10.1016/j.tet.2021.131935
The study investigates the reactivity and selectivity of alkyl-substituted Li-phenolates with benzyl bromide (BnBr) in various solvent conditions, particularly in anhydrous environments. The researchers found that ortho-selective alkylation could be achieved in non-aqueous solvents like cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) and toluene, with the addition of ether or alcohol additives, leading to the formation of o-Bn-substituted alkyl cyclohexadienones with yields up to 92% and an o/p ratio up to 90/1. The method is sensitive to the structure of phenols, and optimal conditions may be needed for each phenolate. The alkylation reaction is catalyzed by ethers and alcohols, and the researchers are exploring the possibility of introducing asymmetric induction to the dearomatization reaction.
10.1002/anie.201405996
The study introduces sulfenate anions as a new class of organocatalysts, demonstrating their ability to catalyze the conversion of benzyl halides into trans-stilbenes under basic conditions with yields up to 99%. The researchers hypothesized that sulfenate anions, known for their reactivity, could serve as catalysts based on their behavior in a palladium-catalyzed conversion of aryl benzyl sulfoxides into diaryl sulfoxides. They optimized the reaction conditions using benzyl phenyl sulfoxide as the catalyst precursor and KOtBu as the base in cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) solvent at 80°C. The study explored various benzyl halides, finding that benzyl chlorides were more effective than bromides. The scope of the transformation included substrates with alkyl, halide, and fluorine substituents, achieving good to excellent yields. Mechanistic studies supported the intermediacy of sulfenate anions and identified the deprotonated sulfoxide as the catalyst's resting state. The research also demonstrated the scalability of the reaction and the potential use of different sulfoxide precatalysts, including DMSO.