Planar Chirality from the Chiral Pool: Diastereoselective Anionic Phospho-Fries Rearrangements at Ferrocene

Organophosphates as Versatile Substrates in Organic Synthesis

This review summarizes the applications of organophosphates in organic synthesis. After a brief introduction, it discusses cross-coupling reactions, including both transition-metal-catalyzed and transition-metal-free substitution reactions. Subsequently, oxidation and reduction reactions are described. In addition, this review highlights the applications of organophosphates in the synthesis of natural compounds, demonstrating their versatility and importance in modern synthetic chemistry.

o-Hydroxyarylphosphanes: Strategies for Syntheses of Configurationally Stable, Electronically and Sterically Tunable Ambiphiles with Multiple Applications

o-Hydroxyarylphosphanes are fascinating compounds by their multiple-reactivity features, attributed to the ambident hard and soft Lewis- and also Brønstedt acid-base properties, wide tuning opportunities via backbone substituents with ±mesomeric and inductive, at P and in o-position to P and O also steric effects, and in addition, the configurational stability at three-valent phosphorus. Air sensitivity may be overcome by reversible protection with BH3 , but the easy oxidation to P(V)-compounds may also be used. Since the first reports on the title compounds ca. 50 years ago the multiple reactivity has led to versatile applications. This includes various P-E-O and P=C-O heterocycles, a multitude of O-substituted derivatives including acyl derivatives for traceless Staudinger couplings of biomolecules with labels or functional substituents, phosphane-phosphite ligands, which like the o-phosphanylphenols itself form a range of transition metal complexes and catalysts. Also main group metal complexes and (bi)arylphosphonium-organocatalysts are derived. Within this review the various strategies for the access of the starting materials are illuminated, including few hints to selected applications.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrochemistry of Diferrocenyl β-Diketones, -Diketonates, and Pyrazoles

The synthesis of FcC(O)CH(R)C(O)Fc (Fc = Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)(η⁵-C₅H₅); R = H, 5; ⁿBu, 7; CH₂CH₂(OCH₂CH₂)₂OMe, 9), [M(κ²O,O′-FcC(O)CHC(O)Fc)_n] (M = Ti, n = 3, 10; M = Fe, n = 3, 11; M = BF₂, n = 1, 12), and 1-R′-3,5-Fc₂-^cC₃HN₂ (R′ = H, 13; Me, 14; Ph, 15) is discussed. The solid-state structures of 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, and 16 ([TiCl₂(κ²O,O′-PhC(O)CHC(O)Ph)₂]) show that 7 and 9 exist in their β-diketo form. Compound 13 crystallizes as a tetramer based on a hydrogen bond pattern, including one central water molecule. The electrochemical behavior of 5–7 and 9–16 was studied by cyclic and square-wave voltammetry, showing that the ferrocenyls can separately be oxidized reversibly between −50 and 750 mV (5–7, 9, 12–15: two Fc-related events; 10, 11: six events, being partially superimposed). For complex 10, Ti-centered reversible redox processes appear at −985 (Ti^II/Ti^III) and −520 mV (Ti^III/Ti^IV). Spectro-electrochemical UV-Vis/NIR measurements were carried out on 5, 6, and 12, whereby only 12 showed an IVCT (intervalence charge-transfer) band of considerable strength (ν_max = 6250 cm⁻¹, Δν_½ = 4725 cm⁻¹, ε_max = 240 L·mol⁻¹·cm⁻¹), due to the rigid C₃O₂B cycle, enlarging the coupling strength between the Fc groups.

(Electrochemical) Properties and Computational Investigations of Ferrocenyl-substituted Fe3(μ3-PFc)2(CO)9 and Co4(μ4-PFc)2(CO)9 Clusters and Their Reduced Species

The formation of ferrocenyl-functionalized iron and cobalt carbonyl clusters is reported, based on a reaction of FcPCl₂ (3) (Fc = Fe(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η⁵-C₅H₄)) with Fe₂(CO)₉ and Co₂(CO)₈, respectively. Therein, nido-Fe₃(CO)₉(μ₃-PFc)₂ (4) and nido-Co₄(CO)₁₀(μ₃-PFc)₂ (5) clusters were obtained as the first diferrocenyl-substituted carbonyl clusters with a symmetrical cluster core. Cluster 4 shows two reversible one-electron processes within the anodic region, based on Fc/Fc⁺ redox events, as well as two processes in the cathodic region. In situ IR and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements of all electronic states confirmed an Fc-based oxidation and a core-based reduction. On the basis of the results of a single-crystal X-ray analysis of structures of 4 and 5, computational studies of the highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energies, the spin density, quantum theory of atom-in-molecule delocalization indices, and the atomic charges were performed to explain the experimental results. The latter revealed a reorganization of the cluster core upon reduction and the existence of weak P···P interactions in 4 and 5. Ferrocenyl-related redox processes, occurring reversibly in case of 4, were absent for 5, due to a different distribution of the HOMO energies. EPR measurements furthermore confirmed the core-based radical anion and the formation of a decomposition product at potentials lower than [M]^2- (M = Fe, Co).

The anionic Fries rearrangement: a convenient route to ortho-functionalized aromatics

The scope and mechanism of anionic (hetero-) Fries rearrangements are summarized for various migrating groups and arenes, including applications and computational studies.