One-pot tandem reduction and site-selective halogenation of nitroarenes.

Halogenated aryl amines are a widely used chemical feedstock in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Achieving a single regioselective product from the para-selective halogenation of the aryl ring is significantly challenging because of the presence of several C-H bonds with similar reactivities. In this study, single para-halogenated aniline derivatives were prepared by the cascade para-selective halogenation (Cl, Br) and reduction of nitrobenzene derivatives using a mixture of SnCl2/SnCl4 salts. The mechanistic study confirmed that the noncovalent interactions between the chalcogen bond and Sn salt were pivotal for achieving regioselectivity. This synthetic method was applied for the development of potent and highly selective positron emission tomography molecular probes for serotonin transporters.

A Regioselective [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of Alkynols and Ketones To Access Diverse 1,3-Dioxolane Scaffolds.

This study presents a stepwise exoselective [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of alkynols with ketones, leading to the synthesis of 4-methylene-1,3-dioxolane derivatives. Remarkably, without any Thorpe-Ingold induced effect, the cyclization reaction was demonstrated with complete regio- and chemoselectivity, which was solely promoted by cesium carbonate. A wide range of unactivated ketones are viable under these mild reaction conditions, and both primary and tertiary alkynols are compatible with these cyclization reactions. We have prepared a diverse array of highly dense exomethylene 1,3-dioxolane rings demonstrating a remarkable tolerance for various functional groups.

Acid-Promoted Intramolecular Decarbonylative Coupling Reactions of Unstrained Ketones: A Modular Approach to Synthesis of Acridines and Diaryl Ketones.

Herein, we reported Lewis acid- or Brønsted acid-promoted intramolecular C(sp2)-C(sp2) bond cleavage and a novel C(sp2)-C(sp2) bond-forming cascade reaction to synthesize the acridine motif. The metal-free oxidation of the alkyne motif generated the in situ ketone group extracted via a decarbonylation reaction. The mechanistic studies revealed that the electrophilic N-iodo species triggered key decarbonylation reactions via consecutive dearomatization/aromatization reactions. In addition, we exploited this acid-promoted C-C bond activation system with internal alkynes to synthesize bis(heteroaryl) ketones.

Regio- and chemoselective synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles via the oxidative cascade cyclization of unactivated 1,n-enynes.

The development of a method for performing radical initiated intramolecular cascade cyclization of 1,n-enynes provided a competent protocol for producing structurally diverse complex heterocycles. Herein, we demonstrate I2/TBHP promoted, solvent controlled, regio- and chemoselective 5-exo-trig or 6-endo-trig radical cyclization of electronically unbiased 1,n-enynes to synthesize nitrogen-containing heterocycles. These metal-free protocols confer access to synthetically robust piperidine motif-bearing iodinated-homoallylic alcohol and pyrrolidine fused cyclopropane rings. The key factor in these methods is operational simplicity, and the environmentally friendly reaction system works under exceedingly mild conditions. Furthermore, the source of hydroxyl groups in the tertiary alcohols is indirectly confirmed with H218O labeled studies. Based on mechanistic studies, all of these cyclizations were initiated through single electron oxidation. The products with active C-I bonds present opportunities for further transformations.

FeCl3-Promoted ring size-dictating diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) of N-heterocycles using in situ-generated cyclic imines and enamines.

The FeCl3-promoted ring size-controlled oxidative activation of o-alkynylanilines opens up a complementary appealing protocol for poly-N-heterocycle synthesis. When electron-poor π-alkyne iron species combine with cyclic enamines obtained from cyclohexanone and ß-tetralone, they undergo a regioselective 6-exo-dig cyclization to afford the corresponding dibenzo[b,j][1,10]phenanthrolines and 12-benzoylated dihydrobenzo[a]acridine skeletons. Later, these acridine motifs become completely unsaturated due to dehydrogenative aromatization via the aza-allyl oxidation intermediate. We obtained all quaternary carbon centre pseudoindoxyls through the Mannich-type alkylation of 2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-one with cyclic ketimines generated from the in situ intramolecular nucleophilic cyclization of o-alkynylanilines.

Palladium-Catalyzed Double-Isocyanide Insertion via Oxidative N-O Cleavage of Acetyl Oximes: Syntheses of 2H-Pyrrol-2-imines.

The palladium-catalyzed reaction of acetyl oximes with isocyanides was developed for the synthesis of 2H-pyrrol-2-imines. The key steps were (i) generation of an enamido-palladium(II) species, (ii) migratory double-isocyanide insertion, and (iii) cyclization. The scope of the synthesis of some 2H-pyrrol-2-imines was extended to the synthesis 1H-pyrrole-2,3-dione/1H-benzo[g]indole-2,3-dione derivatives via acid hydrolysis in a sequential one-pot manner.