Zirconocene-mediated route to enantiopure 9-oxabicyclononanes functionalized on both carbon bridges

[reaction: see text] A zirconocene-mediated ring contraction of 4-vinylfuranosides generated either from d-arabinose or d-glucose is followed by sequential oxidation to the ketone and alkynyl Grignard addition. The resulting cis-cyclobutanediols are subjected in turn to thermal rearrangement and intramolecular oxymercuration-demercuration. The regiochemistry of the final ring closure is controlled by the nature of R.     

The first organically templated thorium compounds, [C4N2H12]0.5[ThF5] and [C5N2H14][ThF6].0.5H2O

Organically templated thorium compounds were synthesized for the first time under hydrothermal conditions; the piperazine containing compound consists of 2-D layers, while the 2-methylpiperazine phase contains unprecedented 1-D chains of face-sharing ThF9 polyhedra.     

Modular synthesis of chiral homo- and heterotrisoxazolines. Improving the enantioselectivity in the asymmetric Michael addition of indole to benzylidene malonate

A simple approach to a diverse set of chiral trisoxazolines is described. Deprotonation of bisoxazolines 2, followed by treatment of 2-chloromethyloxazolines 3, affords chiral trisoxazolines, including chiral homo- and hetero-trisoxazolines in good to high yields. These trisoxazolines are successfully applied in the asymmetric reaction of indole with benzylidene malonate, and ee's up to 93% were obtained.     

An intramolecular benzyl rearrangement of 1-(N-benzyloxycarbonylamino)alkylphosphonate diesters under electrospray ionization conditions

The mass spectrometric behavior of eleven 1-(N-benzyloxycarbonyl(Cbz)amino)alkylphosphonate diesters was studied under positive ion electrospray ionization (ESI) conditions. Their fragmentation pathways are depicted and supported by tandem mass spectrometry. Besides the common eliminations of ether, benzyl alcohol, phosphite and an ether plus benzyl alcohol from molecular ions, the title compounds show a tendency to undergo an interesting intramolecular benzyl rearrangement to yield benzylphosphonate ions. The fragmentation patterns do not depend on the substituent attached to the alpha-carbon atom.