Bis(β‐enaminoketonato) vanadium (III or IV) complexes as catalysts for olefin polymerization

Bis(β‐enaminoketonato) vanadium(III) complexes ( 2a–c ) [O(R₁)C?C(H)_xC(R₂)?NC₆H₅]₂VCl(THF) and the corresponding vanadium(IV) complexes ( 3a–c ) [O(R₁)C?C(H)_xC(R₂)? NC₆H₅]₂VO (R₁ = ? (CH₂)₄? , R₂ = H, x = 0, a ; R₁ = ? C₆H₅, R₂ = H, x = 1, b ; R₁ = ? C₆H₅, R₂ = ? C₆H₅, x = 1, c ) have been synthesized from VCl₃(THF)₃ and VOCl₂(THF)₂, respectively, by treating with 2.0 equivalent β‐enaminoketonato ligands in tetrahydrofuran. Structures of 2b and 3a–c were further confirmed by X‐ray crystallographic analysis. The complexes were investigated as the catalysts for ethylene polymerization in the presence of Et₂AlCl. Complexes 2a–c and 3a–c exhibited high catalytic activities (up to 23.76 kg of PE/mmol_V h bar), and afforded polymers with unimodal molecular weight distributions at 70 °C indicating the good thermal stability. The catalytic behaviors were influenced not only by the oxidation state of the catalyst precursors but also by the ligand structures. Complexes 2a–c and 3a–c were also effective catalyst precursors for ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization. The influence of polymerization parameters such as reaction temperature, Al/V molar ratio and hexene feed concentration on the ethylene/hexene copolymerization behaviors have bee also investigated in detail. In addition, the agents such as AlMe₃, AlⁱBu₃, MeMgBr, MgCl₂, and ZnEt₂ were applied to control the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution modal. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3062–3072, 2010     

(Cyclopentadienyl)trioxorhenium(VII) – no Match for Methyltrioxorhenium (MTO)

Together with a further improvement of the synthesis of (cyclopentadienyl)trioxorhenium(VII), CpReO₃, its reaction chemistry and catalytic activity is also revisited in greater detail. However, in spite of the high catalytic activity of the homologous methyltrioxorhenium(VII) (MTO) and the related CpMo(O₂)X, (X = R, Hal, etc.) it is seen that CpReO₃ suffers greatly from the lability of the Cp‐Re bond under oxidative conditions and in the presence of electron donor ligands. (Cyclopentadienyl)trioxorhenium(VII) although accessible very conveniently, neither matches the rich reaction chemistry of its pentamethylcyclopentadienyl derivative, Cp*ReO₃ nor the catalytic versatility of MTO.     

Development of a concise synthesis of (-)-oseltamivir (Tamiflu)

We report a full account of our work towards the development of an eight‐step synthesis of anti‐influenza drug (?)‐oseltamivir (Tamiflu) from commercially available starting materials. The final synthetic route proceeds with an overall yield of 30 %. Key transformations include a novel palladium‐catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reaction (Pd‐AAA) as well as a rhodium‐catalyzed chemo‐, regio‐, and stereoselective aziridination reaction.     

Development of versatile and silver-free protocols for gold(I) catalysis

The use of a versatile N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) gold(I) hydroxide precatalyst, [Au(OH)(IPr)], (IPr=N,N′‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene) permits the in situ generation of the [Au(IPr)]⁺ ion by simple addition of a Brønsted acid. This cationic entity is believed to be the active species in numerous catalytic reactions. ¹H NMR studies in several solvent media of the in situ generation of this [Au(IPr)]⁺ ion also reveal the formation of a dinuclear gold hydroxide intermediate [{Au(IPr)}₂(μ‐OH)], which is fully characterized and was tested in gold(I) catalysis.     

Stoichiometric vs Catalytic MeLi Reaction with the Mixture of (ẽ5‐C5H5)Fe(CO)2l and P(OR)3: Nucleophilic Methylation vs Arbuzov‐Like Dealkylation

The reaction of stoichiometric MeLi with the 1:1 mixture of (?⁵‐C₅H₅)Fe(CO)₂I/P(OR)₃ (R = Me, Et, and Ph) at ?78°C changes the bonding mode between metal and ring from (?⁵‐C₅H₅) to (?⁴‐exo‐MeC₅H₅) and the oxidation state of metal from Fe(II) to Fe(O), the novel complexes (?⁴‐exo‐MeC₅H₅)Fe(CO)₂P(C)R)₃ being obtained in 45‐57% yields. The reaction of trace MeLi with the 1:1 mixture of (?⁵‐C₅H₅)Fe(CO)₂I/P(OMe)₃ at ?78°C results in 70% yield of the phosphonate complex (?⁵‐C₅H₅)Fe(CO)₂P(O)(OMe)₂ which is an Arbuzov‐like dealkylation product from the cationic intermediate [(?⁵‐C₅H₅)Fe(CO)₂P(OMe)₃⁺] and the iodide. The amines could assist the Arbuzov‐like dealkylation of [(?⁵‐C₅H₅)Fe(CO)₂P(OMe)₃⁺] [PF₆^?] where iron‐carbamoyl intermediates are likely involved in the case of primary amines.     

Solvent‐free cyanosilylation of ketones with (CH3)3SiCN (TMSCN) catalyzed by NbF5

The addition of TMSCN to ketones catalyzed by dispersed NbF₅ gave corresponding cyanohydrin trimethylsilylethers with excellent yield (>90%). Cyano transfer occurs within 30 min at room temperature in the presence of 1 mol% of NbF₅ under solvent‐free conditions. These conditions are extremely mild, simple, and tolerate various functional groups. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper‐catalyzed C(sp2)–C(sp) Sonogashira‐type cross‐coupling reactions accelerated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Copper‐catalyzed Sonogashira‐type reactions were dramatically accelerated by introducing a catalytic amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon additive. This novel catalytic system features low copper loading (0.5 mol% < Cu < 5 mol%), broad reaction scope and remarkable substrate tolerance. Both aromatic and aliphatic terminal alkynes as well as diverse aryl iodides were employed in this transformation, affording respectable yields of the desired products. The novel Cu(OTf)₂/pyrene system was subsequently employed to synthesize phenylacetylene‐based fluorescent compounds. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.