Catalytic, PMe3-mediated conversion of secondary nitroalkanes to ketones: a very mild Nef-type process

Aliphatic secondary nitro compounds are converted to ketones at room temperature, usually in 90-100% yields, by a one-pot reaction with 220-250 mol % of trimethylphosphine (PMe₃) and 50-100 mol % of ^tBuC₆H₄SSC₆H₄^tBu or PhthN-SePh, or 20 mol % of both additives. Thus, very mild catalytic variants of the reductive Nef-like reactions are disclosed.     

Cross coupling of 3-bromopyridine and sulfonamides (RNHSO2R·R = H, Me, alkyl; R = alkyl and aryl) catalyzed by CuI/1,3-di(pyridin-2-yl)propane-1,3-dione

N-(3-Pyridinyl)-substituted secondary and tertiary sulfonamides have been synthesized in good to excellent yields by the reaction of 3-bromopyridine with primary and secondary alkyl and aryl sulfonamides (MeSO₂NH₂, MeSO₂NHMe, TolSO₂NH₂, TolSO₂NHMe, 1,3-propanesultam, and 1,4-butanesultam), catalyzed by CuI (20 mol %) and 1,3-di(pyridin-2-yl)propane-1,3-dione (20 mol %) with K₂CO₃ (200 mol %) in DMF (0.17 M for ArBr) at 110-120 °C over 36-40 h. 2-Bromopyridine, 4-bromopyridine, and a wide variety of substituted phenyl bromides can also be successfully coupled with sulfonamides under these reaction conditions.     

Palladium(II)-catalyzed 1,4-addition of arylboronic acids to β-arylenals for enantioselective syntheses of 3,3-diarylalkanals: a short synthesis of (+)-(R)-CDP 840

1,4-Addition of arylboronic acid to trans-β-arylenals proceeded smoothly in acetone-water (10/1) at 10-25 °C in the presence of [Pd(S,S-chiraphos)(PhCN)₂](SbF₆)₂ (0.5 mol %), AgX (X = BF₄, SbF₆, 10 mol %) and aqueous 42% HBF₄ to afford optically active 3,3-diarylalkanals with high enantioselectivities in a range of 86-97% ee. The protocol provided a method for short-step synthesis of optically active (+)-(R)-CDP 840.     

Highly enantioselective addition of linear alkyl alkynes to linear aldehydes

It is discovered that the use of biscyclohexylamine (Cy₂NH) as an additive can greatly enhance the enantioselectivity for the reaction of linear alkyl alkynes with linear aldehydes. The combination of (S)-BINOL (20 mol %), Cy₂NH (5 mol %), ZnEt₂ (2 equiv), and Ti(OⁱPr)₄ (0.5 equiv) catalyzes the reaction at room temperature in diethyl ether solution with 81-89% ee and 57-77% yield.     

Copper mediated atom transfer radical cyclisations with AIBN

We have shown that it is possible to mediate a range of 5-exo trig and 5-exo dig atom transfer radical cyclisations of bromoacetamides using 0.1-1 mol % CuBr or CuBr₂ in conjunction with 0.1-1 mol % tri(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amine and 10 mol % AIBN. This equates to a 30-300-fold reduction in the amount of catalyst previously reported for these reactions and allows cyclisation to be carried out with the more oxidatively stable CuBr₂ without the requirement of an inert atmosphere.     

One-pot synthesis of 1,4-diarylsubstituted 1,3-diynes from the sequential coupling reactions of aryl iodides and propiolic acid

1,4-Disubstituted 1,3-dialkynes were obtained from the one-pot palladium/copper-catalyzed coupling reactions of aryl iodide and propiolic acid. The optimized catalytic system consisted of 5.0 mol % Pd(PPh₃)₂Cl₂, 10 mol % dppb, 10 mol % CuI, 2.4 equiv of DBU, and 1.2 equiv of K₂CO₃. The coupling reaction was carried out at 30 °C for 6 h and subsequently at 80 °C for 3 h.     

Gold-catalyzed cyclization of enyne-1,6-diols to substituted furans

Treatment of enyne-1,6-diols with 5 mol % Ph₃PAuCl in the presence of 5 mol % AgOTf as a cocatalyst selectively produced trisubstituted furans in good to excellent yields in dichloromethane at room temperature for 5-10 min through cyclization followed by isomerization.     

Gold(I)-catalyzed benzannulation of 3-hydroxy-1,5-enynes: an efficient synthesis of substituted tetrahydronaphthalenes and related compounds

We report a novel gold(I)-catalyzed benzannulation of 3-hydroxy-1,5-enynes to prepare tetrahydronaphthalenes. The reaction is catalyzed by 2.5 mol % Ph₃PAuCl and 2.5 mol % AgOTf in dichloromethane. We discovered that this process can be also catalyzed by 1 mol % Ph₃PAuCl and 1 mol % TfOH. To the best of our knowledge, this constitutes the first report of an active gold catalyst generated from Au(PPh₃)Cl and triflic acid. This mild process is compatible with a variety of functional groups and proves to be an effective method to synthesize various meta-substituted aromatic rings in good yields.     

Efficient and selective alkylation of arenes and heteroarenes with benzyl and allyl ethers using a Ir/Sn bimetallic catalyst

A high-valent heterobimetallic catalyst namely [Ir₂(COD)₂(SnCl₃)₂(Cl)₂(μ-Cl)₂] (5 mol %), or dual catalyst system of [Ir(COD)Cl]₂ (1 mol %) and SnCl₄ (4 mol %), promotes the benzylation or allylation of arenes and heteroarenes using ethers as the alkylating agents. An electrophilic mechanism is proposed from a Hammett correlation.     

Biomimetic sensor based on MnMn complex as manganese peroxidase mimetic for determination of rutin

A novel biomimetic sensor for rutin determination based on a dinuclear complex [Mn^IIIMn^II(Ldtb)(μ-OAc)₂]BPh₄ containing an unsymmetrical dinucleating ligand, 2-[N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-aminomethyl]-6-[N-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-oxidoben-zyl)-N-(2-pyridylamino)aminomethyl]-4-methylphenol (H₂Ldtb), as a manganese peroxidase mimetic was developed. Several parameters were investigated to evaluate the performance of the biomimetic sensor obtained after the incorporation of the dinuclear complex in a carbon paste. The best performance was obtained in 75:15:10% (w/w/w) of the graphite powder:Nujol:Mn^IIIMn^II complex, 0.1 mol L⁻¹ phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.0) and 4.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ hydrogen peroxide. The response of the sensor towards rutin concentration was linear using square wave voltammetry in the range of 9.99 × 10⁻⁷ to 6.54 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ (r = 0.9998) with a detection limit of 1.75 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. The recovery study performed with pharmaceuticals ranged from 96.6% to 103.2% and the relative standard deviation was 1.85% for a solution containing 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ rutin (n = 6). The lifetime of this biomimetic sensor was 200 days (at least 750 determinations). The results obtained for rutin in pharmaceuticals using the biomimetic sensor and those obtained with the official method are in agreement at the 95% confidence level.     

Copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of sulfonamides with aryl iodides and bromides facilitated by amino acid ligands

A highly general, convenient, and inexpensive catalyst system was developed for the N-arylation of sulfonamides with aryl iodides or bromides by using 5-20 mol % of CuI as catalyst, 20 mol % of N-methylglycine (for aryl iodides) or N,N-dimethylglycine (for aryl bromides) as ligand, and K₃PO₄ as base.     

Tandem catalysis in ionic liquids: a recyclable catalytic synthesis of benzofuran derivatives

A convenient, recyclable catalytic synthesis of benzofuran-2-acetic esters 2 by sequential Pd(0)-catalyzed deallylation—Pd(II)-catalyzed carbonylative heterocyclization of 1-(2-allyloxyphenyl)-2-yn-1-ols 1 in ionic liquids is presented. Reactions were typically carried out in BmimBF₄ as the solvent at 100 °C and under 30 atm of CO, in the presence of catalytic amounts (1 mol %) of PdI₂ in conjunction with KI (1 equiv), PPh₃ (4 mol %), MeOH (28 equiv), and H₂O (2 equiv). The solvent-catalyst system could be recycled several times without appreciable loss of catalytic activity.     

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.     

Catalytic addition of alkenylzirconocene chloride to 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline and its enantioselective reaction

The addition of alkenylzirconocene chloride to 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of acylating agent such as (Boc)₂O or ClCOOC₂H₅ was carried out in the presence of a catalytic amount of Cu(I) (10 mol %) to give an alkenylation-carbamation product. The enantioselective addition (56-75%ee) of the alkenylzirconocene chloride was also achieved under Cu(I)/chiral amine (10 mol %) conditions.     

A portable and low cost equipment for flow injection chemiluminescence measurements

A compact, reliable and low cost flow injection chemiluminescence system is described. The flow system consists of a set of solenoid micro-pumps that can dispense reproductive micro-volumes of solutions. The luminometer was based on a coiled cell constructed from polyethylene tubing that was sandwiched between two large area photodiodes. The whole equipment costs about US$ 750 and weights ca. 3 kg. Equipment performance was evaluated by measuring low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide by oxidation of luminol and for the determination of ammonium, based on its inhibition of the luminescence provided by the reaction of luminol and sodium hypochlorite. Linear responses were achieved within 1.0-80 μmol L⁻¹ H₂O₂ and 0.6-60 μmol L⁻¹ NH₄⁺ with detection limits estimated as 400 nmol L⁻¹ H₂O₂ and 60 nmol L⁻¹ NH₄⁺ at the 99.7% confidence level. Coefficients of variation were 1.0 and 1.8%, estimated for 20 μmol L⁻¹ H₂O₂ and 15 μmol L⁻¹ NH₄⁺ (n = 20), respectively. Reagent consumption of 55 μg luminol, effluent volume of 950 μL per determination and sampling rate of 120 samples per hour were also achieved.     

Iridium-catalyzed oxidative esterification reaction of aliphatic aldehydes and olefinic alcohols with precoordination of the double bond of alcohols to iridium

A novel iridium-catalyzed oxidative esterification reaction of aliphatic aldehydes and olefinic alcohols in toluene was found under mild conditions of [IrCl(cod)]₂ (5 mol %) in combination with K₂CO₃ (10 mol %) at rt.     

Au(I) complexes-catalyzed transfer vinylation of alcohols and carboxylic acids

Au(I) complexes-catalyzed transfer vinylation of alcohols and carboxylic acids has been achieved. The catalyst system consists of 2 mol % AuClPPh₃ and 2 mol % AgOAc. Primary alcohols and secondary alcohols were converted into corresponding vinyl ethers in good yield (64-93%); however, tertiary alcohols showed poor reactivities. Carboxylic acids were also transformed into corresponding vinyl esters in good yield (78-96%).     

Further improvements of the dibutyl tin oxide-catalyzed regioselective diol tosylation

In this Letter, we report that selective monotosylation of a 1,2-diol is possible using only 0.1 mol % of Bu₂SnO. More interestingly, we found that the corresponding tin acetal 3b gave faster conversions and more reproducible reaction times. Moreover, the loading of this catalyst could be as low as 0.05-0.005 mol %.     

Determination of benorilate in pharmaceutical formulations and its metabolite in urine at carbon paste electrode modified by silver nanoparticles

Benorilate was determined by the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using a carbon paste electrode modified by silver nanoparticles in 1.25 × 10⁻³ mol l⁻¹ KH₂PO₄ and Na₂HPO₄ buffer solution (pH = 6.88, 25 °C) .The anodic peak potential was +0.970 V (versus SCE). A good linear relationship was realized between the anodic peak currents and benorilate concentrations in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.5 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ with the detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹. The recovery was 95.2-103.6% with the relative standard deviation of 3.6% (n = 9). The pharmaceutical preparations, benorilate tablets samples and its metabolite (salicylic acid) in urine were determined with the desirable results.     

Application of sequential injection-square wave voltammetry (SI-SWV) to study the adsorption of atrazine onto a tropical soil sample

Square wave voltammetry automated by sequential injection analysis was applied to determine the Freundlich adsorption coefficients for the adsorption of atrazine onto a clay rich soil. The detection limit in soil extracts was between 0.18 and 0.48 μmol L⁻¹, depending on the medium used to prepare the extracts (0.010 mol L⁻¹ KCl, CaCl₂ or HNO₃ and 0.0050 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄), all of them conditioned in 40 mmol L⁻¹ Britton-Robinson buffer at pH 2.0 in presence of 0.25 mol L⁻¹ NaNO₃. Also in soil extracts the linear dynamic range was between 1.16 and 18.5 μmol L⁻¹ (0.25-4.0 μg mL⁻¹), with a sampling frequency of 190 h⁻¹. The K_f Freundlich adsorption coefficient was 3.8 ± 0.2 μmol^1−1/n Lⁿ kg⁻¹ in medium of 0.010 mol L⁻¹ KCl or CaCl₂, but increased to 7.7 ± 0.1 and 9.0 ± 0.3 μmol^1−1/n Lⁿ kg⁻¹ in 0.010 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ and 0.0050 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄, respectively. The increase of K_f was related to the decrease of pH from 6.4-6.7 in KCl and CaCl₂ to 3.7-4.0 in presence of HNO₃ or H₂SO₄, which favors protonation of atrazine, facilitating electrostatic attractions with negative charges of the clay components of the soil. The 1/n parameters were between 0.76 and 0.86, indicating that the isotherms are not linear, suggesting the occurrence of chemisorption at specific adsorption sites. No statistically significant differences were observed in comparison to the adsorption coefficients obtained by HPLC. The advantage of the proposed SI-SWV method is the great saving of reagent because it does not use organic solvent as in the case of HPLC (50% (v/v) acetonitrile in the mobile phase). Additionally the start up of SI-SWV is immediate (no column conditioning necessary) and the analysis time is only 19 s.