Direct Allylation of Quinones with Allylboronates

Metal-Free Aminohalogenation of Quinones With Alkylamines and NXS at Room Temperature

A simple and practical strategy for intermolecular aminohalogenation of quinone with alkyl amines and NXS was developed, in which haloamines generated in situ were employed as bifunctional reagents. The reaction system is reliable, efficient and wide in substrate range, which is suitable for the two-fold aminochlorination of 1, 4-benzoquinones, large-scale reaction and late-stage modification of pharmaceuticals.

Propargylation of CoQ0 through the Redox Chain Reaction

An efficient catalytic propargylation of CoQ0 is described by employing the cooperative effect of Sc(OTf)₃ and Hantzsch ester. It is suggested to work through the redox chain reaction, which involves hydroquinone and dimeric propargylic moiety intermediates. A broad range of propargylic alcohols can be converted into the appropriate derivatives of CoQ0 containing triple bonds in good to excellent yields. The mechanism of the given transformation is also discussed.

Cu-Catalysed synthesis of benzo[f]indole-2,4,9(3H)-triones by the reaction of 2-amino-1,4-napthoquinones with α-bromocarboxylates

A copper-catalysed cascade ester amidation/radical cyclization of 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinones with α-bromocarboxylates to afford benzo[f]indole-2,4,9(3H)-triones is described, and the reaction has a broad substrate scope and the desired products are obtained in mostly moderate to good yields. Mechanism-probing experiments indicate that the otherwise challenging radical coupling reaction of α-bromocarboxylates with 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinones is facilitated by a 5-endo radical cyclization.

Iron-catalyzed regioselective alkylation of 1,4-quinones and coumarins with functionalized alkyl bromides

A simple and efficient Fe-catalyzed regioselective alkylation of 1,4-quinones and coumarins, using functionalized alkyl bromides as alkylating reagents, has been developed.

Introducing unactivated acyclic internal aliphatic olefins into a cobalt catalyzed allylic selective dehydrogenative Heck reaction

Unactivated acyclic internal aliphatic olefins are often found to be unreactive in conventional alkenylation reactions. To address this problem, a cobalt catalyzed allylic selective dehydrogenative Heck reaction with internal aliphatic olefins has been developed. The method is highly regio- and stereoselective, the conditions are mild and a wide variety of functional groups can be tolerated. Remarkably, both internal and terminal aliphatic olefins can be employed, thereby significantly expanding the scope of alkenylation chemistry with aliphatic olefins.

Synthesis of functionalized alkyl substituted benzoquinones by Rh-catalyzed additions of boronic acids

An efficient, group tolerant one-pot process has been developed for the synthesis of functionalized-quinones, using a Rh-catalyzed addition as a key step.

Iron-catalyzed boration of allylic esters: an efficient approach to allylic boronates

The first general iron-catalyzed boration of allylic esters has been developed.

Kumbicins A–D: Bis-Indolyl Benzenoids and Benzoquinones from an Australian Soil Fungus, Aspergillus kumbius

A soil survey conducted in southern Queensland, Australia, identified a novel isolate belonging to the genus Aspergillus subgenus Circumdati section Circumdati, Aspergillus kumbius FRR6049. Cultivation and fractionation of secondary metabolites from A. kumbius revealed a unique chemotype comprising three new bis-indolyl benzenoids, kumbicins A–C, and a new bis-indolyl benzoquinone, kumbicin D, along with the previously reported compounds asterriquinol D dimethyl ether, petromurins C and D, aspochracin, its N-demethyl analogue JBIR-15, and neohydroxyaspergillic acid. The structures of kumbicins A–D were assigned by detailed spectroscopic analysis. Kumbicin C was found to inhibit the growth of mouse myeloma cells (IC50 0.74 μg mL–1) and the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis (MIC 1.6 μg mL–1).