Selective oxidative intermolecular carbosulphenylation of aryl alkenes with thiols and nucleophiles a 1,2-dithioethane intermediate.

A periodate lithium-oxidized difunctionalisation of aryl alkenes with thiols and electron-rich aromatics was achieved, selectively affording more than thirty carbosulphenylated products. Both experiments and quantum chemical calculations demonstrated the radical-polar nature of the processes, and that 1,2-dithioethane and thiiranium ions might play the role of intermediates.

A General Method for the Dibromination of Vicinal sp C-H Bonds Exploiting Weak Solvent-Substrate Noncovalent Interactions.

A general procedure of 1,2-dibromination of vicinal sp C-H bonds of arylethanes using -bromosuccinimide as the bromide reagent without an external initiator has been established. The modulation of the strength of the intermolecular noncovalent interactions between the solvent and arylethane ethanes, quantitatively evaluated via quantum chemical calculations, allows us to circumvent the fact that arylethane ethane cannot be dibrominated through traditional methods. The mechanism was explored by both experiments and quantum chemical calculations, revealing a radical chain with HAA process.

Palladium-catalyzed dearomative cyclocarbonylation of allyl alcohol for the synthesis of quinolizinones.

An approach for the synthesis of quinolizinone with potential bioactivity has been developed via palladium-catalytic dearomative cyclocarbonylation of allyl alcohol. Diverse quinolizinone compounds could be attained with good efficiencies. A feasible reaction pathway could be a successive procedure of allylation, dearomatization, CO insertion and the Heck reaction.

Iodine/Manganese Dual Catalysis for Oxidative Dehydrogenation Coupling of Amines with Thiols.

A novel dual catalytic system of iodine and manganese is used for the first time for oxidative dehydrogenation coupling of amines with thiols during aerobic oxidation. Sulfenamides are synthesized via this approach with moderate to high efficiencies. The mechanistic studies indicate that activated MnO is an electron transfer bridge for assisting iodine in completing the catalytic cycle.

Selective Cleavage of C-O Bonds in Lignin Catalyzed by Rhenium(VII) Oxide (Re O ).

The selective cleavage of C-O bonds in typical model lignin β-O-4 compounds and deconstruction of a realistic lignin feedstock catalyzed by Re O is described. High yields of C-O cleavage products (up to 97.8 %) from model compounds and oils (76.

Selective Cleavage of C-O Bonds in Lignin Catalyzed by Rhenium(VII) Oxide (Re O ).

Invited for this month's cover are the collaborating groups of Dr. Changzhi Li from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, China, and Dr. Lican Lu, Xiangtan University, China.

Valorization of Lignin to Simple Phenolic Compounds over Tungsten Carbide: Impact of Lignin Structure.

Lignins isolated from representative hardwood, softwood, and grass materials were effectively hydrocracked to aromatics catalyzed by tungsten carbide over activated carbon (W C/AC). The effects of botanical species and fractionation methods on lignin structure and the activity of W C/AC were studied in detail. Gas permeation chromatography (GPC), FTIR, elemental analysis, and 2 D HSQC NMR showed that all the extracted samples shared the basic skeleton of lignin, whereas the fractionation method significantly affected the structure.