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The deprotonative functionalization of toluenes, for their weak acidity, generally needs strong bases, thus leading to the requirement of harsh conditions and the generation of by-products. Direct nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction of amides with organometallic reagents could provide an ideal solution for ketone synthesis. However, the inert amides and highly reactive organometallic reagents bring great challenges for an efficient and selective synthetic approach. Herein, we reported an lithium diisopropylamide (LDA)-promoted benzylic aroylation of toluenes with unactivated tertiary benzamides, providing a direct and efficient synthesis of various aryl benzyl ketones. This process features a kinetic deprotonative functionalization of toluenes with a readily available base LDA. Mechanism studies revealed that the directed ortho-lithiation of the tertiary benzamide with LDA promoted the benzylic kinetic deprotonation of toluene and triggered the nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction with the amide.

In this work, a novel strategy for the straightforward synthesis of substituted phthalimides is described, which includes base-mediated Michael addition/intramolecular cyclization/[1,5]-H shift/cleavage of CS2/aromatization/nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction of 2-(4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-5-ylidene)acetates and α,α-dicyanoolefines under ultrasound (US) irradiation. Some advantages of this method are as follows: having simple operation, easily accessible starting materials, chemoselective cascade process, synthetically useful yields, and green conditions by utilizing US irradiation as a source of energy and using ethanol as solvent.

New dipeptide–dihydroquinolinone derivatives were successfully synthesised by benzotriazole mediated nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and analytic techniques. The carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitory activity of the new compounds was determined against four human (h) isoforms, hCA I, hCA II, hCA IX and hCA XII. While all compounds showed moderate to good in vitro CA inhibitory properties against hCA IX and hCA XII with inhibition constants in the micromolar level (37.7–86.8 and 2.0–8.6 µM, respectively), they did not show inhibitory activity against hCA I and hCA II up to 100 µM concentration. The antioxidant capacity of the peptide–dihydroquinolinone conjugates was determined using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method. Most of the synthesised compounds showed low antioxidant activities compared to the control antioxidant compounds BHA and α-tocopherol.

A solvent-controlled protocol for the direct and transition metal-free addition of alkenyl Grignard reagents to vicinally functionalized sp3-rich morpholinones has been developed, leading to the chemo and regioselective synthesis of lactam-bearing homoallylic ketones. The addition of lithium chloride proved to be essential. In cases where a new stereocenter is generated, the doubly branched homoallylic ketones are obtained in unexpectedly high diastereoselectivities. Efforts to extend the methodology to other heterosubstituted lactams revealed some important reactivity and selectivity differences.

A tandem reaction of thioesters with vinylmagnesium bromide is reported. The initial acyl substitution provides an α,β-unsaturated ketone which further reacts with the liberated thiolate. This transition-metal-free synthesis of β-sulfanyl ketones takes place under mild reaction conditions, whereas the addition of a second Grignard molecule is almost completely suppressed. The carefully chosen parameters enabled the transformation of different substrates in moderate to good yields.

The Rh-catalyzed ortho-C(sp2 )-H functionalization of 8-aminoquinoline-derived benzamides with aliphatic acyl fluorides generated in situ from the corresponding acids has been developed. This reaction initiated with 8-aminoquinoline-directed ortho-C(sp2 )-H acylation, which was accompanied by subsequent intramolecular nucleophilic acyl substitution of amide group to produce alkylidene phthalides This approach exhibits high stereo-selectivity for Z-isomer products, and tolerates a variety of functional groups as well as aliphatic carboxylic acids with diverse structural scaffolds.

meso-Carboxyl-BODIPY responds to small electronic changes resulting from acyl substitution reactions with a marked change in fluorescence. Herein, the minute changes that accompany the thioester to amide conversion encountered in native chemical ligation (NCL) are exploited in the construction of fluorescent "turn-on" probes. Two fluorogenic probes, 1 a and 4, derived from a meso-thioester-BODIPY scaffold, were designed for the selective detection of cysteine (1 a) and aminopeptidase N (4), respectively. The aromatic (1 a) and aliphatic (4) thioesters of meso-carboxyl-BODIPY are nonfluorescent. However, specific analyte-induced conversion to the meso-amide derivative caused significant spectral changes and a dramatic fluorescence enhancement. Probe 1 a exhibited a large fluorescence "turn-on" response with high selectivity toward cysteine via a tandem NCL reaction. Probe 4 was successfully applied to the monitoring and imaging of endogenous aminopeptidase N in live cancer cells.

We report that the nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction of aliphatic and (hetero)aromatic amides by organolithium reagents proceeds quickly (20 s reaction time), efficiently, and chemoselectively with a broad substrate scope in the environmentally responsible cyclopentyl methyl ether, at ambient temperature and under air, to provide ketones in up to 93 % yield with an effective suppression of the notorious over-addition reaction. Detailed DFT calculations and NMR investigations support the experimental results. The described methodology was proven to be amenable to scale-up and recyclability protocols. Contrasting classical procedures carried out under inert atmospheres, this work lays the foundation for a profound paradigm shift of the reactivity of carboxylic acid amides with organolithiums, with ketones being straightforwardly obtained by simply combining the reagents under aerobic conditions and with no need of using previously modified or pre-activated amides, as recommended.

Directed ortho metalation (DoM) or nucleophilic acyl substitution (SNAc) can be efficiently programmed on the same aromatic carboxylic acid amide, in a choline chloride-based eutectic mixture, by simply switching the nature of the organolithium reagent. Telescoped, one-pot ortho-lithiation/Suzuki–Miyaura cross-couplings have also been demonstrated for the first time in Deep Eutectic Solvents.

This paper reports a computational study elucidating reaction mechanism for amide bond formation from esters and amines catalyzed by acetic acid. Two optional mechanisms (namely, classic stepwise and concerted acyl substitution mechanisms) have been studied. Calculation results establish the reaction energy profiles of both mechanisms and locate all the intermediates and transition states in both catalytic cycles. Our results propose that the concerted acyl substitution mechanism may be more likely wherein the formation of C N bond and the cleavage of C O bond occur concurrently without the need of rehybridization of the carbonyl carbon. This is also consistent with the fact that no significant racemization/epimerization were observed in the amide products when asymmetric esters and/or amines were used as the reactants, because concerted acyl substitution mechanism precludes the intermediacy of tetrahedral adducts and the accompanying generation/elimination of new chiral centers. Further discussion implies that the concerted acyl substitution mechanism may widely occur in related amidation reactions in the presence of different types of coupling reagents.

A chemical study of the common species Albatrellus confluens present in Yunnan province, southwest China led to the identification of a pair of epimers named albatredines A (1) and B (2). They feature a natural unprecedented 1,2,4-oxadiazolidin-5-one skeleton. The acyl substitution pattern and complete configurational assignments were deduced from the comparison between experimental and theoretical 13C NMR and ECD data, respectively. Bioassay results showed that compound 1 exhibited a weak immunosuppressive activity against the concanavalin A-induced T lymphocyte cell proliferation (IC50 2.99 μM).

Pentyl 2-(1H-indole-2-carboxamido)benzoate (5) is obtained in good yield as stable crystals by reaction of pentyl 2-amino benzoate (6) with indole-2-carbonyl chloride acid (7) in the presence of pyridine. The crystal structure of 5 confirms the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding (N-H…O) which produces a six-membered ring, and the molecules are linked together by intermolecular hydrogen forces (N-H…O).

A cross-coupling of acyl chlorides with gem-difluorinated organozinc reagents affording difluorinated ketones is described. In the reaction, acyl chlorides are first treated with potassium dithiocarbamate to generate S-acyl dithiocarbamates, which couple with organozincs in the presence of a copper(I) catalyst.

A new protocol has been developed for the Curtius-type rearrangement of acyl hydrazides in the presence of nucleophiles by activating acyl hydrazides with benzyne to generate aminimide intermediates. A wide variety of N'-methyl-N'-phenyl acyl hydrazides were treated with various alcohols in the presence of 2-(trimethylsilyl)phenyl triflate and CsF under mild conditions to afford structurally diverse carbamates in moderate to excellent yields. Importantly, complete retention of configuration was observed in the reaction of enantioenriched α-chiral alkanoyl hydrazides. Replacing the alcohol with water, an amine, an N'-unsubstituted acyl hydrazide, an alkoxyamine, or a thiophenol in the reaction permitted facile synthesis of ureas and analogues.

The acyl transferase from Mycobacterium smegmatis (MsAcT) catalyses transesterification reactions in aqueous media because of its hydrophobic active site. Aliphatic cyanohydrin and alkyne esters can be synthesised in water with excellent and strikingly opposite enantioselectivity [(R);E>50 and (S);E>100, respectively]. When using this enzyme, the undesired hydrolysis of the acyl donor is an important factor to take into account. Finally, the choice of acyl donor can significantly influence the obtained enantiomeric excesses.

International audience; The copper-catalyzed reaction of allenes with bis(pinacolato)diboron and acyl electrophiles is reported. In this transformation, acyl fluorides have been proven to be more efficient coupling partners than their chloride or carboxylate analogues. The optimized reaction conditions employed were shown to be compatible with a range of commonly used functional groups, thereby allowing the formation of a library of β-boryl β,γ-unsaturated ketones by varying the nature of the allene and acyl fluoride substrates.

The first palladium-catalyzed construction of ketones via Suzuki-Miyaura reaction using acid fluorides is described. In contrast to typical acyl electrophiles such as acid chlorides, acid fluorides are uncommon acyl electrophiles to use in boron-based coupling probably due to a high level of stability toward nucleophiles. This first attempt to use acid fluorides as a coupling partner with boronic acid allowed highly functional group tolerance and a wide substrate scope, and afforded various ketones in effective yields.

The catalytic activities of several uranyl complexes, such as N,N′-disalicylidene-o-phenelyenediaminato(ethanol)dioxouranium(VI) (UO2(salophen)EtOH), bis(dibenzoylmethanato)(ethanol)dioxouranium(VI) (UO2(dbm)2EtOH), pentakis(N,N-dimethylformamide)dioxouranium(VI) ([UO2(DMF)5]2+), and tetrakis(triphenylphosphine oxide)dioxouranium(VI) ([UO2(OPPh3)4]2+), were examined in the nucleophilic acyl substitution of acid anhydrides. Among them, [UO2(OPPh3)4]2+ was the most efficient to give ethyl acetate and acetic acid from acetic anhydride (Ac2O) and ethanol, and was resistant towards decomposition during the catalytic reaction. Several nucleophiles were also subjected to the catalytic acylation reaction using acetic and pivalic anhydride. Kinetic and spectroscopic studies suggested that [UO2(OPPh3)4]2+ interacts with Ac2O to form [UO2(Ac2O)(OPPh3)3]2+. Interaction of this actual catalyst with additional Ac2O determines the rate of the overall nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction.

We detail a strategy that uses a commercially available nucleophilic organic catalyst to generate acyl and carbamoyl radicals upon activation of the corresponding chlorides and anhydrides via a nucleophilic acyl substitution path. The resulting nucleophilic radicals are then intercepted by a variety of electron-poor olefins in a Giese-type addition process. The chemistry requires low-energy photons (blue LEDs) to activate acyl and carbamoyl radical precursors, which, due to their high reduction potential, are not readily prone to redox-based activation mechanisms. To elucidate the key mechanistic aspects of this catalytic photochemical radical generation strategy, we used a combination of transient absorption spectroscopy investigations, electrochemical studies, quantum yield measurements, and the characterization of key intermediates. We identified a variety of off-the-cycle intermediates that engage in a light-regulated equilibrium with reactive radicals. These regulated equilibriums cooperate to control the overall concentrations of the radicals, contributing to the efficiency of the overall catalytic process and facilitating the turnover of the catalyst.

Objective The use of the BisGMA as base monomer in dental composites has been questioned because of bisphenol A (BPA) is used as raw material in its synthesis, and BPA possess estrogenic potential associated to several health problems. This study describes the synthesis of the trimethacrylate tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane triglycidyl methacrylate (TTM) monomer and evaluate its effect when used as base monomer in the formulation of experimental photopolymerizable composite resins. Methods The TTM monomer was synthesized by a nucleophilic acyl substitution. Its chemical structure was confirmed via 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. Experimental composite resins were formulated by mixing TTM, triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and inorganic fillers. A BisGMA/TEGDMA based composite resin was prepared and used as control to compare several physicochemical properties. Cell viability assay was used for cytotoxicity evaluation. Results TTM was successfully synthesized with quantitative yields. The results showed that the TTM-based composite resin had similar values of flexural strength, elastic modulus, degree of conversion and polymerization shrinkage than the control (p > 0.05). Water sorption and solubility were statistically significantly higher than the control (p Significance TTM monomer could be potentially useful in the formulation of BisGMA free composite resins, which could mean to minimize the human exposure to BPA.

Microwave-assisted nucleophilic acyl substitution was employed to obtain thiourea derivatives (3a, 3b, 3c) from m-methoxycinnamic acid (1). This synthesis method successfully yielded 60-70% reaction product. In vivo anti-angiogenic evaluation was conducted by chick chorioallantoic membrane model, by which each of the derivative at dose 30, 60, and 90 µg induced by bFGF and compared to celecoxib 60 µg as positive control. It was found that all of the synthesized compound at the tested dose were able to inhibit neovascularization and formation of endothelial cell of new blood vessels by 51-75%. In silico analysis predicted that the anti-angiogenesis mechanism of all the synthesized compounds is through the inhibition of EGFR kinase and COX-2. N atom acts as hydrogen bonding acceptor by residue Gly526 of COX-2. While thiourea moieties of 3a-c have hydrophobic interaction by residues Ser530, Tyr385, and Leu352. In addition, the carbonyl group of thiourea of compound 3a-c inhibit EGFR kinase through the interaction with lys745. The pKCSM data revealed that 3a-c absorbed in intestine by 89-92%, and acut toxicity in rat category 4, suggesting that the compounds show good absorption, and low toxicity. In conclusion, this study successfully synthesized thiourea derivatives, which have anti-angiogenesis activity, tested by CAM model.

The crystal structures of two multidentate CMPO-containing organic ligands are described. Both compounds feature N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds in the solid state., Two bis-carbamoyl­methyl­phosphine oxide compounds, namely {[(3-{[2-(di­phen­yl­phosphino­yl)ethanamido]­meth­yl}benz­yl)carbamo­yl]meth­yl}di­phenyl­phos­phine oxide, C36H34N2O4P2, (I), and diethyl [({2-[2-(di­eth­oxy­phosphino­yl)ethanamido]­eth­yl}carbamo­yl)meth­yl]phospho­nate, C14H30N2O8P2, (II), were synthesized via nucleophilic acyl substitution reactions between an ester and a primary amine. Hydrogen-bonding inter­actions are present in both crystals, but these inter­actions are intra­molecular in the case of compound (I) and inter­molecular in compound (II). Intra­molecular π–π stacking inter­actions are also present in the crystal of compound (I) with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.9479 (12) Å and a dihedral angle of 9.56 (12)°. Inter­molecular C—H⋯π inter­actions [C⋯centroid distance of 3.622 (2) Å, C—H⋯centroid angle of 146°] give rise to supra­molecular sheets that lie in the ab plane. Key geometric features for compound (I) involve a nearly planar, trans-amide group with a C—N—C—C torsion angle of 169.12 (17)°, and a torsion angle of −108.39 (15)° between the phosphine oxide phospho­rus atom and the amide nitro­gen atom. For compound (II), the electron density corresponding to the phosphoryl group was disordered, and was modeled as two parts with a 0.7387 (19):0.2613 (19) occupancy ratio. Compound (II) also boasts a trans-amide group that approaches planarity with a C—N—C—C torsion angle of −176.50 (16)°. The hydrogen bonds in this structure are inter­molecular, with a D⋯A distance of 2.883 (2) Å and a D—H⋯A angle of 175.0 (18)° between the amide hydrogen atom and the P=O oxygen atom. These non-covalent inter­actions create ribbons that run along the b-axis direction.

Pebax copolymers produced by Arkema are widely employed for different applications, including active molecular carriers and membranes for gas separation. In the present work, a new modification approach for Pebax®2533 is presented, along with the characterization of the newly obtained materials. Pebax was modified by grafting, through a nucleophilic acyl substitution, a benzoyl group on Polyamide12 block. The yield of the reaction was confirmed by FTIR and NMR analysis, while thermal DSC and TGA characterizations were then carried out on the polymeric products characterized by different degrees of substitution to understand their properties. Finally, self-standing films were obtained by casting and gas permeation tests were conducted at 35 °C using CO2, N2, CH4, O2 and He, in order to understand the potentiality of the new material as membrane for gas separation. DSC showed that in the modified Pebax, named “Benzoyl-P2533” (BP2533), the crystalline phase of the Nylon block was canceled, as expected, but at the same time the degree of crystallinity of the block of Polytetramethyleneoxide increased from 19%, measured for the unmodified Pebax, to a max of 35% for the fully substituted material. For this reason, gas permeability showed small but consistent increment, in the order of 10–11% for most of the gas tested, with the only exception being helium, where the increment resulted to be around 48%. As a consequence, the overall selectivity of CO2 against helium dropped with respect to pristine Pebax. For all the other gases, on the other hand the selectivity with respect to CO2 remained substantially constant, resulting in slight but neat improvement of the ability of the new material to separate this gas.

A wide range of chemicals such as amides, hydrazides, amines, alcohols, carbazate, and sulfonate were reacted with acyl isocyanates generated by the reaction of primary amides with oxalyl chloride to give symmetrical and unsymmetrical diacyl urea derivatives, acyl ureas/carbamates/thiocarbamates, and related compounds. This method provides means for convenient one-pot, two-step synthesis of compounds bearing urea, carbamate, and other functional groups from cheap and commercially available starting reagents. It is expected that the results presented in this report will expand the medicinal chemist’s toolbox.

A new method for converting commodity polymeric materials into value-added specialty materials was developed via site-selective and chemoselective transesterification of block copolymers, statistical copolymers, and homopolymers., The direct transformation of commercially available commodity polyacrylates into value-added materials was achieved. We demonstrate how 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene, serving as a nucleophilic catalyst, can be used to catalyze acyl substitution reactions of acrylic polymers in the presence of alcohol and amine nucleophiles. Furthermore, we found that organocatalytic transesterification exhibits high selectivity towards sterically unhindered esters, thus providing a new route towards site-selective acyl substitution of macromolecular materials. Combining this methodology with reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) techniques such as reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization allowed for the precise functionalization of sterically-differentiated acrylic copolymers and polymeric chain ends. We envision this approach to expedite functional polymer synthesis and provide access to functional macromolecules prepared from inexpensive, hydrolytically-stable polymeric precursors.

A domino strategy has been used for the synthesis of 2H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-2-ones. Four sequential reactions: aza-Michael addition, water elimination, intramolecular acyl substitution, and [1,3]-H shift were observed in this domino protocol. Hexafluoroisopropanol is used as a promotor and recyclable solvent in this cascade process. The availability of inexpensive 2-aminopyridines and a wide variety of Michael acceptors such as commercially available acrylates and unactivated Baylis–Hillman adducts makes this methodology a huge reservoir of novel fused N-heterocycles as bioactive and potential therapeutic agents. The reaction mechanism has been proposed and rationalized by density functional theory calculations. Products are obtained in up to 95% yield.

This paper reports a computational study elucidating the reaction mechanism for ynamide-mediated amide bond formation from carboxylic acids and amines. The mechanisms have been studied in detail for ynamide hydrocarboxylation and the subsequent aminolysis of the resulting adduct by an amine. Ynamide hydrocarboxylation is kinetically favorable and thermodynamically irreversible, resulting in the formation of a key low-lying intermediate CP1 featuring geminal vinylic acyloxy and sulfonamide groups. The aminolysis of CP1 by the amine is proposed to be catalyzed by the carboxylic acid itself that imparts favourable bifunctional effects. In the proposed key transition state TSaminolysis-acid-iso2, the amine undergoes direct nucleophilic substitution at the acyl of CP1 to replace the enolate group in a concerted way, which is promoted by secondary hydrogen bonding of carboxylic acid with both the amine and CP1. These secondary interactions are suggested to increase the nucleophilicity of the amine and to activate the Cacyl-O bond to be cleaved, thereby stabilizing the aminolysis transition state. The concerted aminolysis mechanism is competitive with the classic stepwise nucleophilic acyl substitution mechanism that features sequential amine addition to acyl/intramolecular proton transfer/C-O bond cleavage and a key tetrahedral intermediate. Based on the mechanistic model, the carboxylic acid substrate effect and studies of more acidic CF3SO3H as the catalyst are in good agreement with the experimental observations, lending further support for the mechanistic model. The bifunctional catalytic effect of the carboxylic acid substrate may widely play a role in related amide bond-forming reactions and peptide formation chemistry.

Amides are of fundamental interest in many fields of chemistry involving organic synthesis, chemical biology and biochemistry. Here, we report the first catalytic Buchwald-Hartwig coupling of both common esters and amides by highly selective C(acyl)-X (X = O, N) cleavage to rapidly access aryl amide functionality via a cross-coupling strategy. Reactions are promoted by versatile, easily prepared, well-defined Pd-PEPPSI type precatalysts, and proceed in good to excellent yields and with excellent chemoselectivity for the acyl bond cleavage. The method is user friendly because it employs commercially-available, moisture- and air-stable precatalysts. Notably, for the first time we demonstrate selective C(acyl)-N and C(acyl)-O cleavage/Buchwald-Hartwig amination under the same reaction conditions, which allows for streamlining amide synthesis by avoiding restriction to a particular acyl metal precursor. Of broad interest, this study opens the door to using a family of well-defined Pd(ii)-NHC precatalysts bearing pyridine "throw-away" ligands for the selective C(acyl)-amination of bench-stable carboxylic acid derivatives.

Acyl isoselenocyanates, prepared by acyl chlorides and potassium selenocyanate, are trapped by pyridin-2-amine to afford 4-substituted pyrido[1,2-a][1,3,5]triazine-2-selenone in moderate to good yields.

The use of PhSZnBr as sulfenylating agent in a solvent-free protocol to prepare thiol esters in excellent yields from acyl chlorides is reported. The products were efficiently obtained by grinding the neat reagents for 5 min in a mortar. DFT calculations showed that the coordination of solvent molecules to the metal center of PhSZnBr results in the destabilization of the frontier MOs, thus reducing the reactivity towards the acyl chloride compared with solvent-free conditions. A possible mechanism based on the coordination of the carbonyl group of the acyl chloride to the metal center of PhSZnBr is proposed.

α-(Chloromethyl)acryloyl chloride was polymerized with various bisphenols and diamines to yield poly(conjugated ester)s. The polymer prepared from bisphenol Z underwent curing by heating at 170 °C, while copolymerization with methyl methacrylate afforded a crosslinked polymer. The poly(conjugated ester)s were chemically decomposed via main-chain scission by the conjugate substitution with benzyl mercaptan. Moreover, the treatment with 5 wt% aqueous ammonia resulted in complete main-chain scission to the monomeric units by conjugate substitution and acyl substitution reaction, recovering bisphenol Z. Although curing and main-chain scission resulted in contractive changes on polymer properties, both reactions were achieved by a same skeleton, α-(aryloxymethyl)acrylate. Thus, α-(chloromethyl)acryloyl chloride is the smallest monomer to incorporate such a curable and degradable skeleton.

(Z) Enol triflates 6, 11b-d, (E) enol triflate 11e, and phenol triflate 11a, derived from β-keto esters or 2-carboalkoxy phenols, respectively, react with N-Boc 2-lithiopyrrolidine (5a), N-Boc N-methylaminomethyllithium (5b), or 2-lithio-1,3-dithiane (14) to afford 3(2H)-furanones in modest to good yields (38-81%). Product and carbanion reagent studies suggest that the 3(2H)-furanone is formed in a cascade of reactions involving nucleophilic acyl substitution, enolate formation, trifluoromethyl transfer, iminium or sulfenium ion formation, and subsequent ring closure to form the 3(2H)-furanone. The use of 2-lithio-1,3-dithiane affords a cyclic α-keto-S,S,O-orthoester in which the functionality can be selectively manipulated for synthetic applications.

A green, aza-Michael reaction is described that can be used to teach undergraduate students conjugate addition of nitrogen nucleophile to an α,β-unsaturated ester. Students analyze spectral data of the product obtained from the assigned reaction to determine product structure and propose the mechanism of its formation. The experiment requires simple glassware and can be performed during a 3 to 4 h laboratory period in the second semester of introductory organic chemistry after acyl substitution and conjugate addition have been covered in a lecture class.

International audience; A straightforward synthesis of symmetrically α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids is presented. The key step of this process relies on the efficient double addition of Grignard reagents to acyl cyanohydrins to provide N-acyl amino alcohols selectively in good yields. The chemoselectivity of the reaction was modulated by the nature of the acyl moiety. Eleven amino acids were prepared, including the particularly simple divinylglycine, which is not easily accessible by using conventional methods.

The reaction of Na(OCP) with mesitoyl chloride delivers an ester functionalized 1,2,4-oxadiphosphole in a clean and P-atom economic way. The reaction mechanism has been elucidated by means of detailed NMR-spectroscopic, kinetic and computational studies. The initially formed acyl phosphaketene undergoes a pseudo-coarctate cyclization with an (OCP)− anion under the loss of carbon monoxide to yield a five-membered ring anion. Subsequently, the nucleophilic attack of the formed heterocyclic anion on a second acyl chloride molecule results in the 1,2,4-oxadiphosphole. The transient acyl phosphaketene is conserved during the reaction in the form of four-membered ring adducts, which act as a reservoir. Consequently, the phosphaethynolate anion has three different functions in these reactions: it acts as a nucleophile, as an en-component in [2 + 2] cycloadditions and as a formal P− transfer reagent., Chemical Science, 7 (9), ISSN:2041-6520, ISSN:2041-6539

Insertion of acyl cyanides into azazirconacyclopentenes derived from 1,3-azadienes has been described, which affords acyl- or non-acyl-substituted pyrroles upon acidic quenching. These reactions are initialized through C═O insertion into the azazirconacycle to afford seven-membered oxaazazirconacycles. In the cases of 1,4- or 1,2,4-substituted azadienes, addition of a second molecule of acyl cyanide followed by cyclization upon acidic quenching leads to acyl-substituted pyrroles. In the cases of 1,3,4-substituted azadienes, the addition of a second molecule of acyl cyanide cannot proceed due to the steric hindrance caused by the R3 group on the zirconium intermediate. Acidic quenching of the resulting zirconium intermediate affords non-acyl-substituted pyrroles.

The feasibility of the cyclization of γ-alkylthiobutyric acid derivatives to form previously unknown five-membered-ring acyl sulfonium cations was studied. Experimental results were in good agreement with our DFT calculations that predicted such cyclizations to be easy if starting with acyl iodides and mixed anhydrides of triflic acid. Particularly efficient were the reactions of γ-alkylthiobutyryl fluorides with trimethylsilyl triflate in CDCl3 solution, which led to cyclic acyl sulfonium triflates. In some cases, the observed acyl sulfonium salts were stable enough to be characterized by NMR spectroscopy. They were found to be both alkyl-transfer reagents and acylating agents. They react with amines to form amides. These findings lend some weight to our hypothesis that the acyl sulfonium derived from methionine may have played a major role in the prebiotic synthesis of the first peptides on the primitive Earth.

A density functional theory investigation of the PPh3-catalyzed formation of amides from benzoic acid was explored. The results confirm the involvement of a phosphonium intermediate that is crucial to activate the carboxylate for nucleophilic acyl substitution.