4654-39-1Relevant articles and documents
Regiodivergent Reductive Opening of Epoxides by Catalytic Hydrogenation Promoted by a (Cyclopentadienone)iron Complex
De Vries, Johannes G.,Gandini, Tommaso,Gennari, Cesare,Jiao, Haijun,Pignataro, Luca,Stadler, Bernhard M.,Tadiello, Laura,Tin, Sergey
, p. 235 - 246 (2022/01/03)
The reductive opening of epoxides represents an attractive method for the synthesis of alcohols, but its potential application is limited by the use of stoichiometric amounts of metal hydride reducing agents (e.g., LiAlH4). For this reason, the corresponding homogeneous catalytic version with H2 is receiving increasing attention. However, investigation of this alternative has just begun, and several issues are still present, such as the use of noble metals/expensive ligands, high catalytic loading, and poor regioselectivity. Herein, we describe the use of a cheap and easy-To-handle (cyclopentadienone)iron complex (1a), previously developed by some of us, as a precatalyst for the reductive opening of epoxides with H2. While aryl epoxides smoothly reacted to afford linear alcohols, aliphatic epoxides turned out to be particularly challenging, requiring the presence of a Lewis acid cocatalyst. Remarkably, we found that it is possible to steer the regioselectivity with a careful choice of Lewis acid. A series of deuterium labeling and computational studies were run to investigate the reaction mechanism, which seems to involve more than a single pathway.
Tropylium-Promoted Hydroboration Reactions: Mechanistic Insights Via Experimental and Computational Studies
Mai, Binh Khanh,Nguyen, Thanh Vinh,Ton, Nhan N. H.
, p. 9117 - 9133 (2021/07/19)
Hydroboration reaction of alkynes is one of the most synthetically powerful tools to access organoboron compounds, versatile precursors for cross-coupling chemistry. This type of reaction has traditionally been mediated by transition-metal or main group catalysts. Herein, we report a novel method using tropylium salts, typically known as organic oxidants and Lewis acids, to promote the hydroboration reaction of alkynes. A broad range of vinylboranes can be easily accessed via this metal-free protocol. Similar hydroboration reactions of alkenes and epoxides can also be efficiently catalyzed by the same tropylium catalysts. Experimental studies and DFT calculations suggested that the reaction follows an uncommon mechanistic pathway, which is triggered by the hydride abstraction of pinacolborane with tropylium ion. This is followed by a series ofin situcounterion-activated substituent exchanges to generate boron intermediates that promote the hydroboration reaction.
Erbium-Catalyzed Regioselective Isomerization-Cobalt-Catalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation Sequence for the Synthesis of Anti-Markovnikov Alcohols from Epoxides under Mild Conditions
Liu, Xin,Longwitz, Lars,Spiegelberg, Brian,T?njes, Jan,Beweries, Torsten,Werner, Thomas
, p. 13659 - 13667 (2020/11/30)
Herein, we report an efficient isomerization-transfer hydrogenation reaction sequence based on a cobalt pincer catalyst (1 mol %), which allows the synthesis of a series of anti-Markovnikov alcohols from terminal and internal epoxides under mild reaction conditions (≤55 °C, 8 h) at low catalyst loading. The reaction proceeds by Lewis acid (3 mol % Er(OTf)3)-catalyzed epoxide isomerization and subsequent cobalt-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation using ammonia borane as the hydrogen source. The general applicability of this methodology is highlighted by the synthesis of 43 alcohols from epoxides. A variety of terminal (23 examples) and 1,2-disubstituted internal epoxides (14 examples) bearing different functional groups are converted to the desired anti-Markovnikov alcohols in excellent selectivity and yields of up to 98%. For selected examples, it is shown that the reaction can be performed on a preparative scale up to 50 mmol. Notably, the isomerization step proceeds via the most stable carbocation. Thus, the regiochemistry is controlled by stereoelectronic effects. As a result, in some cases, rearrangement of the carbon framework is observed when tri-and tetra-substituted epoxides (6 examples) are converted. A variety of functional groups are tolerated under the reaction conditions even though aldehydes and ketones are also reduced to the respective alcohols under the reaction conditions. Mechanistic studies and control experiments were used to investigate the role of the Lewis acid in the reaction. Besides acting as the catalyst for the epoxide isomerization, the Lewis acid was found to facilitate the dehydrogenation of the hydrogen donor, which enhances the rate of the transfer hydrogenation step. These experiments additionally indicate the direct transfer of hydrogen from the amine borane in the reduction step.
