N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Ester Synthesis from Organic Halides through Incorporation of Oxygen Atoms from Air.

Oxygenation reactions with molecular oxygen (O2 ) as the oxygen source provides a green and straightforward strategy for the construction of O-containing compounds. Demonstrated here is a novel N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed oxidative transformation of simple and readily available organic halides into valuable esters through the incorporation of O-atoms from O2 . Mechanistic studies prove that the deoxy Breslow intermediate generated in situ is oxidized to a Breslow intermediate for further transformation by this oxidative protocol. This method broadens the field of NHC catalysis and promotes oxygenation reactions with O2 .

Gold-Catalyzed Cycloisomerization/1,5-H Migration/Diels-Alder Reaction Cascade: Synthesis of Complex Nitrogen-Containing Heterocycles.

An unprecedented gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization/1,5-H migration/Diels-Alder reaction cascade has been developed that enables the rapid construction of complex nitrogen polycyclic compounds. This one-pot, three-step cascade reaction offers good yields of the products and is promoted by a single gold catalyst under very mild conditions.