Activated Iodosylbenzene Monomer as an Ozone Equivalent: Oxidative Cleavage of Carbon−Carbon Double Bonds in the Presence of Water

Synergistic catalysis: cobalt-catalyzed cascade reaction for the oxidative cleavage of olefins to access esters

An efficient strategy for the oxidative cleavage of CC bonds in olefins to form esters with one or multiple carbon atoms less over heterogeneous cobalt/nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst with dioxygen as the oxidant was described. The protocol features a wide substrate range including the challenging inactive aliphatic and long-chain alkyl aryl olefins. The reactivity of the catalyst did not decrease after reused for seven times. Characterization and control experiments reveal that synergistic effects between the metallic Co nanoparticles and Co-Nx sites provide access to the excellent catalytic activity.

K2S2O8-Mediated or Azobisisobutyronitrile-Catalyzed Regioselective Aerobic Oxidative Cleavage of 1-Arylbutadienes to Cinnamaldehydes

This work reveals the regioselective oxidative cleavage of 1-arylbutadienes to cinnamaldehydes mediated by K2S2O8 or catalyzed by azobisisobutyronitrile, a very common free radical initiator, in an easy to handle, simple procedure and free of transition metals. This approach demonstrates excellent regioselectivity, mild reaction conditions, and compatibility with a broad range of functional groups (45 examples).

Olefin skeletal rearrangement enabling access to multiarylated N-sulfonyl amidines

A base-promoted olefin skeletal rearrangement strategy from para-quinone methides (p-QMs) and N-fluoroarenesulfonamides is reported, enabling direct nitrogen insertion of olefins to produce a series of multiarylated (Z)-N-sulfonyl amidines with complete stereoselectivity and generally good yields. Using p-QMs without o-hydroxy substituents gave triarylated N-sulfonyl amidines, whereas tetraarylated N,N'-disulfonyl amidines were synthesized with the existence of o-hydroxy groups.

Photochemical Organocatalytic Aerobic Cleavage of C═C Bonds Enabled by Charge-Transfer Complex Formation

A novel visible-light-driven organocatalytic protocol to access aerobic oxidative cleavage of olefins, promoted by sodium benzene sulfinate, is described herein. An array of alkenes smoothly delivered the corresponding aldehydes and ketones under transition-metal-free conditions. Notably, α-halo-substituted styrenes proceeded with photoinduced oxidation to finally afford α-halo-acetophenones with halogen migration. Crucial to this oxidation was the formation of charge-transfer complexes between sodium benzene sulfinate with molecular O₂ to ultimately deliver the carbonyl products.

PhIO-Mediated Oxidative C═C Bond Cleavage and Reassembly toward Highly Functionalized Oxazolones

An efficient PhIO-mediated oxidative C═C bond cleavage and reassembly of enaminone toward oxazolone with high regioselectivity has been reported. DFT calculations revealed that the reaction proceeded through an oxygen atom transfer, C═C bond cleavage, alkylthio migration, and reassembly cascade. This strategy is highlighted by high atom and step economy with formation of five bonds in one pot and generation of a high-valued oxazolone skeleton under mild conditions.

Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Carbonylation to α,β-Unsaturated Piperidones via Selective Cleavage of Carbon-Carbon Triple Bonds

A direct and selective synthesis of α,β-unsaturated piperidones by a new palladium-catalyzed cascade carbonylation is described. In the presented protocol, easily available propargylic alcohols react with aliphatic amines to provide a broad variety of interesting heterocycles. Key to the success of this transformation is a remarkable catalytic cleavage of the present carbon-carbon triple bond by using a specific catalyst with 2-diphenylphosphinopyridine as ligand and appropriate reaction conditions. Mechanistic studies and control experiments revealed branched unsaturated acid 11 as crucial intermediate.

Fe-S Catalyst Generated In Situ from Fe(III)- and S3•--Promoted Aerobic Oxidation of Terminal Alkenes

An iron-sulfur complex formed by the simple mixture of FeCl₃ with S₃^•- generated in situ from K₂S is developed and applied to selective aerobic oxidation of terminal alkenes. The reaction was carried out under an atmosphere of O₂ (balloon) and could proceed on a gram scale, expanding the application of S₃^•- in organic synthesis. This study also encourages us to explore the application of an Fe-S catalyst in organic reactions.

Poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether mediated oxidative scission of aromatic olefins to carbonyl compounds by molecular oxygen

A simple, and practical oxidative scission of aromatic olefins to carbonyl compounds using O₂ as the sole oxidant with poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether as a benign solvent has been developed. A wide range of monosubstituted, gem-disubstituted, 1,2-disubstituted, trisubstituted and tetrasubstituted aromatic olefins was successfully converted into the corresponding aldehydes and ketones in excellent yields even with gram–scale reaction. Some control experiments were also conducted to support a possible reaction pathway.

A simple and practical O₂ oxidized scission of monosubstituted, gem- and 1,2-disubstituted, trisubstituted and tetrasubstituted aromatic olefins to aldehydes and ketones in PEGDME has been developed.

Computational Investigation into the Mechanistic Features of Bromide-Catalyzed Alcohol Oxidation by PhIO in Water

Iodosobenzene (PhIO) is known to be a potent oxidant for alcohols in the presence of catalytic bromide in water. In order to understand this important and practical oxidation process, we have conducted density functional theory studies to shed light on the reaction mechanism. The key finding of this study is that PhIO is not the reactive oxidant itself. Instead, the active oxidant is hypobromite (BrO^-), which is generated by the reaction of PhIO with bromide through an S_N2-type reaction. Critically, water acts as a cocatalyst in the generation of BrO^- through lowering the activation energy of this process. This investigation also demonstrates why BrO^- is a more powerful oxidant than PhIO in the oxidation of alcohols. Other halide additives have been reported experimentally to be less effective catalysts than bromide-our calculations provide a clear rationale for these observations. We also examined the effect of replacing water with methanol on the ease of the S_N2 reaction, finding that the replacement resulted in a higher activation barrier for the generation of BrO^-. Overall, this work demonstrates that the hypervalent iodine(III) reagent PhIO can act as a convenient and controlled precursor of the oxidant hypobromite if the right conditions are present.

Highly efficient oxidative cleavage of olefins with O2 under catalyst-, initiator- and additive-free conditions

Without employing any external catalyst, initiator and additives, an efficient and eco-friendly protocol has been developed for the synthesis of carbonyl compound via 1,4-dioxane- promoted oxidation of olefins with atmospheric O₂ as the sole oxidant.

A divergent approach for the synthesis of (hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) from spent aromatic biomass-derived (chloromethyl)furfural (CMF) as a renewable feedstock

Extraction of commercial essential oil from several aromatic species belonging to the genus Cymbopogon results in the accumulation of huge spent aromatic waste which does not have high value application; instead, the majority is burned or disposed of to vacate fields. Open burning of spent aromatic biomass causes deterioration of the surrounding air quality. Therefore, a new protocol has been developed for chemical processing of spent biomass to obtain 5-(chloromethyl)furfural (CMF) with high selectivity (∼80%) and yields (∼26 wt% or ∼76 mol% with respect to pre-treated biomass) via refluxing in aqueous HCl in the presence of NaCl as a cheap catalyst. No black tar formation and gasification were observed in the processing of the spent aromatic biomass. Spent aromatic waste-derived CMF was further converted to 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) in good yields by a novel one pot method using iodosylbenzene (PhIO) as a reagent under mild reaction conditions.

Oxidative Cleavage of Alkene C=C Bonds Using a Manganese Catalyzed Oxidation with H2O2 Combined with Periodate Oxidation

A one‐pot multi‐step method for the oxidative cleavage of alkenes to aldehydes/ketones under ambient conditions is described as an alternative to ozonolysis. The first step is a highly efficient manganese catalyzed epoxidation/cis‐dihydroxylation of alkenes. This step is followed by an Fe(III) assisted ring opening of the epoxide (where necessary) to a 1,2‐diol. Carbon–carbon bond cleavage is achieved by treatment of the diol with sodium periodate. The conditions used in each step are not only compatible with the subsequent step(s), but also provide for increased conversion compared to the equivalent reactions carried out on the isolated intermediate compounds. The described procedure allows for carbon–carbon bond cleavage in the presence of other alkenes, oxidation sensitive moieties and other functional groups; the mild conditions (r.t.) used in all three steps make this a viable general alternative to ozonolysis and especially for use under flow or continuous batch conditions.

Catalyst-Free Selective Oxidation of Diverse Olefins to Carbonyls in High Yield Enabled by Light under Mild Conditions

The selective oxidation of olefins, in particular, aromatic olefins to carbonyls, is of significance in organic synthesis. In general, stoichiometric toxic oxidants or a high-cost catalyst is required. Herein we report a novel and practical light-enabled protocol for the synthesis of carbonlys in high yield through a catalyst-free oxidation of olefins using H₂O₂ as a clean oxidant. A broad scope of carbonyls can be synthesized in high yield, and no catalyst or toxic oxidant is required.

Completely regioselective insertion of unsymmetrical alkynes into electron-deficient alkenes for the synthesis of new pentacyclic indoles

A Lewis acid catalyzed insertion of unsymmetrical alkynes into electron-deficient alkenes has been reported for the first time, leading to 34 examples of hitherto unreported pentacyclic benzo[5,6]chromeno[2,3-b]indoles.

Glycosylation reactions mediated by hypervalent iodine: application to the synthesis of nucleosides and carbohydrates

To synthesize nucleoside and oligosaccharide derivatives, we often use a glycosylation reaction to form a glycoside bond. Coupling reactions between a nucleobase and a sugar donor in the former case, and the reaction between an acceptor and a sugar donor of in the latter are carried out in the presence of an appropriate activator. As an activator of the glycosylation, a combination of a Lewis acid catalyst and a hypervalent iodine was developed for synthesizing 4'-thionucleosides, which could be applied for the synthesis of 4'-selenonucleosides as well. The extension of hypervalent iodine-mediated glycosylation allowed us to couple a nucleobase with cyclic allylsilanes and glycal derivatives to yield carbocyclic nucleosides and 2',3'-unsaturated nucleosides, respectively. In addition, the combination of hypervalent iodine and Lewis acid could be used for the glycosylation of glycals and thioglycosides to produce disaccharides. In this paper, we review the use of hypervalent iodine-mediated glycosylation reactions for the synthesis of nucleosides and oligosaccharide derivatives.

Oxidation of aromatic alkenes and alkynes catalyzed by a hexa-acetonitrile iron(ii) ionic complex [Fe(CH3CN)6][BF4]2

A simple Fe(ii) catalyst that catalyses the oxidation of aromatic alkenes and alkynes under ambient conditions.

Reactions catalyzed by a binuclear copper complex: selective oxidation of alkenes to carbonyls with O2

A binuclear copper complex bearing a simple salicylate ligand catalyses the efficient cleavage of styrenes into ketones and aldehydes with O₂ as the oxidant. The reaction works under an atmosphere of O₂ (balloon) with 0.5 mol% of catalyst and could be performed on a gram scale, providing an alternative to ozonolysis.

Direct synthesis of hydrazones by visible light mediated aerobic oxidative cleavage of the CC bond

A metal-free protocol through visible light mediated oxidative cleavage of CC bonds to directly construct CN bonds has been developed for the conversion of alkenes to hydrazones under mild conditions.

Green superlubricity of Nitinol 60 alloy against steel in presence of castor oil

In the present work, first, we show that sliding Nitinol 60 alloy against steel under castor oil lubrication exhibits a new case of superlubricity (coefficient of friction CoF ≪ 0.01). So far, CoF below 0.01 have never been achieved under boundary lubrication at high contact pressure and in presence of vegetable oil as a green lubricant. Next, it is demonstrated that superlubricity is controlled by tribochemical reactions, involving chemical degradation of castor oil and the formation of metal oxy-hydroxides. Finally, to explain these findings, we propose a novel superlubricity mechanism consisting of hexanoic acid molecules intercalated between nickel and iron oxy-hydroxide lamellar layers, a structure very similar to the one found in Fe-Ni batteries. We propose that superlubricity is achieved due to repulsive electrostatic forces acting between the intercalated metal oxy-hydroxide lamellar compounds. This system would be suitable for practical engineering applications in many fields including biotechnologies.