Straightforward synthesis of alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters via ruthenium-catalyzed olefin cross-metathesis with thioacrylate.

The cross-metathesis reaction of S-ethyl thioacrylate with a variety of olefins is effectively catalyzed by using a ruthenium benzylidene olefin metathesis catalyst. This reaction provides a convenient and versatile route to substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters, key building blocks in organic synthesis.

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of vicinal dialkyl arrays.

With a consecutive "asymmetric allylic alkylation (AAA)/cross-metathesis (CM)/conjugate addition (CA)" protocol it is possible to synthesize either stereoisomer of compounds containing a vicinal dialkyl array with excellent stereoselectivity. The versatility of this protocol in natural product synthesis is demonstrated in the preparation of the ant pheromones faranal and lasiol.

Highly enantioselective Cu-catalysed allylic substitutions with Grignard reagents.

A catalyst system able to perform highly enantioselective Cu-catalysed allylic alkylations with Grignard reagents is described.

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of chromenes and tetrahydroquinolines via sequential allylic alkylation and intramolecular Heck coupling.

Highly enantioselective synthesis of chiral chromenes and tetrahydroquinolines is achieved by combining asymmetric copper-catalyzed allylic substitution with Grignard reagents and an efficient intramolecular Heck reaction. Moreover, the exocyclic double bond formed in the cyclisation was subjected to RCM, hydroboration and hydrogenation illuminating the synthetic versatility of these heterocycles.

Identification of 1,3-diiminoisoindoline carbohydrazides as potential antimalarial candidates.

A series of inhibitors of plant enzymes of the non-mevalonate pathway from herbicide research efforts at BASF were screened for antimalarial activity in a cell-based assay. A 1,3-diiminoisoindoline carbohydrazide was found to inhibit the growth of Plasmodium falciparum with an IC(50) value <100 nM. Synthesis of a variety of derivatives allowed an improvement of the initial antimalarial activity down to IC(50) =18 nM for the most potent compound, the establishment of a structure-activity relationship, and the evaluation of the cytotoxic profile of the diiminoisoindolines. Furthermore, interesting configurational and conformational aspects for this class of compounds were studied by computational and X-ray crystal structure analysis. Some of the compounds can act as tridentate ligands, forming 2:1 ligand-iron(III) complexes, which also display antimalarial activity in the nanomolar IC(50) range, paired with low cytotoxicity.

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of naturally occurring butenolides via hetero-allylic alkylation and ring closing metathesis.

An efficient catalytic asymmetric synthesis of chiral γ-butenolides was developed based on the hetero-allylic asymmetric alkylation (h-AAA) in combination with ring closing metathesis (RCM). The synthetic potential of the h-AAA-RCM protocol was illustrated with the facile synthesis of (-)-whiskey lactone, (-)-cognac lactone, (-)-nephrosteranic acid, and (-)-roccellaric acid.

Asymmetric allylic alkylation in combination with ring-closing metathesis for the preparation of chiral N-heterocycles.

Asymmetric copper-catalyzed allylic substitution with methylmagnesium bromide is employed in combination with ring-closing olefin metathesis or ene-yne metathesis to achieve the synthesis of chiral, unsaturated nitrogen heterocycles. The resulting six- to eight-membered chiral heterocycles are accessible in high yields and with excellent enantioselectivities.

Synthesis of optically active bifunctional building blocks through enantioselective copper-catalyzed allylic alkylation using Grignard reagents.

Enantioselective copper-catalyzed allylic alkylations were performed on allylic bromides with a protected hydroxyl or amine functional group using several Grignard reagents and Taniaphos L1 as a ligand. The terminal olefin moiety in the products was transformed into various functional groups without racemization, providing facile access to a variety of versatile bifunctional chiral building blocks.