Generation of Acyloxyketenes from Unstable Mesoionic 1,3-Dioxolium-4-olates and Their Reaction with Ketenophiles To Give [2 + 2] Cycloadducts

Unexpected Ring Contraction of Homophthalic Anhydrides under Diazo Transfer Conditions

An attempted Regitz diazo transfer onto homophthalic anhydride led to the discovery of an unexpected ring contraction, which gave N-sulfonyl phthalide-3-carboxamide derivatives. The reaction is thought to proceed via a [3 + 2] cycloaddition of the substrate's enol form and the azide followed by a two-step fragmentation of the intermediate 1,2,3-triazoline with a loss of the nitrogen molecule.

Multicomponent formation route to a new class of oxygen-based 1,3-dipoles and the modular synthesis of furans

A new class of phosphorus-containing 1,3-dipoles can be generated by the multicomponent reaction of aldehydes, acid chlorides and the phosphonite PhP(catechyl). These 1,3-dipoles are formally cyclic tautomers of simple Wittig-type ylides, where the angle strain and moderate nucleophilicity in the catechyl-phosphonite favor their cyclization and also direct 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to afford single regioisomers of substituted products. Coupling the generation of the dipoles with 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition offers a unique, modular route to furans from combinations of available aldehydes, acid chlorides and alkynes with independent control of all four substituents.

Carbodiimide-based synthesis of N-heterocycles: moving from two classical reactive sites to chemical bond breaking/forming reaction

Carbodiimides are a unique class of heterocumulene compounds that display distinctive chemical properties. The rich chemistry of carbodiimides has drawn increasing attention from chemists in recent years and has made them exceedingly useful compounds in modern organic chemistry, especially in the synthesis of N-heterocycles. This review has outlined the extensive application of carbodiimides in the synthesis of N-heterocycles from the 1980s to today. A wide range of reactions for the synthesis of various types of N-heterocyclic systems (three-, four-, five-, six-, seven-, larger-membered and fused heterocycles) have been developed on the basis of carbodiimides and their derivatives.

Organocatalytic Isomerization/Allylic Alkylation of O-Acylated Hemithioacetals and Their Application in Tandem Sequence to Access 2,7-Dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-3-one Derivatives

A novel protocol for the efficient preparation of α-hydroxy allylic thioesters via a Lewis base-catalyzed tandem isomerization/allylic alkylation process is reported. The resulting allylic thioesters can serve as valuable scaffolds to undergo a stereoselective intramolecular cyclization to deliver 2,7-dioxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-3-one derivatives in a catalytically atom-economic fashion.

Reaction of electron-deficient N=N, N=O double bonds, singlet oxygen, and CC triple bonds with acyloxyketenes or mesoionic 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates: generation of unstable mesoionic 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates from acyloxyketenes

Reactions of azodicarboxylates and nitrosobenzene derivatives with acyloxyketenes generated from dehydrochlorination of alpha-acyloxyarylacetyl chlorides were carried out to give triacylbenzamidine and N-arylimide derivatives, respectively, in good yields. The same compounds were obtained from the reaction with mesoionic 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates generated by Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed decomposition of aryldiazoacetic anhydride derivatives. Formation of the same compounds from the different starting materials indicates that their reactions involve the same intermediates. The formation of triacylbenzamidine and N-arylimide derivatives is explained by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between electron-deficient N=N or N=O bonds and mesoionic 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates following by decarboxylation, ring opening of the resultant carbonyl ylides, and subsequent Mumm rearrangement of the corresponding imidates. The reaction with singlet oxygen composed of more electronegative atoms than N=N and N=O bonds also gave products arising from the singlet oxygen adducts with 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates. The generation of less stable mesoionic 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates from acyloxyketenes was also confirmed by isolation of furandicarboxylates on generation of acyloxyketenes from alpha-acyloxyarylacetyl chlorides in the presence of reactive dipolarophile dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate.