Direct, two-step synthetic pathway to novel dibenzo[a,c]phenanthridines

Site-selective synthesis of functionalized dibenzo[f,h]quinolines and their derivatives involving cyclic diaryliodonium salts via a decarboxylative annulation strategy

An unprecedented site-selective synthesis of dibenzo[f,h]quinolines and their derivatives was reported via an acid directed decarboxylative annulation cascade.

Intramolecular Dehydrogenative Coupling of 2,3-Diaryl Acrylic Compounds: Access to Substituted Phenanthrenes

A simple, facile, and environmentally benign intramolecular dehydrogenative coupling of various 1,2-diarylethylenes for the synthesis of phenanthrenes in excellent yield has been described. This new methodology uses ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as a promoter at room temperature and has been extended to intermolecular synthesis of biaryl compounds. The electron transfer from methoxyarene to cerium leads to cationic radical formation, which further proceeds to intramolecular coupling. Preliminary mechanistic investigation by EPR spectroscopy and density functional theory calculation suggested a similar view.

Advances in Synthetic Applications of Hypervalent Iodine Compounds

The preparation, structure, and chemistry of hypervalent iodine compounds are reviewed with emphasis on their synthetic application. Compounds of iodine possess reactivity similar to that of transition metals, but have the advantage of environmental sustainability and efficient utilization of natural resources. These compounds are widely used in organic synthesis as selective oxidants and environmentally friendly reagents. Synthetic uses of hypervalent iodine reagents in halogenation reactions, various oxidations, rearrangements, aminations, C-C bond-forming reactions, and transition metal-catalyzed reactions are summarized and discussed. Recent discovery of hypervalent catalytic systems and recyclable reagents, and the development of new enantioselective reactions using chiral hypervalent iodine compounds represent a particularly important achievement in the field of hypervalent iodine chemistry. One of the goals of this Review is to attract the attention of the scientific community as to the benefits of using hypervalent iodine compounds as an environmentally sustainable alternative to heavy metals.

Oxidative cyclodehydrogenation of a perylene derivative: different reagents give different products

Oxidative cyclodehydrogenation of 3-(4-fluoronaphthalen-1-yl)perylene gives, by reaction with AlCl₃, 3-fluoroterrylene and by reaction with DDQ/TfOH, its isomer 10-fluorobenzo[4,5]indeno[1,2,3-cd]perylene.

Preparation of dibenzo[e,g]isoindol-1-ones via Scholl-type oxidative cyclization reactions

A flexible synthesis of dibenzo[e,g]isoindol-1-ones has been developed. Dibenzo[e,g]isoindol-1-ones represent simplified benzenoid analogues of biological indolo[2,3-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazol-5-ones (indolocarbazoles), compounds that have demonstrated a wide range of biological activity. The synthesis of the title compounds involved tetramic acid sulfonates. Different aryl groups were introduced at C4 of the heterocyclic ring via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. Finally, mild Scholl-type oxidative cyclizations mediated by phenyliodine(III) bis(trifluoroacetate) (PIFA) converted some of the latter compounds into the corresponding dibenzo[e,g]isoindol-1-ones. A systematic study of the oxidative cyclization revealed the following reactivity trend: 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl ≫ 3-methoxyphenyl > 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl > 4-methoxyphenyl ≈ phenyl. Overall, the oxidative cyclization required at least two methoxy groups distributed in the aromatic rings, at least one of which had to be located para to the site of the cyclization.

Stereospecific approach to the synthesis of ring-A oxygenated sarpagine indole alkaloids. Total synthesis of the dimeric indole alkaloid P-(+)-dispegatrine and six other monomeric indole alkaloids

The first regio- and stereocontrolled total synthesis of the bisphenolic, bisquaternary alkaloid (+)-dispegatrine (1) has been accomplished in an overall yield of 8.3% (12 reaction vessels) from 5-methoxy-d-tryptophan ethyl ester (17). A crucial late-stage thallium(III) mediated intermolecular oxidative dehydrodimerization was employed in the formation of the C9-C9' biaryl axis in 1. The complete stereocontrol observed in this key biaryl coupling step is due to the asymmetric induction by the natural sarpagine configuration of the monomer lochnerine (6) and was confirmed by both the Suzuki and the oxidative dehydrodimerization model studies on the tetrahydro β-carboline (35). The axial chirality of the lochnerine dimer (40) and in turn dispegatrine (1) was established by X-ray crystallography and was determined to be P(S). Additionally, the first total synthesis of the monomeric indole alkaloids (+)-spegatrine (2), (+)-10-methoxyvellosimine (5), (+)-lochnerine (6), lochvinerine (7), (+)-sarpagine (8), and (+)-lochneram (11) were also achieved via the common pentacyclic intermediate 16.