Visible-Light-Photocatalyzed Self-Cyclopropanation Reactions of Dibenzoylmethanes for the Synthesis of Cyclopropanes.

A new self-cyclopropanation of 1,3-diphenylpropane-1,3-dione, leading to tetrasubstituted cyclopropane containing three contiguous stereogenic centers with high stereoselectivity, has been achieved through violet-light-emitting diode-irradiated photocatalysis, featuring both cycloaddition and a distinctive rearrangement. Diverging from conventional cyclopropanation pathways, this reaction yields a tetrasubstituted cyclopropane through unprecedented rearrangement and cascade reactions.

Tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT), a compelling and trailblazing catalyst for visible-light-induced organic photocatalysis.

Tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) has recently emerged as an intriguing photocatalyst under visible-light or near-visible-light irradiation in a wide range of organic reactions that were previously not conceivable. Given its ability to absorb visible light and excellent effectiveness in activating unactivated chemical bonds, it is a promising addition to traditional photocatalysts. This review covers some of the contemporary developments in visible-light or near-visible-light photocatalysis reactions enabled by the TBADT catalyst to 2023, with the contents organized by reaction type.

The hamburger-shape photocatalyst: thioxanthone-based chiral [2.2]paracyclophane for enantioselective visible-light photocatalysis of 3-methylquinoxalin-2(1H)-one and styrenes.

A new thioxanthone-based photocatalyst with a [2.2]paracyclophane skeleton and planar chirality has been developed. The catalyst has been successfully applied in the visible light-mediated enantioselective aza Paternò-Büchi reactions of quinoxalinone and styrenes to produce azetidines. The structures of the catalyst derivatives were unequivocally determined by their single crystal X-ray crystallography analysis.

From citronellal to iridoids: asymmetric synthesis of iridoids and their analogues via organocatalytic intramolecular Michael reactions.

A series of iridoids, including iridomyrmecin A, B, C', D', (-)-isoiridomyrmecin, (+)-7-epi-boschnialactone, and the inside-yohimbine analogues have been synthesized from readily available, naturally occurring (-)-citronellal via the key step reaction of metathesis, organocatalysis, and subsequent transformations, such as reduction, lactonization, alkylation, Pictet-Spengler reaction and lactamization. Notably, the use of DBU as an additive in the organocatalytic intramolecular Michael reaction of an aldehyde ester with Jørgensen-Hayashi catalysts resulted in better stereoselectivity than the conditions using acetic acid as an additive. The structures of three products have been unequivocally established with single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses.

Stereoselective Cyclization Cascade of Dihydroquinoxalinones by Visible-Light Photocatalysis: Access to the Polycyclic Quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones.

An intriguing stereoselective visible-light photocatalysis of dihydroquinoxalinone derivatives has been realized via cyclization with or without the solvolysis cascade. The reactions provided the polycyclic ring structures with efficient formation of multiple bonds and with high stereoselectivity. X-ray crystallography unequivocally determined the structures of five polycyclic products.

Total Synthesis of Ulodione A via a Double-Alkylation and DABCO Promoted Ring-Expansion Rearrangement Sequence.

First total synthesis of ulodione A has been achieved via the key-step reactions of DIPEA-promoted dialkytion of 1,3-cyclopentadione with a bromonitroolefin and DABCO promoted/catalytic semipinacol-like ring-expansion rearrangement, with regioselective transformation of the nitrocyclohexane intermediates to their cyclopentenone counterparts via a sequence of reactions in a one-pot operation. Structures of six products were unequivocally established by X-ray crystallography.

A mild one-pot transformation of nitroalkanes to ketones or aldehydes via a visible-light photocatalysis-hydrolysis sequence.

Using a visible-light photoredox catalysis strategy with household decorative blue LEDs and the additives Et3N and DIPEA, as well as the subsequent hydrolysis sequence, a mild one-pot process for the direct transformation of nitroalkanes to the corresponding ketones and aldehydes, constituting a Nef-like reaction, has been developed. It is worth noting that by using an appropriate photocatalyst (e.g., [Ir(dtbbpy)(ppy)2]PF6) and the extra additive Et3N with the combination of DIPEA and Mg(ClO4)2 in i-PrOH (instead of CH3CN), the transformation of nitroalkanes to the corresponding oximes, rather than nitrones, can be markedly more effective. The oximes can then be hydrolyzed to ketones by reaction with CuCl2·2H2O in a pH 7 buffer solution. This process is appealing because of the benefits of efficient conversion, mild conditions, high yields, and general applicability to compounds with a wide range of labile functional groups.

Control of the Organocatalytic Enantioselective α-Alkylation of Vinylogous Carbonyl Enolates for the Synthesis of Tetrahydropyran Derivatives and Beyond.

The organocatalytic α-alkylation of vinylogous carbonyl compounds to hydroxynitroolefins for the synthesis of hemiacetals was realized with excellent enantioselectivities and in high yields. High diastereoselectivity (up to >20:1) has been accomplished with the addition of Et3N. The α- and γ-alkylation of vinylogous ketone against nitroolefins displayed high but opposite facial selectivities. Transformation of the hemiacetal products to other polycyclic compounds, including the euroticin B analog, has been demonstrated.

Oxidative trimerization of indoles via water-assisted visible-light photoredox catalysis and the study of their anti-cancer activities.

Incorporation of water has been revealed to successfully facilitate visible-light photoredox catalysis of indole leading to increased production of C2-quaternary indolinone. The water-promoted photoreaction of indole under catalyst-free conditions by a household compact fluorescence light was also demonstrated. The antiproliferative activity of the synthesized indolinones was evaluated against three human cancer cell lines.

Enantioselective synthesis enabled by visible light photocatalysis.

Enantioselective photoreaction has been a synthetic challenge for decades. With the continuous development of modern visible light photocatalysis and asymmetric catalysis, remarkable advances have been achieved through the synergistic action of these catalytic reactions, allowing the construction of various enantiomerically enriched molecules that were once inaccessible using photocatalytic reactions. This review presents some of the contemporary developments in enantioselective visible-light photocatalysis reactions, covering the period from 2008 to March 2020, with the contents classified by catalysis type.

Catalytic 1,2-Rearrangements: Organocatalyzed Michael/Semi-Pinacol-like Rearrangement Cascade of 1,3-Diones and Nitroolefins.

New types of organocatalytic 1,2-rearrangements, which resemble the Smiles-like or semi-pinacol-like rearrangement, of Michael adducts of 1,3-dicarbonyl-2-alkyl compounds and nitroalkenes have been realized. Unlike the well-known conjugate addition, the reaction affords the 1-phenyl-1-nitroalkanes via unprecedented rearrangement and cascade reactions. Structures of the appropriate products were unambiguously characterized by X-ray crystallography.

Direct Transformation of Nitroalkanes to Nitriles Enabled by Visible-Light Photoredox Catalysis and a Domino Reaction Process.

A mild and convenient process for direct transformation of nitroalkanes to the corresponding nitriles was developed using a visible-light photoredox catalysis strategy with household decorative blue LEDs and the additives of Et3N and DIPIBA (or DIPEA). Application of the process in secondary nitroalkanes bearing a ß-alcohol resulted in a domino process of the retro-Henry reaction and the subsequent acetalization, aldol, cyanohydrin, and ring-contraction reactions with stereoselectivities. The photocatalytic reaction was demonstrated by a continuous flow method.

Asymmetric Synthesis of Spirocyclopentane Oxindoles Containing Four Consecutive Stereocenters and Quaternary α-Nitro Esters via Organocatalytic Enantioselective Michael-Michael Cascade Reactions.

An enantioselective domino Michael-Michael reaction of nitroolefins and 2-nitro-3-arylacrylates has been established, which provided a series of spirocyclopentane oxindoles with four consecutive stereocenters including quaternary α-nitro esters with good yields (up to 73%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee). The reaction was realized and optimized with the aid of a chiral squaramide-amine catalyst. The structures of 11 products were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Yohimbine Analogues by an Organocatalytic and Pot-Economic Strategy.

An efficient and one-pot method has been developed for the enantioselective synthesis of pentacyclic indole derivatives with the yohimbane skeleton via a sequence of asymmetric Michael-Michael-Mannich-reduction-amidation-Bischler-Napieralski-reduction reactions with a high diastereoselectivity and high enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee). The seven-step reaction sequence, which generates five bonds and five stereocenters, can be conducted with a pot-economic synthetic strategy and one-pot operation in good yields. The structure and absolute stereochemistry of two products were confirmed by X-ray crystallography analysis.

Catalyst- and Substituent-Controlled Switching of Chemoselectivity for the Enantioselective Synthesis of Fully Substituted Cyclobutane Derivatives via 2 + 2 Annulation of Vinylogous Ketone Enolates and Nitroalkene.

The first regioselective, diastereoselective, and enantioselective organocatalyzed Michael-Michael cascade of vinylogous ketone enolates and nitroalkenes for the construction of fully substituted cyclobutanes is achieved by the deployment of the appropriate chiral squaramide catalyst and the pertinent substituent on the substrate. The domino reaction provided cyclobutanes with four contiguous stereocenters, including a quaternary center in good yields with diastereomeric ratio of >20:1 and with enantioselectivities of mostly up to 98% enantiomeric excess (ee). The structures and the absolute configurations of the adducts were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses of the appropriate products.

The azatryptophan-based fluorescent platform for in vitro rapid screening of inhibitors disrupting IKKß-NEMO interaction.

The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) plays an important role in inflammatory and immune responses. Aberrant NF-κB signaling is implicated in multiple disorders, including cancer. Targeting the regulatory scaffold subunit IκB kinase γ (IKKγ/NEMO) as therapeutic interventions could be promising due to its specific involvement in canonical NF-κB activation without interfering with non-canonical signaling. In this study, the use of unnatural amino acid substituted IKKß with unique photophysical activity to sense water environment changes upon interaction with NEMO provides a powerful in vitro screening platform that would greatly facilitate the identification of compounds having the potential to disrupt IKKß-NEMO interaction, and thus specifically modulate the canonical NF-κB pathway. We then utilized a competitive binding platform to screen the binding ability of a number of potential molecules being synthesized. Our results suggest that a lead compound (-)-PDC-099 is a potent agent with ascertained potency to disrupt IKKß-NEMO complex for modulating NF-κB canonical pathway.

Visible-light-induced C(sp3)-H activation for a C-C bond forming reaction of 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(1H)-one with nucleophiles using oxygen with a photoredox catalyst or under catalyst-free conditions.

A convenient photocatalyzed oxidative coupling reaction of 4-alkyl-3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(1H)-one and its derivatives with a variety of nucleophiles was developed with a ruthenium photoredox catalyst and oxygen under a household compact fluorescent light. With a slower reaction rate, the cross coupling transformation can be achieved in the absence of an external photocatalyst with a similar isolated yield. An application to the synthesis of natural product cephalandole A was also demonstrated.

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Michael-Michael-Michael-Aldol Condensation Reactions: Control of Six Stereocenters in a Quadruple-Cascade Asymmetric Synthesis of Polysubstituted Spirocyclic Oxindoles.

An organocatalyzed enantioselective Michael-Michael-Michael-aldol cascade reaction for the construction of cyclopentane fused spirooxindoles was achieved. The domino reaction provided the spirooxindoles with six contiguous stereocenters including a quaternary center in good yields (55-64%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee). Enantioselective Michael-Michael-Michael-aldol condensation-aromatization reactions of an isomeric product were observed.

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Michael-Acetalization-Henry Reaction Cascade of 2-Hydroxynitrostyrene and 5-Oxohexanal for the Entry to the Hexahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromenones with Four Consecutive Stereogenic Centers and an Approach to Aflatoxin Analogues.

A domino reaction with the organocatalytic enantioselective Michael-acetalization-Henry reaction of 2-hydroxynitrostyrene and 5-oxohexanal was developed for the synthesis of hexahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromenones with four consecutive stereogenic centers and high enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee). The transformation of a NaBH4-reduced adduct to the aflatoxin system via the Nef-cyclization process was achieved by the assistant of ZnBr2.

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Michael-Acetalization-Reduction-Nef Reaction for a One-Pot Entry to the Functionalized Aflatoxin System. Total Synthesis of (-)- Dihydroaflatoxin D2 and (-)- and (+)-Microminutinin.

An efficient method has been developed for the enantioselective synthesis of the aflatoxin system with multiple stereocenters via a sequence of organocatalytic Michael-acetalization-reduction-Nef reactions that proceed with high enantioselectivities (90-99% ee). The one-pot reaction sequence provides a facile entry to the aflatoxin system, including dihydroaflatoxin D2, which includes a formal total synthesis of aflatoxin B2. The first total synthesis of (-)- and (+)-microminutinin was also achieved via this protocol.