Lewis Acid Promoted Carbon−Carbon Double-Bond Formation via Organozinc Reagents and Carbonyl Compounds

Ruthenium(ii)-catalyzed olefination via carbonyl reductive cross-coupling

A catalytic olefination method via carbonyl reductive cross-coupling was achieved by ruthenium(ii) catalysis.

Natural availability of carbonyl groups offers reductive carbonyl coupling tremendous synthetic potential for efficient olefin synthesis, yet the catalytic carbonyl cross-coupling remains largely elusive. We report herein such a reaction, mediated by hydrazine under ruthenium(ii) catalysis. This method enables facile and selective cross-couplings of two unsymmetrical carbonyl compounds in either an intermolecular or intramolecular fashion. Moreover, this chemistry accommodates a variety of substrates, proceeds under mild reaction conditions with good functional group tolerance, and generates stoichiometric benign byproducts. Importantly, the coexistence of KO^tBu and bidentate phosphine dmpe is vital to this transformation.

Heck Reactions Catalyzed by Ultrasmall and Uniform Pd Nanoparticles Supported on Polyaniline

Using air as the oxidant instead of the traditionally employed persulfates, the smaller and more uniform Pd nanoparticles (around 2 nm) supported on polyaniline (Pd@PANI) can be easily fabricated by the oxidation-polymerization of aniline with PdCl2. This material is an efficient and environmentally friendly catalyst for Heck reactions due to its recyclability, low loading, and ligand-free and mild reaction conditions. It was even tolerant to sulfur-containing substrates. This work reports the Pd@PANI-catalyzed Heck reactions with very wide substrate scopes, and discloses the catalytic mechanisms based on experimental findings and results of catalyst analysis and characterization.