Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Furo[3,2-c]coumarins and Benzofuranyl Chromenones through Chemoselective Acylation/Wittig Reaction.

A highly efficient and chemoselective one-pot protocol for the diversity-oriented synthesis of two types of coumarin-based formal cross-coupling adducts, furo[3,2-c]coumarins and 3-benzofuranyl chromenones, is described. Key attributes of the methodology are an initial chemoselective acylation of functionalized phosphorus zwitterions and a subsequent chemoselective intramolecular Wittig reaction that preferentially resulted in one of the two coumarin derivatives in high yield, depending on relative reactivities and the addition sequence of the acylating agents.

Synthesis of Functionalized Benzofurans from para-Quinone Methides via Phospha-1,6-Addition/O-Acylation/Wittig Pathway.

An efficient synthesis of functionalized benzofurans is achieved under mild and metal-free conditions from stable para-quinone methides by treatment with phosphine, acyl chloride, and a base. This one-pot phospha-1,6-addition/O-acylation/Wittig reaction is also demonstrated under catalytic conditions with similar efficacy.

An Intramolecular Wittig Approach toward Heteroarenes: Synthesis of Pyrazoles, Isoxazoles, and Chromenone-oximes.

α-Halohydrazones/ketoximes are transformed into trisubstituted pyrazoles/disubstituted isoxazoles by treatment with phosphine, acyl chloride, and a base. Mechanistic investigations revealed the in situ formation of azo/nitroso olefin intermediates which underwent a tandem phospha-Michael/ N- or O-acylation/intramolecular Wittig reaction to afford the heteroarenes in moderate to good yields. Further, proper functionalization of α-haloketoximes and a change of conditions allowed the chemoselective synthesis of chromenone-oximes as well as rearranged isoxazoles, thereby realizing a diversity-oriented synthesis.

Organophosphane-Promoted Synthesis of Functionalized α,ß-Unsaturated Alkenes and Furanones via Direct ß-Acylation.

We report a phosphine-mediated direct ß-acylation of α,ß-unsaturated 1,3-diketones with acyl chlorides and a base. Functionalized furanones were also prepared by the reaction of cinnamic acid and acyl chloride according to our protocol via ß-acylation. Our studies revealed that α,ß-unsaturated 1,3-diketones with an electron-donating group at the second position favor the formation of ß-acylated products, whereas those with oxygen, such as anhydrides, favor furanones via an unprecedented C-acylation/cyclization sequence.

A vinylogous Michael addition-triggered quadruple cascade reaction for the enantioselective generation of multiple quaternary stereocenters.

An efficient organocatalytic quadruple cascade reaction resulting in spiroxindole scaffolds bearing five quaternary stereocenters is reported. The complex cascade reaction is triggered by the scarcely explored vinylogous Michael addition of 3-alkylidene oxindoles to fully substituted enones and demonstrates the usefulness of the latter as efficient Michael acceptors in generating complex caged products in 26-92% yields, 14-98% ee and up to >25 : 1 d.r. values.

Diversity-oriented synthesis of chromenopyrrolidines from azomethine ylides and 2-hydroxybenzylidene indandiones via base-controlled regiodivergent (3+2) cycloaddition.

An organobase-directed, regiodivergent 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides and 2-hydoxybenzylidene indandiones is reported. The scarcely explored reversal of the nucleophilic site in azomethine ylides has been exploited for their regiodivergent (3+2) cycloaddition, which subsequently resulted in two different cascade processes to generate functionally distinct chromenopyrrolidines in a diversity oriented manner.

3-Homoacyl coumarin: an all carbon 1,3-dipole for enantioselective concerted (3+2) cycloaddition.

A new type of all-carbon 1,3-dipole precursor, 3-homoacylcoumarin, was employed for the stereoselective (3+2) cycloaddition with indandione alkylidenes to generate a series of coumarin/indandione-fused spirocyclopentanes bearing four contiguous stereogenic centers. While two reaction pathways progressed simultaneously, detailed mechanistic investigation revealed that the highly efficient stereoselective concerted route dominated the extremely slow stepwise pathway.