N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Synthesis of Trisubstituted Epoxides via Tandem Amidation/Epoxidation Sequence

Realizing 1,1‐Dehydration of Secondary Alcohols to Carbenes: Pyrrolidin‐2‐ols as a Source of Cyclic (Alkyl)(Amino)Carbenes

Herein we report secondary pyrrolidin‐2‐ols as a source of cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes (CAAC) for the synthesis of CAAC‐Cu^I‐complexes and cyclic thiones when reacted with Cu^I‐salts and elemental sulfur, respectively, under reductive elimination of water from the carbon(IV)‐center. This result demonstrates a convenient and facile access to CAAC‐based Cu^I‐salts, which are well known catalysts for different organic transformations. It further establishes secondary alcohols to be a viable source of carbenes—realizing after 185 years Dumas’ dream who tried to prepare the parent carbene (CH₂) by 1,1‐dehydration of methanol. Addressed is also the reactivity of water towards CAACs, which proceeds through an oxidative addition of the O−H bond to the carbon(II)‐center. This emphasizes the ability of carbon‐compounds to mimic the reactivity of transition‐metal complexes: reversible oxidative addition and reductive elimination of the O−H bond to/from the C(II)/C(IV)‐centre.

NHC-Catalyzed [2 + 4] Annulation of Alkynyl Ester with Chalcone

An NHC-catalyzed [2 + 4] cyclization of alkynyl ester with α,β-unsaturated ketone to form a pyran scaffold was developed successfully. The cheap and easily available starting materials, mild reaction conditions, moderate to excellent yields, and high atom economy make this strategy attractive for the syntheses of highly substituted 4H-pyran derivatives.

Recent Advances in the Green Synthesis of Heterocycles: From Building Blocks to Biologically Active Compounds

Recent advances in the environmentally benign synthesis of common heterocycles are described. This account features three main parts; the preparation of non-aromatic heterocycles, one-ring aromatic heterocycles and their condensed analogs. Due to the great variety of and high interest in these compounds, this work focuses on providing representative examples of the preparation of the target compounds.

An N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed switchable reaction of 9-(trimethylsilyl)fluorene and aldehydes: chemoselective synthesis of dibenzofulvenes and fluorenyl alcohols

An N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed synthesis of dibenzofulvenes and fluorenyl alcohols was developed. In the presence of 10 mol% NHC (1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) and 4 Å molecular sieves, 9-(trimethylsilyl)fluorene undergoes an olefination reaction with aldehydes to produce dibenzofulvenes in 43-99% yields. However, on reducing the NHC loading to 1 mol% and with the addition of water, 9-(trimethylsilyl)fluorene selectively undergoes nucleophilic addition with aldehydes to afford fluorenyl alcohols in 40-95% yields.