We have demonstrated that metal-mediated allylation of aldehydes can afford γ-homoallylic alcohols or α-linear homoallylic alcohols by judicious choice of the solvents. A new mechanism has been proposed to account for this new α-selective metal-mediated allylation reaction. On the other hand, the metal-mediated prenylation under the same conditions to obtain α-prenyl alcohols was unsuccessful. ...

ABSTRACT B3LYP/6-31++G(d) calculations indicated that the reaction of (2E)-3-phenyl-2-nitroprop-2-enenitrile with cyclopentadiene catalyzed by cations of 1,3-dialkylimidazolium ionic liquid shall not take place according to the classical scheme of one-step [2+4] Diels-Alder cycloaddition. Along the path finally leading to bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene (norbornene) with a nitro group in endo orientat...

The room temperature ionic liquid [bmim][PF6] was employed as the reaction medium in the asymmetric glyoxylate-ene reaction of α-methyl styrene (4a) with ethyl glyoxylate using chiral palladium(II) complexes as the catalysts. [Pd(S-BINAP)(3,5-CF3PhCN)2](SbF6)2 (1b) showed the highest catalytic activity. Under the reaction conditions of 40 C, 0.5 h, and 1b/4a molar ratio of 0.05, ethyl α-hydroxy...

We highlight the role of thiyl initiating radicals generated by air oxidation thiols in mechanism accounting for self-initiation thiol–ene polymerization. The driving force this reaction is polarization S–H bond.

A step-economical synthesis of clinprost is reported that concludes with 3 different transition metal-catalyzed reactions: Pd-catalyzed decarboxylation with allylic rearrangement, Rh-catalyzed diene-ene [2+2+1] reaction, and Ru-catalyzed cross-metathesis reaction. The complexity bestowed to the molecule from these reactions converts a readily accessible ester to clinprost without using protecti...