Catalytic Reductive Pinacol-Type Rearrangement of Unactivated 1,2-Diols through a Concerted, Stereoinvertive Mechanism.

A catalytic pinacol-type reductive rearrangement reaction of internal 1,2-diols is reported herein. Several scaffolds not usually amenable to pinacol-type reactions, such as aliphatic secondary-secondary diols, undergo the transformation well without the need for prefunctionalization. The reaction uses a simple boron catalyst and two silanes and proceeds through a concerted, stereoinvertive mechanism that enables the preparation of highly enantiomerically enriched products. Computational studies have been used to rationalize the preference for migration over direct deoxygenation.

A fully recyclable heterogenized Cu catalyst for the general carbene transfer reaction in batch and flow.

A polystyrene-linked tris(triazolyl)methanecopper(i) cationic catalyst operates under heterogeneous conditions for the reaction of ethyl diazoacetate (EDA) with an array of substrates. Carbon-hydrogen as well as X-H (X = O, N) functionalization derived from the formal transfer of the carbene moiety (:CHCO2Et) from the copper center and subsequent insertion have been achieved, the reactions permitting repeated catalyst recycling and reuse. The addition of the same carbene unit to benzene leading to a cycloheptatriene derivative (Büchner reaction) or to phenylacetylene (cyclopropenation) took place at similar rates to the insertion processes and with the same catalyst recyclability. The use of this heterogenized cationic Cu catalyst in continuous flow has also been implemented. Key characteristics of the flow process are its high and constant turnover frequency (TOF) (residence times of 1 min still lead to full conversion in the reaction with ethanol after 48 h operation) and its suitability for the sequential performance of different types of carbene transfer reactions with a simple and affordable experimental setup.

C7-derivatization of C3-alkylindoles including tryptophans and tryptamines.

A versatile strategy for C7-selective boronation of tryptophans, tryptamines, and 3-alkylindoles by way of a single-pot C2/C7-diboronation-C2-protodeboronation sequence is described. The combination of a mild iridium-catalyzed C2/C7-diboronation followed by an in situ palladium-catalyzed C2-protodeboronation allows efficient entry to valuable C7-boroindoles that enable further C7-derivatization. The versatility of the chemistry is highlighted by the gram-scale synthesis of C7-boronated N-Boc-L-tryptophan methyl ester and the rapid synthesis of C7-halo, C7-hydroxy, and C7-aryl tryptophan derivatives.

A highly active catalyst for Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions based on the tris(triazolyl)methanol-Cu(I) structure.

A new tris(1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methanol ligand 3 has been prepared by a triple Cu(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (CuAAC). Ligand 3 forms a stable complex with CuCl, which catalyzes the Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition on water or under neat conditions. Low catalyst loadings, short reaction times at room temperature, and compatibility with free amino groups make 3.CuCl an outstanding catalyst for CuAAC.