triphenylphosphine as an effective catalyst for ketoximes addition to acylacetylenes: regio- and stereospecific synthesis of (E)-(O)-2-(acyl)vinylketoximes

Triphenylphosphine catalyzes the regio- and stereospecific addition of ketoximes to acylacetylenes, whereas classical conditions using acetylene (KOH/DMSO, 70 °C) are unsuitable for this purpose. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions (CH₂Cl₂, rt, 7 h) to afford (E)-(O)-2-(acyl)vinylketoximes (92-98% stereoselectivity) in a yield of up to 85%. The (E)-adducts obtained are energetically less favorable than the corresponding (Z)-isomers and are gradually enriched with (Z)-isomers, thus indicating the kinetic control of (E)-stereoselectivity of the reaction.     

Preparation,molecular structures,and characteristic properties of (E)-1-(2-furyl)- and (E)-1-(2-thienyl)-2-(3-guaiazulenyl)ethylenes and (E)-1-(3-furyl)- and (E)-1-(3-thienyl)-2-(3-guaiazulenyl)ethylenes

Wittig reactions of 2-furaldehyde (20) [and thiophene-2-carbaldehyde (21)] with (3-guaiazulenylmethyl)triphenylphosphonium bromide (19) in ethanol containing NaOEt at 25 °C for 24 h under argon give (E)-1-(2-furyl)-2-(3-guaiazulenyl)ethylene (22E) and (E)-1-(2-thienyl)-2-(3-guaiazulenyl)ethylene (23E) in 53 and 36% yields. Similarly, Wittig reactions of 3-furaldehyde (29) [and thiophene-3-carbaldehyde (30)] with 19 under the same reaction conditions as for 20 and 21 afford (E)-1-(3-furyl)-2-(3-guaiazulenyl)ethylene (31E) and (E)-1-(3-thienyl)-2-(3-guaiazulenyl)ethylene (32E) in 32 and 46% yields. Molecular structures and characteristic properties as well as preparation of the title E (i.e., one of the geometrical isomers) forms, with a view to comparative study, are reported. Moreover, reactions of those conjugated π-electron systems with TCNE (=tetracyanoethylene) in benzene [and in DMF (=N,N-dimethylformamide)] at 25 °C for 24 h under argon yield unique products, possessing interesting molecular structures, respectively, whose characteristic properties and crystal structures are documented, also.     

3-(o-Trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic esters: common intermediates for the palladium-catalyzed synthesis of 2-aminomethyl-, 2-vinylic, and 2-alkylindoles

3-(o-Trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic esters have been used as common synthetic intermediates for the preparation of a variety of 3-unsubstituted 2-substituted indoles. Treating ethyl 3-(o-trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic carbonates unsubstituted or containing an aryl substituent at the propargylic carbon with piperazines and Pd(PPh₃)₄ in THF at 80 °C affords 2-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)indoles in excellent yields. Good to excellent yields of 2-aminomethylindoles are also obtained with other secondary amines. Ethyl 3-(o-trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic carbonates bearing an alkyl substituent at the propargylic carbon and ethyl 3-(o-trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic acetates disubstituted at the propargylic carbon give 2-vinylic indoles with the Pd(OAc)₂/PPh₃ combination and Et₃N in THF at 80 °C. Formation of 2-vinylic indoles is quite stereoselective, generating trans vinylic derivatives, at least with the substrates that we have investigated. In the presence of formic acid, Et₃N, and Pd(PPh₃)₄ in MeCN at 80 °C, ethyl 3-(o-trifluoroacetamidoaryl)-1-propargylic carbonates afford 2-alkylindoles in good to excellent yields.     

Synthesis of novel 1,4,5-trisubstituted 3-trifluoromethylpyrazoles via microwave-assisted Stille coupling reactions

1,5-Disubstituted 3-trifluoromethylpyrazoles were reacted with N-bromosuccinimide in DMF at room temperature or 70-80 °C for 1-2 h to afford the corresponding 4-bromo-substituted pyrazoles 2 in 95-99% yields. The microwave-assisted Stille coupling reactions of 2 with arylstannanes having a substituent on the benzene ring and allylstannane in refluxing CH₃CN in the presence of Pd(PPh₃)₄ provided the corresponding 1,4,5-trisubstituted 3-trifluoromethylpyrazoles 3 in 75-98% yields.     

Thermal stability and high glass transition temperature of 4-chloromethyl styrene polymers bearing carbazolyl moieties

A new styrene derivative monomer, 4-(N-carbazolyl)methyl styrene (CzMS), was synthesized by reacting 4-chloromethyl styrene with carbazole in the presence of sodium hydride. Then, CzMS was homopolymerized and copolymerized with different monomers such as methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl methacrylate (EMA), methyl acrylate (MA), ethyl acrylate (EA) and n-butyl acrylate (BA) by free radical polymerization method in N,N-di-methylformamide (DMF) solution at 70 ± 1 °C using azobisisobutyronitrile initiator to give the copolymers I-V in good yields. The structure of all the resulted polymers was characterized and confirmed by FT-IR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic techniques. The average molecular weight and glass transition temperature of polymers were determined using gel permeation chromatograph (GPC) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) instruments, respectively. It was found that these polymers with carbazole moieties have high thermal stability and the presence of bulk carbazole groups in polymer side chains leads to an increase in the rigidity and glass transition temperature of polymers.     

Cu-nanoparticles: a chemoselective catalyst for the aza-Michael reactions of N-alkyl- and N-arylpiperazines with acrylonitrile

A novel method for effecting the aza-Michael reactions of N-alkyl- and N-arylpiperazines with acrylonitrile using Cu-nanoparticles is described. The method features the use of 10 mol % Cu (14-17 nm) nanoparticles under mild reaction conditions to afford the addition products in good to excellent yields. The Cu-nanoparticles selectively catalysed the aza-Michael reaction of N-alkyl- and N-arylpiperazines in the presence of aromatic amino or aliphatic hydroxy groups.     

A simple and convenient synthesis of substituted furans and pyrroles by CuCl2-catalyzed heterocyclodehydration of 3-yne-1,2-diols and N-Boc- or N-tosyl-1-amino-3-yn-2-ols

A simple and economical synthesis of substituted furans and pyrroles, by ligand-free CuCl₂-catalyzed heterocyclodehydration of readily available 3-yne-1,2-diols and N-Boc- or N-tosyl-1-amino-3-yn-2-ols, respectively, is presented. Reactions are carried out in MeOH at 80-100 °C for 1-24 h and afford the corresponding heterocyclic derivatives in 53-99% isolated yields.     

An efficient palladium-catalyzed Heck coupling of aryl chlorides with alkenes

Catalyst system PdCl₂(PCy₃)₂/Cs₂CO₃ in dioxane was found to be the efficient catalyst system for Heck cross-coupling reactions of deactivated, neutral, and activated aryl chlorides with a variety of alkenes under mild conditions to afford selectively E-arylated alkenes in good to excellent yields.     

Reaction of 1-vinylpyrrole-2-carbaldehydes with phosphorus pentachloride: a stereoselective synthesis of E-2-(2-dichloromethylpyrrol-1-yl)vinylphosphonyl dichlorides

1-Vinylpyrrole-2-carbaldehydes react with phosphorus pentachloride (benzene, 10-15 °C) to afford E-2-(2-dichloromethylpyrrol-1-yl)vinylphosphonium hexachlorophosphates in up to 85% yield, which after treatment with SO₂ (benzene, rt) are converted into E-2-(2-dichloromethylpyrrol-1-yl)vinylphosphonyl dichlorides in 50-75% yields.     

A practical and expedient synthesis of 2-heterocycle (C-N bond) substituted 4-oxo-4-arylbutanoates

A practical and expedient synthesis of the titled compounds is described. Using the same simple procedure (DBU was reacted with the mixture of an alkynol and a nitrogen heterocycle in CH₂Cl₂ at rt for 16 h), a wide variety of diverse NH-containing nucleophiles such as pyrazoles, indazoles, indoles, imidazoles and benzoimidazole, oxazolidinone and benzooxazolone, triazoles, phthalimides, and N-formyl anilines, have been reacted with 4-aryl-4-hydroxy-alkynyl esters to afford good yields of desired products. This reaction proceeded by the DBU catalyzed redox isomerization of ethyl 4-aryl-4-hydroxybut-2-ynoate to (E)-ethyl 4-aryl-4-oxobut-2-enoate, followed by the DBU catalyzed aza-Michael reactions with the isomerized product in one-pot.     

Microwave-assisted arylation of rac-(E)-3-acetoxy-1,3-diphenylprop-1-ene with arylboronic acids

The palladium-catalyzed arylation of rac-(E)-3-acetoxy-1,3-diphenylprop-1-ene with arylboronic acids was studied under controlled microwave irradiation conditions. A variety of different catalysts, bases, and solvents were explored in order to achieve optimum yields in the shortest possible reaction times. The best isolated yields were obtained using Pd₂(dba)₃·CHCl₃/PPh₃ as the catalytic system, potassium phosphate monohydrate as the base, and toluene/H₂O as a solvent system. Microwave irradiation using 5 mol % of the palladium catalyst for 90 s (max. temp 170 °C) generally afforded the cross-coupling products in good to excellent yields.     

The unexpected cyclization routes of N,N′-bis(oxotrifluoroalkenyl)-1,3-phenylenediamines in polyphosphoric acid medium

The unexpected results of the cyclization reactions of N,N′-bis(oxotrifluoroalkenyl)-1,3-phenylenediamines [1,3-C₆H₄-(NHCRCHC(O)CF₃)₂], where R = H, Me, and Ph, in a strongly acidic medium (PPA), allowing the synthesis of new trifluoromethylated heterocycles containing the 1,7-phenanthroline nucleus in 32-40% yields and 7-aminoquinolines (38-40% yields), is reported. The bis-enaminoketone intermediates were easily isolated from the reactions of 4-alkoxy-4-alkyl(aryl)-1,1,1-trifluoroalk-3-en-2-ones with 1,3-phenylenediamine in ethanol under mild conditions (68-86% yields).     

Chemoselective anti-Markovnikov hydroamination of α,β-ethylenic compounds with amines using montmorillonite clay

The catalytic activity of montmorillonite clays as a catalyst for the hydroamination of α,β-ethylenic compounds with amines was tested. Aniline and substituted anilines reacted with α,β-ethylenic compounds in the presence of catalytic amount of commercially available clay to afford exclusively anti-Markovnikov adduct in excellent yields. Aniline reacted with ethyl acrylate to yield only anti-Markovnikov adduct N-[2-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl]aniline (mono-addition product). No Markovnikov adduct (N-[1-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl]aniline and double addition product N,N-bis[2-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl]aniline were formed under selected reaction conditions. For a better exploitation of the catalytic activity in terms of increased activity and improved selectivity for the mono-addition product, the reaction parameters were optimized in terms of temperature, solvent, reactant mole ratio. Under optimized reaction conditions, montmorillonite clay K-10 showed a superior catalytic performance in the hydroamination of ethyl acrylate with aniline with a conversion of aniline to mono-addition product (almost 100% chemoselectivity) with a high rate constant 0.3414 min⁻¹ compared to the reported protocols. The dependence of conversion of aniline over different types of montmorillonite clays (K-10, K-20, K-30, Al-Pillared clay and untreated clay) has also been discussed. The activities of clay for the hydroamination of different aromatic and aliphatic amines have also been investigated. Under harsh reaction conditions (increased temperature and long reaction time) small amounts of di-addition products were observed. The kinetics data has been interpreted using the initial rate approach model.