A series of chiral triazolium salts have been synthesized from methyl L-phenylalaninate hydrochloride. The NHCs derived from this class of novel triazolium salts were found to be highly efficient catalysts in the annulation reaction of enals and 2-naphthols. These reactions proceeded with high chemoselectivity and wide substrate scope affording enantioenriched b-arylsplitomicins in good yields ...

This paper describes a formal total synthesis of the marine ladder toxin hemibrevetoxin B from Danishefsky's dienes. This approach couples the generation of C-glycosides from cyclic enol ethers with metathesis or acid-mediated annulation reactions. The result is a highly efficient synthesis of the tetracyclic ring system of hemibrevetoxin B.

The N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed oxidative [3 + 2] annulation of dioxindole and enals was developed, giving the corresponding spirocyclic oxindole-γ-lactones in good yields with high to excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The challenging aliphatic enals worked effectively using this strategy. The oxidative cross coupling of homoenolate and enolate via single electron transfer was...

The N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-organocatalyzed enantioselective annulation reaction of pyrazolones with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes proceeding via the chiral α,β-unsaturated acyl azolium intermediates under oxidative conditions is presented. The reaction afforded dihydropyranone-fused pyrazoles in moderate to good yields and good er values under operationally simple and base-free conditions.

A reactive cyclic iminium induced one-pot Groebke-Blackburn-Bienayme (GBB) double annulation cascade (DAC) for the synthesis of skeletally diverse DHIQ salts has been described. The key features of this protocol are transition-metal and solvent-free, mild reaction conditions, robust method, one-step construction of two privileged heterocyclic rings, clean reaction profile and operational simpli...

An enantioselective synthesis of the core framework of neurotrophic Illicium majucin-type sesquiterpenes is described here. This strategy is based on an organocatalyzed asymmetric Robinson annulation and provides an efficient approach for a diversity-oriented synthesis of Illicium natural products that holds remarkable therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases.

A phosphine-catalyzed [3+2] annulation reaction of α-substituted allenoates with ester-activated α,β-unsaturated imines is reported, which provides new and efficient access to highly functionalized cyclopentenes bearing one all-carbon quaternary center. This reaction also expands the scope of the famous Lu [3+2] cycloaddition reaction.

Nitrogen-bridged donor-acceptor multifused dithienopyrrolobenzothiadiazole (DTPBT) and dibenzothiadiazolopyrrolothiophene (DBTPT) were successfully synthesized by intramolecular Cadogan annulation. The electron-deficient benzothiadiazole unit in DTPBT can be converted to benzoselenadiazole and quinoxaline moieties through reduction/cyclization to generate dithienopyrrolobenzoselenadiazole (DTPB...

The first total synthesis of (±)-pallambins C and D has been accomplished in a linear 38 step reaction from (±)-Wieland-Miescher ketone. The key conversions are featured as follows: a Grob fragmentation-intramolecular aldol cyclization and a thiourea/palladium-catalyzed carbonylative annulation.

A novel one-pot synthesis of π-conjugated polycyclic compounds, which could undergo further facile transformation to form complex polycyclic heteroarene compounds, has been realized between 7-azaindoles and α,β-unsaturated ketones. This distinctive cascade process proceeds via a rhodium(iii)-catalyzed alkylation/copper-catalyzed radical annulation-aromatization pathway.