Diastereoselective asymmetric nitro-aldol reaction of alpha-amino aldehydes under high pressure without catalyst

A practical diastereoselective synthesis of (-)-bestatin

Diastereoselective addition of nitromethane to Boc-D-Phe-H in the presence of sodium hydride in diethyl ether/hexane containing 15-crown-5 and subsequent N,O-protection with 2,2-dimethoxypropane gave trans-oxazolidine in a diastereomeric ratio of >16:1. The oxazolidine was easily separated by column chromatography, which after Nef reaction was coupled to H-Leu-OtBu. The 8-step synthesis afforded (-)-bestatin in an overall yield of 24.7% after deprotection and ion exchange.

Pressure-accelerated azide-alkyne cycloaddition: micro capillary versus autoclave reactor performance

Pressure effects on regioselectivity and yield of cycloaddition reactions have been shown to exist. Nevertheless, high pressure synthetic applications with subsequent benefits in the production of natural products are limited by the general availability of the equipment. In addition, the virtues and limitations of microflow equipment under standard conditions are well established. Herein, we apply novel-process-window (NPWs) principles, such as intensification of intrinsic kinetics of a reaction using high temperature, pressure, and concentration, on azide-alkyne cycloaddition towards synthesis of Rufinamide precursor. We applied three main activation methods (i.e., uncatalyzed batch, uncatalyzed flow, and catalyzed flow) on uncatalyzed and catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. We compare the performance of two reactors, a specialized autoclave batch reactor for high-pressure operation up to 1800 bar and a capillary flow reactor (up to 400 bar). A differentiated and comprehensive picture is given for the two reactors and the three methods of activation. Reaction speedup and consequent increases in space-time yields is achieved, while the process window for favorable operation to selectively produce Rufinamide precursor in good yields is widened. The best conditions thus determined are applied to several azide-alkyne cycloadditions to widen the scope of the presented methodology.

Delocalized Mixed-Valence Bi- and Trinuclear Complexes with Short Cu−Cu Bonds

Two mixed-valence copper complexes were synthesized with ligands N-(2-pyridylmethyl)acetamide (Hpmac) and N,N'-(2-methyl-2-pyridylpropan-1,3-diyl)bis(acetamide) (H2pp(ac)2). Dimer [Cu2(pmac)2]OTf and trimer [Cu3(pp(ac)2)2].NaOTf both contain fully delocalized, mixed-valence Cu(1.5)Cu(1.5) moieties.

Solvothermal in situ metal/ligand reactions: a new bridge between coordination chemistry and organic synthetic chemistry

Several important solvothermal (including hydrothermal) in situ metal/ligand reactions and their mechanisms, including dehydrogenative carbon-carbon coupling, hydroxylation of aromatic rings, cycloaddition of organic nitriles with azide and ammonia, transformation of inorganic and organic sulfur, as well as the CuII to CuI reduction, are outlined in this Account. The current progress clearly demonstrates the important potential of such reactions in the crystal engineering of functional coordination compounds and one-pot synthesis of some unusual organic ligands that are inaccessible or not easily obtainable via conventional methods, thereby substantiating our expectation that a new bridge has been created between coordination chemistry and synthetic organic chemistry.

In Situ Solvothermal Generation of 1,2,4-Triazolates and Related Compounds from Organonitrile and Hydrazine Hydrate: A Mechanism Study

The facile and effective one-pot solvothermal syntheses of 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazole and its derivatives (substituted group = alkyl, aryl, and pyridyl) through cyclocondensations of organonitriles and hydrazine hydrate in the absence/presence of metal salts have been established. By control of the solvothermal conditions and/or the addition of counteranions, different intermediates and final products were derived from various organonitriles, in which an intermediate N,N'-bis(picolinamide)azine (H4bpa) has been successfully trapped in its neutral manganese(II) complexes. A systematical study shows that, after the initial formation of 2-pyridylamidrazone from 2-cyanopyridine and hydrazine, two reaction paths are involved in the formation of 1,2,4-triazoles: via the formation of 3,6-bis(2-pyridyl)-1,2-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine and H4bpa as intermediates. The tetrazine and H4bpa paths are preferred in the absence and presence of metal ions, respectively. In the presence of metal ions, metal ion binding can stabilize the tautomers, enhance the nucleophilic reactivity of the imino C atom, and inhibit the tautomerization of H4bpa, hence leading to the formation of 1,2,4-triazolates or H4bpa in complexed forms. The in situ cyclocondensation reactions of 2-pyridylamidrazone and carboxylate into asymmetric 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazolates under solvothermal conditions have also been observed for the first time. Crystal structures of the crystalline metal complexes have been obtained, including dinuclear [Mn2(bpt)2Cl2(H2O)2] (1) and [Mn2(bpt)2(SCN)2(H2O)2] (3; Hbpt = 3,5-bis(2-pyridyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole), tetranuclear [Mn4(H3bpa)2(mpt)4(N3)2].2H2O (5; Hmpt = 3-methyl-5-(2-pyridyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole), [Mn4(H3bpa)2(pt)4(N3)2].2C2H5OH (6; Hpt = 5-(2-pyridyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole), and [Mn4(H3bpa)4(SCN)4].2C2H5OH (7), as well as helical [Cu(bpt)] (2). Among them, 7 is the first example of a neutral tetranuclear [2 x 2] grid manganese(II) complex. Both 5 and 7 exhibit antiferromagnetic interactions.

New In Situ Cleavage of Both S−S and S−C(sp2) Bonds and Rearrangement Reactions toward the Construction of Copper(I) Cluster-Based Coordination Networks

Solvothermal reaction of 4,4'-dithiodipyridine (dtdp) with CuI at 120 or 160 degrees C results in the formation of three new coordination networks formulated with [Cu4I4(tdp)2] (1; tdp = 4,4'-thiodipyridine), [Cu5I5(ptp)2] (2), and [Cu6I6(ptp)2] [3; ptp = 1-(4-pyridyl)-4-thiopyridine]. The starting dtdp reagent was unprecedentedly converted into two tdp and ptp ligands via new in situ cleavage of both S-S and S-C(sp2) bonds and temperature-dependent in situ ligand rearrangement of dtdp. 1 is a two-dimensional (2D) Cu4I4 cubane-like coordination network of 2-fold interpenetration. While in 2, the Cu8I8 and Cu2I2 cluster units are alternately connected by the mu2-sulfur bridges into one-dimensional inorganic chains along the a axis, which are further joined by the ptp spacers into a three-dimensional (3D) coordination network of 2-fold interpenetration. 3 is a 3D non-interpenetrating coordination network constructed with 2D inorganic (Cu2I2)n layers and the ptp spacers. 1 displays an intense orange-red emission light with a maximum at ca. 563 nm. While luminescence quenching occurs in 2 and 3 by electron transfer of a photoelectron to the electronegative acceptor molecule of ptp.

Chemical Reaction-Inspired Crystal Growth of a Coordination Polymer toward Morphology Design and Control

This paper reports a novel crystal growth system of a coordination framework {[Cu3(CN)3{hat-(CN)3(OEt)3}]}n (1) (hat-(CN)3(OEt)3 = 2,6,10-tricyano-3,7,11-triethoxy-1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene). The coordination polymer is crystallized through the reaction of 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexacyano-1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene (hat-(CN)6), ethanol, and copper(I) complex, involving the breaking and forming of covalent bonds. The crystal morphologies obtained in the present system contain dumbbells, cogwheels, and superlattices. Moreover, in the growth perpendicular to the c-axis, periodic ramification at regular interval is observed, affording superlattice morphologies. Observation of the growth of dumbbell crystals shows that the growth rates parallel and perpendicular to the crystallographic c-axis are quite different: the former shows a drastic change with the reaction duration, while the latter is almost constant. These results are reproduced as a simple reaction-diffusion system, indicating that chemical reactions on crystal surfaces play an important role in determining the macroscopic crystal morphologies.

Modulated Preparation and Structural Diversification of ZnII and CdII Metal−Organic Frameworks with a Versatile Building Block 5-(4-Pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol

Four novel Zn(II) and Cd(II) metal-organic coordination polymers with a versatile building block 5-(4-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (Hpyt) have been prepared under different conditions. [Zn3(pyt)4(OH)2]n (1) and [Cd(pyt)(HCOO)]n (3) were obtained through a solvothermal method, whereas {[Zn(pyt)2(H2O)(2)].(DMF)2}n (2) and {[Cd(pyt)2].CHCl3}n (4) were isolated under general conditions. X-ray single-crystal diffraction indicates that the anionic ligand pyt adopts a thioamide isomer in 1, 2, and 4, but a thiolate form in 3. Four types of binding modes involving monodentate (eta-N(oxa)), bidentate (mu-N(py),N(oxa), or mu-N(py),S,S) and tridentate (mu-N(py),N(oxa),S) are observed. The discrepancy of the synthetic routes and metal-coordination preferences facilitates the production of the final crystalline materials with distinct network structures, including a 1D zigzag array of 1 with dangling arms, a common 2D (4,4) coordination layer of 2, a decorated 3D alpha-Po network of 3, and an unprecedented (3,6)-connected 3D framework of 4 with a (4(2).6)2(4(2).6(2).8(7).10(2)) topology. Notably, the hydrolysis of DMF solvates leads to the formation of formate ions, being a component in the structure of 3. Complexes 2 and 4 show 1D channels in which the solvates are accommodated, and even after the exclusion of these guests, the porous host frameworks are still retained. Thermal stability and gas adsorption properties have also been studied.

Cuprophilicity-Induced Cocrystallization of [Cu2(4,4‘-bpy)(CN)2]n Sheets and [Cu(SCN)]n Chains into a 3-D Pseudopolyrotaxane

The cocrystallization of [Cu(SCN)]n chains and [Cu2(4,4'-bpy)(CN)2]n (4,4'-bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine) layers generated a 3-D pseudopolyrotaxane compound, [Cu2(4,4'-bpy)(CN)2].[Cu(SCN)] (1), which can also be viewed as a 3-D network constructed by linkages of 2-D sheets and 1-D chains via unsupported CuI-CuI interactions. The CuI-CuI contact of 2.651(4) A in 1 is the shortest unsupported CuI-CuI distance documented to date, indicating cuprophilic attractions.

A Twelve-Connected Cu6S4 Cluster-Based Coordination Polymer

Hydrothermal reaction of Cu(MeCO2)2, (4-pyridylthio)acetic acid, and NH4SCN resulted in a metal-organic framework [Cu3(4-pyridinethiolate)2(CN)] which has twelve-connected face-centered cubic topology with Cu6S4 clusters as nodes.

Well-Resolved, New Water Morphologies Obtained by Modification of the Hydrophilic/Hydrophobic Character and Shapes of the Supporting Layers

The planar coordination complexes [Ag2L2] (L = ophen or obpy, where Hophen = 1H-[1,10]phenanthrolin-2-one and Hobpy = 1H-[2,2']bipyridinyl-6-one) contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic functional groups. Crystallization of these structurally related complexes in an aqueous medium gives [Ag2(ophen)2]2 x 6H2O (1), [Ag2(obpy)2]3 x 18H2O (2), and [Ag2(obpy)2]2 x 14.5H2O (3). Novel water morphologies are observed in these crystalline hydrates, similar 2D metal-organic layers in which the planar [Ag2L2] complexes as building blocks are stacked alternately together and provide hydrogen bond acceptor sites (O atoms) for anchoring 1D water chains or 2D water layers on their surfaces. In the wavelike metal-organic framework of 1, the wide hydrophobic region renders the formation of 1D water tapes containing four- and six-membered water rings, whereas more complex 2D water layers are sandwiched in 2 and 3, owing to the fact that the surfaces of the supporting layers are more hydrophilic than 1.

Copper(I) 1,2,4-Triazolates and Related Complexes: Studies of the Solvothermal Ligand Reactions, Network Topologies, and Photoluminescence Properties

One-pot solvothermal treatments of organonitriles, ammonia, and Cu(II) salts yielded Cu(I) and 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazolates. The organic triazolate components were derived from copper-mediated oxidative cycloaddition of nitriles and ammonia, in which a key intermediate 1,3,5-triazapentadienate was isolated as [Cu(II)(4-pytap)(2)] (4-Hpytap = 2,4-di(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazapentadiene) via controlled solvothermal conditions. This intermediate could also be synthesized by Ni(II)-mediated reactions; however, the final triazoles were obtained only when Cu(II) was employed. Therefore, the reaction mechanism of these reactions was elucidated as follows: nitrile was first attacked by ammonia to form the amidine, which further reacted with another nitrile or self-condensed to yield 1,3,5-triazapentadiene, which was coordinated to two Cu(II) ions in its deprotonated form. A two-electron oxidation of the 1,3,5-triazapentadienate mediated by two Cu(II) ions gave one triazolate and Cu(I) cations. Other in situ ligand reactions, such as C-C bond cleavage and hydrolysis, were also found for the nitriles under these solvothermal conditions. Another remarkable feature of these crystalline Cu(I) triazolates is their simple, typical 3- or 4-connected network topologies. The self-assembly of these nets is presumably controlled by steric hindrance, which is subsequently applied to the rational design of the close-packed 2D networks [Cu(I)(tz)](infinity) and [Ag(I)(tz)](infinity) (Htz = 1,2,4-triazole), as well as the porous 3D network [Cu(I)(etz)](infinity) (Hetz = 3,5-diethyl-1,2,4-triazole). The interesting photoluminescence properties of these coinage d(10) metal complexes were also investigated.

Diastereoselective Aldol Reaction of N,N-Dibenzyl-α-amino Aldehydes with Ketones Catalyzed by Proline

[reaction: see text] L-proline-catalyzed direct aldol reaction of L-amino acid-derived N,N-dibenzyl amino aldehydes with acetone, cyclopentanone, or hydroxyacetone provides gamma-amino-beta-hydroxy- or gamma-amino-alpha,beta-dihydroxy-ketones with moderate to excellent yields and diastereoselectivities.

A novel, highly electrical conducting, single-component molecular material: [Ag2(ophen)2] (Hophen = 1H-[1,10]phenanthrolin-2-one)

This communication describes a highly conducting, single-component molecular material [Ag2(ophen)2] (Hophen = 1H-[1,10]phenanthrolin-2-one) based on very strong off-set pi-pi stacking interactions with an unusually short ring-to-ring distance of ca. 3.15 A between adjacent molecules and silver(I)-pi interactions with the Ag...C contact of 3.082 A between adjacent molecules. The title compound, having a room-temperature conductivity of 14 S cm-1, is structurally different from both the known conducting single-component molecular materials of transition-metal complexes with sulfur-containing pi-delocalized dithiolene ligands and the known conducting multicomponent organosilver(I) materials.

Asymmetric synthesis of highly substituted beta-nitro alcohols and enantiomerically enriched 4,4,5-trisubstituted oxazolidinones

It is demonstrated that alpha,alpha-disubstituted-alpha-nitroketones are reduced to the corresponding trisubstituted nitro alcohols in good to excellent yield and enantiomeric excess by borane-dimethyl sulfide in the presence of a chiral oxazaborolidine catalyst. Reduction of the nitro alcohols to the corresponding amino alcohols and their subsequent conversion to enantiomerically enriched 4,4,5-trisubstituted oxazoldinones is also reported.

Synthesis and characterization of completely delocalized mixed-valent dicopper complexes

The multidentate ligands tris[(N'-tert-butylureayl)-N-ethyl)]amine (H(6)1) and 1-(tert-butylaminocarbonyl)-2,2-dimethylaminoethane (H(2)2) have been used to investigate the assembly and properties of complexes with Cu(1.5)Cu(1.5) units. The complexes [Cu(H(5)1)](2)(+) and [Cu(H2)](2)(+) have been isolated and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction methods. [Cu(H(5)1)](2)(+) has a Cu(1.5)Cu(1.5) core, with each copper ion having square planar coordination geometry. The copper ions are linked through two mono-deprotonated urea ligands, which coordinate as mu-1,3-(kappaN:kappaO) ureate bridges to produce a Cu-Cu distance of 2.39 A. The remaining two urea arms of [H(5)1](-) form intramolecular hydrogen bonds, the result of which is to confine the Cu(1.5)Cu(1.5) unit within a pseudomacrocycle. The structure of [Cu(H2)](2)(+) lacks intramolecular hydrogen bonds and thus does not have a pseudomacrocyclic structure. However, the structural properties of the Cu(1.5)Cu(1.5) core in [Cu(H2)](2)(+) are nearly identical to those of [Cu(H(5)1)](2)(+). Both complexes exhibit rhombic EPR spectra at 77 K, which do not change upon cooling to 4 K. The optical spectra of [Cu(H(5)1)](2)(+) and [Cu(H2)](2)(+) are dominated by an intense band at approximately 700 nm. These spectral characteristics are consistent with [Cu(H(5)1)](2)(+) and [Cu(H2)](2)(+) being classified as fully delocalized (type III) mixed-valent species.