Leveraging Nonstrained C-C Bonds for Selective Carboacylation of an Unactivated Alkyne via Transient Dearomatization.

Carboacylation of an unsaturated bond represents a powerful transformation. However, only a few examples of carboacylation of alkyne have been reported through C-C bond scission and reconnection. Here, we report a method of carboacylation of an unactivated alkyne by utilizing nonstrained C-C bonds under gold(I) catalysis. The density functional theory computational and experimental studies reveal that the reaction proceeds through a C-to-C formal 1,3-acyl migration via a solvent cage-nested acylium cation.

Synthesis of E-Dienyl Esters Using Acetylene as C2 Synthon.

The stereoselective synthesis of dienyl esters with high atom- and step-economy has been largely unexplored. Herein, we report an efficient approach for the synthesis of E-dienyl esters via rhodium catalysis using carboxylic acid and acetylene as C2 synthon through the cascade of cyclometalation and C-O coupling. This protocol features mild conditions, excellent functional group tolerance, and exclusive E-stereoselectivity and utility in the late-stage modification of pharmaceuticals and natural products.

Gold-Catalyzed Enynal and Enynol Coupling by Selectively Steering Two Transient Vinyl-Gold Intermediates.

The vinyl-gold bond is easily accessible but less exploited in homogeneous gold catalysis, which possesses weak nucleophilicity and would be likely to undergo protodemetalation. Herein, a gold-catalyzed enynal and enynol coupling by selectively steering two transient vinyl-gold intermediates is realized under mild conditions. It exhibits high atom economy and good tolerance of functional groups with the added benefit of operational simplicity. The control experiments indicated that the in situ formed vinyl-gold accounts for the reactivity.

Construction of [2,5]-Furanophanes by Carbene-Mediated Alkynyl Migration Cyclization.

Heterophanes are widely found in natural products and drug molecules. Herein, an efficient method for the construction of [2,5]-furanophanes with different ring types and ring sizes was developed. This method is carried out with furan-free precursor through intramolecular carbene-mediated alkynyl migration and tandem cyclization strategy. In addition, a series of tetrafuran structures can be obtained by oxidative coupling of the products.

Identification of the gossypol derivatives as androgen receptor inhibitor.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed male malignant tumor and remains the second leading cause of male cancer mortality in western countries. The development of novel antiandrogens to circumvent the drug resistance in anti-PCa treatment is highly demanded. Herein, we identified that gossypol (GOS) specificly inhibited the AR signaling. Further optimization of GOS derivatives led to the discovery of compound XY-32. XY-32 efficiently inhibits AR signaling with the IC50 of 1.23 µM. XY-32 downregulates both the full-length AR and the AR variable splice AR-V7 via suppressing the mRNA expression. It inhibits the proliferation of CRPC cells such as the LNCaP cells, the PC-3 cells, and enzalutamide resistance 22Rv1 cells. The work demonstrates the GOS derivatives represent a novel series of anti-androgen to conquer the acquired AR mutations or AR splice variants induced drug resistance of mCRPC.

Divergent synthesis of benzazepines and bridged polycycloalkanones via dearomative rearrangement.

The dearomative functionalization of aromatic compounds represents a fascinating but challenging transformation, as it typically needs to overcome a great kinetic barrier. Here, a catalyst-free dearomative rearrangement of o-nitrophenyl alkyne is successfully established by leveraging the remote oxygen transposition and a weak N-O bond acceleration. This reaction features high atom-, step- and redox-economy, which provides a divergent entry to a series of biologically important benzazepines and bridged polycycloalkanones. The reaction is proposed to proceed through a tandem oxygen transfer cyclization/(3 + 2) cycloaddition/(homo-)hetero-Claisen rearrangement reaction. The resulting polycyclic system is richly decorated with transformable functionalities, such as carbonyl, imine and diene, which enables diversity-oriented synthesis of alkaloid-like polycyclic framework.

Migratory insertion of copper-allenylidene from propargyl ester.

The highly efficient copper-catalyzed homo-dimerization and cross-coupling of propargyl esters have been developed. Various 1-en-3,5-diynes, [5]cumulenes and 1,3-diynes were successfully furnished via the copper-allenylidene intermediates with moderate to excellent yields. Migratory insertion is proposed as the key step to achieve the selectivity at the carbene carbon of the copper-allenylidene.

Rh2(ii)-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular Büchner reaction and aromatic substitution of donor-donor carbenes.

The chiral dirhodium(ii) tetracarboxylate-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular Büchner reaction of donor/donor-carbenes was reported and a series of valuable chiral polycyclic products were synthesized. Both aryloxy enynones and diazo compounds were efficient carbene precursors for this reaction. Excellent yields (up to 99%) and outstanding enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee) were achieved under standard conditions. For furyl substituted chiral cyclohepta[b]benzofurans bearing a substituent at the C4 position on cycloheptatrienes, control reactions showed that the chiral Büchner products could slowly racemize either under dark or natural light conditions. A diradical-involved mechanism rather than a zwitterionic intermediate was proposed to explain the racemization. Furthermore, furyl substituted chiral fluorene derivatives were obtained via asymmetric aromatic substitution when biaryl enynones were employed as carbene precursors.

Bottom-up modular synthesis of well-defined oligo(arylfuran)s.

Oligofurans have attracted great attention in the field of materials over the last decades because of their several advantages, such as strong fluorescence, charge delocalization, and increased solubility. Although unsubstituted or alkyl-substituted oligofurans have been well-established, there is an increasing demand for the development of the aryl decorated oligofuran with structural diversity and unrevealed properties. Here, we report the bottom-up modular construction of chemically and structurally well-defined oligo(arylfuran)s by de novo synthesis of α,ß'-bifuran monomers and late-stage bromination, stannylation and subsequent coupling reaction. The preliminary study of the photophysical properties demonstrated that the polarity-sensitive fluorescence emission and high quantum yields in THF solution could be achieved by modulating the aryl groups on the oligo(arylfuran)s. These twisted molecules constitute a new class of oligofuran backbone useful for structure-activities relationship studies. Meanwhile, the experimental studies and calculations showed that tetrafurans have appropriate HOMO energy levels, and could therefore potentially be high-performance p-type semiconductors.

Enantioselective Rh(II)-Catalyzed Desymmetric Cycloisomerization of Diynes: Constructing Furan-Fused Dihydropiperidines with an Alkyne-Substituted Aza-Quaternary Stereocenter.

Described herein is an enantioselective dirhodium(II)-catalyzed cycloisomerization of diynes achieved by the strategy of desymmetrization, which not only represents a new cycloisomerization reaction of diynes but also constitutes the first Rh(II)-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular cycloisomerization of 1,6-diynes. This protocol provides a range of valuable furan-fused dihydropiperidine derivatives with an enantiomerically enriched alkynyl-substituted aza-quaternary stereocenter in high efficiency, complete atom economy, and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 98% ee). Besides, the highly functionalized products could be easily transformed into various synthetically useful building blocks and conjugated with a series of pharmaceutical molecules. The mechanism involving a concerted [3+2] cycloaddition/[1,2]-H shift of the Rh(II) carbenoid intermediate was elucidated by DFT calculations and mechanistic studies. More importantly, the first single crystal of alkyne-dirhodium(II) was obtained to show that a η2-coordinating activation of alkynal by dirhodium(II) was involved. Weak hydrogen bondings between the carboxylate ligands and alkynal were found, which probably made the well-defined paddlewheel-like dirhodium(II) distinctive from other metal complexes in catalyzing this transformation. Furthermore, the origin of the enantioselectivity was elucidated by a Rh2(R-PTAD)4-alkyne complex and additional calculational studies.

Catalyst-free synthesis of isoxazolidine from nitrosoarene and haloalkyne via a 1,2-halo-migration/[3 + 2] cycloaddition cascade.

An unprecedented catalyst-free three-component reaction to synthesize isoxazolidine from easily accessible haloalkyne, nitrosoarene and maleimide was developed. This reaction was proposed to proceed via a 1,2-halo migration and [3 + 2] cycloaddition cascade, providing a new reaction pattern of alkyne and nitroso containing species wherein a new type of nitrone was generated. Besides, the reaction conditions were efficient and environmentally benign, enabling the formation of various bioactivity-related isoxazolidines.

Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis of Bicyclo[3.n.1]alkenones.

A series of highly strained bicyclo[3.n.1]alkenones have been successfully constructed in good-to-excellent enantioselectivities and moderate-to-good yields via copper-catalyzed formal [3+3] cycloaddition. The versatile chiral cycloadducts could be selectively converted into various valuable bridge systems, which hold considerable potential for the construction of natural and bioactive compounds containing a [3.n.1] moiety.

Benzene-Free Synthesis of Multisubstituted Catechol via Oxidative Dearomatic Reorganization.

A benzene-free synthesis of multisubstituted catechol via an oxidative dearomatic reorganization is reported. This reaction tolerated a wide spectrum of functionalities, which could be applied in the synthesis of an electron-deficient arene-conjugated catechol that is difficult to access via biomimetic oxidative coupling. In addition, a diversification-oriented transformation that leveraged the versatile catechol afforded a series of functionality-rich products.

Catalytic regio- and stereoselective intermolecular [5+2] cycloaddition via conjugative activation of oxidopyrylium.

A catalytic stereodivergent intermolecular [5+2] cycloaddition of maltol-type oxidopyrylium through conjugative activation was reported, which featured high stereoselectivity, good compatibility and mild conditions, providing a convenient access route to various seven-membered heterocycles in moderate to excellent yields. In addition, a discrete mechanism was proposed to illustrate the stereoselectivity.

Deconstructive Reorganization: De Novo Synthesis of Hydroxylated Benzofuran.

An unprecedented deconstructive reorganization strategy for the de novo synthesis of hydroxylated benzofurans from kojic acid- or maltol-derived alkynes is reported. In this reaction, both the benzene and furan rings were simultaneously constructed, whereas the pyrone moiety of the kojic acid or maltol was deconstructed and then reorganized into the benzene ring as a six-carbon component. Through this strategy, at least one free hydroxyl group was introduced into the benzene ring in a substitution-pattern tunable fashion without protection-deprotection and redox adjustment. With this method, a large number of hydroxylated benzofuran derivatives with different substitution-patterns have been prepared efficiently. This methodology has also been shown as the key step in a collective total synthesis of hydroxylated benzofuran-containing natural products (11 examples).

Mechanism-Guided Scaffold Diversification: Perturbing and Trapping the Intermediates of Maltol-Type Cascade Claisen Rearrangement.

A mechanism-guided study to harness different kinds of active species in the cascade Claisen rearrangement for scaffold diversification has been developed. These robust and practical processes furnished a series of architectures with a large chemical space, varying from planar to three-dimensional. In addition, several interesting reactions were observed, such as [3 + 3] dimerization, quinone-based vinylogous Nazarov-type cyclization, and a rare 12e [σ2a + π2s + π2a + π2s + (π2a + π2s)] Mobius aromatic transition state mediated rearrangement.

Cascade Claisen Rearrangement: Rapid Synthesis of Polysubstituted Salicylaldehydes and Total Syntheses of Hemigossypol and Gossypol.

A cascade Claisen rearrangement of a well-organized maltol propargyl ether for the construction of polysubstituted salicylaldehydes is reported. This reaction features high atom economy (100 %), as well as catalyst-free and gram-scale conditions. Based on this novel methodology, the total synthesis of hemigossypol, gossypol, and their analogues has been realized.

Gold-Catalyzed Ring Expansion of Enyne-Lactone: Generation and Transformation of 2-Oxoninonium.

An efficient gold-catalyzed ring-expansion reaction of enyne-lactones to form 2-oxoninonium intermediates is reported. The 2-oxoninonium generated in this work could undergo further 6π electrocyclization and aromatization reaction to produce different aromatic compounds.