Syntheses of nitrogen heterocycles by means of amine-directed carbonylation and hydrocarbonylation

N-Alkylation of Amines Under Microwave Irradiation: Modified Eschweiler–Clarke Reaction

The N-alkylation of hexahydroazepine and benzylamine is performed under microwave irradiation in the presence of formic acid and different aldehydes or ketones. Good yields were obtained with reactive carbonyl compounds.

Homogeneous rhodium(i)-catalysis in de novo heterocycle syntheses

Rh(i)-catalysed reactions often employ mild reaction conditions and offer excellent functional group tolerance, making them ideal transformations for the preparation of complex molecules. This review surveys examples of these synthetically useful transformations as applied to the synthesis of various heterocycles.

Rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation in fused azapolycycles synthesis

N-Heterocycles, including fused ones, have proven to be an important class of compounds since they possess biological and pharmacological activities themselves and serve as valuable intermediates for synthetic drug discovery. My interest in the synthesis of these compounds stems from studies dealing with the hydroformylation (oxo) of olefins. The dihydroindolizines and benzofused ones are easily generated via rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation of N-allylpyrroles and indoles: the butanal intermediate undergoes an intramolecular cyclodehydration giving the final polycyclic compound. This chapter reports my results in the area of the conversions of oxo aldehydes with additional C,C-bond-forming reactions together with relevant work from other laboratories on additional C,N-bond-forming reactions, encountered in the field of Azapolycycles synthesis over the last 5 years or so. The intramolecular sequences for polycylization will be especially emphasized using rhodium complexes to effect these transformations, under both conventional and microwave heating.

Rhodium(i)-catalyzed hydroaminomethylation of 2-isopropenylanilines as a novel route to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines

A new atom economical approach for the preparation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines can be achieved by means of the intramolecular hydroaminomethylation of 2-isopropenylanilines, mediated by an ionic diamino rhodium catalyst that does not require phosphine--this reaction is highly chemo- and regioselective, and it occurs in good isolated yields.

Recent advances in cyclohydrocarbonylation reactions

This article describes recent advances in the cyclohydrocarbonylation reactions catalyzed by transition-metal complexes and their applications in organic synthesis as a review covering the relevant literature up to the middle of 2004. The reactions are categorized into four types, i.e., intramolecular amidocarbonylation reactions, intramolecular aminocarbonylation reactions, cyclohydrocarbonylation reactions involving carbon–nucleophiles, and other cyclohydrocarbonylation reactions. Cyclohydrocarbonylation reactions provide efficient routes to various monocyclic, bicyclic, and polycyclic compounds as a one-step cascade process or a one-pot process. Reaction mechanisms for these cascade processes are discussed as needed for clarification. The heterocyclic and carbocyclic compounds, thus obtained, can be further transformed to specific targets. Examples of such applications are also discussed.Key words: catalysis, cyclohydrocarbonylation, hydroformylation, amidocarbonylation, cyclization, regioselectivity, aldehydes, regioselective, cascade, heterocycles, rhodium.