Stoichiometric Carbon–Carbon Bond Forming Reaction of 1,3-Diene with 1,2-Diene in a Ruthenium(0) Complex

Ru(0)-catalysed synthesis of borylated polyene building blocks by cross-dimerisation toward cross-coupling

Conjugated and non-conjugated polyenes are important substructures and are often found in biologically active compounds and natural products. Their preparation often needs multiple steps or iterative reactions and as a result, they have poor step economies. In this feature article, we show a new methodology to prepare these substructures by combinations of cross-dimerisation giving borylated polyenes and subsequent cross-coupling reactions. This divergent reaction strategy allows for the opportunity to access many bioactive compounds and natural products as well as some electronic materials.

Highly efficient synthesis of 3,4-diarylbutadiene sulfones using Heck–Matsuda reaction

For the first time we describe a general method for the synthesis of previously not synthesized unsymmetrical 3,4-diarylbutadiene sulfones which can be stable convenient precursors for 2,3-diaryl-1,3-butadienes. Our method for arylation of butadiene sulfones via Heck–Matsuda reaction allows to obtain unsymmetrical 3,4-diarylbutadiene sulfones with a variety of alkyl, alkoxy, nitro, ethoxycarbonyl, perfluoroalkyl and halogen substituents (30 examples) in very good yields using readily available reagents and catalysts.

An efficient and facile Pd-catalyzed synthesis of 3,4-diarylbutadiene sulfones with high regioselectivity from aryldiazonium salts and butadiene sulfone was developed.

An insight into regioselectivity in the transformation through a ruthenacycle

Ru(0)-Catalysed cross-dimerisation of unsymmetrical internal alkynes with conjugated dienes yields two conjugated trienes depending on the regioselectivity. The regioselectivity is dominantly controlled by the induction effect of the substituents.

Stoichiometric formation of conjugated dienyl ketones from 1,3-dienes and ketenes at a ruthenium(0) centre

The first example of the formation of dienyl ketone is reported by linear cross-dimerisation between 1,3-diene and ketene at a Ru(0) centre.

Asymmetric cross-dimerization between methyl methacrylate and substituted alkene by Ru(0)-bicyclononadiene complex

New Ru(0)-naphthalene complexes containing a bicyclononadiene ligand catalyze the linear cross-dimerization between methyl methacrylate and substituted alkenes by an oxidative coupling mechanism. The chiral (S,S)-2-methylbicyclo[3.3.1]nona-2,6-diene complex (S,S)-1b catalyzes asymmetric linear cross-dimerization between methyl methacrylate and 2,5-dihydrofuran to give the cross-dimer in 74% yield in 80% ee.