Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Hydroxylated Arenes

An overview of the recent bibliography in the transition‐metal‐catalyzed hydroxylation of aryl derivatives is presented. Two reaction protocols are considered: 1) C? H activation/hydroxylation and, 2) cross‐coupling hydroxylation of aryl halides. The achievements and limitations for both procedures are described taking into consideration different metal catalyst/oxidant combinations.     

Enantioselective cyanoformylation of aldehydes organocatalyzed by recyclable cinchonidine ammonium salts

Enantiomerically enriched O-methoxycarbonyl cyanohydrins were obtained using an enantioselective addition of methyl cyanoformate to aldehydes organocatalyzed by a dimeric anthracenyldimethyl-derived cinchonidine ammonium salt (1 mol % catalyst loading) in the presence of substoichiometric amounts of triethylamine (20 mol %). Aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes usually afford high enantioselectivities (up to 96%) and quantitative yields of the corresponding O-methoxycarbonyl cyanohydrins, whereas aliphatic and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes give lower enantioselectivities (up to 60%) in high yields. The observed sense of the enantioselection was always the same, and the organocatalyst was almost quantitatively recovered by ether-promoted precipitation without any loss of activity. The use of resin-supported cinchonidine-derived ammonium salts as an organocatalyst in this transformation was also explored.     

Enantioselective Michael reaction of β-keto esters organocatalyzed by recoverable Cinchona-derived dimeric ammonium salts

Dimeric anthracenyldimethyl-derived Cinchona ammonium salts are used as chiral organocatalysts in 1–10 mol % for the enantioselective conjugate addition of 2-alkoxycarbonyl-1-indanones to β-unsubstituted Michael acceptors. The corresponding adducts bearing a new all-carbon quaternary center were usually obtained in high yield and with up to 94% ee when using ammonium salts derived from quinidine and its pseudoenantiomer quinine as organocatalysts. These catalysts can be almost recovered quantitatively by precipitation in ether and reused.     

Epidemiology of Usher syndrome in Valencia and Spain

OBJECTIVE: To obtain epidemiological data on the prevalence of the different types of Usher syndrome (US) in Spain, since these data were missing; to estimate the proportion of sporadic cases among simplex families, and calculate the prevalence of the Usher syndrome in a homogeneous population from Eastern Spain (3,875,234 inhabitants) that is representative of the Spanish population. METHODS: Otological, ophthalmological and genetic studies were performed in 89 US patients from 46 families and subjected to statistical and segregation analysis. RESULTS: 41.6% of them suffered US type I, 46.1% type II, and in 12.3% the classification remains unclear. The estimated prevalence for the Province of Valencia was 4.2/100,000. There was a notable excess of male-only affected multiplex sibships in our sample that could be attributable to an X-linked inheritance. CONCLUSIONS: The number of families with USI type was similar to that of families with USII type. The estimated prevalence for the Province of Valencia is in agreement with other reports in which the estimate for the prevalence of US ranges from 1.8 to 6.2/100,000.     

Enantioselective Michael addition of aldehydes to maleimides organocatalysed by chiral 1,2-diamines: an experimental and theoretical study

Simple and commercially available chiral 1,2-diamines were used as organocatalysts for the enantioselective conjugate addition of aldehydes, including α,α-disubstituted, to maleimides. The reaction was carried out in the presence of hexanedioic acid as an additive in aqueous solvents at room temperature. By employing (1S,2S)- and (1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine as organocatalysts, the corresponding Michael adducts bearing new stereocenters were obtained in high or quantitative yields with enantioselectivities of up to 92%, whereas the use of (1S,2S)-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine gave a much lower ee. Theoretical calculations were used to justify the observed sense of the stereoinduction.     

Recoverable silica-gel supported binam-prolinamides as organocatalysts for the enantioselective solvent-free intra- and intermolecular aldol reaction

Silica-gel supported binam-derived prolinamides are efficient organocatalysts for the direct intramolecular and intermolecular aldol reaction under solvent-free conditions using conventional magnetic stirring. These organocatalysts in combination with benzoic acid showed similar results to those obtained under similar homogeneous reaction conditions using an organocatalyst of related structure. For the intermolecular process, the aldol products were obtained at room temperature and using only 2 equiv of the ketone with high yields, regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Under these reaction conditions, also the cross aldol reaction between aldehydes is possible. The recovered catalyst can be reused up to nine times providing similar results. More interestingly, these heterogeneous organocatalysts can be used in the intramolecular aldol reaction allowing the synthesis of the Wieland–Miescher and ketone analogues with up to 92% ee, with its reused being possible up to five times without detrimental on the obtained results.     

1,5-Dimethyl-4-phenylimidazolidin-2-one-derived iminic glycinimides: useful new reagents for practical asymmetric synthesis of alpha-amino acids

New 1,5-dimethyl-4-phenylimidazolidin-2-one-derived acyclic chiral iminic glycine reagents have been prepared and diastereoselectively alkylated with activated alkyl halides and electrophilic olefins in the presence of lithium chloride under (a) strong bases (LHMDS, KOBu(t)) and low temperature (-78 degrees C) conditions, (b) solid-liquid phase-transfer catalysis reaction (LiOH, TBAB, -20 degrees C) conditions, and (c) in the presence of organic bases (DBU, BEMP, TMG, -20 degrees C). In the case of dielectrophiles C- and N-alkylation takes place to afford heterocyclic derivatives. Hydrolysis of alkylated products has been carried out (a) in two-step procedures with LiOOH or LiOH followed by acidic hydrolysis or Dowex purification, (b) in one single-step under refluxing water to give the corresponding alpha-amino acid, (c) in the presence of DBU in methanol to provide N-protected alpha-amino acids methyl esters, or (d) by a protection-hydrolysis procedure to afford N-Boc-protected alpha-amino acids. The chiral imidazolidinone has generally been recovered in good yield. This methodology has been shown to be useful for the synthesis of acyclic and heterocyclic (S)- and (R)-alpha-amino acids.     

Highly active oxime-derived palladacycle complexes for Suzuki-Miyaura and Ullmann-type coupling reactions

Oxime-derived chloro-bridged palladacycles 12 and 13 are efficient complexes for the Suzuki-Miyaura reactions of aryl-, allyl-, and benzyl halides with arylboronic acids. The isolated catalysts are thermally stable, not sensitive to air or moisture, and easily accessible from inexpensive starting materials. The reaction can be performed under aerobic conditions with aryl bromides and chlorides, displaying turnover numbers (TON) of up to 5 x 10(5) and turnover frequencies (TOF) of up to 198 000 h(-1) for aryl bromides. Aryl chlorides undergo the Suzuki reaction with arylboronic acids with TON of up to 4700 and TOF up to 4700 h(-1). Even inexpensive and readily available benzyl and allyl chlorides undergo the coupling reaction with good turnover numbers. Complexes of 12 catalyze the syntheses of symmetrical biaryls in good yields via reductive coupling of iodoarenes in the presence of Hünig's base.     

Synthesis and Reactivity of π‐Electron‐Deficient (Arylsulfonyl)acetates

Different π‐electron‐deficient (arylsulfonyl)acetates 9 were synthesized (Scheme 1, Table 1), and their behavior as soft nucleophiles in the dialkylation reaction under phase‐transfer catalysis conditions was studied (Schemes 2 and 3, Tables 2 and 3). The [3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]sulfonyl group was shown to be the best substituent for the stereoselective synthesis of (E)‐aconitates 18 via an alkylation hydro‐sulfonyl‐elimination integrated process under very mild phase‐transfer‐catalysis conditions (Scheme 5, Table 4). Sulfonylacetates 9h , i also underwent smooth Diels‐Alder reactions with acyclic and cyclic dienes via in situ formation of the appropriate dienophile through a Knoevenagel condensation with paraformaldehyde (Scheme 6). Reductive desulfonylation with Zn and NH₄Cl in THF was shown to be an efficient method for removal of the synthetically useful sulfonyl moiety (Scheme 7).