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An electrochemical procedure for the α-arylation of ketones has been developed. The method is based on the generation and one-pot anodic oxidation of silyl enol ethers in the presence of the arene. This strategy avoids isolation of the silyl enol intermediate and the utilization of external supporting electrolytes. Intermolecular arylations, which had not been reported so far, are possible when electron-rich arenes are utilized as coupling partners. The method has been demonstrated for a wide variety of aryl ketones and activated arenes, with moderate to good yields (up to 69%) obtained. Mechanistic insights and a theoretical rationale that explains the ketone α-arylation versus dimerization selectivity are also presented.

The development of a continuous flow process for the multistep synthesis of α-halo ketones starting from N-protected amino acids is described. The obtained α-halo ketones are chiral building blocks for the synthesis of HIV protease inhibitors, such as atazanavir and darunavir. The synthesis starts with the formation of a mixed anhydride in a first tubular reactor. The anhydride is subsequently combined with anhydrous diazomethane in a tube-in-tube reactor. The tube-in-tube reactor consists of an inner tube, made from a gas-permeable, hydrophobic material, enclosed in a thick-walled, impermeable outer tube. Diazomethane is generated in the inner tube in an aqueous medium, and anhydrous diazomethane subsequently diffuses through the permeable membrane into the outer chamber. The α-diazo ketone is produced from the mixed anhydride and diazomethane in the outer chamber, and the resulting diazo ketone is finally converted to the halo ketone with anhydrous ethereal hydrogen halide. This method eliminates the need to store, transport, or handle diazomethane and produces α-halo ketone building blocks in a multistep system without racemization in excellent yields. A fully continuous process allowed the synthesis of 1.84 g of α-chloro ketone from the respective N-protected amino acid within ~4.5 h (87% yield).

A continuous-flow, two-step procedure for the preparation of α-CF3-substituted carbonyl compounds has been developed. The carbonyl substrates were converted in situ into the corresponding silyl enol ethers, mixed with the CF3 radical source, and then irradiated with visible light using a flow reactor based on transparent tubing and a household compact fluorescent lamp. The continuous protocol uses Eosin Y as an inexpensive photoredox catalyst and requires only 20 min to complete the two reaction steps.

The mechanism of the Dakin-West reaction has been thoroughly investigated by monitoring the reaction using ESI-MS/MS techniques in combination with M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) calculations. Several of the key intermediates in the previously proposed "azlactone" mechanism have been experimentally detected and characterized. In particular, interception of the mixed anhydrides involved in the early and late stages of the mechanistic scheme, as well as of the cyclic acyl-oxazolone intermediate, supports the original pathway suggested by Dakin and West. All intermediates and transition structures involved in several competing mechanisms have been calculated. The theoretical calculations support the experimental results and corroborate the proposed "azlactone" mechanism. The pathway involving the cyclic oxazolone ("azlactone") intermediate represents an energy barrier more than 3 kcal mol(-1) lower than for the competing aldol-type mechanism, thus ruling out this alternative mechanism. The DFT calculations explain the observed ESI-MS data and assess those intermediates which the experiments cannot fully elucidate.

An easy to use computerized algorithm for the determination of the amount of each labeled species differing in the number of incorporated isotope labels based on mass spectroscopic data is described and evaluated. Employing this algorithm, the microwave-assisted synthesis of various alpha-labeled deuterium ketones via hydrogen-deuterium exchange with deuterium oxide was optimized with respect to time, temperature, and degree of labeling. For thermally stable ketones the exchange of alpha-protons was achieved at 180 degrees C within 40-200 min. Compared to reflux conditions, the microwave-assisted protocol led to a reduction of the required reaction time from 75-94 h to 40-200 min. The alpha-labeled deuterium ketones were reduced by biocatalytic hydrogen transfer to the corresponding enantiopure chiral alcohols and the deconvolution algorithm validated by regression analysis of a mixture of labeled and unlabeled ketones/alcohols.

A microwave-assisted parallel solid-phase synthesis of a collection of 21 polymer-bound enones has been developed. The two-step protocol involves initial high-speed acetoacetylation of polystyrene Wang resin with a selection of seven common beta-ketoesters. When microwave flash heating at 170 degreesC was employed, complete conversions were achieved within 1-10 min, a significant improvement over the conventional thermal method, which takes several hours for completion. Significant rate enhancements were also observed for the subsequent microwave-heated Knoevenagel condensations with a second set of 13 different aldehydes. Reaction times were reduced to 30-60 min at 125 degreesC in the microwave protocol compared to 1-2 days using conventional thermal conditions. Kinetic comparison studies indicate that the observed rate enhancements can be attributed to the rapid direct heating of the solvent (1,2-dichlorobenzene) by microwaves rather than to any specific microwave effect. All reactions have been carried out in commercially available parallel reactors with on-line temperature measurement, designed specifically for use in multimode microwave cavities.