Activation of -Propargyl Alcohol Benzaldehydes under Acetalization Conditions for Intramolecular Electrophile Intercepted Meyer-Schuster Rearrangement.

The reactivity of -propargyl alcohol benzaldehydes has been increased tremendously toward Brønsted acid-catalyzed intramolecular electrophile intercepted Meyer-Schuster (M-S) rearrangement under acetalization conditions using trimethyl orthoformate (TMOF). The in situ formed acetal transfers the methoxy group intramolecularly to generate the M-S intermediate in even less reactive substrates, and the formed oxocarbenium ion makes the carbonyl more electrophilic for an effective intramolecular trapping of the M-S intermediate to furnish the indanone derivatives.

Brønsted Acid-Mediated Domino One-Pot Dual C-C Bond Formation: Chemoselective Synthesis of Fused Tricyclic Ketones.

A chemoselective synthesis of fused novel tricyclic motifs via a facile domino intramolecular cyclization is presented. The strategy enables the formation of dual C-C bond via intramolecular Friedel-Crafts alkylation followed by acylation to accomplish fused tricyclic ketones. Significantly, these fused tricyclic compounds are ubiquitous and constitute major structural cores of natural products.

Lewis acid promoted dual bond formation: facile synthesis of dihydrocoumarins and spiro-tetracyclic dihydrocoumarins.

Lewis acid (FeCl3) mediated dual bond (C-C and C-O) formation for synthesis of 3,4-dihydrocoumarins is presented. This method has successfully delivered a number of dihydrocoumarins containing dense functionalities on the aromatic ring. Significantly, the present method enabled achieving dihydrocoumarins with tertiary as well as quaternary carbon atoms at the benzylic position.

A domino palladium-catalyzed C-C and C-O bonds formation via dual O-H bond activation: synthesis of 6,6-dialkyl-6H-benzo[c]chromenes.

An efficient Pd-catalyzed domino reaction of α,α-dialkyl-(2-bromoaryl)methanols to 6,6-dialkyl-6H-benzo[c]chromenes is presented. Their formation can be explained via a five membered Pd(II)-cycle that efficiently involves a domino homocoupling with the second molecule, β-carbon cleavage, and finally intramolecular Buchwald-Hartwig cyclization. This domino process effectively involves breaking of five σ-bonds (2C-Br, 2O-H, and a C-C) and formation of two new σ-bonds (C-C and C-O).