A Morita–Baylis–Hillman adduct allows the diastereoselective synthesis of styryl lactones

Goniothalamin-Related Styryl Lactones: Isolation, Synthesis, Biological Activity and Mode of Action

This review covers the chemistry and biological aspects of goniothalamin-related styryl lactones isolated from natural sources. This family of secondary metabolites has been reported to display diverse uses in folk medicine, but only a limited number of these compounds have been throughly investigated regarding their biological profile. Herein, we cover the goniothalamin-related styryl lactones having a C6-C3-C4 framework which appeared in the literature for the first time in the period 2000-2017, and the reports on the synthesis, biological activity and mechanism of action which were published from 2007-2017.

Organic Synthesis: New Vistas in the Brazilian Landscape

In this overview, we present our analysis of the future of organic synthesis in Brazil, a highly innovative and strategic area of research which underpins our social and economical progress. Several different topics (automation, catalysis, green chemistry, scalability, methodological studies and total syntheses) were considered to hold promise for the future advance of chemical sciences in Brazil. In order to put it in perspective, contributions from Brazilian laboratories were selected by the citations received and importance for the field and were benchmarked against some of the most important results disclosed by authors worldwide. The picture that emerged reveals a thriving area of research, with new generations of well-trained and productive chemists engaged particularly in the areas of green chemistry and catalysis. In order to fulfill the promise of delivering more efficient and sustainable processes, an integration of the academic and industrial research agendas is to be expected. On the other hand, academic research in automation of chemical processes, a well established topic of investigation in industrial settings, has just recently began in Brazil and more academic laboratories are lining up to contribute. All these areas of research are expected to enable the future development of the almost unchartered field of scalability.

The Baylis–Hillman reaction: a new continent in organic chemistry – our philosophy, vision and over three decades of research

This mini review describes in brief the way in which our research has contributed towards the development of the Baylis–Hillman reaction as a powerful tool in synthetic chemistry, offering unending opportunities and intellectual challenges to understand and address the present day requirements in the area of organic chemistry.

An enantioselective organocatalytic intramolecular Morita–Baylis–Hillman (IMBH) reaction of dienones, and elaboration of the IMBH adducts to fluorenones

An efficient synthesis of cyclopenta-fused arenes and heteroarenes has been achieved via an enantioselective organocatalytic intramolecular Morita–Baylis–Hillman (IMBH) reaction of dienones. The IMBH-adducts were transformed to fluorenones in a serendipitous manner.

Total Synthesis of Tetraketide and Cryptorigidifoliol I via a Sequential Allylation Strategy

A unified and efficient synthetic route for both tetraketide (1) and cryptorigidifoliol I (2) has been devised successfully from commercially available starting materials in 11 and 17 steps, with 16% and 11% overall yields, respectively. Highlights of the syntheses involved sequential Lewis acid-catalyzed highly regio- and diastereoselective allylations and intramolecular Mitsunobu lactonization.

Substitution dependent stereoselective construction of bicyclic lactones and its application to the total synthesis of pyranopyran, tetraketide and polyrhacitide A

A novel strategy has been developed for the synthesis of bicyclic lactones and has been successfully applied to the total synthesis of pyranopyran, tetraketide, and polyrhacitide A.

Aqueous Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of unprotected isatins with cyclic enones

The readily available bicyclic imidazolyl alcohol 1 is a unique catalyst for the aqueous Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction between unprotected isatins and cyclic enones that gives access to a variety of potentially very useful 3-substituted 3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles in an operationally simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly way. The hydroxyl group of the catalyst is believed to stabilize the betaine intermediate formed in the first step of the MBH reaction.