Preparation of 4-(Nitromethyl)furan Derivatives and Their Application in the Syntheses of Bis(furan-2-yl)oximes

General access to furan-substituted gem-difluoroalkenes enabled by PFTB-promoted cross-coupling of ene-yne-ketones and difluorocarbene

Replacement of a carbonyl group with fluorinated bioisostere (e.g., CF2[double bond, length as m-dash]C) has been adopted as a key tactical strategy in drug design and development, which typically improves potency and modulates lipophilicity while maintaining biological activity. Consequently, new gem-difluoroalkenation reactions have undoubtedly accelerated this shift, and conceptually innovative practices would be of great benefit to medicinal chemists. Here we describe an expeditous protocol for the direct assembly of furan-substituted gem-difluoroalkenes via PFTB-promoted cross-coupling of ene-yne-ketones and difluorocarbene. In this multi-step tandem reaction process, the furan ring and the gem-difluorovinyl group are constructed simultaneously in an efficient manner. These products can serve as bioisosteres of the α-carbonyl furan core, which is an important scaffold present in natural products and drug candidates. The broad generality and practicality of this method for late-stage modification of bioactive molecules, gram-scale synthesis and versatile derivatisation of products has been described. Biological activity evaluation showed that the gem-difluoroalkene skeleton exhibited dramatic antitumor activity.

Au(PPh3)Cl/AgOTf/TsOH-Catalyzed Cascade Reaction between 1-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-propargyl Alcohols and β-Oxoketones (Amides, Acid): Diastereoselective Construction of cis-3a,8a-Dihydrofuro[2,3-b]benzofuran Framework

In the Au(PPh3)Cl/AgOTf/TsOH/MeCN/N2/25 °C system, diastereoselective synthesis of cis-3a,8a-dihydrofuro[2,3-b]benzofuran derivatives with a substituent at the 8a-position has been achieved by using 1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-arylprop-2-yn-1-ols and β-oxoketones (amides, acid) as starting materials. The studies revealed that the acidity of methylene in substrates plays a key role in the differential reactions. A stronger acidity of the methylene is favorable in the desired conversion. The unique role of TsOH as an additive acid in the synthesis strategy has been rationalized. 2-Oxo-phosphonate, 2-oxo-sulfonate, and 3-oxobutanoate are suitable for the conversion.

Controllable Access to Diazo-functionalized 2-Methylene-2,3-dihydrofurans and Diazo-functionalized Furans from Enynones and Diazo Carbonyl Compounds

Using enynones and diazo carbonyl compounds as identical starting materials, methods for chemoselective and regioselective constructs of diazo-functionalized 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofurans and diazo-functionalized trisubstituted furans have been established in a AgSbF6/DBU/DCE/0 °C system and a AgSbF6/DBU/Et2O·BF3/DCE/0 °C system, respectively. A Lewis acid and organic base cocontrolled reaction for the synthesis of diazo-functionalized trisubstituted furans is infrequent. For diazo-functionalized 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuran synthesis, the reaction possesses excellent diastereoselectivity and Z-selectivity. On the basis of Rh2(OAc)4-mediated unique decomposition of diazo-functionalized 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofurans, an application to diastereoselective construction of a 5-methylene-4,7-dihydro-5H-furo[2,3-c]pyran frame has been achieved for the first time.

Silver(I)-Catalyzed Tandem Reaction of Enynones and 4-Alkenyl Isoxazoles: Synthesis of 2-(Furan-2-yl)-1,2-dihydropyridines

Silver(I)-catalyzed tandem reaction of enynones with 4-alkenyl isoxazoles provides access to 2-(furan-2-yl)-1,2-dihydropyridines. No competitive cyclopropanation of alkenes and O-H insertion via (2-furyl)carbene complexes were observed. The cascade reaction proceeds via the formation of (2-furyl)metal carbene intermediate, the N-O bond cleavage of 4-alkenyl isoxazoles/rearrangement, subsequent 6π electrocyclic reaction, and [1,5] H-shift. The successive construction of both 1,2-dihydropyridine skeleton and furan frame has been achieved in the one-pot reaction. A broad range of readily available enynones and 4-alkenyl isoxazoles are suitable to this protocol; however, when R³ is the alkyl group such as n-Bu and Me, a complicated mixture was generated without the desired products. In addition, in the case of R⁴ = bulky group such as R₃^'SiOCH₂, the reaction gave an in situ oxo-product of (2-furyl)silver carbene. An atom-economic strategy for the synthesis of 2-(furan-2-yl)-1,2-dihydropyridines has been established.