Complexity-generating hydration reactions via gold-catalyzed addition of boronic acids to alkynes

Boronic acids can serve as organic soluble substitutes for water molecules in the metal-catalyzed hydration of alkynes. The Au-catalyzed addition of boronic acids to alkynes provides an alternative method for enolate generation, which proceeds under exceptionally mild conditions. The resulting enolates can be trapped by aldehydes present in the reaction mixture, giving aldol products that can be isolated as cyclic borate esters. These compounds are versatile synthetic intermediates that can be elaborated into a variety of products by transformation of the boron moiety. The Au-catalyzed reaction of boronic acids with propargylic alcohols results in efficient Meyer–Schuster rearrangement to the corresponding enones. The rearrangement of tertiary alcohols gives (E)-enones with moderate to good selectivity, and the addition of a boronic acid to the reaction appears to enhance the level of geometrical control. The rearrangement of primary alcohols to terminal enones also occurs readily in the presence of catalytic Au(I) and a boronic acid, and the resulting terminal enones can be reacted with nucleophiles in one-pot procedures to give a variety of β-substituted ketones

Metal-catalysed Halogen Exchange Reactions of Aryl Halides

Aryl halides are common synthetic targets themselves, and also highly versatile synthetic intermediates. Aryl chlorides are much more widely available and easier to synthesise than the other halide derivatives, so the development of effective methods for interconverting aryl halide derivatives would therefore be extremely useful. This article outlines which transformations are particularly desirable, and describes the progress that has been made on developing methods for carrying out those transformations using copper, nickel or palladium catalysts. The possible mechanisms of these reactions are discussed, with a view to identifying areas for future investigation

Alternative approaches to enolate chemistry

This article highlights recently developed methods for the in situ generation of enolates from noncarbonyl precursors. Suitable enolate precursors include allylic alcohols, vinyl borates, and alkynes

Structurally similar allosteric modulators of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors exhibit five distinct pharmacological effects.

Activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) is associated with the binding of agonists such as acetylcholine to an extracellular site that is located at the interface between two adjacent receptor subunits. More recently, there has been considerable interest in compounds, such as positive and negative allosteric modulators (PAMs and NAMs), that are able to modulate nAChR function by binding to distinct allosteric sites. Here we examined a series of compounds differing only in methyl substitution of a single aromatic ring. This series of compounds includes a previously described α7-selective allosteric agonist, cis-cis-4-p-tolyl-3a,4,5,9b-tetrahydro-3H-cyclopenta[c]quinoline-8-sulfonamide (4MP-TQS), together with all other possible combinations of methyl substitution at a phenyl ring (18 additional compounds). Studies conducted with this series of compounds have revealed five distinct pharmacological effects on α7 nAChRs. These five effects can be summarized as: 1) nondesensitizing activation (allosteric agonists), 2) potentiation associated with minimal effects on receptor desensitization (type I PAMs), 3) potentiation associated with reduced desensitization (type II PAMs), 4) noncompetitive antagonism (NAMs), and 5) compounds that have no effect on orthosteric agonist responses but block allosteric modulation (silent allosteric modulators (SAMs)). Several lines of experimental evidence are consistent with all of these compounds acting at a common, transmembrane allosteric site. Notably, all of these chemically similar compounds that have been classified as nondesensitizing allosteric agonists or as nondesensitizing (type II) PAMs are cis-cis-diastereoisomers, whereas all of the NAMs, SAMs, and type I PAMs are cis-trans-diastereoisomers. Our data illustrate the remarkable pharmacological diversity of allosteric modulators acting on nAChRs

Direct Synthesis of Amides from Carboxylic Acids and Amines Using B(OCH2CF3)3

B(OCH2CF3)3, prepared from readily available B2O3 and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, is as an effective reagent for the direct amidation of a variety of carboxylic acids with a broad range of amines. In most cases, the amide products can be purified by a simple filtration procedure using commercially available resins, with no need for aqueous workup or chromatography. The amidation of N-protected amino acids with both primary and secondary amines proceeds effectively, with very low levels of racemization. B(OCH2CF3)3 can also be used for the formylation of a range of amines in good to excellent yield, via transamidation of dimethylformamide

Borate esters: Simple catalysts for the sustainable synthesis of complex amides

Chemical reactions for the formation of amide bonds are among the most commonly used transformations in organic chemistry, yet they are often highly inefficient. A novel protocol for amidation using a simple borate ester catalyst is reported. The process presents significant improvements over other catalytic amidation methods in terms of efficiency and safety, with an unprecedented substrate scope including functionalized heterocycles and even unprotected amino acids. The method was used to access a wide range of functionalized amide derivatives, including pharmaceutically relevant targets, important synthetic intermediates, a catalyst, and a natural product

An Alternative Approach to Aldol Reactions: Gold-Catalyzed Formation of Boron Enolates from Alkynes

A new method for enolate generation via the gold-catalyzed addition of boronic acids to alkynes is reported. The formation of boron enolates from readily accessible ortho-alkynylbenzeneboronic acids proceeds rapidly with 2 mol % PPh3AuNTf2 at ambient temperature. The enolates undergo aldol reaction with an aldehyde present in the reaction mixture to give cyclic boronate esters, which can be subsequently transformed into phenols, biaryls, or dihydrobenzofurans via oxidation, Suzuki-Miyaura, or intramolecular Chan-Lam coupling, respectively. A combined gold/boronic acid catalyzed aldol condensation reaction of an alkynyl aldehyde was also successfully achieved

Regioselective Dihalohydration Reactions of Propargylic Alcohols: Gold-Catalyzed and Non-Catalyzed Reactions

The regioselective conversion of propargylic alcohols into previously unreported α,α-diiodo-β-hydroxyketones was achieved by treatment with N-iodosuccinimide in the presence of a gold catalyst. The corresponding α,α-dichloro-β-hydroxyketones were obtained by treatment with trichloroisocyanuric acid in the absence of a catalyst. The latter reaction can be extended to other alkynols. These transformations can be used to prepare potentially useful halogenated building blocks. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction involves participation of the acetonitrile solvent in the formation of a 5-halo-1,3-oxazine intermediate

Palladium(II)-Catalysed Oxidation of Alkenes

This review provides a summary of recent developments in the palladium(II)-catalysed oxidation of alkenes, focusing largely on reactions which lead to the formation of new carbon–oxygen or carbon–nitrogen bonds. Three classes of reaction are covered: i) oxidations proceeding via allylic C–H bond cleavage and formation of a π-allyl complex; ii) Wacker-type oxidations proceeding via nucleopalladation followed by β-hydride elimination; and iii) 1,2-difunctionalisation of alkenes proceeding via nucleopalladation followed by functionalisation of the resulting σ-alkylpalladium(II) intermediate. The mechanisms are discussed alongside the scope and limitations of each reaction