One‐Pot Synthesis of Tri‐ and Tetrasubstituted Pyridines by Sequential Ring‐Opening/Cyclization/Oxidation of N‐Arylmethyl 3‐Aziridinylpropiolate Esters

A novel strategy for the one‐pot synthesis of substituted pyridines from N‐arylmethyl 3‐aziridinylpropiolate esters is described. The method employs a three‐step procedure including the formation of allenyl imines, phosphine‐catalyzed cyclization, and subsequent oxidation of the dihydropyridines. Depending on the reaction conditions of the final oxidation step, tri‐ and tetrasubstituted pyridines can be selectively produced.     

Asymmetric Isothiourea‐Catalysed Formal [3+2] Cycloadditions of Ammonium Enolates with Oxaziridines

A highly enantioselective Lewis base‐catalysed formal [3+2] cycloaddition of ammonium enolates and oxaziridines to give stereodefined oxazolidin‐4‐ones in high yield is described. Employing an enantioenriched oxaziridine in this process leads to a matched/mis‐matched effect with the isothiourea catalyst and allowed the synthesis of either syn‐ or anti‐stereodefined oxazolidin‐4‐ones in high d.r., yield and ee. Additionally, the oxazolidin‐4‐one products have been derivatised to afford functionalised enantioenriched building blocks.     

Construction of Chiral Bridged Tricyclic Benzopyrans: Enantioselective Catalytic Diels–Alder Reaction and a One‐Pot Reduction/Acid‐Catalyzed Stereoselective Cyclization

An asymmetric two‐step approach to chiral bridged tricyclic benzopyrans, core structures featured in various natural products, is described. In the synthesis, an unprecedented enantioselective catalytic decarboxylative Diels–Alder reaction is developed using readily available coumarin‐3‐carboxylic acids and aldehydes as reactants under mild reaction conditions. Notably, the decarboxylation‐assisted release of the catalyst enables the process to proceed efficiently with high enantio‐ and diastereoselectivity. Furthermore, a one‐pot procedure for either a LiAlH₄‐ or NaBH₄‐mediated reduction with subsequent acid‐catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of the Diels–Alder adducts was identified for the efficient formation of the chiral bridged tricyclic benzopyrans.     

PIII/PV=O Catalyzed Cascade Synthesis of N‐Functionalized Azaheterocycles

An organocatalytic method for the modular synthesis of diverse N‐aryl and N‐alkyl azaheterocycles (indoles, oxindoles, benzimidazoles, and quinoxalinediones) is reported. The method employs a small‐ring organophosphorus‐based catalyst (1,2,2,3,4,4‐hexamethylphosphetane P‐oxide) and a hydrosilane reductant to drive the conversion of ortho‐functionalized nitroarenes into azaheterocycles through sequential intermolecular reductive C?N cross coupling with boronic acids, followed by intramolecular cyclization. This method enables the rapid construction of azaheterocycles from readily available building blocks, including a regiospecific approach to N‐substituted benzimidazoles and quinoxalinediones.     

Combining Organocatalysis and Lanthanide Catalysis: A Sequential One‐Pot Quadruple Reaction Sequence/Hetero‐Diels–Alder Asymmetric Synthesis of Functionalized Tricycles

A stereoselective one‐pot synthesis of functionalized complex tricyclic polyethers has been achieved using the combination of secondary amine and lanthanide catalysis. This one‐pot quadruple reaction/Hetero‐Diels–Alder sequence gave good yields (per step) as well as excellent diastereo‐ and enantioselectivities. Furthermore, the particular combination of lanthanide complexes with organocatalysis is one of the first examples described for sequential catalysis.     

Dienamine and Friedel–Crafts One‐Pot Synthesis,and Antitumor Evaluation of Diheteroarylalkanals

An asymmetric synthesis of diheteroarylalkanals through one‐pot dienamine and Friedel–Crafts reaction is presented. The reaction tolerates a large variety of substituents at different positions of the starting aldehyde and also in the indole nucleophile, and a range of diheterocyclic alkanals can be achieved. Furthermore, we have studied the antiproliferative activity of these new compounds in representative cancer tumor cell lines.     

Isothiourea‐Catalyzed Atropselective Acylation of Biaryl Phenols via Sequential Desymmetrization/Kinetic Resolution

Axially chiral phenols are attractive targets in organic synthesis. This motif is central to many natural products and widely used as precursors to, or directly, as chiral ligands and catalysts. Despite their utility few simple catalytic methods are available for their synthesis in high enantiopurity. Herein the atropselective acylation of a range of symmetric biaryl diols is investigated using isothiourea catalysis. Studies on a model biaryl diol substrate shows that the high product er observed in the process is a result of two successive enantioselective reactions consisting of an initial enantioselective desymmetrization coupled with a second chiroablative kinetic resolution. Extension of this process to a range of substrates, including a challenging tetraorthosubstituted biaryl diol, led to highly enantioenriched products (14 examples, up to 98:2 er), with either HyperBTM or BTM identified as the optimal catalyst depending upon the substitution pattern within the substrate. Computation has been used to understand the factors that lead to high enantiocontrol in this process, with maintenance of planarity to maximize a 1,5‐S???O interaction within the key acyl ammonium intermediate identified as the major feature that determines atropselective acylation and thus product enantioselectivity.     

A Versatile Iron‐Catalyzed Protocol for the One‐Pot Synthesis of Isoxazoles or Isoxazolines from the Same Propargylic Alcohols

The use N‐sulfonyl‐protected hydroxylamines as bi‐nucleophiles in iron‐catalyzed propargylic substitutions allows the selective one‐pot synthesis of four classes of substituted isoxazoles or isoxazolines from the same propargylic alcohols (21 examples) by simply tuning the nature of the base. By using an iron(III) catalyst and a base such as triethylamine (3 equiv), isoxazoles 3 are obtained in good isolated yields (56–95%), whereas N‐sulfonyl‐protected isoxazolines 6 are selectively obtained (77–93% yield) by using iron and gold catalysts in the presence of a catalytic amount of pyridine (10 mol%).     

Metal‐Free One‐Pot Synthesis of Benzofurans

Ethyl acetohydroxamate was efficiently arylated with diaryliodonium salts at room temperature under transition‐metal‐free conditions. The obtained O‐arylated products were reacted in situ with ketones under acidic conditions to yield substituted benzo[b]furans through oxime formation, [3,3]‐rearrangement, and cyclization in a fast and operationally simple one‐pot fashion without using excess reagents. Alternatively, the O‐arylated products could be isolated or transformed in situ to aryloxyamines or O‐arylaldoximes. The methodology was applied to the synthesis of Stemofuran A and the formal syntheses of Coumestan, Eupomatenoid 6, and (+)‐machaeriol B.     

1,2‐Thiazines: One‐Pot Syntheses Utilizing Mono and Diaza Analogs of Sulfones

A one‐pot Michael addition/cyclization/condensation reaction sequence for the regioselective synthesis of 1,2‐thiazines, starting from propargyl ketones and NH‐sulfoximines or NH‐sulfondiimines, has been developed. Under mild and operationally simple reaction conditions previously unprecedented 1,2‐thiazine 1‐imide and 1‐oxide derivatives are formed in good to excellent yields. The products represent heterocyclic building blocks, readily modifiable by a regioselective C?H bond functionalization, classical cross‐coupling reactions, and deprotection.     

Photoorganocatalytic One‐Pot Synthesis of Hydroxamic Acids from Aldehydes

An efficient one‐pot synthesis of hydroxamic acids from aldehydes and hydroxylamine is described. A fast, visible‐light‐mediated metal‐free hydroacylation of dialkyl azodicarboxylates was used to develop the subsequent addition of hydroxylamine hydrochloride. A range of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes were employed in this reaction to give hydroxamic acids in high to excellent yields. Application of the current methodology was demonstrated in the synthesis of the anticancer medicine vorinostat.     

Zirconium/Nickel‐Mediated One‐Pot Ketone Synthesis

A zirconium/nickel‐mediated one‐pot synthesis of ketones is reported. In the presence of Zn or Mn, Cp₂ZrCl₂ was found to dramatically accelerate the coupling and suppress side product formation via an I→SPy displacement at the same time. Unlike Zn/Pd‐ and Fe/Cu‐mediated one‐pot ketone syntheses, the new method is effective for nucleophiles bearing OR or equivalent functional groups at the α‐position. A mechanism comprising a nickel catalytic cycle, a zirconium catalytic cycle, and Zr→Ni transmetalation is proposed, and Cp₂ZrCl₂ and/or low‐valent Zr species are suggested to play crucial dual roles.