Ag- and Au-Catalyzed Addition of Alcohols to Ynimides: β-Regioselective Carbonylation and Production of Oxazoles

Exploration of active sites of ethyl alcohol electro-oxidation on porous gold nanoparticles with enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Novel porous gold nanospheres are prepared by calcination of the gold-urea complexes. The enhanced Raman spectra of ethanol catalyzed by different doses of porous gold nanospheres are measured with a 532 nm laser as the excitation source, and an enhanced charge coupled device served in spectral detection and microscopic imaging. The electrochemical experiments show that the catalytic oxidation products of ethanol with porous gold nanoparticles are acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and water, which further proved that the porous gold nanoparticles can activate the -CH₂ of ethanol.

Palladium-catalyzed benzylic C(sp3)-H carbonylative arylation of azaarylmethyl amines with aryl bromides

A highly selective palladium-catalyzed carbonylative arylation of weakly acidic benzylic C(sp3)-H bonds of azaarylmethylamines with aryl bromides under 1 atm of CO gas has been achieved. This work represents the first examples of use of such weakly acidic pronucleophiles in this class of transformations. In the presence of a NIXANTPHOS-based palladium catalyst, this one-pot cascade process allows a range of azaarylmethylamines containing pyridyl, quinolinyl and pyrimidyl moieties and acyclic and cyclic amines to undergo efficient reactions with aryl bromides and CO to provide α-amino aryl-azaarylmethyl ketones in moderate to high yields with a broad substrate scope and good tolerance of functional groups. This reaction proceeds via in situ reversible deprotonation of the benzylic C-H bonds to give the active carbanions, thereby avoiding prefunctionalized organometallic reagents and generation of additional waste. Importantly, the operational simplicity, scalability and diversity of the products highlight the potential applicability of this protocol.

Divergent Gold Catalysis: Unlocking Molecular Diversity through Catalyst Control

The catalyst-directed divergent synthesis, commonly termed as "divergent catalysis", has emerged as a promising technique as it allows chartering of structurally distinct products from common substrates simply by modulating the catalyst system. In this regard, gold complexes emerged as powerful catalysts as they offer unique reactivity profiles as compared to various other transition metal catalysts, primarily due to their salient electronic and geometrical features. Owing to the tunable soft π-acidic nature, gold catalysts not only evolved as superior contenders for catalyzing the reactions of alkynes, alkenes, and allenes but also, more intriguingly, have been found to provide divergent reaction pathways over other π-acid catalysts such as Ag, Pt, Pd, Rh, Cu, In, Sc, Hg, Zn, etc. The recent past has witnessed a renaissance in such examples wherein, by choosing gold catalysts over other transition metal catalysts or by fine-tuning the ligands, counteranions or oxidation states of the gold catalyst itself, a complete reactivity switch was observed. However, reviews documenting such examples are sporadic; as a result, most of the reports of this kind remained scattered in the literature, thereby hampering further development of this burgeoning field. By conceptualizing the idea of "Divergent Gold Catalysis (DGC)", this review aims to consolidate all such reports and provide a unified approach necessary to pave the way for further advancement of this exciting area. Based on the factors governing the divergence in product formation, an explicit classification of DGC has been provided. To gain a fundamental understanding of the divergence in observed reactivities and selectivities, the review is accompanied by mechanistic insights at appropriate places.

Direct Spirocyclization from Keto-sulfonamides: An Approach to Azaspiro Compounds

Spontaneous spirocyclization of keto-sulfonamides via ynamides through a one-pot process is presented. Push-pull ynamides were obtained through Michael addition/elimination without Cu. The obtained azaspiro compounds are building blocks for indole alkaloids. Theoretical studies provide insights into the mechanism of the formal Conia-ene reaction.

N-Bromosuccinimide promoted and base switchable one pot synthesis of α-imido and α-amino ketones from styrenes

An N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS) promoted one pot strategy for the synthesis of α-amino functionalized aryl ketones starting from commercially available styrenes has been developed.

Ynamides in ring forming transformations

The ynamide functional group activates carbon-carbontriple bonds through an attached nitrogen atom that bears an electron-withdrawing group. As a result, the alkyne has both electrophilic and nucleophilic properties. Through the selection of the electron-withdrawing group attached to nitrogen, chemists can modulate the electronic properties and reactivity of ynamides, making these groups versatile synthetic building blocks. The reactions of ynamides also lead directly to nitrogen-containing products, which provides access to important structural motifs found in natural products and molecules of medicinal interest. Therefore, researchers have invested increasing time and research in the chemistry of ynamides in recent years. This Account surveys and assesses new organic transforma-tions involving ynamides developed in our laboratory and in others around the world. We showcase the synthetic power of ynamides for rapid assembly of complex molecular structures. Among the recent reports of ynamide transformations, ring-forming reactions provide a powerful tool for generating molecular complexity quickly. In addition to their synthetic utility, such reactions are mechanistically interesting. Therefore, we focus primarily on the cyclization chemistry of ynamides. This Account highlights ynamide reactions that are useful in the rapid synthesis of cyclic and polycyclic structural manifolds. We discuss the mechanisms active in the ring formations and describe representative examples that demonstrate the scope of these reactions and provide mechanistic insights. In this discussion, we feature examples of ynamide reactions involving radical cyclizations, ring-closing metathesis, transition metal and non-transition metal mediated cyclizations, cycloaddition reactions, and rearrangements. The transformations presented rapidly introduce structural complexity and include nitrogen within or in close proximity to a newly formed ring (or rings). Thus, ynamides have emerged as powerful synthons for nitrogen-containing heterocycles and nitrogen-substituted rings, and we hope this Account will promote continued interest in the chemistry of ynamides.

SYNTHESIS OF DE NOVO CHIRAL γ-AMINO-YNAMIDES USING LITHIATED YNAMIDES. OBSERVATION OF A UNIQUE 5-ENDO-DIG CYCLIZATION WITH AN INVERSION OF S-CENTER

We describe herein details of our efforts in developing a highly stereoselective synthesis of de novo chiral γ-amino-ynamides through additions of lithiated ynamides to Ellman-Davis chiral N-tert-butanesulfinyl imines. While additions of ynamides could be highly stereoselective even without Lewis acids, the use of BF3-OEt2 completely reversed the stereoselectivity. On the other hand, additions of oxazolidinone-substituted, oxazinanone-substituted and tetrahydropyrimidinone-substituted ynamides behaved quite differently and functioned better with BF3-OEt2. The chirality of the oxazolidinone ring exerts no impact on the selectivity. This work also features a unique 5-endo-dig cyclization of oxazolidinone-substituted γ-amino-ynamides that could be promoted with acid, leading to isothiazoles and 2,3-dihydro-isothiazole S-oxides.

Synthesis of cyclopentenimines from N-allyl ynamides via a tandem aza-Claisen rearrangement-carbocyclization sequence

We describe here details of our investigations into Pd-catalyzed and thermal aza-Claisen-carbocyclizations of N-allyl ynamides to prepare a variety of α,β-unsaturated cyclopentenimines. The nature of the ynamide electron-withdrawing group and β-substituent plays critical roles in the success of this tandem cascade. With N-sulfonyl ynamides, the use of palladium catalysis is required, as facile 1,3-sulfonyl shifts dominate under thermal conditions. However, since no analogous 1,3-phosphoryl shift is operational, N-phosphoryl ynamides could be used to prepare similar cyclopentenimines under thermal conditions through zwitter ionic intermediates that undergo N-promoted H-shifts. Alternatively, by employing ynamides bearing tethered carbon nucleophiles, the zwitter ionic intermediates could be intercepted, giving rise rapidly to more complex fused bi- and tricyclic scaffolds.

A highly stereoselective addition of lithiated ynamides to Ellman-Davis chiral N-tert-butanesulfinyl imines

A highly diastereoselective addition of lithiated ynamides to Ellman-Davis chiral imines is described. While additions of N-sulfonyl ynamides are highly stereoselective even without Lewis acids, the use of BF3-OEt2 completely reversed the stereoselectivity. In addition, oxazolidinone-substituted ynamides behaved differently and functioned better with BF3-OEt2, and the chirality of the oxazolidinone ring exerts no impact on the selectivity.