Rate enhancement by water in a TiCl4-mediated stereoselective vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction

A remarkable enhancement in the rate of a TiCl₄-mediated stereoselective vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction (VMAR) using vinylketene silyl N,O-acetal 1 was observed in the presence of water.     

Biocatalytic reduction system for the production of chiral methyl (R)/(S)-4-bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate

An effective method for producing methyl 4-bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate enantiomers was developed using an engineered protein. Escherichia coli transformant cells containing a mutant β-keto ester reductase (KER-L54Q) from Penicillium citrinum and a cofactor-regeneration enzyme such as glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) or Leifsonia sp. alcohol dehydrogenase (LSADH) were used to produce methyl (S)-4-bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate from methyl 4-bromo-3-oxobutyrate. On the other hand, the production of methyl (R)-4-bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate was achieved by asymmetric reduction of methyl 4-bromo-3-oxobutyrate with a mutant phenylacetaldehyde reductase (PAR-HAR1) from Rhodococcus sp. ST-10.     

Ag/ThioClickFerrophos catalyzed highly enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with alkenes

A silver(I)/ThioClickFerrophos complex catalyzed the endo selective asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of methyl N-benzylideneglycinate (the source of azomethine ylides) with α,β-unsaturated esters and maleimides to give the endo-2,4,5- and 2,3,4,5-substituted pyrrolidines in good yields with high enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). The complex also effectively catalyzed the endo selective reactions with β-nitrostyrene to give the 4-nitropyrrolidine in a high enantioselectivity.     

Spongistatin synthetic studies. An efficient, second-generation construction of an advanced ABCD intermediate

[reaction: see text] A short, efficient, and stereocontrolled synthesis of (-)-4, an advanced ABCD subunit of the spongistatins, has been achieved. Central to the synthetic strategy is the multicomponent linchpin union of silyl dithianes with epoxides to access both the AB and CD fragments. Fragment coupling was then achieved via an efficient stereoselective aldol reaction. The linear sequence required 22 steps and proceeded in 4.0% overall yield.     

Total synthesis of gambierol

[structure: see text] The first total synthesis of gambierol, a marine polycyclic ether toxin, has been achieved. The synthesis features the Pd(PPh3)4/CuCl/LiCl-promoted Stille coupling for the stereoselective construction of the sensitive triene side chain that includes a conjugated (Z,Z)-diene moiety.     

Progress toward the total synthesis of ciguatoxins: a convergent synthesis of the FGHIJKLM ring fragment

[structure: see text] A highly convergent synthetic route to the FGHIJKLM ring fragment of ciguatoxins has been developed, which relied on extensive use of the B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction.     

Catalytic direct 1,4-conjugate addition of aldehydes to vinylketones on secondary-amines immobilised in FSM-16 silica

Direct 1,4-conjugate addition of naked aldehydes to vinylketones is catalysed effectively by N-methyl-3-aminopropylated FSM-16 mesoporous silica, which can be regarded as a novel heterogeneous catalysis for a practical C-C bond formation reaction.     

Pinacol coupling reaction of beta-halo-alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes promoted by TiI4

The pinacol reaction of beta-halogenated alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes was promoted by titanium tetraiodide to give coupling products in good yields with high dl-selectivity. Subsequent reduction with H(2)/Pd-C gave saturated vic-diols in good yields. Heck coupling reaction enabled the displacement of halogens with vinyl groups without the loss of stereochemical integrities. [reaction: see text]     

A new Zn(II) coordination polymer with 4-pyridylthioacetate: assemblies of homo-chiral helices with sulfide sites

A coordination polymer [Zn(pyta)(OH)] (pyta = 4-pyridylthioacetate), was synthesized and structurally characterized; it is constructed by an alternating assembly of two types of homo-chiral helices, [Zn-OH] and [Zn-pyta], in which the sulfide moieties are fastened in the latter columns.     

Spectroscopic and crystallographic studies on the stability of self-assembled coordination nanotubes

On complexation with (en)Pd(NO3)2, tetrakis(3,5-pyridine) ligand gives two isomeric coordination nanotubes, which are in slow equilibrium despite the presence of sixteen Pd-N bonds in the tube framework.