Birch-Type Reduction of Arenes in 2-Propanol Catalyzed by Zero-Valent Iron and Platinum on Carbon.

Catalytic arene reduction was effectively realized by heating in 2-propanol/water in the presence of Pt on carbon (Pt/C) and metallic Fe. 2-Propanol acted as a hydrogen source, obviating the need for flammable (and hence, dangerous and hard-to-handle) hydrogen gas, while metallic Fe acted as an essential co-catalyst to promote reduction. The chemical states of Pt and Fe in the reaction mixture were determined by X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis, and the obtained results were used to suggest a plausible reaction mechanism, implying that catalytic reduction involved Pt- and Fe-mediated single-electron transfer and the dehydrogenation of 2-propanol.

Stainless-Steel Ball-Milling Method for Hydro-/Deutero-genation using H2O/D2O as a Hydrogen/Deuterium Source.

A one-pot continuous-flow method for hydrogen (deuterium) generation and subsequent hydrogenation (deuterogenation) was developed using a stainless-steel (SUS304)-mediated ball-milling approach. SUS304, especially zero-valent Cr and Ni as constituents of the SUS304, and mechanochemical processing played crucial roles in the development of the reactions.

Biaryl synthesis by ring-opening Friedel-Crafts arylation of 1,4-epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalenes catalyzed by iron trichloride.

Biaryl and heterobiaryl compounds are important frameworks across a range of fields including pharmaceutical and functional material chemistries. We have accomplished the efficient synthesis of various naphthalene-linked arenes and heteroarenes as biaryls and heterobiaryls by the FeCl3 -catalyzed Friedel-Crafts reactions accompanied by the ring-opening of the 1,4-epoxy moiety of 1,4-epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalenes. Especially, it is noteworthy that 1-silylated substrates were regioselectively transformed to the 3-aryl-1-silylnaphthalenes and the double Friedel-Crafts reactions using thiophene derivatives could directly produce the corresponding bis-naphthlated thiophene derivatives.

Iron-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts benzylation with benzyl TMS ethers at room temperature.

Friedel-Crafts benzylations between unactivated arenes and benzyl alcohol derivatives are clean and straightforward processes to construct biologically useful di- and tri-arylmethanes. We have established an efficient iron-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts benzylation method at room temperature that uses benzyl TMS ethers as substrates, which are poorly reactive under common nucleophilic substitution conditions. The reaction seems to progress through iron-catalyzed self-condensation of the benzyl TMS ether to the corresponding dibenzylic ether. The use of excess arene relative to benzyl TMS ether produced mono-benzylated arene (di- and tri-arylmethane products), whereas the use of excess benzyl TMS ether versus arene provided bis-benzylated arene (polyarylated products) in high yields and regioselectivities. In previous methods, the latter double Friedel-Crafts benzylations hardly proceed.