Boron and Silicon-Substituted 1,3-Dienes and Dienophiles and Their Use in Diels-Alder Reactions

Regiodivergent Hydrosilylation of Polar Enynes to Synthesize Site-Specific Silyl-Substituted Dienes

Herein, we present catalyst-regulated switchable site-selective hydrosilylation of enynes, which are suitable for a wide range of alkyl and aryl substituted polar enynes and exhibit excellent functional group compatibility. Under the optimized conditions, silyl groups can be precisely installed at various positions of 1,3-dienes. While α- and γ-silylation products were obtained under platinum-catalytic systems, β-silylation products were delivered with [Cp*RuCl]4 as catalyst. This process lead to the formation of 1,3-dienoates with diverse substitutions, which would pose challenges with other methodologies.

Discovery of a Potent Antiosteoporotic Drug Molecular Scaffold Derived from Angelica sinensis and Its Bioinspired Total Synthesis

Angelica sinensis, commonly known as Dong Quai in Europe and America and as Dang-gui in China, is a medicinal plant widely utilized for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. In this study, we report the discovery of a new category of phthalide from Angelica sinensis, namely falcarinphthalides A and B (1 and 2), which contains two fragments, (3R,8S)-falcarindiol (3) and (Z)-ligustilide (4). Falcarinphthalides A and B (1 and 2) represent two unprecedented carbon skeletons of phthalide in natural products, and their antiosteoporotic activities were evaluated. The structures of 1 and 2, including their absolute configurations, were established using extensive analysis of NMR spectra, chemical derivatization, and ECD/VCD calculations. Based on LC-HR-ESI-MS analysis and DFT calculations, a production mechanism for 1 and 2 involving enzyme-catalyzed Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder reactions was proposed. Falcarinphthalide A (1), the most promising lead compound, exhibits potent in vitro antiosteoporotic activity by inhibiting NF-κB and c-Fos signaling-mediated osteoclastogenesis. Moreover, the bioinspired gram-scale total synthesis of 1, guided by intensive DFT study, has paved the way for further biological investigation. The discovery and gram-scale total synthesis of falcarinphthalide A (1) provide a compelling lead compound and a novel molecular scaffold for treating osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases.

Copper-Catalyzed Reaction of 2,3-Allenols with Silylzinc Reagents: Access to 2-Silyl-1,3-butadienes

Reaction of 2,3-allenols with PhMe₂SiZnCl or Ph₂MeSiZnCl under catalysis of IPrCuCl or SIPrCuCl was carried out, affording 2-silyl-1,3-butadienes. Secondary and tertiary 2,3-allenols could be used as coupling partners. Reaction of secondary 2,3-allenols gave (E)-2-silyl-1,3-butadienes as the only products.

Copper-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Defluoroborylation of gem-Difluorinated Cyclobutenes: A General Route to Bifunctional 1,3-Dienes and Their Applications

The exploration of the reactivity of gem-difluorinated small-size rings has continuously drawn attention in recent years but is limited to three-membered carbocycles. Herein we report a copper-catalyzed reaction of gem-fluorinated cyclobutenes with bis(pinacolato)diboron (B₂pin₂). A sequence of defluoroborylation and a ring-opening process produces B,F-bifunctional 1,3-dienes in a stereoselective manner. The transformation together with the efficient downstream coupling of the boronate and the fluoride moieties collectively constitutes a modular route to highly functionalized and stereocontrolled 1,3-dienes.

Palladium-Catalyzed Silylation of 2,3-Allenols with Unactivated Disilanes: Access to 2-Silyl-1,3-butadienes and α-Silyl-β-hydroxy Vinylsilanes

Regioselective silylation of 2,3-allenols with disilanes was carried out under catalysis of Pd₂dba₃/P(o-MeOC₆H₄)₃. In the presence of Cs₂CO₃, the reaction achieved 2-silyl-1,3-dienes. Reaction of 1-aryl-2,3-allenols gave the products with excellent Z/E selectivity and E-isomers as the major species. Reaction of α-alkylallenols or α-alkyl-α-aryl-allenols resulted in products with moderate Z/E selectivity and E-isomers are also major. Without a base, the reaction produced α-silyl-β-hydroxyl vinylsilanes, which were converted to 2-silyl-1,3-dienes upon treatment with Cs₂CO₃.

Matrix Infrared Spectra of 1-Ethynyl-1H-Silole Species from Reaction of Silicon Atoms with Benzene

The reaction of silicon atoms with benzene molecule in solid neon are studied by matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. Aided by carbon-13 and deuterium isotopic shifts as well as quantum-chemical predictions,...

Synergistic Pd/Cu-catalysed regio- and stereoselective borylation of allenylic carbonates

A simple Pd/Cu-catalyzed borylation of allenylic carbonates with B₂Pin₂ was developed using a cheap P(OEt)₃ ligand. Under mild neutral conditions, 2-boryl 1,3-butadienes were obtained selectively in moderate to high yields. Furthermore, the use of different diboron reagents was also feasible in the reaction.

Allenylboronic Acid Pinacol Ester: A Selective Partner for [4 + 2] Cycloadditions

We have studied the reaction of allenylboronic acid pinacol ester with cyclopentadiene with experimental and computational methods. The reaction occurred efficiently with complete Diels-Alder periselectivity and regioselectivity at the proximal double bond. The concerted mechanism for the observed transformation was computed to be favored over competitive addition to the distal double bond, [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements, and stepwise radical mechanism. This unprecedented Diels-Alder reaction enables the construction of synthetically versatile boron-substituted cycloadducts.