Copper(I)/Ligand-Catalyzed 5-endo Radical Cyclization-Aromatization of 2,2,2-Trichloroethyl Vinyl Ethers: Synthesis of 2,3-Difunctionalized 4-Chlorofurans.

Copper(I)/ligand-catalyzed one pot synthesis of highly substituted 2,3-difunctionalized-4-chlorofurans has been reported. The reaction proceeds via a Cu(I)-catalyzed regioselective 5-endo-trig radical cyclization of 2,2,2-trichloroethyl vinyl ethers followed by the base-promoted dehydrochlorination. The success of the kinetically disfavored 5-endo cyclization was attributed to the formation of captodatively stabilized radical intermediate in the cyclization step and relatively high reaction temperature.

Synthesis of α-Functionalized Trichloromethylcarbinols.

A new series of α-functionalized trichloromethylcarbinols have been synthesized from corresponding α-halomethyl ketones, esters, and amides in 48-78% overall yields. Reactivity of nitrates obtained in the first step was dependent on the electron-withdrawing nature of the functional groups, and increases with increasing electron deficiency. Synthetic applications of such trichloromethylcarbinols for the preparation of chloromethyl-α-diketones, trichloromethylated dihydrofurans, and enol acetates of α-functionalized acid chlorides have been demonstrated.

Synthesis of 3-alkylbenzoxazolones from N-alkyl-N-arylhydroxylamines by contiguous O-trichloroacetylation, trichloroacetoxy ortho-shift, and cyclization sequence.

Benzoxazolone pharmacophore is present in clinical pharmaceuticals, drug candidates, and many compounds having a wide spectrum of biological activities. The methods available for the synthesis of benzoxazolones have limited diversity due to problems in accessibility and air-sensitivity of diversely substituted o-aminophenols from which they are generally prepared by cyclocarbonylation with phosgene or its equivalents. The present paper describes a mild method for the synthesis of 3-alkylbenzoxazolones from easily accessible and air-stable nitroarenes.

Synthesis of chlorinated bicyclic C-fused tetrahydrofuro[3,2-c]azetidin-2-ones.

Some bicyclic C-fused chlorinated tetrahydrofuro[3,2-c]azetidin-2-ones were prepared by a fairly general route involving Staudinger reaction of allylic/propargylic imidates with dichloroketene followed by highly diastereoselective CuCl/PMDETA-catalyzed 5-exo-trig/dig chlorine atom transfer radical cyclization. An oxepan-fused β-lactam was also prepared similarly by 7-endo-trig cyclization. Synthetic application of the side chain chlorine atom of the products was demonstrated by its substitution in one of the products with azide followed by azide-alkyne click reaction with phenylacetylene to obtain a 1,2,3-triazolyltetrahydrofuro[3,2-c]azetidin-2-one.

Copper(I)-promoted synthesis of chloromethyl ketones from trichloromethyl carbinols.

Reaction of several trichloromethyl carbinols with 2 equiv of CuCl/bpy in refluxing DCE for 3 h afforded chloromethyl ketones in excellent yield by 1,2-H shift in the copper-chlorocarbenoid intermediate.

1,2-H shift in copper-chlorocarbenoid intermediate during CuCl/bpy-promoted stereoselective dechlorination of 2,2,2-trichloroethyl alkyl ethers to (Z)-1-alkoxy-2-chloroethenes.

Reaction of 2,2,2-trichloroethyl alkyl ethers with 2 molar equiv of CuCl/bpy in refluxing DCE yielded (Z)-1-alkoxy-2-chloroethenes stereoselectively as the major product via 1,2-H shift in copper-chlorocarbenoid intermediate. 2,2,2-Trichloroethyl carboxylates undergo a radical 1,2-acyloxy shift under similar conditions.

Copper(I)-promoted dechlorinative Surzur-Tanner rearrangement of 2,2,2-trichloroethyl carboxylates.

[reaction: see text] 2,2,2-Trichloroethyl carboxylates undergo highly efficient dechlorinative Surzur-Tanner rearrangement with 2 equiv of a 1:1 molar mixture of CuCl and bpy in boiling DCE to give 1-chloroethenyl carboxylates in which copper appears to play an important role, probably by coordinating the initial radical or as a Lewis acid catalyst.