Reaction of an Introverted Carboxylic Acid with Carbodiimide

The reaction of carboxylic acids with carbodiimides is reviewed, and an ‘introverted’ carboxylic acid is proposed as a means of trapping reactive intermediates along the reaction pathway. The introverted acid is a cavitand with the carboxylic function directed toward the floor of the cavity. Its reaction with diisopropyl carbodiimide gives a covalent adduct that is either the elusive O-acylisourea or the commonly encountered N-acylurea.     

Three-component sequential synthesis of N,N′-disubstituted 5-arylidenedihydropyrimidine-2,4-dione

A three-component sequential process consisting in (1) in situ formation of carbodiimides by Staudinger reaction, (2) reaction with 2-(bromomethyl)-3-aryl-2-propenoic acids, and (3) final cyclization of the resulting N-acylurea intermediates in order to obtain the synthesis of an array of N,N′-disubstituted 5-arylidenedihydropyrimidine-2,4-dione under mild conditions is presented.     

Convenient synthesis of 2-(het)arylpyrrolidines via stable 1-pyrrolinium salts

The efficient method for the synthesis of 2-(het)aryl-substituted pyrrolidines possessing exocyclic carbon-carbon double bond via the Mannich-type reaction of stable 3-arylidene-1-pyrrolinium salts with different heterocyclic C-nucleophiles is proposed.     

TBAI-mediated regioselective 5-exo-dig iodinative oxocyclization of 2-alkynylbenzamides for the synthesis of isobenzofuran-1-imines and isobenzofurans

Alkyne-based regioselective functionalization is an important transformation method for the synthesis of a wide variety of organic products. In this work, a regioselective TBAI-mediated oxidative 5-exo-dig iodo-oxycyclization of 2-alkynylbenzamide is used for the synthesis of various isobenzofuran derivatives with excellent functional group tolerance and high reaction efficiency. We hypothesized that using water in a mixed solvent could change the reaction pathway and realize a high reaction regioselectivity. Furthermore, the application of the developed procedure was demonstrated by the synthesis of phthalazin-1(2H)-one and aryl-substituted isobenzofurans.     

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.     

o-Quinone methide based approach to isoflavans: application to the total syntheses of equol, 3′-hydroxyequol and vestitol

A concise strategy is developed for the synthesis of isoflavans employing a Diels-Alder reaction between o-quinone methides and aryl-substituted enol ethers followed by reductive cleavage of the acetal group. The method is extended towards the total syntheses of equol, 3′-hydroxyequol and vestitol.     

Synthesis of benzoxazine and 1,3-oxazine derivatives via ligand-free copper(I)-catalyzed one-pot cascade addition/cyclization reaction

A novel and efficient synthesis of benzoxazine and 1,3-oxazine derivatives via ligand-free copper(I)-catalyzed one-pot cascade addition/cyclization reaction has been developed. A variety of carbodiimides coupled with o-halophenylmethanols and/or substituted (Z)-3-iodoprop-2-en-1-ols to give the corresponding products in moderate to excellent yields under the mild condition.     

Guanylation of aromatic amines catalyzed by vanadium imido complexes

The reaction of formation of guanidines by coupling of carbodiimides and aromatic amines using imido vanadium complexes as catalyst have been investigated. Results demonstrate that the complex V(N-2,6-ⁱPr₂C₆H₃)Cl₃ is an effective catalyst for this process.     

Iodine-mediated direct synthesis of multifunctional 2-aminobenzimidazoles from N-substituted o-diaminoarenes and isothiocyanates

Multifunctional 2-aminobenzimidazoles were directly synthesized through sequential addition of N-substituted o-diaminoarenes to isothiocyanates, formation of carbodiimides via I₂-mediated oxidative desulfurization, and intramolecular cycloaddition. This efficient and eco-friendly synthetic process provides a facile access to diverse 2-aminobenzimidazole derivatives from readily accessible substrates under mild reaction conditions in a scalable fashion.     

Indium/copper-mediated conjugate addition of unactivated alkyl iodides to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in water

An efficient method for the conjugate addition of unactivated alkyl iodides to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds using indium/copper in water is described. The reactions proceed more efficiently in water than in organic solvents. In, CuI, and InCl₃ are all essential for efficient reaction. Formation of a symmetrical vic-diarylalkane is observed when an aryl-substituted alkene is used as substrate.     

Efficient synthesis of N,N′-dialkyl-N″-dialkylaminocarbothioyl thioureas from cyclic secondary amines, CS2, and N,N′-dialkyl carbodiimides in water

A mild, convenient, and practical one-pot procedure for direct synthesis of N,N′-dialkyl-N″-dialkylaminocarbothioyl thioureas is described via three-component reaction of cyclic secondary amines, CS₂, and N,N′-dialkyl carbodiimides in water at room temperature.     

Metal-free synthesis of cyclic di-oxoguanidines via one-pot sequential transformation of amines, carbodiimides and acyl dichlorides

The one-pot sequential reaction of various amines, carbodiimides, and acyl dichlorides has been achieved for the first time under metal-free conditions to provide symmetric cyclic di-oxoguanidines via an unexpected 2,2-dichloro-imidazolidindione intermediate. Acyl dichlorides have a dual function: to serve as the third component and to activate carbodiimides. In sharp contrast, the AlMe(3)-catalyzed sequential reaction from the same substrates gives the isomer.     

Abnormal aza-Wittig reaction on the solid-phase: chemoselectivity studies towards the parallel synthesis of 3-aryl-2,4-dioxo-1,3,5-triazino[1,2-a]benzimidazoles

An abnormal aza-Wittig reaction was observed when resin-bound iminophosporanes were treated with aryl isocyanates on the solid-phase. The mechanism of the reaction may involve the loss of triphenylphosphinimide instead of triphenylphosphinoxide, resulting in the formation of isocyanates instead of carbodiimides as intermediates. The selectivity of the abnormal aza-Wittig reaction versus the normal aza-Wittig reaction was shown to be strongly dependent on the reaction temperature and the nature of the aryl isocyanate employed. Optimization studies revealed that employing electron poor aryl isocyanates at high temperature leads to 95% of abnormal aza-Wittig product. The reaction was used for the parallel solid-phase synthesis of 3-aryl-2,4-dioxo-1,3,5-triazino[1,2-a]benzimidazoles.     

Palladium-catalyzed arylation of bis(4-bromo-2-methylinden-1-yl)dimethylsilane and related compounds

A new procedure was developed for the synthesis of a broad range of ansa-zirconocenes containing bis(2-methyl-4-arylindenyl)dimethylsilane ligands. The method is based on the palladium-catalyzed reaction of halogen-substituted bis(indenyl)dimethylsilanes with various organozinc compounds. The aryl-substituted bridging ligands thus prepared serve as the starting compounds for the synthesis of ansa-zirconocenes, which can be used as components of promising catalysts for propylene polymerization.     

A mild synthesis of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines

The reaction between 2-hydrazinopyridines and ethyl imidates was examined as a one-pot method for rapidly preparing [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines. A diverse set of 2-hydrazinopyridines were cyclized with a variety of alkyl- and aryl-substituted ethyl imidates in good yields. The reaction proceeds optimally under mild conditions (50−70 °C) using 1.5 equiv of acetic acid. The electronic and steric properties of the hydrazine and imidate strongly impact the rate of the reaction. When highly electron deficient 2-hydrazinopyridines were used, the products rearranged to [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines.     

Synthesis of benzimidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazole derivatives through sequential Cu-catalyzed domino coupling and Pd-catalyzed Suzuki reaction

A variety of benzo[d]benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b]thiazoles were efficiently and conveniently synthesized from the Cu-catalyzed domino coupling of o-dihaloarenes with 2-mercaptobenzimidazoles. The reaction is also applicable to a series of multi-functional substrates, affording the halo-containing products with excellent selectivity. The brominated products can further react with arylboronic acids under Pd catalysis to furnish the aryl-substituted benzimidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazole derivatives.     

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.     

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.     

Eco-efficient one-pot tandem synthesis of 1-aryl-1H-tetrazol-5-amine by CAN via in situ generated 1-phenylthiourea and heterocumulene

A simple, cost-effective, environmentally benign, and efficient one-pot tandem approach to the synthesis of pharmaceutically important 1-aryl-1H-tetrazole-5-amines 3a-k and 4a-k has been described. The reaction utilized 1-phenyl thiourea, which was generated in situ from aqueous ammonia and isocyanates 1a-k, for the formation of heterocumenes using sodium azide, triethylamine, and ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) to obtain various aryl-substituted 1H-tetrazole-5-amines (3a-k) in good to excellent yields.     

Preparation of carbodiimides by the reaction of thioureas with diethyl azodicarboxylate

A new synthesis of disubstituted carbodiimides from N.N′-disubstituted thioureas, diethyl azodicarboxylate and triphenyl phosphine has been achieved. The intermediates of the reaction have been isolated and found to be 1:1 adducts of the thioureas and diethyl azodicarboxylate, N¹,N²-disubstituted—S—(N³,N⁴-biscarboethoxy)hydrazinoisothioureas which, on treatment with triphenyl phosphine at room temperature, afford the corresponding carbodiimides. Alternatively, the intermediates on heating under reflux in benzene or toluene, decompose to the carbodiimides, diethyl hydrazodicarboxylate and sulphur.