Molybdenum-catalyzed asymmetric anti-dihydroxylation of allylic alcohols

Asymmetric Synthesis of Trisubstituted Vicinal Diols through Copper(I)-Catalyzed Diastereoselective and Enantioselective Allylation of Ketones with Siloxypropadienes

Chiral trisubstituted vicinal diols are a type of important organic compounds, serving as both common structure units in bioactive natural products and chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric synthesis. Herein, by using siloxypropadienes as the precursors of allyl copper(I) species, a copper(I)-catalyzed diastereoselective and enantioselective reductive allylation of ketones was achieved, providing both syn-diols and anti-diols in good to excellent enantioselectivity. DFT calculations show that cis-γ-siloxy-allyl copper species are generated favorably with either 1-TBSO-propadiene or 1-TIPSO-propadiene. Moreover, the steric difference of TBS group and TIPS group distinguishes the face selectivity of acetophenone, leading to syn-selectivity for 1-TBSO-propadiene and anti-selectivity for 1-TIPSO-propadiene. Easy transformations of the products were performed, demonstrating the synthetic utility of the present method. Moreover, one chiral diol prepared in the above transformations was used as a suitable organocatalyst for the catalytic asymmetric reductive self-coupling of aldimines generated in situ with B2(neo)2.

Reactivity of metal dioxo complexes

Metal dioxo chemistry and its diverse reactivity are presented with an emphasis on the mechanisms of reactivity. Work from approximately the last decade is surveyed and organized by metal. In particular, the chemistry of cis-dioxo metal complexes is discussed at length. Reactions are grouped by generic type, including addition across a metal oxo bond, oxygen atom transfer, and radical atom transfer reactions. Attention is given to advances in deoxygenation chemistry, oxidation chemistry, and reductive transformations.

Bis-Boric Acid-Mediated Regioselective Reductive Aminolysis of 3,4-Epoxy Alcohols

Herein we report a bis-boric acid-mediated regioselective reductive aminolysis of 3,4-epoxy alcohols, providing new access to prepare amino diols in high diastereofidelity directly starting from nitroarenes. Notably, this step-economical process is enabled by the essential dual function of bis-boric acid, which is engaged initially in the 4,4'-bipyridine-catalyzed reduction of nitro compounds as the reductant and subsequently promotes the ring opening reaction of 3,4-epoxy alcohols with the in situ-generated anilines.

Synthesis of Multisubstituted Allylic Alcohols via a Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Electrophile Ring-Opening Reaction

Herein we report a nickel-catalyzed cross-electrophile ring-opening reaction of vinyl epoxides wherein aryl iodides, alkyl iodides, and benzyl chlorides can all serve as the electrophilic coupling partners, providing a new approach to preparing multisubstituted allylic alcohols. This new method features broad substrate scope (76 examples), good step-economy, and high L/B- and E/Z selectivity as well as mild reaction conditions.

Molybdenum/Tungsten-Based Heteropoly Salts in Oxidations

Oxidation represents one of the most important and practical chemical transformations for both organic synthesis, material science and pharmaceutical area. Among the existing strategies, molybdenum/tungsten-based heteropoly salts involved oxidations with low-cost and environmentally benign terminal oxidant and thus have attracted considerable attention in recent years. In this review, we have summarized the recent development of heteropoly salts utilized in oxidations, mainly the peroxomolybdates and peroxotungstates. We wish to highlight the progress made in the past 20 years of this field. Three categories are classified according to the aggregation state of metal oxides. Special attention is paid to the catalytically active peroxometalate species generated during the oxidation process. It is helpful to shed light on the common features that enable highly efficient and selective oxidations. We aim to inspire fellow chemists to explore more functional metalates for catalytic oxidations, especially asymmetric versions. Meanwhile, we attempt to understand the design principles for the discovery of more efficient, selective and economical catalytic systems.

Catalytic Asymmetric Osmium-Free Dihydroxylation of Alkenes

Asymmetric dihydroxylation of alkenes is one of the cornerstone reactions in organic synthesis, providing a direct entry to optically active vicinal diols, which are not only a subunit in natural products but also versatile building blocks. In recent years, considerable progress in catalytic asymmetric osmium-free dihydroxylation has been achieved. This short review presents a concise summary of the reported methods of catalytic asymmetric osmium-free dihydroxylation.

1 Introduction

2 Iron-Catalyzed Asymmetric syn-Dihydroxylation of Alkenes

3 Manganese-Catalyzed Asymmetric syn-Dihydroxylation of Alkenes

4 Palladium/Gold Bimetallic Nanocluster-Catalyzed Asymmetric syn-Dihydroxylation of Alkenes

5 Enzyme-Catalyzed Asymmetric anti-Dihydroxylation of Alkenes

6 Amine-Catalyzed Asymmetric Formal anti-Dihydroxylation of Enals

7 Diselenide-Catalyzed anti-Dihydroxylation of Alkenes

8 Molybdenum-Catalyzed Asymmetric anti-Dihydroxylation of Allylic­ Alcohols

9 Phase-Transfer-Catalyzed Asymmetric Dihydroxylation of α-Aryl Acrylates

10 Conclusion

Nickel-Catalyzed Directed Cross-Electrophile Coupling of Phenolic Esters with Alkyl Bromides

Herein, we demonstrate the successful use of robust phenolic esters as an electrophilic acyl source in the reaction with diverse primary and secondary unactivated alkyl bromides. The cleavage of the relatively inert C-O bond is facilitated by the neighboring coordinating hydroxyl or sulfonamide moiety. By circumventing the use of pregenerated organometallics, this method allows efficient preparation of a variety of o-hydroxyl and tosyl-protected o-amino aryl ketones with high compatibility with a wide range of functionalities.

Iron-Catalyzed Highly Enantioselective cis-Dihydroxylation of Trisubstituted Alkenes with Aqueous H2 O2

Reliable methods for enantioselective cis-dihydroxylation of trisubstituted alkenes are scarce. The iron(II) complex cis-α-[Fe^II (2-Me₂ -BQPN)(OTf)₂ ], which bears a tetradentate N₄ ligand (Me₂ -BQPN=(R,R)-N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-bis(2-methylquinolin-8-yl)-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine), was prepared and characterized. With this complex as the catalyst, a broad range of trisubstituted electron-deficient alkenes were efficiently oxidized to chiral cis-diols in yields of up to 98 % and up to 99.9 % ee when using hydrogen peroxide (H₂ O₂ ) as oxidant under mild conditions. Experimental studies (including ¹⁸ O-labeling, ESI-MS, NMR, EPR, and UV/Vis analyses) and DFT calculations were performed to gain mechanistic insight, which suggested possible involvement of a chiral cis-Fe^V (O)₂ reaction intermediate as an active oxidant. This cis-[Fe^II (chiral N₄ ligand)]²⁺ /H₂ O₂ method could be a viable green alternative/complement to the existing OsO₄ -based methods for asymmetric alkene dihydroxylation reactions.