Vinylation of Nitro-Substituted Indoles, Quinolinones, and Anilides with Grignard Reagents

The conversion of ether bonds to hydroxyl via a base-promoted rearrangement of cyclic phosphine oxides

Biphenyl derived secondary phosphine oxides having 2′-hydroxyl were prepared.

Catalytic C(sp2)-C(sp3) Bond Formation of Methoxyarenes by the Organic Superbase t-Bu-P4

The organic superbase catalyst t-Bu-P4 achieves nucleophilic aromatic substitution of methoxyarenes with alkanenitrile pronucleophiles. A variety of functional groups [cyano, nitro, (non)enolizable ketone, chloride, and amide moieties] are allowed on methoxyarenes. Moreover, an array of alkanenitriles with/without an aryl moiety at the nitrile α-position can be employed. The system also features no requirement of a stoichiometric base, MeOH (not salt waste) formation as a byproduct, and the production of congested quaternary carbon centers.

Cleavage of Aromatic C-O Bonds via Intramolecular SNAr Reaction and Preparation of P,C,Axial-Stereogenic Menthyl Phosphine Derivatives

Phosphine ligands with up to six chiral sites were prepared, starting from 2-phenylphenol, via O- and P-alkylation, cyclization, and coupling. The chirality was transferred from (L)-menthyl to phosphorus, α-carbon, and axis, to achieve excellent diastereoselectivities. During an intramolecular S_NAr reaction with alkoxyl as the leaving groups, the C-O bond was converted to a C-C bond. Both phosphine boranes and oxides could be used for the conversions, affording a series of cyclic phosphines.

Phosphazene Base tBu-P4 Catalyzed Methoxy-Alkoxy Exchange Reaction on (Hetero)Arenes

The organic superbase tBu-P4 catalyzes methoxy-alkoxy exchange reactions on (hetero)arenes with alcohols. The catalytic reaction proceeded efficiently with electron-deficient methoxy(hetero)arenes as well as with a variety of alcohols, including 3-amino-1-propanol, β-citronellol, menthol, and cholesterol. An intramolecular version of this reaction furnished six- and seven-membered ring compounds.

Applications of Bartoli indole synthesis

In 1989, the reaction of vinyl magnesium halides with ortho-substituted nitroarenes leading to indoles was discovered. This reaction is now frequently reported as the "Bartoli reaction" or the "Bartoli indole synthesis" (BIS). It has rapidly become the shortest and most flexible route to 7-substituted indoles, because the classical indole syntheses generally fail in their preparation. The flexibility of the Bartoli reaction is great as it can be extended to heteroaromatic nitro derivatives and can be run on solid support. This review will focus on the use of the Bartoli indole synthesis as the key step in preparations of complex indoles, which appeared in the literature in the last few years.

Synthesis of diverse indole libraries on polystyrene resin - Scope and limitations of an organometallic reaction on solid supports

The synthesis of diverse substituted indole structures on solid supports is described. The immobilization of nitrobenzoic acid onto Merrifield resin and the subsequent treatment with alkenyl Grignard reagents delivered indole carboxylates bound to solid supports. In contrast to results in the liquid phase, ortho,ortho-unsubstituted nitroarenes also delivered indole moieties in good yields. Subsequent palladium-catalyzed reactions (Suzuki, Heck, Sonogashira, Stille) delivered, after cleavage, the desired molecules in moderate to good yields over four steps. The scope and limitations are presented.

Chemistry of nitroquinolones and synthetic application to unnatural 1-methyl-2-quinolone derivatives

The 1-methyl-2-quinolone (MeQone) framework is often found in alkaloids and recently attention was drawn to unnatural MeQone derivatives with the aim of finding new biologically active compounds, however, low reactivity of the MeQone framework prevents the syntheses of versatile derivatives. A nitro group is one of the useful activating groups for this framework that enables a concise chemical transformation. Among nitroquinolones, 1-methyl-3,6,8-trinitro-2-quinolone (TNQ) exhibits unusual reactivity favoring region-selective cine-substitutions that afford 4-substituted 1-methyl-6,8-dinitro-2-quinolones upon treatment with nucleophilic reagents. Contrary to this, 1-methyl-3,6-dinitro-2-quinolone (3,6-DNQ) does not undergo any reaction under the same conditions. The unusual reactivity of TNQ is caused by steric repulsion between the methyl group at the 1-position and the nitro group at the 8-position, which distorts the MeQone framework. As a result, the pyridone ring of TNQ loses aromaticity and acts rather as an activated nitroalkene. Indeed, the pyridone moiety of TNQ undergoes cycloaddition with electron-rich alkenes or dienes under mild conditions, whereby a new fused ring is constructed on the [c]-face of the MeQone. Consequently, TNQ can be used as a new scaffold leading to versatile unnatural MeQone derivatives.