Electrooxidative Hofmann Rearrangement of Phthalimides to Access Anthranilate Derivatives

A simple and efficient electrooxidative Hofmann rearrangement reaction of phthalimides was developed. Anthranilate derivatives were synthesized in moderate to good yields under green and mild conditions using phthalimides as a rearrangement precursor. This approach not only provides a strategy for synthesizing anthranilates and deuterated anthranilate derivatives with high deuteration efficiency but also realizes efficient conversion at the gram scale. A possible reaction mechanism is proposed.

Access to quinolinones via DMAP-catalysed cascade reaction of 2-substituted benzoic acids with organic azides

Herein, we report a DMAP-catalysed Curtius rearrangement and intramolecular cyclisation cascade reaction of 2-substituted aryl carboxylic acids with organic azides for the first time. This protocol features simple operation, broad scope and metal-free conditions, furnishing a broad spectrum of biologically attractive heterocycles. The synthetic virtue of this reaction was demonstrated by gram-scale synthesis and applicability toward drug-like molecules.

Cobalt-catalyzed synthesis of aryl ketones and aldehydes from redox-active esters

A cobalt-catalyzed decarboxylative oxidation of benzylic redox-active esters is described. This protocol efficiently converts secondary or primary aliphatic carboxylic acids into aromatic ketones or aldehydes. A wide range of substrates selectively reacted in good to excellent yields with broad functional group tolerance. Notably, various biologically active molecules could also work well, which indicated the synthetic application of such a methodology.