A Phosphetane Catalyzes Deoxygenative Condensation of α-Keto Esters and Carboxylic Acids via PIII/PV═O Redox Cycling

A more critical role for silicon in the catalytic Staudinger amidation: silanes as non-innocent reductants

We demonstrate that in situ-generated silyl ester intermediates are key mediators of the catalytic, traceless Staudinger amidation reaction.

Microfluidic synthesis of α-ketoesters via oxidative coupling of acetophenones with alcohols under metal-free conditions

An efficient and novel method for the synthesis of α-ketoesters has been developed via oxidative coupling of acetophenones with alcohols under TBHP/I₂/DBU conditions in a microfluidic chip reactor, which has a wide substrate scope, uses a lower dosage of iodine and affords higher product yields in only a few seconds.

Poly(methylhydrosiloxane) as a green reducing agent in organophosphorus-catalysed amide bond formation

In situ reduction of phosphine oxide by poly(methylhydrosiloxane) leads to efficient amidation reaction between carboxylic acids and amines.

Metal-free formal carbon–halogen bond insertion: facile syntheses of 3-halo 3,3′-disubstituted oxindoles and spirooxindole-γ-butyrolactones

A metal-free carbon–heteroatom bond insertion of isatins into allylic and benzylic bromides/chlorides is reported.

Metal-free oxidative esterification of acetophenones with alcohols: a facile one-pot approach to α-ketoesters

A novel oxidative esterification method for the synthesis of α-ketoesters has been developed, which is a facile one-pot approach to α-ketoesters from acetophenones with alcohols, especially under metal-free conditions with broad substrate scope.

Cyclic Phosphine Oxides and Phosphinamides from Di-Grignard Reagents and Phosphonic Dichlorides: Modular Access to Annulated Phospholanes

The reaction between 1,4-di-Grignard reagents and phosphonous(III) dichlorides is a classical method for the direct synthesis of phospholanes. Reported here is an extension of this approach to the preparation of value-added, annulated phospholane oxides, achieved through the combination of carbocyclic-fused di-Grignard reagents and readily available phosphonic(V) dichlorides. The procedure is amenable to (benz)annulation at both the 2,3- and 3,4-positions of the phospholane ring, and a variety of aliphatic, cyclic and aryl P-electrophiles are tolerated in reasonable to excellent yields.

Mitsunobu Reactions Catalytic in Phosphine and a Fully Catalytic System

The Mitsunobu reaction is renowned for its mild reaction conditions and broad substrate tolerance, but has limited utility in process chemistry and industrial applications due to poor atom economy and the generation of stoichiometric phosphine oxide and hydrazine by-products that complicate purification. A catalytic Mitsunobu reaction using innocuous reagents to recycle these by-products would overcome both of these shortcomings. Herein we report a protocol that is catalytic in phosphine (1-phenylphospholane) employing phenylsilane to recycle the catalyst. Integration of this phosphine catalytic cycle with Taniguchi's azocarboxylate catalytic system provided the first fully catalytic Mitsunobu reaction.

P(NMe2)3-Mediated Umpolung Alkylation and Nonylidic Olefination of α-Keto Esters

A commercial phosphorus-based reagent (P(NMe2)3) mediates umpolung alkylation of methyl aroylformates with benzylic and allylic bromides, leading to either Barbier-type addition or ylide-free olefination products upon workup. The reaction sequence is initiated by a two-electron redox addition of the tricoordinate phosphorus reagent with an α-keto ester compound (Kukhtin-Ramirez addition). A mechanistic rationale is offered for the chemoselectivity upon which the success of this nonmetal mediated C-C bond forming strategy is based.

Biphilic Organophosphorus Catalysis: Regioselective Reductive Transposition of Allylic Bromides via P(III)/P(V) Redox Cycling

We report that a regioselective reductive transposition of primary allylic bromides is catalyzed by a biphilic organophosphorus (phosphetane) catalyst. Spectroscopic evidence supports the formation of a pentacoordinate (σ(5)-P) hydridophosphorane as a key reactive intermediate. Kinetics experiments and computational modeling are consistent with a unimolecular decomposition of the σ(5)-P hydridophosphorane via a concerted cyclic transition structure that delivers the observed allylic transposition and completes a novel P(III)/P(V) redox catalytic cycle. These results broaden the growing repertoire of reactions catalyzed within the P(III)/P(V) redox couple and suggest additional opportunities for organophosphorus catalysis in a biphilic mode.

TEMP and copper cocatalyzed oxygenation of ketones with molecular oxygen: chemoselective synthesis of α-ketoesters

A practical approach to α-ketoesters through TEMP and copper cocatalyzed chemoselective oxidative coupling of methyl ketones with alcohols is developed.

Synthesis of oxazolidine-2,4-diones by a tandem phosphorus-mediated carboxylative condensation–cyclization reaction using atmospheric carbon dioxide

A novel access to oxazolidine-2,4-diones using atmospheric CO₂ and readily available substrates under mild and transition-metal-free conditions is developed.

P(NMe2)3-mediated reductive [1+4] annulation of isatins with enones: a facile synthesis of spirooxindole-dihydrofurans

A novel reductive [1+4] annulation reaction of isatins and enones via Kukhtin–Ramirez adducts is reported.