Spectral characteristics of the flavones and anthocyanins present in passionflower (Passiflora incarnata).

Rich in antioxidants with a variety of flavones and anthocyanins, passionflower/fruit has been extensively used in food, beverage, medicinal, and natural dyes industries. The individual components present in passionflower are identified by extracting them in methanol, partitioning them between ethyl acetate and aqueous layers, and recording their ESI mass spectrometric data. The steady-state absorption and fluorescence spectra of the extract in methanol and dimethyl sulfoxide are recorded and the lifetime of the fluorescing species is reported.

Metal-free synthesis of dihydrofuran derivatives as anti-vicinal amino alcohol isosteres.

Dihydrofuran cores are commonly incorporated into synthetically and pharmacologically significant scaffolds in natural product and drug discovery chemistry. Herein, we report a concise and practical strategy to construct spiro-dihydrofuran and amino dihydrofuran scaffolds as anti-vicinal amino alcohol isosteres. Hypervalent iodine (PhI(OAc)(NTs))-mediated C-H activation of alkynes resulted in two-bond formations with one pi bond cleavage: (i) C(sp)-N(sp) and O(sp)-C(sp); (ii) C(sp)-N(sp) and C(sp)-C(sp).

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Axially Chiral Diarylmethylidene Indanones.

We describe the first atropselective Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of β-keto enol triflates to access axially chiral ()-diarylmethylidene indanones (DAIs). The chemical, physical, and biological properties of DAIs are unknown, despite their being structurally similar to arylidene indanones, primarily due to the lack of racemic or chiral methods. Through this work, we demonstrate a general and efficient protocol for the racemic as well as the atropselective synthesis of ()-DAIs.

Organocatalytic β-Azidation of Enones Initiated by an Electron-Donor-Acceptor Complex.

An operationally straightforward organocatalytic β-azidation of α,β-unsaturated ketones is described. Reaction of the Zhdankin azidoiodane with enones in the presence of a catalytic amount of an amine provides β-azido ketones via the formation of an electron-donor-acceptor complex. The application of this protocol is demonstrated through one-step elaborations leading to the synthesis of unprecedented classes of 1,2,3-triazoles.

Modular assembly of furotropones and benzofurotropones, and study of their physicochemical properties.

A rapid and straightforward synthesis of a novel series of furo[2,3-d]tropones (or cyclohepta[b]furan-6-ones) has been developed starting from readily and commercially available materials. Directed α-lithiation of furan-3-carboxaldehydes and subsequent reaction with a variety of aldehydes efficiently provide, in one step, access to 3-formyl-2-furylcarbinols, which are otherwise only accessible with difficulty. The 3-formyl-2-furylcarbinols are further elaborated in two steps to the synthesis of furo[2,3-d]tropones in good yields via sequential bismuth(III)chloride-catalyzed furfurylation and an unusual base promoted cyclization strategy.