The first enantioselective cross-electrophile coupling of aryl bromides with meso-epoxides to form trans-β-arylcycloalkanols is presented. The reaction is catalyzed by a combination of (bpy)NiCl2 and a chiral titanocene under reducing conditions. Yields range from 57 to 99% with 78-95% enantiomeric excess. The 30 examples include a variety of functional groups (ether, ester, ketone, nitrile, ke...

Study of the kinetics of intramolecular aryl ether C-O bond cleavage by Ni was facilitated by access to a family of metal complexes supported by diphosphines with pendant aryl-methyl ethers. The nature of the aryl substituents was found to have little effect on the rate of cleavage. In contrast, soluble Lewis acidic additives accelerate the aryl ether cleavage dramatically. The effect of AlMe3 ...

A ligand and base-free copper catalyzed synthetic method for the efficient ?-arylation of aromatic ketones is described. In order to avoid strong bases, ketone-derived silyl enol ethers were employed. Their reaction with diaryliodonium salts as aryl source provided intermolecular C–C coupling displaying good functional group tolerance requiring low catalyst loading.

The three-component coupling of terminal alkenes with arylboronic acids and oxygen nucleophiles is described. The reaction employs a binuclear gold(I) bromide as a catalyst and Selectfluor reagent as the stoichiometric oxidant. Alcohols, carboxylic acids, and water can be employed as oxygen nucleophiles, thus providing an efficient entry into beta-aryl ethers, esters, and alcohols from alkenes.

A hydrogen-transfer strategy for the catalytic functionalization of benzylic alcohols via electronic arene activation, accessing a diverse range of bespoke diaryl ethers and aryl amines in excellent isolated yields (38 examples, 70% average yield), is reported. Taking advantage of the hydrogen-transfer approach, the oxidation level of the functionalized products can be selected by judicious cho...

The acetylation of aryl ethers using acetic anhydride in the presence of zeolites under modest conditions in a solvent-free system gave the corresponding para-acetylated products in high yields. The zeolite can be recovered, regenerated and reused to give almost the same yield as that given when fresh zeolite is used.

The application of chiral sulfinamides and achiral sulfonic acids as a cocatalyst system for enantioselective protonation reactions is described. Structurally simple, easily accessible sulfinamides were found to induce moderate-to-high ee's in the formation of 2-aryl-substituted cycloalkanones from the corresponding trimethylsilyl enol ethers.

Gold nanoparticles supported on TiO(2) (~1%) catalyse in high yields the selective cycloisomerisation of aryl propargyl ethers into the corresponding 2H-chromenes, under heterogeneous conditions. 2H,2'H-3,3'-Bichromenes resulting from a catalytic oxidative dimerization pathway are also formed as by-products.

Study of the kinetics of intramolecular aryl ether C-O bond cleavage by Ni was facilitated by access to a family of metal complexes supported by diphosphines with pendant aryl-methyl ethers. The nature of the aryl substituents was found to have little effect on the rate of cleavage. In contrast, soluble Lewis acidic additives accelerate the aryl ether cleavage dramatically. The effect of AlMe3 ...