The nucleophilic addition reaction of diazo-compound derived anions or enolates with electrophilic C=O and C=N bonds have been summarized. The subsequent reactions of the addition products demonstrate diverse reactivities of the diazocarbonyl compounds bearing other functional groups and their potential in organic synthesis. Asymmetric catalysis is also possible with diazocarbonyl compounds as ...

Esterases (EC 3.1.1.x) represent a diverse group of hydrolases catalyzing the cleavage and formation of ester bonds and are widely distributed in animals, plants and microorganisms. Beside lipases, a considerable number of microbial carboxyl esterases have also been discovered and overexpressed. This review summarizes their properties and classification. Special emphasis is given on their appli...

In the age of high-throughput biology, novel genes and proteins are emerging quickly. The need for developing organic synthesis-derived methods that allow rapid access to polyfunctional, complex natural product-like compounds is growing constantly, largely because these small-molecule-based compounds serve as smart, powerful tools both in understanding the roles and functions of emerging biolog...

Introduction In recent years, a new approach called “Green Chemistry” emerged in the field of organic chemistry, to prevent or minimize contamination from the laboratory bench up to industrial production. It purpose is to avoid residue formation, saving time and costs. One of the strategies proposed for the existing products involves designing alternative synthesis steps that do not use toxic s...

A rhodium-catalyzed dehydrogenative borylation of cyclic alkenes is described. This reaction provides direct access to cyclic 1-alkenylboronic acid pinacol esters, useful intermediates in organic synthesis. Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling applications are also presented.

In contrast to the production of simple bulk chemicals and polymers, which started shortly after the discovery of the “olefin scrambling” reaction, it was not until much later that this transformation was “rediscovered” by the academic world. In the last decade of the 20th century, the so-called olefin metathesis reaction gained real significance in advanced organic synthesis [1]. The developme...

A spherical liquid-liquid interface can be obtained by dispersing one liquid phase into another to form droplets, which will facilitate the two-phase reactions between the immiscible participating fluids. The phase transfer catalysts assembled at the droplet "wall" catalyze the reactions between the aqueous and organic phases. The study illustrates an interfacial synthetic approach which is ide...

In an "aldol addition" reaction an enol or enolate of an aldehyde or ketone reacts with a second aldehyde or ketone forming a new carbon-carbon bond. This makes the aldol reaction an important reaction for organic synthesis. Originally, the aldol reaction used ethanal (see below) and therefore the product contained both an aldehyde and an alcohol functional group; thus it became known as the al...

An "inorganic micelle" structure that has a hydrophilic cavity and hydrophobic surface has been synthesized. The inorganic micelles possess large surface area and controllable hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface. It shows high catalytic efficiency and great recyclability in the bromination of alcohols. This work suggests that inorganic micelles may be suitable for selective organic syntheses as w...