An Umpolung Approach to Acyclic 1,4-Dicarbonyl Amides via Photoredox-Generated Carbamoyl Radicals.

A method for the generation and reaction of carbamoyl radicals from oxamate salts, followed by reaction with electron-poor olefins, is described. The oxamate salt acts as a reductive quencher in the photoredox catalytic cycle, allowing mild and mass-efficient formation of 1,4-dicarbonyl products; a challenging transformation in the context of functionalized amide formation. Increased understanding has been obtained by the use of ab initio calculations, in support of experimental observations. Furthermore, steps have been taken towards an environmentally-friendly protocol, by utilizing sodium as a cheap and low mass counterion, and demonstrating successful reactions using a metal-free photocatalyst and a sustainable, non-toxic solvent system.

A Practical and General Amidation Method from Isocyanates Enabled by Flow Technology.

The addition of carbon nucleophiles to isocyanates represents a conceptually flexible and efficient approach to the preparation of amides. This general synthetic strategy has, however, been relatively underutilized owing to narrow substrate tolerance and the requirement for less favourable reaction conditions. Herein, we disclose a high-yielding, mass-efficient, and scalable method with appreciable functional group tolerance for the formation of amides by reaction of Grignard reagents with isocyanates. Through the application of flow chemistry and the use of substoichiometric amounts of CuBr2 , this process has been developed to encompass a broad range of substrates, including reactants found to be incompatible with previously published procedures.

Et3SiH + KO t Bu provide multiple reactive intermediates that compete in the reactions and rearrangements of benzylnitriles and indolenines.

The combination of potassium tert-butoxide and triethylsilane is unusual because it generates multiple different types of reactive intermediates simultaneously that provide access to (i) silyl radical reactions, (ii) hydrogen atom transfer reactions to closed shell molecules and to radicals, (iii) electron transfer reductions and (iv) hydride ion chemistry, giving scope for unprecedented outcomes. Until now, reactions with this reagent pair have generally been explained by reference to one of the intermediates, but we now highlight the interplay and competition between them.

New reductive rearrangement of N-arylindoles triggered by the Grubbs-Stoltz reagent Et3SiH/KO t Bu.

N-Arylindoles are transformed into dihydroacridines in a new type of rearrangement, through heating with triethylsilane and potassium tert-butoxide. Studies indicate that the pathway involves (i) the formation of indole radical anions followed by fragmentation of the indole C2-N bond, and (ii) a ring-closing reaction that follows a potassium-ion dependent hydrogen atom transfer step. Unexpected behaviors of 'radical-trap' substrates prove very helpful in framing the proposed mechanism.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Mediated Microfluidic Oxidative Electrosynthesis of Amides from Aldehydes.

A flow process for N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)-mediated anodic oxidative amidation of aldehydes is described, employing an undivided microfluidic electrolysis cell to oxidize Breslow intermediates. After electrochemical oxidation, the reaction of the intermediate N-acylated thiazolium cation with primary amines is completed by passage through a heating cell to achieve high conversion in a single pass. The flow mixing regimen circumvented the issue of competing imine formation between the aldehyde and amine substrates, which otherwise prevented formation of the desired product. High yields (71-99%), productivities (up to 2.6 g h(-1)), and current efficiencies (65-91%) were realized for 19 amides.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Mediated Oxidative Electrosynthesis of Esters in a Microflow Cell.

An efficient N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-mediated oxidative esterification of aldehydes has been achieved in an undivided microfluidic electrolysis cell at ambient temperature. Productivities of up to 4.3 g h(-1) in a single pass are demonstrated, with excellent yields and conversions for 19 examples presented. Notably, the oxidative acylation reactions were shown to proceed with a 1:1 stoichiometry of aldehyde and alcohol (for primary alcohols), with remarkably short residence times in the electrolysis cell (<13 s), and without added electrolyte.

TEMPO-mediated electrooxidation of primary and secondary alcohols in a microfluidic electrolytic cell.

A general procedure for the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated electrooxidation of primary and secondary alcohols modified for application in a microfluidic electrolytic cell is described. The electrocatalytic system utilises a buffered aqueous tert-butanol reaction medium, which operates effectively without the requirement for additional electrolyte, providing a mild protocol for the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones at ambient temperature on a laboratory scale. Optimisation of the process is discussed along with the oxidation of 15 representative alcohols.

A fluorous-tagged linker from which small molecules are released by ring-closing metathesis.

A fluorous-tagged linker for the parallel synthesis of small- and medium-ring and macrocyclic nitrogen heterocycles using ring-closing metathesis is described. The linker was designed such that "cyclization-release" of the cyclic heterocyclic products was coupled with liberation of the active catalyst. The design of the linker was validated using a non-fluorous-tagged model. A wide range of unsaturated alcohols were used as reagents to functionalize a fluorous-tagged sulfonamide, (Z)-{N-[4-(2-(N'-3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10-heptadecafluorodecyl)-4-methylsulfonamido)methylallyloxy]but-2-enyl}-2-nitrobenzenesulfonamide, using Fukuyama-Mitsunobu reactions; in each case, fluorous-solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) was used to purify the functionalized linker from the excess reagents. In general, the "cyclization-release" of cyclic products was triggered using a light-fluorous tagged derivative of the Grubbs-Hoveyda second-generation catalyst. After the metathesis step, F-SPE was used to purify released cyclic compounds from the fluorous-tagged linker and the fluorous-tagged catalyst. The scope and limitations of the approach were determined using a range of substrates which probed different aspects of the functionalization and metathesis steps. In the study as a whole, a wide range of small- and medium-ring and macrocyclic nitrogen heterocycles were prepared using polyene and polyenyne metathesis cascades.