Regioselective Cyclizations Utilizing a Gold-Catalyzed [3,3] Propargyl Ester Rearrangement

Triflic Acid-Catalyzed Enynes Cyclization: A New Strategy beyond Electrophilic π-Activation

The cyclization of enynes, catalyzed by a transition metal, represents a powerful tool to construct an array of cyclic compounds through electrophilic π-activation. In this paper, we disclose a new and efficient strategy for enynes cyclization catalyzed by triflic acid. The salient features of this transformation includes a broad substrate scope, metal free synthesis, open flask and mild conditions, good yields, ease of operation, low catalyst loading, and easy scale-up to gram scale. A preliminary mechanism study demonstrated that the activation model of the reaction was σ-activation, which is different from the transition-metal-catalyzed enynes cyclization. Our strategy affords a complementary method to the traditional strategies, which use transition-metal catalysts.

In situ generation of nucleophilic allenes by the gold-catalyzed rearrangement of propargylic esters for the highly diastereoselective formation of intermolecular C(sp3)-C(sp2) bonds

New perspectives, in particular for the synthesis of isochromane derivatives (see scheme), are provided by the title reaction. Excellent diastereoselectivites are achieved in this reaction which proceeds through a gold-catalyzed 1,3-acyloxy migration. In some cases exclusively the Z isomer is detected.