The first chemical conversion of l-proline to l-glutamic acid

The ruthenium tetroxide oxidation of N-acyl-l-proline esters gave the corresponding l-pyroglutamic acid derivatives in good yields with no appreciable racemization, which led to the first chemical conversion of l-proline to l-glutamic acid.     

Novel Cu(I) dinuclear complexes containing mu2-eta(2),eta(2)-type benzoquinone ligand

Novel Cu(I) complexes containing a mu2-eta2,eta2-type benzoquinone ligand have been synthesized and crystallographycally characterized. These complexes are synthesized by the redox reaction of a copper-quinonoid pair and may indicate a significant intermediate in the Cu-BQ catalytic system. Moreover, this study is regarded as one of the good examples in the Cu(I)-olefin family of enhanced pi-back-donation.     

Photocatalytic redox-neutral hydroxyalkylation of N-heteroaromatics with aldehydes

Hydroxyalkylation of N-heteroaromatics with aldehydes was achieved using a binary hybrid catalyst system comprising an acridinium photoredox catalyst and a thiophosphoric acid organocatalyst. The reaction proceeded through the following sequence: (1) photoredox-catalyzed single-electron oxidation of a thiophosphoric acid catalyst to generate a thiyl radical, (2) cleavage of the formyl C–H bond of the aldehyde substrates by a thiyl radical acting as a hydrogen atom transfer catalyst to generate acyl radicals, (3) Minisci-type addition of the resulting acyl radicals to N-heteroaromatics, and (4) a spin-center shift, photoredox-catalyzed single-electron reduction, and protonation to produce secondary alcohol products. This metal-free hybrid catalysis proceeded under mild conditions for a wide range of substrates, including isoquinolines, quinolines, and pyridines as N-heteroaromatics, as well as both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes, and tolerated various functional groups. The reaction was applicable to late-stage derivatization of drugs and their leads.

Hydroxyalkylation of N-heteroaromatics with aldehydes was achieved using a binary hybrid catalyst system comprising an acridinium photoredox catalyst and a thiophosphoric acid organocatalyst.     

Preparation and properties of fluorine-containing aromatic polyamides from tetrafluorophthaloyl chlorides and aromatic diamines

New fluorine-containing aromatic polyamides with inherent viscosities of 0.4–1.8 dL/g were prepared by the low temperature solution polycondensation of tetrafluoroisophthaloyl and tetrafluoroterephthaloyl chlorides with N,N′-bis(trimethylsilyl)-substituted aromatic diamines. The aromatic polyperfluoroisophthalamides were amorphous polymers with glass transition temperatures around 280°C, whereas the polyperfluoroterephthalamides were crystalline. Most of these aromatic polyamides were soluble in organic solvents, and began to decompose around 330°C in air or nitrogen atmosphere.     

Quinolizidines—IV: Total syntheses of (±)-ankorine and (±)-11-methoxyprotoemetinol

The first total synthesis of ankorine (4), an Alangium lamarckii alkaloid, has been accomplished in the form of a recemic modification by means of an initial condensation of 2-benzyloxy-3,4-dimethoxyphenacyl bromide with the lactim ether 6, derived from ethyl (±)-trans-5-ethyl-2-oxo-4-piperidineacetate (5), and succeeding steps proceeding through the intemediates 7a, 8a, 9a, 10a (X=Cl), 11a, and 12a. A parallel synthetic route starting with 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenacyl bromide and 6 gave (±)-11-methoxyprotoemetinol (12c) via the intermediates 7c, 8c, 9c, 10c (X =I,ClO₄), and 11c. The trimethyl ether 12c did not match the O-Me derivative (type 12e) of natural ankorine. Thus, the formula 4 defines the structure and relative stereochemistry of ankorine.     

Diverse Synthetic Transformations Using 4-Bromo-3,3,4,4-tetrafluorobut-1-ene and Its Applications in the Preparation of CF2CF2-Containing Sugars,Liquid Crystals,and Light-Emitting Materials

Organic molecules with fluoroalkylene scaffolds, especially a tetrafluoroethylene (CF₂CF₂) moiety, in their molecular structures exhibit unique biological activities, or can be applied to functional materials such as liquid crystals and light-emitting materials. Although several methods for the syntheses of CF₂CF₂-containing organic molecules have been reported to date, they have been limited to methods using explosives and fluorinating agents. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop simple and efficient approaches to synthesize CF₂CF₂-containing organic molecules from readily available fluorinated substrates using carbon-carbon bond formation reactions. This personal account summarizes the simple and efficient transformation of functional groups at both ends of 4-bromo-3,3,4,4-tetrafluorobut-1-ene and discusses its synthetic applications to biologically active fluorinated sugars and functional materials, such as liquid crystals and light-emitting molecules.     

Homohelicity-enriched zinc bilinone dimers with chiral aliphatic spacers. Synthesis and application to chiral induction of a nematic liquid crystal

The zinc bilinone (ZnBL) dimers 4 and 5 bearing chiral aliphatic spacers ((2S,4S)-2,4-pentanedioxy and (3S,5S)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-heptanedioxy for 4 and 5, respectively) were newly prepared, and their conformational distribution was investigated. The ¹H NMR and circular dichroism spectra revealed that the present dimers predominantly adopted the homohelicity conformation (MM and PP for 4 and 5, respectively), although the reference monomers with the corresponding subunit structures exhibited poor helicity enrichment. The helical twisting powers of these ZnBL dimers for a nematic liquid crystal (N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline, MBBA) were also investigated. With the dimers doped into MBBA, highly efficient chiral nematic induction was achieved. Especially, the dimer 5 exhibited the β_M value of +1800 μm⁻¹.