Photochemical Alkene Isomerization for the Synthesis of Polysubstituted Furans and Pyrroles under Neutral Conditions

Cp2TiCl-Promoted Endo-Trig Radical Cyclization to Six- and Seven-Membered Carbocycles: Synthesis of (±)-Isoclavukerin A

A systematic study is undertaken to investigate the less explored endo-trig radical cyclization in activated olefin-appended epoxides using Cp2TiCl. The radical generated by the Ti(III)-promoted reductive opening of the epoxy ring promptly underwent endo-trig cyclization, giving access to differently 1,3-disubstituted six- and seven-membered carbocycles in good yields and diastereoselectivity. This protocol was successfully employed in the construction of 5,7- and 6,7-fused bicyclic frameworks entailing a de novo synthesis of (±)-isoclavukerin A belonging to tri-nor-guaiane class of sesquiterpene natural products in eight simple steps from commercially available starting materials. Besides the Ti(III)-mediated reaction serving as a key step in the synthesis, a sequential [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement/syn-elimination of an allyl sulfenate intermediate successfully rendered the highly constrained diene moiety in the hydroazulene core of the target molecule.

Brønsted acid-catalysed desilylative heterocyclisation to form substituted furans

Heterocyclisation of tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBS) protected γ-hydroxy-α,β-unsaturated ketones catalysed by para-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TSA) to form substituted furans is reported. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions at room temperature in methanol to give a range of furan products (21 examples, up to 98% yield). Mechanistic experiments suggest the reaction proceeds via in situ deprotection followed by catalytic dehydrative heterocyclisation.

Advances in the E → Z Isomerization of Alkenes Using Small Molecule Photocatalysts

Geometrical E → Z alkene isomerization is intimately entwined in the historical fabric of organic photochemistry and is enjoying a renaissance (Roth et al. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 1989 28, 1193-1207). This is a consequence of the fundamental stereochemical importance of Z-alkenes, juxtaposed with frustrations in thermal reactivity that are rooted in microscopic reversibility. Accessing excited state reactivity paradigms allow this latter obstacle to be circumnavigated by exploiting subtle differences in the photophysical behavior of the substrate and product chromophores: this provides a molecular basis for directionality. While direct irradiation is operationally simple, photosensitization via selective energy transfer enables augmentation of the alkene repertoire to include substrates that are not directly excited by photons. Through sustained innovation, an impressive portfolio of tailored small molecule catalysts with a range of triplet energies are now widely available to facilitate contra-thermodynamic and thermo-neutral isomerization reactions to generate Z-alkene fragments. This review is intended to serve as a practical guide covering the geometric isomerization of alkenes enabled by energy transfer catalysis from 2000 to 2020, and as a logical sequel to the excellent treatment by Dugave and Demange (Chem. Rev. 2003 103, 2475-2532). The mechanistic foundations underpinning isomerization selectivity are discussed together with induction models and rationales to explain the counterintuitive directionality of these processes in which very small energy differences distinguish substrate from product. Implications for subsequent stereospecific transformations, application in total synthesis, regioselective polyene isomerization, and spatiotemporal control of pre-existing alkene configuration in a broader sense are discussed.

Insights into the mechanisms of Cu(i)-catalyzed heterocyclization of α-acyl-α-alkynyl ketene dithioacetals to form 3-cyanofurans: the roles of NH4OAc

NH₄OAc is decomposed into NH₃ and HOAc, and both NH₃ and HOAc as the proton shuttle can prompt catalytic reactions.