Inter- and Intramolecular Alkyne-Carbonyl Metathesis/1,6-Addition/Oxidative Aromatization Tandem Reactions between 1,6-Diynes and Aldehydes.

We report an efficient synthetic route to 9-arylfluorenes and biaryl compounds from 1,6-diynes and aldehydes via inter- and intramolecular alkyne-carbonyl metathesis/1,6-addition/oxidative aromatization reactions. These tandem reactions are initiated by a BF3·Et2O-promoted tandem inter- and intramolecular alkyne-carbonyl metathesis of 1,6-diynes with carbonyl compounds followed by an In(OTf)3-catalyzed 1,6-addition/oxidative aromatization with iodobenzene diacetate.

Tandem Reaction of Enynyl Acetate: Precursor of Allenyl Ketones.

Deacetylation of enynyl acetates under basic conditions allows convenient access to reactive allenyl ketones, which can then undergo 1,4-addition of nucleophiles to furnish ß,γ-unsaturated ketones. Benzofuran and indole derivatives have also been obtained from enynyl acetates with an o-hetero-atom-substituted aryl group via intramolecular 1,4-addition.

Copper-Catalyzed Tandem Decyclization-Cyclization Reaction of N-Alkynyl-3-hydroxyisoindolin-1-ones Generated from N-Alkynyl Phthalimides: Selective Synthesis of ortho-(2-Oxazolyl)phenyl Ketones.

Selective carbophilic monoaddition on N-alkynyl phthalimides was performed with organometallic reagents to afford 3-substituted N-alkynyl-3-hydroxyisoindolin-1-ones (α-hydroxy ynamides) as a new subgroup of ynamides. Owing to the alkynyl motif on the nitrogen atom, α-hydroxy ynamides were easily isomerized to the corresponding ortho-(2-oxazolyl)phenyl ketones in a CuCl-catalyzed tandem decyclization-cyclization reaction under mild conditions.

Regioselective iodoazidation of alkynes: synthesis of α,α-diazidoketones.

Aryl alkyl alkynes reacted with N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) and trimethylsilyl azide (TMSN3), leading to α,α-diazidoketones via the regioselective addition of IN3 to alkynes. Huisgen cyclization of α,α-diazidoketones generated bis-triazole compounds.

Bi(OTf)3-catalyzed tandem Meyer-Schuster rearrangement and 1,4-addition to the resulting vinyl ketone.

Bi(OTf)3-catalyzed Meyer-Schuster rearrangement of electron-rich propargyl alcohols, followed by 1,4-addition of the resulting vinyl ketone, proceeded smoothly though Meyer-Schuster rearrangement of primary propargyl alcohols is rare. This tandem reaction can be extended to an intramolecular version, featuring a one-pot dihydroquinolone synthesis.

One-pot construction of 3,3'-bisindolylmethanes through Bartoli indole synthesis.

A one-pot approach to 3,3'-bisindolylmethane derivatives from nitrobenzene derivatives through the Bartoli indole synthesis was developed, in which the acid used to quench the reaction markedly affected its outcome. Quenching the reaction with concd HCl produced 3,3'-bisindolylmethane in contrast to the formation of 7-substituted indole by quenching with NH4Cl.

Cleavage of carbon-carbon triple bond: direct transformation of alkynes to nitriles.

A new cleavage reaction of carbon-carbon triple bonds proceeds efficiently with NIS and TMSN3, giving the corresponding nitriles in moderate to good yields.

Multisubstituted furan formation from (Z)- or (E)-enynyl acetates: tandem reactions accelerated by electron-donating groups on aromatic rings.

Multisubstituted furans were readily prepared from (Z)- or (E)-conjugated enynyl acetates with NXS under metal-free conditions at room temperature via the same haloallenyl ketone intermediates. This tandem haloallenyl ketone formation-furan formation reaction sequence was accelerated by electron-donating groups on the aromatic rings.

One-pot approach to 2,3-disubstituted-2,3-dihydro-4-quinolones from 2-alkynylbenzamides.

Concise and efficient syntheses of various trans-2,3-disubstituted-2,3-dihydro-4-quinolones have been achieved via tandem Hofmann-type rearrangement of 2-alkynylbenzamides, nucleophilic addition of alcohols to the isocyanate intermediates, intermolecular [2+2]-cycloaddition with carbon-carbon triple bonds and aldehydes, and intramolecular aminocyclization of nitrogen of carbamates to the α,ß-unsaturated ketones.

Regio- and stereoselective multisubstituted enol ester synthesis.

Regio- and stereoselective cohalogenation of alkynes with NXS (X = Br, I) was achieved, and the stereoselectivity of the resulting alkenes was dependent on the substituent on the alkyne. Cohalogenation and successive cross-coupling gave multisubstituted enol esters in a one-pot process.

Concise total synthesis of calothrixins A and B.

The concise total synthesis of calothrixins A and B has been accomplished by utilizing the one-pot formation of hexatriene as a key intermediate via the palladium-catalyzed tandem cyclization/cross-coupling reaction of triethyl(indol-2-yl)borate. In another key transformation, the indolo[3,2-j]phenanthridine core was prepared in high yield via Cu(I)-mediated 6π-electrocyclization.

Platinum-catalyzed, one-pot tandem synthesis of indoles and isoquinolines via sequential rearrangement of amides and aminocyclization.

By using platinum(II) chloride as a Lewis acid catalyst, concise and efficient syntheses of indole carbamates, 1,2-dihydroisoquinoline carbamates, macrocyclic indole carbamates, indole ureas, and indole phosphoranes have been achieved via tandem Hofmann-type rearrangement of 2-alkynylbenzamides and 2-alkynylbenzylamides, nucleophilic addition of alcohols and amines to the isocyanate intermediates, and intramolecular aminocyclization of the thus-formed carbamates and ureas to 2-alkynyl functions. A variety of nucleophiles such as alcohols, amines, and stable Wittig reagents could be introduced to the highly electrophilic carbon of the isocyanate intermediates derived from amides. We observed enhancement of the reaction rates when the reactions were run under microwave irradiation.

Concise synthesis of the CDE ring system of tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids using carbophilic Lewis acid-catalyzed hydroamidation and oxidative Friedel-Crafts cyclization.

A concise synthesis of the CDE ring system of the tetrahydroisoquinoline antitumor alkaloids such as saframycins, renieramycins, and ecteinascidins has been developed. Both Au(I)-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamidation of alkynylamide and NBS-mediated oxidative Friedel-Crafts cyclization of the resulting 2-ketopiperazine were utilized as key reactions.

Indium(III)-catalyzed tandem reaction with alkynylbenzaldehydes and alkynylanilines to heteroaromatic compounds.

Starting from ortho-alkynylbenzaldehydes and ortho-alkynylanilines, In(OTf)3-catalyzed synthesis of ring-condensed heteroaromatic compounds was developed via a domino intramolecular nucleophilic attack/intermolecular cycloaddition/dehydration reaction.

Concise synthesis of 1,2-dihydroisoquinolines and 1H-isochromenes by carbophilic lewis acid-catalyzed tandem nucleophilic addition and cyclization of 2-(1-alkynyl)arylaldimines and 2-(1-alkynyl)arylaldehydes.

By using carbophilic Lewis acids, In(OTf)3, NiCl2, and AuCl(PPh3)/AgNTf2, a concise and efficient synthesis of 1,3-disubstituted 1,2-dihydroisoquinolines has been achieved via tandem nucleophilic addition and cyclization of 2-(1-alkynyl)arylaldimines. Addition of proton sources such as water, CF3CH2OH, and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenol was essential for the Lewis acid-catalyzed tandem reactions with organometallic reagents. By switching these catalysts, various types of nucleophiles such as allylstannanes, silyl enol ethers, alkenylboronic acids, and active methylene compounds could be introduced at the C1 position of 1,2-dihydroisoquinolines in this transformation. Furthermore, this method proved to be applicable to the synthesis of 1H-isochromene derivatives via the same tandem reaction of 2-(1-alkynyl)arylaldehydes.

Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular cyanoamidation of alkynyl and alkenyl cyanoformamides.

[reaction: see text] The five- to seven-membered alpha-alkylidene lactams were prepared in 45-99% yield by the palladium-catalyzed cyanoamidation of alkynyl cyanoformamides. The reaction proceeded exclusively in a 5-exo mode, giving the corresponding (Z)-alkenes as major products. The reaction was also applied to 1,1-disubstituted alkenes to afford oxindoles bearing a quaternary carbon center.

Stereoselective synthesis of 3-alkylideneoxindoles via palladium-catalyzed domino reactions.

We have developed efficient catalytic methods for the stereoselective and diversity synthesis of various (E)-, (Z)-, and disubstituted 3-alkylideneoxindoles and 3-alkylidenebenzofuran-2-ones via palladium-catalyzed Heck/Suzuki-Miyaura, Heck/Heck, and Heck/carbonylation/Suzuki-Miyaura domino reactions.

Stereoselective synthesis of 3-alkylideneoxindoles using tandem In-mediated carbometalation and Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction.

Efficient methods for stereoselective synthesis of various (E)-, (Z)-, and disubstituted 3-alkylideneoxindoles were investigated using tandem In-mediated carbometalation and ligandless Pd-catalyzed coupling reaction.