Correction: Investing in entropy: the strategy of cucurbit[n]urils to accelerate the intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction of tertiary furfuryl amines.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D4SC01816H.].

Investing in entropy: the strategy of cucurbit[n]urils to accelerate the intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction of tertiary furfuryl amines.

Cucurbit[n]urils, renowned for their host-guest chemistry, are becoming versatile biomimetic receptors. Herein, we report that cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) accelerates the intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) reaction for previously elusive and unreactive tertiary N-methyl-N-(homo)allyl-2-furfurylamines by up to 4 orders of magnitude under mild conditions. Using 1H NMR titrations and ITC experiments, we characterize the dissimilar thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the complexes. We also determine the activation parameters (ΔG ≠, ΔH ≠ and ΔS ≠) leading to the transition state of the IMDA reactions, both in the bulk and included in CB[7], to shed light on the key role of the receptor on the acceleration observed. CB[7] acts as an "entropy trap" utilizing guest binding to primarily pay the entropy penalty for reorganizing the substrate in a high-energy reactive conformation that resembles the geometry of the highly ordered transition state required for the IMDA reaction. This study underscores the potential of cucurbit[n]urils as artificial active sites, emulating specific aspects of enzymatic catalysis.

Alkoxy Diazomethylation of Alkenes by Photoredox-Catalyzed Oxidative Radical-Polar Crossover.

Herein, we present the discovery and development of the first photoredox-catalyzed alkoxy diazomethylation of alkenes with hypervalent iodine reagents and alcohols. This multicomponent process represents a new disconnection approach to diazo compounds and is featured by a broad scope, mild reaction conditions, and excellent selectivity. Key to the process was the generation of diazomethyl radicals, which engaged alkenes and alcohols in an inter- and intramolecular fashion by a photoredox-catalyzed oxidative radical-polar crossover leading to unexplored ß-alkoxydiazo compounds. The synthetic utility of such diazo compounds was demonstrated with a series of transformations involving C-H, N-H, and O-H insertions as well as in the construction of complex sp3-rich heterocycles.

Late-Stage Aryl C-H Bond Cyclopropenylation with Cyclopropenium Cations.

Herein, we disclose the first regio-, site- and chemoselective late-stage (hetero)aryl C-H bond cyclopropenylation with cyclopropenium cations (CPCs). The process is fast, operationally simple and shows an excellent functional group tolerance in densely-functionalized drug molecules, natural products, agrochemicals and fluorescent dyes. Moreover, we discovered that the installation of the cyclopropene ring in drug molecules could not only be used to shield against metabolic instability but also as a synthetic tool to reach medicinally-relevant sp3 -rich scaffolds exploiting the highly-strained nature of the cyclopropene ring with known transformations.

Generating Fischer-Type Rh-Carbenes with Rh-Carbynoids.

We describe the first catalytic generation of Fischer-type acyloxy Rh(II)-carbenes from carboxylic acids and Rh(II)-carbynoids. This novel class of transient donor/acceptor Rh(II)-carbenes evolved through a cyclopropanation process providing access to densely functionalized cyclopropyl-fused lactones with excellent diastereoselectivity. DFT calculations allowed the analysis of the properties of Rh(II)-carbynoids and acyloxy Rh(II)-carbenes as well as the characterization of the mechanism.

Catalytic Synthesis of Cyclopropenium Cations with Rh-Carbynoids.

Herein, we report the first catalytic one-step synthesis of cyclopropenium cations (CPCs) with readily available alkynes and hypervalent iodine reagents as carbyne sources. Key to the process is the catalytic generation of a novel Rh-carbynoid that formally transfers monovalent cationic carbynes (:+C-R) to alkynes via an oxidative [2+1] cycloaddition. Our process is able to synthesize a new type of CPC substituted with an ester group that underpins the regioselective attack of a broad range of carbon and heteroatomic nucleophiles, thus providing a new platform for the synthesis of valuable cyclopropenes difficult or not possible to make by current methodologies.

Catalytic alkene skeletal modification for the construction of fluorinated tertiary stereocenters.

Herein we describe the first construction of fluorinated tertiary stereocenters based on an alkene C(sp2)-C(sp2) bond cleavage. The new process, that takes advantage of a Rh-catalyzed carbyne transfer, relies on a branched-selective fluorination of tertiary allyl cations and is distinguished by a wide scope including natural products and drug molecule derivatives as well as adaptability to radiofluorination.

ß-Diazocarbonyl Compounds: Synthesis and their Rh(II)-Catalyzed 1,3 C-H Insertions.

Herein, we describe the first electrophilic diazomethylation of ketone silyl enol ethers with diazomethyl-substituted hypervalent iodine reagents that gives access to unusual ß-diazocarbonyl compounds. The potential of this unexplored class of diazo compounds for the development of new reactions was demonstrated by the discovery of a rare Rh-catalyzed intramolecular 1,3 C-H carbene insertion that led to complex cyclopropanes with excellent stereocontrol.

Catalytic Cleavage of C(sp2)-C(sp2) Bonds with Rh-Carbynoids.

We report a catalytic strategy that generates rhodium-carbynoids by selective diazo activation of designed carbyne sources. We found that rhodium-carbynoid species provoke C(sp2)-C(sp2) bond scission in alkenes by inserting a monovalent carbon unit between both sp2-hybridized carbons. This skeletal remodeling process accesses synthetically useful allyl cation intermediates that conduct to valuable allylic building blocks upon nucleophile attack. Our results rely on the formation of cyclopropyl-I(III) intermediates able to undergo electrocyclic ring-opening, following the Woodward-Hoffmann-DePuy rules.

A transition-metal-free & diazo-free styrene cyclopropanation.

An operationally simple and broadly applicable novel cyclopropanation of styrenes using gem-diiodomethyl carbonyl reagents has been developed. Visible-light triggered the photoinduced generation of iodomethyl carbonyl radicals, able to cyclopropanate a wide array of styrenes with excellent chemoselectivity and functional group tolerance. To highlight the utility of our photocyclopropanation, we demonstrated the late-stage functionalization of biomolecule derivatives.

A protein functionalization platform based on selective reactions at methionine residues.

Nature has a remarkable ability to carry out site-selective post-translational modification of proteins, therefore enabling a marked increase in their functional diversity1. Inspired by this, chemical tools have been developed for the synthetic manipulation of protein structure and function, and have become essential to the continued advancement of chemical biology, molecular biology and medicine. However, the number of chemical transformations that are suitable for effective protein functionalization is limited, because the stringent demands inherent to biological systems preclude the applicability of many potential processes2. These chemical transformations often need to be selective at a single site on a protein, proceed with very fast reaction rates, operate under biologically ambient conditions and should provide homogeneous products with near-perfect conversion2-7. Although many bioconjugation methods exist at cysteine, lysine and tyrosine, a method targeting a less-explored amino acid would considerably expand the protein functionalization toolbox. Here we report the development of a multifaceted approach to protein functionalization based on chemoselective labelling at methionine residues. By exploiting the electrophilic reactivity of a bespoke hypervalent iodine reagent, the S-Me group in the side chain of methionine can be targeted. The bioconjugation reaction is fast, selective, operates at low-micromolar concentrations and is complementary to existing bioconjugation strategies. Moreover, it produces a protein conjugate that is itself a high-energy intermediate with reactive properties and can serve as a platform for the development of secondary, visible-light-mediated bioorthogonal protein functionalization processes. The merger of these approaches provides a versatile platform for the development of distinct transformations that deliver information-rich protein conjugates directly from the native biomacromolecules.

Generating carbyne equivalents with photoredox catalysis.

Carbon has the unique ability to bind four atoms and form stable tetravalent structures that are prevalent in nature. The lack of one or two valences leads to a set of species-carbocations, carbanions, radicals and carbenes-that is fundamental to our understanding of chemical reactivity. In contrast, the carbyne-a monovalent carbon with three non-bonded electrons-is a relatively unexplored reactive intermediate; the design of reactions involving a carbyne is limited by challenges associated with controlling its extreme reactivity and the lack of efficient sources. Given the innate ability of carbynes to form three new covalent bonds sequentially, we anticipated that a catalytic method of generating carbynes or related stabilized species would allow what we term an 'assembly point' disconnection approach for the construction of chiral centres. Here we describe a catalytic strategy that generates diazomethyl radicals as direct equivalents of carbyne species using visible-light photoredox catalysis. The ability of these carbyne equivalents to induce site-selective carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage in aromatic rings enables a useful diazomethylation reaction, which underpins sequencing control for the late-stage assembly-point functionalization of medically relevant agents. Our strategy provides an efficient route to libraries of potentially bioactive molecules through the installation of tailored chiral centres at carbon-hydrogen bonds, while complementing current translational late-stage functionalization processes. Furthermore, we exploit the dual radical and carbene character of the generated carbyne equivalent in the direct transformation of abundant chemical feedstocks into valuable chiral molecules.

A Stereoconvergent Cyclopropanation Reaction of Styrenes.

The first stereoconvergent cyclopropanation reaction by means of photoredox catalysis using diiodomethane as the methylene source is described. This transformation exhibits broad functional group tolerance and it is characterized by an excellent stereocontrol en route to trans-cyclopropanes regardless of whether E- or Z-styrene substrates were utilized.

Cu-catalyzed cascades to carbocycles: union of diaryliodonium salts with alkenes or alkynes exploiting remote carbocations.

Copper-catalyzed cascade reactions between alkenes or alkynes and diaryliodonium salts form carbocyclic products in a single step. Arylation of the unsaturated functional group is proposed to form a carbocation intermediate that facilitates hydride shift pathways to translocate the positive charge to a remote position and enables ring formation via a Friedel-Crafts-type reaction.

Copper-catalyzed carboarylation of alkynes via vinyl cations.

Copper-catalyzed arylation of electron rich alkynes reveals stabilized trisubstituted vinyl cation equivalents that react with pendant arene nucleophiles to form all carbon tetrasubstituted alkenes. The new process streamlines the synthesis of important medicinally relevant molecules.

Copper-catalyzed electrophilic carbofunctionalization of alkynes to highly functionalized tetrasubstituted alkenes.

Copper catalysts enable the electrophilic carbofunctionalization of alkynes with vinyl- and diaryliodonium triflates. The new process forms highly substituted alkenyl triflates from a range of alkynes via a pathway that is opposite to classical carbometalation. The alkenyl triflate products can be elaborated through cross-coupling reactions to generate synthetically useful tetrasubstituted alkenes.

Enantioselective multicomponent synthesis of fused 6-5 bicyclic 2-butenolides by a cascade heterobicyclisation process.

The successive coupling of an alkoxy(aryl/heteroaryl)carbene complex of chromium with either a ketone or an imide lithium enolate and then a 3-substituted (H, TMS, PhCH(2), PhCH(2)CH(2), Me) propargylic organomagnesium reagent has afforded novel hydroxy-substituted bicyclic [4.3.0]-γ-alkylidene-2-butenolides with three modular points that has allowed the efficient introduction of molecular complexity, including a homopropargylic alcohol core. The selective formation of these five- or six-component heterobicyclisation products is the result of the regioselective integration of the Grignard reagent as a propargyl fragment followed by a cascade CO/alkyne/CO insertion, ketene trapping and elimination sequence. By using lithium enolates of chiral N-acetyl-2-oxazolidinones and the corresponding propargylic organocerium reagents, both enantiomers of these bicyclic heterocycles were efficiently prepared with very high enantiomeric purity. Architecturally, these fused bicyclic butenolides are characterised by a highly unsaturated and oxygenated core and they exhibit strong blue fluorescence in solution.

5-Hy-droxy-7-phenyl-5-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-5,6-dihydro-1-benzofuran-2(4H)-one monohydrate.

In the title compound, C(17)H(14)O(3)·H(2)O, the six-membered ring, which adopts a half-chair conformation, makes a dihedral angle of 24.3 (2)° with the phenyl ring. In the crystal, the components are linked by O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the water mol-ecule, and the hy-droxy and carbonyl groups of the organic compound. These inter-actions form a square-like supra-molecular synthon unit which propagates as chains parallel to the crystallographic b axis. A C-H⋯O interaction also occurs.