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Gallylene supported by a bis(oxazolinyl)(phenyl)methanide (Boxm) ligand was synthesized and structurally characterized. The reaction of this gallylene with triphenylphosphine sulfide/selenide yielded dimeric gallium sulfide and selenide. These compounds could be converted to monomeric terminal sulfide and selenide by coordination of an external Lewis base such as an N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC or IMe4) and 4‐dimethylaminopyridiene (DMAP). These doubly‐base‐stabilized gallium sulfide/selenide reacted with phenyl isocyanate to give the corresponding cycloadducts by releasing the Lewis base, indicating the formation of a single‐base‐stabilized gallium sulfide/selenide intermediate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dinuclear bis(N‐heterocyclic carbene) borane adduct 2 rapidly reacts with tritylium salts at room temperature but the outcome is strongly impacted by the respective counter‐ion. Using tritylium tetrakis(perfluoro‐tert‐butoxy)aluminate affords – depending on the solvent – either the bis(boronium) ion 4 or the hydride‐bridged dication 5. In case of tritylium hexafluorophosphate, however, H/F exchange occurs between boron and phosphorus yielding the dinuclear BF3 adduct 3 along with phosphorus dihydride trifluoride. H/F exchange also takes place when using the mononuclear N‐heterocyclic carbene BH3 adduct 6 and hence provides a facile route to PH2F3, which is usually synthesized in more complex reaction sequences regularly involving toxic hydrogen fluoride. DFT calculations shed light on the H/F exchange between the borenium ion and the [PF6]− counter‐ion and the computed mechanism features only small barriers in line with the experimental observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have quantum chemically studied the influence of ring strain on the competition between the two mechanistically different SN2 and E2 pathways using a series of archetypal ethers as substrate in combination with a diverse set of Lewis bases (F−, Cl−, Br−, HO−, H3CO−, HS−, H3CS−), using relativistic density functional theory at ZORA‐OLYP/QZ4P. The ring strain in the substrate is systematically increased on going from a model acyclic ether to a 6‐ to 5‐ to 4‐ to 3‐membered ether ring. We have found that the activation energy of the SN2 pathway sharply decreases when the ring strain of the system is increased, thus on going from large to small cyclic ethers, the SN2 reactivity increases. In contrast, the activation energy of the E2 pathway generally rises along this same series, that is, from large to small cyclic ethers. The opposing reactivity trends induce a mechanistic switch in the preferred reaction pathway for strong Lewis bases from E2, for large cyclic substrates, to SN2, for small cyclic substrates. Weak Lewis bases are unable to overcome the higher intrinsic distortivity of the E2 pathway and, therefore, always favor the less distortive SN2 reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The reaction of a pentamethylcyclopentadienyl‐substituted dialane with a variety of Lewis bases results in unexpected disproportionation of the dialane into AlI and AlIII species. Use of a transition‐metal Lewis base allows for the formation of metal‐only Lewis pairs. Furthermore, the synthesis of a Lewis base bis‐adduct was successful with the Lewis base 4‐dimethylaminopyridine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lewis base-borane complexes are shown to be potent hydrogen atom donors in radical chain reduction reactions. Results obtained in 1H, 11B, and 13C NMR measurements and kinetic experiments support a complex reaction mechanism involving the parent borane as well as its initial reaction products as active hydrogen atom donors. Efficient reduction reactions of iodides, bromides, and xanthates in apolar solvents rely on initiator systems generating oxygen-centered radicals under thermal conditions and pyridine-borane complexes carrying solubilizing substituents. In contrast to tin hydride reagents, the pyridine-boranes reduce xanthates faster than the corresponding iodides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brønsted acidification of water by Lewis acid (LA) complexation is one of the fundamental principles in chemistry. Using transition-state calculations (TS), herein we investigate the role that Brønsted acidification of the LA-bound water might play in the mechanism of the hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds in Lewis basic solvents under non-anhydrous conditions. The potential energy scans and TS calculations were carried out with a series of eight borane LAs as well as the commonly known strong LA AlCl3 in 1,4-dioxane or THF as Lewis basic solvents. Our molecular model consists of the dative LA-water adduct with hydrogen bonds to acetone and a solvent molecule plus one additional solvent molecule that participates is the TS structure describing the cleavage of H2 at acetone's carbonyl carbon atom. In all the molecular models applied here, acetone (O=CMe2) is the archetypical carbonyl substrate. We demonstrate that Brønsted acidification of the LA-bound water can indeed lower the barrier height of the solvent-involving H2-cleavage at the acetone's carbonyl carbon atom. This is significant because at present it is believed that the mechanism of the herein considered reaction is described by the same mechanism regardless of whether the reaction conditions are strictly anhydrous or non-anhydrous. Our results offer an alternative to this belief that warrants consideration and further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to the well-studied asymmetric catalyzed synthesis of tetrahydroquinolines, the asymmetric methodologies toward 3,4-dihydroquinolin-2-ones are quite rare. Herein, the first asymmetric cascade reaction is reported between ethynyl benzoxazinanones and mixed-anhydrides generated from aryl acetic acids and pivaloyl chloride, based on synergistic catalysis. This allowed the formation of attractive 3,4-dihydroquinolin-2-ones bearing two vicinal chiral centers at C3 and C4 in high yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. A plausible chiral induction model for this reaction was proposed. The utility of this methodology was exemplified by further elaboration of the cyclization products by removal of the N-protecting groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α,β-Unsaturated acyl ammoniums generated from the reaction of α,β-unsaturated 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) esters bearing a pendent enone with an isothiourea organocatalyst are versatile intermediates in a range of enantioselective nucleophile-dependent domino processes to form complex products of diverse topology with excellent stereoselectivity. Use of either 1,3-dicarbonyls, acyl benzothiazoles, or acyl benzimidazoles as nucleophiles allows three distinct, diastereodivergent domino reaction pathways to be accessed to form various fused polycyclic cores containing multiple contiguous stereocentres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation of in situ sp2-sp3 diboron adducts has revolutionised the synthesis of organoboranes. Organocatalytic diboration reactions have represented a milestone in terms of unpredictable reactivity of these adducts. However, current methodologies have limitations in terms of substrate scope, selectivity and functional group tolerance. Here a new methodology based on the use of simple amines as catalyst is reported. This methodology provides a completely selective transformation overcoming current substrate scope and functional/protecting group limitations. Mechanistic studies have been included in this report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed redox formal [2+2] cycloaddition between a-aroyloxyalde-hydes and perfluoroketones, followed by ring-opening in situ delivers a variety of perfluorinated β-hydroxycarbonyl compounds in good yield, and excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity. Through a reductive work-up and subsequent cyclization, this protocol offers access to highly substituted fluorinated oxetanes in two steps and in high ee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of the functionalized cyclo-tetraphosphane [ClP(µ-PMes*)]2 (Mes*=2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl) with different Lewis bases led to the formation of an unprecedented tricyclic hexaphosphane, Mes*P6Mes*. The formation of this compound was investigated by spectroscopic and theoretical methods, revealing an unusual ring expansion reaction. The title compound was fully characterized by experimental and computational methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly enantioselective Lewis base-catalysed formal [3+2] cycloaddition of ammonium enolates and oxaziridines to give stereodefined oxazolidin-4-ones in high yield is described. Employing an enantioenriched oxaziridine in this process leads to a matched/mis-matched effect with the isothiourea catalyst and allowed the synthesis of either syn- or anti-stereodefined oxazolidin-4-ones in high d.r., yield and ee. Additionally, the oxazolidin-4-one products have been derivatised to afford functionalised enantioenriched building blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly enantioselective b-isocupreidine (b-ICD) catalyzed synthesis of dihydropyran-fused benzofurans through [4+2] cycloaddition of allenoates and benzofuranone alkenes was developed. Switchable chirality inversion of cycloaddition products was achieved by replacing the phenolic proton of the catalyst with a methyl, demonstrating an amazing effect of minimal structural variation on inverting enantioselectivity. DFT calculations were utilized to elucidate the origin of the observed phenomena. Computation also provided a clue for a rational design in which the multi-hydrogen bond with the alcohol additive was found to improve the enantioselectivity of the cycloaddition. Finally, the substrate scope was examined, in which a number of functionalized dihydropyran-fused benzofurans could be obtained in high yields (up to 97%) with very good regio- (>20:1) and enantioselectivities (up to 98:2 e.r.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allylation, trans- and cis-crotylation of (2 E,4 E)-2,4-dimethylhexadienal, a representative α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated aldehyde, was carried out under different catalytic and stoichiometric conditions. The reactions catalyzed by organocatalysts TRIP-PA and N, N′-dioxides gave the best results with respect to yields, asymmetric induction, and catalyst load in comparison to other procedures. The developed methodology was applied in the enantioselective synthesis of (5 R,6 S)-(+)-pteroenone, a defensive metabolite (ichthyodeterrent) of the Antarctic pteropod Clione antarctica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]