Nucleophilicities of Para-Substituted Phenoxide Ions in Water and Correlation Analysis

Synthesis of Isoflavones by Tandem Demethylation and Ring-Opening/Cyclization of Methoxybenzoylbenzofurans

The unexpected conversion of benzoylbenzofurans into isoflavones through an intramolecular cascade that involves deprotection and ring-opening/cyclization is described. This was discovered in an investigation of the possible transformation of benzoylbenzofurans into coumaronochromones. This route affords isoflavones in two major steps from acetophenones and benzoquinones. The transformation was validated by synthesizing differently substituted isoflavone derivatives and further applied to a concise synthesis of a potential anticancer lead compound, glaziovianin A (1).

Kinetics and mechanism of phenoxide anions addition to 4-nitrobenzofurazan in aqueous solution

Second-order rate constants (k1) for the σ-complexation of 4-nitrobenzofurazan 1 with four 4-X-substituted phenoxide anions 2a–2d (X = OCH3, CH3, H and Cl) were measured in aqueous solution at 20 °C. Using this series of phenoxide anions as a reference, the electrophilicity parameter (E) of this electrophile 1 has been evaluated according to Mayr’s approach. With the E value of –9.42, Mayr’s equation was found to correctly predict the rate constants for the reactions of 1 with hydroxide ion in H2O and a 1:1 ratio of H2O to CH3CN. However, the large βnuc value of 1.12 obtained in the present work is clearly consistent with a single electron transfer (SET) mechanism.