Lewis Acid-Promoted Ring-Contraction of 2,4,6,8-Tetrasubstituted 1,5-Diazacyclooctatetraenes to 2,4,6-Trisubstituted Pyridines

Unlocking mild-condition benzene ring contraction using nonheme diiron N-oxygenase

Benzene ring contractions are useful yet rare reactions that offer a convenient synthetic route to various valuable chemicals. However, the traditional methods of benzene contraction rely on noble-metal catalysts under extreme conditions with poor efficiency and uncontrollable selectivity. Mild-condition contractions of the benzene ring are rarely reported. This study presents a one-step, one-pot benzene ring contraction reaction mediated by an engineered nonheme diiron N-oxygenase. Using various aniline substrates as amine sources, the enzyme causes the phloroglucinol-benzene-ring contraction to afford a series of 4-cyclopentene-1,3-dione structures. A reaction detail study reveals that the nonheme diiron N-oxygenase first oxidizes the aromatic amine to a nitroso intermediate, which then attacks the phloroglucinol anion and causes benzene ring contraction. Besides, we have identified two potent antitumor compounds from the ring-contracted products.

New strategies for the synthesis of 1- and 2-azetines and their applications as value-added building blocks

Four-membered nitrogen-containing heterocycles are highly desirable functional groups with synthetic and biological applications. Unsaturated four-membered N-heterocycles, 1- and 2-azetines, are historically underexplored, but have recently been gaining interest due to the development of new synthetic methods to access these compounds, and to their potential as reactive intermediates. This review covers both the synthesis and applications of azetines, with a focus on synthetic methods to access azetines developed since 2018, and a comprehensive review of the reactivity and applications of azetines as starting materials or intermediates to access both other heterocycles and complex products.

Contractions of 1,4-Diazepines to Pyrroles Triggered by Valence Tautomerization: A One-Pot Approach and Mechanism

Herein, we describe the valence tautomerizations of fused 1,4-diazepines, which are reconstructed to give pyrrole derivatives and HCN gas. Several factors that influence the equilibrium between each valence tautomer of an 8π-electron diazepine skeleton are demonstrated. On the basis of these mechanistic studies, a cascade strategy for the construction of diazepines followed by ring contraction is developed to afford aryl- or alkyl-substituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinolines that are otherwise challenging to fabricate. In addition, further transformations of the obtained products highlight the advantages of the developed methodology.

Synthesis of Poly-Substituted Pyridines via Noble-Metal-Free Cycloaddition of Ketones and Imines

An eco-friendly and noble-metal-free formal [4+2] cycloaddition reaction was developed for the efficient synthesis of biologically interesting poly-substituted pyridines from easily available ketones and imines, whereby two sequential C-C bonds are formed. The given approach features a unique synthetic strategy of imines and ketones with wide substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, mild conditions and operational simplicity, which represents a more direct pathway to synthesize poly-substituted pyridines than traditional methods.

Silylium ion mediated 2+2 cycloaddition leads to 4+2 Diels-Alder reaction products

The mechanism of silver(I) and copper(I) catalyzed cycloaddition between 1,2-diazines and siloxy alkynes remains controversial. Here we explore the mechanism of this reaction with density functional theory. Our calculations show that the reaction takes place through a metal (Ag⁺, Cu⁺) catalyzed [2+2] cycloaddition pathway and the migration of a silylium ion [triisopropylsilyl ion (TIPS⁺)] further controls the reconstruction of four-member ring to give the final product. The lower barrier of this silylium ion mediated [2+2] cycloaddition mechanism (SMC) indicates that well-controlled [2+2] cycloaddition can obtain some poorly-accessible IEDDA (inverse-electron demand Diels-Alder reaction) products. Strong interaction of d¹⁰ metals (Ag⁺, Cu⁺) and alkenes activates the high acidity silylium ion (TIPS⁺) in situ. This п-acid (Ag⁺, Cu⁺) and hard acid (TIPS⁺) exchange scheme will be instructive in silylium ion chemistry. Our calculations not only provide a scheme to design IEDDA catalysts but also imply a concise way to synthesise 1,2-dinitrogen substituted cyclooctatetraenes (1,2-NCOTs).

Selective reduction of 1,5-diazacyclooctatetraenes: synthesis and structures of aromatic diazacyclooctatetraenyl dianions and a 2,6-bipyrrolinyl dianionic Co(ii) complex

The first structurally well-defined aromatic 1,5-diazacyclooctatetraenyl dianion and a 2,6-bipyrrolinyl dianionic Co(ii) complex were obtained selectively via reduction of 1,5-diazacyclooctatetraenes.