Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity of a Hypervalent-Iodine-Based Nitrooxylating Reagent.

Herein, the synthesis and characterization of a hypervalent-iodine-based reagent that enables a direct and selective nitrooxylation of enolizable C-H bonds to access a broad array of organic nitrate esters is reported. This compound is bench stable, easy-to-handle, and delivers the nitrooxy (-ONO2 ) group under mild reaction conditions. Activation of the reagent by Brønsted and Lewis acids was demonstrated in the synthesis of nitrooxylated ß-keto esters, 1,3-diketones, and malonates, while its activity under photoredox catalysis was shown in the synthesis of nitrooxylated oxindoles. Detailed mechanistic studies including pulse radiolysis, Stern-Volmer quenching studies, and UV/Vis spectroelectrochemistry reveal a unique single-electron-transfer (SET)-induced concerted mechanistic pathway not reliant upon generation of the nitrate radical.

Taming Radical Intermediates for the Construction of Enantioenriched Trifluoromethylated Quaternary Carbon Centers.

Demonstrated herein is the construction of trifluoromethylated quaternary carbon centers by an asymmetric radical transformation. Enantioenriched trifluoromethylated oxindoles were accessed using a hypervalent iodine-based trifluoromethyl transfer reagent in combination with a magnesium Lewis acid catalyst and PyBOX-type ligands to achieve up to 99 % ee and excellent chemical yields. Mechanistic studies were performed by experimental and computational methods and suggest a single-electron transfer induced SN 2-type mechanism. This example is thereby the first report on the construction of enantioenriched trifluoromethylated carbon centers using hypervalent iodine-based reagents proceeding through such a reaction pathway.

Mapping Perfluoroalkyl Effects in Togni-Type Reagents by Thermolysis.

We present the thermolysis of cyclic hypervalent iodine(III) perfluoroalkyl transfer reagents carried out in standard GC-MS instrumentation. Through heating, these structures undergo fragmentation to afford perfluoroalkyl radicals F2n+1 Cn. and each reagent can be characterized by means of a threshold temperature, TIP (n). This parameter TIP (n) not only reflects the stability of the F2n+1 Cn -I bond, but potentially also carries information regarding fundamental properties of the linear perfluoroalkyl chains.

Facile access to nitroarenes and nitroheteroarenes using N-nitrosaccharin.

Nitroaromatics and nitroheteroaromatics serve as key building blocks and intermediates in synthesis, and form the core scaffold of a vast number of materials, dyes, explosives, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. However, their synthesis relies on harsh methodologies involving excess mineral acids, which present a number of critical drawbacks in terms of functional group compatibility and environmental impact. Modern, alternative strategies still suffer from significant limitations in terms of practicality, and a general protocol amenable to the direct C-H functionalization of a broad range of aromatics has remained elusive. Herein we introduce a bench-stable, inexpensive, easy to synthesize and recyclable nitrating reagent based on saccharin. This reagent acts as a controllable source of the nitronium ion, allowing mild and practical nitration of both arenes and heteroarenes displaying an exceptional functional group tolerance.

Ultrafast Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Thin Organic Films Based on Triazolinedione Click Chemistry.

Layer-by-layer deposition is a widely used method for surface functionalization. It is shown here that up to 58 covalently linked molecular layers could be assembled in 20 min at room temperature on a silicon wafer by the layer-by-layer click reaction of a divalent triazolinedione and a trivalent diene. The layer growth was found to be linear. The multilayers were analyzed by ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.