The Diels-Alder reaction is a cornerstone in organic synthesis, forming two carbon-carbon bonds and up to four new stereogenic centers in one step. No naturally occurring enzymes have been shown to catalyze bimolecular Diels-Alder reactions. We describe the de novo computational design and experimental characterization of enzymes catalyzing a bimolecular Diels-Alder reaction with high stereosel...

In order to construct the functionalized AB ring system of clifednamide, member of the class of macrocyclic tetramic acid lactams, a synthesis was developed which utilized an Ireland-Claisen rearrangement and an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction. Starting from di-O-isopropylidene-d-mannitol the allyl carboxylate precursor for the sigmatropic rearrangement was prepared. This rearrangement proc...

This paper describes the use of a substituent effects study to understand the mechanistic basis for an interfacial Diels-Alder reaction that does not proceed with standard second-order kinetics. Cyclopentadiene (Cp) undergoes a Diels-Alder reaction with a chemisorbed mercaptobenzoquinone to yield an immobilized Diels-Alder adduct. The pseudo-first-order rate constants are not linearly related t...

2,4,6-triisopropylstryrene was synthesized in a single step via the witting reaction from the corresponding aldehyde. the reaction of three styrene's derivatives, 2,6-dimethylstyrene, 2,4,6-trimethylstyrene, and 2,4,6- triisopropylstyrene with 4-methyl-l,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dion(m etd) was investigated. these reactions are instantaneous at room temperature and lead to the formation of 2: 1 ...

The Diels-Alder cycloaddition of dimethyl-1 ,2-cyclobutenedicarboxylate to a 1,3-diene results in the formation of an adduct which can subsequently be decarboxylated and dehydrogenated to provide a cyclobutene-fused benzenoid system. The use of · appropriate dienes has led to the preparation of a series of paraand metabis-annelated benzenes. Variations in the 1H and C NMR and in the UV spectra ...

The catalytic Diels-Alder cycloaddition-dehydration (DACD) reaction of furanics with ethylene is a promising route to bio-derived aromatics. The reaction can be catalyzed by alkali-metal-exchanged faujasites. Herein, the results of periodic DFT calculations based on accurate structural models of alkali-metal-exchanged zeolites are presented, revealing the fundamental roles that confinement and ...

We describe a convergent, enantioselective synthesis of (-)-tetracycline (1) from benzoic acid (17 steps, 1.1% yield). Benzoic acid was transformed into the AB precursor 2 in 10 steps (11% yield), as previously described, and the latter compound was activated toward Diels-Alder cycloaddition by the introduction of an alpha-phenylthio group (two steps, 66% yield). Heating of the resulting alpha-...

A mild and efficient stereoselective synthesis of hexacyclic indole alkaloids with a tetrahydro-β-carboline motif has been developed by utilizing the Pictet-Spengler reaction and tandem N-acylation followed by intramolecular Diels-Alder cyclization. Initially, a diene unit was installed in the tetrahedron β-carboline skeleton through Pictet-Spengler cyclization of the corresponding aldehyde wit...

o-Quinodimethanes have remarkable utility as reactive intermediates in Diels–Alder reactions, enabling significantly accelerated routes to complex polycyclic compounds. The discovery of different discrete precursors thermally generate o-quinodimethanes thereby greatly augmented their availability and versatility. However, due the required high temperatures immense reactivity o-quinodimethanes, ...