Rhodium-catalyzed Beckmann rearrangement

Phosphoric Acid-Catalyzed Enantioselective Synthesis of Axially Chiral Anthrone-based Compounds

Anthrones and analogues are structural cores shared by diverse pharmacologically active natural and synthetic compounds. The sp² -rich nature imposes inherent obstruction to introduce stereogenic element onto the tricyclic aromatic backbone. In our pursuit to expand the chemical space of axial chirality, a novel type of axially chiral anthrone-derived skeleton was discovered. This work establishes oxime ether as suitable functionality to furnish axial chirality on symmetric anthrone skeletons through stereoselective condensation of the carbonyl entity with long-range chirality control. The enantioenriched anthrones could be elaborated into dibenzo-fused seven-membered N-heterocycles containing well-defined stereogenic center via Beckmann rearrangement with axial-to-point chirality conversion.

Iodine-Promoted N-Acylation of Amines with Hydrazide: An Efficient Metal-Free Amidation

An efficient protocol for the amidation of hydrazide with amine has been developed by utilizing I2 as an oxidant under metal- and base-free conditions at room temperature. N-Acylation products of amines were obtained in good to excellent yields without using toxic reagents. This method is operationally straightforward and tolerates aliphatic/aromatic and primary/secondary amines with different hydrazides.

An Electrochemical Beckmann Rearrangement: Traditional Reaction via Modern Radical Mechanism

Electrosynthesis as a potential means of introducing heteroatoms into the carbon framework is rarely studied. Herein, the electrochemical Beckmann rearrangement, i. e. the direct electrolysis of ketoximes to amides, is presented for the first time. Using a constant current as the driving force, the reaction can be easily carried out under neutral conditions at room temperature. Based on a series of mechanistic studies, a novel radical Beckmann rearrangement mechanism is proposed. This electrochemical Beckmann rearrangement does not follow the trans-migration rule of the classical Beckmann rearrangement.

Beckmann rearrangement catalysis: a review of recent advances

The Beckmann rearrangement is an elegant transformation and has been used to great success in the synthesis of natural products and pharmaceuticals. In this review, the role of different catalysts as well as different medium for Beckmann rearrangement has been discussed over the last 20 years.

Microdroplets as Microreactors for Fast Synthesis of Ketoximes and Amides

The formation of amide bonds is one of the most valuable transformations in organic synthesis. Beckmann rearrangement is a well-known method for producing secondary amides from ketoximes. This study demonstrates the rapid synthesis of ketoximes and amides in microdroplets. Many factors are found to affect the yield, such as microdroplet generation devices, temperature, catalysts, and concentrations of reactants. In particular, the temperature has a great influence on the synthesis of amide, which is demonstrated by a sharp ascendance to the yield when the temperature was increased to 45 °C. The best amide yield (93.3%) can be obtained by using coaxial flowing devices, a sulfonyl chloride compound as a catalyst, and heating to 55 °C in microdroplets. The yields can reach 78.7-91.3% for benzoylaniline and 87.2-93.4% for benzophenone oximes in several seconds in microdroplets compared to 10.1-66.1% and 82.5-93.3% in several hours in the bulk phase. Apart from the dramatically decreased reaction time and enhanced reaction yields, the microdroplet synthesis is also free of severe reaction environments (anhydrous and anaerobic conditions). In addition, the synthesis in microdroplets also saves reactants and solvents and reduces the waste amounts. All of these merits indicate that the microdroplet synthesis is a high-efficiency green methodology.

Beyond a solvent: triple roles of dimethylformamide in organic chemistry

N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) is frequently used as an aprotic solvent in chemical transformations in laboratories of academia as well as in those of chemical industry. In the present review, we will reveal that DMF is actually something much more than a solvent. It is a unique chemical since, as well as being an effective polar aprotic solvent, it can play three other important roles in organic chemistry. It can be used as a reagent, a catalyst, and a stabilizer.

Heterogeneous Route for the One-Pot Synthesis of N-Arylamides from Aldoximes and Aryl Halides Using the CuO/Carbon Material

Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by porous carbon materials (PCMs) are very promising for catalysis. In this work, monodispersed small and stable copper oxide (CuO) NPs were prepared with an average size of 10-20 nm without using any capping agent and then these NPs were encapsulated into porous carbon. The chemical and structural properties of the CuO/PCM material were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen sorption. The obtained CuO/PCM nanocatalytic system has been used for the synthesis of N-arylamides from the reaction of aldoximes and aryl halides. Generally, copper(II) salt was used for the preparation of amides from aldoximes using some ligands and bases, but harsh reaction condition, stoichiometric amount of metal, and lack of recyclability limit their applications in industry. An alternative method is the use of heterogeneous catalysts. More importantly, these heterogeneous catalysts could be easily recycled and reused, showing potential application in organic synthesis.

Highly efficient synthesis of amides from ketoximes using trifluoromethanesulphonic anhydride

Trifluoromethanesulphonic anhydride (triflic anhydride: TA) has been successfully used as a reagent for Beckmann rearrangement in the conversion of a variety of ketoximes into amides without any additive or base.

Gallium(III) triflate: an efficient and a sustainable Lewis acid catalyst for organic synthetic transformations

Green chemical processes play a crucial role in sustainable development, and efficient recyclable catalysts that can be conveniently applied in various chemical reactions are the key elements for the development of sustainable synthetic processes. Many organic transformations rely on Lewis and Brønsted acid catalysts, and such molecules have been widely studied in organic synthesis. Over the years, researchers have looked for Lewis acid catalysts that provide high selectivity and high turnover frequency but are also stable in aqueous media and recoverable. Since the first preparation of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid by Hazeldine (triflic acid, HOTf), researchers have synthesized and used numerous metal triflates in a variety of organic reactions. Even though the rare earth metal triflates have played a major role in these studies, the majority of rare earth triflates lack one or more of the primary properties of sustainable catalysts: low cost and easy availability of the metals, easy preparation of triflates, aqueous/thermal stability, recyclability, and catalytic efficiency. In this Account, we describe the synthetic applications of Ga(OTf)(3) and its advantages over similar catalysts. Ga(OTf)(3) can be conveniently prepared from gallium metal or gallium chloride in excess of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (triflic acid) under reflux. Among many Lewis acid catalysts recently studied, Ga(OTf)(3) is water tolerant and soluble and requires very low catalyst loading to drive various acid-catalyzed reactions including Friedel-Crafts alkylation, hydroxyalkylation, and acylation selectively and efficiently. In many reactions Ga(OTf)(3) demonstrated high chemo- and regioselectivity, high yields, excellent stability, and recyclability. We successfully synthesized many biologically active heterocycles and their fluoroanalogs under mild conditions. Many challenging reactions such as the ketonic Strecker reactions proceed efficiently via Ga(OTf)(3) catalysis. Because it is stable in water, this catalyst provides the opportunity to study substrates and develop new synthetic protocols in aqueous media, significantly reducing the production of hazardous waste from organic solvents and toxic catalyst systems.

Transition-metal-catalyzed synthesis of organosulfur compounds

Rhodium complexes are efficient catalysts for the synthesis of organosulfur compounds. They catalyze the addition reaction of organosulfur groups to unsaturated compounds, the substitution of C-H with organosulfur groups, and single-bond metathesis reactions. They cleave S-S bonds and transfer the organosulfur groups to various organic and inorganic molecules, including alkynes, allenes, disulfides, sulfur, isonitriles, imines, diphosphines, thiophosphinites, hydrogen, 1-alkylthio-1-alkynes, thioesters, and allyl sulfides.

Is the Beckmann Rearrangement a Concerted or Stepwise Reaction? A Computational Study

[reaction: see text] RB3LYP calculations were performed on the Beckman rearrangement by the use of three substrates, acetone oxime (1), acetophenone oxime (2), and cyclohexanone oxime (3). Acidic solvents were modeled by H+ (CH3COOH)3 and H3O+ (H2O)6, and reaction paths were determined precisely. For 1, a two-step process involving a sigma-type cationic complex was obtained. For 2, a three-step process with pi- and sigma-type complexes was found in H+ (CH3COOH)3 and a two-step process involving a sigma-type cationic complex was obtained in H3O+ (H2O)6. However, for 3, a concerted process without pi and sigma complexes was calculated, which leads to the product, epsilon-caprolactam. Three different mechanisms were explained in terms of FMO theory.