Featured
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Article
| Open AccessCobalt-catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling of alkynyl sulfides with unactivated chlorosilanes
Transition-metal catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling (XEC) is a powerful tool for the construction of molecules but XEC between carbon electrophile and chlorosilanes to access organosilicon compounds remains underdeveloped. Here the authors disclose a highly efficient cobalt-catalyzed cross-electrophile alkynylation of a broad range of unactivated chlorosilanes with alkynyl sulfides as a stable and practical alkynyl electrophiles.
- Donghui Xing
- , Jinlin Liu
- & Liangbin Huang
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Article
| Open AccessIn-situ noncovalent interaction of ammonium ion enabled C–H bond functionalization of polyethylene glycols
The noncovalent interaction of ammonium ion with multidentate oxygen-based host serving as a key reacting center in catalytic reactions is rare. In this work, the authors report a noncovalent interaction of ammonium ion enabled reactivity enhancement process, achieving the C–H functionalization of polyethylene glycols with acrylates.
- Zongnan Zhang
- , Xueli Lv
- & Rong Zeng
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Article
| Open AccessTitanium catalyzed [2σ + 2π] cycloaddition of bicyclo[1.1.0]-butanes with 1,3-dienes for efficient synthesis of stilbene bioisosteres
Natural stilbenes show significant potential in the prevention and treatment of diseases due to their diverse pharmacological activities. Here the authors present a mild and effective Ti-catalyzed intermolecular radical-relay cycloaddition reaction with good regio- and trans-selectivity offering rapid access to structurally diverse stilbene bioisosteres.
- Yonghong Liu
- , Zhixian Wu
- & Lei Shi
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Article
| Open AccessOrganocatalytic skeletal reorganization for enantioselective synthesis of S-stereogenic sulfinamides
The enantioselective synthesis of S-stereogenic sulfinamides has garnered considerable attention due to their unique structural and physicochemical properties but catalytic asymmetric synthesis of sulfinamides still remains challenging. Here, the authors present the synthesis of S-stereogenic sulfinamides through the peptide-mimic phosphonium salt-catalyzed asymmetric skeletal reorganization of simple prochiral and racemic sulfoximines.
- Zanjiao Liu
- , Siqiang Fang
- & Tianli Wang
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Article
| Open AccessDiastereoselective dearomatization of indoles via photocatalytic hydroboration on hydramine-functionalized carbon nitride
Dearomative hydroboration of predominantly existing indole derivatives provides a straightforward strategy to synthesize boryl indolines, but developing eco-friendly methods for remains challenging. Here, the authors develop a method for heterogeneous photocatalytic trans-hydroboration of indole derivatives with NHC-borane.
- Qiao Zhang
- , Wengang Xu
- & Mingbo Wu
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Article
| Open AccessRapid and scalable photocatalytic C(sp2)–C(sp3) Suzuki−Miyaura cross-coupling of aryl bromides with alkyl boranes
In recent years a growing demand for drug design approaches that incorporate a higher number of sp3-hybridized carbons fuelled the development of innovative cross-coupling strategies to reliably introduce aliphatic fragments. Here, the authors present a powerful approach for the light-mediated B-alkyl Suzuki−Miyaura crosscoupling between alkyl boranes and aryl bromides.
- Ting Wan
- , Luca Capaldo
- & Timothy Noël
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Article
| Open AccessDeciphering complexity in Pd–catalyzed cross-couplings
Knowledge about the full reaction signature, such as the complete profile of products and side-products is important in accelerating discovery chemistry. Here, the authors report a methodology using high-throughput experimentation and multivariate data analysis to examine Palladium- catalyzed cross-coulpling reactions.
- George E. Clarke
- , James D. Firth
- & Ian J. S. Fairlamb
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Article
| Open AccessCatalytic 1,1-diazidation of alkenes
Compared to well-developed catalytic 1,2-diazidation of alkenes, the corresponding catalytic 1,1-diazidation of alkenes has not been realized. Here, the authors report an efficient approach for catalytic 1,1-diazidation of alkenes by redox-active selenium catalysis.
- Wangzhen Qiu
- , Lihao Liao
- & Xiaodan Zhao
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Article
| Open AccessIron-catalyzed stereoselective C–H alkylation for simultaneous construction of C–N axial and C-central chirality
A highly efficient stereoselective C−H alkylation of indoles with aryl alkenes is achieved by sustainable iron catalysis, leading to atropoenriched and enantioenriched substituted indoles with high structural diversity. Detailed mechanistic studies by experiment, Mössbauer spectroscopy and computation reveal the origin of the catalytic efficacy and stereoselectivity.
- Zi-Jing Zhang
- , Nicolas Jacob
- & Lutz Ackermann
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Article
| Open AccessLate-stage meta-C–H alkylation of pharmaceuticals to modulate biological properties and expedite molecular optimisation in a single step
Installation of small aliphatic motifs within pharmaceuticals provides a medicinally relevant tool in drug discovery programmes. Here, the authors report a late-stage meta-C–H alkylation method facilitating the biological properties modulation of therapeutic agents.
- Lucas Guillemard
- , Lutz Ackermann
- & Magnus J. Johansson
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Article
| Open AccessPaired electrocatalysis unlocks cross-dehydrogenative coupling of C(sp3)-H bonds using a pentacoordinated cobalt-salen catalyst
Cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) of C-H bonds is an ideal approach for C-C bond construction but suffers from low selectivity of similar C-H bonds. Here, the authors describe a highly selective paired electrocatalysis strategy towards CDC combining hydrogen evolution reaction catalysis with hydride transfer catalysis.
- Ke Liu
- , Mengna Lei
- & Sheng Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessTrialkoxysilane-Induced Iridium-Catalyzed para-Selective C–H Bond Borylation of Arenes
Controlling regioselectivity is one of the most challenging aspects for the construction of aryl boron compounds, and there are few practical and general strategies for such transformations. Here, the authors report an iridium-catalyzed trialkoxysilane protecting group-assisted regioselective C–H borylation with various aromatic compounds.
- Guodong Ju
- , Zhibin Huang
- & Yingsheng Zhao
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Article
| Open AccessN-Heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of planar-chiral cyclophanes via dynamic kinetic resolution
Planar-chiral cyclophanes are important for drug discovery but the enantioselective synthesis of planar-chiral cyclophanes remains challenging. Here the authors describe an N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed asymmetric construction of planar-chiral cyclophanes.
- Jiayan Li
- , Ziyang Dong
- & Changgui Zhao
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Article
| Open AccessCobalt catalyzed practical hydroboration of terminal alkynes with time-dependent stereoselectivity
Stereodefined vinylboron compounds are important organic synthons, but the selective generation of the thermodynamically unfavorable Z-isomers remains challenging. Here, the authors develop a cobalt catalytic system, enabling the transformation of terminal alkynes with excellent Z-selectivity, even in the presence of bulky substituents.
- Jinglan Wen
- , Yahao Huang
- & Peng Hu
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Article
| Open AccessEnantioselective functionalization of unactivated C(sp3)–H bonds through copper-catalyzed diyne cyclization by kinetic resolution
Site- and stereoselective C–H functionalization is challenging in the synthetic chemistry, and the catalytic enantioselective C(sp3)–H functionalization based on vinyl cations has scarcely explored. Here, the authors report an asymmetric copper-catalyzed tandem diyne cyclization/unactivated C(sp3)–H insertion reaction via a kinetic resolution.
- Yang-Bo Chen
- , Li-Gao Liu
- & Long-Wu Ye
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Article
| Open AccessIdentification of a potent palladium-aryldiphosphine catalytic system for high-performance carbonylation of alkenes
The development of stable and efficient ligands is of vital significance to enhance the catalytic performance of carbonylation reactions of alkenes. Here, the authors develop an aryldiphosphine ligand, used in palladium-catalyzed regioselective carbonylation of alkenes, exhibiting high catalytic performance and strong oxygen-resistance stability.
- Kang Zhao
- , Hongli Wang
- & Feng Shi
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Article
| Open AccessZirconium and hafnium catalyzed C–C single bond hydroboration
Selective cleavage and subsequent functionalization of C−C single bonds present a fundamental challenge, and the use of inexpensive and Earth-abundant group IV metals for catalytic C−C single-bond cleavage is largely underdeveloped. Here, the authors report zirconium-catalyzed C−C single-bond cleavage and subsequent hydroboration reactions.
- Sida Li
- , Haijun Jiao
- & Lipeng Wu
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Article
| Open AccessIron-catalyzed fluoroalkylative alkylsulfonylation of alkenes via radical-anion relay
Stoichiometric amounts of metal reductant and the requirement of a directing group limit the application of transition metal-catalyzed reductive difunctionalization of alkenes with alkyl halides. Here, the authors report a reductive difunctionalization of alkenes via a radical-anion relay with Na2S2O4 as both reductant and sulfone-source.
- Xiaoya Hou
- , Hongchi Liu
- & Hanmin Huang
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Review Article
| Open AccessChallenges and recent advancements in the synthesis of α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids
α,α-Disubstituted α-amino acids (α-AAs) have improved properties compared to other amino acids. Here, the authors provide an overview of the recent advancements since 2015 and discuss existing challenges for their synthesis.
- Yu Zhang
- , Jaro Vanderghinste
- & Shoubhik Das
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Article
| Open AccessCharacterization of A π–π stacking cocrystal of 4-nitrophthalonitrile directed toward application in photocatalysis
Photoexcitation of the electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes are an effective approach to achieve radicals by triggering electron transfer but the catalytic version of EDA complex photoactivation remains underdeveloped. Here, the authors introduce 4-nitrophthalonitrile as an electron acceptor to facilitate π-stacking with electron-rich aromatics to form EDA complexes.
- Ting Xue
- , Cheng Ma
- & Rong Zeng
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Article
| Open AccessCarbene organic catalytic planar enantioselective macrolactonization
Macrolactones exhibit distinct conformational and configurational properties and are widely found in natural products but catalysts to govern both macrolactone formation and stereochemical control remain largely unexplored. Here, the authors disclose an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of chiral macrolactones varying in ring size from sixteen to twenty members that feature distinct configurationally stable planar stereogenicity.
- Xiaokang Lv
- , Fen Su
- & Yonggui Robin Chi
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Article
| Open AccessCatalytic carbon–carbon bond cleavage in lignin via manganese–zirconium-mediated autoxidation
Efforts to produce aromatic monomers through catalytic lignin depolymerization were focused on aryl–ether bond cleavage, while the carbon–carbon bonds of a large fraction of aromatic monomers in lignin are difficult to cleave. Here, the authors report a catalytic autoxidation method using manganese and zirconium salts as catalysts to cleave the C–C bonds in lignin-derived dimers and oligomers from pine and poplar.
- Chad T. Palumbo
- , Nina X. Gu
- & Gregg T. Beckham
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Article
| Open AccessCatalytic hydrogenation of olefins by a multifunctional molybdenum-sulfur complex
Exploration of molybdenum complexes as homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts has garnered significant attention, but hydrogenation of unactivated olefins under mild conditions are scarce. Here, the authors report the synthesis of a cationic Mo(II) complex, which exhibits intriguing reactivity toward C2H2 and H2 under ambient pressure.
- Minghui Xue
- , Zhiqiang Peng
- & Wenguang Wang
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Article
| Open AccessC-SuFEx linkage of sulfonimidoyl fluorides and organotrifluoroborates
Sulfur fluoride exchange (SuFEx), a new type of linkage reaction, has great potential for application in functional molecule linkage to prepare pharmaceuticals, biomolecules, and polymers. Herein, the authors report the synthesis of a range of sulfoximines through SuFEx reaction between sulfonimidoyl fluorides and aryl/alkyl organotrifluoroborates.
- Suqin Zhao
- , Daming Zeng
- & Xuefeng Jiang
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Article
| Open AccessC−F bond activation enables synthesis of aryl difluoromethyl bicyclopentanes as benzophenone-type bioisosteres
Bioisosteric design has become an essential approach during drug molecule discovery process. Here, the authors describe a strategy for defluorinative couplings of propellanes, enabling the synthesis of aryl difluoromethyl bicyclopentanes as benzophenone-type bioisosteres.
- Mingshuo Chen
- , Yuang Cui
- & Xiaheng Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessA general strategy for recycling polyester wastes into carboxylic acids and hydrocarbons
Chemical recycling of plastic wastes is of great significance for sustainable development, which also represents challenges and opportunities for synthesis of value-added chemicals. Here, the authors report a general strategy to degrade polyesters via directly breaking the C-O bond by nucleophilic substitution of halide anion of ionic liquids.
- Wei Zeng
- , Yanfei Zhao
- & Zhimin Liu
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Article
| Open AccessModular access to chiral bridged piperidine-γ-butyrolactones via catalytic asymmetric allylation/aza-Prins cyclization/lactonization sequences
N/O-Heterocycles are widely spread in natural products and drug candidates. Here, the authors report a modular access to bridged piperidine-γ-butyrolactones via Cu/Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allyation and aza-Prins cyclization/lactonization sequences.
- Cong Fu
- , Ling He
- & Chun-Jiang Wang
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Article
| Open AccessUnlocking regioselective meta-alkylation with epoxides and oxetanes via dynamic kinetic catalyst control
Regioselective arene C−H bond alkylation is a powerful tool in synthetic chemistry, yet subject to many challenges. Here, the authors report the meta-C−H bond alkylation of aromatics bearing N-directing groups using (hetero)aromatic epoxides as alkylating agents.
- Peng-Bo Bai
- , Alastair Durie
- & Igor Larrosa
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Article
| Open AccessPhotoinduced copper-catalyzed C–N coupling with trifluoromethylated arenes
Selective defluorinative functionalization is a synthetic route to pharmaceutically important fluorine-containing compounds but activation of inert C–F bonds remains challenging. Here the authors report activation of di-or trifluoromethylated arenes for radical C–N coupling with carbazoles and aromatic amines using photoexcited copper catalysis.
- Jun Huang
- , Qi Gao
- & Jin Xie
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Article
| Open AccessCatalytic stereodivergent allylic alkylation of 2-acylimidazoles for natural product synthesis
The simultaneous control of regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivity poses a significant synthetic challenge in contemporary organic synthesis. Here, the authors describe a stereodivergent allylation of 2-acylimidazoles using nickel and iridium catalysts to provide completely isomeric allylated compounds.
- Ruimin Lu
- , Qinglin Zhang
- & Chang Guo
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Article
| Open AccessChiral, air stable, and reliable Pd(0) precatalysts applicable to asymmetric allylic alkylation chemistry
Stereoselective carbon-carbon bond formation via palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation is important to access chiral natural products but commonly used catalyst systems often require high loadings or specific preactivation protocols. Here, the authors report several chiral single-component Pd(0) precatalysts that are active at low loadings for a variety of asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions.
- Jingjun Huang
- , Thomas Keenan
- & David C. Leitch
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Article
| Open AccessCu-mediated enantioselective C–H alkynylation of ferrocenes with chiral BINOL ligands
Ligands capable of accelerating and inducing enantioselectivity in C–H activations with base metal catalysts have remained elusive. Here, the authors report a ligand-accelerated enantioselective C–H alknylation, using a chiral BINOL ligand with a copper catalyst.
- Xin Kuang
- , Jian-Jun Li
- & Jin-Quan Yu
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Article
| Open AccessLigand-modulated nickel-catalyzed regioselective silylalkylation of alkenes
Multicomponent cross-coupling of alkenes with silicon reagents is used to yield complex silicon-containing compounds from readily accessible feedstock chemicals but the reaction with simple alkenes remains challenging. Here, the authors report a regioselective silylalkylation of simple alkenes, which is enabled by using a stable Ni(II) salt and an inexpensive trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane ligand as a catalyst.
- Chao Ding
- , Yaoyu Ren
- & Guoyin Yin
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Article
| Open AccessModular access to alkylgermanes via reductive germylative alkylation of activated olefins under nickel catalysis
While carbon-introducing difunctionalization of C-C double bonds is well established, the analogous difunctionalization for introducing germanium group and other functionalities remains elusive. Here, the authors describe a nickel-catalyzed germylative alkylation of activated olefins with easily accessible primary, secondary and tertiary alkyl bromides and chlorogermanes as the electrophiles to form C-Ge and C-Calkyl bonds simultaneously.
- Rui Gu
- , Xiujuan Feng
- & Xuan Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessNickel-catalyzed direct stereoselective α-allylation of ketones with non-conjugated dienes
Low-valent nickel(0) complexes that promote α-functionalization of carbonyls leveraging its pro-nucleophilic character in conjunction with olefin acceptors are very scarce despite their attractivity. Here, the authors report a Ni(0)NHC catalyst which converts ketones and non-conjugated dienes to synthetically highly valuable α-allylated products.
- Yi-Xuan Cao
- , Matthew D. Wodrich
- & Nicolai Cramer
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Article
| Open AccessCobalt-catalyzed aminoalkylative carbonylation of alkenes toward direct synthesis of γ-amino acid derivatives and peptides
γ-Amino acids and peptides analogues are common constituents of building blocks for numerous biologically active molecules, pharmaceuticals, and natural products. Here, the authors developed a multicomponent carbonylation technology that combines readily available amides, alkenes, and the feedstock gas carbon monoxide to build γ-amino acid derivatives in a single step.
- Le-Cheng Wang
- , Yang Yuan
- & Xiao-Feng Wu
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Article
| Open AccessStereoselectivity control in Rh-catalyzed β-OH elimination for chiral allene formation
The chiral allene formation reactions catalyzed by palladium occur via a syn elimination mechanism, but there is a lack in understanding of the stereoselectivity in rhodium catalyzed reactions, specifically the β-OH elimination step. Here, the authors report the sterically controlled Rh-catalyzed SN2’-type substitution reactions of tertiary propargylic alcohols with arylmetallic species affording the non-readily available enantioenriched tetrasubstituted allenes via either exclusive syn- or anti-β-OH elimination.
- Jie Wang
- , Wei-Feng Zheng
- & Shengming Ma
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Article
| Open AccessBifunctionality of dirhodium tetracarboxylates in metallaphotocatalysis
Traditional metallaphotocatalysis often requires two or more separate catalysts and is considered to be costly and not tolerant towards a wide substrate scope. Here the authors realize metallaphotocatalysis with a bifunctional dirhodium tetracarboxylate as single catalyst component to merge carbenoid chemistry and 1O2 chemistry.
- Taoda Shi
- , Tianyuan Zhang
- & Wenhao Hu
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Article
| Open AccessNucleophilic aromatization of monoterpenes from isoprene under nickel/iodine cascade catalysis
Organic compounds possessing two isoprene units play important roles in chemical industry. Herein, the authors use bulk C5 chemical—isoprene to synthesise various monoterpenoids via a nucleophilic aromatization of monoterpenes under cascade catalysis of nickel and iodine
- Wei-Song Zhang
- , Ding-Wei Ji
- & Qing-An Chen
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Article
| Open AccessA low-nuclear Ag4 nanocluster as a customized catalyst for the cyclization of propargylamine with CO2
The preparation of 2-Oxazolidinones using carbon dioxide offers a productive yet clean synthesis route. Here, a low-nuclear Ag4 nanocluster catalytic system helps the simultaneous activation and the cyclization of propargylamine with CO2.
- Lin Li
- , Ying Lv
- & Manzhou Zhu
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Article
| Open AccessNickel-catalyzed acylzincation of allenes with organozincs and CO
The development of carbonylative reactions with CO gas under mild conditions are important in organic synthesis. Here, the authors demonstrate an earth-abundant nickel-catalyzed three-component tandem acylzincation/cyclization sequence of allene and alkylzinc reagent with 1 atm of CO.’
- Xianqing Wu
- , Chenglong Wang
- & Yifeng Chen
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Article
| Open AccessA tautomerized ligand enabled meta selective C–H borylation of phenol
Remote meta selective C–H Functionalization of aromatic compounds remains challenging in chemical synthesis. Here, the authors report an iridium catalyst bearing a bidentate pyridine-pyridone ligand framework that efficiently catalyzes this meta selective borylation reaction.
- Saikat Guria
- , Mirja Md Mahamudul Hassan
- & Buddhadeb Chattopadhyay
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Article
| Open AccessEnergy-efficient CO2/CO interconversion by homogeneous copper-based molecular catalysts
An efficient CO2-to-CO conversion can provide a perfect leeway for transforming waste CO2 into industrially viable CO. Here, the authors report a bio-inspired copper based synthetic catalyst that can convert CO2 to CO with minimal energy penalty in both organic and aqueous media.
- Somnath Guria
- , Dependu Dolui
- & Arnab Dutta
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Article
| Open AccessElectrochemical halogen-atom transfer alkylation via α-aminoalkyl radical activation of alkyl iodides
Alkyl halides, widely recognized as important building blocks and reagents in organic synthesisbut generating alkyl radicals directly from unactivated alkyl halides under mild conditions remains a challenge. Here the authors report an effective electrooxidation strategy for generating alkyl radicals from unactivated alkyl iodides via an electrochemical halogen-atom transfer process under mild conditions
- Xiang Sun
- & Ke Zheng
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Article
| Open AccessMechanistic insights into excited-state palladium catalysis for C–S bond formations and dehydrogenative sulfonylation of amines
Photocatalytic selective C(sp3)–H activation/cross-coupling reactions are appealing in organic synthesis. Here the authors describe the development of excited-state Pd-catalyzed dehydrogenative β-sulfonylation reactions using amines and aryl sulfonyl chlorides via intermolecular hydrogen atom transfer and C−S cross-coupling processes at room temperature.
- Krishnamoorthy Muralirajan
- , Rajesh Kancherla
- & Magnus Rueping
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Article
| Open AccessSynthesis of piperidines and pyridine from furfural over a surface single-atom alloy Ru1CoNP catalyst
The synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles from biomass is scarcely known. Here, the authors report a strategy for the N-heterocyclic piperidines synthesis by one-pot amination of the bio-based furfural utilizing a Ru1CoNP/HAP surface single-atom alloy catalyst.
- Haifeng Qi
- , Yurou Li
- & Tao Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessAsymmetric formal sp2-hydrocarbonations of dienes and alkynes via palladium hydride catalysis
Sp2 carbon nucleophiles are generally not considered for transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric hydrofunctionalizations of unsaturated bonds due to challenges in cleaving corresponding inert sp2 C-H bonds. Here, the authors report a protocol to achieve asymmetric formal sp2 hydrocarbonations, including hydroalkenylation, hydroallenylation and hydroketenimination of both 1,3-dienes and alkynes via hydroalkylation and Wittig reaction cascade
- Ming-Qiao Tang
- , Zi-Jiang Yang
- & Zhi-Tao He
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Article
| Open AccessOrganophotocatalysed synthesis of 2-piperidinones in one step via [1 + 2 + 3] strategy
The synthesis of 2-piperidinone derivatives remains challenging. Here, the authors develop an organophotocatalysed [1 + 2 + 3] strategy to enable the one-step access to diverse 2-piperidinones from ammonium salts, alkenes, and unsaturated carbonyl compounds.
- Yi-Dan Du
- , Shan Wang
- & Wei Shu
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Article
| Open AccessSkeletal metalation of lactams through a carbonyl-to-nickel-exchange logic
Classical metalation reactions in organic synthesis typically involve metal-halogen exchange. Here, the authors introduce a metal-carbon exchange strategy that enables the skeletal editing of biologically relevant lactams by a Ni(0) compound.
- Hongyu Zhong
- , Dominic T. Egger
- & Bill Morandi