Expedient Synthesis of Fused Azepine Derivatives Using a Sequential Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed Cyclopropanation/1-Aza-Cope Rearrangement of Dienyltriazoles

Renaissance of Ring-Opening Chemistry of Benzotriazoles: New Wine in an Old Bottle

1,2,3-Benzotriazoles could undergo ring cleavage to form ortho-amino arenediazonium or α-diazo-imine species via a Dimroth-type equilibrium. Historically, the synthetic potential of this unique reactivity had remained underdeveloped. Recently, some new strategies have been developed to effect the ring-opening chemistry of benzotriazoles in more practical manners. A wide range of conceptually novel and synthetically useful reactions have been developed, which enable the access to diverse valuable heterocycles and ortho-amino arene derivatives. As one of the players in this field, our group has also contributed a series of intriguing transition-metal-catalyzed denitrogenative functionalizations of benzotriazoles. In this account, we aim to provide an overview of the ring-opening chemistry of benzotriazoles, with a focus on relevant works published in the past decade. In order to show a whole picture of the research field, some pioneering works in its developing history will also be discussed briefly.

Chemical Consequences of the Mechanical Bond: A Tandem Active Template-Rearrangement Reaction

We report the unexpected discovery of a tandem active template CuAAC‐rearrangement process, in which N₂ is extruded on the way to the 1,2,3‐triazole product to give instead acrylamide rotaxanes. Mechanistic investigations suggest this process is dictated by the mechanical bond, which stabilizes the Cu^I‐triazolide intermediate of the CuAAC reaction and diverts it down the rearrangement pathway; when no mechanical bond is formed, the CuAAC product is isolated.

The Expanding Utility of Rhodium-Iminocarbenes: Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Natural Products and Related Scaffolds

Rhodium-iminocarbenes that are derived from N-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles have become an important class of reactive species and useful intermediates in organic synthesis. Over the last several years, many practical and versatile approaches involving rhodium-iminocarbene intermediates to synthetically challenging molecules (scaffolds) have been developed. This Minireview mainly summarizes the recent advance of rhodium-iminocarbene involved reactions in the synthesis of natural products and their related scaffolds by the end of 2017. Several applications in important pharmaceuticals are documented as well.