ABSTRACT
Chemoselective access to either γ-ketoesters with a quaternary all-carbon α-stereogenic center or γ-keto nitriles is described by copper-catalyzed aerobic reaction of styrenes with α-cyanoesters. Formal oxo-enolation or oxo-cyanomethylation of styrenes is achieved via a sequence of addition of enolate (or cyanomethyl) radical to olefin and oxidation of the resulting radical adduct. This method starts from abundant and cheap feedstock under aerobic conditions, without any prefunctionalization or the production of stoichiometric metal salts waste, making it very attractive for practical use.
ABSTRACT
Divergent synthesis of indoles, oxindoles, isocoumarins and isoquinolinones is described in this report by using a general Pd-catalyzed tandem reaction of ß-hydroxy carbonyl compounds with aryl halides bearing an ortho-nitro, -ester or -cyano substituent. A key retro-aldol/α-arylation reaction is involved that merges classic Pd cross-coupling chemistry with novel Pd-promoted retro-aldol C-C activation to produce α-arylated ketones or esters. Subsequent intramolecular condensation of the carbonyl with the ortho-synthon gives target heterocycles. The use of common, commercially available and cheap substrates and catalyst system adds additional synthetic advantages to the conceptual significance.
ABSTRACT
A retro-aldol reaction of two ß-hydroxy compounds in synergy with Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl halides is reported herein, which produces selectively mono-α-arylated ketones and esters in good yields. This reaction is compatible with a broad range of aryl iodides, bromides, chlorides, and triflates and can tolerate an array of functional groups on the aromatic ring. Ready scale-up of this reaction to gram level is applicable without an appreciable decrease in the reaction yield. Furthermore, concise syntheses of biologically active isocoumarin and indole derivatives have been achieved to greatly demonstrate the synthetic value of this retro-aldol reaction. Finally, the reaction mechanism has been discussed on the basis of experimental observations and DFT computational results. A regulated six-membered-ring transition structure has been located for the key retro-aldol C−C cleavage, which constitutes the rate-determining step of a full catalytic cycle. The concept of C−C activation by retro-aldol reaction may also find applications in other fundamental reactions.
ABSTRACT
The energetic equivalence rule, which is based on a combination of metabolic theory and the self-thinning rule, is one of the fundamental laws of nature. However, there is a progressively increasing body of evidence that scaling relationships of metabolic rate vs. body mass and population density vs. body mass are variable and deviate from their respective theoretical values of 3/4 and -3/4 or -2/3. These findings questioned the previous hypotheses of energetic equivalence rule in plants. Here we examined the allometric relationships between photosynthetic mass (M(p)) or leaf mass (M(L)) vs. body mass (beta); population density vs. body mass (delta); and leaf mass vs. population density, for desert shrubs, trees, and herbaceous plants, respectively. As expected, the allometric relationships for both photosynthetic mass (i.e. metabolic rate) and population density varied with the environmental conditions. However, the ratio between the two exponents was -1 (i.e. beta/delta = -1) and followed the trade-off principle when local resources were limited. Our results demonstrate for the first time that the energetic equivalence rule of plants is based on trade-offs between the variable metabolic rate and population density rather than their constant allometric exponents.
