Cycloadditions of Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes and Nitriles

Formal High-Order Cycloadditions of Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes with Cycloheptatrienes

The design of various cycloaddition/annulation processes is one of the most intriguing challenges in the development of donor-acceptor (D-A) cyclopropane chemistry. In this work, a new class of formal high-order [6+n]-cycloaddition and annulation processes of D-A cyclopropanes with cycloheptatriene systems has been designed and reported, to fill a significant gap in the chemistry of D-A cyclopropanes. The reactivity of methylated cycloheptatrienes from Me1 to Me5 as well as unsubstituted cycloheptatriene was studied in detail under GaCl3 activation conditions, which makes it possible to efficiently generate gallium 1,2-zwitterionic complexes or 1,3-zwitterionic intermediates starting from D-A cyclopropanes, while other Lewis acids are ineffective and non-selective. New examples of formal [6+2]-, [6+3]-, [6+4]-, [6+1]-, and [4+2]-cycloaddition and annulation reactions with cycloheptatrienes along with more complex processes were discovered. Cycloheptatriene itself can also successfully act as a hydride anion donor, which allows the ionic hydrogenation of D-A cyclopropanes to be performed under mild conditions. As a result, a number of efficient and highly diastereoselective protocols for the synthesis of seven-membered carbocycles has been developed.

Concise approach to γ-(het)aryl- and γ-alkenyl-γ-aminobutyric acids. Synthesis of vigabatrin

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and GABA derivatives have attracted increased attention over the years in the fields of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology due to their interesting biological properties and synthetic relevance. Here, we report a short synthetic route to γ-(het)aryl- and γ-alkenyl-γ-aminobutyric acids, including the antiepileptic drug vigabatrin, from readily available donor-acceptor cyclopropanes and ammonia or methylamine. This protocol includes a facile synthesis of 2-oxopyrrolidine-3-carboxamides and their acid hydrolysis to γ-aryl- or γ-alkenyl-substituted GABAs, which can serve as perspective building blocks for the synthesis of various GABA-based N-heterocycles and bioactive compounds.

Nucleophile-Controlled Trapping of Gold Carbene by Nitriles and Water: Synthesis of 5H-Pyrimido[5,4-b]indoles and 2-Benzylidene-3-indolinones

A gold-catalyzed, nucleophile-controlled cascade reaction of N-(2-azidophenyl-ynyl)methanesulfonamides with nitriles and water is described that provides structurally diverse 5H-pyrimido[5,4-b]indoles and 2-benzylidene-3-indolinones in good to excellent yields. Mechanistic studies indicate that the β-sulfonamido-α-imino gold carbene is the key intermediate which is generated through the gold-catalyzed cyclization of N-(2-azidophenyl-ynyl)methanesulfonamides and undergoes formal [4 + 2] cascade annulation with nitriles and intramolecular SN2' type reaction with water, respectively.

Open shell versus closed shell bonding interaction in cyclopropane derivatives: EDA-NOCV analyses

Cyclopropane ring is a very common motif in organic/bio-organic compounds. The chemical bonding of this strained ring is taught to all chemistry students. This three-membered cyclic, C3 ring is quite reactive which has attracted both, synthetic and theoretical chemists to rationalize/correlate its stability and bonding with its reactivity and physical properties over a century. There are a few bonding models (mainly the Bent-Bond model and Walsh model) of this C3 ring that are debated to date. Herein, we have carried out energy decomposition analysis coupled with natural orbital for chemical valence (EDA-NOCV) to study the two most reactive bonds of cyclopropane rings of 49 different organic compounds containing different functional groups to obtain a much deeper bonding insight toward a more general bonding model of this class of compounds. The EDA-NOCV analyses of fragment orbitals and susequent bond formation revealed that the nature of the CC bond of the cyclopropane (splitting two bonds at a time out of three CC bonds) ring is preferred to form two dative covalent CC bonds (between a singlet olefin-fragment and an excited singlet carbene-fragment with a vacant sp2 orbital and a filled p-orbital) for the majority (37/49) of compounds over two covalent electron sharing bonds in some (7/49) compounds (between an excited triplet olefin and triplet carbene), while a few (5/49) compounds show flexibility to adopt either the electron sharing or dative covalent bond as both are equally possible. The effects of functional groups on the nature of chemical bond in cyclopropane rings have been studied in detail. Our bonding analyses are in line with the QTAIM analyses which produce small negative values of the Laplacian, significantly positive values of bond ellipticity, and accumulation of electron densities around the ring critical point of C3 -rings. These corresponding QTAIM parameters of C3 -rings are quite different for CC single bonds of normal hydrocarbons as expected. The chemical bonding in the majority of cyclopropane rings can be very similar to those of metal-olefin systems.

AlCl3-mediated ring-opening reactions of indoline-2-thiones with acyl cyclopropanes, bi-cyclopropanes and spirocyclic cyclopropanes

AlCl3-mediated nucleophilic ring-opening reactions of indoline-2-thiones with various acyl cyclopropanes, bi-cyclopropanes and spirocyclic cyclopropanes were investigated. A series of ketones functionalized with indolylthio groups were synthesized in yields ranging from moderate to good. Moreover, chemical transformations of 4-indolylthio butan-1-ones to dihydro-2H-thiepino[2,3-b]indoles and sulfone were carried out to further expand both synthetic utility and structural complexity.

Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Annulations of Geminally Disubstituted Cyclopropanes with Aldehydes or 1,3,5-Triazinanes

Under the catalysis of simple Lewis acid catalysts, 2-(1-aroylcyclopropyl)malonates demonstrated unique reactivities in annulation reactions with aryl/alkyl aldehydes, paraformaldehyde, and 1,3,5-triazinanes. Three types of structurally diverse cyclic products that are otherwise not easy to obtain were generated in moderate to good yields and excellent diastereoselectivities. Possible reaction pathways leading to these products were proposed on the basis of the results of control experiments.

Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes: Activation Enabled by a Single, Vinylogous Acceptor

A novel class of highly activated donor-acceptor cyclopropanes bearing only a single, vinylogous acceptor is presented. These strained moieties readily undergo cycloadditions with aldehydes, ketones, thioketones, nitriles, naphth-2-ols and various other substrates to yield the corresponding carbo- and heterocycles. Diastereocontrol can be achieved through the choice of catalyst (Brønsted or Lewis acid). The formation of tetrahydrofurans was shown to be highly enantiospecific when chiral cyclopropanes are employed. A series of mechanistic and kinetic experiments was conducted to elucidate a plausible catalytic cycle and to rationalize the stereochemical outcome.

Synthesis of 1,5-Substituted Pyrrolidin-2-ones from Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes and Anilines/Benzylamines

We developed a straightforward synthetic route to pharmacologically important 1,5-substituted pyrrolidin-2-ones from donor-acceptor cyclopropanes bearing an ester group as one of the acceptor substituents. This method includes a Lewis acid-catalyzed opening of the donor-acceptor cyclopropane with primary amines (anilines, benzylamines, etc.) to γ-amino esters, followed by in situ lactamization and dealkoxycarbonylation. The reaction has a broad scope of applicability; a variety of substituted anilines, benzylamines, and other primary amines as well as a wide range of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes bearing (hetero)aromatic or alkenyl donor groups and various acceptor substituents can be involved in this transformation. In this process, donor-acceptor cyclopropanes react as 1,4-C,C-dielectrophiles, and amines react as 1,1-dinucleophiles. The resulting di- and trisubstituted pyrrolidin-2-ones can be also used in subsequent chemistry to obtain various nitrogen-containing polycyclic compounds of interest to medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, such as benz[g]indolizidine derivatives.

Ambident reactivity of 5-aminopyrazoles towards donor-acceptor cyclopropanes

Lewis acid-catalysed reactions of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes with 1,3-disubstituted 5-aminopyrazoles were investigated. Under catalysis with gallium(III) chloride, products of the three-membered ring opening via a nucleophilic attack of the exocyclic amino group were obtained in a chemoselective manner. Oppositely, in the presence of scandium(III) triflate, products of either N-alkylation or C(4)-alkylation, or a mixture of both were formed. The products of the C(4) alkylation were transformed in one step into tetrahydropyrazolo[3,4-b]azepines that are attractive for medicinal chemistry and pharmacology.

The Renaissance of Organo Nitriles in Organic Synthesis

In the arena of functional group-oriented organic synthesis, the nitrile or cyano functionality is of immense importance. The presence of nucleophilic N -atom, π-coordinating ability of the triple bond, and electrophilic C-center imparts unique and interesting reactivity. Owing to the ability of the nitrile to transform into various other functional groups or intermediates, the chemistry is very rich and diverse. In particular, the involvement of nitrile in numerous organic reactions such as inter- or intramolecular alkyne insertion, [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition with alkynes, [3 + 2] cycloaddition with azides, [4 + 2] cycloaddition with diene allow the synthesis of many important carbocycles and heterocycles. Furthermore, the nitrile serves as a directing group in many C-H bond functionalization reactions to introduce diverse functionality and participate as a radical acceptor in radical cascade strategies to obtain a large variety of functional molecules. This review mainly focuses on the reactivity and diverse synthetic application of the nitrile including C-H bond functionalization, alkyne insertion, cycloaddition, and thermal or photochemical cascade strategy. The objective of the current review aims at bringing out the striking collection of various nitrile-triggered organic transformations.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Bispiro[indanedione-oxindole-cyclopropane]s through Organocatalytic [2+1] Cycloaddition

A series of compounds featuring a novel bispiro[indanedione-oxindole-cyclopropane] moiety have been synthesized through a squaramide-catalyzed [2+1] cycloaddition reaction. The tandem Michael-alkylation reaction of 2-arylidene-1,3-indanediones with 3-bromooxindoles furnished the cycloadducts in high yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The ammonium ylide in the catalytic process, as a key intermediate, was revealed by the high-resolution mass spectrometry study.

A metal-free BF3·OEt2 mediated chemoselective protocol for the synthesis of propargylic cyclic imines

A chemoselective and metal/additive-free protocol for the synthesis of propargylic cyclic imine derivatives via (3 + 2)-cycloaddition of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes and alkynylnitriles in the presence of BF₃·OEt₂ has been established. The newly developed methodology provided access to a variety of propargylic cyclic imines in good to excellent yields. In addition, the synthesis of propargylic amines and the corresponding very stable enol derivatives from the title compound is also explored.

The Cloke-Wilson rearrangement of aroyl-substituted donor-acceptor cylopropanes containing arylethyl donors

The chemistry of donor-acceptor (D-A) cyclopropanes containing alkyl donors has been scantily investigated. In the present work, we have synthesized new D-A cyclopropanes containing arylethyl donors and explored their reactivity in the presence of Lewis acids. Upon treatment with SnCl₄, these cyclopropanes underwent the Cloke-Wilson rearrangement to yield 3,4,5-trisubstituted γ-butyrolactones in good yields with high diastereoselectivity.

A novel type of donor-acceptor cyclopropane with fluorine as the donor: (3 + 2)-cycloadditions with carbonyls

gem-Difluorocyclopropane diester is disclosed as a new type of donor–acceptor cyclopropane, which smoothly participates in (3 + 2)-cycloadditions with various aldehydes and ketones. This work represents the first application of gem-difluorine substituents as an unconventional donor group for activating cyclopropane substrates in catalytic cycloaddition reactions. With this method, a wide variety of densely functionalized gem-difluorotetrahydrofuran skeletons, which are otherwise difficult to prepare, could be readily assembled in high yields under mild reaction conditions. Computational studies show that the cleavage of the C–C bond between the difluorine and diester moieties occurs upon a S_N2-type attack of the carbonyl oxygen.

A new type of donor–acceptor cyclopropane with gem-difluorine as an unconventional donor group undergoes (3 + 2)-cycloadditions with various aldehydes/ketones, affording densely functionalized gem-difluorotetrahydrofurans.

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Tetrahydrobenzo[b]azocines by Lu(OTf)3 Catalyzed [4 + 4] Cycloaddition of Donor–Acceptor Cyclobutanes with Anthranils

The construction of N-heterocyclic eight-membered rings remains a challenging due to unfavorable transannular strain. Herein, we report a Lu(OTf)3 catalyzed formal [4 +4] cycloaddition reaction of cyclobutane 1,1-diesters with anthranils...

Lewis acid-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition of donor–acceptor cyclobutanes with iminooxindoles: access to spiro[piperidine-3,2′-oxindoles]

A Lewis acid-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction from D–A cyclobutanes and iminooxindoles, providing the corresponding spiro[piperidine-3,2′-oxindoles] under mild conditions.

Pd-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of cyclic ketimines and trimethylenemethanes toward N-fused pyrrolidines bearing a quaternary carbon

A Pd-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of N-sulfonyl cyclic ketimines and trimethylenemethanes (TMM) was developed that afforded N-fused pyrrolidines bearing a quaternary carbon. Under mild reaction conditions, structurally diverse N-sulfonyl cyclic imines, including sulfamate-fused aldimines, aryl- or styryl-substituted sulfamate-derived ketimines, and N-sulfonyl cyclic ketimines, were tolerated as reactants, affording N-fused pyrrolidines with high efficiency.

Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropane Ring Opening with 6-Amino-1,3-dimethyluracil and Its Use in Pyrimido[4,5-b]azepines Synthesis

A scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate-catalyzed reaction of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes with 6-amino-1,3-dimethyluracil was found to proceed as three-membered ring opening via nucleophilic attack of the C(5) atom of an ambident nucleophile serving as an enamine equivalent. It was shown that, under basic conditions, the obtained products underwent cyclization to 6,7-dihydro-1H-pyrimido[4,5-b]azepine-2,4,8-triones, an interesting subclass of nucleobase analogues.

In situ generation of highly reactive allenes from nitrocyclopropanes: controllable synthesis of enynes and enesters

A new and efficient strategy for ring-opening reactions of nitrocyclopropanes is developed for the first time for the divergent synthesis of enynes and enesters via in situ generated highly reactive electron-deficient intermediate allenes. Controllable approaches resulted in enynes and enesters with up to 89% and 90% yields, respectively. The reaction features easy operation, involves green solvents and simple inorganic bases, and is transition-metal free.

Vinyl sulfone-modified carbohydrates: Michael acceptors and 2π partners for the synthesis of functionalized sugars and enantiomerically pure carbocycles and heterocycles

Increasing demands for molecules with skeletal complexity, including those of stereochemical diversity, require new synthetic strategies. Carbohydrates have been used extensively as chiral building blocks for the synthesis of various complex molecules. On the other hand, the vinyl sulfone group has been identified as a unique functional group, which acts either as a Michael acceptor or a 2π partner in cycloaddition reactions. A combination of the high reactivity of the vinyl sulfone group and the in-built chiralities of carbohydrates has the potential to function as a powerful tool to generate a wide variety of enantiomerically pure reactive intermediates. Since CS bond formation in carbohydrates is easily achieved with regioselectivity, further synthetic manipulations of these thiosugars has led to the generation of a wide range of vinyl sulfone-modified furanosyl, pyranosyl, acyclic, and bicyclic carbohydrates. Several approaches have been studied to standardize the preparative methods for accessing vinyl sulfone-modified carbohydrates at least on a gram scale. Reactions of these modified carbohydrates with appropriate reagents afford a large number of new chemical entities primarily via (i) Michael addition reactions, (ii) desulfostannylation, (iii) Michael-initiated ring-closure reactions, and (iv) cycloaddition reactions. A wide range of desulfonylating reagents in the context of sensitive molecules such as carbohydrates have also been extensively studied. Applications of these strategies have led to the synthesis of (a) amino sugars and branched-chain sugars, (b) C-glycosides, (c) enantiomerically pure cyclopropanes, five- and six-membered carbocycles, (d) saturated oxa-, aza-, and thio-monocyclic heterocycles, (e) bi-and tricyclic saturated oxa and aza heterocycles, (f) enantiomerically pure and trisubstituted pyrroles, (g) 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazolylated carbohydrates and the corresponding triazole-linked di- and trisaccharides, (h) divinyl sulfone-modified carbohydrates and densely functionalized S,S-dioxothiomorpholines, and (i) modified nucleosides. Details of reaction conditions were incorporated as much as possible and mechanistic discussions were included wherever necessary.

GaCl3-Mediated Cascade [2 + 4]-Cycloaddition/[4 + 2]-Annulation of Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes with Conjugated Dienes: Strategy for the Construction of Benzobicyclo[3.3.1]nonane Skeleton

Structurally important benzobicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives were synthesized by a gallium trichloride mediated reaction of readily available donor-acceptor cyclopropanes (DACs) with 1,3-dienes as a one-pot cascade ionic [2 + 4]-cycloaddition/Friedel-Crafts-type cyclization process. At the first stage, DACs act as sources of formal gallium 1,2-zwitterionic complexes to give 6-benzylcyclohex-3-ene-1,1-dicarboxylates that are converted under certain conditions in the presence of GaCl₃ to give benzobicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes in 30-74% yields. The process is tolerant of varying substituents at different positions of the main framework. Further, potentially useful modifications of benzobicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives are demonstrated. 2-Cyclopropylbutadiene reacts with DAC at higher temperature more deeply with cleavage of three-membered rings in both cyclopropane substrates, and twofold alkylation of the Ph-substituent at ortho- and meta-positions, that leads to a 1,2,7,8,9,10-hexahydro-6H-7,10a-methanocycloocta[cd]indene skeleton. Cyclopropane-1,1-diesters containing a bulky substituent in the ester group react with isoprene in a different way to give bicyclic lactones containing a 2-oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-3-one moiety.

Tin(iv) chloride mediated (3 + 2) annulation of trans-2-aroyl-3-styrylcyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylates with nitriles: diastereoselective access to 5-vinyl-1-pyrroline derivatives

A tin(iv) chloride promoted (3 + 2) annulation of trans-2-aroyl-3-styrylcyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylates with nitriles is reported. The transformation involves the Lewis acid assisted formation of 1,5-dipolar intermediates from the cyclopropane dicarboxylates and nitriles followed by cyclization. The reactions proceed in a highly diastereoselective manner and afford 5-vinyl-1-pyrroline derivatives in 60-88% yields.

Recent advances in ring-opening of donor acceptor cyclopropanes using C-nucleophiles

Ring-opening transformations of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes (DAC) with carbon-centered nucleophiles is a simple, straight-forward approach to 1,3-bifunctional compounds that has witnessed remarkable progress over the past several years. To date, different reactivity patterns of DACs have been successfully exploited in racemic/stereoselective syntheses of various acyclic compounds or carbocycles with an impressive structural diversity. The thriving strategies have been successfully utilized in multistep synthesis of complex target molecules. Herein, the recent advances (2015-present) in the ring-opening of DAC involving electron rich arenes and indoles, active methylene compounds, various dipolarophiles, organoborates/boronates, vinyl ethers etc. following Friedel-Crafts alkylation, annulation/formal cycloaddition reaction, organocatalytic reaction, Nazarov cyclisation etc. are presented.

Protic Ionic Liquid as Reagent, Catalyst, and Solvent: 1-Methylimidazolium Thiocyanate

We propose a new concept of the triple role of protic ionic liquids with nucleophilic anions: a) a regenerable solvent, b) a Brønsted acid inducing diverse transformations via general acid catalysis, and c) a source of a nucleophile. The efficiency of this strategy was demonstrated using thiocyanate-based protic ionic liquids for the ring-opening of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes. A wide variety of activated cyclopropanes were found to react with 1-methylimidazolium thiocyanate under mild metal-free conditions via unusual nitrogen attack of the ambident thiocyanate ion on the electrophilic center of the three-membered ring affording pyrrolidine-2-thiones bearing donor and acceptor substituents at the C(5) and C(3) atoms, respectively, in a single time-efficient step. The ability of 1-methylimidazolium thiocyanate to serve as a triplex reagent was exemplarily illustrated by (4+2)-annulation with 1-acyl-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)cyclopropane, epoxide ring-opening and other organic transformations.

"Cyclopropanation of Cyclopropanes": GaCl3-Mediated Ionic Cyclopropanation of Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes with Diazo Esters as a Route to Tetrasubstituted Activated Cyclopropanes

A new ionic cyclopropanation process involving the addition of diazo esters to donor-acceptor cyclopropanes (DAC) activated by GaCl₃ has been developed. The reactions occur via 1,2-zwitterionic gallium complexes with elimination of nitrogen in all cases to give 1,1,2,3-tetrasubstituted cyclopropanes as the main products. Also, a number of related processes with the formation of various polysubstituted cyclopropanes, alkenes, and cyclobutanes, including products of multiple diazo ester addition, have been developed. Obtained by the developed method tetrasubstituted cyclopropanes are activated cyclopropanes such as DAC and can be used for further synthesis in this capacity. Their new reaction with benzaldehyde promoted by TiCl₄ and involving one of the additional functional groups has been demonstrated, which leads to five-membered lactones. The mechanisms of the occurring processes, as well as the structures and stereochemistry of a rich range of products formed, are discussed in detail.

Reactions of Styrylmalonates with Aromatic Aldehydes: Detailed Synthetic and Mechanistic Studies

Reactions of styrylmalonates with aromatic aldehydes in the presence of Lewis and Brønsted acids and their regularities have been studied in detail. Approaches to the synthesis of various polysubstituted 5,6-dihydropyran-2-ones, indenes, aryl-containing dienes and trienes, cyclopentadienes, and polycyclic lactones have been developed with chemo-, regio-, stereo-, and diastereoselectivity control. The mechanisms of these reactions were studied in depth using multinuclear NMR experiments, monitoring the reactions in the NMR tube, and ¹⁸O isotope labeling.

Brønsted Acid Catalyzed (4 + 2) Cyclocondensation of 3-Substituted Indoles with Donor–Acceptor Cyclopropanes

Acylcyclopropanes are employed as useful donor–acceptor cyclopropanes that undergo formal (4 + 2) cyclocondensation with N-unprotected 3-substituted indoles in the presence of a Brønsted acid catalyst. The reaction involves the simultaneous alkylation of both the N and C-2 positions of the indole and provides access to the 8,9-dihydropyrido[1,2-a]indole scaffold that is the central core of several biologically relevant indole alkaloids in excellent yields and good selectivities.

DFT Quest of the Active Species of the Gallium-Mediated Coupling of Methylidenemalonates and Acetylenes

In this study, three different Ga-containing systems based on GaCl₃, Ga₂Cl₆, or ionic [Ga(L)₃][GaCl₄]₃ (L = methylidenemalonate) complex were screened to elucidate the mechanism, regioselectivity, chemoselectivity, and role of Ga mediator in the reaction between two types of acetylenes (phenylacetylene and but-1-yn-1-ylbenzene) and methylidenemalonates, i.e., the 1,2-zwitterionic precursors that are similar to intermediates derived from donor-acceptor cyclopropanes (DACs). Our DFT calculation results clearly show that the ionic gallium complex [Ga(L)₃][GaCl₄]₃ represents the key mediator in the title reaction. After the formation of such a complex, the first reaction step is the nucleophilic addition of phenylacetylene or but-1-yn-1-ylbenzene to [Ga(L)₃][GaCl₄]₃, generating an unstable vinyl cation intermediate. In the phenylacetylene system, this vinyl cation intermediate accepts a chlorine atom from [GaCl₄]^- to give E-configuration intermediate. Then, the above process occurs to other two ligands of the Ga(III) complex to furnish a final product. On the other hand, in the but-1-yn-1-ylbenzene system, the vinyl cation intermediate prefers to undergo Friedel-Crafts (F-C) alkylation to generate a five-membered ring intermediate. This process is repeated on the other two methylidenemalonate ligands, giving rise to a final cyclization product. The distortion/interaction analysis shows that in the nucleophilic addition step the distortion energy of the Ga complex part is the main factor that influences the activation energy. Furthermore, the global reactivity index (GRI) analysis indicates that the Ga-complex model has the highest electrophilicity index ω, thus leading to the lowest energy barrier among three Ga-based models. In addition, DFT results reveal that the regioselectivity (E-configuration preference) and chemoselectivity (chloration or F-C alkylation) are mainly controlled by the steric effect rather than the electronic effect. The main findings of the present work provide a new way to analyze and rationalize various Ga-mediated reactions, which might also be extrapolated to organic transformations undergoing in the presence of aluminum and indium complexes.

Cascade intramolecular rearrangement/cycloaddition of nitrocyclopropane carboxylates with alkynes/alkenes: access to uncommon bi(hetero)cyclic systems

A straightforward approach for the one-pot synthesis of fused bi(hetero)cyclic systems via cascade intramolecular rearrangement/cycloaddition reaction of nitrocyclopropane carboxylates with substituted alkynes/alkenes has been demonstrated.

Electrophilic fluorosulfoxonium cations as hidden Brønsted acid catalysts in (n + 2) annulations of strained cycloalkanes

A fluorosulfoxonium cation and triflic acid were shown to promote (n + 2) annulations of donor–acceptor cyclopropanes or -butanes with 1,2-dipoles, with different activity and selectivity but a presumed similar role as (hidden) Brønsted acids.

Scandium(III) Triflate-Catalyzed Reaction of Aroyl-Substituted Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes with 1-Naphthylamines: Access to Dibenzo[c,h]acridines

The reaction of aroyl-substituted donor-acceptor (D-A) cyclopropanes with two equivalents of 1-naphthylamines in the presence of a catalytic amount of scandium(III) triflate provides access to dibenzo[c,h]acridines. The key steps of the transformation are the formation of nucleophilic ring-opening products from the D-A cyclopropanes and 1-naphthylamines and their subsequent fragmentation and cyclization. The method has a reasonable substrate scope, and the products are formed in 50-70% yields.

Donor-Acceptor Bicyclopropyls as 1,6-Zwitterionic Intermediates: Synthesis and Reactions with 4-Phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione and Terminal Acetylenes

The bicyclopropyl system activated by incorporation of donor and acceptor groups in the presence of Lewis acids was used as a synthetic equivalent of 1,6-zwitterions. Opening of both cyclopropane rings in 2'-aryl-1,1'-bicyclopropyl-2,2-dicarboxylates (D-A bicyclopropyl, ABCDs) in the presence of GaI₃ + Bu₄N⁺GaI₄^- results in 5-iodo-5-arylpent-2-enylmalonates as products of HI formal 1,6-addition to the bicyclopropyl system. The use of GaCl₃ or GaBr₃ as a Lewis acid and terminal aryl or alkyl acetylenes as 1,6-zwitterion interceptors allows the alkyl substituent to be grown to give the corresponding acyclic 7-chloro(bromo)-hepta-2,6-dienylmalonates. The reaction of ABCDs with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTAD) catalyzed by Yb(OTf)₃ also results in the opening of both cyclopropane rings. The reaction products are tetrahydropyridazine derivatives - (7,9-dioxo-1,6,8-triazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-3-en-2-ylmethyl)malonates - containing one more PTAD moiety in the malonyl group.

Synthesis of Hexahydropyridazines by [4 + 2] Cycloaddition of Donor-Acceptor Cyclobutanes and cis-Diazenes

The GaCl₃-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition between alkoxy- and aryl-activated donor-acceptor cyclobutane diesters and cis-diazene 1a (4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione, PTAD) is disclosed. The reaction provides hexahydropyridazine derivatives as single diastereomers in good to excellent yields in most cases. The structural assignment of the cycloadduct 3b was unambiguously established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.