Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Sarpagine and Koumine Alkaloids

We report here a concise, collective, and asymmetric total synthesis of sarpagine alkaloids and biogenetically related koumine alkaloids, which structurally feature a rigid cage scaffold, with L-tryptophan as the starting material. Two key bridged skeleton-forming reactions, namely tandem sequential oxidative cyclopropanol ring-opening cyclization and ketone α-allenylation, ensure concurrent assembly of the caged sarpagine scaffold and installation of requisite derivative handles. With a common caged intermediate as the branch point, by taking advantage of ketone and allene groups therein, total synthesis of five sarpagine alkaloids (affinisine, normacusine B, trinervine, N_a -methyl-16-epipericyclivine, and vellosimine) with various substituents and three koumine alkaloids (koumine, koumimine, and N-demethylkoumine) with more complex cage scaffolds has been accomplished.

Furan oxidation by Mn(iii)/Co(ii) catalysts – application to benzofuran synthesis

Catalytic oxidation of furan containing β-ketoester at 2-position by MnIII/CoII produced 4-hydroxy-2-cyclohexen-1-ones, which can be transformed into versatile benzofuran derivatives.

Photochemical Approach to the Cyclohepta[b]indole Scaffold by Annulative Two-Carbon Ring-Expansion

We report on the implementation of the concept of a photochemically elicited two-carbon homologation of a π-donor-π-acceptor substituted chromophore by triple-bond insertion. Implementing a phenyl connector between the slide-in module and the chromophore enabled the synthesis of cylohepta[b]indole-type building blocks by a metal-free annulative one-pot two-carbon ring expansion of the five-membered chromophore. Post-irradiative structural elaboration provided founding members of the indolo[2,3-d]tropone family of compounds. Control experiments in combination with computational chemistry on this multibond reorganization process founded the basis for a mechanistic hypothesis.

Selective Preparation of 4-Alkylphenol from Lignin-Derived Phenols and Raw Biomass over Magnetic Co-Fe@N-Doped Carbon Catalysts

Lignin valorization to produce high-value chemicals selectively is an enormous challenge in biorefinery. In this study, 4-alkylphenol, formed by breaking the robust C_aryl -OCH₃ bonds solely with the retention of other structures in lignin-derived methoxylalkylphenols, was produced selectively over a Co₁ -Fe_0.1 @NC catalyst from real lignin oil as feedstock, which was obtained by a "lignin-first" strategy from either birch or cornstalk. A yield of 64.7 or 88.3 mol % of 4-propylphenol was obtained if birch lignin oil or eugenol was used as the substrate, respectively. The catalysts were characterized by using methods that include Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements, XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed desorption with synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry. The results of catalyst characterization and comparison experiments indicated that CoN_x was the main active phase for demethoxylation and hydrogenation, and the incorporation of Fe weakens the adsorption of 4-propylphenol to the catalyst, which inhibits the excessive hydrogenation of 4-propylphenol. This work shows the potential to produce high-value-added 4-alkylphenol from renewable raw biomass.