Arenes and Hetarenes in Reactions with unsaturated Nitro Compounds (Review)

Superelectrophilic activation of 1-nitronaphthalene in the presence of aluminum chloride. Reactions with benzene and cyclohexane

1-Nitronaphthalene smoothly reacts with benzene and undergoes selective reduction with cyclohexane in the presence of aluminum chloride to give 2,4,4-triphenyl-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one oxime and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-1-naphthylamine, respectively. The mechanistic aspects of these and related reactions are discussed on the basis of DFT, providing insight into the protonation behavior of 1-nitronaphthalene coordinated to AlCl3.

Reactions of 3,3,3-Trihalogeno-1-nitropropenes with Arenes in the Superacid CF3SO3H: Synthesis of ( Z)-3,3,3-Trihalogeno-1,2-diarylpropan-1-one Oximes and Study on the Reaction Mechanism

3,3,3-Trihalogeno-1-nitropropenes C(Hal₃)CH═CH(NO₂) (Hal = F, Cl, Br) in reaction with arenes in the superacid CF₃SO₃H (TfOH) at room temperature in 1 h afford 3,3,3-trihalogeno-1,2-diarylpropan-1-one oximes C(Hal₃)CH(Ar)-C(Ar)═NOH (CHal₃-oximes) in yields of 23-99%. Such CHal₃-oximes having one ortho-substituent in the aryl ring exist as atropoisomers in solutions at room temperature. Several cationic intermediates of this reaction were studied by means of NMR and DFT calculations, which proves the detailed reaction mechanism of the formation of CHal₃-oximes in TfOH. CHal₃-oximes (for Hal = Cl, Br) with DBU in DMF at microwave or thermal activation are cyclized into 5-halogeno-3,4-diarylisoxazoles in yields of 37-59%. CHal₃-oximes under the conditions of Beckmann rearrangement with PCl₅ in benzene at room temperature in 24 h are turned at first into imidoyl chlorides (yields of 94-96%), which undergo transformation into the corresponding benzamides PhCONHCHPh(CHal₃) on silica gel (yields of 46-47%).

Metal-free ring expansion of indoles with nitroalkenes: a simple, modular approach to 3-substituted 2-quinolones

3-Substituted 2-quinolones are obtained via a novel metal-free transannulation reaction of 2-nitroolefins with 2-substituted indoles in polyphosphoric acid.