One-Pot Conversions of Olefins to Cyclic Carbonates and Secondary Allylic and Homoallylic Amines to Cyclic Carbamates

Oxidative carboxylation of olefins with CO2: environmentally benign access to five-membered cyclic carbonates

The purpose of this focus review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the direct synthesis of five-membered cyclic carbonates via oxidative carboxylation of the corresponding olefins and carbon dioxide with particular attention on the mechanistic features of the reactions. The review is divided into two main sections. The first section is a discussion of the single-step reactions, while the second consists of an overview of one-pot, two-step sequential reactions.

This review provides an overview of the direct synthesis of five-membered cyclic carbonates via oxidative carboxylation of the corresponding olefins and carbon dioxide.

Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation of Trifluoroacetyl Amides with Grignard Reagents via C(O)-CF3 Bond Cleavage

The reaction of trifluoroacetyl amides with Grignard reagent for the substitution of CF₃ group with various alkyl or aryl groups is described. A variety of aryl, quinolin-8-yl, and (hetero)alkyl functional groups as well as F, Cl, and Br atoms are well tolerated. These moisture-stable and easily available trifluoroacetyl amides can be conveniently obtained and used as new versatile precursors for isocyanates. The control experiments show that the reaction proceeds via an isocyanate intermediate and/or alkoxide/amide dual anionic intermediate.

Hydrogen bond directed epoxidation: diastereoselective olefinic oxidation of allylic alcohols and amines

This article compares the diastereoselective epoxidation of acyclic and cyclic allylic alcohols, with the chemo- and diastereoselective olefinic oxidation of a range of acyclic and cyclic allylic amines. The diastereoselectivity in these systems is compared and a discussion about the origin of this high diastereocontrol is also presented. The ammonium directed epoxidation methodology has been extended to more complex substrates and representative applications of this protocol in natural product synthesis are also summarised.

Regio- and Diastereoselective Synthesis of Highly Substituted, Oxygenated Piperidines from Tetrahydropyridines

Diastereoselective epoxidation and regioselective ring-opening methods were developed for the synthesis of densely substituted, oxygenated piperidines from two classes of tetrahydropyridines with distinct stereochemical displays of functionalities. A new and practical in situ prepared epoxidation reagent was developed for the diastereoselective epoxidation of one class of sterically hindered tetrahydropyridines. The novel bifunctional epoxidation reagent, 2-carboperoxy-3,4,5,6-tetrafluorobenzoic acid, was designed to incorporate highly reactive percarboxy acid and pendant carboxylic acid groups, which through hydrogen bonding to the amino group successfully overrode steric effects and directed epoxidation to occur at the more hindered face of the tetrahydropyridine. Nucleophilic ring-opening of the epoxides with water, alcohols, and HF proceeded with high regioselectivity, affording piperidinol products with adjacent tetrasubstituted carbons.

Merging sustainability with organocatalysis in the formation of organic carbonates by using CO(2) as a feedstock

The use of phenolic compounds as organocatalysts is discussed in the context of the atom-efficient cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to epoxides, forming useful cyclic organic carbonate products. The presence and cooperative nature of adjacent phenolic groups in the catalyst structure results in significantly enhanced catalytic efficiencies, allowing these CO(2) fixation reactions to operate efficiently under virtually ambient conditions. The cooperative effect has also been studied by computational methods. Furthermore, when the cycloaddition reactions are carried out on a larger scale and under solvent-free conditions, further enhancements in activity are observed, combined with the advantageous requirement of reduced loadings of the binary organocatalyst system. The reported system is among one of the mildest and most effective metal-free catalysts for this conversion and contributes to a much more sustainable development of organic carbonate production; this feature has not been the main focus of previous contributions in this area.

Ammonium-directed olefinic epoxidation: kinetic and mechanistic insights

The ammonium-directed olefinic epoxidations of a range of differentially N-substituted cyclic allylic and homoallylic amines (derived from cyclopentene, cyclohexene, and cycloheptene) have been investigated, and the reaction kinetics have been analyzed. The results of these studies suggest that both the ring size and the identity of the substituents on nitrogen are important in determining both the overall rate and the stereochemical outcome of the epoxidation reaction. In general, secondary amines or tertiary amines with nonsterically demanding substituents on nitrogen are superior to tertiary amines with sterically demanding substituents on nitrogen in their ability to promote the oxidation reaction. Furthermore, in all cases examined, the ability of the (in situ formed) ammonium substituent to direct the stereochemical course of the epoxidation reaction is either comparable or superior to that of the analogous hydroxyl substituent. Much slower rates of ring-opening of the intermediate epoxides are observed in cyclopentene-derived and cycloheptene-derived allylic amines as compared with their cyclohexene-derived allylic and homoallylic amine counterparts, allowing for isolation of these intermediates in both of the former cases.

Hf(IV)-catalyzed enantioselective epoxidation of N-alkenyl sulfonamides and N-tosyl imines

Asymmetric epoxidation of allylic and homoallylic amine derivatives catalyzed by Hf(IV)-bishydroxamic acid complexes is described. Under similar conditions, aldimine and ketimine produced oxaziridines. The sulfonyl group is demonstrated to be an effective directing group for these transformations.

Ring-opening hydrofluorination of 2,3- and 3,4-epoxy amines by HBF4·OEt2: application to the asymmetric synthesis of (S,S)-3-deoxy-3-fluorosafingol

Treatment of a range of 2,3- and 3,4-epoxy amines with HBF(4)·OEt(2) at room temperature results in fast and efficient S(N)2-type ring-opening hydrofluorination to give stereodefined amino fluorohydrins. Operational simplicity, scalability, and short reaction time at ambient temperature are notable features of this method. The utility of this methodology is exemplified in a concise asymmetric synthesis of (S,S)-3-deoxy-3-fluorosafingol.