Innovative Catalytic Protocols for the Ring‐Closing Friedel–Crafts‐Type Alkylation and Alkenylation of Arenes

Metal-free intramolecular hydroarylation of alkynes

An efficient metal-free intramolecular hydroarylation reaction of alkynes is described here. A series of aryl and N-group attached alkynes generated the intramolecular hydroarylation products in high yields.

Facile and innovative catalytic protocol for intramolecular Friedel-Crafts cyclization of Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts: Synergistic combination of chiral (salen)chromium(III)/BF3·OEt2 catalysis

The chiral (salen)Cr(III)/BF3·OEt2 catalytic combination was found to be an effective catalyst for intramolecular Friedel-Crafts cyclization of electron-deficient Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts. In presence of mild reaction conditions the chiral (salen)Cr(III)/BF3·OEt2 complex affords 2-substituted-1H-indenes from unique substrates of Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts via an easy operating practical procedure.

Solvent-specific, DAST-mediated intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction: access to dibenzoxepine-fused spirooxindoles

A facile, DAST-mediated intramolecular cyclization of 3-hydroxy-3-(2-((3-methoxybenzyl)oxy)phenyl)indolin-2-one derivatives for the synthesis of spirooxindoles fused with dibenzoxepine moieties is described. The success of this reaction is highly dependent on the choice of solvent (promoted by DCM and 1,2-DCE) and the electronic nature of the pendant aromatic ring, which is favored by the presence of electron-donating substituents. The reaction is believed to proceed through an intramolecular Friedel-Crafts-type reaction. Various dibenzoxepine-fused spirooxindoles were successfully synthesized in up to 98% yield. This methodology provides libraries of structurally diverse and medicinally important small molecules that could aid in the search for new bioactive molecules.

Facile one-pot synthesis of ketones from primary alcohols under mild conditions

One-pot transformation of primary alcohols to ketones was achieved by using dibromoisocyanuric acid and Fe₂O₃. This synthetic method provides a variety of ketones in high yield under mild reaction conditions.

Au-Cavitands: Size governed arene-alkyne cycloisomerization

With an inwardly directed reactive center and a well-defined binding pocket, Au(I) functionalized resorcin[4]arene cavitands have been shown to catalyze molecular transformations. The reactivity profiles that emerge differ from other Au(I) catalysts. The added constraint of a binding pocket gives rise to the possibility that the substrates might have to fit into the resorcinarene pocket; our hypothesis is that substrates that match the available space have different reaction outcomes than those that do not. Herein we report on the intramolecular cyclization of alkyne-aromatic substrates with variable alkynes and aromatic composition. We see that scaffold size most drastically dictates reactivity, especially when the substrate's features are particularly designed. The results of these experiments add to the veritable goldmine of information about the selectivity in catalysis that cavitands offer.

3d Transition Metals for C-H Activation

C-H activation has surfaced as an increasingly powerful tool for molecular sciences, with notable applications to material sciences, crop protection, drug discovery, and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Despite major advances, the vast majority of these C-H functionalizations required precious 4d or 5d transition metal catalysts. Given the cost-effective and sustainable nature of earth-abundant first row transition metals, the development of less toxic, inexpensive 3d metal catalysts for C-H activation has gained considerable recent momentum as a significantly more environmentally-benign and economically-attractive alternative. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview on first row transition metal catalysts for C-H activation until summer 2018.

In(III)-TMSBr-Catalyzed Cascade Reaction of Diarylalkynes with Acrylates for the Synthesis of Aryldihydronaphthalene Derivatives

A combined Lewis acid system comprising of two or more Lewis acids occasionally exhibits augmented catalytic activity in organic transformations which are otherwise unrealizable by either of the components exclusively. On the other hand, the efficient construction of multiple new C-C bonds and polycyclic structures in minimal steps remains a subject of great interest in both academia and industry. Herein we report an efficient method to assemble aryldihydronaphthalene derivatives via a cascade reaction of diarylalkynes with acrylates under the catalysis of a combined Lewis acid derived from In(III) salt and TMSBr.

Intramolecular hydroarylation of aryl propargyl ethers catalyzed by indium: the mechanism of the reaction and identifying the catalytic species

The mechanism and regioselectivity of the intramolecular hydroarylation of phenyl propargyl ether catalyzed by indium were investigated by means of the DFT method.

Asymmetric Construction of Six-Membered Rings by Cyclization of Allenes with Dinuclear Gold Catalysis

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of 1,4-dihydroarenes by gold-catalyzed 6-endo cyclization of benzylic allenes has been developed. Furthermore, asymmetric hydroarylation of enantioenriched allenes has been realized to offer a practical and convergent approach to aromatic ring-fused six-membered cycles containing a chiral stereocenter such as 1,4-dihydronaphthalenes, 1,4-dihydrodibenzo[b,d]thiophenes, and 4,7-dihydrobenzo[b]thiophenes by applying dinuclear [(dppm)Au2 Cl2 ] [dppm=methylenebis(diphenylphosphane)] combined with AgOTf as the catalyst to ensure the high efficiency of chirality transfer. ESI-MS has been applied to characterize some of the key reactive dinuclear gold intermediates successfully.

Rhodium-catalysed direct C–H allylation of N-sulfonyl ketimines with allyl carbonates

Synthetically useful N-sulfonyl ketimines were efficiently allylated with various allyl carbonates through rhodium catalysis.

Indium-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation of aryl propargyl ethers

Indium(iii) halides are efficient and selective catalysts for the intramolecular hydroarylation of aryl propargyl ethers.

Bi(OTf)3-catalysed synthesis of substituted indanes by a double hydroarylation of unactivated 1,3-dienes

A straightforward synthesis of indane derivatives by sequential hydroarylation of 1,3-dienes catalysed by bismuth(iii) triflate is presented.

Rhodium-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation of 1-halo-1-alkynes: regioselective synthesis of semihydrogenated aromatic heterocycles

The regioselective intramolecular hydroarylation of (3-halo-2-propynyl)anilines, (3-halo-2-propynyl) aryl ethers, or (4-halo-3-butynyl) aryl ethers was efficiently catalyzed by Rh2(OCOCF3)4 to give semihydrogenated aromatic heterocycles, such as 4-halo-1,2-dihydroquinolines, 4-halo-3-chromenes, or 4-(halomethylene)chromans, in good to excellent yields. Some synthetic applications taking advantage of the halo-substituents of the products are also illustrated.

Gold(I)-catalyzed hydroarylation reaction of aryl (3-iodoprop-2-yn-1-yl) ethers: synthesis of 3-iodo-2H-chromene derivatives

An efficient entry to the preparation of elusive 4-unsubstituted-3-iodo-2H-chromenes has been accomplished as result of a catalytic cyclization. Thus, upon exposition of [(3-iodoprop-2-yn-1-yl)oxy]arenes to IPrAuNTf₂ (3 mol %), in 1,4-dioxane at 100 °C, the desired heterocyclic motif is readily assembled. This process nicely tolerates a variety of functional groups and, interestingly, it is compatible with the presence of strong electron-withdrawing groups attached to the arene. The overall transformation can be termed as a new example of a migratory cycloisomerization and, formally, it involves well-blended 1,2-iodine shift and hydroarylation steps.

Synthesis of a tetrasubstituted tetrahydronaphthalene scaffold for α-helix mimicry via a MgBr2-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts epoxide cycloalkylation

α-Helices are ubiquitous protein recognition elements that bind diverse biomolecular targets. The synthesis of a small molecule scaffold to present the side chains of an α-helix is described. The 1,3,5,7-tetrasubstituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene scaffold, providing mimicry of the i, i+3, and i+4 positions of an α-helix, was synthesized using a novel MgBr2-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts epoxide cycloalkylation as the key step. Each position may be differentiated via O-alkylation after scaffold synthesis, generating a diversity-oriented approach to readily synthesize proteomimetics for different targets.

Calcium-based Lewis acid catalysts

Recently, Lewis acidic calcium salts bearing weakly coordinating anions such as Ca(NTf₂)₂, Ca(OTf)₂, CaF₂ and Ca[OCH(CF₃)₂]₂ have been discovered as catalysts for the transformation of alcohols, olefins and carbonyl compounds. High stability towards air and moisture, selectivity and high reactivity under mild reaction conditions render these catalysts a sustainable and mild alternative to transition metals, rare-earth metals or strong Brønsted acids.

Alkyne hydroarylation with Au N-heterocyclic carbene catalysts

Mono- and dinuclear gold complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have been employed as catalysts in the intermolecular hydroarylation of alkynes with simple unfunctionalised arenes. Both mono- and dinuclear gold(III) complexes were able to catalyze the reaction; however, the best results were obtained with the mononuclear gold(I) complex IPrAuCl. This complex, activated with one equivalent of silver tetrafluoroborate, exhibited under acidic conditions at room temperature much higher catalytic activity and selectivity compared to more commonly employed palladium(II) catalysts. Moreover, the complex was active, albeit to a minor extent, even under neutral conditions, and exhibited lower activity but higher selectivity compared to the previously published complex AuCl(PPh(3)). Preliminary results on intramolecular hydroarylations using this catalytic system indicate, however, that alkyne hydration by traces of water may become a serious competing reaction.