Visible light mediated iron-catalyzed addition of oxamic acids to imines.

Oxamic acids where shown to add to imines, providing a broad range of α-aminoacid amides in generally good yields. The process is efficient on pre-formed imines but may also be conducted using a 3-component strategy by simply mixing aldehydes, amines and oxamic acids in the presence of ferrocene, acting both as a photocatalyst under visible light and as a Lewis acid. The reaction proceeds through the addition onto the imine of a carbamoyl radical intermediate generated through a charge transfer from the carboxylate ligand to a Fe(iii) species (LMCT).

Dual photoredox nickel-catalyzed silylation of aryl/heteroaryl bromides using hydrosilanes.

Dual Ni and Ir catalysis enables the preparation of arylsilanes having a (TMS)3Si substituent from the corresponding aryl bromides and (TMS)3SiH at 30 °C using visible-light irradiation. This protocol avoids strong bases, high temperature and air and moisture sensitive silyl reagents, providing the expected arylsilanes in moderate to good yields. The reaction was shown to proceed through a silyl radical, likely generated by hydrogen atom abstraction from (TMS)3SiH by a bromide radical.

Thiochromane Formation via Visible-Light-Mediated Intramolecular δ-C(sp3)-H Bond Arylation of Sulfonamides.

Visible-light-mediated intramolecular site-selective δ-C(sp3)-H bond arylation of aliphatic trifluoromethanesulfonamides was developed. The reaction proceeds through a radical cascade, including the generation of a sulfonamidyl radical, which triggers a 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer, affording a δ-C-centered radical, which finally cyclized onto a neighboring thiopolyfluoroaryl moiety to deliver a range of synthetically useful thiochromanes. The cyclization process occurs through two distinct pathways depending upon the nature of the substituent X ortho to the native C-S bond.

PIDA-mediated Oxidative Decarboxylation of Oxamic Acids. The Role of Radical Acidity Enhancement.

The PIDA-mediated oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids in the presence of alcohols is shown to afford the corresponding urethanes under thermal conditions. Computational and experimental mechanistic exploration allows to rationalize the different reactivity of PIDA as compared to related cyclic BI-OAc and highlights the importance of the enhanced acidity of the proton in the carbamoyl radical intermediate.

Correction: Oxamic acids: useful precursors of carbamoyl radicals.

Correction for 'Oxamic acids: useful precursors of carbamoyl radicals' by Ikechukwu Martin Ogbu et al., Chem. Commun., 2022, 58, 7593-7607, https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CC01953A.

Photocatalyzed decarboxylation of oxamic acids under near-infrared conditions.

Photocatalyzed oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids under near-infrared irradiation using Os(bptpy)2(PF6)2 as catalyst is reported. The reaction was applied to the synthesis of urethanes and heterocyclic amides. Mechanistic studies and comparative penetration depths between the NIR and the visible light mediated processes are discussed.

Oxamic acids: useful precursors of carbamoyl radicals.

This review article describes the recent development in the chemistry of carbamoyl radicals generated from oxamic acids. This mild and efficient method compares well with previous methods of generation of these nucleophilic radicals. The oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids can be mediated through thermal, photochemical, electrochemical or photoelectrochemical means, generating carbamoyl radicals, which may further add to unsaturated systems to provide a broad range of important amides. Oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids also offers a straightforward entry for the preparation of urethanes, ureas, and thioureas.

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (+)-Eucophylline.

The total enantioselective synthesis of (+)-eucophylline 1 was achieved using as a key-structural motif a chiral piperidinone bearing the natural product all-carbon quaternary stereocenter. The elaboration of the latter is based on two strategies relying on the free-radical carbo-cyanation and sulfonyl-cyanation respectively of enantiopure substituted cyclopropenes and cyclobutenes. Co- or Ni-boride reduction of the nitrile functional group along with the cyclopropane and cyclobutane ring-opening then led to the formation of the chiral piperidinone ring. Further elaboration of the latter into the key 1-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane motif followed by its coupling with a 2-cyanoaniline allowed the formation of the tetrahydrobenzo[b][1,8]-naphthyridine skeleton of 1, which was finally accessible in 17 steps and 5.9 % overall yield from 1,1-dibromobutene.

On the Origin of the Non-Planarity in Biarylsilyloxonium Ions.

The structure determination of a series of biphenylsilyloxonium cations through NMR and XRD studies, supported by DFT calculations was carried out, allowing to get insights into the origin of the oxygen pyramidalization in biphenyl and binaphthylsilyl oxoniums. Low barrier of inversion in the oxygenyl series points toward a key role of the biaryl axis in the inversion of configuration at the oxygen center.

Soft cervical collar in obstructive sleep apnoea: a pilot study.

In severe obstructive sleep apnoea, a soft cervical collar was well tolerated at night in 10 patients with no changes in polygraphy results. With the same design, a randomised controlled trial would need 246 inclusions for conclusive results. https://bit.ly/2KiU3j1.

Urethanes synthesis from oxamic acids under electrochemical conditions.

Urethane synthesis via oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids under mild electrochemical conditions is reported. This simple phosgene-free route to urethanes involves an in situ generation of isocyanates by anodic oxidation of oxamic acids in an alcoholic medium. The reaction is applicable to a wide range of oxamic acids, including chiral ones, and alcohols furnishing the desired urethanes in a one-pot process without the use of a chemical oxidant.

Copper-catalyzed oxidative benzylic C(sp3)-H amination: direct synthesis of benzylic carbamates.

A new efficient strategy to access benzylic carbamates through C-H activation is reported. The use of a catalytic amount of a Cu(i)/diimine ligand in combination with NFSI ((PhSO2)2NF) or F-TEDA-PF6 as oxidants and H2NCO2R as an amine source directly leads to the C-N bond formation at the benzylic position. The mild reaction conditions and the broad substrate scope make this transformation a useful method for the late-stage incorporation of a ubiquitous carbamate fragment onto hydrocarbons.

Non-biaryl atropisomerism at the C-B bond in sterically hindered aminoarylboranes.

Sterically hindered aminoarylboranes featuring atropisomerism about the C-B bond were prepared by addition of organomagnesium species onto readily accessible dialkylamine-borane complexes. Some of these aminoarylboranes, isosteres of vinyl styrene derivatives, were resolved by HPLC on the chiral stationary phase. They are the first examples of a non-biaryl type system which display slow rotation about a C-B bond.

Chiral Memory in Silyl-Pyridinium and Quinolinium Cations.

Pyridine- and quinoline-stabilized silyl cations have been prepared, and their structure in condensed phases unambiguously assigned using 1H, 13C, 15N, 29Si, and 1H DOSY NMR as well as X-ray diffraction studies. Solid state structures thus show in both cases a stabilization of the cationic silicon center through an N-Si interaction and formation of a highly strained four-membered ring system. Chiral memory at the silicon atom in these heterocycle-stabilized silyl cations was also established, leading to various levels of selectivity depending on the nature of the heterocycle. Lowest energy conformations of the starting silanes obtained through DFT calculations, along with the isolation and characterization of the Si-centered chiral silyl cation intermediates, finally allowed to propose a plausible hypothesis as to the configurational stability of these silyl cations.

p-Anisaldehyde-Photosensitized Sulfonylcyanation of Chiral Cyclobutenes: Enantioselective Access to Cyclic and Acyclic Systems Bearing All-Carbon Quaternary Stereocenters.

The photosensitized p-anisaldehyde-mediated addition of sulfonylcyanides onto the π-system of cyclobutenes is shown to afford highly functionalized cyclobutanes in high yields and diastereocontrol. The homochiral cyclobutene precursors are accessible on multigram scale in two steps through an asymmetric [2 + 2] cycloaddition/vinyl thioether reduction sequence. The enantiopure cyclobutylnitriles can be elaborated further through SmI2-mediated ring opening or converted into new enantiopure cyclobutenes through base-mediated sulfone elimination.

Vicinal difunctionalization of alkenes by four-component radical cascade reaction of xanthogenates, alkenes, CO, and sulfonyl oxime ethers.

Four-component coupling reactions between xanthogenates, alkenes, CO, and sulfonyl oxime ethers were studied. In the presence of hexabutylditin, working as a propagating radical reagent, the chain reaction proceeds, as expected, taking into account reagents polarities, affording the corresponding functionalized α-keto oximes. Although yields are modest, this rare one-pot four-component process is easy to carry out and the resulting compounds, bearing multiple functionalities, have the potential for further elaboration.

Dehydrogenative Silylation of Alcohols Under Pd-Nanoparticle Catalysis.

Pd-nanoparticle-catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling between various hydrosilanes and alcohols was shown to provide silyl ethers in good and reproducible yields. The synthetic methodology is effective for a wide range of simple and bulky silanes and secondary alcohols, while keeping various other functional groups intact. The procedure also exhibits high selectivity for the silylation of primary versus secondary alcohols in 1,2-diols, and allows the successive silylation of alkynols and hydrogenation of the triple bond to afford Z-alkenols in good yields.

Visible-light mediated carbamoyl radical addition to heteroarenes.

The generation of carbamoyl radicals, followed by their addition to heteroarenes, was performed under mild conditions through a metal-free photocatalyzed decarboxylation of oxamic acids. The process has been applied to the carbamoylation of heteroaromatic bases using α-aminoacid-derived oxamic acids, leading to the corresponding amides without racemization.

Discovery of a subnanomolar and selective spirocyclic agonist of the glucocorticoid receptor.

Pure diastereomeric spirocyclic analogs of fluorocortivazol were conveniently prepared by a short and efficient synthetic sequence recently developed in our laboratory. The structures and conformations of several key products were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Conformational assignments were also supported by DFT calculations. Biological evaluation led to the identification of a highly potent hGR agonist with excellent anti-inflammatory effects in the subnanomolar range. All tested compounds from this series were also selective versus the progesterone receptor.

Visible-light photocatalyzed oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids: a green route to urethanes and ureas.

A sustainable metal-free route to urethanes and ureas based on a photocatalyzed oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids is described. The reaction includes in situ generation of an isocyanate from the oxamic acid, using an organic dye as a photocatalyst, a hypervalent iodine reagent as an oxidant and a light source, which trigger the free-radical decarboxylation. This protocol successfully avoids the isolation, purification and storage of carcinogenic isocyanates and allows elaboration of urethanes and ureas in a one-pot process from commercially available sources.