Acid-catalyzed reaction of 2-hydroxycyclobutanone with benzylic alcohols

Synthesis of 1,4-ketoaldehydes and 1,4-diketones by Mo-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of cyclobutane-1,2-diols

A new two-step procedure for the synthesis of 1,4-dicarbonyls has been developed involving an efficient and clean Mo-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of cyclobutane-1,2-diols with DMSO, which is used as solvent and oxidant. The required starting glycols were prepared by nucleophilic additions of organolithiums and Grignard reagents to easily available 2-hydroxycyclobutanones.

Visible light promoted continuous flow photocyclization of 1,2-diketones

The continuous flow Norrish-Yang photocyclization of 1,2-diketones has been developed and used for the synthesis of a large number of functionalized 2-hydroxycyclobutanones, under blue light irradiation and employing acetone as a solvent. This eco-friendly procedure represents a valid alternative to the reactions carried out in batches thus reducing the reaction times, the formation of secondary products and simplifying the purification steps. The use of differently substituted diketone compounds has allowed us to obtain a wide range of 2 and 3-functionalized cyclobutanones, thus allowing the evaluation of the scope and limitations of this procedure.

Acid-catalyzed synthesis of functionalized arylthio cyclopropane carbaldehydes and ketones

A general strategy for the synthesis of arylthio cyclopropyl carbaldehydes and ketones via acid catalysed arylthiol addition/ring contraction reaction sequence has been exploited. The procedure led to a wide panel of cyclopropyl carbonyl compounds in high yields and broad substrate scope.