Causal loop diagrams as a de-escalation technique

Escalation of commitment, the tendency of decision makers to keep on investing in losing courses of action, has been shown to be a costly decision bias that affects many areas of decision making. Even though escalation is a widely studied phenomenon, there has been comparatively little research on how to avoid this bias. The present study focuses on de-escalation of commitment and proposes that causal loop diagrams (CLDs) can help to decrease escalating commitment to a failing course of action. By means of an experiment, this study shows that using a CLD decreases escalation tendencies.     

Cycloaddition of trifluoromethyl azafulvenium methides: synthesis of new trifluoromethylpyrrole-annulated derivatives

The chemistry of trifluoromethyl azafulvenium methides was explored leading to a new route to trifluoromethylpyrrole-annulated systems. The first evidence of azafulvenium methides acting as 1,3-dipoles is reported. These azafulvenium methides showed site selectivity in the reaction with strong electron-deficient dipolarophiles leading exclusively to 1,3-cycloadducts. In the cycloaddition with less-activated dipolarophiles 1,7-cycloadducts resulting from [8π+2π] cycloaddition are also formed. FMO analysis of the cycloaddition reactions allowed the rationalization of the observed selectivity.     

Reactivity of allenoates towards aziridines: synthesis of functionalized methylenepyrrolidines and pyrroles

The reactivity of buta-2,3-dienoates towards aziridines is reported. Typically, allenoates react as the 2π-component in the [3+2] cycloaddition with azomethine ylides generated from aziridines, affording 4-methylenepyrrolidines in a site-, regio- and stereoselective fashion. However, N-cyclohexyl- or N-tert-butyl-2-benzoyl-3-phenylaziridines showed a different reactivity in the reaction with buta-2,3-dienoates. Pyrrole derivatives were obtained as single or major products resulting from a formal [3+2] cycloaddition via C-N bond cleavage of the three-membered ring heterocycle leading to functionalized pyrroles. From the reaction with allenoates bearing bulkier C-4 substituents 4-methylenepyrrolidines were also formed as minor products.     

Synthesis and Diels-Alder Reactions of a New Kind of Chiral Dienophiles: Cyclic Vinyl-p-tolylsulfilimines

A new kind of chiral dienophiles, cyclic vinyl-p-tolylsulfilimines (2a and 2b), were obtained from the corresponding (Z)-sulfinylacrylonitriles with HBF(4) and methanol. The asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction of optically pure 2a with cyclopentadiene under mild thermal or catalyzed conditions afforded only the endo-4a adduct with complete endo and pi-facial selectivities. The ability of the sulfilimine moiety to enhance the dienophilic reactivity of the double bond is similar to that of the sulfinyl group.     

Betainium tri­fluoro­acetate

The title compound, C₅H₁₂NO₂⁺·C₂F₃O₂^? or BET⁺·CF₃COO^? [BET is tri­methyl­glycine (betaine); IUPAC: 1‐carboxy‐N,N,N‐tri­methyl­methanaminium inner salt], contains pairs of bet­ainium and tri­fluoro­acetate ions forming a dimer bridged by a strong hydrogen bond between the carboxyl and carboxyl­ate groups of the two ions. The molecular symmetry of the cation is close to C_s, with protonation occurring at the carboxy O atom positioned anti to the N atom. The tri­fluoro­acetate anions are disordered over two positions. In one, the conformation of the CF₃ group is staggered with respect to the carboxyl­ate group, in the other, it is close to an eclipsed conformation. The sole hydrogen bond present in the structure is the strong O—H?O bond between the anion and the cation.     

New chiral building blocks of β-peptoid analogs

The synthesis of chiral functionalized β-amino esters via the hydride reductive amination of chiral allenes was explored. These compounds can be regarded as β-peptoids building blocks bearing a chiral side chain at the nitrogen and at the same time retaining the β-amino acid side chain. β-Enamino esters were obtained from the nucleophilic addition of α-amino esters (l-Ala, d-Ala, l-Phe, l-Leu, l-Trp and d-Trp methyl esters) to 2,3-allenoates bearing a chiral auxiliary, which determines the stereochemistry outcome of the subsequent reduction reaction. It was also demonstrated that in the reduction of β-enamino esters derived from l-Pro and d-Pro methyl esters the chirality of the new chiral center is controlled by the α-amino ester moiety.