10.1021/jo00395a008
The study investigates the fragmentation of a pyrazolenine epoxide (4,5-epoxy-3,5-diphenyl-3-methyl-1-pyrazolenine, lb) and its potential to form an unstable oxabicyclobutane intermediate. Upon pyrolysis, lb decomposes into a mixture of (E)-dypnone 6a and (Z)-2,3-diphenyl-2-butenal 7a in a 2.8:1 ratio, with 7a likely arising from an oxabicyclobutane intermediate. Photolysis of lb, however, does not lead to nitrogen extrusion but instead results in a rearrangement to form two azine aldehydes 10a and 10b. The study also explores the synthesis of lb through the reaction of pyrazolenine 2 with acetyl hypobromite, yielding a mixture of bromo acetates 3a and 3b, from which lb is obtained in small amounts. The research aims to understand the mechanisms and intermediates involved in the thermal and photochemical reactions of lb, providing insights into the behavior of oxabicyclobutanes and their potential formation pathways.
10.1039/c9ra01180c
The research focuses on the enantioselective conjugate hydrosilylation of β,β-disubstituted α,β-unsaturated ketones, utilizing chiral picolinamide–sulfonate Lewis base catalysts. The main objective was to synthesize various chiral ketones with a chiral center at the β-position, which are crucial intermediates for natural products and chiral drugs. The experiments involved screening different chiral Lewis base catalysts for the hydrosilylation of (E)-1,3-diphenylbut-2-en-1-one in acetonitrile at 0°C, and optimizing reaction conditions such as solvents and temperature to achieve the best yield and enantioselectivity. The reactants included α,β-unsaturated ketones, trichlorosilane, and the selected catalyst 2f. The analyses used to determine the success of the reactions and the enantiomeric excess (ee) of the products were chiral high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.