[Cd2(tren)2(dl-alaninato)](ClO4)3: an efficient water-compatible Lewis acid catalyst for chemo-, regio-, and diastereo-selective allylation of various aldehydes

The use of [Cd₂(tren)₂(dl-alaninato)](ClO₄)₃·H₂O (I) (tren = tris(2-aminoethyl)amine) as an efficient water-compatible Lewis acid catalyst for the allylation of aldehydes in aqueous media was described. The reaction proceeded smoothly to afford the corresponding homoallyl alcohols in up to 96% yield. Additionally, cinnamyltributylstannane was selected as the allylation reagent, the regio- and diastereoselectivity of the reaction favors the formation of the γ-product and the anti isomers, respectively.     

Lewis acid catalyzed asymmetric halohydrin reactions of chiral α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives with N-halosuccinimide (NXS) as the halogen source

Lewis acid catalyzed asymmetric halohydrin reactions—(halohydroxylation as well as halomethoxylation) of chiral α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives were performed using N-halosuccinimide (NXS; X = Br, I) as the halogen source. Regio- and anti-selectivity of 100% and moderate to good diastereoselectivity with good yields were observed when Oppolzer’s sultam was used as the chiral auxiliary. Among the Lewis acids, Yb(OTf)₃ was found to be the best catalyst. Alkenoyl and cinnamoyl substrates smoothly underwent bromohydrin reactions and the more electron-rich cinnamoyl substrates preferred to undergo iodohydrin reactions. However, electron-deficient cinnamoyl substrates did not respond to this Lewis acid catalyzed halohydrin reaction with NXS (X = Cl, Br, I).     

A gentle and efficient route for the deoxygenation of sulfoxides using catecholborane (HBcat; cat = 1,2-O2C6H4)

The addition of catecholborane (HBcat; cat = 1,2-O₂C₆H₄) to a wide range of sulfoxides affords the corresponding sulfides, dihydrogen, and catBOBcat. The diboron compound catBOBcat acts like a Lewis acid and will coordinate one molecule of the starting sulfoxide. Although deoxygenations with bulky or electron withdrawing sulfoxides are slow, these reactions can be greatly accelerated with the use of excess HBcat or by employing a rhodium catalyst.     

Stereospecific radical polymerization of optically active (S)-N-(2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl) methacrylamide catalyzed by Lewis acids

The effects of Lewis acids, namely, rare earth metal trifluoromethanesulfonates, on the radical polymerization of (S)-N-(2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl) methacrylamide were examined under various conditions. In the absence of Lewis acids, syndiotactic-rich polymers (r = 84%) were obtained, whereas in the presence of a catalytic amount of Lewis acids, the polymerization proceeded in an isotactic-specific manner (m up to 64%). Polymerization solvents strongly influenced the effect of the Lewis acids. The polymerization in n-butyl alcohol showed the highest isotactic selectivity, whereas the polymerization in DMSO showed no isotacticity-enhancing effect. Further increases in the Lewis acid concentration and the polymerization temperature did not produce clear effects on the tacticity of the polymers. The interaction between the monomer and Lewis acids was investigated, and the plausible mechanism of stereocontrol in the radical polymerization of (S)-HPEMA was analyzed based on the Lewis acid-monomer interaction.     

Ring opening of epoxides with alcohols using Fe(Cp)2BF4 as catalyst

Fe(Cp)₂BF₄ is an efficient catalyst for the alcoholysis of aromatic, aliphatic, and cyclic epoxides giving excellent yields of the corresponding β-alkoxy alcohols under ambient conditions. The methanolysis of styrene oxide using Fe(Cp)₂BF₄ as a catalyst (5 mol %) gave excellent yield of 2-methoxy-2-phenylethanol with complete regio-selectivity. The ring opening of cyclic epoxides gave 77–97% yields of trans-β-methoxy alcohols, in 0.5–6 h. The use of 1,2-epoxyhexane and 1,2-epoxydodecane as substrates gave both regioisomers in excellent yields. The first order rate of reaction with respect to catalyst was observed for the kinetics of ring opening of 1,2-epoxyhexane with methanol.     

B(C6F5)3-catalyzed metal-free hydrogenations of 2-quinolinecarboxylates

A metal-free hydrogenation of 2-quinolinecarboxylates has been realized by using 5?mol% of B(C₆F₅)₃ as catalyst. A variety of tetrahydroquinolines were obtained in 57–99% yields. An attempt for the asymmetric hydrogenation with chiral boron Lewis acids generated from chiral dienes afforded very low ee’s.     

Controlled/living cationic polymerization of styrene with BF3OEt2 as a coinitiator in the presence of water: Improvements and limitations

The controlled/living cationic polymerization of styrene using R-OH/BF₃OEt₂ (R-OH = 1-phenylethanol (1), 2-phenyl-2-propanol (2) and 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanol (3)) at 0 °C in CH₂Cl₂ and in the presence of water was investigated. With 1/BF₃OEt₂, the poor control over molecular weight and molecular weight distribution was ascribed to a competitive protonic initiation induced by water. The molecular weight of the polymers obtained with 2/BF₃OEt₂ and 3/BF₃OEt₂ at low water content ([H₂O] ? 0.11 M) increased in direct proportion to the monomer conversion in agreement with the calculated values, assuming that one initiator molecule generates one polymer chain, but the molecular weight distribution was found relatively broad (M_w/M_n ∼ 1.8). ¹H NMR analyses confirmed that polymerization proceeds via reversible activation of C-OH terminus, but some loss of hydroxyl functionality was revealed. Some trials using high water contents in the recipe ([H₂O] ? 1.6 M) produced only traces of polymer due to catalyst decomposition.     

Enantioselective cyanosilylation of ketones catalyzed by double-activation catalysts with N-oxides

Enantioselective addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to ketones by a catalytic double-activation method is described. By combinatorially using 2.0 mol% of a chiral salen-titanium complex and 1.0 mol% of an achiral tertiary amine N-oxide, aromatic, aliphatic and α,β-unsaturated ketones are converted into corresponding cyanohydrin trimethylsilyl ethers with 50-93% yield and 59-86% ee. The effects of ligand structure, catalyst loading and substrate concentration, solvents, the nature of Lewis base, counter ion and other additives, temperature, and substrate structure on the enantioselectivity are discussed. Three possible paths to achieve the asymmetric version of double-activation catalysis and two independent examples of it are proposed.     

Inverse electron demand asymmetric cycloadditions of cyclic carbonyl ylides catalyzed by chiral Lewis acids—Scope and limitations of diazo and olefinic substrates

High enantioselectivities (94-96% ee) were obtained for the inverse electron-demand 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions between cyclohexyl vinyl ether and 2-benzopyrylium-4-olate generated via Rh₂(OAc)₄-catalyzed decomposition of o-methoxycarbonyl-α-diazoacetophenone. The reactions were effectively catalyzed by Eu(OTf)₃, Ho(OTf)₃, or Gd(OTf)₃ complexes (10 mol %) of chiral 2,6-bis[(4S,5S)-4,5-diphenyl-2-oxazolinyl]pyridine. The reactions with the other electron-rich dipolarophiles such as allyl alcohol, 2,3-dihydrofuran, and butyl-tert-butyldimethylsilylketene acetal showed moderate enanantioselectivities (60-73% ee). Good to high enantioselectivities (73-97% ee) were also obtained for the cycloadditions between 3-acyl-2-benzopyrylium-4-olates, generated from methyl 2-(2-diazo-1,3-dioxoalkyl)benzoates and butyl or cyclohexyl vinyl ethers, in the presence of binaphthyldiimine (BINIM)-Ni(II) complexes (10 mol %). Under similar conditions, the reaction between methyl 2-(2-diazo-1,3-dioxohexyl)benzoate and 2,3-dihydrofuran was highly endo-selective, and moderately enantioselective (70% ee). For the BINIM-Ni(II)-catalyzed reactions of cyclohexyl vinyl ether, the use of an epoxyindanone as the 3-acyl-2-benzopyrylium-4-olate precursor revealed that the chiral Lewis acid can function as a catalyst for asymmetric induction. The scope of the cyclic carbonyl ylides was extended to those generated from 1-diazo-2,5-pentanedione derivatives, which were reacted with butyl or TBS vinyl ether and catalyzed using the (4S,5S)-Pybox-4,5-Ph₂-Lu(OTf)₃ complex to give good levels of asymmetric inductions (75-84% ee).     

Hf[N(SO2C8F17)2]4-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts acylation in a fluorous biphase system

In a fluorous biphase system, Hf[N(SO₂C₈F₁₇)₂]₄ complex (1 mol %) catalyzes Friedel-Crafts acylation of aromatic compounds such as anisole, toluene and chlorobenzene, and the corresponding aromatic ketones are obtained in satisfactory to high yields. The catalyst is selectively soluble in lower fluorous phase and can be easily recovered by simple phase separation. Furthermore, the catalyst can be reused without decrease of activity in most cases.     

Crystal structure of BaMg2Si2O7 and Eu luminescence

Crystal structure of BaMg₂Si₂O₇ was determined and refined by a combined powder X-ray and neutron Rietveld method (monoclinic, C2/c, no. 15, Z=8, a=7.24553(8) Å, b=12.71376(14) Å, c=13.74813(15) Å, β=90.2107(8)°, V=1266.44(2) Å³; R_p/R_wp=3.38%/4.77%). The structure contains a single crystallographic type of Ba atom coordinated to eight O atoms with C₁ (1) site symmetry. Under 325-nm excitation Ba_0.98Eu_0.02Mg₂Si₂O₇ exhibits an asymmetric emission band around 402 nm. The asymmetric shape of the emission band is likely associated with a small electron-phonon coupling in BaMg₂Si₂O₇. The integrated intensity of the emission band was observed to remain constant over the temperature range 4.2-300 K.     

The direct decomposition of NO over the La2CuO4 nanofiber catalyst

The NO catalytic direct decomposition was studied over La₂CuO₄ nanofibers, which were synthesized by using single walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as templates under hydrothermal condition. The composition and BET specific surface area of the La₂CuO₄ nanofiber were La₂Cu_0.88²⁺Cu_0.12⁺O_3.94 and 105.0 m²/g, respectively. 100% NO conversion (turnover frequency-(TOF): 0.17 g_NO/g_catalyst s) was obtained over such nanofiber catalyst at temperatures above 300 °C with the products being only N₂ and O₂. In 60 h on stream testing, either at 300 °C or at 800 °C, the nanofiber catalyst still showed high NO conversion efficiency (at 300 °C, 98%, TOF: 0.17 g_NO/g_catalyst s; at 800 °C, 96%, TOF: 0.16 g_NO/g_catalyst s). The O₂ and NO temperature programmed desorption (TPD) results indicated that the desorption of oxygen over the nanofibers occurred at 80-190 and 720-900 °C; while NO desorption happened at temperatures of 210-330 °C. NO and O₂ did not competitively adsorb on the nanofiber catalyst. For outstanding the advantage of the nanostate catalyst, the usual La₂CuO₄ bulk powder was also prepared and studied for comparison.     

Interaction of TiF4 with the donor solvents SO2, PhCN, and MeCN: Isolation and structural characterization of the first trimeric fluorine bridged donor-acceptor adduct {TiF4(PhCN)}3

There has been speculations on the structures of TiF₄ polymeric complexes {TiF₄L}_n (L = molecular donor) for several decades, however no structurally characterized examples have been reported. In this work the complex {TiF₄(PhCN)}₃ was isolated from a solution of TiF₄ in PhCN (donor number DN = 11.9 kcal mol⁻¹) as well as from the mixtures PhCN/CH₂Cl₂ and PhCN/toluene and characterized by X-ray, IR, NMR, EI-MS. The structure of the complex {TiF₄(PhCN)}₃ can be regarded as formed by combining three face-TiF₃(PhCN)(μ-F) units, containing octahedrally coordinated titanium centers surrounded by three terminal fluorine atoms on the face of the octahedron and the bridging fluorine atoms in cis-positions with respect to each other. The structure of {TiF₄(PhCN)}₃ represents the first example of a trimeric pseudo pentahalide MX₄L (M = Ti, Zr, X = halogen, D = ligand), a class of potentially interesting Lewis acids. The characterization of {TiF₄(PhCN)}₃ by ¹⁹F NMR revealed that in solution it dissociated to a mixture of [TiF₃(PhCN)₃]⁺, TiF₄(PhCN)₂ and oligomers including [Ti₄F₁₈]²⁻ and {TiF₄(PhCN)}_n. The existence of oligomeric complexes containing face-{TiF₃(PhCN)_3−n(μ-F)_n} (n = 1-3) fragments was established by one- and two-dimensional variable temperature ¹⁹F NMR. In contrast, TiF₄ has a low solubility in SO₂, because the donor strength of SO₂ (DN = 6.5 ± 2.2 kcal mol⁻¹) is too weak to fully convert polymeric TiF₄ into soluble TiF₄-SO₂ donor-acceptor adducts. TiF₄ and MeCN (DN = 14.1 kcal mol⁻¹) formed only the molecular complex TiF₄(MeCN)₂, characterized by preliminary X-ray structure, IR and EI-MS. Thus mononuclear donor-acceptor complexes TiF₄L₂ can only be isolated from MeCN and stronger basic solvents.     

The WCl6-e-Al-CH2Cl2 catalyzed polypentenamer formation via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)

The synthesis of polypentenamer by an electrochemically generated metathesis polymerization catalyst from methylene chloride solution of WCl₆ was investigated. The active species formed by electroreduction of this salt under controlled potential of +900 mV at a platinum cathode with an aluminum anode were found to catalyze the ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of cyclopentene, monocyclic olefin of relatively low strain, in high yield (89%) and at short period (32 min) under mild conditions. The effect of reaction parameters, e.g., olefin/catalyst ratio, reaction time, electrolysis time, catalyst aging, on the polymerization yield have been studied. The resulting polymer has been characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, IR and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) techniques. Analysis of the polypentenamer microstructure by means of ¹³C NMR spectroscopy indicates that the polymer contains a mainly trans stereoconfiguration of the double bonds (σ_c = 0.31) and a slightly blocky distribution (r_tr_c > 1) of cis and trans double bond dyads (r_tr_c = 1.44). However, this electrochemical system is reluctant to facilitate the competing vinyl type addition polymerization reactions.     

Conjugate addition of aromatic amines to ethenetricarboxylates

The conjugate addition of amines is considered to be a useful reaction in synthetic organic chemistry. The reaction of reactive electrophilic olefins, ethenetricarboxylates, and aromatic amines with and without catalytic Lewis acids such as ZnCl₂ and ZnBr₂ at room temperature gave amine adducts in high yields. The products were converted to α-amino acid, dl-aspartic acid derivatives. Using Lewis acids such as Sc(OTf)₃ and Zn(OTf)₂ at higher temperature (40-80 °C), the reaction of ethenetricarboxylates and N-methylaniline gave an aromatic substitution product. A catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition using a chiral Lewis acid was also investigated. For example, the reaction of 1,1-diethyl 2-tert-butyl ethenetricarboxylate with N-methylaniline in the presence of chiral bisoxazoline-Cu(II) complex in THF at −20 °C for 17 h gave an amine adduct in 91% yield and 78% ee. On the other hand, the reaction with aniline and primary aniline derivatives gave adducts with almost no ee%.     

Polymeric salen-Ti(IV) or V(V) complex catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of O-acetylcyanohydrins from KCN, Ac2O and aldehydes

Polymeric salen-Ti(IV) and V(V) complexes were employed in the enantioselective O-acetyl cyanation of aldehydes with potassium cyanide and acetic anhydride. The crosslinked polymeric salen-Ti(IV) catalyst exhibited good activities and enantioselectivities, up to 91% ee with 99% conversion was obtained at −20 °C with 1 mol% of catalyst (based on bimetallic catalytic unit). Moreover, six consecutive recyclings with the easily recovered crosslinked polymeric catalyst showed no obvious decrease in either activity or enantioselectivity. Linear polymeric salen-V(V) catalyst showed good catalytic efficiency too, up to 94% ee with 99% conversion was obtained at −42 °C with 5 mol% of catalyst.     

Divergent synthesis of spirocyclopentene-pyrazolones and pyrano[2,3-c]-pyrazoles via Lewis base controlled annulation reactions

An effective Lewis base catalyst-controlled α-regioselective annulation reaction of γ-substituted allenoates with unsaturated pyrazolones has been developed, affording various spirocyclopentene-pyrazolones and pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles. The combination of PPh₃ and K₂CO₃ promoted the [3+2] annulation to access the spirocyclopentene-pyrazolones in moderate to good yields (up to 90%) with excellent diastereoselectivities (dr >19:1), while [4+2] annulations to generate pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles were successfully achieved by employing DBU as catalyst (in up to 92% yield). Of importance, the asymmetric synthesis of spirocyclopentene-pyrazolone was realized by using our previously reported chiral ferrocenylphosphine catalyst.     

Ruthenium complexes of the general formula [RuCl2(PHOX)2] and their catalytic activity in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction

New ruthenium phosphinooxazoline (PHOX) complexes were synthesized and applied in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction. Four ruthenium complexes of the general formula [RuCl₂(PHOX)₂] were synthesized from [RuCl₂(dmso)₄] and the corresponding PHOX ligands through thermal ligand exchange. Two of the complexes were characterized structurally. Achiral PHOX ligands gave the ruthenium complexes as single isomers, whereas chiral PHOX ligands gave a mixture of isomers and also some incomplete substitution. After activation by chloride abstraction, one of the new ruthenium complexes was applied as catalyst in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction to give silyl-protected β-hydroxyl alcohols in 74–92% isolated yields (room temperature, 18–24 h reaction time, 1 mol % catalyst loading).     

A new and efficient method for the facile synthesis of N-acyl sulfonamides under Lewis acid catalysis

The N-acylation of sulfonamides with carboxylic acid anhydrides in the presence of Lewis acids is described. Several Lewis acids such as BF₃·Et₂O, ZnCl₂, MoCl₅, TiCl₄, B(C₆F₅)₃, Sc(OTf)₃ and I₂ were found to catalyze the reaction efficiently to furnish the N-acylated products in good yields under solvent-free conditions. The reactions of various sulfonamides were studied with different carboxylic acid anhydrides including the less reactive benzoic and pivalic anhydrides, in the presence of 3 mol % ZnCl₂ as the catalyst. Carboxylic acids were also successfully used as acylating agents via the mixed anhydride method.     

Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation using chiral diaminophosphine oxides: DIAPHOXs. Formal enantioselective synthesis of (−)-paroxetine

An Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation using chiral diaminophosphine oxide is described. Asymmetric allylic alkylation of terminal allylic carbonates proceeded using 5 mol % of Ir catalyst, 5 mol % of DIAPHOX 1i, 10 mol % of NaPF₆, 10 mol % of LiOAc, and N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide (BSA), affording the corresponding branched products in excellent yield and in up to 95% ee. The developed catalytic asymmetric reaction was successfully applied to a formal enantioselective synthesis of (−)-paroxetine.