Dual-reagent catalysis within Ir-Sn domain: highly selective alkylation of arenes and heteroarenes with aromatic aldehydes

Reactions of arenes and heteroarenes with aromatic aldehydes proceeded smoothly in the presence of a catalytic combination of [Ir(COD)Cl]2-SnCl4 to afford the corresponding triarylmethane derivatives (TRAMs) in high yields. This 100% TRAM selective transformation is clean and eliminates the use of acid systems.     

Solvent-free Brønsted acid catalysed alkylation of arenes and heteroarenes with benzylic alcohols

A simple and efficient alkylation of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds via the direct S_N1-type nucleophilic substitution of benzylic alcohols in the presence of catalytic amounts of the strong Brønsted acid o-benzenedisulfonimide under neat conditions is herein reported. A library of di- and triaryl (and heteroaryl) methanes was prepared in good yields and high regioselectivity. The observed reactivity was shown to be in agreement with Mayr's nucleophilicity and electrophilicity scales.     

Facile and selective deallylation of allyl ethers using diphosphinidenecyclobutene-coordinated palladium catalysts

(pi-Allyl)palladium triflate bearing a 1,2-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-3,4-bis(2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenylphosphinidene)cyclobutene ligand (DPCB-OMe), [Pd(eta(3)-C(3)H(5))(DPCB-OMe)]OTf, efficiently catalyzes deallylation of a variety of allyl ethers in aniline to give corresponding alcohols in high yields under mild conditions. The reactions can be performed in air without loss of a variety of functionalities including vinyl, alkynyl, hydroxy, acetoxy, silyloxy, and acetal groups. Allyl 2-allyloxybenzoate selectively undergoes deallylation of the allyloxy group to give allyl salicylate in quantitative yield.     

Synthesis of alkynyl ethers and low-temperature sigmatropic rearrangement of allyl and benzyl alkynyl ethers

Alpha-alkoxy ketones 3 can be transformed into 1-alkynyl ethers 5 by a two-step procedure involving formation of the enol triflate or phosphate and base-induced elimination. Performing the same reaction sequence with allylic alcohols (R2OH, R2 = allyl) furnishes instead gamma,delta-unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives 6, derived from [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of the intermediate allyl alkynyl ethers at -78 degrees C and trapping of the subsequently formed ketene with nucleophiles (Nu-H). Benzyl alkynyl ether 5 (R2 = benzyl) rearranges to indanone 7 upon heating to 60 degrees C.     

In-water dehydrative alkylation of ammonia and amines with alcohols by a polymeric bimetallic catalyst

An in-water dehydrative alkylation with a novel heterobimetallic polymeric catalyst is described. Thus, a boron-iridium heterobimetallic polymeric catalyst was prepared by ionic convolution of a poly(catechol borate) and an iridium complex. The alkylation of ammonia and amines with alcohols, alkylating agents, was performed with 1 mol % Ir of the heterogeneous catalyst in water without the use of organic solvents under aerobic conditions to give the corresponding alkylated amines.     

Oxidation of acyclic alkenes and allyl and benzyl ethers with DIB/t-BuOOH/Mg(OAc)2

Oxidation of (11Z)-1′,2′-didehydrostemofoline with DIB/TBHP/Mg(OAc)₂·4H₂O resulted in oxidative cleavage of the C-11–C-12 double bond instead of the desired allylic oxidation of the 1-butenyl side chain. Stemofoline gave a similar result. The oxidation of more simple terminal alkenes was regioselective and gave vinyl ketones while allyl and benzyl ethers gave acrylate and benzoate esters, respectively. Allyl and benzyl ethers could be chemoselectively oxidized in the presence of a terminal alkene or benzyl group. Oxidation of an internal alkene was poorly regioselective, in contrast to the oxidation of 1-substituted cyclohexenes.     

Chromatography-free Pd-catalyzed deprotection of allyl ethers using PS-DEAM as a scavenger of boronic acids and Pd catalyst

Polystyrene-bound diethanolamine (PS-DEAM) work-up for a newly developed Pd(PPh₃)₄-catalyzed cleavage of allylic alkyl ethers using phenylboronic acid can effectively release Pd-free parent alcohols. Furthermore, chromatography-free deallylation can be conducted by using vinylboronic anhydride pyridine complex as an allyl scavenger with a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)₂ and 4-(diphenylphosphino)benzoic acid instead of Pd(PPh₃)₄ to yield the desired products in high purities and yields after removal of volatile byproducts and the phosphine-derived contaminants by evaporation and sequestration through acid-base interaction with PS-DEAM, respectively.     

Gold-catalyzed decorations of arenes and heteroarenes with C-C multiple bonds

Synthetic organic chemistry has been markedly affected by the booming of gold catalysis over the past decade. The renaissance of this coinage metal allowed unprecedented transformations to be realized in a highly selective manner and rendered "old chemistry" more accessible from a practical point of view. Particularly, organic compounds containing C-C multiple bonds benefited from the high carbophilicity of gold species, that opened access to a great chemical diversity through direct and selective π-electrophilic activations. Nowadays, the complexity of naturally occurring compounds based on functionalized aromatic frameworks continues to inspire and influence developments in synthetic chemistry. Furthermore, the ubiquitous presence of arene-based systems in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional organic materials warrants the growing demand for mild, selective and sustainable synthetic routes to their preparation. In this context, although the peculiar aptitude of gold salts/complexes for interaction with aromatic compounds (auration process) has long been known, the direct catalytic gold decoration of arenes, has risen to prominence only recently. Here, the extensive use of electrophilic activation of C-C multiple bonds by gold species deserves a prominent mention, and the great strides made in the field over the last few years are described in this tutorial review.     

Zirconia-supported phosphotungstic acid as catalyst for alkylation of phenol with benzyl alcohol

The liquid-phase alkylation of phenol with benzyl alcohol was carried out using zirconia-supported phosphotungstic acid (PTA) as catalyst. The catalysts with different PTA loadings (5–20 wt.% calcined at 750 °C) and calcination temperature (15 wt.% calcined from 650 to 850 °C) were prepared and characterized by ³¹P MAS NMR and FT-IR pyridine adsorption spectroscopy. The catalyst with optimum PTA loading (15%) and calcination temperature (750 °C) was prepared in different solvents. ³¹P MAS NMR spectra of the catalysts showed two types of phosphorous species, one is the Keggin unit and the other is the decomposition product of PTA and the relative amount of each depends on PTA loading, calcination temperature and the solvent used for the catalyst preparation. The catalysts with 15% PTA on zirconia calcined at 750 °C showed the highest Brönsted acidity. At 130 °C and phenol/benzyl alcohol molar ratio of 2 (time, 1 h), the most active catalyst, 15% PTA calcined at 750 °C gave 98% benzyl alcohol conversion with 83% benzyl phenol selectivity.     

Iron-palladium supported graphene as an efficient bimetallic catalyst for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde

The catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol (OBA) is one of the significant methods to produce benzaldehyde, an essential reagent in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. However, developing an active and efficient catalyst for OBA is a tremendous challenge in commercialization. This research describes a simple, eco-friendly method for producing Fe, Pd, and Fe: Pd bimetallic nanoparticles fabricated by sol immobilization over graphene to conduct OBA. The resulting composite nano-alloys were then characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The oxidation state and elemental composition of as-fabricated nanoparticles were analyzed using XPS. The point of zero charges (pH_PZC) was analyzed and the PZC value indicated that the proposed adsorbent material tends to have a positive charge. The OBA reaction efficiency (87%) of bimetallic nanocatalysts stabilized in graphene support was increased through surface modification of the ratio of both metals. The experimental error was based on three parallel tests and the carbon balance (99.6%) was analyzed during the experiments A proposed reaction mechanism of OBA validated the β-hydride step's elimination by molecular oxygen converting the metal hydride into a water molecule, forming a peroxide intermediate to form water and oxygen molecules. The Fe on the nanocatalyst’s surface is preferentially responsible for the adsorption of the substrate molecule, resulting in the formation of metal-alkoxide. Since it lacks electrons, Fe is more likely to be oxidized, allowing it to perform better than monometallic catalysts in terms of catalytic activity. The present study has great potential to be applied on an industrial scale and studied for industrialists, researchers, and academicians.     

Cascade synthesis of dihydrobenzofuran via Claisen rearrangement of allyl aryl ethers using FeCl3/MCM-41 catalyst

Dihydrobenzofuran as one of the active ingredients of the naturally occurring motif is synthesized by using in situ generation of ortho allyl phenols. Aryl allyl ethers on reacting with catalytic amounts of non noble metal iron (III) chloride supported on MCM-41 under moderate reaction conditions yield dihydrobenzofuran. First step via Claisen rearrangement gives ortho allyl phenol followed by its in situ cyclization to yield dihydrobenzofuran in very good yields. Both Lewis as well as Brønsted acidity of the catalyst as evidenced by Py-FTIR studies was found to catalyze the cascade synthesis of dihydrobenzofuran. The scope of the present strategy was successfully demonstrated for several substrates with varying electronic effects for the synthesis of corresponding dihydrobenzofuran with high yields in a range of 71–86%.     

Regio- and chemoselective metalation of arenes and heteroarenes using hindered metal amide bases

The preparation of highly functionalized organometallic compounds can be achieved by direct C H activation of a broad range of unsaturated substrates using lithium chloride solubilized 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidide bases (TMP_nMX_m⋅p LiCl). These are excellent reagents for converting a wide range of aromatic and heterocyclic substrates into valuable organometallic reagents with broad applications in organic synthesis.     

Efficient synthesis of 1β-O-acyl glucuronides via selective acylation of allyl or benzyl d-glucuronate

Acyl glucuronides are key metabolites for many carboxylic acid-containing drugs, notably those of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory class. In the processes of drug safety assessment and new drug development, it is essential that acyl glucuronides, if formed in vivo, should be made conveniently available for bioevaluation. We recently showed that selective acylation of allyl glucuronate is a promising method for the synthesis of these metabolites in good yield and with excellent β-anomeric selectivity. We now give fuller details of the allyl ester method and further report that benzyl glucuronate performs at least equally well in the acylation step, offering the advantage of very mild deprotection by catalytic transfer (or conventional) hydrogenation. Depending on the compatibility of other functional groups, as discussed below, this will be the method of choice for many acyl glucuronide syntheses. The value of the method is demonstrated in particular by the synthesis of several acyl glucuronides that are known metabolites of important drugs.     

Design and synthesis of ruthenium bipyridine catalyst: An approach towards low-cost hydroxylation of arenes and heteroarenes

Two new ruthenium bipyridine complexes were designed and synthesized for intermolecular Csp²-H hydroxylation. An environmentally begin and inexpensive oxidant was employed as an oxygen source thereby enhancing its applicability and resulting in the remarkable increase of yield. In the catalytic process a ruthenium (IV) cationic complex is formed which enables the regioselective CO bonds formation and also proves to be tolerant to a broad substrate scope. Activation of CH bonds adjacent to removable and non-removable directing groups have been explored efficiently.     

Benzylation of arenes and heteroarenes catalyzed by HfCl_4/HfO_2

A highly efficient benzylation of arenes and heteroarenes catalyzed by HfCl_4/HfO_2 has been developed.Broad scope of benzylation reagents have been used in this process with high yields under mild condition.Additionally,the HfO_2 can be re-used after the reaction.     

Mild and efficient deprotection of allyl ethers of phenols and hydroxycoumarins using a palladium on charcoal catalyst and ammonium formate

An efficient procedure for the cleavage of allyl phenyl ethers and allyl coumarinyl ethers using a catalytic amount of 10% Pd/C in combination with ammonium formate is described. Allyl ethers of phenols are deprotected in preference to those of alcohols and this method is compatible with several reducible functional groups such as CHO, COCH₃, CO₂Et and NHCOCH₃.     

A convenient procedure for the synthesis of allyl and benzyl ethers from alcohols and phenols

Allyl and benzyl ethers of alcohols can be prepared conveniently and in high yield with allyl and benzyl bromide in the presence of solid potassium hydroxide without use of any solvent. Phenols can be converted to allyl ethers but are inert to benzylation under above conditions.     

Efficient oxidation of benzyl alcohol with heteropolytungstate as reaction-controlled phase-transfer catalyst

A series of heteropolytungstates has been synthesized and utilized as catalysts to catalyze oxidation of benzyl alcohol with aqueous hydrogen peroxide.The results indicated that three of these catalysts showed the properties of reaction-controlled phase- transfer catalysis,and they had excellent catalytic ability to the oxidation of benzyl alcohol.No other by-products were detected by gas chromatography.Once the hydrogen peroxide was consumed completely,the catalyst precipitated from solvent,and the results of the catalyst recycle showed that the catalyst had high stability.     

氯化铵三氧化铬在干反应中对苄醚的选择性氧化

本文报道氯化铵三氧化铬(ACC)是具有高选择性的氧化剂, 在无溶剂的干反应中, 可以把苄醚氧化成相应的苯甲酸酯, 且顶点满意的产率.