Influence of Solvation and Dynamics on the Mechanism and Kinetics of Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution Reactions in Liquid Ammonia.

The role of the solvent and the influence of dynamics on the kinetics and mechanism of the SNAr reaction of several halonitrobenzenes in liquid ammonia, using both static calculations and dynamic ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, are investigated. A combination of metadynamics and committor analysis methods reveals how this reaction can change from a concerted, one-step mechanism in gas phase to a stepwise pathway, involving a metastable Meisenheimer complex, in liquid ammonia. This clearly establishes, among others, the important role of the solvent and highlights the fact that accurately treating solvation is of crucial importance to correctly unravel the reaction mechanism.

Synthesis of 2-spiropseudoindoxyls via an intramolecular nitroalkyne redox-dipolar cycloaddition cascade.

Novel spiropseudoindoxyls were synthesized in high yields via a fully regioselective Au(III)-catalyzed cycloisomerization of easily obtainable o-nitrophenylpropiolamides, followed by an intramolecular dipolar cycloaddition as key steps. This one-pot cascade reaction resulted in new tetracyclic pseudoindoxyls, which were hydrogenated toward the title compounds as single diastereomers via N-O cleavage. The mechanism of the gold catalyzed cycloisomerization was studied by DFT and suggests a reaction path without the intermediacy of gold carbenoid species in these cases.

Synthesis of fused 3-aminoazepinones via trapping of a new class of cyclic seven-membered allenamides with furan.

Novel tricyclic tetrahydroazepinones were synthesized via an in situ Diels-Alder reaction of furan with cyclic allenamides. These reactive intermediates are the first examples of cyclic seven-membered allenamides and were prepared starting from N-(2-chloroallyl)-2-allylglycine derivatives via ring-closing metathesis followed by dehydrochlorination. The trapping of the intermediate cycloallene with furan occurred endo- and regioselectively and provided a convenient entry into new building blocks for medicinal chemistry.