Direct Synthesis of 1,4‐Diols from Alkenes by Iron‐Catalyzed Aerobic Hydration and C?H Hydroxylation

Various 1,4‐diols are easily accessible from alkenes through iron‐catalyzed aerobic hydration. The reaction system consists of a user‐friendly iron phthalocyanine complex, sodium borohydride, and molecular oxygen. Furthermore, the effect of additional ligands on the iron complex was examined for a model reaction. The second hydroxy group is installed by direct C(sp³) H oxygenation, which is based on a [1,5] hydrogen shift process of a transient alkoxy radical that is formed by formal hydration of the olefin.     

Practical and Highly Selective C?H Functionalization of Structurally Diverse Ethers

A trityl ion mediated C H functionalization of ethers with a wide range of nucleophiles at ambient temperature has been developed. The reaction displays high chemoselectivity and good functional group tolerance. The protocol also exhibits excellent regio‐ and diastereoselectivities for the unsymmetric ethers, thus stereoselectively generating highly functionalized disubstituted 2,5‐trans tetrahydrofurans (THF), 2,6‐trans tetrahydropyrans (THP), 2,6‐trans dihydropyrans (DHP), and 1,3‐trans isochromans, and highlighting the capacity of the protocol in complex molecule synthesis.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed C(sp3)?H Activation: A Facile Method for the Synthesis of 3,4‐Dihydroquinolinone Derivatives

3,4‐Dihydroquinolinones were synthesized by the palladium‐catalyzed, oxidative‐addition‐initiated activation and arylation of inert C(sp³) H bonds. Pd(OAc)₂ and P(o‐tol)₃ were used as the catalyst and ligand, respectively, to improve the efficiency of the reaction. A further advantage of this reaction is that it could be performed in air. A relatively rare seven‐membered palladacycle was proposed as a key intermediate of the catalytic cycle.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed C?S Activation/Aryne Insertion/Coupling Sequence: Synthesis of Functionalized 2‐Quinolinones

The insertion of an aryne into a C S bond can suppress the addition of an S nucleophile to the aryne in the presence of palladium. Catalyzed by Pd(OAc)₂, a wide range of α‐carbamoyl ketene dithioacetals readily react with arynes to selectively afford functionalized 2‐quinolinones in high yields under neutral reaction conditions by a C S activation/aryne insertion/intramolecular coupling sequence. The attractive feature of the new strategy also lies in the versatile transformations of the alkythio‐substituted quinolinone products.     

Iridium‐Catalyzed Regioselective Silylation of Aromatic and Benzylic C?H Bonds Directed by a Secondary Amine

Reported herein is an iridium‐catalyzed, regioselective silylation of the aromatic C H bonds of benzylamines and the benzylic C H bonds of 2,N‐dialkylanilines. In this process, (hydrido)silyl amines, generated in situ by dehydrogenative coupling of benzylamine or aniline with diethylsilane, undergo selective silylation at the C H bond γ to the amino group. The products of this silylation are suitable for subsequent oxidation, halogenation, and cross‐coupling reactions to deliver benzylamine and arylamine derivatives.     

Divergent synthesis of 6H-isoindolo[2,1-a]indol-6-ones and indenoindolones: an investigation of Pd-catalyzed isocyanide insertion

A novel Pd-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization via tert-butyl isocyanide insertion from 2-(2-bromophenyl)-1H-indoles has been developed, which demonstrates the utility of isocyanides in C–N or C–C bond construction. Treatment of 2-(2-bromophenyl)-1H-indoles with tert-butyl isocyanide affords 6H-isoindolo[2,1-a]indol-6-ones with high efficiency. However, N-methyl or N-Boc protected 2-(2-bromophenyl)-1H-indoles gives indenoindolones in excellent yields under the same condition, which reveals that under the described situation, isocyanides insertion for the formation of C–N bonds is prior to that of C–C bonds.     

FeO(OH)@C-Catalyzed Selective Hydrazine Substitution of p-Nitro-Aryl Fluorides and their Application for the Synthesis of Phthalazinones

An efficient hydrazine substitution of p-nitro-aryl fluorides with hydrazine hydrates catalyzed by FeO(OH)@C nanoparticles is described. This hydrazine substitutions of p-nitro-aryl fluorides bearing electron-withdrawing groups proceeded efficiently with high yield and selectivity. Similarly, hydrogenations of p-nitro-aryl fluorides containing electron-donating groups also smoothly proceeded under mild conditions. Furthermore, with these prepared aryl hydrazines, some phthalazinones, interesting as potential structures for pharmaceuticals, have successfully been synthesized in high yields.     

Rutin and Quercetin Decrease Cholesterol in HepG2 Cells but Not Plasma Cholesterol in Hamsters by Oral Administration

Rutin (R) and quercetin (Q) are two widespread dietary flavonoids. Previous studies regarding the plasma cholesterol-lowering activity of R and Q generated inconsistent results. The present study was therefore carried out to investigate the effects of R and Q on cholesterol metabolism in both HepG2 cells and hypercholesterolemia hamsters. Results from HepG2 cell experiments demonstrate that both R and Q decreased cholesterol at doses of 5 and 10 µM. R and Q up-regulated both the mRNA and protein expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP2), low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα). The immunofluorescence study revealed that R and Q increased the LDLR expression, while only Q improved LDL-C uptake in HepG2 cells. Results from hypercholesterolemia hamsters fed diets containing R (5.5 g/kg diet) and Q (2.5 g/kg diet) for 8 weeks demonstrate that both R and Q had no effect on plasma total cholesterol. In the liver, only Q reduced cholesterol significantly. The discrepancy between the in vitro and in vivo studies was probably due to a poor bioavailability of flavonoids in the intestine. It was therefore concluded that R and Q were effective in reducing cholesterol in HepG2 cells in vitro, whereas in vivo, the oral administration of the two flavonoids had little effect on plasma cholesterol in hamsters.